Linux* Base Driver for the Intel(R) PRO/100 Family of Adapters
==============================================================

September 12, 2005

Contents
========

- In This Release
- Identifying Your Adapter
- Building and Installation
- Driver Configuration Parameters
- 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 3.x.x. This driver supports 2.4.x and 2.6.x kernels. 
This driver includes support for Itanium(R)2-based systems.

For questions related to hardware requirements, refer to the documentation
supplied with your Intel PRO/100 adapter.


Identifying Your Adapter
========================

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.

       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/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 below: 

       /lib/modules/<kernel_version>/kernel/drivers/net/e100/e100.[k]o

   The install location listed above is the default locations. It 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:

     modprobe e100

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>


Driver Configuration Parameters
===============================

The default value for each parameter is generally the recommended setting,
unless otherwise noted.

Rx Descriptors: Number of receive descriptors. A receive descriptor is a data 
   structure that describes a receive buffer and its attributes to the network 
   controller. The data in the descriptor is used by the controller to write 
   data from the controller to host memory. In the 3.x.x driver the valid range 
   for this parameter is 64-256. The default value is 64. This parameter can be 
   changed using the command: 
 
   ethtool -G eth? rx n, where n is the number of desired rx descriptors.

Tx Descriptors: Number of transmit descriptors. A transmit descriptor is a data
   structure that describes a transmit buffer and its attributes to the network 
   controller. The data in the descriptor is used by the controller to read 
   data from the host memory to the controller. In the 3.x.x driver the valid 
   range for this parameter is 64-256. The default value is 64. This parameter 
   can be changed using the command: 

   ethtool -G eth? tx n, where n is the number of desired tx descriptors.

Speed/Duplex: The driver auto-negotiates the link speed and duplex settings by 
   default. Ethtool can be used as follows to force speed/duplex. 

   ethtool -s eth?  autoneg off speed {10|100} duplex {full|half}

   NOTE: setting the speed/duplex to incorrect values will cause the link to
   fail.

Event Log Message Level:  The driver uses the message level flag to log events 
   to syslog. The message level can be set at driver load time. It can also be 
   set using the command:

   ethtool -s eth? msglvl n


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 or /etc/modprobe.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), add the following to modules.conf or modprobe.conf:

       alias eth0 e100
       alias eth1 e100

  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 8

  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.

  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 at:
  http://sourceforge.net/projects/gkernel.  

  NOTE: This driver uses mii support from the kernel. As a result, when 
  there is no link, ethtool will report speed/duplex to be 10/half.

  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 ethtool-1.8.1. 

  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 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 e100 driver must be 
  loaded when shutting down or rebooting the system.

  NAPI
  ----

  NAPI (Rx polling mode) is supported in the e100 driver. NAPI is enabled
  or disabled based on the configuration of the kernel. 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=-DE100_NAPI install

  To disable NAPI, compile the driver module, passing in a configuration option:

       make CFLAGS_EXTRA=-DE100_NO_NAPI install

  See www.cyberus.ca/~hadi/usenix-paper.tgz for more information on NAPI.


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 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 

  (1) 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), or

  (2) installing the interfaces in separate broadcast domains (either
      in different switches or in a switch partitioned to VLANs).


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.
