Linux Ethernet-Howto

Paul Gortmaker, Editor.

1. Introduction

• 1.1 Using the Ethernet-Howto
• 1.2 Disclaimer and Copyright
• 1.3 Mailing Lists and the Linux Newsgroups
• 1.4 Related Documentation
• 1.5 New Versions of this Document

2. What card should I buy for Linux?

• 2.1 Eight bit vs 16 bit
• 2.2 Low price Ethernet cards
• 2.3 Vendors and Brands to Avoid
• 2.4 Type of cable that your card should support

3. Vendor/Manufacturer/Model Specific Information

• 3.1 3Com
• 3.2 Accton
• 3.3 Allied Telesyn/Telesis
• 3.4 AMD / Advanced Micro Devices
• 3.5 Ansel Communications
• 3.6 Apricot
• 3.7 Arcnet
• 3.8 AT&T
• 3.9 AT-Lan-Tec / RealTek
• 3.10 Boca Research
• 3.11 Cabletron
• 3.12 D-Link
• 3.13 DFI
• 3.14 Digital / DEC
• 3.15 Farallon
• 3.16 Hewlett Packard
• 3.17 IBM / International Business Machines
• 3.18 Intel Ethernet Cards
• 3.19 LinkSys
• 3.20 Microdyne
• 3.21 Mylex
• 3.22 Novell Ethernet, NExxxx and associated clones.
• 3.23 Pure Data
• 3.24 Racal-Interlan
• 3.25 Sager
• 3.26 Schneider & Koch
• 3.27 Western Digital / SMC (Standard Microsystems Corp.)
• 3.28 Xircom
• 3.29 Zenith
• 3.30 Znyx

4. Clones of popular Ethernet cards.

• 4.1 Poor NE2000 Clones
• 4.2 Poor WD8013 Clones

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 Probed Addresses
• 7.2 Skeleton / prototype driver
• 7.3 Driver interface to the kernel
• 7.4 Interrupts and Linux
• 7.5 Programmed I/O vs. Shared Memory vs. DMA
• 7.6 Programming the Intel chips (i82586 and i82593)
• 7.7 Technical information from 3Com
• 7.8 Notes on AMD PCnet / LANCE Based cards
• 7.9 Multicast and Promiscuous Mode
• 7.10 The Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF)

8. Networking with a Laptop/Notebook Computer

• 8.1 Using SLIP
• 8.2 Built in NE2000
• 8.3 PCMCIA Support
• 8.4 ISA Ethercard in the Docking Station.
• 8.5 Pocket / parallel port adaptors.

9. Frequently Asked Questions

• 9.1 Alpha Drivers -- Getting and Using them
• 9.2 Using More than one Ethernet Card per Machine
• 9.3 Problems with NE1000 / NE2000 cards (and clones)
• 9.4 Problems with WD80*3 cards
• 9.5 Problems with 3Com cards
• 9.6 Problems with Hewlett Packard Cards
• 9.7 FAQs Not Specific to Any Card.

10. Miscellaneous.

• 10.1 Passing Ethernet Arguments to the Kernel
• 10.2 Using the Ethernet Drivers as Modules
• 10.3 Contributors
• 10.4 Closing