A case for run-time adaptation in packet processing systems

Abstract

Most packet processing applications receive and process multiple types of packets. Today, the processors available within packet processing systems are allocated to packet types at design time. In this paper, we explore the benefits and challenges of adapting allocations of processors to packet types in packet processing systems. We demonstrate that, for all the applications and traces considered, run-time adaptation can reduce energy consumption by 70--80% and processor provisioning level by 40--50%. The adaptation benefits are maximized if processor allocations can be adapted at fine time-scales and if the total available processing power can be allocated to packet types in small granularities. We show that, of these two factors, allocating processing power to packet types is small granularity is more important---if the allocation granularity is large, then even a very fine adaptation time-scale yields meager benefits.