Cryptographic Support in a Gigabit Network

Many applications envisioned for ultra-high-speed networks require cryptographic transformations for data in transit. Security has often been an afterthought, and cryptographic support has generally not kept pace with performance increases in other network components. Two distinct experimental prototypes of high-speed DES boards were built to understand architectural issues in providing cryptographic support for the AURORA gigabit testbed. Combining cryptographic support with the host/network interface is indicated.