Abstract: Devices and techniques for hardware accelerated packet processing are described herein. A device can communicate with one or more hardware switches. The device can detect characteristics of a plurality of packet streams. The device may distribute the plurality of packet streams between the one or more hardware switches and software data plane components based on the detected characteristics of the plurality of packet streams, such that at least one packet stream is designated to be processed by the one or more hardware switches. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: Technologies for controlling operation of a compute node coupled to a computer network via a computing device that includes communications for communicating with the computer network and persistent instructions such as firmware for providing control functions to the computing device, wherein the control functions being defined at least in part by protocol data. An update control module of the computing device may receive update data from a remote node in the computer network via the communications, wherein the update data comprising new protocol data for the persistent instructions. A protocol parser module may parse the update data and generate metadata relating to the update data. A classifier module may receive rules for the control functions, wherein the rules are based at least in part on the update data and metadata. A compiler may compile the parsed update data to the persistent instructions for providing new control functions to the computing device based at least in part on the received rules.

Abstract: Devices and techniques for indicating packet processing hints are described herein. A device may receive a data packet. The device may extract a match-action attribute from the data packet that specifies an action to be applied to the data packet. The device may generate a hint field based on the match-action attribute. The hint field may include information to be used for handling the data packet. Other embodiments are also described.