Problems using MD5 with IPv6

The MD5 algorithm has been specified as part of the IPv6 protocol. However, some questions have been raised as to the ability of MD5 to provide the throughput needed for high-speed networks. This paper examines the performance of MD5 on the POWER2 architecture. The cause of poor performance for MD5 is identified, and three areas are examined to determine where improvements can be made. The three areas examined are compiler technology, architectural changes, and implementation strategies. Of the three, only implementation strategies provides an avenue for significant improvement. However, the algorithm is still deemed too slow for good performance on high throughput networks.