Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!ncar!ames!lamaster
From: lamaster@ames.arpa (Hugh LaMaster)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re:  offloading the protocols
Message-ID: <6364@ames.arpa>
Date: 23 Mar 88 18:59:59 GMT
References: <8803160106.AA05728@Pescadero>
Reply-To: lamaster@ames.arc.nasa.gov.UUCP (Hugh LaMaster)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Lines: 16

In article <8803160106.AA05728@Pescadero> cheriton@PESCADERO.STANFORD.EDU ("David Cheriton") writes:

>VMTP (RFC 1045) is specifically designed to work well with hardware support

I find it interesting to note that while some people are worrying about
the necessity for offloading protocol processing, Van Jacobson and Mike
Karels have contributed algorithms that together will push 10Mbits/sec
from a CPU with less than 2 MIPS.   In any reasonable model of the rates
of computation versus network traffic for any non-gateway host, it isn't
clear that there is any benefit at all to offloading protocol processing.
In fact, recent history seems to confirm that using a general purpose CPU
is a better way to go- easier to install new algorithms and bug fixes.  If
more processing power is needed, multiple (general purpose) CPU's seems
to be a much more cost effective way to go.  I note that Ardent Computer
seems to be applying the same principle to Graphics processing - instead
of special purpose graphics engines, build the system with multiple CPU's.