6WIND
Encyclopedia
6WIND S.A. is a privately held company that provides packet processing software used by OEM companies to meet both the wire-speed performance and time-to-market requirements of mobile infrastructure, network security
, high-frequency trading and deep packet inspection
applications. The company’s 6WINDGate™ technology is a portable software platform available on multiple multicore processor architectures and is optimized to leverage the capabilities of on-chip accelerators such as security offload. Using 6WINDGate can eliminate up to twelve months from product development cycles, improving an OEM’s time-to-market and meeting the growing demand for high-performance video and data-intensive applications. 6WIND is a based near Paris, France with offices in Mountain View, California, Tokyo, Japan, Seoul, South Korea and Beijing, China.
), a provider of electronics products serving the aerospace, defense and security markets. Founder Eric Carmès’ vision for the company was to be the technology leader in the application of multicore processor architectures to networking software.
The company started with people experienced in IPv6
R&D which lead to the introduction in March 2001 of the 6WINDGate 6200 Series of Smart IPv6 Migration Routers. Initially a hardware and software solution, early 6WINDGate products were designed to ease IP network services deployment as companies migrated from IPv4 to IPv6 and make it easy for ISPs to set up new IPv6-based services.
Today, 6WINDGate is a software-only drop-in replacement for standard Operating System networking stacks. It typically provides up to 10x the packet processing performance of a standard networking stack, improving the price-performance and power-performance ratios of networking equipment.
The company has an extensive IP portfolio based on the awarding of eight patents and various industry awards.
Since its inception, 6WIND has received backing from investors and shareholders, including Sofinnova Partners, CDC Innovation, TechFund Europe and US, ACE Management, and Thales.
To help foster innovation and entrepreneurship, 6WIND is a member of Systematic and OSEO Excellence.
6WIND partners with processor vendors including Cavium Networks
, Freescale™ Semiconductor, Intel®, NetLogic Microsystems
®, and Tilera
® to port and integrate their networking protocols to the partner's multicore processor. These partnerships ensure that 6WINDGate is fully optimized for the Multicore Executives (MCEEs) that the processor vendors provide while also leveraging the capabilities of the on-chip accelerators included in their processor platforms such as security offload.
6WIND also partners with other vendors who offer complementary products including Mentor Graphics
, MontaVista
, Wind River
, Metaswitch Networks and Qosmos.
Equipment vendors that provide boards and systems that utilize 6WIND software include Advantech
, Emerson Network Power
, GE Intelligent Platforms, Interphase
, JumpGen Systems, Lanner, Narinet and RadiSys
.
The 6WINDGate software acts as a framework between a multicore processor's execution environment and the application software that provides network services. 6WINDGate is compliant with standard Operating System APIs (such as Linux
) and currently supports over 250 IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) network protocol standards.
The 6WINDGate networking stack is split into control plane and data plane layers. The data plane layer, also called the fast path, eliminates OS overhead by processesing the majority of incoming packets outside the OS environment. Only those packets that require complex processing are forwarded to the OS networking stack, which performs the necessary management, signaling and control functions.
Because splitting the networking stack in this way maintains standard OS application interfaces, there is no impact on the functionality of application software. Existing applications do not need to be rewritten or recertified, but they run significantly faster because the underlying packet processing is accelerated through the fast path environment.
6WIND’s Design Consultation service helps customer migrate their applications to multicore architectures and to architect them to take full advantage of multi-threaded technology.
Processors currently supported include:
Network security
In the field of networking, the area of network security consists of the provisions and policies adopted by the network administrator to prevent and monitor unauthorized access, misuse, modification, or denial of the computer network and network-accessible resources...
, high-frequency trading and deep packet inspection
Deep packet inspection
Deep Packet Inspection is a form of computer network packet filtering that examines the data part of a packet as it passes an inspection point, searching for protocol non-compliance, viruses, spam, intrusions or predefined criteria to decide if the packet can...
applications. The company’s 6WINDGate™ technology is a portable software platform available on multiple multicore processor architectures and is optimized to leverage the capabilities of on-chip accelerators such as security offload. Using 6WINDGate can eliminate up to twelve months from product development cycles, improving an OEM’s time-to-market and meeting the growing demand for high-performance video and data-intensive applications. 6WIND is a based near Paris, France with offices in Mountain View, California, Tokyo, Japan, Seoul, South Korea and Beijing, China.
History
6WIND, founded in 2000, was created as a spin-out from Thales (previously Thomson-CSFThomson-CSF
Thomson-CSF was a major electronics and defence contractor. In December 2000 it was renamed Thales Group.-History:In 1879 Elihu Thomson and Edwin Houston formed the Thomson-Houston Electric Company in the United States....
), a provider of electronics products serving the aerospace, defense and security markets. Founder Eric Carmès’ vision for the company was to be the technology leader in the application of multicore processor architectures to networking software.
The company started with people experienced in IPv6
IPv6
Internet Protocol version 6 is a version of the Internet Protocol . It is designed to succeed the Internet Protocol version 4...
R&D which lead to the introduction in March 2001 of the 6WINDGate 6200 Series of Smart IPv6 Migration Routers. Initially a hardware and software solution, early 6WINDGate products were designed to ease IP network services deployment as companies migrated from IPv4 to IPv6 and make it easy for ISPs to set up new IPv6-based services.
Today, 6WINDGate is a software-only drop-in replacement for standard Operating System networking stacks. It typically provides up to 10x the packet processing performance of a standard networking stack, improving the price-performance and power-performance ratios of networking equipment.
The company has an extensive IP portfolio based on the awarding of eight patents and various industry awards.
Since its inception, 6WIND has received backing from investors and shareholders, including Sofinnova Partners, CDC Innovation, TechFund Europe and US, ACE Management, and Thales.
To help foster innovation and entrepreneurship, 6WIND is a member of Systematic and OSEO Excellence.
Operations
6WIND is a privately owned company based Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France, a high-tech suburb of Paris, with a US subsidiary in Mountain View, California, sales and support offices in Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea, and an R&D center in Beijing, China.6WIND partners with processor vendors including Cavium Networks
Cavium Networks
Cavium is a San Jose, California-based company specializing in ARM-based and MIPS-based network, video and security processors. Cavium offers processor and board level products targeting routers, switches, appliances, storage and servers.-Major acquisitions::...
, Freescale™ Semiconductor, Intel®, NetLogic Microsystems
NetLogic Microsystems
NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company that sells networking processors and integrated circuits.On September 12, 2011, Broadcom announced it would acquire NetLogic for $3.7 billion ....
®, and Tilera
Tilera
Tilera Corporation is a fabless semiconductor company focusing on scalable multicore embedded processor design. The company is currently shipping multiple processors, including the TILE64, TILEPro64, and the TILEPro36, TILE-Gx36, TILE-Gx16 and TILE-Gx9...
® to port and integrate their networking protocols to the partner's multicore processor. These partnerships ensure that 6WINDGate is fully optimized for the Multicore Executives (MCEEs) that the processor vendors provide while also leveraging the capabilities of the on-chip accelerators included in their processor platforms such as security offload.
6WIND also partners with other vendors who offer complementary products including Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics, Inc is a US-based multinational corporation dealing in electronic design automation for electrical engineering and electronics, as of 2004, ranked third in the EDA industry it helped create...
, MontaVista
MontaVista
MontaVista Software is a software developer that develops embedded Linux system software, development tools, and related software. Its products are targeted at other corporations developing embedded systems such as automotive electronics, communications equipment, mobile phones, and other...
, Wind River
Wind River
Wind River may refer to:One of several rivers in the United States:*Wind River *Wind River , a designated National Wild and Scenic River*Wind River , called in Inuit Gui-guok-lok*Wind River...
, Metaswitch Networks and Qosmos.
Equipment vendors that provide boards and systems that utilize 6WIND software include Advantech
Advantech Corporation
Advantech Corporation, or Advantech Co., Ltd , is a Taiwanese company with direct operations in 18 different countries and employs over 3,417 employees. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, it is a manufacturer of industrial PC, embedded single board computers, and automation...
, Emerson Network Power
Emerson Network Power
Emerson Network Power – a division of Emerson Electric Company – is a global technology company that specializes in the development and manufacture of power backup systems, power supplies, embedded computing solutions, precision cooling, racks/enclosures, infrastructure management, and connectivity...
, GE Intelligent Platforms, Interphase
Interphase
Interphase is the phase of the cell cycle in which the cell spends the majority of its time and performs the majority of its purposes including preparation for cell division. In preparation for cell division, it increases its size and makes a copy of its DNA...
, JumpGen Systems, Lanner, Narinet and RadiSys
RadiSys
RadiSys Corporation is publicly traded company that makes embedded systems and related technology, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1987 in Oregon by former employees of Intel, the company went public in 1995...
.
Products
6WIND offers 6WINDGate software and 6WIND Design Consultation services.The 6WINDGate software acts as a framework between a multicore processor's execution environment and the application software that provides network services. 6WINDGate is compliant with standard Operating System APIs (such as Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
) and currently supports over 250 IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) network protocol standards.
The 6WINDGate networking stack is split into control plane and data plane layers. The data plane layer, also called the fast path, eliminates OS overhead by processesing the majority of incoming packets outside the OS environment. Only those packets that require complex processing are forwarded to the OS networking stack, which performs the necessary management, signaling and control functions.
Because splitting the networking stack in this way maintains standard OS application interfaces, there is no impact on the functionality of application software. Existing applications do not need to be rewritten or recertified, but they run significantly faster because the underlying packet processing is accelerated through the fast path environment.
6WIND’s Design Consultation service helps customer migrate their applications to multicore architectures and to architect them to take full advantage of multi-threaded technology.
Processors currently supported include:
- Cavium Networks OCTEON Plus and OCTEON II
- Freescale’s QorIQ™ P4080
- Intel® Xeon® processor EC5549 and Intel® Xeon® processor E5645
- NetLogic Microsystems XLR, XLS and XLP832
- Tilera’s TILEPro64