Accelerator Boosts Packet Processing

Designed to eliminate packet-processing bottlenecks and handle new IP networking tasks at wire-speed, the FlexTunnel accelerator module acts as a gateway for each element in a distributed system. This is said to allow a number of remote, private networks to be easily connected via private IP tunnels. Simultaneously introduced, the PMC8300 module is promoted as being the first hardware-based embedded tunneling solution on the market. It includes transport and storage offload engines coupled with security protocols such as IPsec. The module removes processing tasks, including TCP/IP, storage management, encryption, and authentication, from the host CPU that can exceed 80% of its utilization. Reportedly, an option allows users to create reliable, available, secure, and managed IP storage at a lower cost and in less space compared to storage area network approaches. Prices for the FlexTunnel and PMC8300 modules start at $3,995 and $1,900, respectively. The PMC8300 will be available in December. PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGIES, Rochester, NY. (805) 783-6047.