Tilman Wolf |
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Title: Design of an Instruction Set for Modular Network Processors Authors: Tilman Wolf Abstract: The demand for more flexibility and functionality in networks has lead to a new router generation that is equipped with software controlled processors in the datapath. These network processors range from configurable protocol processing units to general-purpose processor cores. Being able to combine various modules that implement different packet manipulation functions in a single architecture is key to an modular, extensible, and scalable network processor. We introduce an instruction set architecture that allows to centrally control a number of modules that can work on packets in a pipelined, parallel fashion. We show how the instruction set can be used on an example and compare its performance to a traditional RISC processor system. Published: Tilman Wolf, "Design of an instruction set for modular network processors," IBM Research Report, RC21865, Oct. 2000. Download: PDF BibTeX: |
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