7.2.4.10 Secure Protocol Layers Improved Performances

Secure protocol layers such as IPSec require encryption and authentication. For IPSec, the authentication is based on HMAC, thus SHA is required. To optimize performance, the AES embeds a mode of operation, used with DMA only, that enables the SHA module to process the input or output data of the AES module. If this mode is enabled, write access is required only into AES_IDATARx registers, since SHA input data registers are automatically written by AES without software intervention. When the DMA is configured to transfer a buffer of data (input frame), only one transfer descriptor is required for both authentication and encryption/decryption processes and only one buffer is transferred through the system bus (reducing the load of the system bus).

Improved performance for secure protocol layers requires AES_EMR.PLIPEN to be set.