Fast Reconfigurable Hash Functions for Network Flow Hashing in FPGAs

Efficient monitoring of high speed computer networks operating with a 100 Gigabit per second (Gbps) data throughput requires a suitable hardware acceleration of its key components. We present a platform capable of automated design of hash functions suitable for network flow hashing. The platform employs a multi-objective linear genetic programming developed for the hash function design. We evolved high-quality hash functions and implemented them in a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Several evolved hash functions were combined together in order to form a new reconfigurable hash function. The proposed reconfigurable design significantly reduces the area on a chip while the maximum operation frequency remains very close to the fastest hash functions. Properties of evolved hash functions were compared with the state-of-the-art hash functions in terms of the quality of hashing, area and operation frequency in the FPGA.