This section contains the Ethernet Interface Loopback Support configuration example.

This feature support is to provide additional hardware diagnostic functionality for physical ports on boards. This feature will enable the user to determine if there are any issues in the physical port at the MAC and the PHY layer.

To achieve this functionality, the Ethernet interfaces can be configured as the loopback interfaces. Looping back the packets are possible either at MAC layer or at PHY layer. Also packets can be looped either from Egress to Ingress or Ingress to Egress. On enabling this feature, if all the TX packets are looped back to RX, it indicates there is no issue with the hardware at the particular layer configured, either MAC or PHY.

When the loopback Tx PHY is enabled on an Ethernet interface, packets that the traffic generator receives on such an interface are loop-backed to the originator and forwarded to the destination.

Because loopback is enabled as the Tx PHY in the diagram above, packets will loop at the physical layer, and the same number of packets will be returned to the traffic generator from the DUT's Egress to Ingress side. Thus, the Tx and Rx counts of receiving and transmitting interfaces are the same. The packets are looped and also forwarded to their next destination.

Loopback Tx MAC is enabled on the Ethernet interface, and when packets from the traffic generator arrive on such an interface, they are loop-backed to the originator rather than being forwarded.

In the above diagram, as loopback is enabled as a Tx MAC, the packets will loop at the MAC layer (data link layer), and the same number of packets are returned from the egress side to the ingress side of the DUT to the traffic generator. Thus, the Tx and Rx counts of receiving and transmitting interfaces are the same. The packets are looped but not forwarded further.

Loopback Rx PHY is enabled on the ethernet interface, and when packets from the traffic generator arrive at a remote node via such an interface, they are loop-backed to the originator and forwarded to the next route.

In the above diagram, as loopback is enabled as Rx PHY on DUT2, the packets will loop at the physical layer of the DUT2, and the same number of packets are returned from the ingress to the egress side of the DUT2 to DUT1 and the traffic generator. Thus, the Tx and Rx counts of receiving and transmitting interfaces are the same. The packets are looped back to Traffic Generator1 as well as forwarded to Traffic Generator2.

Loopback Rx MAC is enabled on the ethernet interface, and when packets from the traffic generator arrive at a remote node via such an interface, they are loop-backed to the originator but not forwarded to the next route.

In the above diagram, as loopback is enabled as Rx MAC on DUT2, the packets will loop at the MAC layer (data link layer) of the DUT2, and the same number of packets are returned from the ingress to the egress side of the DUT2 to DUT1 and the traffic generator. Thus, the Tx and Rx counts of receiving and transmitting interfaces are the same. The packets are looped back to Traffic Generator1, but not forwarded to Traffic Generator2.

On ROUTER-1 Device:

On ROUTER-2 Device:

Interface counters before configuring loopback on both the devices:

Interface counters after configuring loopback Tx PHY on ROUTER-1 device:

On ROUTER-2 device:

Interface counters before configuring loopback on both the devices:

Interface counters after configuring loopback Tx PHY on ROUTER-1 devices:

On ROUTER-2 device:

Interface counters after configuring loopback Rx PHY on ROUTER-2 device