Time division media access controller and method of operation thereof
View Patent ↗A time division media access controller for use with a multi-port data switch and a method of controlling media access. In one embodiment, the time division media access controller includes a time division receive engine, a time division transmit engine and a time division arbiter coupled to the time division receive and transmit engines. The time division receive engine accepts data from a plurality of data ports and the time division transmit engine provides data to a plurality of data ports. The time division arbiter controls states of the time division receive and transmit engines based on throughput requirements of the data. In preferred embodiments, the time division media access controller complies with the IEEE 802.3 ethernet standard.
1. A time division media access controller for use with a multi-port data switch, comprising:
a time division receive engine configured to accept data from a plurality of data ports;
a time division transmit engine configured to provide data through a plurality of data ports;
a receive state table coupled to said time division receive engine;
a transmit state table coupled to said time division transmit engine; and
a time division arbiter, coupled to said time division receive and transmit engines, configured to control states of said time division receive and transmit engines based on throughput requirements of said data, said time division arbiter further comprising a timer that initiates, as a function of a setting or an expiration of said timer for an allotted time, said allotted time comprising a plurality of clock cycles, a save of a state of a data port of said plurality of data ports at at least one of said receive state table and said transmit state table.
2. The time division media access controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said plurality of ports is about 48 ports.
3. The time division media access controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said time division media access controller employs a serial media independent interface.
4. The time division media access controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said data is accepted and provided through a 128 bit wide data bus.
5. The time division media access controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said data is IEEE 802.3 ethernet frames.
6. The time division media access controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said time division arbiter employs a round-robin architecture.
7. A method of controlling media access based on time division for use with a multi-port data switch, comprising:
receiving time division multiplexed data from a plurality of data ports based on a receive state table coupled to a time division receive engine;
transmitting time division multiplexed data through a plurality of data ports based on a transmit state table coupled to a time division transmit engine; and
arbitrating said receiving and said transmitting by controlling states of said time division receive and transmit engines based on throughput requirements of said data, said arbitrating further comprising saving, as a function of a setting or an expiration of a timer for an allotted time, said allotted time comprising a plurality of clock cycles, a state of a data port of said plurality of data ports at least one of said receive state table and said transmit state table.
8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said plurality of ports is about 48 ports.
9. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said receiving and said transmitting employs a serial media independent interface.
10. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said receiving and said transmitting employs a 128 bit wide data bus.
11. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said receive and transmit state tables employ registers.
12. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said data is IEEE 802.3 ethernet frames.
13. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said arbitrating employs a round-robin architecture.
14. A data switch, comprising:
a switch engine coupled to an address table;
a static dynamic random memory (SDRAM) interface coupled to said switch engine;
a multiplexer; and
a time division media access controller coupled to said switch engine and said multiplexer, including:
a time division receive engine, coupled to a receive state table, that accepts data from a plurality of data ports;
a time division transmit engine, coupled to a transmit state table, that provides data through a plurality of data ports; and
a time division arbiter, coupled to said receive and transmit state tables, that controls states of said time division receive and transmit engines based on throughput requirements of said data, said time division arbiter further comprising a timer that initiates, as a function of a setting or an expiration of said timer of an allotted time, said allotted time comprising a plurality of clock cycles, a save of a state of a data port of said plurality of said data ports.
15. The data switch as recited in claim 14 wherein said plurality of ports is about 48 ports.
16. The data switch as recited in claim 14 wherein said multiplexer may be a serial media independent interface.
17. The data switch as recited in claim 14 wherein said data is accepted and provided through a 128 bit wide data bus.
18. The data switch as recited in claim 14 wherein said receive and transmit state tables employ registers.
19. The data switch as recited in claim 14 wherein said data is IEEE 802.3 ethernet frames.
20. The data switch as recited in claim 14 wherein said time division arbiter employs a round-robin architecture.
21. The data switch as recited in claim 14 , wherein said timer initiates, as said function of said setting or said expiration of said timer of said allotted time, said save of said state of said data port of said plurality of said data ports at least one of said receive state table and said transmit state table.