Ampro Corporation P5X manual Ethernet Network Interface, Hardware Description

Little Board/P5x Technical Manual

Ethernet Network Interface

This section describes the hardware of the Ethernet interface and discusses relevant software considerations.

Hardware Description

The Ethernet subsystem is based on the AMD Am79C972 PCnet™ Fast+ Enhanced 10/100 PCI Ethernet Controller coupled with a Level 1, Inc. LXT970a dual-speed fast Ethernet transceiver. The Ethernet controller fully supports IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards, and supports standard 10BaseT and 100BaseT via a standard RJ-45 connector.

The Ethernet controller interfaces to the PCI portion of the bus. Features of this controller include:

!Speed auto-negotiation (complies with IEEE802.3u standard)

!Full-duplex operation at 10 Mb/s and 100 Mb/s

!Low-power energy modes

Ethernet RJ-45 Interface Connector (J7)

Connector J7 is a standard RJ-45 jack for connecting directly to an Ethernet network using category 5 UTP/STP cabling.

Table 2– 436 lists the signals and pin numbers of the Ethernet connector, J7:

Table 2– 436. Ethernet RJ-45 Connector (J4)

J7 Pin	Function
1	TX +
2	TX -
3	RX +
6	RX -
4, 5, 7, 8	Signal Common

Ethernet Interface Software

Manufacturer's Ethernet ID

Each manufacturer of Ethernet network adapters and interfaces is assigned a unique manufacturer's ID by the IEEE Standards Office. A network address consists of 48 bits. The upper 24 bits are the manufacturer's ID and the lower 24 bits are the board's unique ID.

For developers who are creating network applications, knowing the manufacturer's ID for network adapters attached to the network may or may not be important.

Ampro's 24-bit manufacturer's ID for Ethernet controllers is displayed in hex as follows:

00 40 53

2–47