A re-configurable component model for programmable nodes

Recently developed networked services have been demanding architectures that accommodate an increasingly diverse range of applications requirements (e.g. mobility, multicast, QoS), as well as system requirements (e.g. specialized processing hardware). This is particularly crucial for architectures of network systems where the lack of extensibility and interoperability has been a constant struggle, hindering the provision of novel services. It is also clear that to achieve such flexibility these systems must support extensibility and reconfigurability of the base functionality subsequent to the initial deployment. We present a component model that addresses these concerns. We also discuss the application of the component model in network processor-based programmable networking environments and discuss how our approach can offer a more deployable, flexible and extensible networking infrastructure.