netlbtest Test Requirements

You must have the Ethernet card and the device driver installed, a loopback connector in place, and Intervention mode enabled before running netlbtest. Even though the netlbtest does not depend on the network interface configuration status of the Ethernet interface, the interface should be brought down with the ifconfig command (refer to the ifconfig(1M) man page) to avoid erroneous messages.

To run netlbtest, a loopback connector must be connected to the Ethernet interface. netlbtest cannot run if the network interface is connected to a live network, however the link must be up. A loopback connector provides the network interface driver the necessary link for testing, while maintaining isolation from a live network. The loopback connector is required for both internal and external tests of the Ethernet device.

The loopback cable for ge is based on the following specifications: multimode, duplex, 62.5/125 micron, sc connector, 850nm. The cable can be made by splitting a standard fiber optic cable in two. The two ends of the cable should be connected to the TX and RX ports of the adapter (the order does not matter), thus forming a loop.

The loopback connector for the eri device is a standard RJ45 connector. See "Twisted-Pair Ethernet (TPE) Loopback Cable" for the diagram.

netlbtest also requires that the eri device be configured offline before running the test. Type the following two commands at the command prompt: