Chapter 3 Parameter Definitions
This chapter describes the parameters and settings for the hme device driver.
Driver Parameter Values and Definitions
The following sections describe the hme driver parameters, which are listed in Table 3-1.
Table 3-1 hme Driver Parameter, Status, and Descriptions| Parameter | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
transceiver_inuse |
Read only |
Defines the current status |
|
link_status |
Read only |
Defines the current status |
|
link_speed |
Read only |
Defines the current status |
|
link_mode |
Read only |
Defines the current status |
|
ipg1 |
Read and write |
Inter-packet gap parameter |
|
ipg2 |
Read and write |
Inter-packet gap parameter |
|
use_int_xcvr |
Read and write |
Operational mode parameter |
|
pace_size |
Read and write |
Operational mode parameter |
|
adv_autoneg_cap |
Read and write |
Operational mode parameter |
|
adv_100T4_cap |
Read and write |
Operational mode parameter |
|
adv_100fdx_cap |
Read and write |
Operational mode parameter |
|
adv_100hdx_cap |
Read and write |
Operational mode parameter |
|
adv_10fdx_cap |
Read and write |
Operational mode parameter |
|
adv_10hdx_cap |
Read and write |
Operational mode parameter |
|
autoneg_cap |
Read only |
Local transceiver auto negotiation capability |
|
100T4_cap |
Read only |
Local transceiver capability of the hardware |
|
100fdx_cap |
Read only |
Local transceiver capability of the hardware |
|
100hdx_cap |
Read only |
Local transceiver capability of the hardware |
|
10fdx_cap |
Read only |
Local transceiver capability of the hardware |
|
10hdx_cap |
Read only |
Local transceiver capability of the hardware |
|
lp_autoneg_cap |
Read only |
Link partner auto negotiation capability |
|
lp_100T4_cap |
Read only |
Link partner capability |
|
lp_100fdx_cap |
Read only |
Link partner capability |
|
lp_100hdx_cap |
Read only |
Link partner capability |
|
lp_10fdx_cap |
Read only |
Link partner capability |
|
lp_10hdx_cap |
Read only |
Link partner capability |
|
instance |
Read and write |
Device instance |
|
lance_mode |
Read and write |
Additional delay before transmitting a packet |
|
ipg0 |
Read and write |
Additional delay before transmitting a packet |
Defining the Current Status
The read-only parameters described in Table 3-2 explain the operational mode of the interface. These parameters define the current status.
Table 3-2 Read-Only Parameters Defining the Current Status| Parameter | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
transceiver_inuse |
01 |
= Internal transceiver= External transceiver |
|
link_status |
01 |
Current link status= Link down= Link up |
|
link_speed |
01 |
Valid only if the link is up= 10 Mbps= 100 Mbps |
|
link_mode |
01 |
Valid only if the link is up= Half duplex= Full duplex |
Inter-Packet Gap Parameters
The Fast Ethernet Parallel Port SCSI (FEPS) ASIC supports programmable Inter-Packet Gap (IPG) parameters ipg1 and ipg2. The total IPG is the sum of ipg1 and ipg2. The total IPG is 9.6 microseconds when the link speed set by the auto-negotiation protocol is 10 Mbps. When the link speed is 100 Mbps, the total IPG is 0.96 microseconds.
Table 3-3 lists the default values and allowable values for the inter-packet gap (IPG) parameters, ipg1 and ipg2.
Table 3-3 Read-Write Inter-Packet Gap Parameter Values and Descriptions| Parameter | Values(Byte-time) | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
ipg1 |
0, 255 |
ipg1 = 8 (default at initialization) |
|
ipg2 |
0, 255 |
ipg2 = 4 (default at initialization) |
By default, the driver sets ipg1 to 8-byte time and ipg2 to 4-byte time, which are the standard values. (Byte time is the time it takes to transmit one byte on the link, with a link speed of either 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps.)
If your network has systems that use longer IPG (the sum of ipg1 and ipg2) and if those machines seem to be slow in accessing the network, increase the values of ipg1 and ipg2 to match the longer IPGs of other machines.
Defining an Additional Delay Before Transmitting a Packet Using lance_mode and ipg0
Two ASICs:
-
Fast Ethernet Parallel Port SCSI (FEPS) for SBus)
-
PCI Fast Ethernet and Expansion (PFEX for PCI)
support a programmable mode called lance_mode. The ipg0 parameter is associated with lance_mode.
After a packet is received with lance_mode enabled (default) an additional delay is added by setting the ipg0 parameter before transmitting the packet. This delay, set by the ipg0 parameter, is in addition to the delay set by the ipg1 and ipg2 parameters. The additional delay set by ipg0 helps to reduce collisions. Systems that have lance_mode enabled might not have enough time on the network.
If lance_mode is disabled, the value of ipg0 is ignored and no additional delay is set. Only the delays set by ipg1 and ipg2 are used. Disable lance_mode if other systems keep sending a large number of back-to-back packets.
You can set the additional delay with the ipg0 parameter from 0 to 31, which is the nibble time delay. Note that nibble time is the time it takes to transfer four bits on the link. If the link speed is 10 Mbps, nibble time is equal to 400 ns. If the link speed is 100 Mbps, nibble time is equal to 40 ns.
For example, if the link speed is 10 Mbps, and you set ipg0 to 20 nibble times, multiply 20 by 400 ns to get 800 ns. If the link speed is 100 Mbps, and you set ipg0 to 30 nibble-times, multiply 30 by 40 ns to get 120 ns.
Table 3-2 defines the lance_mode and ipg0 parameters.
Table 3-4 Parameters Defining lance_mode and ipg0| Parameter | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
lance_mode |
01 |
lance_mode disabledlance_mode enabled (default) |
|
ipg0 |
0-311 |
Additional IPG before transmitting a packet (after receiving a packet) |
|
1 The default value is 16 nibble-times, which is 6.4 microseconds for 10 Mbps and 0.64 microseconds for 100 Mbps. |
||
Operational Mode Parameters
Table 3-5 describes the operational mode parameters and their default values.
Table 3-5 Operational Mode Parameters| Parameter | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
adv_autoneg_cap |
01 |
Local transceiver capability advertised by the hardware= Forced mode= Auto-negotiation (default) |
| adv_100T4_cap1 |
01 |
Local transceiver capability advertised by the hardware; read/write parameter= Not 100BASE-T4 capable= 100BASE-T4 capable |
|
adv_100fdx_cap1 |
01 |
Local transceiver capability advertised by the hardware; read/write parameter= Not 100Mbit/sec full-duplex capable (default in the Solaris 2.5 and 2.5.1 software enviroments)= 100Mbit/sec full-duplex capable (default in the Solaris 2.6 software environment) |
|
adv_100hdx_cap1 |
01 |
Local transceiver capability advertised by the hardware; read/write parameter= Not 100Mbit/sec half-duplex capable= 100Mbit/sec half-duplex capable (default) |
|
adv_10fdx_cap1 |
01 |
Local transceiver capability advertised by the hardware; read/write parameter= Not 10Mbit/sec full-duplex capable (default)= 10Mbit/sec full-duplex capable |
|
adv_10hdx_cap1 |
01 |
Local transceiver capability advertised by the hardware; read/write parameter= Not 10Mbit/sec half-duplex capable= 10Mbit/sec half-duplex capable (default) |
|
use_int_xcvr |
01 |
Local transceiver capability selected for networking by the user= External transceiver is used if connected (default)= Internal transceiver is used, even if the external transceiver is connected |
|
1 The priority (in descending order) for these parameters is: adv_100fdx_cap,adv_100T4_cap,adv_100hdx_cap, adv_10fdx_cap, and adv_10hdx_cap. |
||
Selecting the Internal or External Transceiver
Use the use_int_xcvr parameter to change the default. For example, you can select the internal transceiver, even though the driver is capable of selecting the external transceiver. The driver, not the hardware, determines the internal and external transceiver.
If the external transceiver, which is connected to the MII interface, is present, the driver selects the external transceiver using the default use_int_xcvr 0. If the external transceiver is not present, the driver selects the internal transceiver. When this parameter is set to use_int_xcvr 1, the driver selects the internal transceiver, even if the external transceiver is connected.
Defining the Number of Back-to-Back Packets to Transmit
The pace_size parameter (see Table 3-6) defines the maximum number of back-to-back packets you can transmit at one time. If the value is zero, there is no limit to the number of back-to-back packets that can be transmitted.
Table 3-6 Back-to-Back Packet Transmission Capability| Parameter | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
pace_size |
1 to 2550 |
= Number of back-to-back packets transmitted at one time= No limit to the number of back-to-back packets that can be transmitted (default) |
Reporting Transceiver Capabilities
Table 3-7 describes the read-only transceiver capabilities (either the internal transceiver or the external transceiver), whichever is selected.
Table 3-7 Read-Only Transceiver Capabilities| Parameter | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
autoneg_cap |
01 |
Local transceiver capability of the hardware= Not capable of auto-negotiation= Auto negotiation capable |
|
100T4_cap |
01 |
Local external transceiver capability of the hardware= Not 100BASE-T4 capable = 100BASE-T4 capable |
|
100fdx_cap |
01 |
Local transceiver capability of the hardware; initialized at startup= Not 100Mbit/sec full-duplex capable = 100Mbit/sec full-duplex capable |
| 100hdx_cap | 01 |
Local transceiver capability of the hardware; initialized at startup= Not 100Mbit/sec half-duplex capable = 100Mbit/sec half-duplex capable |
| 10fdx_cap | 01 |
Local transceiver capability of the hardware; initialized at startup= Not 10Mbit/sec full-duplex capable = 10Mbit/sec full-duplex capable |
| 10hdx_cap | 01 |
Local transceiver capability of the hardware; initialized at startup= Not 10Mbit/sec half-duplex capable = 10Mbit/sec half-duplex capable |
The parameters in Table 3-7 define the capabilities of the hardware. The internal transceiver can support all of these capabilities. The capabilities of the external transceiver are dependent on the device. If the external transceiver is not capable of auto-negotiation but has the capability of all speeds and modes (100 Mbps, 10 Mbps, half-duplex, and full-duplex), you must force the operational speed and mode of the external transceiver.
Reporting the Link Partner Capabilities
Table 3-8 describes the read-only link partner capabilities.
Table 3-8 Read-Only Link Partner Capabilities| Parameter | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
lp_autoneg_cap |
01 |
= No auto-negotiation = Auto-negotiation |
|
lp_100T4_cap |
01 |
= No 100BASE-T4= 100BASE-T4 |
|
lp_100fdx_cap |
01 |
= No100Mbit/sec full-duplex transmission= 100Mbit/sec full-duplex |
|
lp_100hdx_cap |
01 |
= No 100Mbit/sec half-duplex transmission= 100Mbit/sec half-duplex |
|
lp_10fdx_cap |
01 |
= No 10Mbit/sec full-duplex transmission= 10Mbit/sec full-duplex |
|
lp_10hdx_cap |
01 |
= No 10Mbit/sec half-duplex transmission= 10Mbit/sec half-duplex |
If the link partner is not capable of auto-negotiation (when lp_autoneg_cap is 0) the information described in Table 3-8 is not relevant and the parameter value = 0.
If the link partner is capable of auto-negotation (when lp_autoneg_cap is 1) then the speed and mode information is displayed when you use auto-negotiation and get the link partner capabilities.
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