Packet Processing Systems in Next-Generation Internet Routers

In this talk, I argue that the network architecture of the next-generation Internet is governed by the need for flexibility. Heterogeneous end-systems, novel communication abstractions, and security and manageability challenges require the network to provide a broad range of services that go beyond the simple store-and-forward capabilities of today’s Internet. Routers are the key components that can implement these capabilities through advanced packet processing systems. I present an overview of my group’s research on network services and router designs to illustrate how this work fits into recent efforts by NSF to design the next-generation Internet. In particular, I focus on our work on network processor systems and their use to implement novel packet processing functions inside the data path of networks. We use the Click modular router system to represent packet processing workloads. Our extensions provide profiling information that is used to dynamically distribute processing tasks onto multiple parallel embedded processor cores. I conclude the talk with a brief overview of current efforts to utilize heterogeneous multi-core systems that employ hardware accelerators and other emerging research challenges.

Biography

Tilman Wolf received a Diplom in informatics from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, in 1998. He also received a M.S. in computer science in 1998, a M.S. in computer engineering in 2000, and a D.Sc. in computer science in 2002, all from Washington University in St. Louis. Currently, he is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Wolf is engaged in research and teaching in the areas of computer networks, computer architecture, and embedded systems. His research interests include network processors, their application in next-generation Internet architectures, and embedded system security. His research has attracted substantial funding from both industry and the federal government, including an NSF CAREER award. Dr. Wolf is a senior member of the IEEE and the ACM. He has been active as program committee member and organizing committee member of several professional conferences, including IEEE INFOCOM and ACM SIGCOMM. He is currently serving as treasurer for the ACM SIGCOMM society. At the University of Massachusetts, he received the College of Engineering Outstanding Junior Faculty Award in 2006 and the College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher Award in 2008.