News
IT | 2010-03-16
6WIND Provides 10x Acceleration of Packet Processing Functions on New Multi-Core Intel® Platforms
6WINDGate™ Software Helps Maximize Packet Processing Performance on Intel® Xeon® Processor EC5549 and Intel® Xeon® Processor E5645
March 16, 2010 – PARIS, France – 6WIND, the leading provider of high-performance packet processing software for embedded systems, today announced support for the new multi-core, embedded Intel® Xeon® processor EC5549 and Intel® Xeon® processor E5645. Using the 6WINDGate software, system developers increase the packet processing performance of their networking, telecommunications and security products by up to 10x compared to a standard Linux implementation, while reusing their existing application software and accelerating their time-to-market.
A member of the Intel® Embedded Alliance, 6WIND counts many of the world’s leading networking and telecommunications companies as its customers or partners. This includes telecommunications equipment manufacturers, operating system vendors and embedded software suppliers. Two-thirds of the largest telecommunications equipment suppliers use the company’s software to maximize the packet processing performance of their systems.
The 6WINDGate software provides best-in-class packet processing performance for Intel platforms. When compared to an implementation based on a standard Linux networking stack, systems using 6WINDGate configured with the “6WINDGate SDS” profile will achieve a 7x performance improvement on a four-core Intel® Xeon® processor EC5549 platform and a 10x performance improvement on a six-core Intel® Xeon® processor E5645 platform. The “6WINDGate SDS” profile is optimized for platforms in which the networking Fast Path runs on dedicated cores without the overhead of a Linux-based Slow Path.
6WINDGate’s architecture removes the complexity of integrating high-performance packet processing with the Linux environment, because it fully synchronizes the Fast Path and Linux, while preserving Linux APIs. It includes complete Layer 2 through Layer 4 embedded networking features (routing, IPsec, firewall, QoS, NAT, multicast…), reducing development time by as much as 70 percent. 6WINDGate also maximizes software reuse, so that legacy applications previously running on single-core architectures can quickly and with minimal or no modifications migrate to multicore architectures while achieving maximum performance. 6WIND’s environment incorporates an XML-based management interface that eases the integration of networking applications and customers’ value-added features.
6WINDGate will be available with full 6WINDGate SDS profile support for Intel Xeon processor EC5549 and Intel Xeon processor E5645 in mid-2010. Additionally, an early release is available now configured with the “6WINDGate EDS” profile (optimized for platforms in which the Fast Path runs as a Linux kernel module). In order to minimize their time-to-market, customers are able to start their software development now using the current 6WINDGate EDS-based release, then migrate to the 6WINDGate SDS version later to maximize the performance of their product, with no changes to their application software.
“The Intel® Xeon® processor EC5540 and Intel® Xeon® processor E5645 based platforms provide high-performance solutions for a wide range of communications applications in which packet processing functions comprise the majority of the workload”, said Eric Carmès, CEO of 6WIND. “Our 6WINDGate software is ideal for accelerating these systems and we are pleased to be providing a high-performance, proven solution that brings a compelling performance advantage to Intel’s customers.”
“The multi-core architecture of the latest Intel® Xeon® processor 5600 series and the Intel® Xeon® processor C5500 series comprise ideal platforms for packet processing-based systems,” said Stephen Price, Director of Marketing at Intel Corporation. “Many of our customers are developing packet processing-based products using these platforms and 6WIND’s software will help them maximize the performance of their products and potentially accelerate their time to market.”
The system-level performance enabled by 6WIND’s software creates exciting new opportunities for independent software companies as well as for Intel customers. While retaining full compatibility with standard Linux APIs, the 6WIND solution raises the performance of multi-core Intel® platforms to a level that enables the development of new applications in areas such as network security and advanced IP services, which require high-speed packet processing within constrained power budgets. Since the high-performance 6WINDGate engine is transparent to application software, developers can add compelling new features to their current Linux-based applications, or create new products from scratch, all while working within standard Linux development environments and leveraging the wealth of Linux packages available in the open-source community.
The Intel® Xeon® processor 5600/5500 series, based on the latest generation Intel® microarchitecture (codenamed Nehalem), offers the first Intel Xeon processors on 32nm technology (5600 series), providing a follow-on to the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series on 45nm technology. Delivering world-class performance, these processors provide key embedded features such as extended lifecycle support along with options for thermally constrained applications while maintaining compatibility with enterprise platform configurations. The common microarchitecture and a common mechanical socket throughout both series provide investment protection and a simplified path to upgrades. The Intel Xeon 5500 series represents a leap forward in Intel Xeon processor technology by lowering power and increasing performance-per-watt through the integration of I/O into the processor. Utilizing second-generation High-k metal gate transistors, the 5600 series represents the next step in energy efficiency, performance and virtualization. All the processors in the 5600/5500 series feature Intel® Virtualization Technology for flexible virtualization, as well as Intel® QuickPath Technology. Additionally, a number of processors feature Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology to deliver top performance for bandwidth-intensive applications.
About 6WIND
6WIND provides high-performance packet processing embedded software solutions used by networking, telecommunications and security companies providing equipment for converged, all-IP networks. The company’s 6WINDGate™ solution maximizes the packet processing performance of single- and multicore platforms, allowing customers to focus on their own value-added software applications and minimize their time-to-market. To ensure the availability of a complete system-level ecosystem, 6WIND partners with industry-leading suppliers of board-level products, operating systems and embedded software products worldwide. 6WIND is a privately-owned company based near Paris, France with a subsidiary in California, a sales and support office in Asia, and an R&D center in Beijing, China. For more information, visit www.6wind.com.
Last News
2010-03-16
6WIND Provides 10x Acceleration of Packet Processing Functions on New Multi-Core Intel® Platforms
