Efficient flow management utilizing control packets

An accelerator of a smart network interface card (smartNIC), comprising:

• a memory configured to store computer-executable instructions;
• and
• a processor configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to at least:
• determine, by the accelerator, that a cache entry is a candidate for removal, the cache entry being part of a cache that is managed by the accelerator, the cache entry storing flow state of a particular flow, the accelerator being responsible for forwarding packets associated with the particular flow based at least in part on the flow state, and the cache entry being indexed within the cache based at least in part on a hash that is generated based at least in part on flow information associated with the particular flow, and the flow information formatted utilizing a particular header format;
• generate, by the accelerator, an instruction to remove the cache entry of the particular flow from the cache based at least in part on receiving the determination that the cache entry is the candidate for removal;
• remove, by the accelerator, the cache entry of the particular flow from the cache based at least in part on the instruction;
• generate, by the accelerator, a control packet that includes the flow information associated with the particular flow being formatted utilizing the particular header format;
• and
• transmit, by the accelerator, the control packet to a programming data plane utilizing a path that is used by the accelerator to forward non-control packets to the programming data plane, the path being utilized based at least in part on the control packet utilizing the particular header format.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an accelerator of a smart network interface card (smartNIC), cause the one or more processors to at least:

• determine, by the accelerator, that a cache entry is a candidate for removal, the cache entry being part of a cache that is managed by the accelerator, the cache entry storing flow state of a particular flow, the accelerator being responsible for forwarding packets associated with the particular flow based at least in part on the flow state, and the cache entry being indexed within the cache based at least in part on a hash that is generated based at least in part on flow information associated with the particular flow, and the flow information formatted utilizing a particular header format;
• generate, by the accelerator, an instruction to remove the cache entry of the particular flow from the cache based at least in part on receiving the determination that the cache entry is the candidate for removal;
• remove, by the accelerator, the cache entry of the particular flow from the cache based at least in part on the instruction;
• generate, by the accelerator, first data associated with the particular flow being managed by the accelerator;
• include by the accelerator, the first data within a control packet;
• and
• transmit, by the accelerator, the first data within the control packet to a programming data plane utilizing a path that is used by the accelerator to forward non-control packets to the programming data plane.