# Rack-scale Networking - Show: [Oxide and Friends](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends) - Published: 2023-02-28 - Length: 1h 34m - Episode: 6 - Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-02-28-rack-scale-networking - Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/e0fc97e0 ## Summary Bryan Cantrill, Adam Leventhal, and the Oxide networking team (Ryan Goodfellow, Levon Tarver, Ben Naecker, Arjen Roodselaar) discuss the software stack driving the Oxide rack-scale networking. They detail the use of Intel Tofino 2 ASICs and the P4 programming language to create a fully programmable data plane, enabling features like Delay-Driven Multipath (DDM) and tight integration between the Sidecar switch and Gimlet servers. The team explains how they built a custom P4-to-Rust compiler and virtualized the ASIC to develop and test the network stack without relying on fixed-function hardware. ## Chapters - [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-02-28-rack-scale-networking#t=0) Introduction: Oxide Networking Team and Sidecar History - [4:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-02-28-rack-scale-networking#t=247) Ryan Goodfellow's Background and the Problem with Fixed ASICs - [8:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-02-28-rack-scale-networking#t=511) P4 Programmability and Line Rate Processing - [18:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-02-28-rack-scale-networking#t=1134) Using the Tofino Simulator and Building a Custom P4 Compiler - [34:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-02-28-rack-scale-networking#t=2099) Levon Tarver on OPTE, Gimlets, and Control Plane Integration - [47:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-02-28-rack-scale-networking#t=2833) Ben Naecker on SLED Agent, Nexus, and Debugging - [55:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-02-28-rack-scale-networking#t=3331) Rust, Code Generation, and the P4 Compiler Implementation - [1:04:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-02-28-rack-scale-networking#t=3897) DDM, Microcongestion, and Rack-Scale Routing Architecture ## Topics - [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design) - [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware) - [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms) - [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas) - [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis) - [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot) - [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy) - [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning) - [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy) - [Medical & health devices](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/medical-devices) - [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech) - [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing) - [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners) - [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production) - [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield) - [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain) - [Factory operations & automation](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/factory-operations) - [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance) - [Logistics & fulfilment](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/logistics-and-fulfillment) - [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity) - [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company) - [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit) - [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding) - [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising) - [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics) - [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution) - [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer) - [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand) - [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property) - [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture) - [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce) - [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions) - [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs) - [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education) - [Maker community & events](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/maker-community) - [Fabrication & craft](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fabrication-and-craft) - [Creator business](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/creator-business) - [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware) - [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing) ## Most relevant to early-stage companies ## Mentioned - Intel (company) - Tofino 2 (chip) - P4 (other) - Sidecar (product) - Gimlet (product) - OPTE (product) - DDM (other) - RIFT (other) - Swift (other) - Drill (other) - BGP (other) - VXLAN (other) - GENEVE (other) - ECMP (other) - SmartNIC (other) - Arista (company) - Cisco (company) - Mellanox (company) - Rackspace (company) - Equinix Metal (company) - Meta (company) ## Related episodes from other shows - [342: That Girl's Brain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-08-27-342-that-girls-brain) (Embedded.fm) - [Chip Design for Fun (and Waffles) with Julia Desmazes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-04-09-chip-design-for-fun-and-waffles-with-julia-desmazes) (The Amp Hour) - [T-25-010 : Ioannis Papamanoglou and Narayan Powderly - Engineers transforming how we design, test, and build hardware with atopile](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-01-01-t-25-010-ioannis-papamanoglou-and-narayan-powderly-engineers-transforming-how-we) (TRADEOFFS) - [800Gs Finally Breaking Out and Benefits of Solution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2023-04-14-800gs-finally-breaking-out-and-benefits-of-solution) (EE Times Current) - [Efinix FPGAs with Sammy Cheung](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung) (The Amp Hour) ## Citing this page If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-02-28-rack-scale-networking. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Oxide and Friends.