Next Previous Contents

---

Linux Ethernet-Howto

by Paul Gortmaker

v2.9, Aug 25, 2003

---

This is the Ethernet-Howto, which is a compilation of information about which ethernet devices can be used for Linux, and how to set them up. Note that this Howto is focused on the hardware and low level driver aspect of the ethernet cards, and does not cover the software end of things like ifconfig and route. That information is found in various other Linux documentation.

---

1. Introduction

• 1.1 New Versions of this Document
• 1.2 Using the Ethernet-Howto
• 1.3 What do I need to to get ethernet working?
• 1.4 HELP - It doesn't work!
• 1.5 Type of cable that your card should support

2. Frequently Asked Questions

• 2.1 How do I tell Linux what driver to use?
• 2.2 What card should I buy for Linux?
• 2.3 Alpha Drivers -- Getting and Using them
• 2.4 Using More than one Ethernet Card per Machine
• 2.5 The ether= thing didn't do anything for me. Why?
• 2.6 Problems with NE1000 / NE2000 cards (and clones)
• 2.7 Problems with SMC Ultra/EtherEZ and WD80*3 cards
• 2.8 Problems with 3Com cards
• 2.9 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 Adaptec
• 4.4 Allied Telesyn/Telesis
• 4.5 AMD / Advanced Micro Devices
• 4.6 Ansel Communications
• 4.7 Apricot
• 4.8 Arcnet
• 4.9 Boca Research
• 4.10 Broadcom
• 4.11 Cabletron
• 4.12 Cogent
• 4.13 Compaq
• 4.14 Danpex
• 4.15 Davicom
• 4.16 D-Link
• 4.17 DFI
• 4.18 Digital / DEC
• 4.19 Farallon
• 4.20 Fujitsu
• 4.21 Hewlett Packard
• 4.22 IBM / International Business Machines
• 4.23 ICL Ethernet Cards
• 4.24 Intel Ethernet Cards
• 4.25 Kingston
• 4.26 LinkSys
• 4.27 Microdyne (Eagle)
• 4.28 Mylex
• 4.29 Myson
• 4.30 National Semiconductor
• 4.31 Novell Ethernet, NExxxx and associated clones.
• 4.32 Netgear
• 4.33 Proteon
• 4.34 Pure Data
• 4.35 Racal-Interlan
• 4.36 RealTek
• 4.37 Sager
• 4.38 Schneider & Koch
• 4.39 SEEQ
• 4.40 SiS (Silicon Integrated Systems)
• 4.41 SMC (Standard Microsystems Corp.)
• 4.42 Sundance
• 4.43 SysKonnect
• 4.44 Texas Instruments
• 4.45 Thomas Conrad
• 4.46 VIA
• 4.47 Western Digital
• 4.48 Winbond
• 4.49 Xircom
• 4.50 Zenith
• 4.51 Znyx
• 4.52 Identifying an Unknown Card
• 4.53 Drivers for Non-Ethernet Devices

5. Cables, Coax, Twisted Pair

• 5.1 Thin Ethernet (thinnet)
• 5.2 Twisted Pair

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 Performance Implications of Zero Copy
• 7.4 Performance Implications of Hardware Checksums
• 7.5 Performance Implications of NAPI (Rx interrupt mitigation)

8. Miscellaneous.

• 8.1 Transmit FIFO Buffers and Underrun Errors
• 8.2 Passing Ethernet Arguments to the Kernel
• 8.3 Using the Ethernet Drivers as Modules
• 8.4 Related Documentation
• 8.5 Disclaimer and Copyright
• 8.6 Closing

---

Next Previous Contents
Linux HOWTO full list