Spirent SmartBits System, Reference Manual

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Chapter 13: Token Ring Cards
Ring Protocols Used by the TR-8405
SmartBits System Reference 187
Once a download is started, each Token Ring card will halt any transmission in process
and drop off its ring. Each card receives the file and stores it in RAM memory until the
transmission is complete.
The card will then check the image for integrity, store the first copy of the image in Flash,
check that image for integrity and then store that image in Flash. This process takes about
20 seconds for the firmware image and about 8 seconds for the FPGA images.
Once the image is stored, the cards will reset the FPGAs (the top LED will show red) and
then reset by tripping its internal watchdog. After reset, the cards will boot up in the
normal way and reconnect to their rings. In rare cases, the reset may not work and so the
user may have to power cycle the hubs to restart that card.
The user can confirm that the image has loaded sucessfully to the cards by restarting the
utility since this should tell the user that the images on the cards match the image in the
file.
The card parameters are set to a default state after completing a firmware load. This state
has the cards set as 16MBits/sec stations, half duplex, connecting to the ring at startup
with the operating parameters set to continuous transmit, 64 byte frames, one frame per
token with the headers set on.