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Add-on Card User's Guide
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Manual Revision 1.0
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referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark
holders.
With 2.6 based kernels also make sure that older e1000 drivers are removed
from the kernel, before loading the new module:
rmmod e1000; modprobe e1000
Assign an IP address to the interface by entering the following, where <x> is
6.
the interface number:
ifconfi g eth<x> <IP_address>
Verify that the interface works. Enter the following, where <IP_address> is the
7.
IP address for another machine on the same subnet as the interface that is
being tested:
ping <IP_address>
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Add-on Card User's Guide
4-4 Command Line Parameters
If the driver is built as a module, the following optional parameters are used by enter-
ing them on the command line with the modprobe command using this syntax:
modprobe e1000 [<option>=<VAL1>,<VAL2>,...]
For example, with two PRO/1000 PCI adapters, entering:
modprobe e1000 TxDescriptors=80,128
loads the e1000 driver with 80 TX descriptors for the fi rst adapter and 128 TX
descriptors 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 Confi guration section in this document.
For more information about the InterruptThrottleRate, RxIntDelay, TxIntDelay, RxAb-
sIntDelay, and TxAbsIntDelay parameters, see the application note at: http://www.
intel.com/design/network/applnots/ap450.htm.
A descriptor describes a data buffer and attributes related to the data buffer. This
information is accessed by the hardware.
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Safety Information and Technical Specifi cations
Parameter
Name
AutoNeg
Duplex
Valid Range/Set-
tings
0x01-0x0F,
0x20-0x2F
0-2 (0=auto-ne-
gotiate, 1=half,
2=full)
Default Description
This parameter is a bit mask that
specifi es which speed and duplex
settings the board advertises. When
this parameter is used, the Speed
and Duplex parameters must not be
specifi ed.
0x2F
0
This parameter is supported only on
adapters using copper connections.
NOTE: Refer to the Speed and
Duplex section of this readme for
more information on the AutoNeg
parameter.
Defi nes the direction in which data
is allowed to fl ow. Can be either one
or two-directional. If both Duplex and
the link partner are set to auto-ne-
gotiate, the board auto-detects the
correct duplex. If the link partner is
forced (either full or half), Duplex
defaults to half-duplex.
FlowControl
0-3 (0=none,
1=Rx only, 2=Tx
only, 3=Rx&Tx)
Read
fl o w
control
settings
from the
EE-
PROM
This parameter is supported only on
adapters using copper connections.
This parameter controls the automat-
ic generation(Tx) and response(Rx)
to Ethernet PAUSE frames.
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Add-on Card User's Guide
Parameter
Name
Interrupt-
ThrottleRate
Valid Range/Set-
tings
(not supported on
Intel(R) 82542,
82543 or 82544-
based adapters)
Valid Range:
0,1,3,100-100000
(0=off, 1=dynam-
ic, 3=dynamic
conservative)
Default Description
Since 7.3.x, the driver has two adaptive modes (setting 1 or 3) in which it
dynamically adjusts the InterruptThrottleRate value based on the traffi c that it
receives. After determining the type of
incoming traffi c in the last timeframe, it
will adjust the InterruptThrottleRate to
an appropriate value for that traffi c.
The algorithm classifi es the incoming
traffi c every interval into
classes. Once the class is determined,
the InterruptThrottleRate value is adjusted to suit that traffi c type the best.
There are three classes defi ned: “Bulk
3
traffi c”, for large amounts of packets
of normal size; “Low latency”, for small
amounts of traffi c and/or a signifi cant
percentage of small packets; and
“Lowest latency”, for almost completely
small packets or minimal traffi c.
In dynamic conservative mode, the InterruptThrottleRate value is set to 4000
for traffi c that falls in class “Bulk traffi c”.
If traffi c falls in the “Low latency” or
“Lowest latency” class, the InterruptThrottleRate is increased stepwise to
20000. This default mode is suitable for
most applications.
See Note at the end of this table for
more information
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Safety Information and Technical Specifi cations
Parameter
Name
RxDescrip-
tors
Valid Range/Set-
tings
80-256 for 82542
and 82543-based
adapters
80-4096 for all
other supported
adapters
Default Description
This value specifi es the number of
receive buffer descriptors allocated
by the driver. Increasing this value
allows the driver to buffer more
incoming packets, at the expense of
increased system memory utilization.
Each descriptor is 16 bytes. A
receive buffer is also allocated for
each descriptor and can be either
256
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. Depending on the
available system resources, the re-
quest for a higher number of receive
descriptors may be denied. In this
case, use a lower number.
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Add-on Card User's Guide
Parameter
Name
RxIntDelay0-65535 (0=off)0
Valid Range/Set-
tings
Default Description
This value delays the generation of
receive interrupts in units of 1.024
microseconds. Receive interrupt re-
duction can improve CPU effi ciency
if properly tuned for specifi c network
traffi c. Increasing this value adds
extra latency to frame reception and
can end up decreasing the through-
put of TCP traffi c. If the system is re-
porting 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 zero.
RxAbsIntDe-
lay
0-65535 (0=off)128
This value, in units of 1.024 micro-
seconds, 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 RxInt-
Delay, may improve traffi c throughput
in specifi c network conditions.
This parameter is supported only on
82540, 82545 and later adapters.
4-8
Page 35
Safety Information and Technical Specifi cations
Parameter
Name
Speed0, 10, 100, 10000
TxDescrip-
tors
Valid Range/Set-
tings
80-256 for 82542
and 82543-based
adapters
80-4096 for all
other supported
adapters
Default Description
Speed forces the line speed to the
specifi ed value in megabits per
second (Mbps). If this parameter is
not specifi ed or is set to 0 and the
link partner is set to auto-negoti-
ate, the board will auto-detect the
correct speed. Duplex must also be
set when Speed is set to either 10
or 100.
This parameter is supported only on
adapters using copper connections.
This value is the number of transmit
descriptors allocated by the driver.
256
Increasing this value allows the
driver to queue more transmits. Each
descriptor is 16 bytes.
TxIntDelay0-65535 (0=off)64
This value delays the generation of
transmit interrupts in units of 1.024
microseconds. Transmit interrupt re-
duction can improve CPU effi ciency
if properly tuned for specifi c network
traffi c. If the system is reporting
dropped transmits, this value may be
set too high causing the driver to run
out of available transmit descriptors.
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Add-on Card User's Guide
Parameter
Name
TxAbsIntDe-
lay
XsumRX0-11
Valid Range/Set-
tings
0-65535 (0=off)64
Default Description
This value, in units of 1.024 micro-
seconds, 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 traffi c
throughput in specifi c network condi-
tions.
This parameter is supported only on
82540, 82545 and later adapters.
A value of ‘1’ indicates that the driver
should enable IP checksum offl oad
for received packets (both UDP and
TCP) to the adapter hardware.
This parameter is not supported on
the 82542-based adapter.
4-10
Page 37
Safety Information and Technical Specifi cations
Notes on InterruptThrottleRate
Since 7.3.x, the driver has two adaptive modes (setting 1 or 3) in which it dynami-
cally adjusts the InterruptThrottleRate value based on the traffi c that it receives.
After determining the type of incoming traffi c in the last timeframe, it will adjust the
InterruptThrottleRate to an appropriate value for that traffi c.
The algorithm classifi es the incoming traffi c every interval into classes. Once the
class is determined, the InterruptThrottleRate value is adjusted to suit that traffi c
type the best. There are three classes defi ned: “Bulk traffi c”, for large amounts of
packets of normal size; “Low latency”, for small amounts of traffi c and/or a signifi cant
percentage of small packets; and “Lowest latency”, for almost completely small
packets or minimal traffi c.
In dynamic conservative mode, the InterruptThrottleRate value is set to 4000 for
traffi c that falls in class “Bulk traffi c”. If traffi c falls in the “Low latency” or “Lowest
latency” class, the InterruptThrottleRate is increased stepwise to 20000. This default
mode is suitable for most applications.
For situations where low latency is vital such as cluster or grid computing, the
algorithm can reduce latency even more when
InterruptThrottleRate is set to mode 1. In this mode, which operates
the same as mode 3, the InterruptThrottleRate will be increased stepwise to 70000
for traffi c in class “Lowest latency”.
Setting InterruptThrottleRate to 0 turns off any interrupt moderation and may im-
prove small packet latency, but is generally not suitable for bulk throughput traffi c
NOTE: InterruptThrottleRate takes precedence over the TxAbsIntDelay and Rx-
AbsIntDelay 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.
CAUTION: If you are using the Intel(R) PRO/1000 CT Network Connection (control-
ler 82547), setting InterruptThrottleRate to a value greater than 75,000, may hang
(stop transmitting) adapters
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,
4-11
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Add-on Card User's Guide
restoring the network connection. To eliminate the potential for the hang, ensure that
InterruptThrottleRate is set no greater than 75,000 and is not set to 0.
NOTE: When e1000 is loaded with default settings and multiple adapters are in
use simultaneously, the CPU utilization may increase non-linearly. In order to limit
the CPU utilization without impacting the overall throughput, we recommend that
This sets the InterruptThrottleRate to 3000 interrupts/sec for the fi rst, second, and
third instances of the driver. The range of 2000 to 3000 interrupts per second works
on a majority of systems and is a good starting point, but the optimal value will be
platform-specifi c. If CPU utilization is not a concern, use RX_POLLING (NAPI) and
default driver settings.
4-12
Page 39
Safety Information and Technical Specifi cations
Speed and Duplex Confi guration
Three keywords are used to control the speed and duplex confi guration. These
keywords are Speed, Duplex, and AutoNeg.
If the board uses a fi ber interface, these keywords are ignored, and the fi ber inter-
face 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-negotia-
tion 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-nego-
tiation process. It should be used when you wish to control which speed and duplex
combinations are advertised during the auto-negotiation process. The parameter
4-13
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Add-on Card User's Guide
Bit Posi-
tion
712880N/A-
66440N/A-
532201000Full
41610N/A-
388100Full
244100Half
12210Full
01110Half
Some examples of using AutoNeg:
modprobe e1000 AutoNeg=0x01 (Restricts autonegotiation to 10 Half)
modprobe e1000 AutoNeg=1 (Same as above)
modprobe e1000 AutoNeg=0x02 (Restricts autonegotiation to 10 Full)
modprobe e1000 AutoNeg=0x03 (Restricts autonegotiation to 10 Half or 10
Full)
modprobe e1000 AutoNeg=0x04 (Restricts autonegotiation to 100 Half)
modprobe e1000 AutoNeg=0x05 (Restricts autonegotiation to 10 Half or 100
Half)
modprobe e1000 AutoNeg=0x020 (Restricts autonegotiation to 1000 Full)
modprobe e1000 AutoNeg=32 (Same as above)
Decimal
Value
Hex Value
Speed
(Mbps)
Duplex
Note that when this parameter is used, Speed and Duplex must not be specifi ed.
If the link partner is forced to a specifi c speed and duplex, then this parameter should
not be used. Instead, use the Speed and Duplex parameters previously mentioned
to force the adapter to the same speed and duplex.
4-5 Additional Confi gurations
Confi guring the Driver on Different Distributions
Confi guring a network driver to load properly when the system is started is distribu-
tion dependent. Typically, the confi guration process involves adding an alias line
to /etc/modules.conf or /etc/modprobe.conf as well as editing other system startup
scripts and/or confi guration fi les. Many popular Linux distributions ship with tools to
make these changes for you. To learn the proper way to confi gure a network device
4-14
Page 41
Safety Information and Technical Specifi cations
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 or /etc/modprobe.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
Jumbo Frames support is enabled by changing the Maximum Transmission Unit
(MTU) to a value larger than the default value of 1500. Use the ifconfi g command
to increase the MTU size. For example:
ifconfi g eth<x> mtu 9000 up
This setting is not saved across reboots. The setting change can be made
permanent by adding MTU=9000 to the fi le: /etc/sysconfi g/network-scripts/ifcfg-
eth<x> (Red Hat distributions). Other distributions may store this setting in a
different location.
NOTES:
To enable Jumbo Frames, increase the MTU size on the interface beyond 1500.
4-15
Page 42
Add-on Card User's Guide
The maximum MTU setting for Jumbo Frames is 16110. This value coincides with
the maximum Jumbo Frames size of 16128.
Some Intel gigabit adapters that support Jumbo Frames have a frame size limit
of 9238 bytes, with a corresponding MTU size limit of 9216 bytes. The adapt-
ers with this limitation are based on the Intel® 82571EB, 82572EI, 82573L and
80003ES2LAN controllers. These correspond to the following product names:
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Server Adapter
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Desktop Adapter
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Network Connection
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Network Connection
Intel® PRO/1000 PF Server Adapter
Intel® PRO/1000 PF Network Connection
Intel® PRO/1000 PF Dual Port Server Adapter
Intel® PRO/1000 PB Server Connection
Intel® PRO/1000 PL Network Connection
Intel® PRO/1000 EB Network Connection with I/O Acceleration
Intel® PRO/1000 EB Backplane Connection with I/O Acceleration
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Quad Port Server Adapter
Using Jumbo Frames at 10 or 100 Mbps may result in poor performance or loss
of link.
Adapters based on the Intel® 82542 and 82573V/E controller do not support
Jumbo Frames. These correspond to the following product names:
Intel® PRO/1000 Gigabit Server Adapter
Intel® PRO/1000 PM Network Connection
The following adapters do not support Jumbo Frames:
Intel® 82562V 10/100 Network Connection
Intel® 82566DM Gigabit Network Connection
Intel® 82566DC Gigabit Network Connection
Intel® 82566MM Gigabit Network Connection
Intel® 82566MC Gigabit Network Connection
Intel® 82562GT 10/100 Network Connection
Intel® 82562G 10/100 Network Connection
4-16
Page 43
Safety Information and Technical Specifi cations
Ethtool
The driver utilizes the ethtool interface for driver confi guration 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 at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gker-
nel.
NOTE: Ethtool 1.6 only supports a limited set of ethtool options. Support for a
more complete ethtool feature set can be enabled by upgrading ethtool to eth-
tool-1.8.1.
Enabling Wake on LAN* (WoL)
WoL is confi gured 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, 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 e1000 driver must be loaded prior to
shutting down or suspending the system.
NOTE: Wake On LAN is only supported on port A for the following devices:
* Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Network Connection
* Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Connection
* Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter
* Intel® PRO/1000 PF Dual Port Server Adapter
* Intel® PRO/1000 PT Quad Port Server Adapter
4-17
Page 44
Add-on Card User's Guide
NAPI
NAPI (Rx polling mode) is supported in the e1000 driver. NAPI is enabled or disabled
based on the confi guration of the kernel. To override the default, use the following
compile-time fl ags.
To enable NAPI, compile the driver module, passing in a confi guration option:
make CFLAGS_EXTRA=-DE1000_NAPI install
To disable NAPI, compile the driver module, passing in a confi guration option:
make CFLAGS_EXTRA=-DE1000_NO_NAPI install
See http://www.cyberus.ca/~hadi/usenix-paper.tgz for more information on NAPI.
4-18
Page 45
Safety Information and Technical Specifi cations
The products sold by Supermicro are not intended for and will not be used in life support systems, medical equipment, nuclear facilities or systems, aircraft, aircraft devices,
aircraft/emergency communication devices or other critical systems whose failure to perform be reasonably expected to result in signifi cant injury or loss of life or catastrophic
property damage. Accordingly, Supermicro disclaims any and all liability, and should
buyer use or sell such products for use in such ultra-hazardous applications, it does so
entirely at its own risk. Furthermore, buyer agrees to fully indemnify, defend and hold
Supermicro harmless for and against any and all claims, demands, actions, litigation,
and proceedings of any kind arising out of or related to such ultra-hazardous use or
sale.
Disclaimer (cont.)
4-19
Page 46
Add-on Card User's Guide
Notes
4-20
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