QNX Showcases Hardware-Accelerated Security Stacks on Freescale Semiconductor’s PowerQUICC Processors

News at a Glance... QNX expands protocol lineup with IKE, RADIUS, SSH, SSL, SSL via web services, and other security features such as IP Filtering with NAT.   Leverages security engine on PowerQUICC processors to deliver dramatically faster encryption and authentication.   New protocols and security features complement array of pre-integrated stacks already supported by QNX, including IPv4, IPv6, and IPSec.

DALLAS, Smart Networks Developer Forum (SNDF), April 26, 2004 — Today at SNDF, QNX Software Systems announced that its comprehensive suite of pre-integrated protocol stacks now supports IKE, RADIUS, SSH, and SSL, as well as other advanced security features. Running on the QNX^® Neutrino^® RTOS v6.3, the new additions leverage the powerful security engine on selected PowerQUICC^TM processors from Freescale Semiconductor, a wholly owned subsidiary of Motorola Inc., to deliver highly optimized encryption and authentication for next-generation network elements.

The need for security on networked devices is rising dramatically. Some industry pundits suggest that up to 70% of Internet traffic will be encrypted by 2007. As speed and complexity in the network increases, equipment vendors are looking to extend computationally intensive encryption algorithms, such as 3DES and SHA-1, beyond the data plane to the control and management plane. 

To address this demand, QNX is developing an integrated hardware-software solution that takes advantage of the unique security features on PowerQUICC processors. At the Smart Networks Developer Forum this week, QNX is showcasing how the QNX Neutrino RTOS improves performance dramatically by offloading compute-intensive protocols like IPSec and IKE to the integrated security engine on the PowerQUICC II^TM MPC8272 processor. Not only does overall throughput increase, but the main processor core remains free to handle other critical tasks.

“No longer limited to virtual private networks, security is becoming a pervasive requirement for a wide spectrum of network elements,” said Romain Saha, networking business manager at QNX. “By offering one of the most comprehensive selections of pre-integrated protocols in the embedded industry, along with support for the embedded security capabilities on PowerQUICC processors, QNX provides networking vendors a compelling, and highly flexible, platform for building high-performance encryption and authentication into the control plane.”

More about the QNX Neutrino RTOS

Designed for high availability networking elements, the QNX Neutrino RTOS is built on a memory-protected microkernel architecture, providing dynamic upgrades, fine-grained fault isolation, and rapid error recovery. With native support for both symmetric multiprocessing and distributed multiprocessing, QNX Neutrino offers massive scalability, allowing networking elements to handle increases in network traffic or services without the need for forklift upgrades. To accelerate development of QNX Neutrino applications, QNX Software Systems offers the QNX Momentics^® development suite, a highly integrated offering that includes C, C++, and Java code editors, a graphical source debugger, and diagnostic tools for application profiling, system profiling, memory analysis, and code coverage. QNX Momentics supports Windows, Solaris, Linux, and QNX Neutrino development hosts.

More about the MPC8272 processor

Based on a PowerPC core, the high-performance MPC8272 PowerQUICC II processor family supports a variety of protocols and interfaces, including dual Fast Ethernet MACs, ATM, HDLC, a 32-bit 33/66 MHz PCI interface, and a USB host/device interface. The family offers CPU frequencies that range from 266 MHz to 400 MHz while providing low power consumption (0.8 W at 266 MHz). The security engine on the MPC8248 and MPC8272 models supports DES, 3DES, MD-5, SHA-1, AES and ARC-4 encryption algorithms. It also includes a public key accelerator and on-chip random number generator.

Demo at SNDF

To catch the QNX demo in action at SNDF, visit the QNX booths: 507 AB, 508 AB. SNDF takes place April 26–29 at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas.

Availability

The QNX Neutrino RTOS v6.3, with support for the PowerQUICC II processor, is scheduled for release in Q2 2004. Support for the PowerQUICC III MPC8555 processor is also planned; call your local QNX representative for more information.

About QNX Software Systems

Founded in 1980, QNX Software Systems is the industry leader in realtime, microkernel OS technology. The inherent reliability, scalable architecture, and proven performance of the QNX Neutrino RTOS make it the most trusted foundation for future-ready applications in the networking, automotive, medical, and industrial automation markets. Companies worldwide like Cisco, Ford, Siemens, and Texaco depend on the QNX technology for their mission- and life-critical applications. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, QNX Software Systems maintains offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, and distributes its products in more than 100 countries worldwide. Visit http://www.qnx.com.

Media contact

Paul Leroux
QNX Software Systems
+1 613 591-0931
paull@qnx.com

QNX, Momentics, and Neutrino are registered trademarks of QNX Software Systems Ltd. in certain jurisdictions. All other trademarks and trade names belong to their respective owners.