Network processors boosted by wireless software

Motorola has released a second generation of product-quality Smart Wireless Network Interface software that runs on its network processors.

Motorola has released a second generation of product-quality Smart Wireless Network Interface (WNI) software that runs on its network processors.

This software is designed to enable customers to accelerate their development of wireless infrastructure equipment and more easily adapt their designs to an evolving and converging market.

WNI software can be used to build 2.5 and 3G wireless network interface line cards for base transceiver stations (BTSs), NodeB devices, basestation controllers (BSCs), radio node controllers (Rocs), and mobile switching centres.

WNI software includes comprehensive data plane support for ATM, IP and TDM, as well as support for connection-based quality of service.

In addition, WNI software incorporates host drivers, application programming interfaces (modelled after those under development by the Network Processor Forum), and control stack code to streamline data plane and control plane software integration.

"In a market as dynamic as the wireless infrastructure, having a flexible solution that enables you to get products to market faster and adapt your design to changing standards is critical", said Joe Lugo, Vice President of Engineering, Artesyn Communication Products.

"The combination of Motorola's network processors with the Wireless Network Interface software has provided a solid foundation on which to build our SpiderWare NP, giving us a jump start on our product design.

Even more important, we will be able to address our customers' needs and market changes more efficiently through software upgradeable network interfaces".

The WNI software is designed to be scalable across Motorola's network processors so that designers can reuse their software base in all levels of wireless infrastructure systems - building software reliability along the way.

For example, the WNI BTS (base transceiver site) application, running on the C-3eT network processor, includes the functions for re-assembling low-speed voice and data connections for delivery to higher bandwidth packet and cell transports.

The WNI BSC application, running on the C-5eT network processor, includes the functions for aggregating channelised interfaces to Sonet/SDH transports for delivery to higher bandwidth nodes in the wireless infrastructure.

WNI software version 1.1 is scheduled to be released on 27th March 2003.

It is designed to be compatible with C-Ware Software Toolset version 2.2, a mature software development kit for programming applications for Motorola's network processors.

WNI version 1.1 builds on the earlier WNI release that has been shipping since September 2002.

In addition to providing new features, WNI version 1.1 has also been tested and verified on the C-5e network processor hardware that is currently sampling to customers.

WNI software version 1.1 offers exceptional integration of wireless network functionality.

ATM protocol support includes AAL-1 Circuit Emulation Service (CES), AAL-2 Common Part Sublayer (CPS), AAL-2 Service Specific Segmentation and Reassembly (SSSAR), AAL-5, Inverse Multiplexing over ATM (IMA), and Traffic Management 4.1.

IP protocol support includes IPv4, IPv6, IP header compression, DiffServ, Multi-link and Multi-class Point to Point Protocol (PPP), and PPP-Mux.

Interfaces supported by the software include E1/T1/J1, 10/100 Ethernet, OC-3c/STM-1c ATM, and UTOPIA Level-2 ATM.

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