C H A P T E R 3 - Configuring Driver Parameters

C H A P T E R 3

Configuring Driver Parameters

This chapter describes how to configure the vca device driver parameters used by both the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 UTP and MMF Ethernet adapters. This chapter contains the following sections:

Ethernet Device Driver (vca) Parameters

Setting vca Driver Parameters

Enabling Autonegotiation or Forced Mode for Link Parameters With the OpenBoot PROM

Cryptographic and Ethernet Driver Operating Statistics

Network Configuration

Ethernet Device Driver (`vca`) Parameters

The vca device driver controls the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 UTP and MMF Ethernet devices. The vca driver is attached to the UNIX pci name property pci108e,3de8 for the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 (108e is the vendor ID and 3de8 is the PCI device ID).

You can manually configure the vca device driver parameters to customize each Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 device in your system. This section provides an overview of the capabilities of the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 Ethernet device used in the board, lists the available vca device driver parameters, and describes how to configure these parameters.

The Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 Ethernet UTP and MMF PCI adapters are capable of the operating speeds and modes listed in Enabling Autonegotiation or Forced Mode for Link Parameters With the OpenBoot PROM. By default, the vca device operates in autonegotiation mode with the remote end of the link (link partner) to select a common mode of operation for the speed, duplex, and link-clock parameters. The link-clock parameter is applicable only if the board is operating at 1000 Mbps. The vca device can also be configured to operate in forced mode for each of these parameters.

Caution - To establish a proper link, both link partners must operate in either autonegotiation or forced mode for each of the speed, duplex, and link-clock (1000 Mbps only) parameters. If both link partners are not operating in the same mode for each of these parameters, network errors will occur. See Enabling Autonegotiation or Forced Mode for Link Parameters With the OpenBoot PROM.

Driver Parameter Values and Definitions

TABLE 3-1 describes the parameters and settings for the vca device driver.


Parameter	Status	Description
`instance`	Read and write	Device instance
`adv-autoneg-cap`	Read and write	Operational mode parameter
`adv-1000fdx`-cap	Read and write	Operational mode parameter (MMF adapter only)
`adv-1000hdx`-cap	Read and write	Operational mode parameter
`adv-100fdx`-cap	Read and write	Operational mode parameter (UTP adapter only)
`adv-100hdx`-cap	Read and write	Operational mode parameter (UTP adapter only)
`adv-10fdx`-cap	Read and write	Operational mode parameter (UTP adapter only)
`adv-10hdx`-cap	Read and write	Operational mode parameter (UTP adapter only)
`adv-asmpause`-cap	Read and write	Flow control parameter
`adv-pause`-cap	Read and write	Flow control parameter
pause-on-threshold	Read and write	Flow control parameter
p ause-off-threshold	Read and write	Flow control parameter
link-master	Read and write	1 Gbps speed forced mode parameter
`enable-ipg0`	Read and write	Enable additional delay before transmitting a packet
`ipg0`	Read and write	Additional delay before transmitting a packet
`ipg1`	Read and write	Interpacket Gap parameter
`ipg2`	Read and write	Interpacket Gap parameter
`rx-intr-pkts`	Read and write	Receive interrupt blanking values
`rx-intr-time`	Read and write	Receive interrupt blanking values
`red-dv4to6k`	Read and write	Random early detection and packet drop vectors
`red-dv6to8k`	Read and write	Random early detection and packet drop vectors
`red-dv8to10k`	Read and write	Random early detection and packet drop vectors
`red-dv10to12k`	Read and write	Random early detection and packet drop vectors
`tx-dma-weight`	Read and write	PCI Interface parameter
`rx-dma-weight`	Read and write	PCI Interface parameter
`infinit-burst`	Read and write	PCI Interface parameter
`disable-64bit`	Read and write	PCI Interface parameter

Advertised Link Parameters

The following parameters determine the transmit and receive speed and duplex link parameters to be advertised by the vca driver to its link partner. TABLE 3-2 describes the operational mode parameters and their default values.

Note - If a parameter's initial setting is 0, it cannot be changed. If you try to change an initial setting of 0, it reverts back to 0. By default, these parameters are set to the capabilities of the vca device.

The Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 UTP adapter advertised link parameters are different from those of the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 MMF adapter as shown in TABLE 3-2.


Parameter	Description	UTP Adapter	MMF Adapter
`adv-autoneg-cap`	Local interface capability advertised by the hardware 0 = Forced mode 1 = Autonegotiation (default)	X	X
`adv-1000fdx-cap`	Local interface capability advertised by the hardware 0 = Not 1000 Mbps full-duplex capable 1 = 1000 Mbps full-duplex capable (default)		X
`adv-1000hdx-cap`	Local interface capability advertised by the hardware 0 = Not 1000 Mbps half-duplex capable 1 = 1000 Mbps half-duplex capable (default)	X	X
`adv-100fdx-cap`	Local interface capability advertised by the hardware 0 = Not 100 Mbps full-duplex capable 1 = 100 Mbps full-duplex capable (default)	X
`adv-100hdx-cap`	Local interface capability advertised by the hardware 0 = Not 100 Mbps half-duplex capable 1 = 100 Mbps half-duplex capable (default)	X
`adv-10fdx-cap`	Local interface capability advertised by the hardware 0 = Not 10 Mbps full-duplex capable 1 = 10 Mbps full-duplex capable (default)	X
`adv-10hdx-cap`	Local interface capability advertised by the hardware 0 = Not 10 Mbps half-duplex capable 1 = 10 Mbps half-duplex capable (default)	X

If all of the parameters in TABLE 3-2 are set to 1, autonegotiation uses the highest speed possible. If all of these parameters are set to 0, you receive the following error message:

NOTICE: Last setting will leave vca0 with no link capabilities.

WARNING: vca0: Restoring previous setting.

Note - In the previous example, vca0 is the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 device name where the string, vca, is used for every Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 board. This string is always immediately followed by the device instance number of the board. Thus, the device instance number of the vca0 board is 0.

Flow Control Parameters

The vca device is capable of sourcing (transmitting) and terminating (receiving) pause frames conforming to the IEEE 802.3x Frame Based Link Level Flow Control Protocol. In response to received flow control frames, the vca device is capable of reducing its transmit rate. Alternately, the vca device is capable of sourcing flow control frames, requesting the link partner to reduce its transmit rate if the link partner supports this feature. By default, the driver advertises both transmit and receive pause capability during autonegotiation.

TABLE 3-3 provides flow control keywords and describes their function.


Keyword	Description
`adv-asmpause-cap`	Both the MMF and UTP adapters support asymmetric pause; therefore, the `vca` device can pause only in one direction. 0=Off (default) 1=On
`adv-pause-cap`	This parameter has two meanings depending on the value of `adv-asmpause-cap`. (Default=0)
	Parameter Value +	Parameter Value =	Description
	`adv-asmpause-cap=`	`adv-pause-cap=`
	1	1 or 0	`adv-pause-cap` determines which direction pauses operate on.
	1	1	Pauses are received but are not transmitted.
	1	0	Pauses are transmitted but are not received.
	0	1	Pauses are sent and received.
	0	1 or 0	`adv-pause-cap` determines whether the pause capability is on or off.
pause-on-threshold	Defines the number of 64-byte blocks in the receive (RX) FIFO which causes the board to generate an XON-PAUSE frame.
pause-off-threshold	Defines the number of 64-byte blocks in the RX FIFO which causes the board to generate an XOFF-PAUSE frame.

Gigabit Forced Mode Parameter

For Gigabit links, this parameter determines the link-master. Generally, switches are enabled as a link master; in which case, this parameter can remain unchanged. If this is not the case, then the link-master parameter can be used to enable the vca device as a link master.


Parameter	Description
`link-master`	When set to 1 this parameter enables master operation, assuming the link partner is a slave. When set to 0 this parameter enables slave operation, assuming the link partner is a master (default).

Interpacket Gap Parameters

The vca device supports the enable-ipg0 programmable mode.

Before transmitting a packet with enable-ipg0 enabled (default), the vca device adds an additional time delay. This delay, set by the ipg0 parameter, is in addition to the delay set by the ipg1 and ipg2 parameters. The additional ipg0 delay reduces collisions.

If enable-ipg0 is disabled, the value of ipg0 is ignored and no additional delay is set. Only the delays set by ipg1 and ipg2 are used. Disable enable-ipg0 if other systems keep sending a large number of continuous packets. Systems that have enable-ipg0 enabled might not have enough time on the network. You can add the additional delay by setting the ipg0 parameter from 0 to 255, which is the media byte-time delay. TABLE 3-5 defines the enable-ipg0 and ipg0 parameters.


Parameter	Values	Description
`enable-ipg0`	0 1	`enable-ipg0` enable `enable-ipg0` disable (Default=1)
`ipg0`	0 to 255	The additional time delay (or gap) before transmitting a packet (after receiving the packet) (Default=8)

The vca device supports the programmable interpacket gap (IPG) parameters ipg1 and ipg2. The total IPG is the sum of ipg1 and ipg2. The total IPG is 0.096 microseconds for the link speed of 1000 Mbps.

TABLE 3-6 lists the default values and allowable values for the IPG parameters.


Parameter	Values (Byte-time)	Description
`ipg1`	0 to 255	Interpacket gap 1 (Default=8)
`ipg2`	0 to 255	Interpacket gap 2 (Default=4)

By default, the driver sets ipg1 to 8-byte time and ipg2 to 4-byte time, which are the standard values. (Byte time is the time it takes to transmit one byte on the link, with a link speed of 1000 Mbps.)

If your network has systems that use longer IPG (the sum of ipg1 and ipg2), and if those machines seem to be slow in accessing the network, increase the values of ipg1 and ipg2 to match the longer IPGs of other machines.

Interrupt Parameters

TABLE 3-7 describes the receive interrupt blanking values.


Field Name	Values	Description
`rx-intr-pkts`	0 to 511	Interrupts after this number of packets have arrived since the last packet was serviced. A value of zero indicates no packet blanking (Default=3).
`rx-intr-time`	0 to 524287	Interrupts after 4.5 microseconds (Usecs) have elapsed since the last packet was serviced. A value of zero indicates no time blanking (Default=3).

Random Early Drop Parameters

These parameters provide the ability to drop packets based on the fullness of the receive FIFO. By default, this feature is disabled. When FIFO occupancy reaches a specific range, packets are dropped according to the preset probability. The probability should increase when the FIFO level increases. Control packets are never dropped and are not counted in the statistics.


Field Name	Values	Description
`red-dv4to6k`	0 to 255	Random early detection and packet drop vectors for a FIFO threshold greater than 4096 bytes and less than 6,144 bytes. Probability of drop can be programmed on a 12.5 percent granularity. For example, if bit 0 is set, the first packet out of every eight is dropped in this region (Default=0).
`red-dv6to8k`	0 to 255	Random early detection and packet drop vectors for a FIFO threshold greater than 6,144 bytes and less than 8,192 bytes. Probability of drop can be programmed on a 12.5 percent granularity. For example, if bit 8 is set, the first packet out of every eight is dropped in this region (Default=0).
`red-dv8to10k`	0 to 255	Random early detection and packet drop vectors for a FIFO threshold greater than 8,192 bytes and less than 10,240 bytes. Probability of drop can be programmed on a 12.5 percent granularity. For example, if bit 16 is set, the first packet out of every eight is dropped in this region (Default=0).
`red-dv10to12k`	0 to 255	Random early detection and packet drop vectors for a FIFO threshold greater than 10,240 bytes and less than 12,288 bytes. Probability of drop can be programmed on a 12.5 percent granularity. For example, if bit 24 is set, the first packet out of every eight is dropped in this region (Default=0).

PCI Bus Interface Parameters

These parameters enable you to modify PCI interface features to gain better PCI interperformance for a given application.


Parameter	Description
`tx-dma-weight`	Determines the multiplication factor for accrediting the transmit (TX) side during a heavy round robin arbitration; the values are 0 to 3 (Default=0). Zero means no extra weight. The other values use an exponent of two for heavy traffic. For example, if `tx-dma-weight` = 0 and `rx-dma-weight` = 3, then as long as RX traffic is continuously arriving, the priority of RX traffic will be 8 times greater than the priority of TX traffic to access the PCI.
`rx-dma-weight`	Determines the multiplication factor for granting credit to the RX side during a weighted round robin arbitration. The values are 0 to 3 (Default=0).
`infinite-burst`	If enabled, this parameter allows the infinite burst capability to be used if the system supports infinite burst. The adapter does not free the bus until complete packets are transferred across the bus. The values are 0 or 1 (Default=0).
`disable-64bit`	Switches off 64-bit capability of the adapter. Note: for UltraSPARC® III based platforms, this parameter might be set to 1 by default. For UltraSPARC II based platforms, the default is 0. The values are 0 or 1 (Default=0, which enables 64-bit capability).

Setting `vca` Driver Parameters

You can set the vca device driver parameters in two ways:

Using the ndd utility

Using the vca.conf file

If you use the ndd utility, the parameters are valid only until you reboot the system. This method is good for testing parameter settings.

To set parameters so they remain in effect after you reboot the system, create a
/kernel/drv/vca.conf file and add parameter values to this file when you need to set a particular parameter for a device in the system. See To Set Driver Parameters Using a vca.conf File for details.

Setting Parameters Using the `ndd` Utility

Use the ndd utility to configure parameters that are valid until you reboot the system.

The following sections describe how you can use the vca driver and the ndd utility to modify (with the -set option) or display (without the -set option) the parameters for each vca device.

To Specify Device Instances for the ndd Utility

Before you use the ndd utility to get or set a parameter for a vca device, you must specify the device instance for the utility.

1. Check the /etc/path_to_inst file to identify the instance number associated with a particular device. Refer to the online manual pages for path_to_inst(4).

# grep vca /etc/path_to_inst

"/pci@8,600000/network@1" 0 "vca"

"/pci@8,700000/network@1" 1 "vca"

In the previous example, the three Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 Ethernet instances are from the installed adapters. The instance numbers are 0 and 1.

2. Use the instance number to select the device.

# ndd -set /dev/vcaN

Note - In the examples in this user's guide, N represents the instance number of the device.

The device remains selected until you change the selection.

Noninteractive and Interactive Modes

You can use the ndd utility in two modes:

Noninteractive

Interactive

In noninteractive mode, you invoke the utility to execute a specific command. Once the command is executed, you exit the utility. In interactive mode, you can use the utility to get or set more than one parameter value. Refer to the ndd(1M) online manual page for more information.

Using the `ndd` Utility in Noninteractive Mode

This section describes how to modify and display parameter values.

To modify a parameter value, use the -set option.

If you invoke the ndd utility with the -set option, the utility passes value, which must be specified to the named /dev/vca driver instance, and assigns it to the parameter:

# ndd -set /dev/vcaN parameter value

When you change any adv parameter, a message similar to the following appears:

- link up 1000 Mbps half duplex

To display the value of a parameter, specify the parameter name and omit the value.

When you omit the -set option, a query operation is assumed and the utility queries the named driver instance, retrieves the value associated with the specified parameter, and prints it:

# ndd /dev/vcaN parameter

Note - In the previous example, N is the instance number of the vca device. This number should reflect the instance number of the board for which you are running the kstat command.

Using the `ndd` Utility in Interactive Mode

To modify a parameter value in interactive mode, specify ndd /dev/vcaN, as shown below.

The ndd utility then prompts you for the name of the parameter:

# ndd /dev/vcaN

name to get/set? (Enter the parameter name or ? to view all parameters)

Note - In the previous example, N is the instance number of the vca device. This number should reflect the instance number of the board for which you are running the kstat command.

After typing the parameter name, the ndd utility prompts you for the parameter value (see TABLE 3-1 through TABLE 3-9).

To list all the parameters supported by the vca driver, type ndd /dev/vcaN.

(See TABLE 3-1 through TABLE 3-9 for parameter descriptions.)

# ndd /dev/vcaN

name to get/set ? ?

?                             (read only)

instance                      (read and write)

adv-autoneg-cap               (read and write)

adv-1000fdx-cap               (read and write)

adv-1000hdx-cap               (read and write)

adv-100fdx-cap                (read and write)

adv-100hdx-cap                (read and write)

adv-10fdx-cap                 (read and write)

adv-10hdx-cap                 (read and write)

adv-asmpause-cap              (read and write)

adv-pause-cap                 (read and write)

pause-on-threshold            (read and write)

pause-off-threshold           (read and write)

link-master                   (read and write)

enable-ipg0                   (read and write)

ipg0                          (read and write)

ipg1                          (read and write)

ipg2                          (read and write)

rx-intr-pkts                  (read and write)

rx-intr-time                  (read and write)

red-p4k-to-6k                 (read and write)

red-p6k-to-8k                 (read and write)

red-p8k-to-10k                (read and write)

red-p10k-to-12k               (read and write)

tx-dma-weight                 (read and write)

rx-dma-weight                 (read and write)

infinite-burst                (read and write)

disable-64bit                 (read and write)

name to get/set ?

Note - In the previous example, N is the instance number of the vca device. This number should reflect the instance number of the board for which you are running the kstat command.

Setting Autonegotiation or Forced Mode

The following link parameters can be set to operate in either autonegotiation or forced mode:

speed

duplex

link-clock

By default, autonegotiation mode is enabled for these link parameters. When either of these parameters are in autonegotiation mode, the vca device communicates with the link partner to negotiate a compatible value and flow control capability. When a value other than auto is set for either of these parameters, no negotiation occurs and the link parameter is configured in forced mode. In forced mode, the value for the speed parameter must match between link partners. See Enabling Autonegotiation or Forced Mode for Link Parameters With the OpenBoot PROM.

To Disable Autonegotiation Mode

If your network equipment does not support autonegotiation, or if you want to force your network speed, duplex, or link-clock parameters, you can disable the autonegotiation mode on the vca device.

1. Set the following driver parameters to the values that are described in the documentation delivered with your link partner device (for example, a switch):

adv-1000fdx-cap

adv-1000hdx-cap

adv-100fdx-cap

adv-100hdx-cap

adv-10fdx-cap

adv-10hdx-cap

adv-asmpause-cap

adv-pause-cap

See TABLE 3-2 for the descriptions and possible values of these parameters.

2. Set the adv-autoneg-cap parameter to 0.

# ndd -set /dev/vcaN adv-autoneg-cap 0

When you change any ndd link parameter, a message similar to the following appears:

link up 1000 Mbps half duplex

Note - If you disable autonegotiation, you must enable the speed, duplex, and link-clock (1000 Mbps only) parameters to operate in forced mode. For instructions, see Enabling Autonegotiation or Forced Mode for Link Parameters With the OpenBoot PROM.

Setting Parameters Using the `vca.conf` File

You can also specify the driver parameter properties by adding entries to the vca.conf file in the /kernel/drv directory. The parameter names are the same names listed in Driver Parameter Values and Definitions.

Caution - Do not remove any of the default entries in the /kernel/drv/vca.conf file.

The online manual pages for prtconf(1) and driver.conf(4) include additional details. The next procedure shows an example of setting parameters in a vca.conf file.

Variables defined in the previous section apply to known devices in the system. To set a variable for a Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 board with the vca.conf file, you must know the following three pieces of information for the device: device name, device parent, and device unit address.

To Set Driver Parameters Using a vca.conf File

1. Obtain the hardware path names for the vca devices in the device tree.

a. Check the /etc/driver_aliases file to identify the name associated with a particular device.

# grep vca /etc/driver_aliases

vca "pci108e,3de8"

In the previous example, the device name associated with the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 software driver (vca) is "pci108e,3de8".

b. Locate the device parent name and device unit address in the
/etc/path_to_inst file.

Refer to the online manual pages for path_to_inst(4).

# grep vca /etc/path_to_inst

"/pci@8,600000/network@1" 0 "vca"

"/pci@8,700000/network@1" 1 "vca"

In the previous example, there are three columns of output: Device path name, instance number, and software driver name.

The device path name in the first line of the previous example is "/pci@8,600000/network@1". Device path names are made up of three parts: Device parent name, device node name, and device unit address. See TABLE 3-10.


Entire Device Path Name	Parent Name Portion	Node Name Portion	Unit Address Portion
"`/pci@8,600000/network@1`"	`/pci@8,600000`	`network`	1
"`/pci@8,700000/network@1`"	`/pci@8,700000`	`network`	1

To identify a PCI device unambiguously in the vca.conf file, use the entire device path name (parent name, node name, and the unit address) for the device. Refer to the pci(4) online manual page for more information about the PCI device specification.

2. Set the parameters for the vca devices in the /kernel/drv/vca.conf file.

In the following entry, the adv-autoneg-cap parameter is disabled for a particular Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 Ethernet device.

name="pci108e,3de8" parent="/pci@8,700000" unit-address="1" adv-autoneg-cap=0;

3. Save the vca.conf file.

4. Save and close all files and programs, and exit the windowing system.

5. Shut down and reboot the system.

Setting Parameters for All Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 `vca` Devices With the `vca.conf` File

If you omit the device path name (parent name, node name, and the unit address), the variable is set for all instances of all Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 Ethernet devices.

To Set Parameters for All Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 vca Devices With the vca.conf File

1. Add a line in the vca.conf file to change the value of a parameter for all instances by entering parameter=value;.

The following example sets the adv-autoneg-cap parameter to 1 for all instances of all Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 Ethernet devices:

adv-autoneg-cap=1;

Example `vca.conf` File

The following is an example vca.conf file:

# Copyright 2003 Sun Microsystems, Inc.  All rights reserved.

# Use is subject to license terms.

#ident  "@(#)vca.conf   1.3     03/10/13 SMI"

# Use the new Solaris 9 ddi-no-autodetach property to prevent the

# driver from being unloaded by the cleanup modunload -i 0.

ddi-no-autodetach=1;

Enabling Autonegotiation or Forced Mode for Link Parameters With the OpenBoot PROM

The following parameters can be configured to operate in autonegotiation or forced mode at the OpenBoot PROM interface:


Parameter	Description
`speed`	`This parameter can be set to auto, 1000, 100, or 10; the syntax is as follows:` `speed=auto` (default) `speed=1000` `speed=100` `speed=10`
`duplex`	`This parameter can be set to` `auto`, `full`, or `half`; the syntax is as follows: `duplex=auto` (default) `duplex=full` `duplex=half`
`link-clock`	This parameter is applicable only if the `speed` parameter is set to `1000` or if you are using a 1000 Mbps MMF `Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 board. The value for this parameter must correspond to the value on the link partner--for example, if the local link has a value of master, the link partner must have a value of slave. This parameter can be set to master, slave, or auto; the syntax is as follows:` `link-clock=auto` (default) `link-clock=master` `link-clock=slave`

To establish a proper link, the speed, duplex, and link-clock (1000 Mbps only) parameters must be configured correctly between the local link and the link partner. Both link partners must operate in either autonegotiation or forced mode for each of the speed, duplex, and link-clock (1000 Mbps only) parameters. A value of auto for any of these parameters configures the link to operate in autonegotiation mode for that parameter. The absence of a parameter at the OpenBoot PROM ok prompt configures that parameter to have a default value of auto. A value other than auto configures the local link to operate in forced mode for that parameter.

When the local link is operating in autonegotiation mode for the speed and duplex parameters at 100 Mbps and below, and both full and half duplexes, then the link partner uses either the 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps speeds with either duplex.

When the speed parameter is operating in forced mode, the value must match the speed value of the link-partner. If the duplex parameter does not match between the local link and the link partner, the link might come up; however, traffic collisions will occur.

When the local link speed parameter is set to autonegotiation and the link partner speed parameter is set to forced, the link might come up depending on whether the speed value can be negotiated between the local link and the link partner. The interface in autonegotiation mode always tries to establish a link (if there is a speed match) at half duplex by default. Because one of the two interfaces is not in autonegotiation mode, the interface in autonegotiation mode detects only the speed parameter; the duplex parameter is not detected. This method is called parallel-detection.

Caution - The establishment of a link with a duplex conflict always leads to traffic collisions.

For a local link parameter to operate in forced mode, the parameter must have a value other than auto. For example, to establish a forced mode link at 100 Mbps with half duplex, type the following at the OpenBoot PROM ok prompt:

ok boot net:speed=100,duplex=half

Note - In the examples in this section, net is an alias for the default, integrated network interface device path. You can configure other network devices by specifying a device path instead of using net.

To establish a forced mode link at 1000 Mbps with half duplex that is a clock master, type the following command at the OpenBoot PROM ok prompt:

ok boot net:speed=1000,duplex=half,link-clock=master

Note - The link-clock parameter must have a value that corresponds to the link-clock value of the link partner. For example, if the link-clock value on the local link is set to master, the link-clock value on the link partner must be set to slave.

To establish a forced mode for a speed of 10 Mbps and an autonegotiation mode for duplex, type the following at the OpenBoot PROM ok prompt:

ok boot net:speed=10,duplex=auto

You could also type the following at the OpenBoot PROM ok prompt to establish the same local link parameters as the previous example:

ok boot net:speed=10

Refer to the IEEE 802.3 documentation for further details.

Cryptographic and Ethernet Driver Operating Statistics

This section describes the statistics presented by the kstat(1M) command.

Cryptographic Driver Statistics

TABLE 3-12 describes the cryptographic driver statistics.


Parameter	Description	Stable or Unstable
`vs-mode`	`The values are FIPS`, `standard`, or `unitialized`. `FIPS` indicates that the board is in FIPS mode. `standard` indicates that the board is not in FIPS mode. `unitialized` indicates that the board is not initialized.	Stable
`vs-status`	`The values are ready`, `faulted`, or `failsafe`. `ready` indicates that the board is operating normally. `faulted` indicates that the board is not operating. `failsafe` indicates `failsafe` mode, which is the original factory state of the board.	Stable

Ethernet Driver Statistics

TABLE 3-13 describes the Ethernet driver statistics.


Parameter	Description	Stable or Unstable
ipackets	Number of inbound packets.	Stable
ipackets64	64-bit version of `ipackets`.	Stable
ierrors	Total packets received that could not be processed because they contained errors (long).	Stable
opackets	Total packets requested to be transmitted on the interface.	Stable
opackets64	Total packets requested to be transmitted on the interface (64-bit).	Stable
oerrors	Total packets that were not successfully transmitted because of errors (long).	Stable
rbytes	Total bytes successfully received on the interface.	Stable
rbytes64	Total bytes successfully received on the interface (64-bit).	Stable
obytes	Total bytes requested to be transmitted on the interface.	Stable
obytes64	Total bytes requested to be transmitted on the interface (64-bit).	Stable
multircv	Multicast packets successfully received, including group and functional addresses (long).	Stable
multixmt	Multicast packets requested to be transmitted, including group and functional addresses (long).	Stable
brdcstrcv	Broadcast packets successfully received (long).	Stable
brdcstxmt	Broadcast packets requested to be transmitted (long).	Stable
norcvbuf	Times that a valid incoming packet was known to be discarded because a buffer could not be allocated for the receive packet (long).	Stable
noxmtbuf	Packets discarded on output because transmit buffer was busy, or no buffer could be allocated for transmit (long).	Stable

TABLE 3-14 describes the transmit and receive MAC counters.


Parameter	Description	Stable or Unstable
tx-collisions	16-bit loadable counter increments for every frame transmission attempt that resulted in a collision.	Stable
tx-first-collisions	16-bit loadable counter increments for every frame transmission that experienced a collision on the first attempt, but was successfully transmitted on the second attempt.	Unstable
tx-excessive-collisions	16-bit loadable counter increments for every frame transmission that has exceeded the Attempts Limit.	Unstable
tx-late-collisions	16-bit loadable counter increments for every frame transmission that has experienced a collision. The parameter indicates the number of frames that the TxMAC has dropped due to collisions that occurred after transmitting at least the Minimum Frame Size number of bytes. Usually this is an indication that at least one station on the network violates the maximum allowed span of the network.	Unstable
tx-defer-timer	16-bit loadable timer increments when the TxMAC is deferring to traffic on the network while it is attempting to transmit a frame. The time base for the timer is the media byte clock divided by 256.	Unstable
tx-peak-attempts	8-bit register indicates the highest number of consecutive collisions per successfully transmitted frame, that have occurred since this register was last read. The maximum value that this register can attain is 255. A maskable interrupt is generated to the software if the number of consecutive collisions per successfully transmitted frame exceeds 255. This register is automatically cleared at 0 after it is read.	Unstable
tx-underrun	16-bit loadable counter increments after a valid frame has been received from the network.	Unstable
rx-length-err	16-bit loadable counter increments after a frame, whose length is greater than the value that was programmed in the Maximum Frame Size Register, has been received from the network.	Unstable
rx-alignment-err	16-bit loadable counter increments when an alignment error is detected in a receive frame. An alignment error is reported when a receive frame fails the cyclic redundancy checksum (CRC) checking algorithm, and the frame contains a noninteger number of bytes (that is, the frame size in bits is not equal to zero).	Unstable
rx-crc-err	16-bit loadable counter increments when a receive frame fails the CRC checking algorithm, and the frame contains an integer number of bytes (that is, the frame size in bits modulo 8 is equal to zero).	Unstable
rx-code-violations	16-bit loadable counter increments when an Rx_Err indication is generated by the XCVR over the MII, while a frame is being received. This indication is generated by the transceiver when it detects an invalid code in the received data stream. A receive code violation is not counted as an FCS or an Alignment error.	Unstable
rx-overflows	Number of Ethernet frames dropped due to lack of resources.	Unstable
rx-no-buf	Number of times the hardware cannot receive data because there is no more receive buffer space.	Unstable
rx-no-comp-wb	Number of times the hardware cannot post completion entries for received data.	Unstable
rx-len-mismatch	Number of received frames where the asserted length does not match the actual frame length.	Unstable

The following Ethernet properties (TABLE 3-15) are derived from the intersection of device capabilities and the link partner capabilities.


Parameter	Description	Stable or Unstable
ifspeed	`1000`, `100`, or `10` Mbps	Stable
link-duplex	0=half, 1=full	Stable
link-pause	Current pause setting for the link, see Flow Control Parameters	Stable
link-asmpause	Current pause setting for the link, see Flow Control Parameters	Stable
link-up	1=up, 0=down	Stable
link-status	1=up, 0=down	Stable
xcvr-inuse	Type of transceiver in use: 1=internal MII, 2=external MII, 3=external PCS	Stable

TABLE 3-16 describes the read-only Media Independent Interface (MII) capabilities. These parameters define the capabilities of the hardware. The Gigabit Media Independent Interface (GMII) supports all of the following capabilities.


Parameter	Description	Stable or Unstable
`cap-autoneg`	0 = Not capable of autonegotiation 1 = Autonegotiation capable	Stable
`cap-1000fdx`	Local interface full-duplex capability 0 = Not 1000 Mbps full-duplex capable 1 = 1000 Mbps full-duplex capable	Stable
`cap-1000hdx`	Local interface half-duplex capability 0 = Not 1000 Mbps half-duplex capable 1 = 1000 Mbps half-duplex capable	Stable
`cap-100fdx`	Local interface full-duplex capability 0 = Not 100 Mbps full-duplex capable 1 = 100 Mbps full-duplex capable	Stable
`cap-100hdx`	Local interface half-duplex capability 0 = Not 100 Mbps half-duplex capable 1 = 100 Mbps half-duplex capable	Stable
`cap-10fdx`	Local interface full-duplex capability 0 = Not 10 Mbps full-duplex capable 1 = 10 Mbps full-duplex capable	Stable
`cap-10hdx`	Local interface half-duplex capability 0 = Not 10 Mbps half-duplex capable 1 = 10 Mbps half-duplex capable	Stable
`cap-asm-pause`	Local interface flow control capability 0 = Not asymmetric pause capable 1 = Asymmetric pause (from the local device) capable (See Flow Control Parameters)	Stable
`cap-pause`	Local interface flow control capability 0 = Not Symmetric pause capable 1 = Symmetric pause capable (See Flow Control Parameters)	Stable

Reporting the Link Partner Capabilities

TABLE 3-17 describes the read-only link partner capabilities.


Parameter	Description	Stable or Unstable
`lp-cap-autoneg`	0 = No autonegotiation 1 = Autonegotiation	Stable
`lp-cap-1000fdx`	0 = No 1000 Mbps full-duplex transmission 1 = 1000 Mbps full-duplex	Stable
`lp-cap-1000hdx`	0 = No 1000 Mbps half-duplex transmission 1 = 1000 Mbps half-duplex	Stable
`lp-cap-100fdx`	0 = No 100 Mbps full-duplex transmission 1 = 100 Mbps full-duplex	Stable
`lp-cap-100hdx`	0 = No 100 Mbps half-duplex transmission 1 = 100 Mbps half-duplex	Stable
`lp-cap-10fdx`	0 = No 10 Mbps full-duplex transmission 1 = 10 Mbps full-duplex	Stable
`lp-cap-10hdx`	0 = No 10 Mbps half-duplex transmission 1 = 10 Mbps half-duplex	Stable
`lp-cap-asm-pause`	0 = Not asymmetric pause capable 1 = Asymmetric pause towards link partner capability (See Flow Control Parameters)	Stable
`lp-cap-pause`	0 = Not symmetric pause capable 1 = Symmetric pause capable (See Flow Control Parameters)	Stable

If the link partner is not capable of autonegotiation (when lp-cap-autoneg is 0), the remaining information described in TABLE 3-17 is not relevant and the parameter value is 0.

If the link partner is capable of autonegotiation (when lp-cap-autoneg is 1), then the speed and mode information is displayed when you use autonegotiation and the link partner capabilities.

TABLE 3-18 describes the driver-specific parameters.


Parameter	Description	Stable or Unstable
`lb-mode`	Copy of the loopback mode the device is in, if any.	Unstable
`promisc`	When enabled, the device is in promiscuous mode. When disabled, the device is not in promiscuous mode.	Unstable
Ethernet Transmit Counters
`tx-wsrv`	Count of the number of times the transmit ring is full.	Unstable
`tx-msgdup-fail`	Attempt to duplicate packet failure.	Unstable
`tx-allocb-fail`	Attempt to allocate memory failure.	Unstable
`tx-queue0`	Number of packets queued for transmission on the first hardware transmit queue.	Unstable
`tx-queue1`	Number of packets queued for transmission on the second hardware transmit queue.	Unstable
`tx-queue2`	Number of packets queued for transmission on the third hardware transmit queue.	Unstable
`tx-queue3`	Number of packets queued for transmission on the fourth hardware transmit queue.	Unstable
Ethernet Receive Counters
`rx-hdr-pkts`	Number of packets received that were less than 256 bytes.	Unstable
`rx-mtu-pkts`	Number of packets received that were greater than 256 bytes and less than 1514 bytes.	Unstable
`rx-split-pkts`	Number of packets that were split across two pages.	Unstable
`rx-nocanput`	Number of packets dropped due to failures on delivery to the IP stack.	Unstable
`rx-msgdup-fail`	Number of packets that could not be duplicated.	Unstable
`rx-allocb-fail`	Number of block allocation failures.	Unstable
`rx-new-pages`	Number of pages that were replaced during reception.	Unstable
`rx-new-hdr-pages`	Number of pages that were filled with packets less than 256 bytes that were replaced during reception.	Unstable
`rx-new-mtu-pages`	Number of pages that were filled with those packets greater than 256 bytes and less than 1514 that got replaced during reception.	Unstable
`rx-new-nxt-pages`	Number of pages that contained packets that were split across pages that were replaced during reception.	Unstable
`rx-page-alloc-fail`	Number of page allocation failures.	Unstable
`rx-mtu-drops`	Number of times a whole page of packets greater than 256 bytes and less than 1514 was dropped because the driver was unable to map a new one to replace the page.	Unstable
`rx-hdr-drops`	Number of times a whole page of packets less than 256 bytes was dropped because the driver was unable to map a new one to replace the page.	Unstable
`rx-nxt-drops`	Number of times a page with a split packet was dropped because the driver was unable to map a new one to replace the page.	Unstable
`rx-rel-flow`	Number of times the driver was told to release a flow.	Unstable
Ethernet PCI Properties
`rev-id`	Revision ID of the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 Ethernet device useful for recognition of a device being used in the field.	Unstable
`pci-err`	S um of all PCI errors.	Unstable
`pci-rta-err`	Number of target aborts received.	Unstable
`pci-rma-err`	Number of master aborts received.	Unstable
`pci-parity-err`	Number of PCI parity errors detected.	Unstable
`pci-drto-err`	Number of times the delayed transaction retry time-out was reached.	Unstable
`dma-mode`	Used by the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 driver (`vca`).	Unstable

To Check Link Partner Settings

As superuser, type the kstat vca:N command:

# kstat vca:N

module: vca                             instance: 0

name:   vca0                            class:    misc

Where N is the instance number of the vca device. This number should reflect the instance number of the board for which you are running the kstat command.

IPsec In-Line Acceleration Statistics

TABLE 3-19 describes the kernel statistics that are incremented when the board is configured for in-line IPsec hardware acceleration. See Enabling In-Line IPsec Acceleration for instructions on how to configure the board to use the in-line IPsec configuration.


Parameter	Description	Stable or Unstable
`ipsec_ierrrors`	Total IPsec packets received that could not be processed because they contained errors (long)	Stable
`ipsec_ipackets`	Number of inbound IPsec packets	Stable
`ipsec_ipackets64`	Number of inbound IPsec packets (64-bit)	Stable
`ipsec_obytes`	Total IPsec bytes requested to be transmitted on the interface	Stable
`ipsec_obytes64`	Total IPsec bytes requested to be transmitted on the interface (64-bit)	Stable
`ipsec_oerrors`	Total IPsec packets that were not successfully transmitted because of errors (long)	Stable
`ipsec_opackets`	Total IPsec packets requested to be transmitted on the interface	Stable
`ipsec_opackets64`	Total IPsec packets requested to be transmitted on the interface (64-bit)	Stable
`ipsec_rbytes`	Total IPsec bytes successfully received on the interface	Stable
`ipsec_rbytes64`	Total IPsec bytes successfully received on the interface (64-bit)	Stable
`sadb_cache_misses`	Number of firmware cache misses	Stable
`sadb_cache_overflows`	Number of firmware cache overflows	Stable
`sadb_entries`	Number of entries in the SADB driver	Stable
`sadb_operations`	Number of SADB operations sent from Solaris IPsec to the driver	Stable

Note - The IPsec kernel statistics listed in TABLE 3-19 are only incremented for IPsec packets that are actually processed in-line by the hardware. Receive packets of less than 256 bytes are not processed in-line and the IPsec kernel statistics will not be incremented for these packets. These kernel statistics also do not apply to out-of-band IPsec traffic (See Configuring IPsec Hardware Acceleration). If snoop is enabled, these counters are not incremented. Out-of-band packets will increment the regular network kernel statistics and any applicable cryptographic statistics, that is, 3desbytes and 3desjobs.

Network Configuration

This section describes how to edit the network host files after the adapter has been installed on your system.

Configuring the Network Host Files

After installing the driver software, you must create a hostname.vcaN file for the adapter's Ethernet interface. Note that in the file name hostname.vcaN, N corresponds to the instance number of the vca interface you plan to use. You must also create both an IP address and a host name for its Ethernet interface in the /etc/hosts file.

1. Locate the correct vca interfaces and instance numbers in the /etc/path_to_inst file.

Refer to the online manual pages for path_to_inst(4).

# grep vca /etc/path_to_inst

"/pci@8,600000/network@1" 0 "vca"

The instance number in the previous example is 0.

2. Use the ifconfig(1M) command to set up the adapter's vca interface.

Use the ifconfig command to assign an IP address to the network interface. Type the following at the command line, replacing ip-address with the adapter's IP address:

# ifconfig vcaN plumb ip-address up

Refer to the ifconfig(1M) man page and the Solaris documentation for more information.

If you want a setup that will remain the same after you reboot, create an
/etc/hostname.vcaN file, where N corresponds to the instance number of the vca interface you plan to use.

To use the vca interface of the example shown in Step 1, create an
/etc/hostname.vcaN file, where N corresponds to the instance number of the device which is 0 in this example. If the instance number were 1, the file name would be /etc/hostname.vca1.

Do not create an /etc/hostname.vcaN file for a Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 interface you plan to leave unused.

The /etc/hostname.vcaN file must contain the host name for the appropriate vca interface.

The host name must have an IP address and must be listed in the /etc/hosts file.

The host name must be different from any other host name of any other interface, for example, /etc/hostname.vca0 and /etc/hostname.vca1 cannot share the same host name.

The following example shows the /etc/hostname.vcaN file required for a system named zardoz that has a Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 board (zardoz-11).

# cat /etc/hostname.hme0

zardoz

# cat /etc/hostname.vca0

zardoz-11

3. Create an appropriate entry in the /etc/hosts file for each active vca interface.

For example:

# cat /etc/hosts

# Internet host table

127.0.0.1     localhost

129.144.10.57 zardoz    loghost

129.144.11.83 zardoz-11

Configuring IPsec Hardware Acceleration

The board has two configurations of IPsec hardware acceleration: in-line and out-of-band. Both configurations accelerate IPsec cryptographic operations. However, because each method offers different advantages, overall system requirements should be evaluated to determine the appropriate configuration.

Note - IPsec acceleration is supported in Solaris 9 onward, and is not supported in Solaris 8. In-line IPsec acceleration is only supported in Solaris 9 12/03 onward (See TABLE 3-20).


Solaris Version	Out-of-Band Acceleration	In-Line Acceleration
All Solaris 8 releases	Not Supported	Not Supported
Solaris 9 to Solaris 9 8/03	Supported	Not Supported
Solaris 9 12/03 onward	Supported	Supported

Out-of-band is the default IPsec configuration, and is optimized for performance on a multiprocessor system. This configuration offloads DES and 3DES cryptographic functions to the board, and is the preferred configuration on a multiprocessor system for which host processing power is not an issue.

In-line IPsec configuration augments out-of-band functionality with authentication support (MD5 and SHA1), and offloads portions of the host packet processing to the board. By handling the additional packet processing, the board significantly reduces host CPU usage.

Note - Out-of-band might provide greater IPsec throughput than in-line on multiprocessor systems that only require DES or 3DES encryption algorithms.

Enabling Out-of-Band IPsec Acceleration

Solaris 9 or later is required. Out-of-band is the default configuration for the board. No IPsec configuration or tuning is required to use the board for out-of-band IPsec acceleration in Solaris 9. You simply install the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 packages and reboot.

Enabling In-Line IPsec Acceleration

Solaris 9 12/03 or later is required. To configure in-line acceleration, you must change configuration files in both the Solaris software and the vca driver.

To Enable In-Line IPsec Hardware Acceleration

1. Enable in-line acceleration in the Solaris software by adding the following entry to the /etc/system configuration file:

set ip:ip_use_dl_cap=1

For the change in the /etc/system file to take effect, the system must be rebooted.

2. Enable in-line acceleration in the vca driver by adding the following entry to the /kernel/drv/vca.conf configuration file:

inline-ipsec=1;

For the change in the /kernel/drv/vca.conf file to take effect, you must either reboot the system or unload and reload the vca driver.

Note - In-line acceleration should not be enabled in the driver if it is not enabled in the Solaris software because doing so might degrade non-IPsec performance.

Once in-line acceleration has been enabled, the Solaris software IPsec policies can be configured for the interface with the standard IPsec configuration procedures. For information on configuring IPsec policies in Solaris refer to the IPsec and IKE Administration Guide available at: http://docs.sun.com

In-line acceleration can be used to accelerate both AH and ESP algorithms; however, multiple nested transforms (including AH+ESP) cannot be performed on the board. If multiple transforms are applied, only the outermost transform is performed in-line. The remaining transforms are performed by the Solaris IPsec configuration. These transforms may also be done in hardware (out-of-band) if the KCL IPsec acceleration (SUNWkcl2i.u) package has been installed on a Solaris 9 system.

When the board is configured for IPsec in-line acceleration, additional statistics presented by the kstat(1M) command will be incremented. See TABLE 3-19 for descriptions of the IPsec in-line acceleration kstat statistics.

Ethernet Device Driver (vca) Parameters

Driver Parameter Values and Definitions

Advertised Link Parameters

Flow Control Parameters

Gigabit Forced Mode Parameter

Interpacket Gap Parameters

Interrupt Parameters

Random Early Drop Parameters

PCI Bus Interface Parameters

Setting vca Driver Parameters

Setting Parameters Using the ndd Utility

Noninteractive and Interactive Modes

Using the ndd Utility in Noninteractive Mode

Using the ndd Utility in Interactive Mode

Setting Autonegotiation or Forced Mode

Setting Parameters Using the vca.conf File

Setting Parameters for All Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 vca Devices With the vca.conf File

Example vca.conf File

Enabling Autonegotiation or Forced Mode for Link Parameters With the OpenBoot PROM

Cryptographic and Ethernet Driver Operating Statistics

Cryptographic Driver Statistics

Ethernet Driver Statistics

Reporting the Link Partner Capabilities

IPsec In-Line Acceleration Statistics

Network Configuration

Configuring the Network Host Files

Configuring IPsec Hardware Acceleration

Enabling Out-of-Band IPsec Acceleration

Enabling In-Line IPsec Acceleration

Ethernet Device Driver (`vca`) Parameters

Setting `vca` Driver Parameters

Setting Parameters Using the `ndd` Utility

Using the `ndd` Utility in Noninteractive Mode

Using the `ndd` Utility in Interactive Mode

Setting Parameters Using the `vca.conf` File

Setting Parameters for All Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 `vca` Devices With the `vca.conf` File

Example `vca.conf` File