NPCryptBench: A Cryptographic Benchmark Suite for Network Processors
Introduction
As
requirements for communication security grow, cryptographic processing becomes
another type of network processor's application domain. However, hardware
solution cannot meet flexibility requirements of emerging security protocols
and services. Clearly, implementing cryptographic applications on NPs using
software is still necessary. Unfortunately, the impact of performing such
security applications on NP architecture is not quite known to us.
NPCryptBench is the software package for implementing and optimizing
cryptographic applications on data-plane (fast-path) of NP architecture.
NPCryptBench selects a group of algorithms based on their representativeness,
popularity and availability. NPCryptBench does not focus on the functionality
of each algorithm but the critical small inner loops where the vast majority of
all processing is present. This differentiation also complies with the layered
architecture of NPs, where initialization and non real-time calculations are
carried out by control-plan (slow-path) processors. NPCryptBench can be used
for NP architecture evaluation and power estimation purpose. The code segments
can also be easily turned into full functional algorithms for security
applications (e.g. VPN, IPSec) on NPs without hardware encryption engines. (We
may not need IXP2850 or IXP1250)
NPCryptBench is licensed under an academic-license situation, which basically means that you are free to get and use it for non-commercial purposes as long as you fulfill the conditions of the licenses.
The Software Package
The initial release of NPCryptBench 1.01 is available for
non-commercial use only. This release contains codes for DES, AES, RC
To get the software package and its free update, you should print the license agreement with official letter head,
sign it (do NOT simply print your name in
the signature field) and mail us directly. For mailing address and
download instructions, see Additional Information below. Scanned copies of
signed license are also accepted through email.
Current Version
A major update for IXP2XXX will be released soon.
Version 1.00 (IXP1200) Mar 7, 2005
+Initial release with 9 working algorithms
Version 1.01 (IXP2XXX) Mar 31, 2005
+Add more code comments
+Correct simple initialization issue of RC4
Publication
Zhangxi Tan, Chuang Lin, Hao Yin, Bo Li, "Optimization
and Benchmark of Cryptographic Algorithms on Network Processors", IEEE
Micro, Special Issue on Network Processor For Future High-End Systems and
Applications, pp.55-69, sep/oct 2004. (Intel IXP2800 Version)
Zhangxi Tan, Chuang Lin, Yianxi Li, Yixin Jiang, "Optimization and Benchmark of Cryptographic Algorithms
on Network Processors", IEEE International Conference on System, Man
and Cybernetics (SMC 2003),
NPCryptBench in Use
NePSim,
University of California, Riverside, USA
University of Colorado, Boulder, USA
Harbin Institute of Technology, China
Clemson University, South Carolina, USA
California State University, Long Beach, USA
Zhejiang University, China
University of Karlsruhe, Germany
International Institute of Information Technology, India
Research Unit in Networking of University of Liège, Belgium
People
Zhangxi Tan,
University of California, Berkeley, USA
Donghua Ruan, Tsinghua University, China
Development of
this package is suspended. Please send emails to yy277 AT cornell DOT edu to
report bugs, ask questions or get more information.
Thanks for your interest.
Last
update @ 10-03-2007 by Yao Yue