Intel IXP Network Processor Based Intrusion Detection

Intrusion Detection is a very important part of network security, and with the increasing bandwidth in large scale networks, Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems must scale to handle the large internal LAN links. Common server and desktop hardware does not have the throughput to handle 10Gb/s network connections, so specialized hardware is required. The Intel IXP series Network Processor is one such system with the throughput to manage these network connections. This paper will introduce the IXP series processors as well as outline the steps to create a functioning Snort based IDS on the IXP 425.