Comet Software
Comet VIA
The VIA, proposed by Compaq, Intel and Microsoft, introduces anew network API that defines each user process a protected, directly
accessible Virtual Interface (VI) to network hardware. Though VIA
is originally proposed for System Area Networks and it does not
care about IP, the core idea is also useful in the IP processing,
because it eliminates the OS overhead and makes a network adapter
closer to each user process. Furthermore, IP processing in the Comet
network adapter enables any protocols to be carried on the Gigabit
Internet, the most widely used commodity network, without a penalty
of packet encapsulation overhead.
Current Software
Many applications can be used under various OS which operatesComet. We made the firmware which runs on two PC/AT
compatible machine and one engineering workstation.
The firmware includes the drivers which operates each network
interface card (NIC). PC/AT compatible machine is equipped with
200 MHz Pentium Pro and 128 MB memory running on BSD/OS
with 32 bit, 33 MHz PCI bus.
The workstation is equipped with 250 MHz UltraSPARC running
on Solaris 2.6 with 64 bit, 66 MHz PCI bus.
In handing over the data between OS and Comet, GCD (Generic
Comet Driver) is driven internally in the independent form of
operating systems.
