Programmable edge node openflow switch development and performance evaluation

As the Internet grows in size and demand, network developers are challenged with growing and improving the infrastructure. In order to do this, tools are required which allow for the development and testing of at-scale network solutions. One such tool for this type of research is the clean-slate testbed, the Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI). GENI is a large-scale, distributed network testbed comprised of programmable resources for network research. Within GENI is a resource contributed by UMass Lowell, the Programmable Edge Node (PEN). PEN features OpenVZ virtualization, Netronome NFEi8000 network processor, and OpenFlow software switch support. This document details the design, development, deployment, and role of PEN in the GENI environment.