From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Deepak Saxena Subject: Re: The ultimate TOE design Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 14:36:00 -0700 Sender: netdev-bounce@oss.sgi.com Message-ID: <20040915213600.GA12153@plexity.net> References: <4148991B.9050200@pobox.com> Reply-To: dsaxena@plexity.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Cc: Netdev , leonid.grossman@s2io.com, Linux Kernel Return-path: To: Paul Jakma Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: Errors-to: netdev-bounce@oss.sgi.com List-Id: netdev.vger.kernel.org On Sep 15 2004, at 21:04, Paul Jakma was caught saying: > On Wed, 15 Sep 2004, Jeff Garzik wrote: > > >Put simply, the "ultimate TOE card" would be a card with network ports, a > >generic CPU (arm, mips, whatever.), some RAM, and some flash. This card's > >"firmware" is the Linux kernel, configured to run as a _totally indepenent > >network node_, with IP address(es) all its own. > > > >Then, your host system OS will communicate with the Linux kernel running > >on the card across the PCI bus, using IP packets (64K fixed MTU). > > >My dream is that some vendor will come along and implement such a > >design, and sell it in enough volume that it's US$100 or less. > >There are a few cards on the market already where implementing this > >design _may_ be possible, but they are all fairly expensive. > > The intel IXP's are like the above, XScale+extra-bits host-on-a-PCI > card running Linux. Or is that what you were referring to with > " but they are all fairly expensive."? Unfortunately all the SW that lets one make use of the interesting features of the IXPs (microEngines, crypto, etc) is a pile of propietary code. ~Deepak -- Deepak Saxena - dsaxena at plexity dot net - http://www.plexity.net/ "Unlike me, many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment and will die here like rotten cabbages." - Number 6