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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY /
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Breaking News - Networking:
Broadcom Ups Server Performance W/ C-NIC Ethernet Controller
Broadcom Corp, a leading provider of highly integrated semiconductor solutions
enabling broadband communications, announced NetXtreme II, the company's next
generation Gigabit Ethernet controller, which includes an integrated
transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) offload engine, iSCSI
host bus adapter functionality, remote direct memory access (RDMA) technology,
and remote system management. Broadcom NetXtreme II Gigabit Ethernet
Controllers are the first controllers in the industry to simultaneously
perform storage networking, high-performance clustering, accelerated data
networking and remote system management pass-through functions at a cost
intended to promote broad adoption of the technology.
With the convergence of high-speed networking, storage, clustering, and remote
management on a standard Ethernet network, end users can significantly reduce
cost by leveraging the existing IT infrastructure. A standard server equipped
with current Ethernet controllers cannot efficiently run network, storage and
cluster traffic simultaneously over Ethernet, as it takes a significant
portion of the CPU's processing power to operate the network at the full line
rate. NetXtreme II Controllers bring the necessary performance to run these
network functions over a single, converged fabric on today's server platforms.
With the introduction of NetXtreme II controllers, Broadcom is presenting the
industry with a new class of Ethernet controller called a "converged NIC" (or
C-NIC), which combines the functions of four separate networks into one
multi-function network incorporating TCP offload, iSCSI, RDMA and in-band
management pass-through technology.
A TCP/IP offload engine (TOE) shifts the Ethernet protocol processing overhead
from the host CPU to the network controller, freeing up the CPU and memory
resources, thus allowing increased network throughput. The iSCSI functionality
enables low-cost networked storage capabilities over an existing Gigabit
Ethernet infrastructure (i.e. network cabling, switches and routers). RDMA
technology enables high performance server clustering and eliminates the
burden of excessive memory copies when communicating between servers. The
embedded in-band management pass-through technology allows for remote control
of a server over a single network connection.
"Broadcom's announcement today represents not only the next generation of
Ethernet networking technology, but a fundamental change to that technology as
well," said Thomas Lagatta, group vice president of Broadcom's Enterprise
Computing Group. "The NetXtreme II controller is the first device that
converges LAN, storage, clustering and remote server management onto a single
Ethernet fabric. Server vendors will now have the ability to vastly simplify
their systems, lower the total cost of ownership, and significantly improve
overall system performance. And, all of this can be done via existing Ethernet
network infrastructure."
"Multifunction networking lets customers use their existing Ethernet
infrastructure in new ways and allows them to manage change in their adaptive
enterprise," said Paul Perez, vice president, storage, networking and
infrastructure for Industry Standard Servers at HP. "HP is committed to
working with industry leaders like Broadcom to create innovative,
customer-focused technologies that optimize the performance and utilization of
IT investments."
BCM5706: The First Device In The NetXtreme II Family
The BCM5706 is the first device in the NetXtreme II family, which builds upon
Broadcom's previous generations of NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet controllers. It
is the industry's first and only device that combines a TCP/IP offload engine,
iSCSI and RDMA on a single chip. The implementation is optimized for high
density rack and blade server LAN-on-motherboard (LOM) and network interface
card (NIC) applications, and allows customers to use existing board layouts to
upgrade their systems from earlier generations of Broadcom controllers, such
as the widely deployed BCM5703.
Using the industry-standard NTTTCP benchmark, preliminary testing demonstrates
that Broadcom's NetXtreme II controller, running Microsoft TCP Chimney
software, improves CPU utilization on a current server by as much as five
times over an existing Gigabit Ethernet controller. Broadcom's implementation
of the TCP Chimney is the industry's first true, single-chip Ethernet
controller to provide TCP/IP offload without external memory.
IT Infrastructure To Benefit From C-NICs
Converged NICs let customers simplify their IT infrastructure and give them
the flexibility to run high-performance data, storage, and clustering over
existing, familiar TCP/IP and Ethernet infrastructures. Broader Ethernet use
can decrease the total cost of ownership when fewer specialized clustering and
storage networks are needed to accommodate aggregate user demand for
applications processing and network throughput.
C-NICs have significant performance benefits throughout the enterprise and
will improve performance on both basic and advanced server applications such
as:
IT Infrastructure -- File and print, networking, proxy/caching, security,
and systems management. Web Infrastructure -- Web serving, streaming media. Business or database processing -- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP),
Customer Relationship Management (CRM), On Line Transaction Processing (OLTP)
and batch processing. Decision Support -- Data warehousing/mart, data analysis/mining. Technical -- High-performance computing, computer-aided design.
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