SLUUDO2 September   2026 AM2611 , AM2612 , AM2612-Q1 , AM2631 , AM2631-Q1 , AM2632 , AM2632-Q1 , AM2634 , AM2634-Q1 , AM263P2 , AM263P2-Q1 , AM263P4 , AM263P4-Q1

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3.   Trademarks
  4. 1Acronyms
  5. 2Introduction
  6. 3Introduction to CPSWSS and ENET-LLD
    1. 3.1 Hardware
    2. 3.2 Software
    3. 3.3 Application Software
      1. 3.3.1 Board and Peripherals Initialization (SYSCFG)
      2. 3.3.2 CPSW Configuration (ENET-LLD)
      3. 3.3.3 Operating System (FreeRTOS or NoRTOS)
      4. 3.3.4 Middleware Stack (LwIP, Arm® Mbed™ Platform TLS, TSN)
      5. 3.3.5 Application Layer
  7. 4Debugging Hardware and Software
    1. 4.1 Hardware Debugging
      1. 4.1.1 Schematic Review Checklist
        1. 4.1.1.1 Management Data Input/Output (MDIO and MDC)
        2. 4.1.1.2 RGMII Interface
      2. 4.1.2 PHY Debug
        1. 4.1.2.1 PHY Bootstrap Settings
        2. 4.1.2.2 Trace Length
        3. 4.1.2.3 Clock Configuration
        4. 4.1.2.4 Mode Settings
        5. 4.1.2.5 IO MUX and SW Switch Settings
        6. 4.1.2.6 PHY Troubleshooting Guides
        7. 4.1.2.7 Custom Pin MUX Settings
      3. 4.1.3 Test Setup
      4. 4.1.4 Software Debugging
        1. 4.1.4.1 Using GEL Scripts in CCS
          1. 4.1.4.1.1 Statistics Using GEL Scripts
          2. 4.1.4.1.2 Statistics Using Expressions
      5. 4.1.5 Debugging Custom Ethernet Software
        1. 4.1.5.1 Debugging Initialization Sequence
        2. 4.1.5.2 PHY Debugging
        3. 4.1.5.3 MAC Port Debugging
        4. 4.1.5.4 TX Path Debugging
        5. 4.1.5.5 Systematic Debugging Checklist
          1. 4.1.5.5.1 RX Path Debugging
          2. 4.1.5.5.2 Multicast or Broadcast Does Not Work, But Unicast Works
    2. 4.2 Custom Hardware Bring-Up Process
      1. 4.2.1 Example 1: CPSW PHY Loopback
        1. 4.2.1.1 Failure: PHY Not Detected or MDIO Bus Not Alive
        2. 4.2.1.2 Failure: TX Packets Transmitted But RX Count = 0
      2. 4.2.2 Example 2: CPSW MAC Loopback Example
        1. 4.2.2.1 Failure: MAC Loopback Initialization Fails
        2. 4.2.2.2 Failure: TX Packets Increase But RX = 0
        3. 4.2.2.3 Failure: Nonzero Error Counters
      3. 4.2.3 Example 3: Enet_Layer2_CPSW and Enet_Layer2_cpsw_switch
        1. 4.2.3.1 Hardware Setup
        2. 4.2.3.2 Failure: Link Never Comes UP
        3. 4.2.3.3 Failure: Link is Up But No Frames Are Received or Transmitted
        4. 4.2.3.4 Failure: RX and TX Counters Increase But Error Rates Are High
      4. 4.2.4 Example 4: Enet_lwip_cpsw_example
        1. 4.2.4.1 Failure: Link Never Comes Up
        2. 4.2.4.2 Failure: Links Up But No IP Address Is Assigned
        3. 4.2.4.3 Failure: Ping Fails Despite Link and IP Address
    3. 4.3 Debugging Packet Forwarding Issues (ALE and Statistics)
      1. 4.3.1 CPSW Statistics Architecture
        1. 4.3.1.1 What Each Block Measures
        2. 4.3.1.2 Counter Reference Tables
          1. 4.3.1.2.1 MAC Port – RX Counters
          2. 4.3.1.2.2 MAC Port – TX Counters
          3. 4.3.1.2.3 MAC Port and Host Port – ALE and FIFO Drop Counters
          4. 4.3.1.2.4 Host Port – ALE Flood and Overrun Counters
          5. 4.3.1.2.5 MAC Port RX Issues
          6. 4.3.1.2.6 MAC Port TX Issues
          7. 4.3.1.2.7 Host Port RX Issues
          8. 4.3.1.2.8 Host Port TX Issues
    4. 4.4 Custom Board Enablement in SYSCFG
    5. 4.5 LwIP Debug Guide
      1. 4.5.1 LwIP Stack Configuration
      2. 4.5.2 lwip_stats
  8. 5Conclusion
  9. 6References

Abstract

This application note is a comprehensive debugging guide for the CPSW (common platform switch) peripheral integrated within Texas Instruments' AM2x Sitara™ microcontroller family. Many TI controllers and processors use different variants of the CPSW, such as the CPSW2G, CPSW3G, CPSW5G, CPSW9G, and so forth. The CPSW3G variant is a hardware subsystem on AM26x MCUs from TI that enables high-performance Ethernet connectivity through two external gigabit Ethernet ports and one host port, supporting advanced switching and bridging capabilities essential for industrial communication, real-time networking, time-sensitive networking, and embedded Ethernet applications.

This application note is targeted at embedded software engineers and system developers working with designs based on the AM2x MCU and using the MCU+ SDK framework. This document serves as a practical troubleshooting resource for diagnosing and resolving common issues encountered during Ethernet application development. This application note enables developers to quickly identify root causes of connectivity failures, configuration errors, and packet loss.