Argus 2.0 wishes

[Peter Van Epp]

> 
> Hey Peter,
>    You know the AGP interface on WinTel boxes
> is fast enough to access and process gig data
> streams.  Why not have a dual interface gig
> ethernet board with a few good ASCIs that
> attaches via the AGP?
> 
> Carter
> 
	While I still have poking to do, I think this only moves the problem
to a later box. My sense of AGP is that it connects fast ram (SRAM or more
probably video specific DRAM) directly to the processor bus bypassing main
memory (because its too slow). So like my router I can pass data through at
speed, but I can't keep it in plentiful main memory nor process it and save
it anywhere. If there are AGP gigether cards with on board processor (and
an there is an  API that is available to mere mortals) its possible that may 
be the answer do the TCP processing on the fly in there in fast ram and pass 
on the decoded data stream and odd packets (which are lower volume) to an
analysis box for storage out the second on card interface. Thats essentially 
what Corelreef does with the OC3 ATM streams, they load special code in to the
I960 on the Fore ATM cards that do cell reassembly and pass the output in to 
slower main memory. Its also possible that one of the high end CPU boards 
actually does interleaved DIMMS and there was mention of a new faster DIMM 
from NEC in the CPU manual as well so I may be looking at less than optimum
DIMM specs.

Peter Van Epp / Operations and Technical Support 
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C. Canada