[realtek] Question: Rx Ring Buffers in the rtl8139 module

[Donald Becker]

On Fri, 30 Aug 2002 joerg.beyer@email.de wrote:
> Donald Becker <becker@scyld.com> schrieb am 29.08.02 23:13:44:
> > No, more efficient NIC __hardware__ puts the each packet into its own
> > buffer.  The rtl8139 (before the much better "C+", which still isn't
> > commonly available) only has the hardware to receive into into a single
> > ring buffer.
> 
> I was not aware, that there is a (big) difference between 8139C and 8139C+
> cards.

There is a very big difference.

> lspci shows my NIC as this:
> 00:09.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139 (rev 10)

Good...

> while /proc/pci tells this:
>     Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 16).

Arrrggggggg.  Those idiots!  Changing /proc/pci names again.
People will misinterpret this as stating that they have a C+ chip, when
they have a standard rtl8139.

> Which is the correct/best driver for that NIC?

You have have a rtl8139C, not C+.  All current drivers will
approximately equal, although the older 8139too driver is slower (no
copy+checksum on receive).

-- 
Donald Becker				becker@scyld.com
Scyld Computing Corporation		http://www.scyld.com
410 Severn Ave. Suite 210		Second Generation Beowulf Clusters
Annapolis MD 21403			410-990-9993