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 sup-
port 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 mandatory
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).
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
<sys/stropts.h>
stropts network header file
<sys/ethernet.h>
Ethernet network header file
<sys/dlpi.h>
dlpi network header file
<sys/gld.h>
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 tun-
ing performance.
-MWIEnable
Default: 0 (Disable)
Allowed Values: 0 (Disable), 1 (Enable)
Should only be set for 82558 adapters and systems in
which the PCI bus supports Memory Write & Invalidate
operations. Can improve the performance for some con-
figurations.
-FlowControl
Default: 0 (Disable)
Allowed Values: 0 (Disable), 1 (Enable)
Setting this value can improve the performance 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 interrupt 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. 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
utilization.
-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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