Virata Accelerates with Communications Processor

By
iApplianceWeb
(09/26/01, 10:27:06 AM EDT)

Virata Corporation's Nitrogen 210-80 processor, the first in a family of high-performance, low-cost communications processors designed for IP switch/router applications, has hit the market.

Targeting the home router market, the Nitrogen 210-80 processor features a specially packaged version of Virata's Integrated Software on Silicon (ISOS) platform. This is a fully integrated firewall with Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support and Network Address Translation (NAT).

In conjunction with the release of its Nitrogen 210-80, Virata has made available a home router kit that consists of hardware, software, and reference designs to create home routers quickly and cost-effectively.

Virata's Home Router Kit features the new Nitrogen 210-80 processor; reference designs for Ethernet, 802.11b, HomeRF, and HomePNA; and a version of ISOS. The Home Router Kit provides access to data and voice, applications such as multi-user gaming and video streaming, secure firewall, content filtering, and other access restrictions. The reference design connects to broadband DSL, cable, or wireless modem/routers.

Virata created a number of home networking reference designs:

• Multi-Port 10/100 Ethernet reference design
• 802.11b reference design
• HomeRF reference design
• Single-port Ethernet Mac and PHY reference design
• HomePNA 2.0 reference design

The Nitrogen 210-80 features dual 80MHz ARM7 processor architecture and contains a network processor that controls and manages the direct connections to Ethernet and USB and handles Ethernet bridge filtering and advanced DMA functions. The chip also includes a protocol processor that runs Virata's high-level bridging and routing software, as well as management and control functions, such as embedded Web management and UPnP software.

Virata has included an embedded 10/100 Mbit Ethernet MAC with an MII interface for connecting to alternate home networking technologies and multi-port Ethernet switch chips. The Nitrogen 210-80 can interface to a DSP to allow Voice-over-IP (VoIP) solutions and using the on-chip PCMCIA interface, support I/O cards such as 802.11 Wireless LAN.

Link:
Virata