VSC8489/VSC8490/VSC8491 Evaluation Board
VPPD-03745 VSC8489/VSC8490/VSC8491 User Guide Revision 1.0
2
2
Introduction
The VSC8489, VSC8490, and VSC8491 family of devices are dual and single channel (R)XAUI to SFI PHYs.
They support the standard 10.3125 Gbps Ethernet LAN mode per
as well as the 9.95328
IEEE802.ae
Gbps WIS mode from IEEE 802.3ae Clause 50. In addition, the family supports IEEE 802.3ap and 1.25
Gbps rates as well. Certain device variants support the IEEE 1588v2 protocol and/or MACsec protocol.
One of the goals of the VSC8489/8490/8491 evaluation board (EVB) is to enable the user to observe the
signal quality of the SFI I/Os through SMA connectors. AC-coupling caps serves as jumpers to switch the
10 G signals between SMAs and the SFP+ connector. The (R)XAUI side can be looped back through the
VSC3316 crosspoint. The VSC3316 can optionally route the (R)XAUI signals to SMA connectors for
external connections. A smaller VSC3308 crosspoint facilitates routing of multiple input and output clock
signals.
For device variants that support IEEE 1588 and MACsec, the EVB can be used to demonstrate simple
features. For IEEE 1588 these basic features include load/save of the time to the LTC, read the egress
timestamp (TS) through MDIO or 1588_SPI and place the TS into the packet in one-step mode. Although
quite limited, the EVB may be used exercise the MACsec functions of encrypt and decrypt specific
defined frames. For more advanced IEEE 1588 and MACsec features the VSC5621EV should be used. This
platform includes a Vitesse switch running Vitesse software on the integrated MIPs processor as well as
both 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps IEEE 1588 and MACsec capable PHYs.
A GUI is provided for the user to control the EVB from a PC via a USB cable. The GUI allows the user to
configure devices, access registers, and run scripts. The GUI may be used without an EVB in a
demonstration mode to provide an introduction to the device features.
An external 5 V power supply is required to power to the EVB. On-board voltage regulators are used to
supply the 1.0 V, 1.2 V, and 2.5 V power rails for the device and the 3.3 V power rail used for auxiliary
components.
The default configuration of the EVB is such that one port is routed to a SFP+ connector (module not
included) and one port is routed to SMAs. This configuration allows the user to easily connect the
evaluation board to lab equipment such as a high speed oscilloscope, bit error rate tester, or protocol
analyzer (i.e., IXIA, Spirent, etc.) through SMA cables or fiber.
The following sections will provide more detailed information in configuring the evaluation board and
the features of the hardware and software associated with the board. The VSC8490EV is used
throughout this document whereas the VSC8489EV and VSC8490EV will behave similarly.
2.1
References
The following documents provide additional information regarding the device and evaluation board.
VSC8489 Datasheet (
)
http://www.vitesse.com/products/download.php?number=VSC8489
VSC8490 Datasheet (
)
http://www.vitesse.com/products/download.php?number=VSC8490
VSC8491 Datasheet (
)
http://www.vitesse.com/products/download.php?number=VSC8491
2.2
General Description
The evaluation board provides electrical connections via 2.92 mm SMA connectors to various signals.
The figure below shows the evaluation board. Channel 0 is found towards the top and upper right side
of the board while Channel 1 is available on the bottom and bottom right side.
