xref: /freebsd-10.0-release/sys/dev/ixgbe/README

FreeBSD Driver for Intel(R) Ethernet 10 Gigabit PCI Express Server Adapters
============================================================================
/*$FreeBSD$*/

Jun 18, 2013


Contents
========

- Overview
- Supported Adapters
- Building and Installation
- Additional Configurations and Tuning
- Known Limitations


Overview
========

This file describes the FreeBSD* driver for the
Intel(R) Ethernet 10 Gigabit Family of Adapters.

For questions related to hardware requirements, refer to the documentation
supplied with your Intel 10GbE adapter.  All hardware requirements listed
apply to use with FreeBSD.


Supported Adapters
==================

The driver in this release is compatible with 82598 and 82599-based Intel 
Network Connections.
              
SFP+ Devices with Pluggable Optics
----------------------------------

82599-BASED ADAPTERS  

NOTE: If your 82599-based Intel(R) Ethernet Network Adapter came with Intel 
optics, or is an Intel(R) Ethernet Server Adapter X520-2, then it only supports
Intel optics and/or the direct attach cables listed below.

When 82599-based SFP+ devices are connected back to back, they should be set to
the same Speed setting. Results may vary if you mix speed settings. 
 
Supplier    Type                                             Part Numbers

SR Modules			
Intel 	    DUAL RATE 1G/10G SFP+ SR (bailed)                FTLX8571D3BCV-IT	
Intel	    DUAL RATE 1G/10G SFP+ SR (bailed)                AFBR-703SDZ-IN2
Intel      DUAL RATE 1G/10G SFP+ SR (bailed)                 AFBR-703SDDZ-IN1	
LR Modules			
Intel 	    DUAL RATE 1G/10G SFP+ LR (bailed)                FTLX1471D3BCV-IT	
Intel	    DUAL RATE 1G/10G SFP+ LR (bailed)                AFCT-701SDZ-IN2	
Intel       DUAL RATE 1G/10G SFP+ LR (bailed)                AFCT-701SDDZ-IN1

The following is a list of 3rd party SFP+ modules and direct attach cables that
have received some testing. Not all modules are applicable to all devices.

Supplier   Type                                              Part Numbers

Finisar    SFP+ SR bailed, 10g single rate                   FTLX8571D3BCL
Avago      SFP+ SR bailed, 10g single rate                   AFBR-700SDZ
Finisar    SFP+ LR bailed, 10g single rate                   FTLX8571D3BCV-IT
		
Finisar    DUAL RATE 1G/10G SFP+ SR (No Bail)	             FTLX8571D3QCV-IT
Avago	   DUAL RATE 1G/10G SFP+ SR (No Bail)	             AFBR-703SDZ-IN1	
Finisar	   DUAL RATE 1G/10G SFP+ LR (No Bail)	             FTLX1471D3QCV-IT
Avago	   DUAL RATE 1G/10G SFP+ LR (No Bail)	             AFCT-701SDZ-IN1
Finistar   1000BASE-T SFP                                    FCLF8522P2BTL
Avago      1000BASE-T SFP                                    ABCU-5710RZ

NOTE: As of driver version 2.5.13 it is possible to allow the operation
of unsupported modules by setting the static variable 'allow_unsupported_sfp'
to TRUE and rebuilding the driver. If problems occur please assure that they
can be reproduced with fully supported optics first.

82599-based adapters support all passive and active limiting direct attach 
cables that comply with SFF-8431 v4.1 and SFF-8472 v10.4 specifications.

Laser turns off for SFP+ when ifconfig down
--------------------------------------------------------
"ifconfig down" turns off the laser for 82599-based SFP+ fiber adapters.
"ifconfig up" turns on the later.

82598-BASED ADAPTERS

NOTES for 82598-Based Adapters: 
- Intel(R) Ethernet Network Adapters that support removable optical modules 
  only support their original module type (i.e., the Intel(R) 10 Gigabit SR 
  Dual Port Express Module only supports SR optical modules). If you plug 
  in a different type of module, the driver will not load.
- Hot Swapping/hot plugging optical modules is not supported.  
- Only single speed, 10 gigabit modules are supported.  
- LAN on Motherboard (LOMs) may support DA, SR, or LR modules. Other module 
  types are not supported. Please see your system documentation for details.  

The following is a list of 3rd party SFP+ modules and direct attach cables that have 
received some testing. Not all modules are applicable to all devices.

Supplier   Type                                              Part Numbers

Finisar    SFP+ SR bailed, 10g single rate                   FTLX8571D3BCL
Avago      SFP+ SR bailed, 10g single rate                   AFBR-700SDZ
Finisar    SFP+ LR bailed, 10g single rate                   FTLX1471D3BCL
	
82598-based adapters support all passive direct attach cables that comply 
with SFF-8431 v4.1 and SFF-8472 v10.4 specifications. Active direct attach 
cables are not supported.

Third party optic modules and cables referred to above are listed only for the 
purpose of highlighting third party specifications and potential compatibility, 
and are not recommendations or endorsements or sponsorship of any third party's
product by Intel. Intel is not endorsing or promoting products made by any 
third party and the third party reference is provided only to share information
regarding certain optic modules and cables with the above specifications. There
may be other manufacturers or suppliers, producing or supplying optic modules 
and cables with similar or matching descriptions. Customers must use their own 
discretion and diligence to purchase optic modules and cables from any third 
party of their choice. Customer are solely responsible for assessing the 
suitability of the product and/or devices and for the selection of the vendor 
for purchasing any product. INTEL ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER, AND INTEL
DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY, RELATING TO SALE AND/OR USE OF 
SUCH THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS OR SELECTION OF VENDOR BY CUSTOMERS.

Configuration and Tuning
========================

The driver supports Transmit/Receive Checksum Offload and Jumbo Frames on
all 10 Gigabit adapters. 

  Jumbo Frames
  ------------
  To enable Jumbo Frames, use the ifconfig utility to increase the MTU
  beyond 1500 bytes.

  NOTES:

       - The Jumbo Frames setting on the switch must be set to at least
         22 bytes larger than that of the adapter.

       - There are known performance issues with this driver when running 
         UDP traffic with Jumbo Frames. 

  The Jumbo Frames MTU range for Intel Adapters is 1500 to 16114. The default
  MTU range is 1500. To modify the setting, enter the following:

        ifconfig ix<interface_num> <hostname or IP address> mtu 9000

  To confirm an interface's MTU value, use the ifconfig command. To confirm
  the MTU used between two specific devices, use:

        route get <destination_IP_address>

  VLANs
  -----
  To create a new VLAN pseudo-interface:

        ifconfig <vlan_name> create

  To associate the VLAN pseudo-interface with a physical interface and
  assign a VLAN ID, IP address, and netmask:

        ifconfig <vlan_name> <ip_address> netmask <subnet_mask> vlan
           <vlan_id> vlandev <physical_interface>

  Example:

        ifconfig vlan10 10.0.0.1 netmask 255.255.255.0 vlan 10 vlandev ixgbe0

  In this example, all packets will be marked on egress with 802.1Q VLAN 
  tags, specifying a VLAN ID of 10.

  To remove a VLAN pseudo-interface:

        ifconfig <vlan_name> destroy


  Checksum Offload
  ----------------
  
  Checksum offloading supports both TCP and UDP packets and is 
  supported for both transmit and receive. 

  Checksum offloading can be enabled or disabled using ifconfig. 
  Both transmit and receive offloading will be either enabled or 
  disabled together. You cannot enable/disable one without the other.

  To enable checksum offloading:

         ifconfig <interface_num> rxcsum 

  To disable checksum offloading:

         ifconfig <interface_num> -rxcsum 

  To confirm the current setting:

         ifconfig <interface_num>

  
  TSO
  ---

  TSO is enabled by default.

  To disable:

         ifconfig <interface_num> -tso 

  To re-enable:

         ifconfig <interface_num> tso

  LRO
  ---
  
  Large Receive Offload is available in the driver; it is on by default. 
  It can be disabled by using:
         ifconfig <interface_num> -lro
  To enable:
         ifconfig <interface_num> lro


  Important system configuration changes:
  ---------------------------------------

  When there is a choice run on a 64bit OS rather than 32, it makes a 
  significant difference in improvement.
  
  The interface can generate a high number of interrupts. To avoid running 
  into the limit set by the kernel, adjust hw.intr_storm_threshold 
  setting using sysctl:
 
       sysctl hw.intr_storm_threshold=9000 (the default is 1000)

  For this change to take effect on boot, edit /etc/sysctl.conf and add the 
  line:  
       hw.intr_storm_threshold=9000

  If you still see Interrupt Storm detected messages, increase the limit to a
  higher number, or the detection can be disabled by setting it to 0.

  The default number of descriptors is 2048, increasing or descreasing
  may improve performance in some workloads, but change carefully.


Known Limitations
=================

For known hardware and troubleshooting issues, refer to the following website.

    http://support.intel.com/support/go/network/adapter/home.htm

Either select the link for your adapter or perform a search for the adapter 
number. The adapter's page lists many issues. For a complete list of hardware
issues download your adapter's user guide and read the Release Notes. 

  UDP stress test with 10GbE driver
  ---------------------------------  
  Under small packets UDP stress test with 10GbE driver, the FreeBSD system 
  will drop UDP packets due to the fullness of socket buffers. You may want 
  to change the driver's Flow Control variables to the minimum value for 
  controlling packet reception.

  Attempting to configure larger MTUs with a large numbers of processors may 
  generate the error message "ix0:could not setup receive structures"
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  When using the ixgbe driver with RSS autoconfigured based on the number of 
  cores (the default setting) and that number is larger than 4, increase the 
  memory resources allocated for the mbuf pool as follows:

  Add to the sysctl.conf file for the system:

  kern.ipc.nmbclusters=262144
  kern.ipc.nmbjumbop=262144

  Lower than expected performance on dual port 10GbE devices
  ----------------------------------------------------------
  Some PCI-E x8 slots are actually configured as x4 slots. These slots have 
  insufficient bandwidth for full 10Gbe line rate with dual port 10GbE devices.
  The driver will detect this situation and will write the following message in
  the system log: "PCI-Express bandwidth available for this card is not 
  sufficient for optimal performance. For optimal performance a x8 PCI-Express 
  slot is required."

  If this error occurs, moving your adapter to a true x8 slot will resolve the 
  issue.



Support
=======

For general information and support, go to the Intel support website at:

        www.intel.com/support/

If an issue is identified with the released source code on the supported
kernel with a supported adapter, email the specific information related to 
the issue to freebsd@intel.com



License
=======

This software program is released under the terms of a license agreement 
between you ('Licensee') and Intel. Do not use or load this software or any 
associated materials (collectively, the 'Software') until you have carefully 
read the full terms and conditions of the LICENSE located in this software 
package. By loading or using the Software, you agree to the terms of this 
Agreement. If you do not agree with the terms of this Agreement, do not 
install or use the Software.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.