10-Gigabit Ethernet Media Access Controller
Features
- Full media access control (MAC) layer and reconciliation sub-layer implementation compliant with the IEEE 802.3ae specification
- Dynamically configurable for network interface card (NIC) and switching or bridging between applications
- Optional direct interface to standard 32-bit double data rate (DDR) 10-Gbit medium independent interface (XGMII) connections, or to a selection of high-speed serializer/deserializer (SERDES) devices via a 32-bit SSTL-2 or a high-speed transceiver logic (HSTL) Class I interface
- Optional 10-Gbit attachment unit interface (XAUI) implemented with an embedded transceiver that provides an efficient board level interface to optical modules and loopback
- Optional XAUI interface compatible with Xenpack version 2.0 specification
- Lane and data alignment, physical layer (PHY) error, and local/remote fault signaling handled by the core's reconciliation sub-layer
- Cyclic redundancy code (CRC)-32 checking at full speed, using a multi-stage CRC calculation architecture with optional forwarding of the frame check sequence (FCS) field to the user application
- CRC-32 generate and append on transmittal or forwarding of user application-provided FCS (selectable on a per-frame basis)
- Optional MAC address comparison-on-receive and overwrite-on-transmit for NIC applications
- Selectable promiscuous frame receive mode and transparent MAC address forwarding on transmit
- Optional multicast address filtering,with 64-bit hash code look-up table (LUT) on receive to reduce processing load on higher layers
- Automatic discard of badly received frames, such as frames with preamble or length errors
- Optional Ethernet pause frame (IEEE 802.3, Annex 31A) termination, providing fully automated flow control without user application overhead
- Optional forwarding of received pause frames to the user application
- Optional automatic pause frame generation from programmable first-in first-out (FIFO) congestion thresholds, or by dedicated command pin with programmable quanta
- Programmable frame maximum length providing support for any frame, including Jumbo Frame or any tagged frame
- Support for VLAN-tagged frames (in accordance with IEEE 802.1Q) in both transmit and receive
- Dynamic inter packet gap (IPG) calculation for wide area network (WAN) applications
- Deficit idle counter (DIC) for optimized performance with minimum IPG for local area network (LAN) applications
- User interface that provides 64-bit direct interface with handshaking signals to ease connection to FIFOs. (MorethanIP also offers an optional asynchronous FIFO module that connects seamlessly to this interface and provides clock and rate decoupling).
- Status word available with each frame on the user interface, providing information such as frame length, VLAN frame type indication, and error information
- Preamble and start-of-frame delimiter (SFD) insertion and deletion
- Optional padding termination and insertion for NIC applications, and forwarding of unmodified frames forswitching applications
- Optional support for 4-byte tag-extended frames before the frame destination MAC address
- Programmable internal XGMII loopback
- Implementation of statistics and event signals providing support for IEEE 802.3 basic and mandatory managed objects, as well as IETF ManagementInformation Base (MIB) package (RFC2665) and remote network monitoring (RMON) required in simple network management protocol (SNMP) environments
- Includes design kit containing extensive Ethernet frame generators; and checking models enabling fully automated design verification and testing for standard compliance and error behavior, allowing fast turnaround for design cycles
Block Diagram
Figure 1. 10-Gigabit Ethernet Media Access Controller Core

Description
The 10 Gigabit Ethernet MAC Core complies with the IEEE 802.3ae specification, meeting the specificatio's requirements for WAN, LAN, and metropolitan area network (MAN) connectivity. The second version of the core can be used in both NIC or Ethernet switching applications. A set of configuration pins is available to dynamically set the core to terminate and form MAC frames (for NIC applications), or pass the frames without modification to the user application or Ethernet line (for switching applications).
Whether used for a NIC or a switching application, the 10 Gigabit Ethernet MAC Core provides support for IEEE-managed objects and IETF MIB-II object definitions, and RMON for management applications such as SNMP. It can also implement a flexible FIFO interface that connects seamlessly to any MorethanIP standard telecommunications interface, includingSPI-4 and POS-PHYL4.
For Ethernet line applications, users can configure the core to implement either a XGMII or a XAUI when a design is targeted to an Altera® Stratix™ GX FPGA. Users can select the XGMII interface for integrating the core, together with custom logic, in anFPGA solution. Alternatively, the XAUI interface provides a simple 16-bit, board-level interface to connect the MAC to a physical device (such as a Xenpak 2.0 optical module).
Device Utilization & Performance
Table 1 lists the typical device utilization results for the megafunction.
| Table 1. Typical Device Utilization for the Megafunction |
| Target Device |
Speed Grade |
Utilization
Logic Elements (1) |
Performance
(fMAX) |
Parameter Setting |
| Stratix |
-7 |
7,120 |
156.25 MHz |
- |
| Stratix II |
-3
|
7100
|
156.25 MHz
|
-
|
| Stratix GX |
-6 |
7,200 |
156.25 MHz |
- |
1. The Logic Element count for Stratix II devices is based on the number of adaptive look-up tables (ALUTs) used for the design as reported by the Quartus II software.
Deliverables
- Register transfer level (RTL) synthesizable VHDL/Verilog source code or encrypted netlist
- Configurable VHDL/Verilog verification testbenches
- Scripts for Mentor Graphics® LeonardoSpectrum™ synthesis tool
- Implementation script for Quartus® II software version 2.2
- Detailed user guides
Contact Information
For additional information, you can contact MorethanIP at:
MorethanIP
An der Steinernen Bruecke 1
D-85757
Karlsfeld Germany
Tel: +49 81-31-333-9390 (Germany) or +1 408 273 4567 (USA)
Fax: +49 81-31-333-9391 (Germany) or +1 408 273 4667 (USA)
E-mail:info@morethanip.com
Internet:http://www.morethanip.com
|