Abstract: Methods and apparatus for extending OpenvSwitch (OVS) megaflow offloads to hardware to address hardware pipeline limitations. Under a method implemented on a compute platform including a Network Interface Controller (NIC) having one or more ports and running software including OVS software and a Linux operating system having a kernel including a TC-flower module and a NIC driver a new megaflow is created with a mask in the OVS software employing a subset of microflow fields for a packet. The microflow fields and the megaflow mask is sent to the NIC driver. A new megaflow is implemented in the NIC driver employing a subset of the microflow fields and the NIC driver creates a new hardware flow on the NIC employing a packet match scheme using all the microflow fields. The NIC also programs a NIC hardware pipeline with the new hardware flow using a match scheme that may depend on the available hardware resources, such as the size of a TCAM.

Abstract: Examples described herein relate to a packet processing device that includes a programmable packet processing pipeline that is configured using a virtual switch. In some examples, the programmable packet processing pipeline is to receive configurations from multiple control planes via the virtual switch to configure packet processing actions. In some examples, the virtual switch is to provide inter-virtual execution environment communications. In some examples, the programmable packet processing pipeline is configured using a programming language.