Secure Services Processor provides data plane offload.
Share:
Press Release Summary:
Secure Services Processor delivers multiple network security services for applications that require multi-gigabit small packet forwarding. It combines high-speed, full duplex data plane and PowerPC® 440 control point processor on single die. Unit also integrates network MACs and fine grained traffic management. All provisioning, policy, management, and look-aside acceleration interfaces are accessible through C language API. Chip supports up to 40 10/100 Ethernet ports.
Original Press Release:
Hifn Introduces Secure Services Processor
Standard Hardware Interfaces, a C Language API, No Microcode Programming and a Complete Reference Implementation Make SSP the Easiest to Use High Performance Security Solution on the Market Today
LOS GATOS, Calif., Feb. 14 /-- Network security and flow classification market leader Hifn(TM) (NASDAQ:HIFN), today announced the Secure Services Processor (SSP); a comprehensive solution for converged security appliances that provides complete data plane offload. SSP provides multiple security services (NAT/PAT, SPI Firewall, IPsec VPN, QoS, and DOS protection) for network security applications that require multi-gigabit small packet forwarding performance. SSP is ideal for appliances in the $3K - $5K list price and scales to the very high end. This solution will provide an order of magnitude more performance than what is possible with products on the market today.
Hifn's SSP provides both a high-speed full duplex data plane and a PowerPC(R) 440 control point processor on a single die. It also integrates network MACs and fine grained traffic management. All provisioning, policy, management and look-aside acceleration interfaces are accessible through a simple C language API. A system designer using SSP can significantly reduce chip count, power, board space and additional system costs by using SSP. Plus, development time is significantly reduced as no microprogramming is necessary.
"SSP provides a set of services that are essential to multi-layer security applications, integrated with appropriate hardware acceleration and encapsulated within a simple API," said Sanjay Iyer, senior analyst at The Linley Group and co-author of A Guide To Security and Content Processors. "By anticipating all the data-plane requirements of security applications, SSP fully offloads the host processor and enables rapid development of multi-gigabit, multifunction security appliances or blades."
SSP works seamlessly with Hifn's security processor products to provide many low latency look-aside acceleration functions for cryptographic transforms. These look-aside functions are critical for provisioning cryptographic tunnels and authenticating end-points and users. Low latency is particularly critical for look-aside operations as they are usually called by a single threaded management task. Typically, management tasks will block until the look-aside function is complete therefore latency rather than aggregate bandwidth is the most critical determinant of performance.
"Traditional stateful inspection firewall appliances are becoming less useful every day as the attacks that companies face become more complex and more targeted," said Jeff Wilson, principal analyst at Infonetics Research. "Customers of all types require new highly converged security appliances that greatly improve their security posture by combining a wide range of advanced security functions, and Hifn's Secure Services Processor will allow appliance makers to affordably build converged appliances that will appeal to companies of all types and sizes."
"Network equipment vendors now need many more instructions per packet as the security services provided by their network equipment products move higher up the protocol stack," said Mark Vondemkamp, product line director at Hifn, Inc. "Developers of high performance firewalls, VPN gateways, intrusion detection systems, intrusion prevention systems and other converged security devices can achieve an order of magnitude better performance with SSP."
Hifn's SSP is a scalable solution that can cover a wider range of bandwidth requirements up to and beyond 10 Gbps of packet forwarding performance. Multiple SSP chips can be used in a variety of configurations to achieve extraordinary levels of performance. Pipelined, hierarchical and switch fabric connected configurations are possible to scale performance when providing multiple security services in the data plane.
SSP has flexible scalability in the number of ports. Each chip can support up to 40 10/100 Ethernet ports or 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports. 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 20 10/200 ports are a possible configuration. A 32-bit SPI-3 port is also supported.
SSP samples will be available to customers in the fourth quarter of 2005.
About Hifn
Hifn, of Los Gatos, California makes integrated circuits and software for network infrastructure developers. Hifn combines network processing, security, compression, content search and flow classification technology into solutions for complex packet management. Most of the major network equipment manufacturers use Hifn's patented technology to improve network packet processing.
Hifn was founded in 1996 and is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the HIFN symbol. For more information, contact: Hifn, 750 University Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95032. Phone: 408-399-3500. Fax: 408-399-3501. Web: http://www.hifn.com/.
NOTE: Hi/fn and LZS are registered trademarks of Hi/fn(R), Inc. Hifn, FlowThrough, and MeterFlow are trademarks of Hi/fn, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Brian Sparks of Hifn, Inc., +1-408-399-3520, or bsparks@hifn.com
