Sun Neptune
Encyclopedia
Neptune, also known as Sun Multithreaded 10 GbE, is a dual 10 Gbit/s, multithreaded, PCIe
x8-based network card
. It was developed and originally produced by Sun Microsystems
, and later licensed to Marvell
.
A Neptune-based NIC is integrated in UltraSPARC T2
CPUs (Network Interface Unit, or NIU).
PCI Express
PCI Express , officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a computer expansion card standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP bus standards...
x8-based network card
Network card
A network interface controller is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to a computer network....
. It was developed and originally produced by Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
, and later licensed to Marvell
Marvell Technology Group
Marvell is an American producer of storage, communications and consumer semiconductor products.Founded in 1995, Marvell Technology Group Ltd. has operations worldwide and approximately 5,700 employees. Marvell’s U.S. operating subsidiary is based in Santa Clara, California and Marvell has...
.
A Neptune-based NIC is integrated in UltraSPARC T2
UltraSPARC T2
Sun Microsystems' UltraSPARC T2 microprocessor is a multithreading, multi-core CPU. It is a member of the SPARC family, and the successor to the UltraSPARC T1. The chip is sometimes referred to by its codename, Niagara 2...
CPUs (Network Interface Unit, or NIU).
NIC Features
| Features | NIU | PCI-E NIC |
|---|---|---|
| # 10GbE ports | 2 | 2 |
| # transmit DMA channels/port | 8 | 12 |
| # receive DMA channels/port | 8 | 8 |
| Integrated on-chip? | UltraSPARC T2 | No |
| Bus interface? | No | 8 lane PCI Express |
| Bus bandwidth limit? | No | 16 Gbit Gigabit The gigabit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix giga is defined in the International System of Units as a multiplier of 109 , and therefore... /s each direction |
| Transmit packet classification | Software | Software |
| Receive packet classification | Hardware | Hardware |