Multi Channel DMA Intel® FPGA IP for PCI Express Design Example User Guide

ID 683517
Date 4/29/2022
Public

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Document Table of Contents

2.4.1. Four-Port Avalon-ST Packet Generate/Check

Figure 10.  Avalon-ST Packet Generate/Check

This design example performs H2D and D2H multi channel DMA via Avalon-ST streaming as well as PIO operations. The Multi Channel DMA for PCI Express IP core provides four independent Avalon-ST Source/Sink ports. DMA channel and Avalon-ST port has 1:1 mapping.

This design example instantiates a packet generator and checker module.

For H2D (Tx) DMA, the host populates the descriptor rings, allocates Tx packet buffers in the host memory, and fills the Tx buffers with a predefined pattern. When the application updates the Queue Tail Pointer register (Q_TAIL_POINTER), the MCDMA IP starts the H2D DMA and sends the received data to the packet checker module, which verifies the data integrity.

For D2H (Rx) DMA, packets generated from a packet generator module are transferred to the host memory, where the host checks the data integrity.

For Bidirectional DMA, the packet generator and checker modules transmit/receive the packets simultaneously.

In addition, the design example enables Avalon-MM PIO master which bypasses the DMA path. It allows application to perform single, non-bursting register read/write operation with on-chip memory block. Also, test application software, perfq_app, uses the Avalon-MM PIO Master port to configure the Packet Generator and Checker.

The design example includes the Multi Channel DMA for PCI Express IP Core with the parameters you specified and following components:
  • resetIP – Reset Release IP that holds the Multi Channel DMA in reset until the entire FPGA fabric enters user mode.
  • MEM_PIO – On-chip memory for the PIO operation. Connected to the MCDMA Avalon-MM PIO Master (rx_pio_master) port that is mapped to PCIe BAR2.
  • GEN_CHK – Packet Generator and Checker for MCDMA. Connected to the MCDMA Avalon-ST Source (h2d_st_x) and Avalon-ST Sink (d2h_st_x) ports.
Transfer mode Options supported in test application software (perfq_app) command line:
  • PIO test: -o
  • DMA test: -t (Tx), -r (Rx), -z (Bidirectional)

For a description of which driver(s) to use with this design example, refer to Driver Support.