Product category:
Embedded Software and Operating Systems
News Release from: Agere Systems | Subject: Functional Programming Interface
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 01 February 2005
Software sets network processors to work
Agere Systems has revealed a double play of software and service initiatives involving its network processor chips.
Agere Systems has revealed a double play of software and service initiatives involving its network processor chips The company is launching a new software package and unveiling a service agreement with HCL Technologies to help enable telecomms equipment manufacturers to deliver their products to market one to two years faster and save millions of dollars in product development costs
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 8 Mar 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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The first play is Agere's unveiling of the first of a series of the company's new software offering that runs on its network processors, such as the PayloadPlus APP550, targeted at a broad range of multiservice networking applications.
Equipment manufacturers can quickly and easily use Agere's new, simplified Functional Programming Interface (FPI) software platform.
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By doing so, they avoid spending large amounts of time and money developing several hundred thousand lines of software code they otherwise would have had to, using other companies' network processor solutions.
Agere's improved FPI software features a comprehensive suite of protocols and services for target applications.
In addition, the software facilitates quick addition of revenue-generating, differentiating features with relatively small, localised changes in code.
Agere's second play consists of an agreement with India-based HCL Technologies, a leader in providing cost-effective software and system integration services to the telecomms industry.
Through this agreement, dedicated teams from HCL are working closely with Agere on the FPI software and provide customisation and system integration services to Agere's customers.
This collaboration allows equipment manufacturers to focus on creating differentiating, higher revenue-generating equipment features in their products.
HCL has a sizable development team of engineers dedicated to working with Agere's team developing and validating FPI software for Agere's network processors.
The HCL team will also provide complementary customisation and system integration services through zero-learning-curve resources to augment development teams of equipment manufacturers using Agere network processors and software.
"Excelling in software ease of modification, simplicity, flexibility, as well as delivering outstanding network processor hardware performance, has never been more crucial to thrive in the network processor market", said Allen Nogee, analyst with Arizona-based In-Stat.
"By offering tangible benefits to its customers via this HCL agreement, and by releasing its own new software, Agere not only saves development costs for equipment makers, but also opens many new revenue streams for equipment makers".
Using the Agere/HCL offering, manufacturers only have to insert the conceptual equivalent of one or two pieces of an entire Lego toy set to make the system work.
Conversely, using other network processors and software, they have to reconfigure or rebuild almost all the Lego pieces which could number in the hundreds.
Furthermore, with the simplicity of the Agere PayloadPlus programming model, manufacturers only have to write or modify approximately one-thirtieth the lines of software code compared with other companies' network processor software.
"With at least 50% of a company's network processor buying decision being made currently on the basis of software, Agere has focused its efforts on providing better software and services to help equipment manufacturers speed new equipment designs to market", said Sindhu Xirasagar, Marketing Manager with Agere.
"These two software plays Agere is announcing today are all about making our network processor platform offerings more reliable, easier to use and lower cost for our customers".
"Our company sees tremendous potential in the Agere offerings, and we see this collaboration as another big step in offering meaningful products and services to Agere's customers", said GH Rao, Vice President of HCL's Embedded Software Development Centre.
The Agere software and HCL software and services are sold as value-added packages with Agere's network processors.
The first of these packages are for customers using the APP550, and these packages will be sold with future versions of the Agere network processors.
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