Madge Token Ring Cards

Support knowledgebase (findeisen_madge)
Applies to

SuSE Linux: Version 6.4
This article refers to an older version of SuSE Linux. Therefore some of the informations given in this article may be outdated or the article may contain stale links.

Kernel: Version 2.2
Madge

NOTE: For SuSE Linux versions newer than 6.4, please refer to the link at the bottom of this page.

Situation:

You want to use a Madge Token Ring network card (also PCMCIA) but you cannot find the suitable modules.

Procedure:

The necessary drivers can be found in package madge, a series. Please install (e.g. with YaST) the package "Magde kernel modules for Madge Token Ring".

The following cards are supported (according to Madge's README):

  * 51-02 Smart 16/4 PCI Ringnode Mk2
  * 51-04 Smart 16/4 PCI Ringnode Mk3
  * 51-09 Smart 16/4 Fiber PCI Ringnode
  * 51-07 Smart 100/16/4 PCI-HS Ringnode
  * 51-05 Smart 100/16/4 PCI Ringnode
  * 20-01 Smart 16/4 PCMCIA
  * 20-03 16/4 CardBus Adapter Mk 2
  * 60-07 Presto PCI 2000
  * 60-06 Presto PCI Plus
  * 60-05 Presto PCI

The package contains the following modules:

  /lib/modules/2.2.??/net/mtok.o
  /lib/modules/2.2.??/pcmcia/mtok_cb.o
  /lib/modules/2.2.??/pcmcia/mtok_cs.o

These modules are compiled for a standard pentium kernel.

Procedure for PCMCIA cards

The modules mtok_cb and mtok_cs apply to PCMCIA Madge cards only. These modules are automatically loaded by the PCMCIA card manager. The only thing you need is an entry in the file /etc/pcmcia/config:

    device "mtok_cs"
        class "network" module "mtok_cs"

    device "mtok_cb"
        class "network" module "mtok_cb"

    card "Madge Token Ring PCMCIA Adapter"
        version "MADGE", "SMART 16/4 PCMCIA RINGNODE"
        bind "mtok_cs"

    card "Madge Token Ring CardBus Adapter"
        version "MADGE", "CARDBUS ADAPTER MK 2"
        bind "mtok_cb"

This entry must be inserted before the line 'source ./config.opts'. Restart now the PCMCIA system with 'rcpcmcia restart' and the necessary driver will be automatically loaded when you insert the card into the PCMCIA slot. The network base configuration can be done with YaST or directly in the file /etc/pcmcia/network.opts.

Procedure for PCI cards

Try to manually load the module with:

  modprobe mtok

If neccessary, you can enter additional parameters such as 'ringspeed', 'dtr' etc.

Check if the module is loaded:

  lsmod

If the module has been loaded and the card works, you can add the corresponding entry to the file /etc/modules.conf:

  alias tr0 mtok
  options mtok ...

Afterwards execute the command

  depmod -a

If it has not been done yet, proceed now to do the network base configuration for tr0 with YaST.

The options for the module mtok are documented in the README file of the source package /usr/src/packages/SOURCES/mtok.tgz. To get it you have to install the package madge_spm, zq series, and unpack the archiv with 'tar -xzvf ...'.

Here you find the README section about the options:

...
6. Command Line Options
-----------------------
 
The Token-Ring driver module mtok.o supports several command line options.
Each option is specified using its name and then a comma separated list of
values corresponding to each Token Ring adapter controlled by the driver.
  
For example:-
   
    insmod mtok ringspeed=16,0,100
        
This means tr0 will open at 16 MBps, tr1 will try to auto detect or use the
default value for the adapter and tr2 will try to open at 100MBps. 
 
The driver options are list below:-
  
ringspeed=N

    Specifies that the adapter should operate at the following ring speed:  

        N=0   -> The ring speed to which the adapter has been programmed.
        N=4   -> 4 MBit/s
        N=16  -> 16 MBit/s
        N=100 -> 100 MBit/s

dtr=N

    Specifies in which mode the adapter should open.

        N=0 -> Either DTR or Classic Mode (DTR on a switch port and classic
               on a shared hub).
               N=1 -> DTR mode only.
               N=2 -> Classic mode only.

pcmcia=1

    Normally the driver will only stay loaded in memory if it successfully
    finds and configures an adapter. However if a PCMCIA adapter is to
    be used the driver must always be resident. Using the parameter
    pcmcia=1 ensures that the driver stays resident.

txslots=N

    Specifies the number of transmit slots to be used.  The default depends
    on the adapter type.  Increasing this number uses more memory but
    allows more frames to be queued on the adapter for transmission.
    It is not advisable to queue too many transmits as this may interfere
    with higher layer flow control and queueing algorithms.

rxslots=N

    Specifies the number of receive slots to be used.  If this parameter is
    increased then more memory will be used by the driver but more frames
    can be queued for reception.

maxframesize=N

    Specifies the maximum frame size the adapter will be able to receive.
    This parameter has a maximum value of 4486 for an adapter running at
    4MBps and 17814 for adapters running at 16 and 100MBps.  The default
    value is 2040.  Performance improvements may be obtained by increasing
    this parameter if other machines on the network are also capable of
    sending and receiving large frames.

...

You can download the current sources directly from Madge:

  http://www.madge.com/connect/downloads/software/
  http://www.madge.com/software/tr_adap/linux/v231/source/msrc231.tgz

See also:
o Driver Missing for Madge Token Ring Cards

Keywords: MADGE, TOKEN RING, MTOK, PCMCIA

Categories: Hardware

SDB-findeisen_madge, Copyright SuSE Linux AG, Nürnberg, Germany - Version: 11. Jun 2001
SuSE Linux AG - Last generated: 16. Nov 2001 by hmeyer (sdb_gen 1.40.0)