Role of Accelerators in Packet Processing

This presentation is open for members and non-members, faculty, staff, and students.

Should we go hard on accelerators or stay soft?

ABSTRACT:
Ever since the introduction of math coprocessors to assist CPUs speedup computation, hardware (i.e. silicon) accelerators have remained an interesting option in modern computing.

This lecture will discuss a bit of history as well as today's status of the hardware accelerator usage in packet processing. Covering both Intel and non-Intel offerings and technologies, we will analyze how the pendulum keeps swinging back and forth between pure software and mixed HW & SW solutions.

We will finish with a beast of an accelerator introduced in the fourth generation of Intel Xeon processors earlier this year. Lecture should be easy for anyone interested in this area to follow and will not require any pre-requisite knowledge.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Sundar Vedantham is a Director of Software Development working in the Network and Edge Group of Intel Corporation in Allentown, PA. His skillset and experience cover a wide range of telecommunication related domains. His team is currently involved in delivering highly optimized firmware layer that drives Intel's Dynamic Load Balancer (DLB) accelerator to help speed up packet scheduling. His previous projects involved firmware development for complex SoC (System on Chip) devices that power mobile networks. Software versions delivered have been successfully deployed in 4G and 5G networks around the world. He joined Lucent Technologies 23 years back and has traveled through various incarnations of his division to eventually become part of Intel Corporation.

His research interests include network traffic and congestion management, high-speed networking, and theoretical computer models, areas in which he holds patents and has published papers, book chapters & articles. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1997 from Louisiana State University. In his previous professional life, he has worked in a Helicopter Design Bureau and served two years as a maintenance engineer in an offshore Oil & Gas platform. He enjoys writing articles in English and Tamil to help improve public understanding of the technical details behind the fields he has worked on and to attract young students to get into STEM fields. Many of his articles are available online for free. As part of this effort, he has published a book on Thought Experiments available on the web to help anyone from high school students onwards understand complex ideas embedded in fields like Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Ethics, Democracy and Medicine.

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS:
The Starlight Diner, 233 N. Route 100, Allentown, PA 18106 - 9367. (610) 395 - 4031. Near PA Route 100 in Fogelsville, PA, just south of the Interstate 78 exchange. Our meeting room is in the back and to the left.

We will be meeting in-person. Mask and social distancing requirements will be based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for wearing a mask where required by law, rule, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance and policies. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

If you wish to attend virtually, you are welcome to use this Zoom connection: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89898965246.

DINNER FEES:
If you are planning to join us for the in-person optional networking dinner at 6 PM, there is a $20 fee via cash or check at the door. If you are not planning for dinner, please join us at 7 p.m. complimentary presentation (in-person or online).

AGENDA:
5:30PM – 6:00 PM (Arrival and professional networking)
6:00 – 7:00 PM (Networking Dinner)
7:00 – 8:00 or 8:30 PM (Presentation -- FREE)

For a listing of our AITP Lehigh Valley Chapter events, please visit our website at http://www.lv-aitp.org/

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15th!!