5G, cloud and edge computing, and IoT \u2013 a<\/span>ny one of these monumental technology developments could be considered one of the\u00a0biggest networking evolutions\u00a0in human history. And yet we’re experiencing all of them simultaneously.\u00a0As a combined force,\u00a0<\/span>they are radically changing\u00a0the way\u00a0people communicate \u2013 and the way networks are built to support them.\u00a0Programmable\u00a0SmartNICs\u00a0play a central role in this transition, increasing speed and performance while cutting costs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n More 5G requires more data centers\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As\u00a0<\/span>5G adoption expands, that means telecom operators are\u00a0needed to build new data centers and expand the number of access points to a massive scale. All of this is with the goal of\u00a0unlocking unimaginable new services based on greater bandwidth and lower\u00a0latency.\u00a0The IoT is having a similar, concurrent effect.\u00a0These developments demand greater compute capacity.\u00a0\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s no surprise, then, that<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Gartner<\/span><\/a>\u00a0predicts organizations\u00a0will<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>increase\u00a0their\u00a0investments in\u202fedge\u202fcapacity.\u202f<\/span>Cloud and edge computing data\u00a0center\u00a0operators continue to expand to hyper-scale, delivering more intelligent,\u202flocalized,\u202fand autonomous computing resources for an\u202fincreasing\u202fset of users\u202fand applications.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Changing\u00a0requirements\u00a0for the network<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n New network designs are necessary for t<\/span>he possibilities that these\u00a0technological innovations create\u00a0\u2013 and there’s too much at stake for\u00a0failure\u00a0to be\u00a0an option. Datacenter designers and operators have emerged with a clear set of networking requirements that cannot be compromised:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Efficiency:<\/span><\/i>\u00a0The\u00a0central processing units (CPUs)\u00a0offload all burdensome workloads,\u00a0such as networking,\u00a0data\u00a0and security processing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Agility:<\/span><\/i>\u00a0The network\u00a0needs\u00a0programmability that allows the\u00a0hardware to evolve as fast as new networking protocols and standards do, as well as the threat landscape driven by bad actors.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Performance:<\/span><\/i>\u00a0Line-rate networking with ultra-low latency that scales\u00a0from 25 gigabit Ethernet\u00a0in the servers to 100 gigabit Ethernet and beyond in the network links\u00a0that\u00a0connect them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Orchestration:<\/span><\/i>\u00a0New methods for automation,\u00a0configuration, and control\u00a0to\u00a0orchestrate and manage so many elements at this scale.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Economics:<\/span><\/i>\u00a0Cost-savings need to shift the design of networks towards<\/span>\u00a0open standards, and commodity, off-the-shelf products.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Security<\/span><\/i>:\u00a0A\u00a0new distributed architecture\u00a0for\u00a0devices and\u00a0applications to\u00a0be able to\u00a0enter the network in many configurations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sustainability:\u00a0<\/span><\/i>A\u00a0size and power configuration\u00a0that is environmentally friendly\u00a0while still delivering the needed performance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The role of\u00a0programmable\u00a0SmartNICs<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These requirements are must-haves, so organizations are moving away from\u00a0networks\u00a0that\u00a0are\u00a0large,\u00a0proprietary,\u00a0expensive,\u00a0monolithic, vertically integrated systems \u2013 and a new method\u00a0of software-defined networking has emerged.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The decline of Moore’s Law<\/span>\u00a0has created the need for\u00a0a new heterogeneous processing architecture where expensive and burdensome workloads are\u202foffloaded from the CPUs.\u202fThis model has proven to be successful in the past, with GPUs offloading video and graphics processing from\u202fthe\u202fCPU. This same model is now being applied for data,\u202fnetwork,\u202fand security processing.\u202fHowever, the applications underpinned by 5G, cloud, edge computing and IoT often fail on standard servers with basic NICs.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With the sunsetting of Moore’s Law, enterprises\u00a0prefer\u00a0SmartNICs\u00a0as\u00a0the method to avoid these problems and help advance datacenter computing.\u202fA\u202fSmartNIC’s\u00a0primary function is to operate as a co-processor inside of the server, offloading the CPU\u202ffrom the burdensome tasks of network and security\u00a0processing,\u00a0while simultaneously\u202faccelerating applications\u202fon multiple dimensions.\u00a0<\/span>SmartNICs\u00a0require less CPU usage than regular NICs, so t<\/span>hey\u00a0return valuable (and expensive) resources to the applications and services that generate revenue.\u202f<\/span>Cost shifts from custom, proprietary hardware to multi-vendor, open, standard hardware, operating systems, and applications.<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Unlike standard NICs,\u00a0SmartNICs\u00a0can adapt to a variety of use cases, such as load balancing, data path optimization, security, virtualization, and storage.\u00a0<\/span>They\u00a0uniquely meet the\u00a0network design requirements for\u00a0performance, agility, efficiency, security, economics,\u202forchestration\u202f, and sustainability.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Making the most of today’s possibilities<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n New networks must be built to support\u00a0the\u00a0above\u00a0developments \u2013 a whole new type of\u00a0network with stringent requirements for its communications infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span>SmartNICs\u00a0make this new network architecture possible, yielding a low-cost yet high-performance result while\u00a0meeting all the other requirements.\u00a0SmartNICs\u00a0offload burdensome processing\u00a0tasks for maximum efficiency; they’re an essential part of the infrastructure enterprises need today.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Go to Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n