[Libre-soc-bugs] [Bug 778] New: strategy for connecting eth_mac suitable for ASIC deployment

[bugzilla-daemon at libre-soc.org]

https://bugs.libre-soc.org/show_bug.cgi?id=778

            Bug ID: 778
           Summary: strategy for connecting eth_mac suitable for ASIC
                    deployment
           Product: Libre-SOC's second ASIC
           Version: unspecified
          Hardware: Other
                OS: Linux
            Status: CONFIRMED
          Severity: enhancement
          Priority: ---
         Component: source code
          Assignee: lkcl at lkcl.net
          Reporter: lkcl at lkcl.net
                CC: libre-soc-bugs at lists.libre-soc.org
   NLnet milestone: ---

https://github.com/freecores/ethmac

the above 10/100 ethernet MAC (RMII) is designed to be deployed for an ASIC:
there is a FIFO which has AsyncFF Synchronisers in front of it which bridge
between the RxMac and TxMac clocks, and the main SYS clock at which the
wishbone master runs.

the problem to overcome with the FIFO is that it is not designed for ASICs,
and so has to be done with FFs. that means in turn that it cannot be too
large, and that in turn risks starvation if the wishbone master requests
are not served fast enough.

a very aimple workaround is to provide a local SRAM with a wishbone slave
in front of it, and a local arbiter that allows the eth_mac highest priority
to read and write to it.

the local SRAM can be large enough to compensate for a smaller FIFO, large
enough to hold an entire frame, but not so large it eats area.

the second port on the arbiter will map through to the main memory bus, at a
lower priority.  in this way the main processor can also read and write but
without interrupting the eth_mac core.

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