[VLM]

I was expecting a link to something like this, but more advanced

http://opencores.org/project,mac_layer_switch

and some links to digilent dev boards for hardware, however the linked project is a bit more ambitious, all full of custom ASICs and such.

An open source switch made out of COTS FPGA dev boards would be interesting. So you'd use something like

http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?NavPath=2,400...

But what to use as a COTS "just unpack it all, plug it all together, upload the firmware and go" backplane?

[virtuallynathan]

That NIC seems quite overpriced for 4x1G...

[wmf]

It's not a NIC; it's an FPGA that can be programmed to do things that NICs have never dreamed of.

[virtuallynathan]

I understand that, but you can get more powerful ones for not much more money.

[detaro]

NICs or FPGA boards with NICs? If the latter, I'm all ears

[virtuallynathan]

Netronome, http://www.mellanox.com/related-docs/prod_adapter_cards/PB_P..., there are others for more $$ using the Altera Arria 10, or other Xilinx FPGAs with 2x40G or even 4x100G.

[detaro]

Good thing it is not targeted at people looking to buy a 4x1G NIC, but at people who want a nicely integrated FPGA dev plattform with 4x1G and fast connection to a PC.