PR Newswire
Oct 14, 2003 11:00 ET

New EEMBC(R) Networking Benchmarks Address Network Routers, Switches, and Gateways

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move long awaited by designers of telecom systems, EEMBC, the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium, today announced at Microprocessor Forum that it has revamped its suite of benchmarks that measure embedded processor performance in networking applications. Furthermore, the consortium will introduce networking benchmark scores specifically representing processor performance in transmission control protocol (TCP) and Internet protocol (IP) implementations.

The new benchmarks will eventually supersede the consortium's current networking benchmark suite, which has been in place since 1998. Existing OSPF/Dijkstra and Route Lookup/Patricia kernels have been significantly updated, while the enlarged networking suite will also include newly developed Quality of Service (QoS), IP packet check, IP reassembly, Network Address Translation (NAT), and TCP benchmarks.

"The original EEMBC(R) networking benchmarks were developed to accommodate both low- and high-end processors," said Markus Levy, EEMBC president. "Processor technology has changed dramatically since then, and now on-chip level 1 and level 2 caches are much more common. In revising and expanding this suite, we're making EEMBC benchmarks relevant to processor selection for high-end network routers, gateways, and switches in addition to the increasingly sophisticated devices used in client-side devices such as PDAs and Internet-enabled printers."

Along with the new benchmarks, EEMBC is introducing two new single-number consolidated scores to enable high-level comparisons between processor performance in networking applications. The new TCPmark(TM) will provide a single-number representation of processor performance in Internet-enabled, client-side devices, while the IPmark(TM) will represent processor performance in network routers, gateways, and switches with a single number.

Development of the new networking benchmarks was led by Bill Bryant (Sun Microsystems), chairman of EEMBC's Networking Subcommittee, and the EEMBC Certification Labs (ECL) with inputs from Juniper Networks and other telecom providers.

"The original EEMBC networking benchmarks are among the most popular for device certifications, but we've been urged by telecom end users to provide benchmarks that can handle much larger data sets," said Alan R. Weiss, ECL chairman and CEO. "With these updates, we're improving on a very successful suite while adding new kernels that more fully represent the router environment."

Benchmark Details

OSPF (Open Shortest Path First)/Dijkstra - Implements the Dijkstra shortest path first algorithm, which is widely used in routers and other networking equipment.

Route Lookup/Patricia - A distillation of the fundamental operation of IP datagram routers: receiving and forwarding IP datagrams.

Quality of Service (QoS) - A guarantee of transmission rates, error rates, and other characteristics to improve on the "best effort" protocols of the public network. QoS requires that packets passing through a gateway host can be expedited based on policy and reservation criteria arranged in advance.

IP Packet Check - Emulates how IP datagrams are often stored in actual systems using descriptors that are separate from the datagram.

IP Reassembly - Simulates the processing that handles reassembly when large packets are split up. In a packet-switched telecommunication network, segmentation and reassembly is the process of breaking a packet into smaller units before transmission and reassembling them into the proper order at the receiving end of the communication.

Network Address Translation (NAT) - The translation of an IP address used within one network to a different IP address known within another network. This helps ensure security because each outgoing or incoming request must go through a translation process that also offers the opportunity to qualify or authenticate the request or match it to a previous request. NAT also conserves on the number of global IP
addresses that a company needs, and it lets the company use a single IP address in its communication with the world. NAT is included as part of a router and is often part of a corporate firewall.

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) - A protocol used along with the IP to send data in the form of message units between computers over the Internet. TCP splits the packets of a file, numbers the packets, and then forwards the individual packets to the IP program layer. Although each packet has the same destination IP address, it may get routed differently through the network. At the destination, TCP reassembles the individual packets and waits until they have arrived to forward them as a single file.

Benchmark score reports on processors tested against EEMBC's new networking benchmarks and certified by ECL will be available for free from the consortium's Web site at www.eembc.org.

About EEMBC

EEMBC, the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium, develops and certifies real-world benchmarks and benchmark scores to help designers select the right embedded processors for their systems. Every processor submitted for EEMBC(R) benchmarking is tested for parameters representing different workloads and capabilities in communications, networking, consumer, office automation, automotive/industrial, embedded Java, and microcontroller-related applications. With members including leading semiconductor, intellectual property, and compiler companies, EEMBC establishes benchmark standards and provides certified benchmarking results through the EEMBC Certification Labs (ECL) in Texas and California.

EEMBC members include 3DSP, Altera, AMD, Analog Devices, ARC International, ARM, Digital Communication Technologies, esmertec, Fujitsu Microelectronics, Green Hills Software, IAR, IBM Corporation, Imagination Technologies, Improv Systems, Infineon Technologies, Intel, Intrinsity, LSI Logic, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Mentor Graphics, Metaware, Metrowerks, MIPS Technologies Inc., Motorola, National Semiconductor, NEC Electronics America, Oki Semiconductor, ParthusCeva, Philips Semiconductors, PMC-Sierra, Precise, Red Hat, Renesas Technology, Samsung, Sandbridge Technologies, Sony Computer Entertainment, STMicroelectronics, StarCore, Sun Microsystems, SuperH, Symbian, Tao Group, Tensilica, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, VIA Technologies, Wind River Systems, and Xilinx.

EEMBC is a registered trademark and TPCmark and IPmark are trademarks of the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium. All other trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.

Website: http:www.eembc.org