A Survey on Issues in Network Processing, Network Processor Architectures, Challenges and State of the Art in the Network Processing Field

Project Code: Network-Processing Survey

Project Level: BS thesis, or MS/PhD course project.

Abstract

Network processing is a relatively young research strand that is rapidly emerging with a strong driving application: the internet. This project is to make a survey on the issues involved in this field. This includes applications, architectures, implementation methodologies (chip design as well as programming issues), and any other issue that is found to be important during the project accomplishment.

Motivation

• A major application of ASIPs is in the field of network processing.
• Packet processing is a good fit for the design methodology that the ODYSSEY project advocates.
• The network processing field has several dimensions (e.g. architectures, applications, algorithms, expected performance) that need to be classified to enable definition of an effective case study.

Definition

There are some surveys already done in universities such as Berkeley; some of these are, however, rather old (e.g. 1999). You can start from these surveys and complete it with a literature survey on current research issues and a technical survey on products provided commercially. You should present your gathered results in bi- or tri-weekly discussion sessions for other members of the ODYSSEY project. The project is considered finished when the survey is mature enough to allow defining an effective case study on network processing.

Objectives

• Identifying major design issues as well as research issues in network processing
• Classification of the identified issues
• Classification of products (both research and commercial), their architectures, design, and programming method
• Classification of applications

Student Prerequisites

• High interest and skills in research
• “Advanced Computer Architecture” or “Advanced Microprocessors” course
• Good to have passed “Advanced Computer Networks” course

Interaction with Others

1. In general, can be done all alone.