O V E R V I E W
Serdes Interface
Port 0
Deserializer
Serializer
Gigabit MAC
BCM5396
Serdes Interface
Port 1
Deserializer
Serializer
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Gigabit MAC
Serdes Interface
Port 2
Deserializer
Serializer
Serdes Interface
Port 3
Deserializer
Serializer
Serdes Interface
Port 4
Deserializer
Serializer
Quality of Service
(QoS)
MDIO / MDC
Interface
Serdes Interface
Port 5
Deserializer
Serializer
VLAN
Serdes Interface
Port 6
Deserializer
Serializer
Configuration
Pins
Register
Space
Serdes Interface
Port 7
Deserializer
Serializer
SPI Interface or
EEPROM Interface
Jumbo Frames
Port Trunking
Serdes Interface
Port 8
Deserializer
Serializer
Serdes Interface
Port 9
Deserializer
Serializer
Serdes Interface
Port 10
Deserializer
Serializer
Memory
Rate Control
Serdes Interface
Port 11
Deserializer
Serializer
Serdes Interface
Port 12
Deserializer
Serializer
Port Mirroring
Address
Management
Serdes Interface
Port 13
Deserializer
Serializer
Serdes Interface
Port 14
Deserializer
Serializer
Serdes Interface
Port 15
Deserializer
Serializer
GMII, MII, or
RGMII Interface
Switch Controller
Gigabit MAC
BCM5396 Block Diagram
The Broadcom BCM5396 device is a highly integrated solution ideally
suited for standalone Gigabit Ethernet switches and Gigabit Ethernet
control plane and backplane applications. It combines all the functions of
a high-speed switch system, including packet buffer, SerDes, media
access controllers, address management, and a nonblocking switch
fabric into a single 0.13 µm CMOS device.
typically used for high-performance connections to servers because they
offer a smaller percentage of overhead on the link for more efficiency.
SPI or EEPROM interfaces provide easy programming of the on-chip
802.1p QoS and/or DiffServ. This allows switch traffic to be given
different classes of priority or service. For example, voice traffic for IP
phone applications, video traffic for multimedia applications, or data
traffic for e-mail applications. Up to 4k virtual LANs (VLANs) can be
set up via the SPI port for separation of different users or groups on the
network. For multi-Gigabit per second connections, multiple ports of the
BCM5389 can be grouped together to form logical links. These links
feature automatic load balancing.
The BCM5396 complies with IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab, and 802.3x
specifications, including the MAC control, pause frame, and auto-
negotiation subsections, providing compatibility with all industry-
standard Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet devices.
The integrated sixteen SerDes cores enable direct connections across
backplanes with the lowest possible amount of traces. The device also
integrates seventeen IEEE compliant 10/100/1000 MACs. Sixteen of
these are internally connected to the SerDes cores offering alternatively
true serial interfaces for backplane connections or fiber optic
The BCM5396 can also be used in fully managed applications where
support for Spanning Tree and 802.1x MAC security are a requirement.
In such applications, the CPU will be connected using the SPI interface
for register control and the ninth MII interface for protocol frames.
transceivers or SGMII interfaces for connection to industry-standard
Gigabit Ethernet copper transceivers such as the Broadcom BCM5464R.
The seventeenth MAC features multiple MII interface modes (RvMII,
RGMII, GMII) for connection to a variety of CPUs.The media access
controllers on the BCM5396 also support jumbo frames which are
Finally, the BCM5396 supports per-port rate control for applications like
MTU/MDU switches where individual ports need to be restricted in
speed to comply with the agreed and paid for service levels.
Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything®, and the Connecting everything logo are among
the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries
and/or the EU. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective
owners.
®
BROADCOM CORPORATION
16215 Alton Parkway, P.O. Box 57013
Irvine, California 92619-7013
Phone: 949-450-8700
Fax: 949-450-8710
E-mail: info@broadcom.com
Web: www.broadcom.com
© 2006 by BROADCOM CORPORATION. All rights reserved.
5396-PB01-R
04/18/06