Abstract
Network processor (NP) encompasses everything from task-specific processors—such as classification, encryption, and traffic management engines—to more general-purpose and programmable packet or communications processors. This chapter deals with the themes and challenges of NP. Although technology advances continue to enable increasingly faster networks, the telecommunications downturn has slowed the rate of deployment of these new technologies as the oversupply of network capacity built during the boom years is brought in line with demand. This, in turn, is changing the focus of network processor design. Equipment vendors no longer view performance as the sole differentiator among network processors, but consider other factors—such as ease of programming and application development—as important. Programmability remains a substantial challenge due to the different types of NP architectures, the evolution of networking standards and applications, and the unavailability of a unified and widely accepted set of software development and performance prediction tools. Additionally, there are concerns of growing importance that focus on software and new applications for network processors.
Published Version
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