Linux* Base Driver for the Intel(R) PRO/1000 Family of Adapters
===============================================================
March 9, 2004
Contents
========
- In This Release
- Supported Adapters
- Building and Installation
- Command Line Parameters
- Speed and Duplex Configuration
- Additional Configurations
- Known Issues
- Support
In This Release
===============
This file describes the Linux* Base Driver for the Intel(R) PRO/1000 Family
of Adapters, version 5.2.x. This driver is intended for 2.4.x kernels; it is
known to build properly on 2.4.x kernels through 2.4.20. Intel focused
testing on Intel architectures running the 2.4.20 kernel. 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.
Native VLANs are now available with supported kernels.
The driver information previously displayed in the /proc filesystem is not
supported in this release. Alternatively, you can use ethtool (version 1.6
or later), lspci, and ifconfig to obtain the same information. Instructions
on updating ethtool can be found in the section "Additional Configurations"
later in this document.
Supported Adapters
==================
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 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.
RPM functionality has only been tested in Red Hat distributions.
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:
/lib/modules/[KERNEL_VERSION]/kernel/drivers/net/e1000.o
The install locations listed above are the default locations. They might
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 the 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
=======================
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 e1000 [<option>=<VAL1>,<VAL2>,...]
insmod e1000 [<option>=<VAL1>,<VAL2>,...]
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.
The default value for each parameter is generally the recommended setting,
unless otherwise noted.
NOTES: For more information about the AutoNeg, Duplex, and Speed
parameters,see the "Speed and Duplex Configuration" section in
this document.
For more information about the InterruptThrottleRate, RxIntDelay,
TxIntDelay, RxAbsIntDelay, and TxAbsIntDelay parameters, see the
application note at:
http://www.intel.com/design/network/applnots/8254x_ap450.htm.
AutoNeg
Valid Range: 0x01-0x0F (copper), 0x20-0x2F (copper), 0x20 (fiber)
Default Value: 0x2F (copper); 0x20 (fiber)
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 be 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.
InterruptThrottleRate
Valid Range: 100-100000 (0=off, 1=dynamic)
Default Value: 1
This value represents the maximum number of interrupts per second the
controller generates. InterruptThrottleRate is another setting used in
interrupt moderation. Dynamic mode uses a heuristic algorithm to adjust
InterruptThrottleRate based on the current traffic load.
Un-supported Adapters: InterruptThrottleRate is NOT supported by 82542, 82543
or 82544-based adapters.
NOTE: InterruptThrottleRate takes precedence over the TxAbsIntDelay and
RxAbsIntDelay parameters. In other words, minimizing the receive
and/or transmit absolute delays does not force the controller to
generate more interrupts than what the Interrupt Throttle Rate
allows.
RxDescriptors
Valid Range: 80-256 for 82542 and 82543-based adapters
80-4096 for all other supported adapters
Default Value: 256
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.
NOTE: MTU designates the frame size. It only needs to be set for Jumbo
Frames.
NOTE: Depending on the available system resources, the request for a
higher number of receive descriptors may be denied. In this case,
use a lower number.
RxIntDelay
Valid Range: 0-65535 (0=off)
Default Value: 0
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.
CAUTION: When setting RxIntDelay to a value other than 0, adapters may
hang (stop transmitting) under certain network conditions. If
this occurs a NETDEV WATCHDOG 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 ensure that RxIntDelay is set to 0.
RxAbsIntDelay (82540, 82545 and later adapters only)
Valid Range: 0-65535 (0=off)
Default Value: 128
This value, in units of 1.024 microseconds, limits the delay in which a
receive interrupt is generated. Useful only if RxIntDelay is non-zero,
this value ensures that an interrupt is generated after the initial
packet is received within the set amount of time. Proper tuning,
along with RxIntDelay, may improve traffic throughput in specific network
conditions.
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 should 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 all other supported 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.
NOTE: Depending on the available system resources, the request for a
higher number of transmit descriptors may be denied. In this case,
use a lower number.
TxIntDelay
Valid Range: 0-65535 (0=off)
Default Value: 64
This value delays the generation of transmit interrupts in units of
1.024 microseconds. Transmit interrupt reduction can improve CPU
efficiency if properly tuned for specific network traffic. If the
system is reporting dropped transmits, this value may be set too high
causing the driver to run out of available transmit descriptors.
TxAbsIntDelay (82540, 82545 and later adapters only)
Valid Range: 0-65535 (0=off)
Default Value: 64
This value, in units of 1.024 microseconds, limits the delay in which a
transmit interrupt is generated. Useful only if TxIntDelay is non-zero,
this value ensures that an interrupt is generated after the initial
packet is sent on the wire within the set amount of time. Proper tuning,
along with TxIntDelay, may improve traffic throughput in specific
network conditions.
XsumRX (not available on the 82542-based 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 should be set. Auto-
negotiation is disabled, and the AutoNeg parameter is ignored. Partner SHOULD
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 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/1000 Family of
Adapters is e1000.
As an example, if you install the e1000 driver for two PRO/1000 adapters
(eth0 and eth1) and set the speed and duplex to 10full and 100half, add the
following to modules.conf:
alias eth0 e1000
alias eth1 e1000
options e1000 Speed=10,100 Duplex=2,1
Viewing Link Messages
---------------------
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 eight by entering the following:
dmesg -n 8
NOTE: This setting is not saved across reboots.
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 eth<x> mtu 9000 up
NOTE: This setting is not saved across reboots. The setting change can be
made permanent by adding:
MTU=9000
to the file /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth<x>, with Redhat
distributions, for example. Other distributions may store this setting in a
different location.
The maximum MTU setting for Jumbo Frames is 16110. This value coincides with
the maximum Jumbo Frames size of 16128.
NOTE: Jumbo Frames are supported at 1000 Mbps only. Using Jumbo Frames at
10 or 100 Mbps may result in poor performance or loss of link.
Ethtool
-------
The driver utilizes the ethtool interface for driver configuration and
diagnostics, as well as displaying statistical information. Ethtool
version 1.6 or later is required for this functionality.
The latest release of ethtool can be found from
http://sf.net/projects/gkernel. After ethtool is installed,
ethtool-copy.h must be copied and renamed to ethtool.h in your kernel
source tree at <linux_kernel_src>/include/linux. Backup the original
ethtool.h as needed before copying. The driver then must be recompiled
in order to take advantage of the latest ethtool features.
Enabling Wake on LAN* (WoL)
---------------------------
WoL is configured through the Ethtool* utility. Ethtool is included with
all versions of Red Hat after Red Hat 7.2. For other Linux distributions,
download and install Ethtool from the following website:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/gkernel.
For instructions on enabling WoL with Ethtool, see the ethtool man page.
WoL will be enabled on the system during the next shut down or reboot.
For this driver version, in order to enable WoL, the e1000 driver must be
loaded prior to shutting down or suspending the system.
NAPI
----
NAPI (Rx polling mode) is supported in the e1000 driver. NAPI is enabled
or disabled based on the configuration of the distribution. To override
the default, use the following compile-time flags.
To enable NAPI, compile the driver module, passing in a configuration option:
make CFLAGS_EXTRA=-DE1000_NAPI install
To disable NAPI, compile the driver module, passing in a configuration option:
make CFLAGS_EXTRA=-DE1000_NO_NAPI install
See www.cyberus.ca/~hadi/usenix-paper.tgz for more information on NAPI.
Known Issues
============
NOTE: For distribution-specific information, see 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.
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.
Performance Degradation with Jumbo Frames
-----------------------------------------
Degradation in throughput performance may be observed in some Jumbo frames
environments. If this is observed, increasing the application's socket buffer
size and/or increasing the /proc/sys/net/ipv4/tcp_*mem entry values may help.
See the specific application manual and /usr/src/linux*/Documentation/
networking/ip-sysctl.txt for more details.
Multiple Interfaces on Same Ethernet Broadcast Network
------------------------------------------------------
Due to the default 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.
If you have multiple interfaces in a server, either turn on ARP
filtering by entering:
echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/conf/all/arp_filter
(this only works if your kernel's version is higher than 2.4.5),
NOTE: This setting is not saved across reboots. The configuration change
can be made permanent by adding the line:
net.ipv4.conf.all.arp_filter = 1
to the file /etc/sysctl.conf
or,
install the interfaces in separate broadcast domains (either in different
switches or in a switch partitioned to VLANs).
82541/82547 can't link or is slow to link with some link partners
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There is a known compatibility issue with 82541/82547 and some
low-end switches where the link will not be established, or will
be slow to establish. In particular, these switches are known to
be incompatible with 82541/82547:
Planex FXG-08TE
I-O Data ETG-SH8
To workaround this issue, the driver can be compiled with an override
of the PHY's master/slave setting. Forcing master or forcing slave
mode will improve time-to-link.
# make CFLAGS_EXTRA=-DE1000_MASTER_SLAVE=<n>
Where <n> is:
0 = Hardware default
1 = Master mode
2 = Slave mode
3 = Auto master/slave
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.
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From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
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