Fundamental architectural considerations for network processors

Network processors (NPs) are programmable devices with special architectural features that are optimized to perform packet-processing functions. They have emerged to cope with the ever-changing networking applications that are becoming increasingly complex. NPs are expected to become the silicon core of network equipments that require a high degree of flexibility to support evolving network services at extraordinary performance with high packet rates. In this paper, we present and examine various NP architectural aspects. We describe and compare NP design characteristics and analyze their implications on the ease of programming. 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.