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Hurry, space is limited! Register now for our May 9 Linley Tech seminar on High-Speed Interconnects. The morning session will feature talks focused on system-level interconnects, while the afternoon session will concentrate on 10Gbps Ethernet and beyond. The seminar is free to qualified individuals who register early. This event is sponsored by Freescale, AMCC, Altera, Rambus, Pericom, Teranetics, Solarflare, and Tundra. Ikanos's First Fusiv Fusion Ikanos has upgraded the Fusiv line of gateway processors that it acquired from Analog Devices last year. The new Fusiv Vx170 implements core network- and voice-processing features, and the Vx180 expands on these features by integrating Ikanos's VDSL2 data pump. The architecture of the chips is similar to that of earlier Fusiv processors, such as the Vx200. The key feature of the architecture is its use of multiple packet engines to offload network-processing functions from the CPU. The newer processors increase the clock rate of the programmable packet engines to 333MHz and upgrade the CPU to a 500MHz MIPS 24K. To accompany the improved processing, the new chips' Ethernet ports are upgraded to GbE. The cryptography accelerator and voice DSPs of the older processors carry over to the new designs but clock at higher rates. The Vx180 will enable operators with Ikanos-based VDSL networks to upgrade their CPE from bridge-only modems to full-fledged gateways, raising the revenue each CPE port generates for Ikanos. The Vx180's processing and VDSL2 capabilities exceed that of TI's VDSL gateway processor and its integration bests that of VDSL CPE solutions from Broadcom, Conexant, and Infineon. Most operators, however, have standardized on a single VDSL chip vendor for infrastructure and CPE, limiting the advantage of a superior gateway processor. The operators and regions that adopted VDSL early are also among the first to deploy fiber to the home (FTTH). As with VDSL, the natural progression is from bridge-only devices to gateways. Lacking PON technology of its own but seeking to take advantage of the transition, Ikanos positions the Vx170 for FTTH gateways. Integrating no particular PON hardware, the Vx170 connects to a PON interface chip via GbE. In terms of performance, the Vx170 outguns PMC-Sierra's MSP7130, which relies on a multithreading MIPS 34K for all control-plane, packet, and voice processing. The commonality between the Vx170 and Vx180 allows operators to standardize on Fusiv for CPE regardless of whether they run fiber all the way to the home or use VDSL for the last leg. The new products indicate that Ikanos has successfully integrated the Fusiv team and that the acquisition is resulting in new synergistic products. Combined with a financial recovery in 1Q07, such operational success indicates Ikanos is on track for growth. —Joe Additional coverage of Ikanos products appears in our report A Guide to Broadband Interface Chips. On Monday, Wintegra announced its WinMax line of access processors. These devices combine the company's WinPath2 access NPU with WiMax MACs implemented in software. Up to four instances of the MAC can operate simultaneously on a top-end WinPath2 processor, enabling a single NPU to support a four-sector WiMax basestation—a feat unmatched by even purpose-built MAC chips. WinPath2 also handles packet processing and integrates a control-plane CPU and Ethernet interfaces. Because of this level of integration and Wintegra's turnkey software, WinMax is an excellent choice for WiMax basestation designs. The company has WiMax design wins with several OEMs around the world, and some customers are in field trials with Wintegra-based designs. Wintegra has embraced WiMax like no other access-processor supplier. Although Intel has promoted its IXP2350 for WiMax, the company has focused mainly on WiMax CPE. Freescale's ubiquitous PowerQuicc processors are also used in basestations, but Freescale relies on third-party software running on the CPU to implement upper levels of the MAC. With limited competition and early to market, Wintegra is well positioned. Success in WiMax is moot, however, if the technology is not widely adopted. Although sometimes called a 4G technology, WiMax does not have strong support in the cellular industry. The GSM Association is defining an alternative approach called Long-Term Evolution (LTE) to be 4G. Characteristically blazing its own path, Qualcomm is pushing Ultra-Mobile Broadband (UMB). All three technologies are similar, and Wintegra could support them should WiMax falter. Although WiMax is well ahead in both the standardization process and deployments, the vanguard deployment of mobile WiMax, Korea's WiBro service, is off to a horrible start: in its first eight months of service, it has gained only 1,057 subscribers. —Joe Additional coverage of WinPath2 appears in our report A Guide to Access Processors. Last month, Infineon announced sampling of its Amazon-SE ADSL2+ CPE chip. Intended for ultra-low-cost modems, the device integrates a Fast Ethernet PHY and an analog front-end and line driver. For USB modems, the device can boot from and be powered by the PC, obviating flash memory and a power supply. Expansion, for example to support WLAN, is via an SDIO interface instead of higher-pin-count PCI. Unlike other low-end devices, Amazon-SE integrates a packet engine; a MIPS 4KEc rounds out its processing capabilities. Infineon states that the chip delivers 30Mbps for all packet sizes in bridge-modem applications. We expect OEMs addressing emerging markets will find the blend of cost-reducing features and performance makes the Amazon-SE a superior alternative to other low-cost DSL ICs, such as those supplied by TrendChip. —Joe Additional coverage of Infineon's CPE products appears in our report A Guide to SOHO Gateway Processors.
The network-security market remains as dynamic as the threats that are driving its growth. Security-equipment vendors must scale the performance of their VPN/firewall products while adding application-level features. To satisfy enterprise customers, security-software vendors are turning to hardware-accelerated appliances for intrusion prevention (IDS/IPS), antivirus, antispam, and content filtering. The convergence of these hardware and software products is creating Unified Threat Management (UTM) platforms, which have the most demanding processing requirements. For anything above SOHO-class equipment, standard processors alone can no longer deliver the required performance in a cost-effective and power-efficient manner. As a result, security-equipment and -software vendors turned first to accelerators (coprocessors) for encryption and later for content inspection. Today, a new breed of processors is taking integration to the next level by integrating one or more CPUs, memory and I/O controllers, and special-purpose engines for security functions. These integrated security processors are replacing the combination of a standard processor plus accelerator for many new designs. A Guide to Security Processors and Accelerators covers processors that integrate high-throughput encryption, such as Cavium's Octeon, Raza's XLR/XLS, Freescale's MPC8572, and SafeNet's SafeXcel-5160. This new edition has been restructured to cover these integrated security processors in greater depth. We also cover IPSec and SSL accelerators from Broadcom, Cavium, Hifn, and SafeNet. In addition, the report examines vendors developing content-inspection accelerators: Tarari, NetLogic, and Sensory Networks. With one report, you can quickly compare the key vendors and their products and accelerate your selection process. We deliver a comprehensive analysis of each vendor and product, probing their strengths and weaknesses and presenting key details in a consistent, easy to compare fashion. We've sorted through the various performance claims to put all the security processors on a level playing field, showing who can deliver real system throughput. We also tell you who can really do packet processing and who is just pretending. Order by May 31 to receive it at the prepublication price. For further details, visit our web site. Networking Silicon Market Share 2006 will soon be available with all-new market share data for more than 15 categories of wired communications products and high-speed embedded microprocessors. Order by May 11 and save $300 on Networking Silicon Market Share 2006. For more information, visit our web site. To receive The Linley Wire via e-mail, click here
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