The following table describes the NDIS 2 device driver parameters.
For sample PROTOCOL.INI files, see Figure 5 and Figure 6.
| Parameter
| Explanation
|
| NetAddress
| Use this parameter to specify a locally administered address for the
adapter. The address must be enclosed in double quotes
(" ") and be unique among all the addresses on the network.
The adapter can be known on the network by its universally administered
address (the address encoded in the adapter's memory at the factory) or a
locally administered address (a unique, user-assigned address).
The universally administered address is the default value.
Valid values: "400000000000" to "7FFFFFFFFFFF" in hex
|
| DataRate
| Used for configuring the ring speed of the adapter. It is
recommended for servers that the DataRate be set to M16 or M4, and clients be
set to Auto. This parameter is ignored for 100 Mbps network
operation.
Valid values:
- AUTO
- AutoSense -- automatic ring-speed
detection.
| Note: | The adapter will not function with AutoSense if it is the first one on the
ring. AutoSense is not designed for changing ring speed while the
adapter is operational. It is usually necessary to reload the
driver.
|
- M16
- 16-Mbps ring-speed operation.
- M4
- 4-Mbps ring-speed operation.
The default is AUTO.
|
| EnableTxEofInt
| This parameter specifies whether the Transmit End of Frame Interrupt is
enabled.
Valid values:
- Yes
- Indicates that the interrupt will be recognized by the interrupt
handler.
- No
- Indicates that the interrupt will not be recognized by the interrupt
handler. This value is preferable in some environments (such as a
server environment) to reduce the number of times the interrupt handler is
invoked. This can result in reduced CPU utilization and increased
performance.
The default is Yes.
|
MaxTransmits
| This parameter specifies the maximum number of transmit queue
entries. The value should be set high enough to accommodate the sum of
all MaxTransmits for all protocol drivers using the adapter
concurrently.
Valid values: 1 to 128
The default is 31.
|
MaxTxFrameSize
| This parameter specifies the maximum frame size that can be transmitted
on the LAN. The parameter value serves as an upper limit. The
actual maximum frame size might be smaller. The maximum frame size
supported by the NDIS device driver is the lesser of the following
values:
- The value of this MaxTxFrameSize parameter
- Total Receive Buffer Area (see the MinRcvBuffs parameter)
- The physical frame size capacity of the network (4500 bytes for 4-Mbps
token rings and 18 200 bytes for 16-Mbps and 100-Mbps token rings)
Do not count the 4 bytes of FCS defined for a frame when setting this
parameter value.
In some environments, performance can be increased by operating server and
client at larger frame sizes. Protocol frame size should be adjusted if
this parameter is changed.
| Note: | Some token-ring switches support a maximum frame size of 4500 bytes.
|
Valid values: 14 to 18 000
The default is 4500.
|
MinRcvBuffs
| This parameter specifies the minimum number of receive buffers that are
allocated. The Total Receive Buffer Area for the adapter is calculated
using the following formula:
Total Receive Buffer Area = MinRcvBuffs × RcvBuffSize
| Note: | To receive the maximum length frame that is supported by the attached
network, the Total Receive Buffer Area must be larger than the maximum frame
size that is allowed for the network, which is 4500 bytes for 4-Mbps token
rings and 18 000 bytes for 16-Mbps and 100-Mbps token rings).
|
A smaller Total Receive Buffer Area will use less system memory but will
correspondingly reduce the size of the largest frame that can be received by
the NDIS device driver. The maximum frame size supported by the driver
can be further limited by the MaxTxFrameSize parameter.
Valid values: 1 to 512
The default is 20.
|
RcvBuffSize
| This parameter specifies the size of each receive buffer.
Valid values: 256 to 18 000
The default is 2252.
|
| FullDuplex
| This parameter permits the device driver to activate token-ring
full-duplex operation if supported by the network. The MaxTxFrameSize
parameter may need to be adjusted separately, depending on network
requirements.
Valid values:
- Yes
- Permits full-duplex operation.
- No
- Prohibits full-duplex operation.
The default is Yes.
|
| LoopBack
| Determines whether or not the adapter will copy a frame that it is
transmitting if the destination address is recognized by the adapter.
Valid values:
- Yes
- Indicates that transmit frames whose destination is this adapter will be
transmitted and then received by the adapter.
- No
- Indicates that transmit frames whose destination is this adapter must be
looped back by the protocol stack.
The default is No.
|
| TxPriMax
| This parameter specifies the value of the maximum token access priority
that will be allowed for frames sent on the high-priority transmit
channel. High-priority transmit frames whose Frame Control priority
value exceeds the value of this parameter will have their token access
priority reduced to the value specified by this parameter. Frame
Control is a field in the IEEE 802.2 Logical Link Control (LLC)
header.
Valid values: 0 to 6
The default is 6.
|
| TxPriThresh
| This parameter specifies the frame priority value that will be used to
transmit on the adapter's high-priority transmit queue. IEEE
802.2 LLC frames that contain a frame priority setting (in the Frame
Control field) that is equal to or greater than the value of this parameter
are treated as high-priority frames.
Valid values: 1 to 6
The default is 1.
|
| LLCOnly
| This parameter indicates whether only LLC frames should be copied by the
adapter when it is running in promiscuous copy mode. If this parameter
is set to Yes, no MAC frames will be copied while in promiscuous copy
mode.
Valid values:
- Yes
- Copy only LLC frames.
- No
- Copy all frames on the ring.
The default is No.
|
EOIDelay
| This parameter should always be set to zero. It is intended for
debug use.
Valid values: 0 to 10
The default is 0.
|
RTSWMode
| This parameter indicates whether the driver should enable code that
attempts to send routable traffic directly to a destination rather than
through the router. This can improve the performance of these
connections and reduce the workload at the router. If the value is
Disable, all routable frames will be sent through the router.
Valid values:
- Auto
- Automatically determines whether to use Peer or Client mode.
- Peer
- Communicates with a peer destination station to establish a direct
path.
- Client
- Uses an MSS server to determine the direct path.
- Disable
- Deactivates the route switching function for this adapter.
The default is Disable.
|
RTSWTableSize
| This parameter specifies the number of entries allowed in the route table
for route switching support. This should be set equal to or greater
than the number of remote stations that this station will send data to using
routable frames (for example, TCP/IP). If it is set too low, some of
the traffic that could be sent directly will instead be sent through the
router.
Valid values: 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024
The default is 16.
|
RTSWSubnetMask
| This parameter contains a character string specifying the IP Subnet Mask
for the IP subnet to which this adapter will attach. This value is
entered as an IP dotted decimal value, for example,
255.255.255.0. This is a mandatory parameter when
the RTSWMode parameter is set to Auto or Peer.
Valid values:
- xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
- A dotted-decimal IP network number (15 characters maximum).
- Disable
- When not in use.
The default is Disable.
|
RTSWHoldingTime
| This parameter specifies the Route Switching information holding time
value. This determines how often a remote station must refresh its
Route Switching information which pertains to this station.
Valid values: 2 to 20
The default is 20.
|
TCPPortRangeN
| This represents a set of parameters which designates the transmit frame
priority value for a specified TCP port range. N is 1, 2, 3,
4, or 5. The format of this 9-digit hexadecimal string is:
PortNumber PortNumber PriorityValue
where each PortNumber is a four-character hex value and
PriorityValue is a one-character hex value. The two
PortNumber fields define a starting and ending value that make up a
range, with the starting value less than or equal to the ending value.
Valid values:
- PortNumber
- 0x0000 to 0xFFFF
- PriorityValue
- 1 to 6
There is no default for this parameter.
|
UDPPortRangeN
| This represents a set of parameters which designates the transmit frame
priority value for a specified UDP port range. N is 1, 2, 3, 4, or
5. The format of this 9-digit hexadecimal string is:
PortNumber PortNumber PriorityValue
where each PortNumber is a four-character hex value and
PriorityValue is a one-character hex value. The two
PortNumber fields define a starting and ending value that make up a
range, with the starting value less than or equal to the ending value.
Valid values:
- PortNumber
- 0x0000 to 0xFFFF
- PriorityValue
- 1 to 6
There is no default value for this parameter.
|