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The MAC ASIC
page -2 OmniSwitch Troubleshooting Guide September 2005
The MAC ASIC
There are two different types of MAC layer ASICs:
• Catalina
• Firenze
Catalina
The Catalina basically provides three functions: Media Access Control (MAC) Layer functions, data buff-
ering, and statistics accumulation and storage for each port.
The Catalina provides the interface between Ethernet analog devices (10/100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps) and
the Coronado. The Catalina has a total of thirteen network interfaces, twelve of which support 10/100
Mbps Ethernet through a RMII (Reduced Media Independent Interface) and the thirteenth supports 1000
Mbps. All Catalina ASIC buffer memory is dedicated to providing a smooth stream of data inbound from
the Ethernet ports to the Coronado or outbound from the Coronado to the Ethernet ports.
The Catalina does not contain system-level buffering for storing frames for later transmission. The Coro-
nado Queue Manager provides this function. Catalina packet processing is limited to physical-layer
processing. It does not perform any protocol processing or frame recognition. The Coronado handles these
functions. One or two Catalina ASIC is located on any network interface.
Coronado
Catalina 0 Catalina 1
...
...
12 10/100 ports 12 10/100 ports
XY-BUS
F-BUS
ENI-C-24
OS-7/8XXX