XAUI v12.3 Product Guide
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PG053 April 6, 2016
Chapter 3
Designing with the Core
This chapter provides a general description of how to use the XAUI core in your designs and
should be used in conjunction with
Chapter 5, Interfacing to the Core
which describes
specific core interfaces.
This chapter also describes the steps required to turn a XAUI core into a fully-functioning
design with user-application logic. It is important to realize that not all implementations
require all of the design steps listed in this chapter. Follow the logic design guidelines in
Chapter 6, Design Considerations
Use the Example Design as a Starting Point
Each instance of the XAUI core is delivered with an example design that can be
implemented in an FPGA and simulated. This design can be used as a starting point for your
own design or can be used to sanity-check your application in the event of difficulty.
See
Chapter 8, Detailed Example Design
for information about using and customizing the
example designs for the XAUI core.
Know the Degree of Difficulty
XAUI designs are challenging to implement in any technology, and the degree of difficulty
is further influenced by:
• Maximum system clock frequency
• Targeted device architecture
• Nature of your application
All XAUI implementations need careful attention to system performance requirements.
Pipelining, logic mapping, placement constraints, and logic duplication are all methods that
help boost system performance.