Ethernet Controller Chip Verification Technology

Ethernet is one of the most important technologies in computer networks. During it's 30-year development, Ethernet has been widely used in computer networks, industry control and telecommunication. 10BASE-T Ethernet are still in use in many cases. 10BASE-T defines the twisted pair medium and the corresponding signal process method. With its low costs, high reliability, 10ASE-T succeeded in the market. Integrated Ethernet controller is the equipment providing the system Ethernet communication service, which integrated the MAC and PHY layer function in one chip. The NE2000 software compatible Ethernet controller is the prevailing type of Ethernet controller and DP8390 series is the typical device.The Ethernet controller in this case is working between the system bus and the Ethernet medium that can be configured by the jumper or the jumpless mode. The configuration information is stored in an EEPROM and read at power up when jumpless mode is selected. The Ethernet controller support ISA system bus, Plug and Play compatible and NE2000 driver. It integrated a 16kb SRAM offering a single chip solution to implement IEEE802.3 10BASE2, 10BASE5, 10BASE-T medium transceiver. The functions are analyzed in detail to match the standards of the IEEE802.3 and ISA Plug and Play. Different simulation strategies are utilized to achieve fast fault locating and full functional coverage.