New Enhancements Boost Chelsio’s 40Gbps T5 Adapter Capabilities

July 27, 2015

The release of three new software enhancements adds even more capabilities to Chelsio Communications’ powerful Terminator 5 (T5) ASIC.

The T5 is a fifth generation, high-performance 2x40Gbps/4x10Gbps server adapter engine with Unified Wire capability, enabling offloaded storage, compute and networking traffic to run simultaneously. T5 based adapters are high performance drop-in replacements for Fibre Channel storage adapters and InfiniBand RDMA adapters.

T5 is the only 40G Ethernet adapter with plug and play RDMA Ethernet support with no extra network configuration.

The enhancements include:

  • Linux 40GbE Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) for high speed packet processing
  • GPUDirect over 40GbE iWARP RDMA for high performance CUDA clustering
  • NVMe over 40GbE iWARP RDMA for enhanced latency and throughput

Linux 40GbE DPDK

DPDK is a suite of packet processing libraries and NIC drivers optimized for running in user space to boost networking performance. DPDK provides a programming framework of open-source libraries to develop high speed data packet networking applications.

A recent report provides benchmark results that demonstrate the performance benefits of DPDK support for the T5 ASIC. The implementation allows networking applications to achieve unprecedented packet processing capacity and throughput unmatched by standard Linux kernel network stack or other DPDK implementations.

The benchmarks, which used Chelsio’s T580-CR Unified Wire Adapter at 40GbE, show record breaking performance, exceeding 47 MPPS in unidirectional tests, and 71 MPPS in bidirectional tests. In addition, a superior bandwidth curve showcases T5’s DPDK performance with line rate throughput at I/O size 256B for both unidirectional and bidirectional traffic.

These outstanding results make T5’s DPDK solution an ideal fit for networking applications striving for the best in packet processing performance.

TX Single Port
Fig 1. Single port unidirectional throughput and packet rate vs. I/O size using DPDK-Pktgen tool at different I/O sizes

GPUDirect over 40GbE iWARP RDMA

Remote DMA (RDMA) is a technology that achieves unprecedented levels of efficiency, thanks to direct system or application memory-to-memory communication, without CPU involvement or data copies. With RDMA enabled adapters, all packet and protocol processing required for communication is handled in hardware by the network adapter, resulting in high performance. iWARP RDMA uses a hardware TCP/IP stack that runs in the adapter, completely bypassing the host software stack, thus eliminating any inefficiencies due to software processing.

NVIDIA’s GPUDirect technology combined with iWARP RDMA takes full advantage of these advanced technologies. Network access to the GPU is achieved with high performance and efficiency. Since the host CPU and memory are completely bypassed, communication overheads and bottlenecks are eliminated, resulting in minimal impact on host resources, and translating to significantly higher overall cluster performance.

The use of Chelsio’s T580-CR iWARP RDMA adapter along with NVIDIA’s GPUDirect technology delivers dramatically lower latency and higher throughput for mission-critical scientific and HPC applications. The results also show that iWARP RDMA provides significantly higher bandwidth than competing RDMA over Ethernet protocols.

Fig. 2.  GDR enabled/disabled throughput vs. I/O size
Fig. 2. GDR enabled/disabled throughput vs. I/O size
Fig. 3  GDR enabled/disabled Latency vs. I/O size
Fig. 3 GDR enabled/disabled Latency vs. I/O size

 

NVMe over 40GbE iWARP RDMA

Developed by a consortium of storage and networking companies, NVM Express (NVMe) is an optimized interface for accessing PCI Express (PCIe) non-volatile memory (NVM) based storage solutions.

With an optimized stack, a streamlined register interface and command set designed for high performance solid state drives (SSD), NVMe is expected to provide significantly improved latency and throughput compared to SATA based solid state drives. The enhancement includes support for security and end-to-end data protection.

The benchmarks not only present superior throughput results, but also demonstrate the low remote storage access latency made possible with iWARP. Such latency numbers allow exploiting the full potential of ultra low latency SSD drives, and in combination with the efficient high throughput made possible by iWARP, provide the next generation, scalable storage network over standard, cost effective Ethernet.

iWARP is the only RDMA Ethernet that offers the performance and scalability needed by storage by using TCP/IP’s mature and proven design in hardware.

NVME iWARP Performance
Fig. 4 Using NVMe over RDMA, comparing throughput vs. I/O size
NVMe iWARP Latency
Fig 5. Using NVMe over RDMA, comparing Latency vs. I/O size

Related Links

 

Subscribe to HPCwire's Weekly Update!

Be the most informed person in the room! Stay ahead of the tech trends with industry updates delivered to you every week!

Nvidia’s New Blackwell GPU Can Train AI Models with Trillions of Parameters

March 18, 2024

Nvidia's latest and fastest GPU, code-named Blackwell, is here and will underpin the company's AI plans this year. The chip offers performance improvements from its predecessors, including the red-hot H100 and A100 GPUs. Read more…

Nvidia Showcases Quantum Cloud, Expanding Quantum Portfolio at GTC24

March 18, 2024

Nvidia’s barrage of quantum news at GTC24 this week includes new products, signature collaborations, and a new Nvidia Quantum Cloud for quantum developers. While Nvidia may not spring to mind when thinking of the quant Read more…

2024 Winter Classic: Meet the HPE Mentors

March 18, 2024

The latest installment of the 2024 Winter Classic Studio Update Show features our interview with the HPE mentor team who introduced our student teams to the joys (and potential sorrows) of the HPL (LINPACK) and accompany Read more…

Houston We Have a Solution: Addressing the HPC and Tech Talent Gap

March 15, 2024

Generations of Houstonian teachers, counselors, and parents have either worked in the aerospace industry or know people who do - the prospect of entering the field was normalized for boys in 1969 when the Apollo 11 missi Read more…

Apple Buys DarwinAI Deepening its AI Push According to Report

March 14, 2024

Apple has purchased Canadian AI startup DarwinAI according to a Bloomberg report today. Apparently the deal was done early this year but still hasn’t been publicly announced according to the report. Apple is preparing Read more…

Survey of Rapid Training Methods for Neural Networks

March 14, 2024

Artificial neural networks are computing systems with interconnected layers that process and learn from data. During training, neural networks utilize optimization algorithms to iteratively refine their parameters until Read more…

Nvidia’s New Blackwell GPU Can Train AI Models with Trillions of Parameters

March 18, 2024

Nvidia's latest and fastest GPU, code-named Blackwell, is here and will underpin the company's AI plans this year. The chip offers performance improvements from Read more…

Nvidia Showcases Quantum Cloud, Expanding Quantum Portfolio at GTC24

March 18, 2024

Nvidia’s barrage of quantum news at GTC24 this week includes new products, signature collaborations, and a new Nvidia Quantum Cloud for quantum developers. Wh Read more…

Houston We Have a Solution: Addressing the HPC and Tech Talent Gap

March 15, 2024

Generations of Houstonian teachers, counselors, and parents have either worked in the aerospace industry or know people who do - the prospect of entering the fi Read more…

Survey of Rapid Training Methods for Neural Networks

March 14, 2024

Artificial neural networks are computing systems with interconnected layers that process and learn from data. During training, neural networks utilize optimizat Read more…

PASQAL Issues Roadmap to 10,000 Qubits in 2026 and Fault Tolerance in 2028

March 13, 2024

Paris-based PASQAL, a developer of neutral atom-based quantum computers, yesterday issued a roadmap for delivering systems with 10,000 physical qubits in 2026 a Read more…

India Is an AI Powerhouse Waiting to Happen, but Challenges Await

March 12, 2024

The Indian government is pushing full speed ahead to make the country an attractive technology base, especially in the hot fields of AI and semiconductors, but Read more…

Charles Tahan Exits National Quantum Coordination Office

March 12, 2024

(March 1, 2024) My first official day at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) was June 15, 2020, during the depths of the COVID-19 loc Read more…

AI Bias In the Spotlight On International Women’s Day

March 11, 2024

What impact does AI bias have on women and girls? What can people do to increase female participation in the AI field? These are some of the questions the tech Read more…

Alibaba Shuts Down its Quantum Computing Effort

November 30, 2023

In case you missed it, China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba has shut down its quantum computing research effort. It’s not entirely clear what drove the change. Read more…

Nvidia H100: Are 550,000 GPUs Enough for This Year?

August 17, 2023

The GPU Squeeze continues to place a premium on Nvidia H100 GPUs. In a recent Financial Times article, Nvidia reports that it expects to ship 550,000 of its lat Read more…

Analyst Panel Says Take the Quantum Computing Plunge Now…

November 27, 2023

Should you start exploring quantum computing? Yes, said a panel of analysts convened at Tabor Communications HPC and AI on Wall Street conference earlier this y Read more…

DoD Takes a Long View of Quantum Computing

December 19, 2023

Given the large sums tied to expensive weapon systems – think $100-million-plus per F-35 fighter – it’s easy to forget the U.S. Department of Defense is a Read more…

Shutterstock 1285747942

AMD’s Horsepower-packed MI300X GPU Beats Nvidia’s Upcoming H200

December 7, 2023

AMD and Nvidia are locked in an AI performance battle – much like the gaming GPU performance clash the companies have waged for decades. AMD has claimed it Read more…

Synopsys Eats Ansys: Does HPC Get Indigestion?

February 8, 2024

Recently, it was announced that Synopsys is buying HPC tool developer Ansys. Started in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1970 as Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (SASI) by John Swanson (and eventually renamed), Ansys serves the CAE (Computer Aided Engineering)/multiphysics engineering simulation market. Read more…

Intel’s Server and PC Chip Development Will Blur After 2025

January 15, 2024

Intel's dealing with much more than chip rivals breathing down its neck; it is simultaneously integrating a bevy of new technologies such as chiplets, artificia Read more…

Baidu Exits Quantum, Closely Following Alibaba’s Earlier Move

January 5, 2024

Reuters reported this week that Baidu, China’s giant e-commerce and services provider, is exiting the quantum computing development arena. Reuters reported � Read more…

Leading Solution Providers

Contributors

Choosing the Right GPU for LLM Inference and Training

December 11, 2023

Accelerating the training and inference processes of deep learning models is crucial for unleashing their true potential and NVIDIA GPUs have emerged as a game- Read more…

Training of 1-Trillion Parameter Scientific AI Begins

November 13, 2023

A US national lab has started training a massive AI brain that could ultimately become the must-have computing resource for scientific researchers. Argonne N Read more…

Shutterstock 1179408610

Google Addresses the Mysteries of Its Hypercomputer 

December 28, 2023

When Google launched its Hypercomputer earlier this month (December 2023), the first reaction was, "Say what?" It turns out that the Hypercomputer is Google's t Read more…

Comparing NVIDIA A100 and NVIDIA L40S: Which GPU is Ideal for AI and Graphics-Intensive Workloads?

October 30, 2023

With long lead times for the NVIDIA H100 and A100 GPUs, many organizations are looking at the new NVIDIA L40S GPU, which it’s a new GPU optimized for AI and g Read more…

AMD MI3000A

How AMD May Get Across the CUDA Moat

October 5, 2023

When discussing GenAI, the term "GPU" almost always enters the conversation and the topic often moves toward performance and access. Interestingly, the word "GPU" is assumed to mean "Nvidia" products. (As an aside, the popular Nvidia hardware used in GenAI are not technically... Read more…

Shutterstock 1606064203

Meta’s Zuckerberg Puts Its AI Future in the Hands of 600,000 GPUs

January 25, 2024

In under two minutes, Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, laid out the company's AI plans, which included a plan to build an artificial intelligence system with the eq Read more…

Google Introduces ‘Hypercomputer’ to Its AI Infrastructure

December 11, 2023

Google ran out of monikers to describe its new AI system released on December 7. Supercomputer perhaps wasn't an apt description, so it settled on Hypercomputer Read more…

China Is All In on a RISC-V Future

January 8, 2024

The state of RISC-V in China was discussed in a recent report released by the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The report, entitled "E Read more…

  • arrow
  • Click Here for More Headlines
  • arrow
HPCwire