COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF SR-IOV FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE CLOUD-NATIVE NETWORKING

Abstract

Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) enables high-performance, hardware-assisted networking by exposing multiple Virtual Functions (VFs) from a single Physical Function (PF) on a NIC. In cloud-native and telecom environments, SR-IOV is critical for delivering low-latency and high-throughput packet processing. This paper presents an architecture that integrates SR-IOV with Kubernetes, DPDK, and ARP-based monitoring for fault-tolerant CNF deployments. Each VF is monitored individually, allowing proactive switchover in case of link failure. Prometheus metrics and SNMP traps provide real-time observability and fault signaling. Bonding strategies like balance-xor enable active/active redundancy. We explore worker node setup, CNI integration, and failover logic. Use cases include 5G UPF, RTP streaming, and network slicing. Limitations and future enhancements such as vDPA support and mesh-native observability are discussed. This architecture ensures performance, resiliency, and operational clarity in SR-IOV-enabled Kubernetes environments.