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

August 25, 2005


Contents
========

- In This Release
- Identifying Your Adapter
- Building and Installation
- Command Line Parameters
- Speed and Duplex Configuration
- Additional Configurations
- Known Issues
- Support


In This Release
===============

This file describes the Linux* Base Driver for the Intel(R) PRO/1000 Family 
of Adapters, version 6.2.x. This driver supports kernel versions 2.4.x and 
2.6.x.  This driver includes support for ItaniumŪ2-based systems.

This driver is only supported as a loadable module at this time. 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.

Native VLANs are now available with supported kernels.

The driver information previously displayed in the /proc filesystem 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.


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 filename 
of the driver.

NOTE: For the build to work properly, the currently running kernel MUST 
      match the version and configuration of the installed kernel sources. 
      If you have just recompiled the kernel reboot the system now.

      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/e1000 or /usr/local/src/e1000.

2. Untar/unzip archive:

     tar zxf e1000-x.x.x.tar.gz

3. Change to the driver src directory:

     cd e1000-x.x.x/src/

4. 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 locations listed above are the default locations. They 
   might not be correct for certain Linux distributions. For more 
   information, see the ldistrib.txt file included in the driver tar.

5. Install the module:

     insmod e1000 <parameter>=<value>

   Note that this command may need to be modified for kernel versions later 
   than 2.4, as follows:

     insmod /lib/modules/<KERNEL VERSION>/kernel/drivers/net/e1000/e1000.ko <parameter>=<value> 

6. Assign an IP address to the interface by entering the following, where
   x is the interface number:

     ifconfig ethx <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>	


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

If the driver is built as a module, the  following optional parameters 
are used by entering them on the command line with the modprobe or insmod 
command using this syntax:

     modprobe e1000 [<option>=<VAL1>,<VAL2>,...]

     insmod e1000 [<option>=<VAL1>,<VAL2>,...] 

For example, with two PRO/1000 PCI adapters, entering:

     insmod 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.

    NOTES: For more information about the AutoNeg, Duplex, and Speed
           parameters, see the "Speed and Duplex Configuration" section in 
           this document.

           For more information about the InterruptThrottleRate, 
           RxIntDelay, TxIntDelay, RxAbsIntDelay, 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.

AutoNeg (adapters using copper connections only)
Valid Range: 0x01-0x0F, 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.  
    NOTE: Refer to the Speed and Duplex section of this readme for more 
          information on the AutoNeg parameter.

Duplex (adapters using copper connections 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 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.

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.

InterruptThrottleRate
Valid Range: 100-100000 (0=off, 1=dynamic)
Default Value: 8000
    This value represents the maximum number of interrupts per second the 
    controller generates. InterruptThrottleRate is another setting used in 
    interrupt moderation. Dynamic mode uses a heuristic algorithm to adjust 
    InterruptThrottleRate based on the current traffic load.
Un-supported Adapters: InterruptThrottleRate is NOT supported by 82542, 
    82543 or 82544-based adapters.

    NOTE: InterruptThrottleRate takes precedence over the TxAbsIntDelay and 
          RxAbsIntDelay 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 PRO/1000 CT Network Connection 
             (controller 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, 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 you load the driver as 
          follows:

              insmod e1000.o 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
Valid Range: 80-256 for 82542 and 82543-based adapters
             80-4096 for all other supported 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. The maximum MTU size is 16110.

    NOTE: MTU designates the frame size. It only needs to be set for Jumbo 
          Frames.
    NOTE: Depending on the available system resources, the request for a
    higher number of receive descriptors may be denied.  In this case,
    use a lower number.

RxIntDelay
Valid Range: 0-65535 (0=off)
Default Value: 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.

    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 0.

RxAbsIntDelay (82540, 82545 and later adapters only)
Valid Range: 0-65535 (0=off)
Default Value: 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.

Speed (adapters using copper connections 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 should 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 all other supported 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.

    NOTE: Depending on the available system resources, the request for a
    higher number of transmit descriptors may be denied.  In this case,
    use a lower number.

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.

TxAbsIntDelay (82540, 82545 and later adapters only)
Valid Range: 0-65535 (0=off)
Default Value: 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.

XsumRX (not available on the 82542-based 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. 
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 hexidecimal 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. 


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/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 or 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
  ------------

  The driver supports Jumbo Frames for all adapters except 82542 and 
  82573-based adapters. Jumbo Frames support is enabled by changing the 
  MTU to a value larger than the default 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.  It can be made permanent if 
  you add:

       MTU=9000

   to the file /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth<x>.  This example 
   applies to the 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.
  - The maximum MTU setting for Jumbo Frames is 16110. This value coincides 
    with the maximum Jumbo Frames size of 16128.
  - Using Jumbo Frames at 10 or 100 Mbps may result in poor performance or 
    loss of link. 
  - 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 adapters with this limitation are based on the Intel 82571EB and 
    82572EI controllers, which correspond to these product names:
     IntelŪ PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter
     IntelŪ PRO/1000 PF Dual Port Server Adapter
     IntelŪ PRO/1000 PT Server Adapter 
     IntelŪ PRO/1000 PT Desktop Adapter 
     IntelŪ PRO/1000 PF Server Adapter

  - The Intel PRO/1000 PM Network Connection does not support jumbo frames.


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

  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 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 when shutting down or rebooting the system.

  NAPI
  ----

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


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

NOTE: For distribution-specific information, see 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.

  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.

  Performance Degradation with Jumbo Frames
  -----------------------------------------

  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.

  Jumbo frames on Foundry BigIron 8000 switch
  -------------------------------------------
  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.

  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 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), 

  NOTE: This setting is not saved across reboots. The configuration 
  change can be made permanent by adding the line:
      net.ipv4.conf.all.arp_filter = 1
  to the file /etc/sysctl.conf 

        or,

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

  82541/82547 can't link or are slow to link with some link partners
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

  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

  Disable rx flow control with ethtool  
  ------------------------------------

  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


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.
