Functions like industrial networking can burden the host processor performance and introduce additional complexity to embedded industrial designs. MCU/DSP/ASSP/ASIC designers might attempt to integrate all applications on one device. But, often, there is a need for a fieldbus-specific ASIC for industrial communications. As fieldbus communications migrate to higher bandwidth Industrial Ethernet protocol standards, stand-alone MCUs and DSP devices lack the performance to process Industrial Ethernet or other processes in parallel to the main application. Many do not support certain Industrial Ethernet standards that require protocol-specific stacks in the hardware. In addition, MCU/DSP devices and particularly ASICs and ASSPs, cannot be changed fast enough for each protocol standard. So either way the user ends up requiring another MCU or FPGA to bridge the system to the network. Adding another MCU or FPGA with an embedded processor as the communications processor can be costly because the design now moves from a single to a dual processor design. Ideally, it is desirable to simplify this dual processor design to contain the BOM cost, and reduce the form factor as well. The additional development time also translates to increased research and development costs and potential lost revenue and profit. Costs go even higher if a board needs to be designed for each Industrial Ethernet protocol that requires a protocol-specific MAC. Using an FPGA as the communications processor will provide the user with the maximum flexibility to adapt to changing networking standards on the same hardware platform, and minimize the number of hardware designs and subsequent software porting. Only an FPGA can provide the flexibility to support evolving standards on a single device. An FPGA can be reprogrammed as a co-processor to support any industrial networking protocol (or any other standard for that matter). Also, it can bridge legacy fieldbus systems to any Ethernet standard. And, with an FPGA, features can easily be changed or added, so a single FPGA platform can be used to deploy multiple products.