From model to implementation: a network algorithm programming language  

作　　者：Jian WANG Jie AN Mingshuai CHEN Naijun ZHAN Lulin WANG Miaomiao ZHANG Ting GAN 

机构地区：[1]State Key Laboratory of Computer Science,Institute of Software,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100190,China [2]University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China [3]School of Software Engineering,Tongji University,Shanghai 201804,China [4]Network Integration Technology Research Department,Huawei Technologies Co.,Ltd.,Shenzhen 518129,China [5]School of Computer Science,Wuhan University,Wuhan 430072,China

出　　处：《Science China(Information Sciences)》2020年第7期201-217,共17页中国科学（信息科学）（英文版）

基　　金：supported partly by Huawei(Grant No.YBN2016030056);supported partly by National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)(Grant Nos.61625206,61732001);supported partly by National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)(Grant No.61472279)。

摘　　要：Software-defined networking(SDN) is a revolutionary technology that facilitates network management and enables programmatically efficient network configuration,thereby improving network performance and flexibility.However,as the application programming interfaces(APIs) of SDN are low-level or functionality-restricted,SDN programmers cannot easily keep pace with the ever-changing devices,topologies,and demands of SDN.By deriving motivation from industry practice,we define a novel network algorithm programming language(NAPL) that enhances the SDN framework with a rapid programming flow from topology-based network models to C++ implementations,thus bridging the gap between the limited capability of existing SDN APIs and the reality of practical network management.In contrast to several state-of-the-art languages,NAPL provides a range of critical high-level network programming features:(1) topology-based network modeling and visualization;(2) fast abstraction and expansion of network devices and constraints;(3) a declarative paradigm for the fast design of forwarding policies;(4) a built-in library for complex algorithm implementation;(5) full compatibility with C++ programming;and(6) userfriendly debugging support when compiling NAPL into highly readable C++ codes.The expressiveness and performance of NAPL are demonstrated in various industrial scenarios originating from practical network management.

关 键 词：software-defined networking(SDN) network algorithm programming language(NAPL) network abstraction 

分 类 号：TP312[自动化与计算机技术—计算机软件与理论]