®
Small Footprint MII/RMII 10/100 Ethernet Transceiver with HP Auto-MDIX and flexPWR Technology
Datasheet
consists of up to 33 pulses. The 17 odd-numbered pulses, which are always present, frame the FLP
burst. The 16 even-numbered pulses, which may be present or absent, contain the data word being
transmitted. Presence of a data pulse represents a “1”, while absence represents a “0”.
The data transmitted by an FLP burst is known as a “Link Code Word.” These are defined fully in IEEE
802.3 clause 28. In summary, the transceiver advertises 802.3 compliance in its selector field (the first
5 bits of the Link Code Word). It advertises its technology ability according to the bits set in the Auto
Negotiation Advertisement Register.
There are 4 possible matches of the technology abilities. In the order of priority these are:
100M Full Duplex (Highest Priority)
100M Half Duplex
10M Full Duplex
10M Half Duplex (Lowest Priority)
If the full capabilities of the transceiver are advertised (100M, Full Duplex), and if the link partner is
capable of 10M and 100M, then auto-negotiation selects 100M as the highest performance mode. If
the link partner is capable of half and full duplex modes, then auto-negotiation selects full duplex as
the highest performance operation.
Once a capability match has been determined, the link code words are repeated with the acknowledge
bit set. Any difference in the main content of the link code words at this time will cause auto-negotiation
to re-start. Auto-negotiation will also re-start if not all of the required FLP bursts are received.
The capabilities advertised during auto-negotiation by the transceiver are initially determined by the
logic levels latched on the MODE[2:0] configuration straps after reset completes. These configuration
straps can also be used to disable auto-negotiation on power-up. Refer to Section 3.7.2, "MODE[2:0]:
Mode Configuration," on page 36 for additional information.
Writing the bits 8 through 5 of the Auto Negotiation Advertisement Register allows software control of
the capabilities advertised by the transceiver. Writing the Auto Negotiation Advertisement Register
does not automatically re-start auto-negotiation. The Restart Auto-Negotiate bit of the Basic Control
Register must be set before the new abilities will be advertised. Auto-negotiation can also be disabled
via software by clearing the Auto-Negotiation Enable bit of the Basic Control Register.
Note: The device does not support “Next Page” capability.
3.2.1
Parallel Detection
If the LAN8710A/LAN8710Ai is connected to a device lacking the ability to auto-negotiate (i.e. no FLPs
are detected), it is able to determine the speed of the link based on either 100M MLT-3 symbols or
10M Normal Link Pulses. In this case the link is presumed to be half duplex per the IEEE standard.
This ability is known as “Parallel Detection.” This feature ensures interoperability with legacy link
partners. If a link is formed via parallel detection, then the Link Partner Auto-Negotiation Able bit of the
Auto Negotiation Expansion Register is cleared to indicate that the Link Partner is not capable of auto-
negotiation. The controller has access to this information via the management interface. If a fault
occurs during parallel detection, the Parallel Detection Fault bit of Link Partner Auto-Negotiation Able
is set.
Auto Negotiation Link Partner Ability Register is used to store the link partner ability information, which
is coded in the received FLPs. If the link partner is not auto-negotiation capable, then the Auto
Negotiation Link Partner Ability Register is updated after completion of parallel detection to reflect the
speed capability of the link partner.
3.2.2
Restarting Auto-negotiation
Auto-negotiation can be restarted at any time by setting the Restart Auto-Negotiate bit of the Basic
Control Register. Auto-negotiation will also restart if the link is broken at any time. A broken link is
caused by signal loss. This may occur because of a cable break, or because of an interruption in the
SMSC LAN8710A/LAN8710Ai
27
Revision 1.4 (08-23-12)
DATASHEET
SMSC [ SMSC CORPORATION ]
