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Concept
Network processor
Summary
A network processor is an integrated circuit which has a feature set specifically targeted at the networking application domain.
Network processors are typically software programmable devices and would have generic characteristics similar to general purpose central processing units that are commonly used in many different types of equipment and products.
In modern telecommunications networks, information (voice, video, data) is transferred as packet data (termed packet switching) which is in contrast to older telecommunications networks that carried information as analog signals such as in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or analog TV/Radio networks. The processing of these packets has resulted in the creation of integrated circuits (IC) that are optimised to deal with this form of packet data. Network processors have specific features or architectures that are provided to enhance and optimise packet processing within these networks.
Network processors have evolved into ICs with specific functions. This evolution has resulted in more complex and more flexible ICs being created. The newer circuits are programmable and thus allow a single hardware IC design to undertake a number of different functions, where the appropriate software is installed.
Network processors are used in the manufacture of many different types of network equipment such as:
Routers, software routers and switches (Inter-network processors)
Firewalls
Session border controllers
Intrusion detection devices
Intrusion prevention devices
Network monitoring systems
Network security (secure cryptoprocessors)
Reconfigurable Match-Tables were introduced in 2013 to allow switches to operate at high speeds while maintaining flexibility when it comes to the network protocols running on them, or the processing to does to them. P4 is used to program the chips. The company Barefoot Networks was based around these processors and was later purchased by Intel in 2019.
An RMT pipeline relies on three main stages; the programmable parser, the Match-Action tables and the programmable deparser.
Official source
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