Alcatel Carrier Internetworking Solutions 6800 User Manual

The MAC ASIC

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OmniSwitch Troubleshooting Guide

There are two different types of MAC layer ASICs:

• Catalina

• Firenze

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 

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