Abstract: Methods for packet forwarding using vendor extension in a software-defined networking (SDN) system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method is implemented in an electronic device in a SDN system, where the electronic device serves as a network element. The method includes receiving a packet for forwarding, and determining that the packet matches a flow table entry of a flow table in the network element. The method continues with performing operations on the packet based one or more instructions of the flow table entry, where the one or more instructions contains an experimenter that matches a vendor extension identifier of a vendor extension table of the network element. Additionally, each vendor extension identifier of the vendor extension table identifies a set of function pointers for a set of functions, and the operations include execution of one or more of the set of functions.

Abstract: Methods for packet forwarding using vendor extension in a software-defined networking (SDN) system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method is implemented in an electronic device in a SDN system, where the electronic device serves as a network element. The method includes receiving a packet for forwarding, and determining that the packet matches a flow table entry of a flow table in the network element. The method continues with performing operations on the packet based one or more instructions of the flow table entry, where the one or more instructions contains an experimenter that matches a vendor extension identifier of a vendor extension table of the network element. Additionally, each vendor extension identifier of the vendor extension table identifies a set of function pointers for a set of functions, and the operations include execution of one or more of the set of functions.