Packet header analysis and field extraction for multigigabit networks

Packet header analysis and extraction of header fields needs to be performed in all network devices. As network speed is increasing quickly, high speed packet header processing is required. We propose a new architecture of packet header analysis and fields extraction intended for high-speed FPGA-based network applications. The architecture is able to process 20 Gbps network links with less than 12 percent of available resources of Virtex 5 110 FPGA. Moreover, the presented solution can balance between network throughput and consumed hardware resources to fit application needs. The architecture for packet header processing is generated from standard XML protocol scheme and is strongly optimised for resource consumption and speed by an automatic HDL code generator. Our solution also enables to change the set of extracted header fields on-line without FPGA reconfiguration.