NP3710 Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC), NP3710 Datasheet - Page 3

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NP3710

Manufacturer Part Number
NP3710
Description
5-gbps Network Processor With Integrated Traffic Manager
Manufacturer
Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC)
Datasheet
nPcore Architecture
AMCC's software programmable nPcores
are built from the ground up for both
packet- and cell-based networking data
plane operations. The nP3710 supports
5-Gbps full-duplex operation utilizing a
cluster of three nPcores. Each nPcore has 24
separate tasks, yielding a total of 72, which
are all available for either ingress or egress
processing. The nPcores implement
zero-cycle task switching and zero-cycle
branching for enhanced performance.
The nPcores are surrounded by on-chip
coprocessing engines to accelerate
sophisticated network processing
functions, such as packet classification,
route and context searching, statistics
gathering, metering, policing, and packet
transformations. The nPcores, in
combination with these on-chip
coprocessing engines, implement Network
Instruction Set Computing (NISC)
Architecture. This NISC architecture
dramatically reduces the number of lines of
code required to implement many
advanced networking tasks.
A key addition to the nP37xx architecture is
the exception channel processing that
provides flexibility in handling packets that
require increased processing time. This
exception channel handles special packets
through a secondary path, without
affecting the deterministic line-rate
performance of the regular packets in the
primary path. The addition of a special
preprocessor, the Channel Service Module
(CSM), offers a store-and-forward capability
to nP37xx architecture. The CSM is able to
buffer incoming traffic according to the
level of channelization of the line interfaces.
A sizable CSM buffer absorbs very large
bursts in the incoming traffic without data
losses.
Single-Stage, Single-Image
Programming
AMCC's nPcore architecture implements a
simple single-stage programming model.
In this model each cell or packet is
processed in its entirety, from start to finish,
by a single task in a single nPcore. With this
single-stage model, the entire data flow
algorithm can be created as a single
complete software program, just as it
would be on a non-multiprocessor system,
allowing the same program image to be
executed identically by each task on each
nPcore. This approach greatly simplifies
programming while optimizing
performance.
Traffic Management
The traffic management block in the
nP3710 leverages AMCC’s expertise and
technology from the nPX5700 family of
traffic managers.
The nP3710 implements a hierarchical
scheduling architecture to provide multiple
levels of bandwidth provisioning and
per-subscriber guarantees. This hierarchy
consists of four logical levels: flow, pipe,
subport and port. Minimum and maximum
bandwidth control can be configured on
multiple levels. WFQ and Strict Priority
scheduling algorithms are also
implemented by the traffic management
block. For ATM applications, non-real-time
and real-time CBR and VBR connections can
be configured for a desired subset of flows.
Input Admission Control
Sophisticated cell and packet admission
controls are configurable in the nP3710.
This includes execution of standard discard
mechanisms such as WRED, EPD, and TPD
in hardware or the option to perform
variations in software.
MISSION™ — Multi-Service
Internetworking Solution
The nP3710, combined with AMCC’s Evros
(S1208) and Tigris (S4811) chips, provides a
cost-effective and highly flexible
multi-service solution. This solution, called
MISSION, combines state-of-the-art framer,
HDLC, and flexible nP
modular internetworking software,
enabling the development of single
multiprotocol solutions in place of multiple
single-protocol solutions. The MISSION
architecture provides equipment vendors
with solutions that enable their customers
to save on both capital and operational
expenditures (CapEx/OpEx).
MISSION Software
At the core of the MISSION value
proposition is software that implements a
wide variety of protocols on the chip set
and enables flexible potential additions to
these base software features. AMCC
provides integrated drivers for Evros, Tigris,
and nP3710, and extensive offerings for the
programmable nP3710 Integrated Network
Processors, including both rich off-the-shelf
application software and a complete
development environment for extending
this application base if desired.
The MISSION application software includes
ready-to-use Multi-Service Switching
software – ATM UNI/NNI, Inverse
Multiplexing over ATM (IMA), Multilink
Frame Relay (MLFR), Multilink PPP (MLPPP),
Frame Relay Interworking (FRIWF) and
MPLS Martini encapsulation – as well as
OEM customer-extensible libraries for the
hardware-resident aspects of higher layer
applications such as IPv4 and IPv6 routing,
and Layer 2 packet switching.
5
technology with
nP3710

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