The Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI) to Open Ethernet switch systems is designed for open management and control of Ethernet Switches. SAI is the common software application programming interface (API), which is in specification by the Open Compute Project (OCP), and is targeted at forming a common, hardware-agnostic, unified API for Ethernet switches. By utilizing the generic interface provided by SAI as a common interface, applications and protocol stacks can operate seamlessly over any compatible switching hardware platform. SAI will be shared with the open source community.