System and Method for Dataplane Extensibility in a Flow-based Switching Device

A method comprising:

• determining, by a microflow routing module of a network switching device, that a first packet processing module of the microflow routing module is to be utilized to process a first flow;
• directing the first flow to the first packet processing module via a first virtual port of the microflow routing module in response to determining that the first packet processing module is to be utilized to process the first flow;
• processing the first flow using the first packet processing module;
• directing the first flow to a destination associated with the first flow;
• and
• sending, by a software defined network (SDN) agent of the microflow routing module, a first port status message to a SDN controller, the first port status message indicating that the microflow routing module includes the first virtual port and that the first virtual port is associated with the first packet processing module.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including code for performing a method, the method comprising:

• determining, by a microflow routing module of a network switching device, that a first packet processing module of the microflow routing module is to be utilized to process a first flow;
• directing the first flow to the first packet processing module via a first virtual port of the microflow routing module in response to determining that the first packet processing module is to be utilized to process the first flow;
• processing the first flow using the first packet processing module;
• directing the first flow to a destination associated with the first flow;
• and
• sending, by a software defined network (SDN) agent of the microflow routing module, a first port status message to a SDN controller, the first port status message indicating that the microflow routing module includes the first virtual port and that the first virtual port is associated with the first packet processing module.