The 802.11n draft specification offers a significant performance boost over the legacy 802.11g WLAN standard. However, home and enterprise applications have not fully benefited from this performance boost due to limited processing capability and lack of Gigabit connectivity in some processors used in networking applications. With a unique architecture designed for networking and communications applications, Cavium’s OCTEON CN30xx processor family provides the capability to support Gigabit data rates while providing Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. When the processing capability of the OCTEON processor is paired with Atheros’ AR5008 chipset supported with Arada Systems’ software, the resulting system delivers TCP/IP throughput of over 300 Mbps with dual radios. With a single radio operating in the 2.4 GHz frequency band the throughput of 180 Mbps is obtained.

“Arada Systems is very excited to add software enhancements on the Cavium platform that will enable our joint customers to take advantage of the extensive features offered by the 802.11n specification, while utilizing the high processing capability provided by Cavium’s single and dual core processors. We are pleased to be working with Cavium Networks to deliver very high performance throughput in 802.11n products,” said Praveen Singh, President and CEO of Arada Systems. “In addition, the resulting combined solution will enable customers to support critical functionalities beyond Wi-Fi, by taking advantage of the extra processing cycles.”

"The combination of Cavium’s processor with Arada Systems’ software enhancements provides an ideal Wi-Fi solution for enterprise-class networking with Atheros 802.11n XSPAN technology,” said Kishore Jotwani, Director of Product Marketing with Atheros. “This new solution provides not only high .11n throughput levels, but also an enhanced usage experience with high-grade security and QoS, while supporting expanded enterprise applications.”

Cavium Networks OCTEON 30XX Processors/Reference Platform
The OCTEON CN30XX Processor Family includes both single and dual core, high performance MIPS64 processors with hardware acceleration for packet handling, QoS, security, and TCP processing. This processor family integrates DDR2, USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, TDM/PCM and PCI interfaces for developing cost-effective solutions. The CN30XX Reference Board comes with a Gigabit Ethernet WAN interface, a 4 port 10/100/1000 Ethernet switch, USB 2.0 connector, a connector for analog phones, a mini-PCI connector and 128 MB of DDR2 and 8 MB of Flash memory. The reference platform ships with a Linux® 2.6 SDK and hardware design kit.

Arada Systems Software Product Details
Arada Systems’ highly modular and scalable architecture of its core WLAN driver is ideal for various enterprise and outdoor deployments. A truly enterprise-class software stack that can support dual concurrent 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz for 802.11n, it enables a flexible split-MAC architecture based on native Wi-Fi. This architecture is ideal for different flavors of access point configurations including the thin, fit, and thick access point models. Along with the support of TCP/IP throughputs of over 300 Mbps, Arada Systems’ Enterprise Stack (AES) supports all of the advanced 802.11n features including QoS, advanced security, multiple-SSID, WPA2, WMM, among other enterprise-class features. A modular architecture has been designed to ease enhancements for supporting layer 2 and layer 3 mobility.

Availability
The reference solution for OCTEON processors and Atheros 802.11n chipsets is available today from Arada Systems.

About Cavium Networks
Cavium Networks is a leading provider of semiconductor products that enable intelligent processing for networking, communications and security applications. Cavium Networks offers a broad portfolio of integrated, software compatible processors ranging in performance from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps that enable secure, intelligent functionality in enterprise, data-center, broadband/consumer and access & service provider equipment. Cavium Networks processors are supported by ecosystem partners that provide operating systems, tool support, reference designs and other services. Cavium Networks principal offices are in Mountain View, CA with design team locations in California, Massachusetts and India. For more information, please visit: http://www.caviumnetworks.com.

About Arada Systems
Arada Systems is a leader in advanced software solutions based on Atheros’ world-class Wi-Fi chipsets. Arada Systems offers a wide array of products, services, testing solutions and exclusive licensing solutions of Atheros technology. Arada Systems provides solutions to customers that are developing leading-edge applications of Wi-Fi in the enterprise, outdoor, automotive, industrial and consumer electronics market segments. A versatile team of leading industry experts from Atheros Communications as well as other Wi-Fi companies, Arada Systems has the expertise to solve complex issues regarding using Wi-Fi in these applications. Arada Systems is headquartered in Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale, CA with development centers in India’s Silicon Valley in Bangalore. For more information, please visit: http://www.aradasystems.com.