The x-chip: An Experiment in Hardware Demultiplexing

主机-网络接口设计中的一个重要问题是应该在硬件(即，网络设备)中完成多少协议处理，以及应该在软件(即，主机)中完成多少。随着网络性能的提高给终端主机带来越来越大的压力，这个问题变得越来越重要。该领域的最新工作集中在将一个或多个高级协议从主机移动到网络设备上。相比之下，主要调查人员建议调查设计光谱上的另一个点。--实现一系列协议无关功能的芯片。PI已经确定了跨越多个协议的关键功能，并计划在硬件中提供这些功能。这种芯片被称为x-Chip，是PI在x-Kernel--支持协议实现的软件架构--上工作的产物。X-Kernel的设计理念之一是识别所有协议通用的任务，并提供支持这些任务的通用软件工具。通过将支持工具的某些方面转移到硬件中，X-Chip将这一理念更进一步。最终目标是垂直集成网络设备和网络软件基础设施。

An important issue in the design of host-network interfaces is how much protocol processing should be done in hardware (i.e. on the network device) and how much should be done in software (i.e., on the host). THis issue is becoming increasingly important as improving network performance puts more and more stress on the end host. Recent work in this area has focused on moving one or more high-level protocols from the host to the network device. In contrast, the principal investigators propose to investigate another point on the design spectrum. --a chip that implements a collection of protocol-independent functions. The PIs have identified key functions that span multiple protocols, and plan to provide these functions in hardware. The chip, called the x-chip is an outgrowth of the PIs' work on the x-Kernel--software architecture that supports protocol implementations. One of the design philosophies of the x-Kernel has been to identify tasks that are common to all protocols, and to provide general software tools that support these tasks. The x-chip takes this philosophy one step further by moving certain aspects of the support tools into hardware. The ultimate goal is to integrate the network device and the network software infrastructure vertically.