Altera SerialLite II IP Core - Manual (Page 8)

Chapter 1: About This MegaCore Function 1–3
General Description
January 2014 Altera Corporation SerialLite II MegaCore Function
User Guide
■ IP functional simulation models for use in Altera-supported VHDL and Verilog
HDL simulators
■ Support for OpenCore ® Plus evaluation
General Description
The SerialLite II MegaCore function is a simple, high-speed, low-latency, and
low-resource point-to-point serial data communication link.
The MegaCore function performs up to the following rates:
■ 3.75 Gbps in Arria II GX devices
■ 5 Gbps in Cyclone V devices
■ 6.375 Gbps in Stratix IV, Arria V, and Stratix V devices
The SerialLite II MegaCore function is highly configurable, and provides a wide range
of functionality suited to moving data in many different environments.
The SerialLite II MegaCore function provides a simple and lightweight way to move
data from one point to another reliably at high speeds. It consists of a serial link of up
to 16 bonded lanes, with logic to provide a number of basic and optional link support
functions. The Atlantic interface is the primary access for delivering and receiving
data.
The SerialLite II protocol specifies a link that is simple to build, uses as little logic as
possible, and requires little work for a logic designer to implement. The SerialLite II
MegaCore function uses all of the features available in the SerialLite II protocol. You
can parameterize the MegaCore function using the SerialLite II parameter editor.
A link built using the SerialLite II MegaCore function operates at 622 Mbps to 6.375
Gbps per lane. Link reliability is enhanced by the 8B10B encoding scheme and
optional CRC capabilities. You can achieve further reductions in the bit-error rate by
using the optional retry-on-error feature. Data rate and consumption mismatches can
be accommodated using the optional flow-control feature to ensure that no data is
lost.
Figure 1–1 shows that the SerialLite II MegaCore function is divided into two main
blocks: a protocol processing portion (data link layer) and a high-speed front end
(physical layer).
You can use the SerialLite II MegaCore function in the following applications:
■ Chip-to-chip connectivity
Figure 1–1. SerialLite II MegaCore Function High-Level Block Diagram
One or More
Lanes
Logical
Electrical
Physical Layer
Link Layer
Logical
Electrical
Physical Layer
Link Layer
User
Application
User
Application