Linux Ethernet-Howto

by Paul Gortmaker

1. Introduction

• 1.1 New Versions of this Document
• 1.2 Using the Ethernet-Howto
• 1.3 HELP - It doesn't work!
• 1.4 Type of cable that your card should support

2. Frequently Asked Questions

• 2.1 What card should I buy for Linux?
• 2.2 Alpha Drivers -- Getting and Using them
• 2.3 Using More than one Ethernet Card per Machine
• 2.4 The ether= thing didn't do anything for me. Why?
• 2.5 Problems with NE1000 / NE2000 cards (and clones)
• 2.6 Problems with SMC Ultra/EtherEZ and WD80*3 cards
• 2.7 Problems with 3Com cards
• 2.8 FAQs Not Specific to Any Card.

3. Performance Tips

• 3.1 General Concepts
• 3.2 ISA Cards and ISA Bus Speed
• 3.3 Setting the TCP Rx Window
• 3.4 Increasing NFS performance

4. Vendor/Manufacturer/Model Specific Information

• 4.1 3Com
• 4.2 Accton
• 4.3 Allied Telesyn/Telesis
• 4.4 AMD / Advanced Micro Devices
• 4.5 Ansel Communications
• 4.6 Apricot
• 4.7 Arcnet
• 4.8 AT&T
• 4.9 Boca Research
• 4.10 Cabletron
• 4.11 Cogent
• 4.12 Compaq
• 4.13 Danpex
• 4.14 D-Link
• 4.15 DFI
• 4.16 Digital / DEC
• 4.17 Farallon
• 4.18 Fujitsu
• 4.19 Hewlett Packard
• 4.20 IBM / International Business Machines
• 4.21 ICL Ethernet Cards
• 4.22 Intel Ethernet Cards
• 4.23 Kingston
• 4.24 LinkSys
• 4.25 Microdyne (Eagle)
• 4.26 Mylex
• 4.27 Novell Ethernet, NExxxx and associated clones.
• 4.28 Proteon
• 4.29 Pure Data
• 4.30 Racal-Interlan
• 4.31 RealTek
• 4.32 Sager
• 4.33 Schneider & Koch
• 4.34 SEEQ
• 4.35 SMC (Standard Microsystems Corp.)
• 4.36 Texas Instruments
• 4.37 Thomas Conrad
• 4.38 VIA
• 4.39 Western Digital
• 4.40 Winbond
• 4.41 Xircom
• 4.42 Zenith
• 4.43 Znyx
• 4.44 Identifying an Unknown Card
• 4.45 Drivers for Non-Ethernet Devices

5. Cables, Coax, Twisted Pair

• 5.1 Thin Ethernet (thinnet)
• 5.2 Twisted Pair
• 5.3 Thick Ethernet

6. Software Configuration and Card Diagnostics

• 6.1 Configuration Programs for Ethernet Cards
• 6.2 Diagnostic Programs for Ethernet Cards

7. Technical Information

• 7.1 Programmed I/O vs. Shared Memory vs. DMA
• 7.2 Performance Implications of Bus Width
• 7.3 32 Bit (VLB/EISA/PCI) Ethernet Cards
• 7.4 Writing a Driver
• 7.5 Driver interface to the kernel
• 7.6 Technical information from 3Com
• 7.7 Notes on AMD PCnet / LANCE Based cards
• 7.8 Multicast and Promiscuous Mode
• 7.9 The Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF)

8. Networking with a Laptop/Notebook Computer

• 8.1 Using SLIP
• 8.2 PCMCIA Support
• 8.3 ISA Ethercard in the Docking Station.
• 8.4 Pocket / parallel port adaptors.

9. Miscellaneous.

• 9.1 Passing Ethernet Arguments to the Kernel
• 9.2 Using the Ethernet Drivers as Modules
• 9.3 Related Documentation
• 9.4 Disclaimer and Copyright
• 9.5 Closing