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Marvell Octeon Open Network Platform

ET3616-4P4S

Open Smart Gateway/Router Based on Marvell OCTEON 10 CN103 Chip, SONiC, and VPP

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The above modules can be mixed and matched, custom combinations are available. Please send us emails for more detailed information!

  • Preloaded SONiC and VPP;
  • 2 x 8 x 2.5GHz ARM64 Neoverse N2 Core;
  • 16GB pluggable DDR5 SO-DIMM, up to 48G;
  • 4 x 100GE QSFP28, 4 x 10GE SFP+, optional 4 x 2.5GE RJ45;
  • True inline crypto engine;
  • Optional M.2 SSD up to 4TB; Optional 5G/LTE extensible module;
  • Optional AI accelerator module with 26TOPS INT8 inference performance;
  • Optional PTP module with 20ns accuracy and BC support;
  • 200Gbps intelligent data processing for routing, firewall, IPSec, and SSL/TLS;
  • <200 Watt with FULL configuration and workload.
ET3616 Open Smart Gateway 1
ET3616 Open Smart Gateway
ET3616 Open Smart Gateway
ET3616 Open Smart Gateway

2x 8 Core ARM 64-bit Neoverse N2 Open Intelligent Gateway/Router Powered by Marvell OCTEON 10 CN103 Chips, SONiC, and VPP

The ET3616 open smart gateway/router delivers high performance and reliability at the edge. Powered by two Marvell OCTEON 10 CN103XX DPUs with 8-core ARM 64-bit Neoverse N2 processors, it supports 200G throughput with flexible programmable ports. Two CN103XX DPU chips have embedded encryption/decryption engines that have a processing capacity of 160 Gbps. This open smart gateway/router can be configured for dual-node high availability or active-standby operation, ensuring uninterrupted service, enhancing reliability.

The ET3616 gateway/router is preloaded with SONiC and VPP, in addition to that supports the installation of various Linux distributions, including SONiC, Ubuntu, and Debian, fostering an open software ecosystem that includes VPP, KVM, Kubernetes, iptables, O-RAN SC, and others. Users can run multiple software applications concurrently on the same device according to their needs. As a compact high-performance box only 1U in height, the ET3600 is ideal for deployment at specific scenarios instead of an x86 server.

Application Scenarios

The Open intelligent gateway leverages an open hardware-software disaggregated architecture, combining a robust suite of open-source software for the control plane with a hardware-optimized data plane. This unique combination addresses many application scenarios and is adaptable to combined usage.

scenarios-Cloud-edge-gateway

Cloud Edge Gateway: SONiC – VPP

  • The Cloud Edge Gateway enables edge routing scenarios for effective egress traffic management and scalable cloud federation.
  • Supporting protocols such as BGP and VXLAN to manage complex traffic for edge gateways.
  • Hardware-optimized vector packet technology and DPDK accelerate data plane forwarding.
  • Enables exact traffic control across apps with comprehensive QoS policies.
scenarios-SD-WAN-Router

SD-WAN: SONiC – VPP + FlexiWAN

  • Enables traffic forwarding and optimization for Enterprise branch-to-branch connectivity and cloud connectivity.
  • SONiC-VPP delivers a high-performance control plane and data plane, enabling robust routing and network acceleration.
  • FlexiWAN provides an SD-WAN management platform, enhancing centralized control, policy enforcement, and user experience.
scenarios-vpn-gateway

Intelligent Security Gateway: SONiC-VPP + Wireguard

  • SONiC-VPP with WireGuard, along with NAT (Network Address Translation) and ACL (Access Control List) functionalities, can serve as a security gateway.
  • Hardware-accelerated VPN with encryption/decryption engine supports up to 2 x 80Gbps throughput.
  • WireGuard benefits from an 8-core CPU for accelerated performance.
scenarios-edge-computing

Edge Computing: Ubuntu + Kubernetes + VPP(DPDK)

  • Oriented to Edge computing scenarios that meet low-power and real-time requirements, such as local real-time processing and analysis of data generated by numerous IoT devices.
  • Kubernetes manages edge applications (e.g., IoT data processing, AI inference), supporting dynamic scheduling.
  • AI inference benefits from an AI Acceleration module that delivers 40 Tera-Operations Per Second (TOPS) of performance with a power consumption of just 3.5 watts.
feature-icon-2

O-RAN xHaul: Ubuntu +O-RAN SC O-DU

  • Adopting a combination of open-source software, such as Ubuntu +O-RAN SC O-DU, augmented with PTP and GNSS modules.
  • O-DU handles the physical layer (PHY) and certain functionalities of Layer 2 (L2) protocols.
  • The PTP/SyncE module achieves a time synchronization accuracy of 20ns, supports the Boundary Clock mode.
feature-icon-3

5G UPF: Ubuntu + free5GC + VPP(DPDK)

  • Adopting a combination of open-source software, such as Ubuntu + free5GC + VPP(DPDK), provides packet forwarding, traffic management, QoS enforcement, and billing data collection.
  • Free5GC implements the protocol stack for the 5G UPF (User Plane Function).
  • VPP-based efficient GTP-U and IP forwarding.

Software: Preloaded SONiC + VPP

Preloaded Asterfusion’s AsterNOS-VPP (built on SONiC), it merges SONiC’s solid control plane with VPP’s fast data plane for a versatile routing system. Features include BGP, OSPF, IPSec VPN, NAT, and QoS, with seamless deployment on x86, ARM, or VMs supporting VPP.
The ET3608 also supports Linux distros like Ubuntu, Debian, and SONiC, forming an open ecosystem with VPP, KVM, Kubernetes, iptables, and O-RAN SC—making it a flexible all-rounder for diverse network demands.

Rich Software Ecosystems

Operating System

  • Supports Ubuntu, Debian, SONiC and other Linux distributions, such as CentOS, OpenSUSE, Arch Linux, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Linux Mint, and Elementary OS.
  • Licensed support for pfSense, OPNsense.
  • Install and upgrade the OS using a USB disk with Arm Trusted Firmware and UEFI.
  • Embedded eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) in Linux kernel via XDP.

Supported Open Source Software

ET3600-open-intelligent-gateway-router-rich-software-system
    •  Any software for ARM64 + Linux
    • Optimized DPDK (Data Plane Development Kit) tied to HW Acceleration
    • Open-source routers, including VPP (Vector Packet Processing), OpenWRT, DD-WRT, VyOS, etc.
    • Open-source IDS/IPS, including Snort, Suricata, Zeek, etc.
    • Open-source load balances, including HAProxy, Nginx, Traefik, etc.
    • Open-source VPNs, including OpenVPN, WireGuard, IPSec, L2TP, Shadowsocks, Trojan, VMess, etc.
    • PyTorch/Tensorflow/TF Lite/Keras/ONNX
    • C/C++/Python/Go/Rust/Java/Lua and other programming languages
    • Applications from other Linux distributions on Ubuntu/Debian using Docker with direct access to the host network
    • Open-source firewalls, including iptables, UFW, pfSense, OPNsense, IPFire, nftables, Firewalld, Shorewall, Untangle, etc.
    • GCC, GDB, BinUtils, Buildroot, and other tool chains
    • Open-source Network Traffic Analyzers, including ntopng, Elasticsearch + Kibana + Beats, Argus, Softflowd, etc.
    • Open-source projects consuming DPDK, including DPVS, Gatekeeper, Open vSwitch, SPDK, etc.
    • Rich VPP plugins, including Marvel device plugin, QUIC, SRv6, LLDP, NAT64, LACP, SRTP, etc.

Specification

Network interface
10GE (SFP+)4 ports2.5GE (RJ45)Option4 ports
100GE (QSFP28)4 portsAntenna(Option)8
5G/LTE (Option)4 SIM cards, M.2 B key
Misc. interface
USB2 x USB3.0Console2 x Console RJ45
MGMT2 x MGMT RJ45
Computing
DPU 2 x Marvell OCTEON 10 CN103
8 Core ARM64 N2 @ 2.5 GHz		Flash2 x 64GB SD
Cache capacityL2 8MB, L3 16MBMemory16GB DDR5, maximum 48GB
NVME SSD (Option)2x M.2 NVME (up to 4TB, M.2 M key, share slot with AI accelerator)
Network performance
L2/L3 Switching capacity2 x 100GbpsRouting capacity2 x 100Gbps
Firewall capacity2 x 80GbpsEncryption and Decryption capacity2 x 80Gbps
PTP/SyncE accuracy20nsPTP/SyncE holdover time> 8hours
Electrical characteristics
Fan2 + 1Power Module1 + 1
Maximum power consumption200W (FULL configuration and workload)Input voltage100~240VAC
Mechanical
Operating temperature0 – 45℃Dimensions (W x H x D mm)440 x 44 x 470
Relative humidity5% - 95% (non-condensing)Height1U

Hardware Panel

open intelligent gateway

Resource

Data Sheet

FAQs

Is this a SONiC based intelligent gateway?

Yes, It is. With our proprietary AsterNOS-VPP, an open routing operating system based on SONiC, the ET3616 comes ready to use. Imagine if VPP’s data plane and SONiC’s control plane were combined to produce a routing device that is both intelligent and quick. What’s offered? All the good stuff, including dynamic routing protocols like BGP and OSPF, IPSec VPN, NAT, and QoS, are prepared to meet your network requirements. Because of its great adaptability, it can run on any x86, ARM, or virtual machine (VM) that supports VPP.

After reading the description, I noticed that this machine has a lot of optional modules. Could you explain more?
Absolutely! Here are the available modules:
  • 5G/LTE Module: Insert a 5G SIM card to enable 5G uplink routing.
  • SSD Module: Expand storage capacity up to 4TB.
  • AI Acceleration Module: Implement deep learning and AI inference functions.
In addition to these M.2 form factors, we offer optional PTP functions:
  • PTP Function: An optional PTP module with 20ns accuracy and BC support is available for precise time synchronization. Customers can mix and match these modules to tailor the gateway to their requirements.
Although your SONiC + VPP system is preinstalled, can I still switch out other open operating systems or applications?

If you decide not to use our integrated SONiC + VPP routing operating system, you have the option to install different open operating systems. The document specifies which operating systems and open-source software are supported. An operating system is already installed; customers can choose between Debian 12 and Ubuntu 24.04. This flexibility allows users to install the open-source software they need, making it an appealing choice. Additionally, our GitHub repository offers developer kits, such as DPDK and VPP, for even more customization.

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