Wipro's solutions
and services on IBM PowerNP Network Processors
Wipro has a team experienced in hardware and
software using the IBM NP4GS3 Network processors.
Some of the projects executed are:
IBM NP based Line
card
The requirements were to design and prototype
an OC-48 Terabit Router Line card and provide
diagnostics, configuration support.
Wipro designed the line card with 2.5 Gbps bidirectional
throughput with DDR-DRAM @133/266MHz and ZBT SRAM
@ 133MHz using a single NP4GS3 device and an external
PowerPC based control processor. Software for
data path testing and diagnostics, forwarding
table lookup were also implemented and tested.
The main challenges:
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It was
the first sampling of the NP4GS3 |
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There were no proper
reference designs. |
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Line rate performance
was critical since the board was part of
the core router. |
Edge Router Service
card design
The requirements were to design the Edge
router service card which can perform packet processing
with security and traffic management at OC48 line
rates.
Wipro chose to use the IBM NP4GS3 for this design.
It was a complex design with 4 IBM NP, 2 Traffic
management processors and 2 Security processors
along with MIPS based control and forwarding processors.
Also designed and developed FPGA to glue the security
and forwarding processors with the NP and designed
the traffic management daughter card that can
be plugged to the PCI interface of the control
processor.
The challenges:
It was an extremely dense board design
with estimated power consumption was 500 Watts,
approximately 10000 nets and 28 layers board.
Edge router service
card software
Wipro developed a single threaded, light
weight ASO like framework for diagnostics and
traffic software to configure and communicate
with the NP. Because of the complex design, it
was necessary to get maximum traffic test coverage
across the various NPs on the board. Wipro developed
the traffic flow testing software using the layer
2 forwarding feature of the NP picocode to test
traffic through various paths on the board.
Porting IBM Advanced
Software Offering (ASO) to VxWorks
IBM ASO library provides a mechanism to
load picocode to NPs and configure and test the
NPs. It also provides a mechanism for the control
plane software to communicate with the NP. Wipro
has ported the ASO from Linux to VxWorks. Wipro
has plans to implement the NP Forum APIs and integrate
it with the ASO's NP Application Services APIs.
Enhancements of ASO
IBM ASO does not allow for the control
plane software to communicate with multiple NPs
on PCI. Wipro made enhancements to the ASO to
support multiple NPs on the PCI.
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