Linux* Base Driver for the Intel(R) PRO/1000 Family of Adapters
===============================================================
April 23, 2002
Contents
========
- In This Release
- Supported Adapters
- Building and Installation
- Command Line Parameters
- Speed and Duplex Configuration
- Additional Configurations
- Known Issues
- Troubleshooting
- Support
In This Release
===============
This file describes the Linux* Base Driver for the Intel(R) PRO/1000 Family
of Adapters, version 4.2.x. This driver is intended for 2.2.x and 2.4.x
kernels; it is known to build properly on 2.2.x kernels through 2.2.20 and
on 2.4.x kernels through 2.4.18. Intel focused testing on Intel architectures
running kernels 2.4.7. This driver includes support for Itanium(TM)-based
systems.
This 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/1000 adapter. All hardware
requirements listed apply to use with Linux.
This release version includes the following:
- Hooks for Intel ANS, the Intel Advanced Network Services driver. Some
base driver versions within specific distributions, including Red Hat*,
do not include these hooks.
- Support for the ethtool 1.5 interface. A third-party application can use
the ethtool interface to get and set driver parameters.
- Zero copy. This feature provides faster data throughput. Enabled by
default in supporting kernels. It is not supported on the Intel(R)
PRO/1000 Gigabit Server Adapter.
New features include:
- Support for the 82545 and 82546-based adapters listed below
- Wake on LAN* support via ethtool for 82540, 82544, 82545, and 82546-
based adapters
- Adaptive IFS for increased performance at half duplex
Supported Adapters
==================
The following Intel network adapters are compatible with the drivers in this
release:
Controller Adapter Name Board IDs
---------- ------------ ---------
82542 PRO/1000 Gigabit Server Adapter 700262-xxx, 717037-xxx
82543 PRO/1000 F Server Adapter 738640-xxx, A38888-xxx
82543 PRO/1000 T Server Adapter A19845-xxx, A33948-xxx
82544 PRO/1000 XT Server Adapter A51580-xxx
82544 PRO/1000 XF Server Adapter A50484-xxx
82544 PRO/1000 T Desktop Adapter A62947-xxx
82540 PRO/1000 MT Desktop Adapter A78408-xxx
82545 PRO/1000 MT Server Adapter A92165-xxx
82546 PRO/1000 MT Dual Port Server Adapter A92111-xxx
82545 PRO/1000 MF Server Adapter A91622-xxx
82545 PRO/1000 MF Server Adapter(LX) A91624-xxx
82546 PRO/1000 MF Dual Port Server Adapter A91620-xxx
To verify your Intel 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 of
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, go to:
http://appsr.intel.com/scripts-df/support_intel.asp
Building and Installation
=========================
To build a binary RPM* package of this driver, run 'rpm -tb <filename.tar.gz>'.
Replace <filename.tar.gz> with the specific filename of the driver.
NOTE: For the build to work properly, the currently running kernel MUST match
the version and configuration of the installed kernel sources. If you
have just recompiled the kernel reboot the system now.
1. Move the base driver tar file to the directory of your choice. For example,
use /home/username/e1000 or /usr/local/src/e1000.
2. Untar/unzip archive:
tar zxf e1000-x.x.x.tar.gz
3. Change to the driver src directory:
cd e1000-x.x.x/src/
4. Compile the driver module:
make install
The binary will be installed as:
For Linux 2.2.x systems:
/lib/modules/[KERNEL_VERSION]/net/e1000.o
For Linux 2.4.x systems:
/lib/modules/[KERNEL_VERSION]/kernel/drivers/net/e1000.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 e1000 <parameter>=<value>
6. Assign an IP address to the interface by entering the following, where
x is interface number:
ifconfig ethx <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
=======================
The following parameters are used by entering them on the command line with
the modprobe or insmod command. For example, with two PRO/1000 PCI adapters,
entering:
insmod e1000 TxDescriptors=80,128
loads the e1000 driver with 80 TX resources for the first adapter and 128 TX
resources for the second adapter.
For more information about the AutoNeg, Duplex, and Speed parameters, see the
"Speed and Duplex Configuration" section in this document.
AutoNeg (adapters using copper connections only)
Valid Range: 0x01-0x0F, 0x20-0x2F
Default Value: 0x2F
This parameter is a bit mask that specifies which speed and duplex
settings the board advertises. When this parameter is used, the Speed and
Duplex parameters must not be specified.
Duplex (adapters using copper connections only)
Valid Range: 0-2 (0=auto-negotiate, 1=half, 2=full)
Default Value: 0
Defines the direction in which data is allowed to flow. Can by either one
or two-directional. If both Duplex and the link partner are set to auto-
negotiate, the board auto-detects the correct duplex. If the link partner
is forced (either full or half), Duplex defaults to half-duplex.
FlowControl
Valid Range: 0-3 (0=none, 1=Rx only, 2=Tx only, 3=Rx&Tx)
Default: Read flow control settings from the EEPROM
This parameter controls the automatic generation(Tx) and response(Rx) to
Ethernet PAUSE frames.
RxDescriptors
Valid Range: 80-256 for 82542 and 82543-based adapters
80-4096 for 82540, 82544, 82545, and 82546-based adapters
Default Value: 80
This value is the number of receive descriptors allocated by the driver.
Increasing this value allows the driver to buffer more incoming packets.
Each descriptor is 16 bytes. A receive buffer is also allocated for each
descriptor and can be either 2048, 4096, 8192, or 16384 bytes, depending
on the MTU setting. The maximum MTU size is 16110.
RxIntDelay
Valid Range: 0-65535 (0=off)
Default Value: 64 (82542, 82543, and 82544-based adapters)
128 (82540, 82545, and 82546-based adapters)
This value delays the generation of receive interrupts in units of 1.024
microseconds. Receive interrupt reduction can improve CPU efficiency if
properly tuned for specific network traffic. Increasing this value adds
extra latency to frame reception and can end up decreasing the throughput
of TCP traffic. If the system is reporting dropped receives, this value
may be set too high, causing the driver to run out of available receive
descriptors.
Speed (adapters using copper connections only)
Valid Settings: 0, 10, 100, 1000
Default Value: 0 (auto-negotiate at all supported speeds)
Speed forces the line speed to the specified value in megabits per second
(Mbps). If this parameter is not specified or is set to 0 and the link
partner is set to auto-negotiate, the board will auto-detect the correct
speed. Duplex must also be set when Speed is set to either 10 or 100.
TxDescriptors
Valid Range: 80-256 for 82542 and 82543-based adapters
80-4096 for 82540, 82544, 82545, and 82546-based adapters
Default Value: 256
This value is the number of transmit descriptors allocated by the driver.
Increasing this value allows the driver to queue more transmits. Each
descriptor is 16 bytes.
XsumRX (not available on the PRO/1000 Gigabit Server Adapter)
Valid Range: 0-1
Default Value: 1
A value of '1' indicates that the driver should enable IP checksum
offload for received packets (both UDP and TCP) to the adapter hardware.
Speed and Duplex Configuration
==============================
Three keywords are used to control the speed and duplex configuration. These
keywords are Speed, Duplex, and AutoNeg.
If the board uses a fiber interface, these keywords are ignored, and the
fiber interface board only links at 1000 Mbps full-duplex.
For copper-based boards, the keywords interact as follows:
The default operation is auto-negotiate. The board advertises all supported
speed and duplex combinations, and it links at the highest common speed and
duplex mode IF the link partner is set to auto-negotiate.
If Speed = 1000, limited auto-negotiation is enabled and only 1000 Mbps is
advertised (The 1000BaseT spec requires auto-negotiation.)
If Speed = 10 or 100, then both Speed and Duplex must be set. Auto-
negotiation is disabled, and the AutoNeg parameter is ignored. Partner MUST
also be forced.
The AutoNeg parameter is used when more control is required over the auto-
negotiation process. When this parameter is used, Speed and Duplex must not
be specified. This parameter is a bitmap that specifies which speed and
duplex settings are advertised to the link partner.
Bit 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Speed (Mbps) N/A N/A 1000 N/A 100 100 10 10
Duplex Full Full Half Full Half
Note that setting AutoNeg does not guarantee that the board will link at the
highest specified speed or duplex mode, but the board will link at the
highest possible speed/duplex of the link partner IF the link partner is also
set to auto-negotiate. If the link partner is forced speed/duplex, the
adapter MUST be forced to the same speed/duplex.
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 name for the Linux Base Driver for the Intel PRO/1000 Family of
Adapters is e1000.
Link messages will not be displayed to the console if the distribution is
restricting system messages. In order to see network driver link messages on
your console, set dmesg to at least seven by entering the following:
dmesg -n 7
Jumbo Frames
------------
The driver supports Jumbo Frames for all adapters except 82542-based
adapters. Jumbo Frames support is enabled by changing the MTU to a value
larger than the default of 1500. Use the ifconfig command to increase the
MTU size. For example:
ifconfig ethx mtu 9000 up
Known Issues
============
Inconsistent Driver Behavior Under Heavy Traffic Loads
------------------------------------------------------
Adapters based on the Intel 82543 and 82544 LAN controllers may hang (stop
transmitting) under certain network conditions. If this occurs a message
is logged in the system event log. In addition, the controller is
automatically reset, restoring the network connection. To eliminate the
potential for the hang change the RxIntDelay parameter to zero. For details
on the RxIntDelay parameter see the Command Line Parameters section.
Jumbo Frames System Requirement
-------------------------------
Memory allocation failures have been observed on Linux systems with 64 MB
of RAM or less that are running Jumbo Frames. If you are using Jumbo
Frames, your system may require more than the advertised minimum
requirement of 64 MB of system memory.
Troubleshooting
===============
NOTE: For distribution-specific information, see the ldistrib.txt file
included in the driver tar.
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.
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
=======
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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Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
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Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
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From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
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