Neptune, also known asSun Multithreaded 10 GbE, is a dual 10 Gbit/s, multithreaded,PCIe x8-basednetwork interface controller for10 Gigabit Ethernet. It was developed and originally produced bySun Microsystems, and later licensed toMarvell Technology Group in 2007.[1]
A Neptune-based NIC is integrated inUltraSPARC T2CPUs (Network Interface Unit, or NIU).[2]
| Features | NIU | PCI-E NIC |
|---|---|---|
| # 10GbE ports | 2 | 2 |
| # transmit DMA channels/port | 8 | 12 |
| # receive DMA channels/port | 8 | 8 |
| Integrated on-chip? | UltraSPARC T2 | No |
| Bus interface? | No | 8 lane PCI Express |
| Bus bandwidth limit? | No | 16Gbit/s each direction |
| Transmit packet classification | Software | Software |
| Receive packet classification | Hardware | Hardware |
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