Smart II Software: card parameters

TechNote

Number:06610-01
Date:April 1994

Smart II Software: card parameters

1 Introduction

This document describes those parameters that affect the operation of a particular Ringnode in your workstation, but not of a particular interface.

There are two sorts of card parameter. The first relates to the hardware; an example is the IO.LOCATION parameter. The second relates to the kernel software, an integral part of SMART.EXE; an example is the FRAME.SIZE parameter. For a list of the different parameters and an indication of whether they relate to the hardware or the kernel software, see Table 1.

If you are using SMART.CFG to configure your Smart II Software, you must place all of the card parameters that relate to the hardware of a particular Ringnode at the top of a [CARD] section (that is, before any protocol sections). You can place card parameters that relate to the kernel software either at the top of a [CARD] section (along with the hardware parameters), or if you are using an LLC interface, in the [LLC] section. For information about loading the Smart II Software and using a SMART.CFG file, see TechNote 06608.

Table 1 gives a list of all Card parameters and indicates whether they relate to Ringnode hardware or kernel software. A description of each of the parameters is given in Section 2.

Parameter       Abbreviation   Hardware
                               or software

PIO                            Hardware
USEDMA                         Hardware
LOMEM                          Hardware
ALTIO                          Hardware
IO.LOCATION     IO             Hardware
NODE.ADDRESS    NA             Software
FRAME.SIZE      FS             Software
SAPS		SA             Software
EXTRA.SAPS      ES             Software
STATIONS        ST             Software
EXTRA.STATIONS  EST            Software

Table 1 Card parameters and whether they relate to the hardware or the kernel software

Figure 1 displays part of a SMART.CFG containing some of the card parameters. The hardware parameters are at the top of the [CARD] sections; the kernel software parameters are at the top of the [CARD] section for the first card, and in the [LLC] section for the second.

[HOST]                  ; Host parameters here.
     [CARD]             ; First card section.	
          io=a20        ; io location is a20.
          lomem         ; Use lomem transfer.	
          fs=1024       ; Frame size is 1K bytes.
          sa=25         ; 25 saps.
          es=25         ; 25 extra saps.
          [IPX]         ; install the IPX interface.
     [CARD]             ; Second card section.
          io=1a20       ; io location is 1a20.
          [LLC]         ; Install the LLC interface.
          fs=4096       ; Frame size is 4Kbytes.
          sa=20         ; 20 saps.

Figure 1 Sample SMART.CFG

If you are configuring your Smart II Software from the command line, you must use commas to separate parameters relating to different Ringnodes. The following sample command-line installs IPX onto one Ringnode using a frame-size of 4Kbytes; it also installs NetBIOS onto the Ringnode at IO location 3A20.

Example: SMART FS=4096 IPX, IO=3A20 NETB

2 Card parameters

This section describes the Card parameters. Abbreviations are given for those parameters that can be shortened.

PIO

Enables the fast 16-bit PIO (Programmed Input/Output) mode of data transfer on your Ringnode (if this is available). The Smart 16/4 AT, ISA Client, and AT Plus Ringnodes, and newer versions of the Smart 16/4 MC Ringnode, support 16-bit PIO transfers; the Smart 16/4 PC and MC32 Ringnodes support 8-bit PIO transfers. The Smart 16/4 EISA Ringnode supports only DMA.

If you are using a Smart 16/4 AT or AT Plus Ringnode, or a Smart 16/4 MC Ringnode (with 256 kbytes of RAM) and your workstation uses Microsoft Windows or any memory management software, the process of copying DMA exchanges through buffers in conventional memory (see LOMEM) may reduce the speed of performance. If your computer has fast clock- and bus-speeds, use PIO to obtain the best performance.

If you are using a Smart 16/4 MC32 or EISA Ringnode and your workstation uses Microsoft Windows or any memory management software, use the LOMEM parameter (see below).

If you are using a Smart 16/4 PC or ISA Client Ringnode, your Ringnode performs only PIO transfers. PIO transfers are not affected by the presence of Windows or any other memory management software that the workstation is running.

LOMEM

Ensures that all data sent by DMA (Direct Memory Access) to and from your Ringnode, is copied through a buffer in conventional memory that cannot be re-mapped by Windows or other memory management software.

DMA allows your Ringnode to exchange data directly with your computer's memory, without the intervention of the microprocessor. If a memory manager re-maps the part of PC memory that your Ringnode is trying to communicate with, the Smart II Software cannot determine efficiently the new location of the buffers.

If you are using DMA, and you are running any memory management software, set the LOMEM parameter or use PIO instead. LOMEM is set automatically when you use the WIN=31 or WIN=30 parameters, but if you are using Windows, PIO may give you better performance (particularly if your system has fast clock- and bus-speeds). We advise you to experiment to find the method which gives the best performance for your system.

IO.LOCATION

Specifies the location in computer memory of input to, and output from, the Ringnode. The Ringnodes in the expansion slots inside your computer each write to particular locations in the computer's I/O space. By default, the software uses a first-found algorithm:

It finds AT Ringnodes in ascending order of I/O location. For example, it finds Ringnode 0A20 before Ringnode 1A20.
It finds EISA Ringnodes in ascending order of slot number. The I/O location of an EISA card is the slot number plus three zeroes. For example, slot 4 is I/O location 4000.
It finds Micro-Channel Ringnodes at addresses 0A20, 1A20, 2A20, and 3A20 in ascending order of I/O location, and before Micro-Channel Ringnodes at addresses 0E20, 1E20, 2E20, and 3E20.
It finds AT Ringnodes in an EISA computer before any EISA Ringnodes that are installed in the same computer.
It applies parameters for multiple Ringnodes to each Ringnode as it it is found.

Use IO.LOCATION to apply a set of parameters to a particular Ringnode. You may need to use it if you have multiple Ringnodes in your computer.

Abbreviation: IO
Example: IO=3a20

USEDMA

This parameter disables the detection of memory managers by the Smart II Software. If your Ringnode supports DMA, this parameter causes it to perform DMA without copying data-transfers through a buffer in low memory. If you want to ensure that data is copied through a buffer in low memory, use the LOMEM parameter as well.

ALTIO

This parameter is only available with the "ASYNC" bus mode. If your computer has bus-compatibility problems with AT or ISA Client Ringnodes, use the ALTIO parameter and configure your Ringnode for PIO and alternate bus-timing.

FRAME.SIZE

This parameter controls the maximum frame size that protocol modules can use. The maximum value depends on which interfaces are enabled, and on which Ringnode you are running. By default the maximum frame size possible (up to 4K) is used.

The Smart LLC interface has another parameter (RX.SIZE) that you can use to reduce the frame size for LLC applications. RX.SIZE only affects the LLC interface (see Technote 66-011).

Table 2 shows default frame sizes for individual interfaces and combinations of interfaces on a 128k Ringnode. Ringnodes with 256kbytes or 512kbytes of RAM, support a frame size of 4096 bytes for all allowable combinations of interfaces.

Interfaces enabled   Default frame size

IPX                  4096
ODI                  4096
NetBIOS              4096
LLC and IPX          1024
LLC and NetBIOS      1024
IPX and NetBIOS      1024
ODI and NetBIOS      1024
TCP/IP               1024

Table 2 Default frame sizes

Range: 200 - 17960
Abbreviation: FS
Example: FS=1024

NODE.ADDRESS

The node address parameter allows you to specify the 6-byte node address to be used by the Ringnode. If you omit this parameter, the Ringnode uses its unique burnt-in node address. We recommend the burnt-in address whenever possible.

You can specify the node address without a keyword.

You can use any valid hexadecimal number in the range 400000000000 to 7FFFFFFFFFFF.

Ensure that every adapter in your network has a different node address.

Range: 400000000000 - 7FFFFFFFFFFF
Abbreviation: NA or (blank)
Example: NA=400012345678 or just 400012345678

SAPS

Specifies the maximum number of LLC Service Access Points that you can open at any one time. NetBIOS, IPX, and TCP/IP each use one SAP.

There is a minimum value for the sum of SAPS and EXTRA.SAPS. If the sum comes to 5 or less, the number of Service Access Points you can open at any one time remains 5.

Range: 0 - 127
Default: 2
Abbreviation: SA
Example: SA=27

EXTRA.SAPS

Specifies the number of extra SAPs that are available for LLC applications, other than NetBIOS and IPX, to use. For example, you need one for a 3270 attachment program. The total number of SAPS and EXTRA.SAPS must not exceed 128.

There is a minimum value for the sum of SAPS and EXTRA.SAPS. If the sum comes to 5 or less, the number of Service Access Points you can open at any one time remains 5.

Range: 0 - 127
Default: 3
Abbreviation: ES
Example: ES=27

STATIONS

Specifies the maximum number of LLC links (link-stations) that you can open at one time. The total value of STATIONS and EXTRA.STATIONS (see below) is the total number of LLC links available.

If you enable the NetBIOS interface, NetBIOS uses all of the links that you specify with the STATIONS parameter. If you disable the NetBIOS interface, all of these links are available to other LLC applications.

There is a minimum value for the sum of STATIONS and EXTRA.STATIONS. If the sum comes to 20 or less, the number of links you can open at any one time remains 20.

The sum of STATIONS and EXTRA.STATIONS must not exceed 255.

Range: 0 - 254
Default: 32
Abbreviation: ST
Example: ST=27

EXTRA.STATIONS

Specifies the maximum number of extra LLC links (link-stations) that you can open at one time. The total value of STATIONS (see above) and EXTRA.STATIONS is the total number of links available.

NetBIOS uses all of the links you specify with the STATIONS parameter. Those that you specify using EXTRA.STATIONS are available for other LLC applications.

The default value of 3 allows you to use an LLC workstation application that requires one link. You could use the other two links to connect to a 3270 attachment program, to an AS/400 direct attachment program, or to a bridge.

There is a minimum value for the sum of STATIONS and EXTRA.STATIONS. If the sum comes to 20 or less, the number of links you can open at any one time remains 20. The sum of STATIONS and EXTRA.STATIONS must not exceed 255.

Range: 0 - 254
Default: 3
Abbreviation: EST
Example: EST=27