L2 Ethernet Switch VLSI Implementation

TL;DR

This paper presents an open source VLSI design for an L2 Ethernet switch, detailing architecture choices and tradeoffs to enhance throughput, efficiency, and packet integrity in local network routing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel open source VLSI implementation of an L2 Ethernet switch, including analysis of power, performance, and area tradeoffs.

Findings

Design achieves high throughput and efficiency.

Tradeoff analysis guides architecture decisions.

Open source implementation promotes transparency and collaboration.

Abstract

Ethernet switches are foundational to the global internet infrastructure. These devices route packets of data on a local area network between source addresses to destination media access control addresses. On the L2 layer of the Open Systems Interconnections model, Ethernet switches take in digitized data from a Media Independent Interface and send it to the corresponding output port for the destination address. Switches need to handle parallel input and output streams from each port, prioritizing throughput, efficiency, and packet integrity. Due to the confidential nature of the networking device industry, there do not exist many open source implementations of switching fabrics. We propose an open source design for an L2 Ethernet switch along with the power, performance, and area tradeoffs for architecture decisions.