Subject: Re: Q840 ethernet performance?
To: Steven Campbell <campbel@durham.net>
From: Dave Huang <khym@bga.com>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 11/02/1997 23:39:14
On Sun, 2 Nov 1997, Steven Campbell wrote:
> The MACE driver handles large packets fine. I can successfully ftp 2-3 MB
> files from the other UNIX box without problems. I can spray the 840's MACE
> interface, and it will not lose packets, and return them quickly. 

That's great to hear :) Cool that the MACE driver works for someone
besides me, and even better to hear that it works well :)

> But the Asante NIC, when it gets sprayed, using:
>  "spray -l 1518 <840av's hostname>"
> 
> I get these messages...
> 
> ae0, warning - receiver ring buffer overrun.  The other UNIX host reports a
> 65% packet loss. Roughly the same numbers hold true if I use "ping -f
> <840av>" to flood it. 

I don't know about that one... I get the same message if I spray my 386
with NE2000 clone ethernet card, which I'm pretty sure uses the same chip
and driver as your Asante (National Semiconductor 8390). My 386 can handle
a flood ping without dropping any packets though.

The MACE driver DMAs in and out of the MACE chip, so that might make the
performance better too... I'm still working on the driver, and hopefully
I'll be able to make the performance even better... round trip time on
pings isn't too good right now, average seems to be over 10ms for 64 bytes
packets. I think I know why that's happening though. :)

Thanks for trying out the driver!
--
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