A network processors are an integrated circuit (IC) which has features specifically aimed at the networking application realm. Network processors are software programmable devices that have generic features that resemble general purpose central processing units used in the production of a variety of products and equipment. A network processor often partners with network equipment that includes routers, software routers and switches, session border controllers, intrusion detection and prevention devices, network monitoring systems, and firewalls. Together, they are programmed to complete packet processing. A network processor has a variety of features that make it useful in a number of ways. It computes, performs deep packet inspection, controls processing, quickly distributes and recirculates packet buffers, performs database lookup, matches patterns of bits or bytes inside of packets in a packet stream, and queues management. A single network data stream has within it many individual packets that can be processed separately. Because Internet protocol does not dictate what order packets within a data stream must be processed, the receiver has to be able to reorder the packets. Because of this independence, packet processing is a perfect application for a group of network processors. By dividing up the task, one chip can deliver high performance using several processing units of modest speed. With today’s web applications containing more information and traffic increasing at an exponential rate, network processors are experiencing worldwide growth. Network processors are responsible for supporting a wealth of network applications. 더 읽기 읽기 안 함