Programmable data plane (PDP) is an emerging technology for programming packet processing tasks by means of a domain-specific high-level language (e.g., programming protocol-independent packet processor (P4)) and programmable switch chips. Recently, several PDP virtualization schemes have been introduced to enable more flexible and elastic network management. In this article, we first give an overview PDP and P4. After that, existing PDP virtualization schemes are classified into hypervisor- and compiler-based approaches and their pros and cons are analyzed in detail. Finally, open challenges for PDP virtualization are identified and future research directions are presented.

中文翻译：

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可编程数据平面中的虚拟化：调查和挑战

可编程数据平面（PDP）是一种新兴技术，用于通过领域特定的高级语言（例如，与编程协议无关的分组处理器（P4））和可编程交换芯片对分组处理任务进行编程。最近，已经引入了几种PDP虚拟化方案，以实现更灵活，更具弹性的网络管理。在本文中，我们首先概述PDP和P4。之后，将现有的PDP虚拟化方案分为基于管理程序和编译器的方法，并详细分析其优缺点。最后，确定了PDP虚拟化面临的开放挑战，并提出了未来的研究方向。