Subject: Re: ethernet card performance and support
To: None <port-i386@NetBSD.ORG>
From: James E. Bernard <jbernard@othello.Mines.Colorado.EDU>
List: port-i386
Date: 01/26/1995 20:42:47
Kevin Sullivan (ksulliva@kludge.pps.pgh.pa.us) wrote:
>I haven't done extensive testing, but I use a SMC Ultra (ISA) in my 
>Dec P90 PCI running -current.  I have the Ultra set to "zero wait state
>operation".  FTPs of very large files to an Alpha on another ethernet
>go at better than 600K/sec (I get 800K/sec early in the morning when
>no-one else is using the net).  This certainly seems fast enough for
>most purposes.

I also received mail from Rafal Boni (r-boni@uiuc.edu) regarding the
3c507, noting about 800K/sec ftp performance for that card as well
(and providing some details about the card).

So I did some tests copying a 7.5MB file between a Nextstation and
a Sun sparc 1 similar to the one to which the machine-to-be will be
connected, finding about 100K/sec for ftp.  Next-to-Next copies ran
a little better than twice that fast, as did Next-to-RS6000 copies.
NFS copies were noticeably faster, but still well below 800K/sec.
Evidently neither the SMC Ultra nor the 3c507 would be a bottleneck.
Thanks to both respondents for the info.

BTW:  I'd still be interested to know whether there would be problems
using an ISA bus mastering card in a >16 MB machine, if anyone can
enlighten me.

--Jim Bernard
  jbernard@iola.mines.colorado.edu