40- and 100-Gbps Ethernet MAC and PHY MegaCore Function User Guide

ID 683114
Date 6/15/2022
Public
Document Table of Contents

2.7. 40-100GbE IP Core Testbenches

Altera provides a testbench and an example design with most variations of the 40-100GbE IP core. The testbench is available for simulation of your IP core, and the example design targets a C2 speed grade device and can be run on hardware. You can run the testbench to observe the IP core behavior on the various interfaces in simulation.

  • Non-40GBASE-KR4 IP core variations that have all of the following properties:
    • Includes both MAC and PHY components (Core options has the value of MAC & PHY)
    • Full duplex (Duplex mode has the value of Full Duplex)
  • 40GBASE-KR4 IP core variations that have all of the following properties:
    • Includes both MAC and PHY components (Core options has the value of MAC & PHY)
    • With adapters (MAC client interface has the value of Avalon-ST interface)
    • Without Synchronous Ethernet support (Enable SyncE support is turned off)
    • Without the link training microprocessor interface (Enable microprocessor interface is turned off)
    • RX equalization enabled (Enable RX equalization is turned on)

When you generate your IP core and turn on Generate example design, the Quartus II software generates the testbench and example design for your variation. If your IP core variation does not meet the criteria for a testbench, the generation process does not create a testbench. Turning on Generate example design does not force the software to generate a testbench if none is defined for your variation.

MAC-only, PHY-only, TX-only, and RX-only IP core variations do not generate an example design and testbench. 40GBASE-KR4 IP core variations with the custom streaming interface, without RX equalization enabled, with Synchronous Ethernet support, or with the link training microprocessor interface, do not generate a testbench. (However, 40GBASE-KR4 IP core variations that conform to all the requirements with the exception of the requirement of adapters, do generate an example design that runs in hardware).

Conceptually, the testbenches for the 40‑100GbE IP cores with adapters (IP cores with an Avalon-ST client interface) and the testbenches for the 40‑100GbE IP cores without adapters (IP cores with the custom streaming client interface) are identical, except for the bandwidth. The following sections first describe the testbenches that include adapters and then describe the testbenches without adapters.

You can simulate the testbench that you generate with your IP core variation. The testbench illustrates packet traffic, in addition to providing information regarding the transceiver PHY. The non-40GBASE-KR4 testbenches tie off the reconfiguration control interface for your IP core, and do not exercise transceiver reconfiguration. However, the 40GBASE-KR4 testbench exercises auto-negotiation and link training, in addition to generating and checking packet traffic.