Linux* Base Driver for the Intel(R) PRO/100 Family of Adapters
==============================================================
December 2, 2002
Contents
========
- In This Release
- Supported Adapters
- Building and Installation
- Command Line Parameters
- CPU Cycle Saver
- Additional Configurations
- Known Issues
- Support
In This Release
===============
This file describes the Linux* Base Driver for the Intel(R) PRO/100 Family of
Adapters, version 2.2.x. This driver is intended for 2.4.x kernels; it is
known to build properly on 2.4.x kernels through 2.4.18. Intel focused testing
on Intel architectures running the 2.4.18 kernel. 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.
Supported Adapters
==================
The following Intel network adapters are compatible with the drivers
in this release:
Controller Adapter Name Board IDs
---------- ------------ ---------
82558 PRO/100+ PCI Adapter 668081-xxx, 689661-xxx
82558 PRO/100+ Management Adapter 691334-xxx, 701738-xxx,
721383-xxx
82558 PRO/100+ Dual Port Server Adapter 714303-xxx, 711269-xxx,
A28276-xxx
82558 PRO/100+ PCI Server Adapter 710550-xxx
82550 PRO/100 S Server Adapter 752438-xxx (82550)
82559 A56831-xxx, A10563-xxx,
A12171-xxx, A12321-xxx,
A12320-xxx, A12170-xxx
748568-xxx (82559)
748565-xxx (82559)
82550 PRO/100 S Desktop Adapter 751767-xxx (82550)
82559 748592-xxx, A12167-xxx,
A12318-xxx, A12317-xxx,
A12165-xxx
748569-xxx (82559)
82559 PRO/100+ Server Adapter 729757-xxx
82559 PRO/100 S Management Adapter 748566-xxx, 748564-xxx
82550 PRO/100 S Dual Port Server Adapter A56831-xxx
82551 PRO/100 M Desktop Adapter A80897-xxx
PRO/100 S Advanced Management Adapter 747842-xxx, 745171-xxx
CNR PRO/100 VE Desktop Adapter A10386-xxx, A10725-xxx,
A23801-xxx, A19716-xxx
PRO/100 VM Desktop Adapter A14323-xxx, A19725-xxx,
A23801-xxx, A22220-xxx,
A23796-xxx
To verify that 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
A12345-001. 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, refer to the following
website. In the search field, enter your adapter name or type, or use the
networking link on the left to search for your adapter:
http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/support_intel.asp
Building and Installation
=========================
To build a binary RPM* package of this driver run 'rpmbuild -tb
<filename.tar.gz>'. Replace <filename.tar.gz> with the specific file name of
the driver.
NOTES: For the build to work properly it is important that the currently
running kernel MATCH the version and configuration of the installed
kernel source. If you have just recompiled your kernel, reboot the
system and choose the correct kernel to boot.
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 the archive by entering the following, where <x.x.x> is the
version number for the driver tar:
tar xfz e100-<x.x.x>.tar.gz
3. Change to the driver src directory by entering the following, where
<x.x.x> is the version number for the driver tar:
cd e100-<x.x.x>/src/
4. Compile the driver module:
make install
The binary will be installed as one of the following:
/lib/modules/<kernel_version>/kernel/drivers/net/e100.o
/lib/modules/<kernel_version>/net/e100.o
The install locations listed above are the default locations. They may
not be correct for certain Linux distributions. For more information, see
the ldistrib.txt file included in the driver tar.
5. Install the module:
insmod e100 <parameter>=<value>
6. Assign an IP address to the interface by entering the following, where
<x> is the interface number:
ifconfig eth<x> <IP_address>
7. Verify that the interface works. Enter the following, where <IP_address>
is the IP address for another machine on the same subnet as the interface
that is being tested:
ping <IP_address>
Command Line Parameters
=======================
If the driver is built as a module, the following optional parameters are
used by entering them on the command line with the modprobe or insmod command
using this syntax:
modprobe e100 [<option>=<VAL1>,<VAL2>,...]
insmod e100 [<option>=<VAL1>,<VAL2>,...]
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.
The default value for each parameter is generally the recommended setting,
unless otherwise noted.
NOTE: Giving any command line option the value "-1" causes the driver to use
the appropriate default value for that option, as if no value was
specified.
BundleMax
Valid Range: 1-65535
Default Value: 6
This parameter holds the maximum number of small packets (less than 128
bytes) in a bundle. Suggested values range from 2 to 10. See "CPU Cycle
Saver."
BundleSmallFr
Valid Range: 0-1 (0=off, 1=on)
Default Value: 0
The value 1 (on) causes small packets (less than 128 bytes) to be bundled.
See "CPU Cycle Saver."
e100_speed_duplex
Valid Range: 0-4 (1=10half;2=10full;3=100half;4=100full)
Default Value: 0
The default value of 0 sets the adapter to auto-negotiate. Other values
set the adapter to forced speed and duplex.
Example usage: insmod e100.o e100_speed_duplex=4,4 (for two adapters)
flow_control
Valid Range: 0-1 (0=off, 1=on)
Default Value: 0
This parameter controls the automatic generation(Tx) and response(Rx) to
Ethernet PAUSE frames. flow_control should NOT be set to 1 when the
adapter is connected to an interface that does not support Ethernet PAUSE
frames and when the e100_speed_duplex parameter is NOT set to zero.
IntDelay
Valid Range: 0-65535 (0=off)
Default Value: 1536
This parameter holds the number of time units (in adapter terminology)
until the adapter generates an interrupt. The recommended value for
IntDelay is 1536 (upon initialization). Suggested values range from
512 to 2048. See "CPU Cycle Saver."
IFS
Valid Range: 0-1 (0=off, 1=on)
Default Value: 1
Inter Frame Spacing (IFS) aims to reduce the number of Ethernet frame
collisions by altering the time between frame transmissions. When IFS is
enabled the driver tries to find an optimal IFS value. It is used only at
half duplex.
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-based systems is 64.
TxDescriptors
Valid Range: 19-1024
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-based systems is 64.
ucode
Valid Range: 0-1 (0=off, 1=on)
Default Value: 0 for 82558-based adapters
1 for 82559, 82550, and 82551-based adapters
On uploads the micro code to the adapter, which enables CPU Cycle Saver.
See the section "CPU Cycle Saver" below.
Example usage: insmod e100.o ucode=1
Not available on 82557-based adapters.
XsumRX
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.
Not available on 82557 and 82558-based adapters.
CPU Cycle Saver
================
CPU Cycle Saver reduces CPU utilization by reducing the number of interrupts
that the adapter generates.
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, BundleMax and
BundleSmallFr. 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 small frames (less than 128 bytes)
specified to arrive before generating the interrupt. When BundleSmallFr is
disabled, the adapter does not bundle small packets. Such small packets are
often, but not always, control packets that are better served immediately;
therefore, BundleSmallFr is disabled by default.
For most users, it is recommended that CPU Cycle Saver be used with the
default values specified in the Command Line Parameters section. However, in
some cases, performance problems may occur with CPU Cycle Saver. If such
problems are observed, we recommend turning off this feature by setting
ucode=0.
Additional Configurations
=========================
Configuring the Driver on Different Distributions
-------------------------------------------------
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 name for the Linux Base Driver for the Intel PRO/100 Family of
Adapters is e100.
As an example, if you install the e100 driver for two PRO/100 adapters
(eth0 and eth1) and set the speed and duplex to 10full and 100half, add the
following to modules.conf:
alias eth0 e100
alias eth1 e100
options e100 e100_speed_duplex=2,3
Viewing Link Messages
---------------------
In order to see link messages and other Intel driver information on your
console, you must set the dmesg level up to six. This can be done by
entering the following on the command line before loading the e100 driver:
dmesg -n 6
If you wish to see all messages issued by the driver, including debug
messages, set the dmesg level to eight.
NOTE: This setting is not saved across reboots.
Enabling Wake on LAN* (WoL)
---------------------------
WoL is provided through the Ethtool* utility. Ethtool is included with Red
Hat* 8.0. For other Linux distributions, download and install Ethtool from
the following website: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gkernel.
For instructions on enabling WoL with Ethtool, refer to the website listed
above.
WoL will be enabled on the system during the next shut down or reboot. For
this driver version, in order to enable WoL, the e100 driver must be
loaded when shutting down or rebooting the system.
Known Issues
============
NOTE: For distribution-specific information, refer to the ldistrib.txt file
included in the driver tar.
Driver Compilation
------------------
When trying to compile the driver by running make install, the following
error may occur:
"Linux kernel source not configured - missing version.h"
To solve this issue, create the version.h file by going to the Linux source
tree and entering:
make include/linux/version.h.
Multiple Interfaces on Same Ethernet Broadcast Network
------------------------------------------------------
Due to the ARP behavior on Linux, it is not possible to have one system on
two IP networks in the same Ethernet broadcast domain (non-partitioned
switch) behave as expected. All Ethernet interfaces will respond to IP
traffic for any IP address assigned to the system. This results in
unbalanced receive traffic.
When this occurs, transmits and receives for a single conversation can be
split across different network interfaces. Additionally, the server might
have up to twice as much transmit capacity as receive capacity, which can
result in the receive side being overrun and dropping receives.
If you have multiple interfaces in a server, install them in different
switches or partition the switch into VLANs to prevent broadcast traffic
from going to the wrong interface. This does not apply when using a teaming
solution, like ANS.
Support
=======
For general information, 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
=======
This software program is released under the terms of a license agreement
between you ('Licensee') and Intel. Do not use or load this software or any
associated materials (collectively, the 'Software') until you have carefully
read the full terms and conditions of the LICENSE located in this software
package. By loading or using the Software, you agree to the terms of this
Agreement. If you do not agree with the terms of this Agreement, do not
install or use the Software.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
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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.
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