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<h2 id="history-of-the-npf">History of the NPF</h2> <p>The organization was formed to build on the efforts of two former industry groups, the Common Programming Interface Forum (CPIX) and the Common Switch Interface Consortium (CSIX). <a href="/facts/Chuck_Sannipoli/JtweRNHK">Chuck Sannipoli</a> then of <a href="/facts/IBM/QszA7nwd">IBM</a> was the first chairman of the NPF. Misha Nossik then of <a href="/facts/Solidum_Systems/B2AhD9E4">Solidum Systems</a>, later acquired by <a href="/facts/Integrated_Device_Technology/vuXjhG5H">Integrated Device Technology</a> was the second chairman of the NPF. Many of the original meetings were held in the <a href="/facts/Drake_Hotel_(Chicago)/FKlxGQBG">Drake Hotel</a> in <a href="/facts/Chicago%2c_Illinois/yPMokrXH">Chicago, Illinois</a>. The NPF was later absorbed by the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) in June 2006. </p> <h2 id="organizational-form">Organizational form</h2> <p>The NPF is a member-managed non-profit corporation and operates as a contribution-driven, parliamentary industry forum. Russell Dietz of HiFn is the current chairman and <a href="/facts/Chuck_Sannipoli/JtweRNHK">Chuck Sannipoli</a> representing IP Infusion is the vice-chairman. The NPF's board was composed of representatives of <a href="/facts/Ericsson/yJ4oMMp7">Ericsson</a>, HiFn, <a href="/facts/IBM/QszA7nwd">IBM</a>, <a href="/facts/Integrated_Device_Technology/vuXjhG5H">Integrated Device Technology</a>, <a href="/facts/Intel/SMF0gJJX">Intel</a>, IP Infusion, and <a href="/facts/PMC-Sierra/acPvuevM">PMC-Sierra</a>. </p> <h2 id="hardware-interoperability-agreements">Hardware interoperability agreements</h2> <p>The <a href="/facts/Look-Aside_Interface/zBkvS9WN">Look-Aside Interface</a> (LA)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> is used by Network Processing Elements (NPE)s to access <a href="/facts/Network_Search_Element/15mz84gS">Network Search Elements</a>, of which <a href="/facts/Content-addressable_memory/VteSPHMR">CAMs</a> are an example. The Streaming Interface (NPF-SI)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> is used by NPEs to talk to each other and to framing devices and to switching devices. </p> <h2 id="software-interoperability-agreements">Software interoperability agreements</h2> <p>Service Application Programming Agreements, (SAPI)s, provide an API to configure or use a service. The following SAPIs have been approved by the NPF: </p> <ul><li>Interface Management API,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> IPSec Service API,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> HA Service API, Diffserv Services API,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> IPv4 Unicast Forwarding Service API,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> IPv6 Unicast Forwarding Service API,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> MPLS Forwarding Service API,</li></ul> <p>Functional APIs, (FAPI)s, are used to configure or use a low level functional block. The following FAPIs have been approved by the NPF: </p> <ul><li>IPv4 Prefix LPF and FAPI, Generic Classifier LFB and FAPI, Topology Manager FAPI, Messaging LFB,</li></ul> <h2 id="benchmarking-interoperability-agreements">Benchmarking interoperability agreements</h2> <p>The NPF has created benchmarks for IP forwarding, IPSEC performance, MPLS forwarding, and switch fabric performance. </p> <h2 id="joint-projects">Joint projects</h2> <p>The NPF specified a High Availability framework and service API in conjunction with the Service Availability Forum (SAF). The NPF has also had extensive liaison activity with the <a href="/facts/Optical_Internetworking_Forum/C8AJKWPp">Optical Internetworking Forum</a>. In December 2004, the NPF became a founding member of the Mountain View Alliance, a consortium of consortia created to enable Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/CSIX/m7gRNyx7">CSIX</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://www.oiforum.com/public/NPF_IA.html">NPF Interoperability Agreements on the OIF site</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2013-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081012212400/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/LA-1B_Final_Published_IA.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20081012212400/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/LA-1B_Final_Published_IA.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165514/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/LA-1%20Revision%201.1.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165514/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/LA-1%20Revision%201.1.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2013-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081012212400/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/LA-1B_Final_Published_IA.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20081012212400/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/LA-1B_Final_Published_IA.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"OIForum". Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-25. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165508/http://www.oiforum.com/public/IM-API-IAs-Rev3.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165508/http://www.oiforum.com/public/IM-API-IAs-Rev3.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165521/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/IPSec_IA_npf2004.353.00.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165521/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/IPSec_IA_npf2004.353.00.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165510/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/Diffserv_IA.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165510/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/Diffserv_IA.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165516/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/IPv4-Rev2_IA.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165516/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/IPv4-Rev2_IA.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165518/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/IPv6-Rev2_IA.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165518/http://www.oiforum.com/public/documents/IPv6-Rev2_IA.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>