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 Details of the changes leading up to this version of VPP can be found under
27 Directory name | Description
28 ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------
29 build-data | Build metadata
30 build-root | Build output directory
31 doxygen | Documentation generator configuration
32 dpdk | DPDK patches and build infrastructure
33 g2 | Event log visualization tool
34 perftool | Performance tool
35 @ref plugins | VPP bundled plugins directory
36 @ref svm | Shared virtual memory allocation library
38 @ref vlib | VPP application library source
39 @ref vlib-api | VPP API library source
40 @ref vnet | VPP networking source
41 @ref vpp | VPP application source
42 @ref vpp-api | VPP application API source
43 vppapigen | VPP API generator source
44 vpp-api-test | VPP API test program source
45 @ref vppinfra | VPP core library source
47 (If the page you are viewing is not generated by Doxygen then
48 ignore any @@ref labels in the above table.)
53 In general anyone interested in building, developing or running VPP should
54 consult the [VPP wiki](https://wiki.fd.io/view/VPP) for more complete
57 In particular, readers are recommended to take a look at [Pulling, Building,
58 Running, Hacking, Pushing](https://wiki.fd.io/view/VPP/Pulling,_Building,_Run
59 ning,_Hacking_and_Pushing_VPP_Code) which provides extensive step-by-step
60 coverage of the topic.
62 For the impatient, some salient information is distilled below.
65 ### Quick-start: On an existing Linux host
67 To install system dependencies, build VPP and then install it, simply run the
68 build script. This should be performed a non-privileged user with `sudo`
69 access from the project base directory:
71 ./build-root/vagrant/build.sh
73 If you want a more fine-grained approach because you intend to do some
74 development work, the `Makefile` in the root directory of the source tree
75 provides several convenience shortcuts as `make` targets that may be of
76 interest. To see the available targets run:
81 ### Quick-start: Vagrant
83 The directory `build-root/vagrant` contains a `VagrantFile` and supporting
84 scripts to bootstrap a working VPP inside a Vagrant-managed Virtual Machine.
85 This VM can then be used to test concepts with VPP or as a development
86 platform to extend VPP. Some obvious caveats apply when using a VM for VPP
87 since its performance will never match that of bare metal; if your work is
88 timing or performance sensitive, consider using bare metal in addition or
91 For this to work you will need a working installation of Vagrant. Instructions
92 for this can be found [on the Setting up Vagrant wiki page]
93 (https://wiki.fd.io/view/DEV/Setting_Up_Vagrant).
98 Several modules provide documentation, see @subpage user_doc for more
101 Visit the [VPP wiki](https://wiki.fd.io/view/VPP) for details on more
102 advanced building strategies and development notes.