Abstract
The implementation method of the IEEE 802.11 Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol is mainly based on DSP (Digital Signal Processor)/ ARM (Advanced Reduced instruction set computer Machine) processor or DSP/ARM IP (Intellectual Property) core. This paper presents a method based on Nios II soft-core processor embedded in Altera’s Cyclone FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and MicroC/OS-II RTOS (Real-Time Operation System). The benefits and drawbacks of above methods are compared, and then the method presented in this paper is described. The hardware and software partitioning are discussed; the hardware architecture is also illustrated and the MAC software programming is described in detail. The presented method has some advantages, such as low cost, easy-implementation and very suitable for the implementation of IEEE 802.11 MAC in research stage.
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Xiao, W., Fang, Z. & Shi, Y. The design and implementation of the IEEE 802.11 MAC based on soft-core processor and RTOS. J. of Electron.(China) 24, 232–237 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11767-005-0180-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11767-005-0180-0
Key words
- IEEE 802.11
- Medium Access Control (MAC)
- Design and implementation
- Real-Time Operation System (RTOS)
- Soft-core processor