Linux Driver for the Intel(R) PRO/100 Family of Adapters
========================================================
July 19, 2001
Contents
========
- In This Release
- Supported Adapters
- Building and Installation
- Command Line Parameters
- CPU Cycle Saver
- Additional Configurations
- Support
- License
In This Release
===============
This file describes the Linux driver, version 1.6.x, for the Intel(R)
PRO/100 family of server and desktop adapters. This driver is known
to build properly on 2.2.x kernels through 2.2.19 and on 2.4.x kernels
through 2.4.4. Intel focused testing on PCs with Intel processors with
kernels 2.4.2 and 2.2.14. This driver includes support for
Itanium(TM)-based systems.
The Intel PRO/100 Driver is only supported as a loadable module at this
time. Intel is not supplying patches against the kernel source to allow
for static linking of the driver. For questions related to hardware
requirements, refer to the documentation supplied with your Intel PRO/100
adapter. All hardware requirements listed apply to use with Linux.
The following features are new for this release:
-Command line parameters added for CPU Cycle Saver: IntDelay and
BundleMax
-Updated uCode for the 82550-based network adapter
Supported Adapters
==================
The following Intel network adapters are compatible with the drivers
in this release:
Adapter Name Board IDs
------------ ---------
PRO/100+ Server Adapter 729757-xxx
PRO/100+ PCI Adapter 668081-xxx, 689661-xxx
PRO/100+ Management Adapter 691334-xxx, 701738-xxx,
721383-xxx
PRO/100 S Management Adapter 748566-xxx, 748564-xxx
PRO/100 S Advanced Management Adapter 747842-xxx, 745171-xxx
PRO/100+ Dual Port Server Adapter 714303-xxx, 711269-xxx,
A28276-xxx
PRO/100+ PCI Server Adapter 710550-xxx
PRO/100 S Server Adapter 748568-xxx, 748565-xxx,
A10563-xxx, A12171-xxx,
A12321-xxx, A12320-xxx,
A12170-xxx, 752438-xxx
PRO/100 VE Desktop Adapter A10386-xxx, A10725-xxx,
A23801-xxx
PRO/100 VM Desktop Adapter A14323-xxx, A19725-xxx,
A23801-xxx, A22220-xxx,
A23796-xxx
PRO/100 S Desktop Adapter 748592-xxx, A12167-xxx,
A12318-xxx, A12317-xxx,
A12165-xxx, 751767-xxx
To verify your adapter is supported, find the board ID number on the
adapter. Look for a label that has a barcode and a number in the format
123456-001 (six digits hyphen three digits). Match this to the list of
numbers above.
For more information on how to identify your adapter, go to the Adapter
& Driver ID Guide at:
http://support.intel.com/support/network/adapter/pro100/21397.htm
For the latest Intel network drivers for Linux, see:
http://support.intel.com/support/network/adapter/pro100/pro100plus/index.htm
Building and Installation
=========================
NOTE:
- For the build to work properly it is important that the currently
running kernel MATCH the version and configuration of the installed
kernel sources.
- If you have just recompiled your kernel, reboot the system now.
- If you are building the e100 driver on a fresh install of Red Hat*
without recompiling the kernel, the build will generate warnings. This
is normal and will not affect driver performance.
- If you have difficulties, remove the non-Intel eepro100 module.
1. Move the base driver tar file to the directory of your choice.
For example, use /home/username/e100 or /usr/local/src/e100
2. untar/unzip archive
tar xfz e100-x.x.x.tar.gz
3. Change to the driver src directory
cd e100-x.x.x/src/
4. Compile the driver module
make install
NOTE: To insure an SMP driver build use: make SMP=1 install
The binary will be installed as:
For Linux 2.2.x systems:
/lib/modules/[KERNEL_VERSION]/net/e100.o
For Linux 2.4.x systems:
/lib/modules/[KERNEL_VERSION]/kernel/drivers/net/e100.o
5. Install the module
insmod e100
6. ifconfig eth# <IP_address>
where # is interface number
7. Verify that the interface works
ping <your_IP_address>
To build a binary RPM* package of this driver run 'rpm -tb <filename.tar.gz>'.
Replace <filename.tar.gz> with the specific file name of driver.
Command Line Parameters
=======================
The following parameters are used by entering them on the command line
with the modprobe (or insmod) command. For example, with two Intel
PRO/100 PCI adapters, entering:
modprobe e100 TxDescriptors=32,128
loads the e100 driver with 32 TX resources for the first adapter
and 128 TX resources for the second adapter. This configuration
favors the second adapter. The driver supports up to 16 network
adapters concurrently.
TxDescriptors
Valid Range: 17-1024
Default Value: 64
This value is the number of transmit descriptors allocated by the
driver. Increasing this value allows the protocol stack to
queue more transmits at the driver level. The maximum value for
Itanium(TM)-based systems is 64.
RxDescriptors
Valid Range: 8-1024
Default Value: 64
This parameter defines the number of receive descriptors allocated by
the driver. Increasing this value allows the driver to buffer more
incoming packets before the driver is required to service an
interrupt. The maximum value for Itanium(TM)-based systems is 64.
XsumRX (Adapter dependent, Itanium(TM)-based systems with 82550-based
adapters only)
Valid Range: 0-1 (0=off, 1=on)
Default Value: 1
On allows Rx checksum offloading for TCP/UDP packets
(requires that the hardware support this feature - 82550 on
Itanium(TM)-based systems only).
e100_speed_duplex
Valid Range: 0-4 (1=10half;2=10full;3=100half;4=100full)
Default Value: 0
The default value of 0 is set to auto-negotiate if the link partner
is set to auto-negotiate. If the link partner is forced,
e100_speed_duplex defaults to half duplex. Example usage:
insmod e100.o e100_speed_duplex=4,4 (for two adapters)
ucode
Valid Range: 0-1 (0=off, 1=on)
Default Value: 0
On uploads the microcode to the adapter, which enables CPU Cycle
Saver. See the section "CPU Cycle Saver" below.
Example usage: insmod e100.o ucode=0 (does not reduce CPU usage)
IntDelay
Valid Range: 0-0xFFFF (0=off)
Default Value: 0
This parameter holds the number of time units (in adapter terminology)
until the adapter generates an interrupt in case the bundle is not full.
The recommended value for IntDelay is 0x600 (upon initialization).
Reasonable values range from 0x200h to 0x800. See "CPU Cycle Saver."
BundleMax
Valid Range: 0x1-0xFFFF
Default Value: 6
This parameter holds the maximum number of packets in a bundle.
Reasonable values range from 2 to 10. See "CPU Cycle Saver."
CPU Cycle Saver
================
CPU Cycle Saver reduces CPU utilization by reducing the number of
interrupts that the adapter generates. The default for this
feature is off (IntDelay = 0).
When CPU Cycle Saver is turned off, the adapter generates one
interrupt for every frame that is received. This means that the operating
system stops what it is doing and switches to the network driver in
order to process the receive.
When CPU Cycle Saver is on, the adapter does not generate an
interrupt for every frame it receives. Instead, it waits until it
receives several frames before generating an interrupt. This reduces the
amount of time spent switching to and from the driver.
CPU Cycle Saver consists of these arguments: IntDelay and BundleMax.
When IntDelay is increased, the adapter waits longer for frames to
arrive before generating the interrupt. By increasing BundleMax, the network
adapter waits for the number of frames specified to arrive before generating
the interrupt.
For most users, it is recommended that CPU Cycle Saver be turned off.
However, for serves or clients that are constantly receiving frames, it is
recommended to turn on CPU Cycle Saver, using the values mentioned in
"Command Line Parameters."
Additional Configurations
=========================
Configuring a network driver to load properly when the system is started
is distribution dependent. Typically, the configuration process involves
adding an alias line to /etc/modules.conf as well as editing other system
startup scripts and/or configuration files. Many popular Linux distributions
ship with tools to make these changes for you. To learn the proper way to
configure a network device for your system, refer to your distribution
documentation. If during this process you are asked for the driver or module
name, the driver name for the Intel PRO/100 is 'e100'.
Support
=======
For general information and support, go to the Intel support Website at:
http://support.intel.com
If an issue is identified with the released source code on the supported
kernel with a supported adapter, email the specific information related
to the issue to linux.nics@intel.com.
License
=======
Copyright (c) 1999-2001, Intel Corporation
All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice,
this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
3. Neither the name of Intel Corporation nor the names of its contributors
may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software
without specific prior written permission.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS''
AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR
PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE,
EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
* Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.