Platform level support for high throughput edge applications: the Twin Cities prototype

Even in the face of increasing network bandwidth, there is a desire among service providers to improve network security, availability, and performance. These improvements require increasingly complex computations on network packets. Current networking platforms cannot keep up, leading to less than desired throughput or functionality. Network processors deliver high networking throughput, but not the complex processing capabilities required. High-performance general-purpose processors deliver the complex processing needed, but not the network throughput. Combination platforms that include high-performance general-purpose CPUs and network processors hold the promise of greatly increasing platform performance, enabling desired edge application improvements. This article presents Twin Cities, a heterogeneous multiprocessor research platform we have constructed from a standard IXP1240 platform, a high-volume Intel® Pentium® III processor platform, and custom hardware. This platform provides a high-performance path (high throughput, low latency) between the two processors and presents a shared memory model to the programmer. We motivate and describe the Twin Cities platform, discuss the applications it targets, and present performance measurements.