SMSC Releases LAN9420(i): Single-Chip Ethernet Controller with HP Auto-MDIX support
SMSC, a leading semiconductor company providing innovative system solutions spanning analog, digital and mixed-signal technologies, has broadened its portfolio of Ethernet technology solutions with the introduction of a new PCI Ethernet controllers for the embedded market. Now, designers have a single supplier for a variety of networking products designed to work with a broad range of device architectures.
In response to the increasing trend of PCI in embedded applications, the LAN9420 PCI MAC/PHY Ethernet controller integrates SMSC’s scatter-gather based DMA engine to give embedded system designers a high-performance controller option that reduces overall processor loading.
LAN9420/LAN9420i is a full-featured, Fast Ethernet controller which allows for the easy and cost-effective integration of Fast Ethernet into a PCI-based system. LAN9420/LAN9420i consists of a PCI Local Bus Specification Revision 3.0 compliant interface, DMA Controller, Ethernet MAC, and 10/100 Ethernet PHY.
LAN9420/LAN9420i provides full IEEE 802.3 compliance and all internal components support full/half-duplex 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, and manual full-duplex flow control. The descriptor based scatter-gather DMA supports usage of zero-copy drivers, effectively increasing throughput while decreasing Host load. The integrated IRQ de-assertion timer allows a minimum IRQ de-assertion time to be set, providing reduced Host load and greater control over service routines. Automatic 32-bit CRC generation/checking, automatic payload padding, and 2K jumbo packets (2048 byte) are supported.
Key Specifications
- Optimized for embedded applications with 32-bit RISC CPUs
- Integrated descriptor based scatter-gather DMA and IRQ de-assertion timer effectively increase network throughput and reduce CPU loading
- Integrated Ethernet MAC with full-duplex support
- Integrated 10/100 Ethernet PHY with HP Auto-MDIX Support
- 32-bit, 33MHz, PCI 3.0 compliant interface
- Reduced power operating modes with PCI Power Management Specification 1.1 compliance
- Supports multiple audio & video streams over Ethernet