Intel IXA SDK ACE Programming Framework - Department of ...

Components of the IXA SDK for the IXP1200
— Microcode macros for use in microACE microblocks and dispatch loops.
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System software, which includes the following:
— The ACE runtimes for each ACE, which perform packet handling
— The Object Management System (OMS), which acts as a name server and
resource manager and provides the framework for interobject communication
— The microACE Resource Manager, which manages microACE memory and
coordinates communication between the core component and microblock in
microACEs.
— An embedded operating system (Linux, a widely-used, standard, open-source
system)
— A boot manager that performs power-on initialization
— Device drivers
— A TCP/IP protocol stack
— Run-time libraries that provide execution and management services for the
ACE model, name space, data handling, and interobject communication.
Software development tools:
— Network Classification Language (NCL), which you use to classify packets
and direct actions to be taken.
— An interface definition language, IXA IDL, in which you specify the crosscall
interfaces that objects use to communicate through the OMS.
— Linux compilers, assemblers, linkers, loaders, and debuggers for code in the
various languages (C/C++, IDL, and NCL).
— Command-line utilities for working with ACEs.
— The IXP1200 Microengine Development Environment, a tool that supports the
development and integration of microcode modules targeted for the microengines,
the optimized packet processors on the IXP1200. This includes
IXP1200 microcode, along with compilers, debuggers, and application development
utilities.
Predefined building blocks
Example code and sample applications, reusable and modifiable library ACEs,
predefined protocol descriptions, and other elements to make application development
rapid.
18 Introduction and Overview
Revision 3.3, August 2001