Download NetworkProcessor

Industrial Technology Research Institute
Computer & Communication Research Laboratories
Network Processor
 Programmable semiconductor devices for network oriented processing and switching
 Helps new technologies get to market faster
 Attempts to do for networking what WinTel did for PC
 A business projected to grow to more than $600 million by 2002, according to Dataquest
Good
Flexibility,
Time to
Market
General
Purpose
Processor
Network
Processor
Expensive, slow
High performance
Low cost
Highly flexible
Fast time-to-market
Large R&D expenses
Short market window
Poor
Custom
ASICs
Poor
Good
Price/Performance
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Industrial Technology Research Institute
Computer & Communication Research Laboratories
Network Processors Markets
A high-layer packet-analysis and forwarding function currently
served by ASICs
A control function for handling multiple routing and switching
channels, usually served by a RISC device such as the 960 or
StrongARM
An application processor function for specialized duties such as
quality-of-service (QoS) bit assignment and virtual-privatenetwork tunnel creation.
In some cases, the network processor offloads critical
instructions from the host processor in a system, thereby
improving throughput. In other cases, these new processors can
replace the host CPU.
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Industrial Technology Research Institute
Computer & Communication Research Laboratories
Network Processors can do -- in hardware at wire-speed
Routing (L3 switching, L4 switching, MPLS, multi-layer switching, etc.)
Multi-protocol support for LAN and WAN integration
Bandwidth shaping to create CoS and optimize expensive WAN bandwidth
Setting of precedence bits to map CoS into the Internet
Sophisticated QoS support to help provide reliable Voice over IP transmission
High-speed evaluation of QoS tags to help enhance Policy Based Network
Management
Per flow queuing and weighted fair queuing
IP multicast for scalable push and multimedia
Mix and convert frames to cells
Network address translation for network security and simplified IP addressing
IP accounting for network design and billing
IP tunneling to create Internet VPNs
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Industrial Technology Research Institute
Computer & Communication Research Laboratories
Packet Processing Venders
 MMC Networks
 Intel : based-on i960 RISC architecture (Acquire Level One, Acclaim, and Jato)
 TI : Digital Thunder (based -on TMS320C6000 architecture, VoIP)
 LSI Logic
 Mips Tecnnologies, Inc. : R3000, R4000, R5000
 Motorola : MPC850
 C-Port Corp. : “The Communications Platform Company”
 Softcom Microsystems, Inc.
 Maker Communications
 Sitera, Inc.
 T.sqware, Inc. : Edge Processor
 XaQti
 Agere, Inc. : “Smart Processing for Terabit Networks”, Fast Pattern Processor
 Silicon Spice
 Maverick Networks (Acquired by Broadcom)
 QuickSilver Technology : DSP-intensive Software Radio
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