Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2001 04:38:26 -0700 From: Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com> To: Bsdguru@aol.com Cc: hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Status of encryption hardware support in FreeBSD Message-ID: <3B41AEB2.5E227D64@mindspring.com> References: <c3.12b62c09.286f50cc@aol.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Bsdguru@aol.com wrote: > > Again, you are only considering your personal case. If > > crypto should be needed on an embedded appliance, I don't > > think they would need a lightning-fast processor and VGA > > support, when crypto is all they want. > > Your premise that "embedded appliances" are somehow doomed to > use pitifully outdated processors is simply wrong. Embedded > MBs with speeds enough to eliminate the requirement for 1) a > slot and 2) an external board are available for less than the > delta in cost. So, logically speaking, anyone with a requirement > for crypto would simply chose a faster embedded MB solution. > > Listen, Im not trying to say that your project has no merit. > My post was originally meant to illustrate to others, who may > have been unduly excited about the prospects, that such a product > does not buy you much in a normal environment. I think that now > we have established that its merits are limted to low-speed > embedded solutions, which is just was I was trying to say. ClickArray uses the BroadCom 4-crypto-engines-per-board, even though the main CPU speed is very, very high (GHz range). Using the card to offload handshakes speeds things up considerably, though it is still faster to do the actual SSL termination on the main CPU. The next generation of the board they've announced has 16 engines per board, instead of just 4. The messay part of SSL is the 1024 bit key generation, which is definitely _not_ best done on the main CPU. -- Terry To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?3B41AEB2.5E227D64>