Ganesh NW (Ganesh II/III)
Ganesh NW refers to a series of Network Processors produced by Intel, specifically the second and third generation of their IXP2xxx line. These processors were designed for network infrastructure applications like routers, switches, and security appliances.
The "Ganesh II" designation typically corresponds to IXP2400 series Network Processors, while "Ganesh III" refers to the IXP2800 series. These processors integrate multiple processing cores with dedicated hardware accelerators to handle packet processing tasks at high speeds. Key features commonly included:
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Multiple Microengines: Each Ganesh NW processor contains several RISC-based microengines optimized for packet processing. These engines operate in parallel to handle different aspects of packet manipulation, such as header analysis, routing decisions, and security checks.
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Hardware Accelerators: The processors feature dedicated hardware blocks designed to offload common network processing tasks from the microengines, improving overall performance. Examples include checksum calculation, encryption/decryption, and traffic management.
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On-chip Memory: They feature a significant amount of on-chip SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) to provide low-latency storage for packet data and control information.
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Interface Connectivity: Ganesh NW processors support a variety of network interfaces, including Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and other industry-standard interfaces.
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Programmability: While offering hardware acceleration, the processors are also programmable, allowing developers to implement custom packet processing logic using a dedicated software development kit (SDK).
The IXP2400 (Ganesh II) and IXP2800 (Ganesh III) families offered increased performance and feature sets compared to their predecessors. The move from Ganesh II to Ganesh III typically involved increased clock speeds, larger memory capacities, and enhanced hardware acceleration capabilities. These processors were often used in applications requiring high throughput, low latency, and deterministic performance.