Advantech Drives Down Costs

02 September 2008

Advantech is pleased to introduce the FWA-3240 1U Network Appliance, the first featuring the new Intel EP80579 Integrated Processor System-on-a-Chip (SOC) product line.

The new technology is set to create the most compelling event for network application platform upgrades.

The FWA-3240 delivers more performance at lower cost with power saving technology. It uses the new Intel SOC, which combines memory and I/O controller hub functionality with a CPU core based on Intel Pentium M architecture, and Intel QuickAssist Technology. The use of a single integrated device reduces design complexity and time to market, making the FWA-3240 an ideal entry level platform to enable innovative and cost effective solutions.

'We think this new breed of platform will rouse major excitement in the Network Security industry', said Jeff Chen, CTO at Advantech. 'We estimate that OEMs who require IPSec encryption, acceleration and compression of content will see an 8x improvement in throughput and a 10x improvement in processor headroom at half the price of current generation Advantech platforms. That probably creates the most compelling platform renewal event ever to have happened in this industry.'

Cost Effectiveness and High Performance in a Small Package
The FWA-3240 offers a 45 per cent decrease in size compared to a traditional 4-chip Intel Pentium M architecture-based platform, thanks to the integrated single-chip design. It employs smart fan control to monitor cooling and reduce fan noise. In addition, power consumption is only 11 ~ 21 watts, a reduction of up to 20 per cent, while throughput is increased up to eight times. FWA-3240’s 1U design offers performance, price and packaging advantages.

Customization and Expandable Connectivity Options
A PCI Express (PCIe) interface allows the FWA-3240 to extend GbE connectivity from four ports to eight ports, providing increased flexibility. The ability to use the PCIe interface for customized NIC modules, a USB 2.0 port, console port, and CompactFlash slot give the FWA-3240 versatility, allowing it to meet the different requirements of system integrators, ISPs and network security providers.


Advanced Software Support, Increased Throughput, and Backward Compatibility
The FWA-3240’s integrated SOC architecture uses advanced fast path acceleration with Intel QuickAssist Technology, giving it excellent security performance including up to 1.6 Gbps for IPSec. The BIOS can be customized based on need, and support for Linux drivers increases stability and functionality.

'IT security OEMs can easily migrate existing 32-bit applications to the new Intel EP80579 product line because of its x86 code base compatibility,' said Rose Schooler general manager, Embedded Performance Products Division, Intel. 'And with on-chip accelerator offload enabled by Intel QuickAssist Technology, the excess processing power can be redirected to services that open up new value-add applications and increased revenue streams.'

Low-cost Network Application Platform Upgrades
The FWA-3240 supports 600/1066/1200 MHz processor speeds, offers expandable PCIe interfaces in a small form factor, and the single chip appliance provides significant performance for complex security solutions such as Unified Threat Management (UTM), IDS/IPS, anti-virus, and VPN/Firewall applications. It is a cost-effective entry level network security appliance, in a small form factor, capable of delivering high throughput and advanced power savings with a low total cost of ownership. It is suitable for a wide range of security applications in a network security infrastructure. The FWA-3240 is available now from Advantech.


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