Kernel bypass

This post introduces the concept of 'kernel bypass' as a necessary technique to overcome the performance limitations of the vanilla Linux kernel networking stack for high-throughput packet processing. It details experiments demonstrating the kernel's limitations with multi-queue packet handling and then explores various kernel bypass techniques including PACKET_MMAP, PF_RING, Snabbswitch, DPDK, Netmap, Solarflare's EF_VI, bifurcated drivers, and virtualization approaches, highlighting their pros and cons in the context of Cloudflare's needs.