Wikipedia
NetFPGA
The NetFPGA project is an effort to develop open source hardware and software for rapid prototyping of computer network devices. The project targeted academic researchers, industry users, and students. It was not the first platform of its kind in the networking community. NetFPGA used an FPGA-based approach to prototyping networking devices. This allows users to develop designs that are able to process packets at line-rate, a capability generally unafforded by software based approaches. NetFPGA focused on supporting developers that can share and build on each other's projects and IP building blocks.