Speed and Duplex Configuration
This file describes the Linux* Base Driver for the Intel® PRO/1000 Family of Adapters. This driver supports the 2.4.x and 2.6.x kernels. This driver includes support for Itanium® 2-based systems.
This driver is only supported as a loadable module. 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.
This release includes support for Intel® I/O Acceleration Technology, Intel® I/OAT. This is supported on systems using the Intel® 5000 Series Chipsets Integrated Device - 1A38. You can find additional information on Intel I/OAT at http://www.intel.com/technology/ioacceleration/index.htm.
The following features are now available in supported kernels:
Native VLANs
Channel Bonding (teaming)
SNMP
Channel Bonding documentation can be found in the Linux kernel source: /documentation/networking/bonding.txt
The driver information previously displayed in the /proc file system 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.
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NOTE: The Intel® 82562v 10/100 Network Connection only provides 10/100 support. |
For more information on how to identify your adapter, go to the Adapter & Driver ID Guide at:
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://support.intel.com/support/network/adapter/pro100/21397.htm
http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/support_intel.asp
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.
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Move the base driver tar file to the directory of your
choice. For example, use '/home/username/e1000' or '/usr/local/src/e1000'.
Untar/unzip the archive, where <x.x.x> is the version number for the driver tar file:
tar zxf e1000-<x.x.x>.tar.gz
Change to the driver src directory, where <x.x.x> is the version number for the driver tar:
cd e1000-<x.x.x>/src/
Compile the driver module:
make install
The binary will be installed as:
/lib/modules/<KERNEL VERSION>/kernel/drivers/net/e1000/e1000.[k]o
The install location listed above is the default location.
This may differ for various Linux distributions. For
more information, go to ldistrib.htm.
Load the module using either the insmod or modprobe command:
modprobe e1000
insmod e1000
Note that for 2.6 kernels the insmod command can be used if the full path to the driver module is specified. For example:
insmod /lib/modules/<KERNEL VERSION>/kernel/drivers/net/e1000/e1000.ko
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 the interface number:
ifconfig eth<x> <IP_address>
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>
If the driver is built as a module, the following optional parameters are used by entering 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 first adapter and 128 TX descriptors for the second adapter.
The default value for each parameter is generally the recommended setting, unless otherwise noted.
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Parameter Name | Valid Range/Settings | Default | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AutoNeg | 0x01-0x0F, 0x20-0x2F | 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.
This parameter is supported only on adapters using copper connections. |
Duplex | 0-2 (0=auto-negotiate, 1=half, 2=full) | 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.
This parameter is supported only on adapters using copper connections. |
FlowControl | 0-3 (0=none, 1=Rx only, 2=Tx only, 3=Rx&Tx) | Read flow control settings from the EEPROM | This parameter controls the automatic generation(Tx) and response(Rx) to Ethernet PAUSE frames. |
InterruptThrottleRate | (not supported on Intel(R) 82542, 82543 or 82544-based adapters) Valid Range: 0,1,3,100-100000 (0=off, 1=dynamic, 3=dynamic conservative) |
3 |
The driver can limit the amount of interrupts per second that the adapter
will generate for incoming packets. It does this by writing a value to
the adapter that is based on the maximum amount of interrupts that the
adapter will generate per second.
modprobe e1000 InterruptThrottleRate=3000,3000,3000 This sets the InterruptThrottleRate to 3000 interrupts/sec for the first, 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-specific. If CPU utilization is not a concern, use RX_POLLING (NAPI) and default driver settings. |
RxDescriptors | 80-256 for 82542 and 82543-based adapters
80-4096 for all other supported adapters |
256 |
This value specifies 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 2048, 4096, 8192, or 16384 bytes, depending on the MTU setting. The maximum MTU size is 16110.
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RxIntDelay | 0-65535 (0=off) | 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.
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RxAbsIntDelay | 0-65535 (0=off) | 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.
This parameter is supported only on 82540, 82545 and later adapters. |
Speed | 0, 10, 100, 1000 | 0 |
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. This parameter is supported only on adapters using copper connections. |
TxDescriptors | 80-256 for 82542 and 82543-based adapters
80-4096 for all other supported adapters |
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 | 0-65535 (0=off) | 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 | 0-65535 (0=off) | 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. This parameter is supported only on 82540, 82545 and later adapters. |
XsumRX | 0-1 | 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.
This parameter is not supported on the 82542-based adapter. |
Copybreak | 0-xxxxxxx (0=off) | 256 |
Usage: insmod e1000.ko copybreak=128 Driver copies all packets below or equaling this size to a fresh rx buffer before handing it up the stack. This parameter is different than other parameters, in that it is a single (not 1,1,1 etc.) parameter applied to all driver instances and it is also available during runtime at /sys/module/e1000/parameters/copybreak |
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. It should be used when you wish to control which speed and duplex combinations are advertised during the auto-negotiation process. The parameter may be specified as either a decimal or hexadecimal value as determined by the bitmap below.
Bit Position | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Decimal Value | 128 | 64 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Hex Value | 80 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Speed (Mbps): | N/A | N/A | 1000 | N/A | 100 | 100 | 10 | 10 |
Duplex: | Full | Full | Half | Full | Half |
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)
Note that when this parameter is used, Speed and Duplex must not be specified.
If the link partner is forced to a specific 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.
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/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
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
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NOTE: This setting is not saved across reboots. |
Jumbo Frames support is enabled by changing the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) to a value larger than the default value of 1500. Use the ifconfig command to increase the MTU size. For example:
ifconfig 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 file: /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth<x> (Red Hat distributions). Other distributions may store this setting in a different location.
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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.
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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 to the latest version. |
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, 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.
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NOTE: Wake On LAN is only supported on port A for the
following devices:
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NAPI (Rx polling mode) is supported in the e1000 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=-DE1000_NAPI install
To disable NAPI, compile the driver module, passing in a configuration option:
make CFLAGS_EXTRA=-DE1000_NO_NAPI install
See http://www.cyberus.ca/~hadi/usenix-paper.tgz for more information on NAPI.
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NOTE: For distribution-specific information, see ldistrib.htm. |
In some cases ports 3 and 4 don't pass traffic and report 'Detected Tx Unit
Hang' followed by 'NETDEV WATCHDOG: ethX: transmit timed out' errors. Ports 1
and 2 don't show any errors and will pass traffic.
This issue MAY be resolved by updating to the latest kernel and BIOS. The
user is encouraged to run an OS that fully supports MSI interrupts. You can
check your system's BIOS by downloading the Linux Firmware Developer Kit that
can be obtained at http://www.linuxfirmwarekit.org/
If you have an Intel PCI Express adapter running at 10mbps or 100mbps, half-duplex, you may observe occasional dropped receive packets. There are no workarounds for this problem in this network configuration. The network must be updated to operate in full-duplex, and/or 1000mbps only.
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
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.
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.
There is a known issue using Jumbo frames when connected to a Foundry BigIron 8000 switch. This is a 3rd party limitation. If you experience loss of packets, lower the MTU size.
Allocating Rx buffers when using Jumbo Frames on 2.6.x kernels may fail if
the available memory is heavily fragmented. This issue may be seen with PCI-X
adapters or with packet split disabled. This can be reduced or eliminated by
changing the amount of available memory for receive buffer allocation, by
increasing /proc/sys/vm/min_free_kbytes.
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)
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NOTE: This setting is not saved across reboots. The
configuration change can be made permanent by adding the line:
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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
In order to disable receive flow control using ethtool, you must turn off auto-negotiation on the same command line.
For example:
ethtool -A eth? autoneg off rx off
In kernel versions 2.5.50 and later (including 2.6 kernel), unplugging the
network cable while ethtool -p is running will cause the system to
become unresponsive to keyboard commands, except for control-alt-delete.
Restarting the system appears to be the only remedy.
Last modified on 12/05/06 2:37p Revision 77