How do I install the Systems Networking skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add claude-dev-suite/systems-networking in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Systems Networking safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Systems Networking?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Systems Networking free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Systems Networking?

claude-dev-suite (@claude-dev-suite) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Systems Networking by claude-dev-suite

Name: Systems Networking
Rating: 4.666666666666667 (3 reviews)
Author: claude-dev-suite

Systems Networking

Systems-level networking architecture: kernel-bypass (DPDK, io_uring, eBPF/XDP), zero-copy, the network stack data path, NIC offloads, congestion control, and high-connection-count (C10M) server design. Architect-level, not app HTTP. USE WHEN: designing high-throughput/low-latency networking, packet processing, "kernel bypass", "DPDK", "io_uring", "eBPF", "XDP", "zero-copy", "C10M", "line rate", NIC offload, congestion control, software data plane. DO NOT USE FOR: REST/GraphQL API design (use api-design skills); app websockets (use real-time skills); cloud LB config (use infrastructure skills).

claude-dev-suite Updated Sep 8, 2026 28 repo stars

File contents

Systems Networking Architecture

The latency/throughput ladder (pick the lowest tier that meets needs)

Tier	Mechanism	Throughput/latency	Cost/complexity
Sockets + epoll	Classic kernel stack	Good; syscalls + copies dominate	Lowest
io_uring	Async, batched, shared rings	Fewer syscalls/copies	Moderate; Linux ≥5.x
eBPF/XDP	Run code at the driver hook	Drop/redirect at line rate before stack	Verifier limits; per-packet logic
Kernel bypass (DPDK)	Poll-mode driver in userspace	10–100M pps, µs latency	High; burns cores, no kernel stack

Decision drivers: required pps/latency, CPU budget (DPDK busy-polls cores), need for the kernel stack (TLS, routing), and operational complexity.

Architectural levers

Zero-copy: avoid user/kernel copies (sendfile, splice, io_uring fixed buffers, DPDK mbufs). Copies are often the real bottleneck.
Per-core / shared-nothing: thread-per-core with RSS/affinity (Seastar model) to kill cross-core contention and cache bouncing.
NIC offloads: checksum, TSO/LRO, RSS, and increasingly full TCP/crypto offload; SmartNIC/DPU pushes the data plane off the host CPU.
Congestion control: choose per goal — CUBIC (throughput), BBR (latency/bufferbloat), DCTCP (datacenter). Matters for tail latency.
C10M: the bottleneck is per-connection kernel cost and copies → bypass + zero-copy + per-core state.

When to recommend what

API server, normal scale → sockets/epoll or io_uring; don't over-engineer.
Software router/firewall/LB at line rate → XDP/eBPF or DPDK.
µs-tail trading/telco data plane → DPDK + per-core + kernel-bypass, SmartNIC.

---name: systems-networkingdescription: Systems-level networking architecture: kernel-bypass (DPDK, io_uring, eBPF/XDP), zero-copy, the network stack data path, NIC offloads, congestion control, and high-connection-count (C10M) server design. Architect-level, not app HTTP. USE WHEN: designing high-throughput/low-latency networking, packet processing, "kernel bypass", "DPDK", "io_uring", "eBPF", "XDP", "zero-copy", "C10M", "line rate", NIC offload, congestion control, software data plane. DO NOT USE FOR: REST/GraphQL API design (use api-design skills); app websockets (use real-time skills); cloud LB config (use infrastructure skills).---# Systems Networking Architecture## The latency/throughput ladder (pick the lowest tier that meets needs)| Tier | Mechanism | Throughput/latency | Cost/complexity ||---|---|---|---|| Sockets + epoll | Classic kernel stack | Good; syscalls + copies dominate | Lowest || **io_uring** | Async, batched, shared rings | Fewer syscalls/copies | Moderate; Linux ≥5.x || **eBPF/XDP** | Run code at the driver hook | Drop/redirect at line rate before stack | Verifier limits; per-packet logic || **Kernel bypass (DPDK)** | Poll-mode driver in userspace | 10–100M pps, µs latency | High; burns cores, no kernel stack |Decision drivers: required **pps/latency**, CPU budget (DPDK busy-polls cores),need for the kernel stack (TLS, routing), and operational complexity.## Architectural levers- **Zero-copy**: avoid user/kernel copies (sendfile, splice, io_uring fixed buffers, DPDK mbufs). Copies are often the real bottleneck.- **Per-core / shared-nothing**: thread-per-core with RSS/affinity (Seastar model) to kill cross-core contention and cache bouncing.- **NIC offloads**: checksum, TSO/LRO, RSS, and increasingly full TCP/crypto offload; SmartNIC/DPU pushes the data plane off the host CPU.- **Congestion control**: choose per goal — CUBIC (throughput), BBR (latency/bufferbloat), DCTCP (datacenter). Matters for tail latency.- **C10M**: the bottleneck is per-connection kernel cost and copies → bypass + zero-copy + per-core state.## When to recommend what- API server, normal scale → sockets/epoll or io_uring; don't over-engineer.- Software router/firewall/LB at line rate → XDP/eBPF or DPDK.- µs-tail trading/telco data plane → DPDK + per-core + kernel-bypass, SmartNIC.

Frequently asked questions