Arabella has enhanced its microcode implementation for Freescale's PowerPC-based NPUs (network processor units), adding support for PPP (point-to-point protocol) and the TSEC (three-speed Ethernet controller) in PowerQUICC-3 NPUs. The company claims EFP (Expedited Fast Path) microcode increases throughputs 10 times, when benchmarked under its AMP (asymmetrical multi-processing) Linux… implementation.

Arabella says EFP PPP can be “integrated into any operating system,” allowing companies to achieve significant performance improvements without hardware changes. Additionally, performance-critical functionality is done in microcode, making it possible to predict performance accurately when evaluating processors, operating systems, and protocol stacks, according to the company.

Traditional PPP software applications run at 40KB packets per second on PowerQUICC II processors, but Arabella says PowerQUICC II chips equipped with EFP PPP can handle 400KB packets per second, with a worst-case 64KB packet size.

Arabella says its new EFP PPP microcode package is designed for high-speed PPP switching or termination over HDLC (high-level data link control), Ethernet, or ATM (asynchronous transfer mode). The microcode component includes support for PPP, PPPoE (PPP-over-Ethernet), ML/MC-PPP (multi-link, multi-class PPP), PPPoA (PPP-over-ATM), and PPPmux (PPP multiplexing).

Additionally, Arabella says EFP is now the only available microcode product that can control the TSEC found in PowerQUICC-3 processors, and that the new feature brings the “power and speed of EFP” to “where they are most needed — high speed interfaces that software is only capable of utilizing to a very small degree.”

VP of Sales Bruce Donadt stated, “Arabella will continue to provide more functionality and expand the EFP product line to enable unmatched performance on the PowerQUICC devices.”

Availability

EFP PPP is available now, for a one-time per-product royalty-free fee of $30,000. An annual subscription license with greatly-reduced up-front costs is also available, royalty-free.

Arabella launched EFP/AMP as a beta product last summer, with support for older Freescale communications processors equipped with CPMs (communications processor modules), as well as newer PowerQUICC II processors. The product reached general availability last fall, with IP routing and NAT versions priced at $30,000 each, royalty-free.

 
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