Need Advice on P4 Tofino Setup – Platform Detection, Custom Controller, and IDS Project

P4 Dev
1

Hey everyone,

I’m working on a project using a Tofino-based switch (UfiSpace S9180-32X) and the Intel P4 SDE (version 9.13.1). I’m building a simple IDS (Intrusion Detection System) as part of a summer Project, and so far, I’ve made decent progress but I could use some advice.

Setup Details:

  • Switch: UfiSpace S9180-32X
  • SDE: bf-sde-9.13.1 (with full pkgsrc + BSP)
  • Kernel: Ubuntu 20.04 running 5.4.0-216-generic
  • Controller: Custom Python-based controller using p4runtime and gRPC
  • Pipeline Format: basic.p4 compiled to .p4info.bin and tofino.bin
  • Development environment: WSL2 (Ubuntu) on the host, controller runs locally

What I’ve Done So Far:

  • Compiled and pushed P4 pipeline using p4c-barefoot
  • Wrote and tested a custom Python controller (based on the P4Runtime API)
  • Recompiled bf_kdrv.ko manually for my current kernel (since the default was built for 5.4.0-192)
  • Got /dev/bf0 created and bf_switchd starting
  • bfshell runs and gRPC server starts on 0.0.0.0:50052
  • Fixed SSH + networking between the PC and the switch
  • Installed the BSP and loaded eeprom_mb and optoe modules
  • Ran the provided i2c_utils_std.sh i2c_init — I2C appears active
  • Tried binding 24c64 manually to devices on i2c-50, but still no /sys/bus/i2c/.../eeprom

What’s Blocking Me:

Even though the switch starts up and the pipeline compiles fine, bf_switchd exits unless I skip platform detection. The i2c_cpu_eeprom_get script shows “EEPROM not detected”, and I don’t see any valid eeprom devices under /sys/bus/i2c/devices/.

I know I can just disable the platform check with platform-check-disable=1, and I plan to — since the IDS doesn’t really need fan/LED/BMC access — but I’m still curious:

  • Has anyone successfully enabled platform detection on this board?
  • Is there a more reliable way to scan/detect the EEPROM (e.g. alternate bus/channel)?
  • Am I overthinking this and should just move on with platform check disabled?

Appreciate any advice or just hearing from others who’ve worked on similar setups!

Thanks in advance

2

Hello @AL-OTU – welcome to the forum!

Unfortunately, I do not have experience working with that platform. My only recommendation would be to reach out directly to the vendor or to their representative, e.g. STORDIS.

Happy hacking,
Vladimir