CI-ADDO-EN: NetFPGA Community Infrastructure Development and Operations of the NetFPGA

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

The NetFPGA platform makes it easy for students and researchers to build and deploy high-performance networking systems using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) hardware. FPGA logic is used to process packets at line-rate, while software running on an attached host computer implements control functions. The principal investigators (PIs) began the beta program in January of 2008 and made the NetFPGA hardware available to any school by providing a copy of the source-source schematic and printed circuit board design to a low-cost 3rd party manufacturer. To keep the hardware cost low, they asked semiconductor companies to donate the components used on the NetFPGA. Today, every major component on the board is donated as a gift by Xilinx, Broadcom, Micron, and Cypress. The PIs also made the open-source software, gateware, courseware, and reference designs for the NetFPGA freely available on the NetFPGA.org website. Broader Impact The community is growing and contributing back feedback, creating new courses, and creating new applications for the NetFPGA. Going forward, the PIs want to continue their outreach program to include deployment of NetFPGA hardware in backbone networks, other research laboratories, and classrooms in EPSCoR states. Where possible, they have raised industrial funds so they can donate NetFPGA systems to under-funded schools. Intellectual Merit Through this award the PIs plan to do five things: (1) Pay for professional staff to continue the operation of the NetFPGA program, (2) Design and develop new reference designs and applications for the community, (3) Acquire and deploy the NetFPGA in many schools, particularly in EPSCoR states, and in national backbone networks, (4) Work with the community to create a self-supporting user-community within three years, and (5) Explore the design of a NetFPGA-10G ? a 10Gb/s version of the platform.