A flexible co-processor for high-performance communication support

Flexible implementation platforms for integrated service communication subsystems providing high performance capabilities are increasingly required. Dedicated VLSI components can be used for time-critical processing tasks in order to provide high performance. The highly modular VLSI communication co-processor designed with parametrizable and programmable components allows for service flexibility. The implementation architecture is not limited to a certain protocol, but allows the implementation of a variety of high-speed protocols. Furthermore, this architecture supports the mapping of a formal protocol specification onto a powerful implementation architecture. This paper describes the architecture in general and dedicated components in detail. Preliminary performance values are presented and compared with measurements of typical software implementations.