The APMs, running a hardened version of Linux, process flows from the NPM through any one of more than 20 market-leading security applications. The APM is a custom designed compute engine featuring a high-speed control plane that can operate at 1Gbps speeds, along with a tightly integrated Crossbeam switch fabric FPGA for 4x3.2 Gbps data plane connectivity per APM. An APM can support one application or may be grouped with other APMs to maximize performance and redundancy. Traffic can be switched between APMs and therefore from application to application, in any order, to provide maximum traffic control. Fully hot-swappable, APMs have priority failover capability and can be configured to back up each other, even replacing a currently running application for one deemed more mission critical. For example, an IDS APM could be set to back up a firewall APM. If the firewall fails, the IDS APM reboots, and runs the firewall application with the correct configuration. APMs are available with dual cores, single or dual processors, and up to 4 GB of memory. Telco-grade hard drives are also available and can improve the performance of some applications (IDS, AV). APM hardware forms the basis for the Crossbeam iBeam ISV Certification program, which enables applications to be quickly tested and certified for overall platform interoperability.
