US20250291759
2025-09-18
Physics
G06F13/4031
The patent application describes a Multi-port Media Access Control (MAC) system designed to handle data with flexible data-path widths. This system includes both receive (RX) and transmit (TX) MAC blocks, which are equipped to manage data from multiple ports efficiently. The RX MAC block consists of several RX ports and RX circuit blocks that perform MAC Layer operations on incoming data. These RX circuit blocks are interconnected through datapath segments whose widths can vary.
The RX MAC block is central to processing data received from various ports. It utilizes an RX MAC pipeline composed of multiple RX circuit blocks. Each block is linked by variable-width datapath segments, allowing the system to adjust the data-path width according to the specific requirements of the RX port receiving the data. This flexibility ensures efficient handling of different types of data streams.
To manage the flow of data through the RX MAC block, a multi-port arbitration scheme is implemented. A common approach used is Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM), which organizes the forwarding of received data over the variable-width datapath segments. The scheme adapts the datapath width based on the port, optimizing data processing and minimizing congestion.
The TX MAC block mirrors the functionality of the RX MAC block but focuses on outgoing data. It includes a TX MAC pipeline made up of TX circuit blocks, also connected via variable-width datapath segments. This setup allows for flexible handling of outgoing data streams, ensuring that transmission is as efficient and adaptable as reception.
Both the RX and TX MAC blocks feature CRC modules that play a critical role in data integrity. These modules calculate Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) values for input data traversing paths of varying widths. By doing so, they help maintain accurate error-checking across different datapath configurations, contributing to the overall reliability of the system.