Altera SerialLite II IP Core - Manual (Page 54)

Chapter 3: Parameter Settings 3–31
Optimizing the Implementation
January 2014 Altera Corporation SerialLite II MegaCore Function
User Guide
■ Flow control—this feature requires logic to monitor the FIFO buffer levels and to
generate and act upon PAUSE instructions.
■ Streaming mode—use this mode if packet encapsulation is not required. The
link-layer portion of the SerialLite II MegaCore function contains a significant
amount of logic, which is reduced to zero in streaming mode.
Minimizing Memory Utilization
The amount of memory required for a SerialLite II link depends heavily on the
features you choose. To obtain a measure of the memory required for your
configuration, you must synthesize the design.
The following features have a significant impact on memory usage:
■ Lane count—this establishes the bus widths internally, and most memories used
scale almost directly with the number of lanes selected. Running fewer lanes at
higher bit rates, if possible, uses less memory (but places more of a burden on
meeting performance).
■ Receive FIFO buffer size—you can minimize memory usage by not adding
significant amounts of margin to the minimum specified sizes.
■ Use streaming mode if packet encapsulation is not required. The link-layer portion
of the SerialLite II MegaCore function contains a significant amount of logic,
which is reduced to zero in streaming mode.