[e2e] draft on IP Fast Option Lookup

[Vernon Schryver]

>         It isn't needed by anyone who has ASIC-based forwarding.
> Folks building big routers these days generally either already
> have or are moving to ASIC-based forwarding.  I work for a 
> small router vendor with ASIC-based forwarding.  THis option
> isn't especially interesting to us at least.

"ASIC-based forwarding" might mean "has specialized hardware for the fast
path.  However, in general "ASIC-based" is as meaningful as "electronic
based," no matter that router users and the trade rags have been talking
about "ASIC" as magic speed pill for 10 years.  From what I've seen,
whether you use full-custom, custom with purchase IP (not the protocol)
such as RISC cores, ASIC's, only commodity parts, or some other point in
the spectrum no more about speed than other design issues including power,
real estate (both board and package), product life, time-to-market, and
available design and simulation tools and talent.

For example, with high enough volumes, a full custom silicon but rather
slow router (e.g. SOHO) might make sense.

Well, I am assuming that ASIC means application specific integrated
circuit, the less aggressive shore of the full custom swamp.  And I've
never been involved with router custom silicon, although I have watched
fun with ion milling and related wonders in other contexts.


Vernon Schryver    vjs at rhyolite.com