Книга: Embedded Linux Primer: A Practical, Real-World Approach

3.2.3. Freescale PowerPC

3.2.3. Freescale PowerPC

Freescale Semiconductor has a large range of PowerPC processors with integrated peripherals. The manufacturer is currently advertising its PowerPC product portfolio centered on three broad vertical-market segments: networking, automotive, and industrial. Freescale PowerPC processors have enjoyed enormous success in the networking market segment. This lineup of processors has wide appeal in a large variety of network equipment, from the low end to the high end of the product space.

In a recent press release, Freescale Semiconductor announced that it had shipped more than 200 million integrated communications processors.[20] Part of this success is based around the company's PowerQUICC product line. The PowerQUICC architecture has been shipping for more than a decade. It is based on a PowerPC core integrated with a QUICC engine (also called a communications processor module or CPM in the Freescale literature). The QUICC engine is an independent RISC processor designed to offload the communications processing from the main PowerPC core, thus freeing up the PowerPC core to focus on control and management applications. The QUICC engine is a complex but highly flexible communications peripheral controller.

^[5] In its current incarnation, PowerQUICC encompasses four general families. For convenience, as we discuss these PowerQUICC products, we refer to it as PQ.

The PQ I family includes the original PowerPC-based PowerQUICC implementations and consists of the MPC8xx family of processors. These integrated communications processors operate at 50-133MHz and feature the embedded PowerPC 8xx core. The PQ I family has been used for ATM and Ethernet edge devices such as routers for the home and small office (SOHO) market, residential gateways, ASDL and cable modems, and similar applications.

The CPM or QUICC engine incorporates two unique and powerful communications controllers. The Serial Communication Controller (SCC) is a flexible serial interface capable of implementing many serial-based communications protocols, including Ethernet, HDLC/SDLC, AppleTalk, synchronous and asynchronous UARTs, IrDA, and other bit stream data.

The Serial Management Controller (SMC) is a module capable of similar serial-communications protocols, and includes support for ISDN, serial UART, and SPI protocols.

Using a combination of these SCCs and SMCs, it is possible to create very flexible I/O combinations. An internal time-division multiplexer even allows these interfaces to implement channelized communications such as T1 and E1 I/O.

Table 3-3 summarizes a small sampling of the PQ I product line.

Table 3-3. Freescale Select PowerQUICC I Highlights

The next step up in the Freescale PowerPC product line is PowerQUICC II. PQ II incorporates the company's G2 PowerPC core derived from the 603e embedded PowerPC core. These integrated communications processors operate at 133-450MHz and feature multiple 10/100Mbps Ethernet interfaces, security engines, and ATM and PCI support, among many others. The PQ II encompasses the MPC82xx products.

PQ II adds two new types of controllers to the QUICC engine. The FCC is a full-duplex fast serial communications controller. The FCC supports high-speed communications such as 100Mbps Ethernet and T3/E3 up to 45Mbps. The MCC is a multichannel controller capable of 128KB x 64KB channelized data.

Table 3-4 summarizes the highlights of selected PowerQUICC II processors.

Table 3-4. Freescale Select PowerQUICC II Highlights

Based on the Freescale PowerPC e300 core (evolved from the G2/603e), the PowerQUICC II Pro family operates at 266-667MHz and features support for Gigabit Ethernet, dual data rate (DDR) SDRAM controllers, PCI, high-speed USB, security acceleration, and more. These are the MPC83xx family of processors. The PQ II and PQ II Pro families of processors have been designed into a wide variety of equipment, such as LAN and WAN switches, hubs and gateways, PBX systems, and many other systems with similar complexity and performance requirements.

The PowerQUICC II Pro contains three family members without the QUICC engine, and two that are based on an updated version of the QUICC engine. The MPC8358E and MPC8360E both add a new Universal Communications Controller, which supports a variety of protocols.

Table 3-5 summarizes the highlights of select members of the PQ II Pro family.

At the top of the PowerQUICC family are the PQ III processors. These operate between 600MHz and 1.5GHz. They are based on the e500 core and support Gigabit Ethernet, DDR SDRAM, RapidIO, PCI and PCI/X, ATM, HDLC, and more. This family incorporates the MPC85xx product line. These processors have found their way into high-end products such as wireless base station controllers, optical edge switches, central office switches, and similar equipment.

Table 3-6 highlights some of the PQ III family members.

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