SVFF+: Kubernetes FPGA virtualization and reconfiguration for network virtualization

Abstract—Network virtualization concepts are extending their influence to other fields, such as Satellite Communication. The WAVE consortium initiative is an example, as they aim to create a new SATCOM ecosystem with interoperable and hardware accelerated virtual functions. This paper presents SVFF+, a  software/hardware framework that enables easy FPGA usage in virtualized environments, introducing partial reconfiguration and Kubernetes (K8S) support. SVFF+ was developed with WAVE consortium applications in mind, but it can be extended to any cloud computing or network virtualization use cases, such as NFV. We demonstrate the effectiveness of SVFF+ via benchmarks, showcasing its potential to accelerate network applications and cloud environments. SVFF+ enhances a previuos work (SVFF) with support for Kubernetes and partial reconfiguration.