Low Cost Hardware for Preboot eXecution Environment - PXE

Total cost of ownership plays an important role in embedded system purchasing decisions. System architects are designing new embedded systems capable of booting from the network by implementing Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE), both in hardware and software, to address this issue. While PXE reduces the total cost of ownership, it results in increased cost due to additional hardware required for network interfaces.

This circuit using the Lattice's XP is cheaper than solutions based on traditional FPGAs because the density of the XP device required in this design is smaller than the equivalent traditional FPGA implementation. This possible because the logic used during the circuit board's normal operation replaces the logic required during the BIST and PXE modes using Lattice's in-system programmable ispXP™ technology.

Devices Used

• Power Manager
• LatticeXP

Functions Performed by Power Manager

• Soft start during Hot Insertion
• Power Sequencing and Tracking
• Supervisory Signal Generation
• Watchdog Timer

Lattice Advantages

• On-chip CPLD provides efficient implementation of sequencing, monitoring and the generation of supervisory signals
• Programmable analog thresholds enable monitoring of different supply voltages without external components
• Programmable delay timers offer flexible timing control

Functions Performed by LFX500

• Ethernet MAC
• BIST logic
• Clock Generation
• SDRAM Interface
• FIFO
• PCI Master/Target
• Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)
• CPU Interface State Machine

Lattice Advantages

• Lower Board Cost
• Increased Functionality
• Higher Performance
• Easy Field Upgrade

IP Cores Used

• 10/100/1000 Ethernet MAC
• PCI Master/Target
• SDRAM Controller

Reference Designs Used

• Clock generation