Continue to Site

Welcome to EDAboard.com

Welcome to our site! EDAboard.com is an international Electronics Discussion Forum focused on EDA software, circuits, schematics, books, theory, papers, asic, pld, 8051, DSP, Network, RF, Analog Design, PCB, Service Manuals... and a whole lot more! To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.

Get some advice and tips to design ETHERNET switch or even TSN switch on FPGA

Status
Not open for further replies.

Adnan86

Full Member level 2
Joined
Apr 4, 2013
Messages
121
Helped
26
Reputation
52
Reaction score
26
Trophy points
1,308
Activity points
2,153
Hi,

I am going to design An Ethernet switch on FPAG. Our input data could have priority also we need to design the switch on real-time applications. So, in this case, there is another protocol called TSN. But since the design of the TSN switch at the beginning maybe needs too much time, I am going to start with an Ethernet switch. I found some codes on opencores.org and Github, but since I am going to understand concepts completely I am looking for a course or document or video or any other ways that explained concepts from scratch. I really appreciate to give me a good reference for this case.

Bests,
 

If you are using a Xilinx FPGA, I can advice you to use the TEMAC IP core (free hardware eval license) for initial understanding.
Download and skim through its docu. Chap3 and 5 should be initially most useful.

Once you generate the core in the desired mode, generate the example_design for it. Run, follow and understand the simu.
That should be it as a start.
 

Thank you for your advice. I will read the document, but we can use this IP to designing a switch, it would be nice if I have something related to designing a switch from scratch.

Bests,
 

it would be nice if I have something related to designing a switch from scratch.
You need the understand the concepts an design your own. :)
 

The TEMAC IP isn't an Ethernet switch.

An Ethernet switch isn't a topic that is widely discussed on the internet with videos and tutorials as you seem to desire. The companies that make switches keep information on their switch designs out of the public domain as they are most likely highly proprietary. Also many of the papers published have only general descriptions of the architecture of various switches.

Real time also usually means no TCP IP as that would defeat any sort of real time usage. UDP is used in many applications that require real time as it provides no means to re-transmit (so doesn't affect the real time transmission of the payload data). As you've surmised not using TSN will significantly reduce the work load to implement a switch.

Some of the things you will need to consider are (not all inclusive or in any particular order):
1. the number of switched ports
2. the architecture of the cross-point switch
3. how to control the switch
4. will the switch be packet oriented
5. size of packets (if packet based), and how it affects head of line blocking for a port that has both realtime and non-realtime traffic
6. latency, do you use store and forward or cut-through operations
7. how to handle congestion
8. port arbitration
 
The TEMAC IP isn't an Ethernet switch.
I know that and assumed the OP knows the difference.
If he is a beginner in this area, it makes more sense for him to 1st understand how Ethernet frames are rx and tx before moving on to complex stuff. Hence was my pointer.

If the OP is aware of such basic stuff, he can ignore my post. :)
 
Last edited:

Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Welcome to EDABoard.com

Sponsor

Back
Top