IBM System z10 Open Systems Adapter Ethernet data router

The IBM Open Systems Adapter (OSA) is a family of integrated hardware features that enables direct connection between IBM System z10™ hosts and clients on local area networks (LANs). The OSA provides a virtual interface to the LAN that may be shared by hundreds of host operating systems. The newest OSA generation employs a hardware-based Ethernet virtualization offload engine to significantly increase throughput and reduce latency in line with the latest 1-Gb and 10-Gb Ethernet adapters. The router is embodied in the OSA Ethernet data router ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) chipset and is packaged in several configurations. This paper describes the function of the OSA Ethernet data router, its hardware architecture, and the implementation of the design.