Crossbow Project Beta Release

What's new and what's hot in the Crossbow beta release

• In sync with Nevada build 81, which includes the new installer, xVM, etc.
• Many virtualization features, including:
  • Automatic MAC address generation for VNICs.
  • Better sharing of the primary interface with VNICs. The last published version required a second NIC in order to keep the primary interface while creating VNICs. This beta release overcomes that limitation.
  • Ethernet Stubs. Virtualizing a physical NIC isn't the only way to create a VNIC any more. This feature takes the virtualization further. It enables fully virtual networks by creating VNICs on top of logical entities called ethernet stubs, instead of physical NICs.
• More expressive rules for flows that allow setting resource control policies per local and remote IPv4 and IPv6 address, per subnets and services.
• More stable and robust code
• More accurate bandwidth limits enforcement.
• CPU binding for data-links (NICs and VNICs) and for flows.
• Performance enhancement.
  • IP forwarding performance
  • Lower overall CPU utilization
  • More parallel processing to leverage SMP (Symetric Multiprocessors), CMT (Chip Multi-Threading, e.g. Niagara) architectures, and to better exploit advanced virtualization features of NICs such as multiple receive and transmit rings.
  • Two more 10 Gbps drivers (xge and nxge) were converted to the Crossbow framework.
    Download Crossbow beta