This set of python libraries is for testing and playing arounf with P4 programs written for BMv2. The idea is that you can treat each program in a black box scenario and that minimal setup is required to setup a behavioral model instance, a gRPC client, and a test application. Use cases include testing multicast distribution, VLAN tags, anything that involves receipt or altering of a packet -- even using this to quickly test P4 ideas without having to worry about a significant number of dependencies.
For more information on P4, examples and guides, I would recommend https://github.com/jafingerhut/p4-guide
The project includes the following:
Contains an MIT licensed basic implementation of a MAC learning P4 program, a test suite that installs and writes new multicast rules and a small test suite (ok it's like one function!) to test the rule.
Behavioral Model Docker (bmv2-docker)
Contains a docker file for creating a Ubuntu container that contains the behavioral model (with the help of github.com/jafingerhut/p4-guide), and an functions to run an instance of that container, setting up necessary virtual ethernet ports, network/firewall rules and a test context helper for... testing.
Packet Test (packettest)
Library for testing packets received on ports, using a future-bases async model.
Simple P4 Client (simplep4client)
Wrapper for the P4 Runtime gRPC service, that provides helpers for writing fields, tables, managing output streams
Simply source ./source_this.sh. This will set up a virtual environment and
install the packages.
Note: In order to create virtual interfaces, manage them and other manipulate network and system settings, copies of the python executables are taken and the following capabilities set:
CAP_NET_RAW: Creating sockets for the sending packets, network management functions.CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE: Manipulating filesystem/sysfs