1 Vector Packet Processing
2 ========================
6 The VPP platform is an extensible framework that provides out-of-the-box
7 production quality switch/router functionality. It is the open source version
8 of Cisco's Vector Packet Processing (VPP) technology: a high performance,
9 packet-processing stack that can run on commodity CPUs.
11 The benefits of this implementation of VPP are its high performance, proven
12 technology, its modularity and flexibility, and rich feature set.
14 For more information on VPP and its features please visit the
15 [FD.io website](http://fd.io/) and
16 [What is VPP?](https://wiki.fd.io/view/VPP/What_is_VPP%3F) pages.
21 Directory name | Description
22 ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------
23 build-data | Build metadata
24 build-root | Build output directory
25 doxygen | Documentation generator configuration
26 dpdk | DPDK patches and build infrastructure
27 g2 | Event log visualization tool
29 perftool | Performance tool
30 plugins | VPP bundled plugins directory
31 @ref svm | Shared virtual memory allocation library
33 @ref vlib | VPP application library source
34 @ref vlib-api | VPP API library source
35 @ref vnet | VPP networking source
36 @ref vpp | VPP application source
37 @ref vpp-api | VPP application API source
38 vppapigen | VPP API generator source
39 vpp-api-test | VPP API test program source
40 @ref vppinfra | VPP core library source
42 (If the page you are viewing is not generated by Doxygen then
43 ignore any @@ref labels in the above table.)
48 In general anyone interested in building, developing or running VPP should
49 consult the [VPP wiki](https://wiki.fd.io/view/VPP) for more complete
52 In particular, readers are recommended to take a look at [Pulling, Building,
53 Running, Hacking, Pushing](https://wiki.fd.io/view/VPP/Pulling,_Building,_Run
54 ning,_Hacking_and_Pushing_VPP_Code) which provides extensive step-by-step
55 coverage of the topic.
57 For the impatient, some salient information is distilled below.
60 ### Quick-start: On an existing Linux host.
62 To install system dependencies, build VPP and then install it, simply run the
63 build script. This should be performed a non-privileged user with `sudo`
64 access from the project base directory:
66 ./build-root/vagrant/build.sh
68 If you want a more fine-grained approach because you intend to do some
69 development work, the `Makefile` in the root directory of the source tree
70 provides several convenience shortcuts as `make` targets that may be of
71 interest. To see the available targets run:
76 ### Quick-start: Vagrant.
78 The directory `build-root/vagrant` contains a `VagrantFile` and supporting
79 scripts to bootstrap a working VPP inside a Vagrant-managed Virtual Machine.
80 This VM can then be used to test concepts with VPP or as a development
81 platform to extend VPP. Some obvious caveats apply when using a VM for VPP
82 since its performance will never match that of bare metal; if your work is
83 timing or performance sensitive, consider using bare metal in addition or
86 For this to work you will need a working installation of Vagrant. Instructions
87 for this can be found [on the Setting up Vagrant wiki page]
88 (https://wiki.fd.io/view/DEV/Setting_Up_Vagrant).
93 Visit the [VPP wiki](https://wiki.fd.io/view/VPP) for details on more
94 advanced building strategies and development notes.