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Programming Details

big-endian mode, there should be no endian issues for Ethernet data. Big- endian software, however, must still take the byte-swapping effect into account when accessing the registers of the PCI-Ethernet device.

PCI-Graphics

Big-endian software must take the effects of byte swapping on big-endian software into account.

Note On MVME2300 series boards this is not presently a consideration, as no graphics are implemented on these boards.

Role of the Universe ASIC

Since PCI is little-endian and the VMEbus is big-endian, the Universe VMEbus interface chip performs byte swapping in both directions (from PCI to VMEbus and from VMEbus to PCI) to maintain address invariance, regardless of the mode of operation in the processor’s domain.

VMEbus Domain

The VMEbus is inherently big-endian. All devices connected directly to the VMEbus are expected to operate in big-endian mode, regardless of the mode of operation in the processor’s domain.

In big-endian mode on the MVME2300 series boards, byte swapping is performed by the Universe and then by the Raven. The result has the desirable effect of being transparent to the big-endian software.

In little-endian mode, however, software must take the byte-swapping effect of the Universe ASIC and the address reverse-rearranging effect of the Raven into account.

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Computer Group Literature Center Web Site

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Motorola MVME2300 Series manual Role of the Universe Asic, VMEbus Domain, PCI-Graphics