Ethernet MAC on Virtex 4

H

hassoo

Guest
Hi all,

I am new to the world of FPGA. I want to communicate my Virtex 4 XC4VSX3
FPGA to PC using Tri-mode Ethernet MAC IP core. Please give me an
suggestion how to start...
Also recommend some basic documentation which helps me understand.
Or if there is any better alternative, plz do share it with me...

Regards,
Hassoo



---------------------------------------
Posted through http://www.FPGARelated.com
 
There is a very small chance of doing such task using UDP protocol...
Anyway, You better use at least picoblaze for PHY control and let the stream
go without the cpu.

"hassoo" <husnain_kazimi@n_o_s_p_a_m.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:TtOdnUx-StDT-gHQnZ2dnUVZ_gidnZ2d@giganews.com...
Hi all,

I am new to the world of FPGA. I want to communicate my Virtex 4 XC4VSX35
FPGA to PC using Tri-mode Ethernet MAC IP core. Please give me any
suggestion how to start...
Also recommend some basic documentation which helps me understand.
Or if there is any better alternative, plz do share it with me...

Regards,
Hassoo



---------------------------------------
Posted through http://www.FPGARelated.com
Click to expand...
 
"Mike Shogren" <mike@epiq-solutions.com> wrote in message
news:06a6823c-b1b3-4488-9fcf-13cf96d47bc1@f18g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
Hassoo,

If you are new to the world of FPGAs, please be aware that it is not a
trivial task to drop in complicated IP such as an Ethernet MAC.
Hopefully you have a board with a fully tested and proven Ethernet
interface on it..? There are plenty of development boards out there
with a Virtex-4 and Ethernet present.
Click to expand...
What about UDP/RTP packet transmission without softcpu? Are there any
references? I would like to stream video over ethernet, so softcpu is not an
option.
 
Hassoo,

If you are new to the world of FPGAs, please be aware that it is not a
trivial task to drop in complicated IP such as an Ethernet MAC.
Hopefully you have a board with a fully tested and proven Ethernet
interface on it..? There are plenty of development boards out there
with a Virtex-4 and Ethernet present.

You mentioned alternatives... did you mean alternatives to Ethernet?
Depends of course on what you are trying to do, but perhaps a good
first step for you (as a beginner) is a serial interface. If you just
want to communicate with the FPGA and are not worried about sending /
receiving data very quickly, this is orders of magnitude simpler.

--
Mike Shogren
Director of FPGA Development
Epiq Solutions
http://www.epiq-solutions.com
 
In article <inku4h$rev$1@dont-email.me>,
"scrts" <mailsoc@[remove@here]gmail.com> writes:

What about UDP/RTP packet transmission without softcpu? Are there any
references? I would like to stream video over ethernet, so softcpu is not an
option.
Click to expand...
It's certainly possible to send UDP packets without a CPU. If you are
asking the question, you have a lot of homework to do. I would start by
making a pair of programs that send and receive the sort of packets you
want to use. Then get out tcpdump/etherreal/wireshark and make sure
you understand every bit in the packet. Then get out a scope and make
sure you can find those bits on the wire. (That was easier in the old
days of coax (thickwire) ethernet since there really was a wire. You
might be able to find "the wire" inside an old hub.

--
These are my opinions, not necessarily my employer's. I hate spam.
 
On Apr 6, 6:14 am, "hassoo" <husnain_kazimi@n_o_s_p_a_m.hotmail.com>
wrote:
Hi all,

I am new to the world of FPGA. I want to communicate my Virtex 4 XC4VSX35
FPGA to PC using Tri-mode Ethernet MAC IP core. Please give me any
suggestion how to start...
Also recommend some basic documentation which helps me understand.
Or if there is any better alternative, plz do share it with me...

Regards,
Hassoo

---------------------------------------        
Posted throughhttp://www.FPGARelated.com
Click to expand...
I suggest perusing the Xilinx web site looking for application notes
that are close to what you want to do.

There's Xapp807 - the TEMAC on a Virtex 4.

PS: It's spelled "please" - typing the three additional key-strokes
will show that you're not lazy.
 
Hassoo,

If you are new to the world of FPGAs, please be aware that it is not a
trivial task to drop in complicated IP such as an Ethernet MAC.
Hopefully you have a board with a fully tested and proven Ethernet
interface on it..? There are plenty of development boards out there
with a Virtex-4 and Ethernet present.

You mentioned alternatives... did you mean alternatives to Ethernet?
Depends of course on what you are trying to do, but perhaps a good
first step for you (as a beginner) is a serial interface. If you just
want to communicate with the FPGA and are not worried about sending /
receiving data very quickly, this is orders of magnitude simpler.

--
Mike Shogren
Director of FPGA Development
Epiq Solutions
http://www.epiq-solutions.com
Click to expand...
I have a Virtex4 MB board. It doesn't have an embedded MAC, that is why
have to use soft IP core. What is my best option then? Can it be don
without using microblaze processor?

By alternatives I meant, alternative to TEMAC IP core if I need to have th
ethernet connectivity...

Regards,
---------------------------------------
Posted through http://www.FPGARelated.com
 
I suggest perusing the Xilinx web site looking for application notes
that are close to what you want to do.

There's Xapp807 - the TEMAC on a Virtex 4.

PS: It's spelled "please" - typing the three additional key-strokes
will show that you're not lazy.
Click to expand...
The document you mentioned is using embedded MAC, however my board doesn'
have one. I have to use TEMAC soft IP core. Can you please tell me an
helpful tutorial or document which explains how to use the core step b
step. Thank you.

Regards,

---------------------------------------
Posted through http://www.FPGARelated.com
 
I have a Virtex4 MB board. It doesn't have an embedded MAC, that is
why I have to use soft IP core. What is my best option then? Can it
be done without using microblaze processor?

By alternatives I meant, alternative to TEMAC IP core if I need to
have the ethernet connectivity...
Click to expand...
Whether or not you can get away with not using a processor depends on
the nature of the data you're sending. If you're just transmitting a
continuous stream of data, for example, a simple state machine is ample.

You're welcome to have a look at a state machine implementation of a UDP
packet generator and soft gigabit MAC I've put together:

http://tristesse.org/DigilentAtlysResources

This example doesn't use the Xilinx TEMAC, but it would be reasonably
straightforward to convert, and the Xilinx core should be a lot simpler
to use that than the core I employed.

The document you mentioned is using embedded MAC, however my board
doesn't have one. I have to use TEMAC soft IP core. Can you please
tell me any helpful tutorial or document which explains how to use
the core step by step. Thank you.
Click to expand...
DS537 should be all you need. There aren't really any introductory
tutorials since everyone will want to use the core differently. You
really ought to read it from beginning to end and study the timing
diagrams to ensure that you understand how it works, and make notes
about details that seem relevant to your application as you go.

Joel
 
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