High level, network programming languages, like P4, enable students to gain hands-on experience in the structure of a switch or router. Students can implement the packet processing pipeline themselves, without prior knowledge of circuit design. However, when choosing a P4 programmable target for use in the classroom, instructors face a lack of options. On the one hand, software solutions, such as the behavioral model (BMv2) switch, are overly simplified and offer low performance. On the other hand, existing hardware solutions are closed source and expensive. In this paper, we present P4Pi, a new, low-cost, open-source hardware platform intended for networking education. P4Pi allows students to design and deploy P4-based network devices using the Raspberry Pi board, which has a price tag of less than many academic textbooks. We describe the high-level design of the P4Pi platform, offer some suggestions for how P4Pi could be used in the classroom, and present some additional use-cases for applications and functionality that could be developed using P4Pi.

中文翻译：

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P4Pi

高级网络编程语言（如 P4）使学生能够获得交换机或路由器结构的实践经验。学生可以自己实现数据包处理流水线，无需事先了解电路设计。然而，在选择用于课堂的 P4 可编程目标时，教师面临着选择不足的问题。一方面，软件解决方案，例如行为模型 (BMv2) 交换机，过于简化并且性能低下。另一方面，现有的硬件解决方案是闭源且昂贵的。在本文中，我们介绍了 P4Pi，这是一种用于网络教育的新型、低成本、开源硬件平台。P4Pi 允许学生使用 Raspberry Pi 板设计和部署基于 P4 的网络设备，其价格低于许多学术教科书。