This problem is caused by irrelevant OFFSET IN/OUT constraints generated by the XPS_ETHERNETLITE TCL file, which assumes that the PHY signals will be connected to external I/O pins.
To resolve this issue:
1. Right-click on the core in the GUI, and select 'Make this IP local'
2. Open the core TCL file at the "Project Folder/pcore/xps_ethernetlite_v4_00_a/data/xps_ethernetlite_v2_1_0.tcl"
3. Comment out the following lines:
########################################################
### OFFSET IN and OFFSET OUT constraints on PHY Clocks
########################################################
set tx_clk [ xget_connected_global_ports $mhsinst "PHY_tx_clk"]
set rx_clk [ xget_connected_global_ports $mhsinst "PHY_rx_clk"]
set global_tx_clk_name [ xget_hw_name [lindex $tx_clk 0] ]
set global_rx_clk_name [ xget_hw_name [lindex $rx_clk 0] ]
#puts $outputFile "OFFSET = OUT 10.000 AFTER \"$global_tx_clk_name\";"
puts $outputFile "OFFSET = IN 6.000 BEFORE \"$global_rx_clk_name\";"
#########################################################
Note:These TCL commands are used to generate the OFFSET IN/OUT constraint for the tx and rx clk, which are not required when connected to a mii_to_rmii core still inside the FPGA.
4. After commentthese command out, re-generate the bitstream
5. Refer to the following Answer Records for information on system-level constraints
http://www.xilinx.com/support/answers/18997.htm http://www.xilinx.com/support/answers/19112.htm This issue is fixed in the AXI_Ethernetlite core through the addition of a parameter to suppress constraint generation, starting in EDK 12.3. The XPS_Ethernetlite is not planned to be enhanced.