Linux* Base Driver for the Intel(R) PRO/1000 Family of Adapters
===============================================================

February 5, 2002


Contents
========

- In This Release
- Supported Adapters
- Command Line Parameters
- Speed and Duplex Configuration
- Known Issues
- 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 includes support for Itanium(TM)-based systems.

This release version includes the following:

   - support for the ethtool 1.4 interface. A third-party application can use
     the ethtool interface to get and set driver parameters.

   - the zero copy feature. Zero copy provides faster information throughput.
     By default, this feature is enabled if using a kernel that supports it.
     Zero copy is not supported on the original PWLA8490 (plain) adapter.


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,
                                                A06512-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


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


Command Line Parameters
=======================

If the driver is built as a module, 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 (Intel PRO/1000 T and PRO/1000 XT server adapters only)
Valid Range: 0-0x0F, 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 (Intel PRO/1000 T and PRO/1000 XT server adapters 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 82544-based 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.

RxIntDelay
Valid Range: 0-65535 (0=off)
Default Value: 64
    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 (Intel PRO/1000 T and PRO/1000 XT server adapters 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 82544-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.

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.

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 of the
PRO/1000 T and PRO/1000 XT server adapters. 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.


Known Issues
============

  Driver Hangs Under Heavy Traffic Loads
  --------------------------------------

  Intel is aware that previously released e1000 drivers may hang under very
  specific types of heavy traffic loads. This version includes a workaround
  that resets the adapter automatically if a hang condition is detected. This
  workaround ensures network traffic flow is not affected when a hang occurs.

  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.


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.
