Bivio 6500
Custom Programmable Network Appliance Platforms
The Bivio 6500 Custom Programmable Network Appliance Platform delivers an advanced packet processing architecture in a cost-effective, modular chassis suitable for a wide range of high-performance content-aware networking solutions. Central to the Bivio 6500 design is the RMI XLR™ Processor that implements 4-way multithreading on up to eight MIPS64®-compatible cores for a total of 32 threads or virtual CPUs in a single platform. With multiple threads, the XLR processor can efficiently manage tasks by processing additional data on available threads when a thread is occupied. This technology significantly reduces internal cache and memory latencies to dramatically improve overall system throughput. In addition, for more compute-intensive applications, a single core can be programmed to dedicate all processing resources to a single, focused task.
A true programmable solution, the Bivio 6500 and XLR processor do not require microcoding or proprietary programming models. The XLR Linux Software Developer Kit (SDK) supports standard C/C++ code development using Linux 2.6 with standard tool chains and debugger enhancements. The SDK provides documentation, source code and application examples for chip diagnostics, performance monitoring tools, and device drivers for advanced XLR features including the XLR Fast Messaging Network and Security Acceleration Engine. The SDK allows system programmers to quickly take advantage of the XLR architecture’s autonomous acceleration engines to relieve the processing cores from packet data transfers, cryptography functions, authentication operations, TCP/IP CRC calculations and network interface data management.
Benefits
Optimized, Multithreaded Cores: High-performance MIPS64® cores with up to 32 threads (virtual CPUs) provide high packet processing bandwidth with minimal latency.
Security Acceleration up to 10 Gbps: Independent security engine efficiently processes standard cryptographic algorithms without burdening network processor cores.
Flexible System Management: A dedicated, Linux-programmable dual core processor provides platform initialization and isolated system management functions.
Hot Swap Hard Drives & Power Supplies: Dual redundant SAS/SATA hard drives and hot swap power supplies support non-stop operation in high-availability environments.
Network Connectivity with Hardware Bypass: A selection of industry-standard network interfaces provides configurable fail-open support for copper or fiber cabling.
Bivio 6500 Network Appliance Models
The Bivio 6500 is available in several configurations to deliver the optimal performance and feature set for target applications. In addition to processor and memory options, the Bivio 6500 supports dual redundant hot-swap power supplies and dual hot-swap hard drives (SATA or SAS technology) that can be configured in RAID-1 redundancy for application storage, network statistics and system logging. Any combination of Network Interface Modules (NIMs) may also be ordered for network connectivity. The system chassis is a carrier-grade 2U rack mount appliance with optimized airflow and thermal management.
Network Interface Modules
Network Interface Modules (NIMs) simplify the connection of the Bivio 6500 Network Appliance Platform to a variety of industry standard network interfaces. The platform includes two NIM slots that may be populated with any combination of the available NIM boards. This allows equipment integrators to select the appropriate type and number of interfaces required for each installation without impacting the appliance system architecture.
Many network topologies require failsafe protection from devices that are installed as "in-line" elements on the network. This requirement guaran¬tees that an equipment failure will not cause a network outage or loss of connectivity. The Bivio NIMs are designed with configurable bypass circuits so that in the event of a power failure or other system fault, the bypass ports will fail "open", allowing network traffic to pass uninterrupted through the NIM. The failopen occurs between paired ports on the same NIM. This feature allows the network appliance to be placed directly in-line in the network topology without adding additional switches or routers and is especially useful in a transparent mode deployment.
Available Bivio NIMs include:
- 2-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-SR) with configurable hardware bypass
- 6-port Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-SX) with configurable hardware bypass
- 12-port Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T) module with configurable hardware bypass
