TABLE OF CONTENTS He deals the cards as a meditation.
Sting
This chapter presents the software architecture and design for a 10 gigabit-per-second line card implemented using two Intel IXP2800 Network Processors. The line card supports features commonly found in core IP routers, core/MAN switches, and high-end multi-service provisioning platforms (MSPPs). This case study demonstrates how you would apply various design concepts presented in previous sections of the book. The case study follows the following steps:
A review of the system architecture along with the functional and performance requirements for the application.
A mapping of the data-plane processing tasks to microblocks and a description of the high-level data flow.
An analysis of the associated performance constraints and their impact on the overall design.
The Intel Internet Exchange Architecture (Intel IXA) SDK includes all the microblocks associated with this application along with their low-level design details. This example highlights the performance possible and the headroom available on the IXP2800 network processor while implementing a rich set of features at OC-192/10G data rates.
The 10 gigabit-per-second line card consists of two IXP2800 network processors running at 1.4 GHz. It interfaces to a POS framer or Ethernet MAC on one side and a switch fabric on the other. You can implement different configurations by simply varying the media type of the interface that is connected. Possible configurations include OC-192 POS, 4xOC-48, 10 1 Gigabit Ethernet or 1 10 Gigabit Ethernet. On the switch fabric side, the line card supports...
