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@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
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Linux* Driver for Intel(R) Network Connection
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-===============================================================
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+=============================================
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Intel Gigabit Linux driver.
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Copyright(c) 1999 - 2010 Intel Corporation.
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@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ per second, even if more packets have come in. This reduces interrupt
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load on the system and can lower CPU utilization under heavy load,
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but will increase latency as packets are not processed as quickly.
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+The default behaviour of the driver previously assumed a static
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+InterruptThrottleRate value of 8000, providing a good fallback value for
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+all traffic types, but lacking in small packet performance and latency.
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+The hardware can handle many more small packets per second however, and
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+for this reason an adaptive interrupt moderation algorithm was implemented.
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+
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The driver has two adaptive modes (setting 1 or 3) in which
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it dynamically adjusts the InterruptThrottleRate value based on the traffic
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that it receives. After determining the type of incoming traffic in the last
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@@ -86,8 +92,8 @@ InterruptThrottleRate is set to mode 1. In this mode, which operates
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the same as mode 3, the InterruptThrottleRate will be increased stepwise to
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70000 for traffic in class "Lowest latency".
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-In simplified mode the interrupt rate is based on the ratio of Tx and
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-Rx traffic. If the bytes per second rate is approximately equal the
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+In simplified mode the interrupt rate is based on the ratio of TX and
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+RX traffic. If the bytes per second rate is approximately equal, the
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interrupt rate will drop as low as 2000 interrupts per second. If the
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traffic is mostly transmit or mostly receive, the interrupt rate could
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be as high as 8000.
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@@ -177,7 +183,7 @@ Copybreak
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Valid Range: 0-xxxxxxx (0=off)
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Default Value: 256
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-Driver copies all packets below or equaling this size to a fresh Rx
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+Driver copies all packets below or equaling this size to a fresh RX
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buffer before handing it up the stack.
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This parameter is different than other parameters, in that it is a
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@@ -223,17 +229,17 @@ loading or enabling the driver, try disabling this feature.
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WriteProtectNVM
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---------------
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-Valid Range: 0-1
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-Default Value: 1 (enabled)
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-
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-Set the hardware to ignore all write/erase cycles to the GbE region in the
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-ICHx NVM (non-volatile memory). This feature can be disabled by the
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-WriteProtectNVM module parameter (enabled by default) only after a hardware
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-reset, but the machine must be power cycled before trying to enable writes.
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-
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-Note: the kernel boot option iomem=relaxed may need to be set if the kernel
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-config option CONFIG_STRICT_DEVMEM=y, if the root user wants to write the
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-NVM from user space via ethtool.
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+Valid Range: 0,1
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+Default Value: 1
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+
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+If set to 1, configure the hardware to ignore all write/erase cycles to the
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+GbE region in the ICHx NVM (in order to prevent accidental corruption of the
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+NVM). This feature can be disabled by setting the parameter to 0 during initial
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+driver load.
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+NOTE: The machine must be power cycled (full off/on) when enabling NVM writes
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+via setting the parameter to zero. Once the NVM has been locked (via the
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+parameter at 1 when the driver loads) it cannot be unlocked except via power
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+cycle.
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Additional Configurations
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=========================
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@@ -259,7 +265,6 @@ Additional Configurations
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- Some adapters limit Jumbo Frames sized packets to a maximum of
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4096 bytes and some adapters do not support Jumbo Frames.
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-
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Ethtool
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-------
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The driver utilizes the ethtool interface for driver configuration and
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@@ -283,8 +288,7 @@ Additional Configurations
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loaded when shutting down or rebooting the system.
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In most cases Wake On LAN is only supported on port A for multiple port
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- adapters. To verify if a port supports Wake on LAN run ethtool eth<X>.
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-
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+ adapters. To verify if a port supports Wake on Lan run Ethtool eth<X>.
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Support
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=======
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Jeff Kirsher