  In this work, we present P4-IPsec, a concept for IPsec in software-defined
networks (SDN) using P4 programmable data planes. The prototype implementation
features ESP in tunnel mode and supports different cipher suites. P4-capable
switches are programmed to serve as IPsec tunnel endpoints. We also provide a
client agent to configure tunnel endpoints on Linux hosts so that site-to-site
and host-to-site application scenarios can be supported which are the base for
virtual private networks (VPNs). While traditional VPNs require complex key
exchange protocols like IKE to set up and renew tunnel endpoints, P4-IPsec
benefits from an SDN controller to accomplish these tasks. One goal of this
experimental work is to investigate how well P4-IPsec can be implemented on
existing P4 switches. We present a prototype for the BMv2 P4 software switch,
evaluate its performance, and publish its source code on GitHub. We explain why
we could not provide a useful implementation with the NetFPGA SUME board. For
the Edgecore Wedge 100BF-32X Tofino-based switch, we presented two prototype
implementations to cope with a missing crypto unit. As another contribution of
this paper, we provide technological background of P4 and IPsec and give a
comprehensive review of security applications in P4, IPsec in SDN, and IPsec
data plane implementations. According to our knowledge, P4-IPsec is the first
implementation of IPsec for P4-based SDN.

Networking and Internet Architecture