Software User's Guide Version 3.4

Using the Ethernet Network Interface

This chapter describes how to use the Ethernet interface. It includes Displaying Ethernet Statistics through the Interface Command.

Displaying Ethernet Statistics through the Interface Command

You can also use the interface command from the GWCON environment to display the following statistics.

 
+ interface 0
                                Self-Test  Self-Test  Maintenance
Nt Nt' Interface      CSR  Vec     Passed     Failed       Failed 
0  0   Eth/0        81600   5E          1          1            0 
Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 MAC/data-link on SCC Ethernet interface
 
Physical address         000093808000
PROM address             000093808000
 
Input statistics:
  failed, frame too long          0   failed, FCS error           0
  failed, alignment error         0   failed, FIFO overrun        0
  internal MAC rcv error          0   packets missed              0
 
Output statistics:
  deferred transmission           6   single collision            2
  multiple collisions             0   total collisions            2
  failed, excess collisions       0   failed, FIFO underrun       0
  failed, carrier sense err       0   SQE test error              0
  late collision                  0   internal MAC trans errors   0
RISC Microcode Revision:            1
 

These statistics have the following meaning:

Nt

Global network number.

Nt'

This field is for the serial interface card. Disregard the output.

Interface

Interface name and its instance number.

CSR

Command and status register address.

Vec

Interrupt vector

Self-Test: Passed

Number of self-tests that succeeded.

Self-Test: Failed

Number of self-tests that failed.

Maintenance: Failed

Number of maintenance failures.

Physical address

The Ethernet address of the device currently in use. This may be the PROM address or an address overwritten by some other protocol.

PROM address

The permanent unique Ethernet address in the PROM for this Ethernet interface.

Interface restarts

The number of times the Ethernet chip timed out, or the Ethernet driver received a bad command from the handler. For information about why a restart occurred, refer to messages Eth.043 and Eth.044 in the IBM Nways Event Logging System Messages Guide

Interface type

This specifies the connector type as AUI or RJ45.

Input statistics:

failed, packet too long or failed, frame too long

The Failed, Packet Too Long counter increments when the interface receives a packet that is larger than the maximum size of 1518 bytes for an Ethernet frame. This data is exported via SNMP as the dot3StatsFrameTooLongs counter.

failed, CRC error or failed, FCS (Frame Check Sequence) error

The Failed, CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) Error counter increments when the interface receives a packet with a CRC error. This data is exported via SNMP as the dd3StatsFCSErrors counter.

failed, framing error or failed, alignment error

The Failed, Framing Error counter increments when the interface receives a packet whose length in bits is not a multiple of eight.

failed, FIFO over-run or failed, FIFO overrun

The Failed, FIFO (First In, First Out) Overrun counter increments when the Ethernet chipset is unable to store bytes in the local packet buffer as fast as they come off the wire.

collision in packet

The counter increments when a packet collides as the interface attempts to receive a packet, but the local packet buffer is full. This error indicates that the network has more traffic than the interface can handle.

short frame

The counter increments when the interface receives a packet with a short frame.

buffer full warnings

The Buffer Full Warnings counter increments each time the local packet buffer is full.

packets missed

The Packets Missed counter increments when the interface attempts to receive a packet, but the local packet buffer is full. This error indicates that the network has more traffic than the interface can handle.

internal mac rcv errors

Receive errors that are not late, excessive, or carrier check collisions. This data is exported via SNMP as the dot3StatsInternalMacReceiveErrors counter. This statistic is the sum of the FIFO Overruns.

Output statistics:

initially deferred or deferred transmission

The Initially Deferred counter increments when the carrier sense mechanism detects line activity causing the interface to defer transmission. This data is exported via SNMP as the dot3StatsDeferredTransmissions counter.

single collision

The Single Collision counter increments when a packet has a collision on the first transmission attempt, and then successfully sends the packet on the second transmission attempt. This data is exported via SNMP as the dot3StatsSingleCollisionFrames counter.

multiple collisions

The Multiple Collisions counter increments when a packet has multiple collisions before being successfully transmitted. This data is exported via SNMP as the dot3MultipleCollisionFrames counter.

total collisions

The Total Collisions counter increments by the number of collisions a packet incurs.

failed, excess collisions

The Failed, Excess Collisions counter increments when a packet transmission fails due to 16 successive collisions. This error indicates a high volume of network traffic or hardware problems with the network. This data is exported via SNMP as the dot3StatsExcessiveCollisions counter.

failed, FIFO underrun

The Failed, FIFO Underrun counter increments when packet transmission fails due to the inability of the interface to retrieve packets from the local packet buffer fast enough to transmit them onto the network.

failed, carrier check or failed, carrier sense error

The Failed, Carrier Check counter increments when a packet collides because carrier sense is disabled. This error indicates a problem between the interface and its Ethernet transceiver. This data is exported via SNMP as the dot3StatsCarrierSenseErrors counter.

CD heartbeat error or SQE test error

The CD (Collision Detection) Heartbeat Error or SQE (Signal Quality Error) counter increments when the interface sends a packet but detects that the transceiver has no heartbeat. The packet is treated as successfully transmitted because some transceivers do not generate heartbeats. This data is exported via SNMP as the dot3StatsSQETestErrors counter.

internal mac tx errors or internal MAC trans errors

Transmit errors that are not late, excessive, or carrier check collisions. This data is exported via SNMP as the dot3StatsInternalMacTransmitErrors counter. This statistic is the sum of the FIFO Underruns.

RISC Microcode Version:

This gives the version of the microcode running in the RISC controller of the communications processor module.