High-performance vNIC framework for hypervisor-based NFV with userspace vSwitch

We propose a high-performance virtual network interface card framework for hypervisor-based NFV with userspace virtual switch. We extend the virtio-net framework to achieve high-performance I/O and to provide DPDK-compatible APIs for a DPDK-enabled NFV app on a guest hypervisor-based VM with DPDK-enabled userspace vSwitch. The framework provides a device status tracking mechanism between DPDK-enabled NFV app and a vSwitch as well as service maintenance supports such as reboot and restart of a guest VM or in a vSwitch in order to increase flexibility and agility in a carrier network operation for NFV. The vNIC archived over-120-Gbps throughput and over-14.2-MPPS I/O processing.