DALLAS, Smart Networks Developer Forum (SNDF), April 26, 2004 - Today at SNDF, QNX Software Systems announced that its comprehensive suite of pre-integrated protocol stacks now supports IKE, RADIUS, SSH, and SSL, as well as other advanced security features. Running on the QNX® Neutrino® RTOS v6.3, the new additions leverage the powerful security engine on selected PowerQUICCTM processors from Freescale Semiconductor, a wholly owned subsidiary of Motorola Inc., to deliver highly optimized encryption and authentication for next-generation network elements.The need for security on networked devices is rising dramatically. Some industry pundits suggest that up to 70% of Internet traffic will be encrypted by 2007. As speed and complexity in the network increases, equipment vendors are looking to extend computationally intensive encryption algorithms, such as 3DES and SHA-1, beyond the data plane to the control and management plane.
To address this demand, QNX is developing an integrated hardware-software solution that takes advantage of the unique security features on PowerQUICC processors. At the Smart Networks Developer Forum this week, QNX is showcasing how the QNX Neutrino RTOS improves performance dramatically by offloading compute-intensive protocols like IPSec and IKE to the integrated security engine on the PowerQUICC IITM MPC8272 processor. Not only does overall throughput increase, but the main processor core remains free to handle other critical tasks.
"No longer limited to virtual private networks, security is becoming a pervasive requirement for a wide spectrum of network elements," said Romain Saha, networking business manager at QNX. "By offering one of the most comprehensive selections of pre-integrated protocols in the embedded industry, along with support for the embedded security capabilities on PowerQUICC processors, QNX provides networking vendors a compelling, and highly flexible, platform for building high-performance encryption and authentication into the control plane."
More about the QNX Neutrino RTOS
Designed for high availability networking elements, the QNX Neutrino RTOS is built on a memory-protected microkernel architecture, providing dynamic upgrades, fine-grained fault isolation, and rapid error recovery. With native support for both symmetric multiprocessing and distributed multiprocessing, QNX Neutrino offers massive scalability, allowing networking elements to handle increases in network traffic or services without the need for forklift upgrades. To accelerate development of QNX Neutrino applications, QNX Software Systems offers the QNX Momentics® development suite, a highly integrated offering that includes C, C++, and Java code editors, a graphical source debugger, and diagnostic tools for application profiling, system profiling, memory analysis, and code coverage. QNX Momentics supports Windows, Solaris, Linux, and QNX Neutrino development hosts.
More about the MPC8272 processor
Based on a PowerPC core, the high-performance MPC8272 PowerQUICC II processor family supports a variety of protocols and interfaces, including dual Fast Ethernet MACs, ATM, HDLC, a 32-bit 33/66 MHz PCI interface, and a USB host/device interface. The family offers CPU frequencies that range from 266 MHz to 400 MHz while providing low power consumption (0.8 W at 266 MHz). The security engine on the MPC8248 and MPC8272 models supports DES, 3DES, MD-5, SHA-1, AES and ARC-4 encryption algorithms. It also includes a public key accelerator and on-chip random number generator.
Demo at SNDF
To catch the QNX demo in action at SNDF, visit the QNX booths: 507 AB, 508 AB. SNDF takes place April 26-29 at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas.
Availability
The QNX Neutrino RTOS v6.3, with support for the PowerQUICC II processor, is scheduled for release in Q2 2004. Support for the PowerQUICC III MPC8555 processor is also planned; call your local QNX representative for more information.