JNI employs eight Xtensa processors in new Fibre Channel architecture

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, June 23, 2003

Tensilica, Inc. has announced that the new JNI X8 architecture from JNI Corporation (Nasdaq:JNIC) employs eight Tensilica Xtensa(C) processors. The Xtensa processors help JNI's X8-based Fibre Channel controllers to achieve a host transfer rate of up to 4 gigabytes per second (GB) and up to 300,000 I/Os per second, a five times speed enhancement and a four times peak I/O performance improvement over their previous generation product.

Tensilica's Xtensa microprocessor architecture provides a powerful, integrated hardware and software development environment with thousands of configuration options and an unlimited range of customer-specific extensions. The environment enables designers to carefully tune the processor for their particular application. Because all options are automatically recognized as "native" by a complete set of software development tools, developers can simultaneously tune both application software and processor hardware to meet specific speed, power and feature goals.

"We carefully studied different embedded 32-bit processors and picked Xtensa because we could configure it for maximum performance," said Sassan Teymouri, vice president of ASICs at JNI. "We believe the Xtensa processors give us a competitive advantage. Xtensa executes certain instructions most frequently used in the I/O stack faster than other processors."

The JNI X8 architecture achieves high performance and low cost in server and embedded applications by integrating two fully independent Fibre Channel protocol engines, four embedded 200 MHz Tensilica Xtensa processors per channel, 1-2-4gigabits per second (Gb) SERDES, a 10Gb attachment unit interface (XAUI), internal and external memory controllers. This highly parallel architecture provides independent control of each Fibre Channel port with four CPUs/port operating in concert to maximize data throughput at 1-2-4Gb and 10Gb speeds while minimizing host CPU workload.

"JNI's X8 architecture is an excellent example of the performance that can be achieved with multi-processor designs," stated Bernie Rosenthal, Tensilica's senior vice president of marketing and sales. "By integrating eight Xtensa microprocessor cores, JNI's X8 architecture can meet the formidable demands of 10Gb wire speeds."