Is this book for you? Chances are good that you are reading this book because you have already decided to use the IXP4XX network processor. Maybe you have been asked to develop a product or to evaluate the processor for your next generation designs. Maybe you are teaching a university course on embedded networking applications or using an IXP4XX network processor in a research project.
We expect you have already downloaded some of the IXP4XX product line data sheets and reference manuals from the Intel Developer Web site, listed in "References." This extensive product documentation is freely available and provides detailed information on the processors. The documentation, while comprehensive, is a little daunting at first. One of the goals of this book is to distill the documentation down to its essence, highlighting the information that is important to all designers and software engineers, then providing you with a roadmap through the more detailed information on the Web site.

Even if you do not plan to use an IXP4XX network processor, we be- lieve you still could find useful general information in this book to help you design embedded network applications.