FWs in hardware (was: FW-1: Questions blah blah blah)

[David Newman <dnewman () data com>]

I'm aware of at least three implementations where FW-1 runs in hardware:
from Berkeley Networks, Ipsilon, and Xylan. I've heard the Ipsilon (now
Nokia) and Xylan implementations run FW-1 on a CPU-based board, but I
haven't verified this; the Berkeley box downloads FW-1 rule sets onto an
ASIC.

Other folks are beginning to do firewalls in silicon too. Netscreen
announced an ASIC-based firewall/VPN/load balancer/kitchen sink box that
sounds like it includes an SPF, and someone (Secant? Storagetek/NSC?)
does an ATM box. 

So custom silicon for firewalls isn't totally out of the question. . .

David Newman
Data Communications magazine

> He may have meant this, from http://www.ipsilon.com/products/:

[snip]

> > FW-1 in hardware?
> >
> > Now I'm really starting to have doubts about this story.