also something to check out, http://opencpi.org/, it will be released and OSS in a few weeks The Open Component Portability Infrastructure (OpenCPI) is a real-time embedded (RTE) middleware solution that simplifies programming of heterogeneous processing applications requiring a mix of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), general-purpose processors (GPP), digital signal processors (DSP), and high-speed switch fabrics. The âoemixâ can be over a lifecycle (technology insertion) as well as within a single implementation (to meet SWAP constraints). CPI improves code portability, interoperability, and performance in FPGA and DSP-based environments by providing well-defined waveform component APIs (application programming interfaces) with a set of infrastructure blocks that act as a hardware abstraction layer (HAL). CPI is also appropriate for the incorporation of GPU and multicore technologies. CPI is uniquely positioned to meet the goals of S3 since in some sense component-based systems are computer-scienceâ(TM)s answer to dealing with âoeknowledge captureâ and lock-up of intellectual property (IP). sign up here: http://lists.opencpi.org/listinfo.cgi/opencpi_announce-opencpi.org

has anyone experience with NetFPGA? http://netfpga.org/ The NetFPGA is: a line-rate, flexible, and open platform for research, and classroom experimentation. About 1,000 NetFPGA systems have been deployed at over 120 institutions in over 15 countries around the world. As detailed in the specifications, the NetFPGA is a PCI card that contains a large Xilinx FPGA, 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, Static RAM (SRAM), Double-Date Rate (DDR2) Dynamic RAM (DRAM). The card design is open-source and the hardware is made available at very lost through donations of gifts and Silicon chips by sponsors of the NetFPGA project. The NetFPGA enables researchers and students to build working prototypes of high-speed, hardware-accelerated networking systems. The NetFPGA has been used in the teachers in the classroom to hgelp students learn how to build Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) switches and Internet Protocol (IP) routers. It has also been used by researchers to prototype new modules that use hardware rather than software to forward packets.

why bother floating?? fill it full some non conductive fluid (flourcarbons, etc.), dip it in plastic and sink it. Run cables out to it, don't bother fixing failing servers, etc. When it gets to the point of over half failing bring it up and junk it. very cold a few hundred meters down, make sure heat transfer is easy (and doesn't need pumps)