Understanding Linux Kernel-Based Packet Switching on WiFi Access Points

IF 5.4 2区计算机科学 Q1 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS

IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management Pub Date : 2025-08-29 DOI:10.1109/TNSM.2025.3603597

Shiqi Zhang;Mridul Gupta;Behnam Dezfouli

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Abstract

As the number of WiFi devices and their traffic demands continue to rise, the need for a scalable and high-performance wireless infrastructure becomes increasingly essential. Central to this infrastructure are WiFi Access Points (APs), which facilitate packet switching between Ethernet and WiFi interfaces. Despite APs’ reliance on the Linux kernel’s data plane for packet switching, the detailed operations and complexities of switching packets between Ethernet and WiFi interfaces have not been investigated in existing works. This paper makes the following contributions towards filling this research gap. Through macro and micro-analysis of empirical experiments, our study reveals insights in two distinct categories. Firstly, while the kernel’s statistics offer valuable insights into system operations, we identify and discuss potential pitfalls that can severely affect system analysis. For instance, we reveal how packet switching rate and the implementation of drivers influence the meaning and accuracy of statistics related to packet-switching tasks and processor utilization. Secondly, we analyze the impact of the packet switching path and core configuration on performance and power consumption. Specifically, we identify the differences in Ethernet-to-WiFi and WiFi-to-Ethernet data paths regarding processing components, multi-core utilization, and energy efficiency.

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了解基于Linux内核的WiFi接入点分组交换

随着WiFi设备的数量及其流量需求的不断增加，对可扩展和高性能无线基础设施的需求变得越来越重要。该基础设施的核心是WiFi接入点（ap），它促进了以太网和WiFi接口之间的数据包交换。尽管ap依赖于Linux内核的数据平面进行数据包交换，但是在以太网和WiFi接口之间交换数据包的详细操作和复杂性尚未在现有的工作中进行研究。本文为填补这一研究空白做出了以下贡献。通过实证实验的宏观和微观分析，我们的研究揭示了两个不同类别的见解。首先，虽然内核的统计数据提供了对系统操作的有价值的见解，但我们确定并讨论了可能严重影响系统分析的潜在缺陷。例如，我们揭示了分组交换速率和驱动程序的实现如何影响与分组交换任务和处理器利用率相关的统计数据的意义和准确性。其次，分析了分组交换路径和核心配置对性能和功耗的影响。具体来说，我们确定了以太网到wifi和wifi到以太网数据路径在处理组件、多核利用率和能源效率方面的差异。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management Computer Science-Computer Networks and Communications

CiteScore

9.30

自引率

15.10%

发文量

325

期刊介绍： IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management will publish (online only) peerreviewed archival quality papers that advance the state-of-the-art and practical applications of network and service management. Theoretical research contributions (presenting new concepts and techniques) and applied contributions (reporting on experiences and experiments with actual systems) will be encouraged. These transactions will focus on the key technical issues related to: Management Models, Architectures and Frameworks; Service Provisioning, Reliability and Quality Assurance; Management Functions; Enabling Technologies; Information and Communication Models; Policies; Applications and Case Studies; Emerging Technologies and Standards.