This disclosure is directed to processes and systems for generating data packets in a smart network interface controller (“SNIC”) of a host server computer. A smart packet generator (“spktgen”) controller receives a user command that contains directions for how packets are generated in the SNIC. The command is sent to a spktgen daemon that runs in a control core of the multicore processor. The spktgen daemon extracts the type of packet generator and packet parameters recorded in the command and sends the type of packet generator and packet parameters to a spktgen engine that also runs in the control core. The spktgen engine creates threads in each of one or more data cores of the multicore processor. Each thread comprises instructions for generating data packets from the data generated by data generating sources of the host in accordance with the type of packet generator and the packet parameters.