This book shows software engineers how to program the microengines of Intel’s IXP12xx network processors. Assuming no particular background or experience with the IXP12xx architecture, the book begins with an explanation of the hardware and development environment. You get an explanation of the right, and sometimes the wrong, approaches to programming the microengines through a series of expanding examples, covering topics such as: Receiving, processing, and transmitting packets.
Synchronizing between hardware threads.
Using the hash unit and cyclic-redundancy check instructions.
§ Writing microACEs to help build complex network applications.
The programming examples are written in structured microC “microblocks,” with microengine assembly code used occasionally for illustration.
IXP1200 Programming will show you how to:
Write your first program in microengine ‘C’
Use the Developer Workbench tools for compiling and debugging
Optimize and tune your program for the highest performance
A companion CD-ROM contains all the microengine code examples found in the book, plus a complete IXP1200 Software Development Kit (SDK) for building your applications.
