Manual Pages for UNIX Operating System command usage for man iprb

Devices                                                  iprb(7D)



NAME
     iprb - Intel 82557, 82558, 82559-controlled  network  inter-
     face controllers

SYNOPSIS
     /dev/iprb


DESCRIPTION
     The iprb Ethernet  driver  is  a  multi-threaded,  loadable,
     clonable, STREAMS hardware driver supporting the connection-
     less Data Link Provider Interface, dlpi(7P), over Intel D100
     82557, 82558, and 82559 controllers. Multiple  82557, 82558,
     and 82559 controllers installed within the system  are  sup-
     ported by the driver. The iprb driver provides basic support
     for the 82557, 82558, and 82559 hardware. Functions  include
     chip  initialization,  frame transmit and receive, multicast
     support, and error recovery and reporting.

APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE
     The cloning, character-special device /dev/iprb is  used  to
     access  all 82557, 82558, and 82559 devices installed within
     the system.

  iprb and DLPI
     The iprb driver is dependent on /kernel/misc/gld, a loadable
     kernel  module  that  provides the iprb driver with the DLPI
     and STREAMS functionality required of  a  LAN  driver.   See
     gld(7D)  for more details on the primitives supported by the
     driver.


     The values returned by the driver in the DL_INFO_ACK  primi-
     tive  in  response  to  the DL_INFO_REQ from the user are as
     follows:

         o    Maximum SDU is 1500 (ETHERMTU).

         o    Minimum SDU is 0. The driver will pad to the manda-
              tory 60-octet minimum packet size.

         o    The dlsap address length is 8.

         o    MAC type is DL_ETHER.

         o    The sap length value is -2,  meaning  the  physical
              address  component  is followed immediately by a 2-
              byte sap component within the DLSAP address.

         o    Broadcast address value is Ethernet/IEEE  broadcast
              address (FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF).




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Devices                                                  iprb(7D)



KNOWN PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS
     x86 based systems with the Intel  EtherExpress  PRO/100B  or
     the  Intel  EtherExpress PRO/100+ might hang when the inter-
     face is brought down at the very instant that  a  packet  is
     being  received.  To  avoid  this,  wait until the system is
     experiencing light or no network traffic before bringing the
     interface down.


     Early  versions  of  the  firmware  on  Intel   EtherExpress
     PRO/100+  and Intel PRO/100+ Management adapters do not sup-
     port PXE  network  boot  on  Solaris  systems.  Upgrade  the
     firmware if the version is lower than 078. PXE firmware ver-
     sions are expressed as three-digit build numbers. The  build
     number  is  typically displayed by the firmware during boot.
     If the PXE build number is not displayed during boot, change
     the system BIOS or adapter BIOS configuration to display PXE
     messages during boot.

FILES
     iprb                     Device special file


     /kernel/drv/iprb.conf    iprb configuration file


               stropts network header file


              Ethernet network header file


                  dlpi network header file


                   gld network header file



     The iprb.conf configuration file options include:

     -TxURRetry    Default: 3

                   Allowed Values: 0, 1, 2, 3

                   Sets the number of  retransmissions.  Modified
                   when tuning performance.


     -MWIEnable    Default: 0 (Disable)

                   Allowed Values:     0 (Disable), 1 (Enable)



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Devices                                                  iprb(7D)



                   Should only be set for 82558 adapters and sys-
                   tems  in  which  the  PCI  bus supports Memory
                   Write & Invalidate operations. Can improve the
                   performance for some configurations.


     -FlowControl    Default: 0 (Disable)

                     Allowed Values:     0 (Disable), 1 (Enable)

                     Setting this value can improve  the  perfor-
                     mance for some configurations


     -CollisionBackOffModification

          Default:      0 (Disable)

         Allowed Values:     0 (Disable), 1 (Enable)

         Setting this value can improve the performance for  some
         configurations


     -PhyErrataFrequency    Default:  0 (Disable)

                            Allowed Values:     0  (Disable),  10
                            (Enable)

                            If  you  have  problems  establishing
                            links with cables length = 70 Ft, set
                            this field to 10


     -CpuCycleSaver    Default:       0

                       Allowed Values:     1 through FFFFh

                       Reasonable Values:  200h through 800h

                       The  CPUSaver   algorithm   improves   the
                       system's  P/E ratio by reducing the number
                       of interrupts generated by the  card.  The
                       algorithm  bundles multiple receive frames
                       together, then generates a  single  inter-
                       rupt for the bundle. Because the microcode
                       does not support  run-time  configuration,
                       configuration  must  be  done prior to the
                       micro code being  loaded  into  the  chip.
                       Changing this value from its default means
                       that the driver will have to  be  unloaded
                       and  loaded for the change to take affect.



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Devices                                                  iprb(7D)



                       Setting  the  CpuCycleSaver  option  to  0
                       prevents  the  algorithm  from being used.
                       Because it varies  for  different  network
                       environments,  the  optimal value for this
                       parameter  is   impossible   to   predict.
                       Accordingly,  developers  should run tests
                       to determine the effect that changing this
                       value  has  on  bandwidth and CPU utiliza-
                       tion.


     -ForceSpeedDuplex    Default:  5 (Auto-negotiate)

                          Allowed Values:     4 (100 FDX)

                          3 (100 HDX)

                          2 (10 FDX)

                          1 (10 HDX)

                          Specify the speed and duplex  mode  for
                          each instance.

                          Example: ForceSpeedDuplex=5,4;

                          Sets iprb0 to autonegotiate  and  iprb1
                          to 100 FDX.


ATTRIBUTES
     See attributes(5) for descriptions of the  following  attri-
     butes:



     ____________________________________________________________
    |       ATTRIBUTE TYPE        |       ATTRIBUTE VALUE       |
    |_____________________________|_____________________________|
    | Architecture                | x86                         |
    |_____________________________|_____________________________|


SEE ALSO
     attributes(5), dlpi(7P), gld(7D)










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