1SK98LIN(4)                 Linux Programmer's Manual                SK98LIN(4)
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NAME

6       sk98lin - Marvell/SysKonnect Gigabit Ethernet driver v6.21
7

SYNOPSIS

9       insmod       sk98lin.o       [Speed_A=i,j,...]        [Speed_B=i,j,...]
10       [AutoNeg_A=i,j,...]   [AutoNeg_B=i,j,...]   [DupCap_A=i,j,...]    [Dup‐
11       Cap_B=i,j,...]         [FlowCtrl_A=i,j,...]        [FlowCtrl_B=i,j,...]
12       [Role_A=i,j,...]    [Role_B=i,j,...]     [ConType=i,j,...]     [Modera‐
13       tion=i,j,...]     [IntsPerSec=i,j,...]     [PrefPort=i,j,...]    [Rlmt‐
14       Mode=i,j,...]
15

DESCRIPTION

17       Note: This obsolete driver was removed from the kernel in version
18       2.6.26.
19
20       sk98lin is the Gigabit Ethernet driver for Marvell and SysKonnect
21       network adapter cards.  It supports SysKonnect SK-98xx/SK-95xx
22       compliant Gigabit Ethernet Adapter and any Yukon compliant chipset.
23
24       When loading the driver using insmod, parameters for the network
25       adapter cards might be stated as a sequence of comma separated
26       commands.  If for instance two network adapters are installed and
27       AutoNegotiation on Port A of the first adapter should be ON, but on the
28       Port A of the second adapter switched OFF, one must enter:
29
30          insmod sk98lin.o AutoNeg_A=On,Off
31
32       After sk98lin is bound to one or more adapter cards and the /proc
33       filesystem is mounted on your system, a dedicated statistics file will
34       be created in the folder /proc/net/sk98lin for all ports of the
35       installed network adapter cards.  Those files are named eth[x], where x
36       is the number of the interface that has been assigned to a dedicated
37       port by the system.
38
39       If loading is finished, any desired IP address can be assigned to the
40       respective eth[x] interface using the ifconfig(8) command.  This causes
41       the adapter to connect to the Ethernet and to display a status message
42       on the console saying "ethx: network connection up using port y"
43       followed by the configured or detected connection parameters.
44
45       The sk98lin also supports large frames (also called jumbo frames).
46       Using jumbo frames can improve throughput tremendously when
47       transferring large amounts of data.  To enable large frames, the MTU
48       (maximum transfer unit) size for an interface is to be set to a high
49       value.  The default MTU size is 1500 and can be changed up to 9000
50       (bytes).  Setting the MTU size can be done when assigning the IP
51       address to the interface or later by using the ifconfig(8) command with
52       the mtu parameter.  If for instance eth0 needs an IP address and a
53       large frame MTU size, the following two commands might be used:
54
55           ifconfig eth0 10.1.1.1
56           ifconfig eth0 mtu 9000
57
58       Those two commands might even be combined into one:
59
60           ifconfig eth0 10.1.1.1 mtu 9000
61
62       Note that large frames can be used only if permitted by your network
63       infrastructure.  This means, that any switch being used in your
64       Ethernet must also support large frames.  Quite some switches support
65       large frames, but need to be configured to do so.  Most of the times,
66       their default setting is to support only standard frames with an MTU
67       size of 1500 (bytes).  In addition to the switches inside the network,
68       all network adapters that are to be used must also be enabled regarding
69       jumbo frames.  If an adapter is not set to receive large frames, it
70       will simply drop them.
71
72       Switching back to the standard Ethernet frame size can be done by using
73       the ifconfig(8) command again:
74
75           ifconfig eth0 mtu 1500
76
77       The Marvell/SysKonnect Gigabit Ethernet driver for Linux is able to
78       support VLAN and Link Aggregation according to IEEE standards 802.1,
79       802.1q, and 802.3ad.  Those features are available only after
80       installation of open source modules which can be found on the Internet:
81
82       VLAN: ⟨http://www.candelatech.com/~greear/vlan.html⟩
83       Link Aggregation: ⟨http://www.st.rim.or.jp/~yumo⟩
84
85       Note that Marvell/SysKonnect does not offer any support for these open
86       source modules and does not take the responsibility for any kind of
87       failures or problems arising when using these modules.
88
89   Parameters
90       Speed_A=i,j,...
91              This parameter is used to set the speed capabilities of port A
92              of an adapter card.  It is valid only for Yukon copper adapters.
93              Possible values are: 10, 100, 1000, or Auto; Auto is the
94              default.  Usually, the speed is negotiated between the two ports
95              during link establishment.  If this fails, a port can be forced
96              to a specific setting with this parameter.
97
98       Speed_B=i,j,...
99              This parameter is used to set the speed capabilities of port B
100              of an adapter card.  It is valid only for Yukon copper adapters.
101              Possible values are: 10, 100, 1000, or Auto; Auto is the
102              default.  Usually, the speed is negotiated between the two ports
103              during link establishment.  If this fails, a port can be forced
104              to a specific setting with this parameter.
105
106       AutoNeg_A=i,j,...
107              Enables or disables the use of autonegotiation of port A of an
108              adapter card.  Possible values are: On, Off, or Sense; On is the
109              default.  The Sense mode automatically detects whether the link
110              partner supports auto-negotiation or not.
111
112       AutoNeg_B=i,j,...
113              Enables or disables the use of autonegotiation of port B of an
114              adapter card.  Possible values are: On, Off, or Sense; On is the
115              default.  The Sense mode automatically detects whether the link
116              partner supports auto-negotiation or not.
117
118       DupCap_A=i,j,...
119              This parameter indicates the duplex mode to be used for port A
120              of an adapter card.  Possible values are: Half, Full, or Both;
121              Both is the default.  This parameter is relevant only if
122              AutoNeg_A of port A is not set to Sense.  If AutoNeg_A is set to
123              On, all three values of DupCap_A ( Half, Full or Both) might be
124              stated.  If AutoNeg_A is set to Off, only DupCap_A values Full
125              and Half are allowed.  This DupCap_A parameter is useful if your
126              link partner does not support all possible duplex combinations.
127
128       DupCap_B=i,j,...
129              This parameter indicates the duplex mode to be used for port B
130              of an adapter card.  Possible values are: Half, Full, or Both;
131              Both is the default.  This parameter is relevant only if
132              AutoNeg_B of port B is not set to Sense.  If AutoNeg_B is set to
133              On, all three values of DupCap_B ( Half, Full or Both) might be
134              stated.  If AutoNeg_B is set to Off, only DupCap_B values Full
135              and Half are allowed.  This DupCap_B parameter is useful if your
136              link partner does not support all possible duplex combinations.
137
138       FlowCtrl_A=i,j,...
139              This parameter can be used to set the flow control capabilities
140              the port reports during auto-negotiation.  Possible values are:
141              Sym, SymOrRem, LocSend, or None; SymOrRem is the default.  The
142              different modes have the following meaning:
143
144              Sym = Symmetric
145               both link partners are allowed to send PAUSE frames
146              SymOrRem = SymmetricOrRemote
147               both or only remote partner are allowed to send PAUSE frames
148              LocSend = LocalSend
149               only local link partner is allowed to send PAUSE frames
150              None = None
151               no link partner is allowed to send PAUSE frames
152
153              Note that this parameter is ignored if AutoNeg_A is set to Off.
154
155       FlowCtrl_B=i,j,...
156              This parameter can be used to set the flow control capabilities
157              the port reports during auto-negotiation.  Possible values are:
158              Sym, SymOrRem, LocSend, or None; SymOrRem is the default.  The
159              different modes have the following meaning:
160
161              Sym = Symmetric
162               both link partners are allowed to send PAUSE frames
163              SymOrRem = SymmetricOrRemote
164               both or only remote partner are allowed to send PAUSE frames
165              LocSend = LocalSend
166               only local link partner is allowed to send PAUSE frames
167              None = None
168               no link partner is allowed to send PAUSE frames
169
170              Note that this parameter is ignored if AutoNeg_B is set to Off.
171
172       Role_A=i,j,...
173              This parameter is valid only for 1000Base-T adapter cards.  For
174              two 1000Base-T ports to communicate, one must take the role of
175              the master (providing timing information), while the other must
176              be the slave.  Possible values are: Auto, Master, or Slave; Auto
177              is the default.  Usually, the role of a port is negotiated
178              between two ports during link establishment, but if that fails
179              the port A of an adapter card can be forced to a specific set‐
180              ting with this parameter.
181
182       Role_B=i,j,...
183              This parameter is valid only for 1000Base-T adapter cards.  For
184              two 1000Base-T ports to communicate, one must take the role of
185              the master (providing timing information), while the other must
186              be the slave.  Possible values are: Auto, Master, or Slave; Auto
187              is the default.  Usually, the role of a port is negotiated
188              between two ports during link establishment, but if that fails
189              the port B of an adapter card can be forced to a specific set‐
190              ting with this parameter.
191
192       ConType=i,j,...
193              This parameter is a combination of all five per-port parameters
194              within one single parameter.  This simplifies the configuration
195              of both ports of an adapter card.  The different values of this
196              variable reflect the most meaningful combinations of port param‐
197              eters.  Possible values and their corresponding combination of
198              per-port parameters:
199
200              ConType | DupCap   AutoNeg   FlowCtrl   Role   Speed
201              --------+-------------------------------------------
202              Auto    |  Both      On      SymOrRem   Auto   Auto
203              100FD   |  Full      Off       None     Auto   100
204              100HD   |  Half      Off       None     Auto   100
205              10FD    |  Full      Off       None     Auto   10
206              10HD    |  Half      Off       None     Auto   10
207
208              Stating any other port parameter together with this ConType
209              parameter will result in a merged configuration of those set‐
210              tings.  This is due to the fact, that the per-port parameters
211              (e.g., Speed_A) have a higher priority than the combined vari‐
212              able ConType.
213
214       Moderation=i,j,...
215              Interrupt moderation is employed to limit the maximum number of
216              interrupts the driver has to serve.  That is, one or more inter‐
217              rupts (which indicate any transmit or receive packet to be pro‐
218              cessed) are queued until the driver processes them.  When queued
219              interrupts are to be served, is determined by the IntsPerSec
220              parameter, which is explained later below.  Possible moderation
221              modes are: None, Static, or Dynamic; None is the default.  The
222              different modes have the following meaning:
223
224              None No interrupt moderation is applied on the adapter card.
225              Therefore, each transmit or receive interrupt is served immedi‐
226              ately as soon as it appears on the interrupt line of the adapter
227              card.
228
229              Static Interrupt moderation is applied on the adapter card.  All
230              transmit and receive interrupts are queued until a complete mod‐
231              eration interval ends.  If such a moderation interval ends, all
232              queued interrupts are processed in one big bunch without any
233              delay.  The term Static reflects the fact, that interrupt moder‐
234              ation is always enabled, regardless how much network load is
235              currently passing via a particular interface.  In addition, the
236              duration of the moderation interval has a fixed length that
237              never changes while the driver is operational.
238
239              Dynamic Interrupt moderation might be applied on the adapter
240              card, depending on the load of the system.  If the driver
241              detects that the system load is too high, the driver tries to
242              shield the system against too much network load by enabling
243              interrupt moderation.  If—at a later time—the CPU utilization
244              decreases again (or if the network load is negligible), the
245              interrupt moderation will automatically be disabled.
246
247              Interrupt moderation should be used when the driver has to han‐
248              dle one or more interfaces with a high network load, which—as a
249              consequence—leads also to a high CPU utilization.  When modera‐
250              tion is applied in such high network load situations, CPU load
251              might be reduced by 20–30% on slow computers.
252
253              Note that the drawback of using interrupt moderation is an
254              increase of the round-trip-time (RTT), due to the queuing and
255              serving of interrupts at dedicated moderation times.
256
257       IntsPerSec=i,j,...
258              This parameter determines the length of any interrupt moderation
259              interval.  Assuming that static interrupt moderation is to be
260              used, an IntsPerSec parameter value of 2000 will lead to an
261              interrupt moderation interval of 500 microseconds.  Possible
262              values for this parameter are in the range of 30...40000 (inter‐
263              rupts per second).  The default value is 2000.
264
265              This parameter is used only if either static or dynamic inter‐
266              rupt moderation is enabled on a network adapter card.  This
267              parameter is ignored if no moderation is applied.
268
269              Note that the duration of the moderation interval is to be cho‐
270              sen with care.  At first glance, selecting a very long duration
271              (e.g., only 100 interrupts per second) seems to be meaningful,
272              but the increase of packet-processing delay is tremendous.  On
273              the other hand, selecting a very short moderation time might
274              compensate the use of any moderation being applied.
275
276       PrefPort=i,j,...
277              This parameter is used to force the preferred port to A or B (on
278              dual-port network adapters).  The preferred port is the one that
279              is used if both ports A and B are detected as fully functional.
280              Possible values are: A or B; A is the default.
281
282       RlmtMode=i,j,...
283              RLMT monitors the status of the port.  If the link of the active
284              port fails, RLMT switches immediately to the standby link.  The
285              virtual link is maintained as long as at least one "physical"
286              link is up.  This parameters states how RLMT should monitor both
287              ports.  Possible values are: CheckLinkState, CheckLocalPort,
288              CheckSeg, or DualNet; CheckLinkState is the default.  The dif‐
289              ferent modes have the following meaning:
290
291              CheckLinkState Check link state only: RLMT uses the link state
292              reported by the adapter hardware for each individual port to
293              determine whether a port can be used for all network traffic or
294              not.
295
296              CheckLocalPort In this mode, RLMT monitors the network path
297              between the two ports of an adapter by regularly exchanging
298              packets between them.  This mode requires a network configura‐
299              tion in which the two ports are able to "see" each other (i.e.,
300              there must not be any router between the ports).
301
302              CheckSeg Check local port and segmentation: This mode supports
303              the same functions as the CheckLocalPort mode and additionally
304              checks network segmentation between the ports.  Therefore, this
305              mode is to be used only if Gigabit Ethernet switches are
306              installed on the network that have been configured to use the
307              Spanning Tree protocol.
308
309              DualNet In this mode, ports A and B are used as separate
310              devices.  If you have a dual port adapter, port A will be con‐
311              figured as eth[x] and port B as eth[x+1].  Both ports can be
312              used independently with distinct IP addresses.  The preferred
313              port setting is not used.  RLMT is turned off.
314
315              Note that RLMT modes CheckLocalPort and CheckLinkState are
316              designed to operate in configurations where a network path
317              between the ports on one adapter exists.  Moreover, they are not
318              designed to work where adapters are connected back-to-back.
319

FILES

321       /proc/net/sk98lin/eth[x]
322              The statistics file of a particular interface of an adapter
323              card.  It contains generic information about the adapter card
324              plus a detailed summary of all transmit and receive counters.
325
326       /usr/src/linux/Documentation/networking/sk98lin.txt
327              This is the README file of the sk98lin driver.  It contains a
328              detailed installation HOWTO and describes all parameters of the
329              driver.  It denotes also common problems and provides the solu‐
330              tion to them.
331

BUGS

333       Report any bugs to linux@syskonnect.de
334

SEE ALSO

336       ifconfig(8), insmod(8), modprobe(8)
337

COLOPHON

339       This page is part of release 5.04 of the Linux man-pages project.  A
340       description of the project, information about reporting bugs, and the
341       latest version of this page, can be found at
342       https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
343
344
345
346Linux                             2017-09-15                        SK98LIN(4)
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