Product category:
Communications ICs (Wired)
News Release from: EZchip Technologies | Subject: NPA processors
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 12 October 2007
Processors handle Ethernet demands
NPA network processors address the transition of carrier access from ATM/TDM based networks to Ethernet packet-based networks and the provisioning of triple-play services.
EZchip Technologies has released network processors for Ethernet access applications The NPA processors offer combinations of 100Mbit, 1Gbit and 10Gbit Ethernet ports with an aggregate throughput of up to 10Gbit
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 4 Jun 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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The NPA product family addresses the transition of carrier access from ATM/TDM based networks to Ethernet packet-based networks and the provisioning of triple-play services that command increased bandwidth and service guarantees to residential and business users.
The NPA series provides Ethernet network processors for the carrier edge, metro and access markets.
The NPA is a scaled down version of EZchip's NP-3 30Gbit network processor.
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It features the same architecture, integrated traffic management and full software compatibility with the NP-3.
It provides system vendors with a highly integrated solution for a variety of carrier access applications, including Ethernet demarcation, access and aggregation nodes, wireless backhaul and base stations aggregation for mobile access, GPON/EPON aggregation nodes (OLT) for optical access and VDSL aggregation nodes (DSLAM) for copper access.
"We are entering the access network processors market with Ethernet-centric network processors as carriers are transitioning to Ethernet networks", said Eli Fruchter, President and CEO of EZchip Technologies.
"Through a re-use of our technology and a moderate and gradual increase in R and D expenses we will see approximately 20% rise in OPEX starting in 2008".
"With the NPA family we gain an estimated three fold increase in our Total Available Market (TAM) to encompass the entire network processors market".
"Our NPA will provide far more Ethernet ports and more bandwidth than other offerings and an integrated traffic management to deal with the new challenges of video on the net".
The NPA provides system vendors with flexible packet processing and integrates key functions needed for access networks that deliver triple-play services.
The NPA offers integrated hierarchical traffic management, providing granular bandwidth control to enable the delivery of triple-play services in Ethernet networks.
It is software-compatible with EZchip's present NP-2 and NP-3 network processors.
The NPA family suits applications such as L2 switching, Q-in-Q, PBT, VPLS, MPLS and IPv4/IPv6 routing through programming.
The NPA's flexible packet processing enables system designers to future proof their designs to support new protocols and features through software updates.
Packet parsing is supported for any field anywhere in the packet.
Various table lookup options are provided with support for long lookup keys and results.
Flows are classified based on any combination of extracted packet information.
Any packet header and content can be edited and packets can easily be replicated to support multicast applications.
A 'run to completion' processing model guarantees support for processing scenarios of any complexity.
Large code space is provided to support complex applications as well as true hitless code updates.
Integrated hierarchical traffic management assigns individual flows with specific quality of service (QoS) and enforces service level agreements (SLA) for applications, services and users.
A variety of QoS services are provided including flow-based metering, marking and policing, congestion avoidance through profile-based WRED early packet discards, shaping flows to conform to their assigned bandwidth properties and scheduling of flows using a priority scheme and weighted fair queuing.
NPA also features dedicated hardware for OAM processing offload.
OAM (operations, administration and maintenance) is a set of specifications that provide the cornerstone for reliability and high availability in carrier Ethernet networks.
OAM processing however burdens CESR equipment with significant processing overhead related to complex packet classification, simultaneous monitoring of many sessions and accurate bandwidth control.
The NPA, through its processing flexibility, integrated traffic management and OAM support hardware, enables high-performance OAM processing that can adapt to changing standards and requirements.
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