Using Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 3: Broadcom NetLink®/NetXtreme® 57XX User Guide

Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 3 (BACS 3) is an integrated utility that provides useful information about each network adapter that is installed in your system. BACS 3 also enables you to perform detailed tests, diagnostics, and analyses on each adapter, as well as to view and modify property values and view traffic statistics for each adapter.

Starting Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 3

Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 includes the runtime and associated files needed to run BACS 3, and must be installed on your system in order for BACS 3 to operate. For information on the minimum and recommended .NET Framework versions for your operating system, see Table 1.

Starting BACS 3 without .NET Framework (version 2.0 or above) installed on your system will result in an error.

Long startup times for BACS 3 may be caused by a limitation of .NET Framework 2.0, as described in Microsoft knowledge base article KB936707. To improve the startup time of BACS 3, apply .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 (or appropriate version for your OS as shown in the Recommended column of Table 1), and reboot your system.

For optimal performance of BACS 3, Broadcom recommends .NET Framework 2.0 SP1, .NET Framework 3.0 SP1, or .NET Framework 3.5, depending on your operating system.

Table 1: Minimum and Recommended .NET Framework Versions for BACS 3
Operating System	Minimum Required		Recommended
Operating System	Version	How to Obtain	Version	How to Obtain
Windows XP	.NET 2.0	Download from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/	.NET 2.0 SP1	Download from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
Windows Vista	.NET 2.0	Included in .NET 3.0, which is included during OS installation	.NET 2.0 SP1	Download from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

Using Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 3

Start BACS 3. Click the tab that provides the information of interest or from which to perform a desired test, diagnostic, analysis, or set adapter properties.

Using the Interface

BACS 3 features a context-sensitive interface. When an item is selected in the Explorer View, such as an adapter, driver, team, or VLAN, the interface changes to display the information and options available for the selected item. Certain tabs, menu options, and device information are only available based on the types of devices installed or the item selected in the interface.

Device Management

The Device Management pane lists the devices that can be viewed, analyzed, tested, or adjusted by BACS 3. When an item is selected in the Device Management pane, the tabs showing the information and options that are available for the item appear. Because the BACS 3 interface is context-sensitive, only the information that applies to the selected item can be viewed or adjusted.

At the top of the Device Management pane, click By Type.

A single hardware device may be using several different drivers, so Device Management breaks each item out into separate categories.

Network Adapters. Lists the available NDIS client adapters.

At the top of the Device Management pane, click By Connection.

The Connection View lists the server and client devices in a parent/child hierarchy, which makes it easier to see the relationships between the adapters. Just as in the Device Management pane, selecting items in the Connection View shows the options available for that item.

Device Icons

The icon next to each device in the Device Management pane shows its status. An icon next to a device name that appears normal means the device is connected and working.

X. A red "X" that appears on the device's icon indicates the device is currently not connected to the network.

Greyed out. A device icon that appears greyed out indicates the device is currently disabled.

Configuring BACS User Interface Options

Enabling/Disabling the BACS Tray Icon

BACS 3 places an icon in the Windows taskbar when the program is installed. Use the Options window to turn this icon on or off.

From the Tools menu, select Options.

In the Options window, select General.

Select or clear Enable Tray Icon (the option is enabled by default).

Click OK.

Configuring BACS User Interface Appearance

Changing the Look and Feel

From the Tools menu, select Options.

In the Options window, select Appearance.

Choose the appearance settings. Click Apply to set changes. Click OK to set changes and close the Options window.

From the Tools menu, select Options.

In the Options window, select General.

Click Restore Default.

Close and then restart BACS 3.

Viewing Vital Signs

The Vital Signs section of the Information tab has useful information about the network adapters that are installed in your system, such as the link status of the adapter and general network connectivity.

To view Vital Signs information for any installed network adapter, click the name of the adapter listed in the Device Management pane, then click the Information tab.

If the Information tab is not visible, then from the View menu, select Navigate, then Device Management, and then Information.

If the Vital Signs section within the Information tab is not visible, then from the Context View tab on the right side of the window, select Information and then select Vital Signs.

NOTES:

Information about Broadcom network adapters may be more comprehensive than information about network adapters made by others.

Some information may not be available for all Broadcom network adapters.

The network address associated with the adapter. If the IP address is all 0s, the associated driver has not been bound with Internet Protocol (IP).

Up. A link is established.

Down. A link is not established.

LSO. Large Send Offload (LSO) prevents an upper level protocol such as TCP from breaking a large data packet into a series of smaller packets with headers appended to them.

CO. Checksum Offload (CO) allows the TCP/IP/UDP checksums for send and receive traffic to be calculated by the adapter hardware rather than by the host CPU.

Viewing Driver Information

The Driver Information section of the Information tab displays data about the driver for the selected network adapter.

To view Driver Information for any installed network adapter, click the name of the adapter listed in the Device Management pane, then click the Information tab.

If the Information tab is not visible, then from the View menu, select Navigate, then Device Management, and then Information.

If the Driver Information section within the Information tab is not visible, then from the Context View tab on the right side of the window, select Information and then select Driver.

Loaded. Normal operating mode. The adapter driver has been loaded by Windows and is functioning.

Not Loaded. The driver associated with the adapter has not been loaded by Windows.

Information Not Available. The value is not obtainable from the driver that is associated with the adapter.

Viewing Resource Information

The Resources section of the Information tab displays information about connections and other essential functions for the selected network adapter.

To view Resources for any installed network adapter, click the name of the adapter listed in the Device Management pane, then click the Information tab.

If the Information tab is not visible, then from the View menu, select Navigate, then Device Management, and then Information.

If the Resources section within the Information tab is not visible, then from the Context View tab on the right side of the window, select Information and then select Resources.

NOTE: Some information may not be available for all Broadcom network adapters.

The slot number on the system board occupied by the adapter. This item is not available for PCI Express type adapters.

The bus clock signal frequency used by the adapter. This item is not available for PCI Express type adapters.

The number of bits that the bus can transfer at a single time to and from the adapter. This item is not available for PCI Express type adapters.

The port number of the adapter. For a single-port adapter, the function number is 0. For a two-port adapter, the function number for the first port is 0, and the function number for the second port is 1.

The interrupt line number that is associated with the adapter. Valid numbers range from 2 to 25.

The memory mapped address that is assigned to the adapter. This value can never be 0.

Viewing Hardware Information

The Hardware section of the Information tab displays information about the hardware settings for the selected network adapter.

To view Hardware for any installed network adapter, click the name of the adapter listed in the Device Management pane, then click the Information tab.

If the Information tab is not visible, then from the View menu, select Navigate, then Device Management, and then Information.

If the Hardware section within the Information tab is not visible, then from the Context View tab on the right side of the window, select Information and then select Hardware.

NOTE: Some information may not be available for all Broadcom network adapters.

The chip version of the Broadcom adapter (this information is not available for adapters made by others).

The firmware version of the Broadcom adapter (this information is not available for adapters made by others). This information is only available for Broadcom NetXtreme adapters.

Testing the Network

The Network Test option on the Diagnostics tab lets you verify IP network connectivity. This test verifies if the driver is installed correctly and tests connectivity to a gateway or other specified IP address on the same subnet. The network test uses TCP/IP to send ICMP packets to remote systems, then waits for a response.

Click the name of the adapter to test in the Device Management pane.

Click the Diagnostics tab. If the Diagnostics tab is not visible, then from the View menu, select Navigate, then Device Management, and then Diagnostics.

From the Select a test to run list, select Network Test. If the Network Test option is not available, then from the Context View tab on the right side of the window, select Diagnostics and then select Network Test.

To change the destination IP address, select IP address to ping, then click the browse button. In the Network Test window, enter a Destination IP address, then click OK.

Click Run.

Running Diagnostic Tests

The Diagnostic Tests option on the Diagnostics tab lets you check the state of the physical components on a Broadcom network adapter. You can trigger the tests manually, or choose to have BACS 3 continuously perform them. If the test are performed continuously, then the number of passes and fails in the Status field for each test increments every time the tests are performed. For example, if a test is performed four times and there are no fails, the value in the Status field for that test is 4/0. However, if there were 3 passes and 1 fail, the value in the Status field is 3/1.

You must have administrator privileges to run diagnostic tests.

The network connection is temporarily lost while these tests are running.

Click the name of the adapter to test in the Device Management pane.

Click the Diagnostics tab. If the Diagnostics tab is not visible, then from the View menu, select Navigate, then Device Management, and then Diagnostics.

From the Select a test to run list, select Diagnostic Tests. If the Diagnostic Tests option is not available, then from the Context View tab on the right side of the window, select Diagnostics and then select Diagnostic Tests.

Select the diagnostic tests you want to run. Click Select All to select all tests or Clear All to clear all test selections.

Click Run.

In the error message window that warns of the network connection being temporarily interrupted, click Yes. The results are displayed in the Status field for each test.

Click the name of the adapter to test in the Device Management pane.

Click the Diagnostics tab. If the Diagnostics tab is not visible, then from the View menu, select Navigate, then Device Management, and then Diagnostics.

Select the diagnostic tests you want to run. Click Select All to select all tests or Clear All to clear all test selections.

Select Run Continuously.

Click Run.

In the error message window that warns of the network connection being temporarily interrupted, click Yes. The diagnostic tests will run continuously, and the Status field for each test displays the accumulated total of passes and failures.

To stop the continuous testing, click Abort.

This test verifies the read and write capabilities of the network adapter registers by writing various values to the registers and verifying the results. The adapter driver uses these registers to perform network functions such as sending and receiving information. A test failure indicates that the adapter may not be working properly.

This test verifies the read and write capabilities of the registers of the physical layer (PHY). The physical layer is used to control the electrical signals on the wire and to configure network speeds such as 1000 Mbit/s.

This test verifies the content of the electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) by reading a portion of the EEPROM and computing the checksum. The test fails if the computed checksum is different from the checksum stored in the EEPROM. An EEPROM image upgrade does not require a code change for this test.

This test verifies that the internal memory of the adapter is functioning properly. The test writes patterned values to the memory and reads back the results. The test fails if an erroneous value is read back. The adapter cannot function if its internal memory is not functioning properly.

This test verifies that the Network Device Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) driver is able to receive interrupts from the adapter.

This test verifies that the NDIS driver is able to send packets to and receive packets from the adapter.

This test causes all of the port LEDs to blink 5 times for the purpose of identifying the adapter.

Analyzing Cables

The Cable Analysis option on the Diagnostics tab lets you monitor the conditions of each wire pair in an Ethernet Category 5 cable connection within an Ethernet network. The analysis measures the cable quality and compares it against the IEEE 802.3ab specification for compliance.

You must have administrator privileges to run the cable analysis test.

The network connection is temporarily lost during an analysis.

For Broadcom NetXtreme adapters, the cable analysis test can only run for gigabit link speed connections and when there is no connection.

This option is not available for all Broadcom network adapters.

Connect the cable to a port on a switch where the port is set to Auto and the Speed & Duplex driver settings are also set to Auto.

Click the name of the adapter to test in the Device Management pane.

Click the Diagnostics tab. If the Diagnostics tab is not visible, then from the View menu, select Navigate, then Device Management, and then Diagnostics.

From the Select a test to run list, select Cable Analysis. If the Cable Analysis option is not available, then from the Context View tab on the right side of the window, select Diagnostics and then select Cable Analysis.

Click Run.

In the error message window that warns of the network connection being temporarily interrupted, click Yes.

Good. Good cable/PCB signal paths, but no gigabit link.

Crossed. Pin short or crosstalk along two or more cable/PCB signal paths.

Open. One or both pins are open for a twisted pair.

Short. Two pins from the same twisted pair are shorted together.

Noise. Persistent noise present (most likely caused by Forced 10/100).

GB Link. Gigabit link is up and running.

N/A. Algorithm failed to reach a conclusion.

Link partner. Various switch and hub manufacturers implement different PHYs. Some PHYs are not IEEE compliant.

Cable quality. Category 3, 4, 5, and 6 may affect the test results.

Electrical interference. The testing environment may affect the test results.

Setting Adapter Properties

Advanced on the Configurations tab allow you to view and change the values of the available properties of the selected adapter. The potentially available properties and their respective settings are described below.

You must have administrator privileges to change the values for a property.

The list of available properties for your particular adapter may be different.

Some properties may not be available for all Broadcom network adapters.

Click the name of the adapter in the Device Management pane.

Click the Configurations tab. If the Configurations tab is not visible, then from the View menu, select Navigate, then Device Management, and then Configurations.

From the Advanced section, select the property you want to set. If the Advanced section is not available, then from the Context View tab on the right side of the window, select Configurations and then select Advanced.

To change the value of a property, select an item from the property's list or type a new value, as appropriate (selection options are different for different properties).

Click Apply to confirm the changes to all properties. Click Reset to return the properties to their original values.

Enables quality of service, which is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) specification that treats different types of network traffic diversely to ensure required levels or reliability and latency according to the type of traffic. This property is disabled by default. Unless the network infrastructure supports QoS, do not enable this property. Otherwise, problems may occur.

Enables a Gigabit Ethernet adapter to establish a link at a lower speed when only two pairs of wires are available in the cabling plant. The default setting for this property is Enabled.

Enables or disables the receipt or transmission of PAUSE frames. PAUSE frames allow the network adapter and a switch to control the transmit rate. The side that is receiving the PAUSE frame momentarily stops transmitting.

Auto (default). PAUSE frame receipt and transmission are optimized.

Disable. PAUSE frame receipt and transmission are disabled.

Rx PAUSE. PAUSE frame receipt is enabled.

Rx/Tx PAUSE. PAUSE frame receipt and transmission are enabled.

Tx PAUSE. PAUSE frame transmission is enabled.

Normally, the checksum function is computed by the protocol stack. When you select one of the Checksum Offload property values (other than None), the checksum can be computed by the network adapter.

Rx Enabled. Enables receive TCP/IP/UDP checksum offload.

Tx Enabled. Enables transmit TCP/IP/UDP checksum offload.

Tx/Rx Enabled (default). Enables transmit and receive TCP/IP/UDP checksum offload.

None. Disables checksum offload.

Normally, the TCP segmentation is done by the protocol stack. When you enable the Large Send Offload property, the TCP segmentation can be done by the network adapter. The default setting for this property is Enabled.

Enables the network adapter to transmit and receive oversized Ethernet frames that are greater than 1514 bytes, but less than or equal to 9000 bytes in length (9600 bytes for network adapters that operate at 10 Gbps). This property requires the presence of a switch that is able to process jumbo frames.

Frame size is set at 1500 bytes by default. To increase the size of the received frames, raise the byte quantity in 500-byte increments.

The Locally Administered Address is a user-defined MAC address that is used in place of the MAC address originally assigned to the network adapter. Every adapter in the network must have its own unique MAC address. This locally administered address consists of a 12-digit hexadecimal number.

Value. Assigns a unique node address for the adapter.

Not Present (default). Uses the factory-assigned node address on the adapter.

The appropriate assigned ranges and exceptions for the locally administered address include the following:

The range is 00:00:00:00:00:01 to FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FD.

Do not use a multicast address (least significant bit of the high byte = 1).

Do not use all 0s or all Fs.

Allows configuring network load balancing across multiple CPUs. The default setting for this property is Enabled.

The Speed & Duplex property sets the connection speed and mode to that of the network. Note that Full-Duplex mode allows the adapter to transmit and receive network data simultaneously.

10 Mb Full. Sets the speed at 10 Mbit/s and the mode to Full-Duplex.

10 Mb Half. Sets the speed at 10 Mbit/s and the mode to Half-Duplex.

100 Mb Full. Sets the speed at 100 Mbit/s and the mode to Full-Duplex.

100 Mb Half. Sets the speed at 100 Mbit/s and the mode to Half-Duplex.

Auto (default). Sets the speed and mode for optimum network connection (recommended).

NOTES:

Auto is the recommended setting. This setting allows the network adapter to dynamically detect the line speed of the network. Whenever the network capability changes, the network adapter automatically detects and adjusts to the new line speed and duplex mode. A speed of 1 Gbit/s is enabled by selecting Auto, when that speed is supported.

1 Gb Full Auto must be attached to a link partner that is also capable of a 1 Gb connection. Since the connection is limited to a 1 Gb connection only, the Ethernet@Wirespeed feature will be disabled. If the link partner supports a 1 Gb connection only, the Wake on LAN feature may not work. Additionally, management traffic (IPMI or UMP) in the absence of an operating system may also be affected.

10 Mb Half and 100 Mb Half settings force the network adapter to connect to the network in Half-Duplex mode. Note that the network adapter may not function if the network is not configured to operate at the same mode.

10 Mb Full and 100 Mb Full settings force the network adapter to connect to the network in Full-Duplex mode. The network adapter may not function if the network is not configured to operate at the same mode.

Enables the network adapter to wake up from a low-power mode when it receives a network wake-up frame. Two types of wake-up frames are possible: Magic Packet and Wake Up Frame.

Both (default). Selects both Magic Packet and Wake Up Frame as wake-up frames.

Magic Packet. Selects Magic Packet as the wake-up frame.

None. Selects no wake-up frame.

Wake Up Frame. Selects Wake Up Frame as the wake-up frame and allows the network adapter to wake the system when an event such as a ping or an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request is received. This option works in conjunction with the operating system power mode saving and does not work if the Power Save setting does not enable WOL.

Sets the speed at which the network adapter connects to the network while the network adapter is in Wake on LAN mode. By default, the WOL Speed property is set to Auto.

10 Mb. Sets the speed to 10 Mbit/s. This is the network speed when the system is in a standby mode awaiting a wake-up frame.

100 Mb. Sets the speed to 100 Mbit/s.

Auto (default). Sets the speed for optimum network connection.

NOTES:

Wake on LAN is supported at 10 Mbit/s or 100 Mbit/s.

Wake on LAN is supported on only one adapter in the system at a time.

Normally the TCP segmentation is done by the protocol stack. When you enable the Large Send Offload property, the TCP segmentation can be done by the network adapter.

Disable. Disables checksum offload.

Rx Enabled. Enables receive TCP/IP/UDP checksum offload.

Tx Enabled. Enables transmit TCP/IP/UDP checksum offload.

TX & Rx Enabled (default). Enables transmit and receive TCP/IP/UDP checksum offload.

Allows enabling both the prioritization of network traffic and VLAN tagging. VLAN tagging only occurs when the VLAN ID setting is configured with a value other than 0 (zero).

Priority & VLAN Enabled (default). Allows for packet prioritization and VLAN tagging.

Priority & VLAN Disabled. Prevents packet prioritization and VLAN tagging.

Priority Enabled. Allows packet prioritization only.

VLAN Enabled. Allows VLAN tagging only.

NOTE: If an intermediate driver is managing the network adapter for VLAN tagging, the Priority & VLAN Disabled and Priority Enabled settings should not be used. Use the Priority & VLAN Enabled setting and change the VLAN ID to 0 (zero).

Enables VLAN tagging and configures the VLAN ID when Priority & VLAN Enabled is selected as the Priority & VLAN setting. The range for the VLAN ID is 1 to 4094 and must match the VLAN tag value on the connected switch. A value of 0 (default) in this field disables VLAN tagging.

Broadcom's NDIS 6.0 miniport driver provides the means to allow a system containing a Broadcom adapter to connect to a tagged VLAN. On Windows XP systems, this support was only provided through the use of an intermediate driver (e.g., Broadcom Advanced Server Program - BASP). Unlike BASP, however, the NDIS 6 driver's support for VLAN participation is only for a single VLAN ID.

Also unlike BASP, the NDIS 6.0 driver only provides VLAN tagging of the outbound packet, but does not provide filtering of incoming packets based on VLAN ID membership. This is the default behavior of all miniport drivers. While the lack of filtering packets based on VLAN membership may present a security issue, the following provides a risk assessment based on this driver limitation for an IPv4 network:

A properly configured network that has multiple VLANs should maintain separate IP segments for each VLAN. This is necessary since outbound traffic relies on the routing table to identify which adapter (virtual or physical) to pass traffic through and does not determine which adapter based on VLAN membership.

Since support for VLAN tagging on Broadcom's NDIS 6.0 driver is limited to transmit (Tx) traffic only, there is a risk of inbound traffic (Rx) from a different VLAN being passed up to the operating system. However, based on the premise of a properly configured network above, the IP segmentation and/or the switch VLAN configuration may provide additional filtration to limit the risk.

In a back-to-back connection scenario, two computers on the same IP segment may be able to communicate regardless of their VLAN configuration since no filtration of VLAN membership is occurring. However, this scenario assumes that the security may already be breached since this connection type is not typical in a VLAN environment.

If the risk above is not desirable and filtering of VLAN ID membership is required, then support through an intermediate driver would be necessary.

Viewing Statistics

The information provided on the Statistics tab allows you to view traffic statistics for both Broadcom network adapters and network adapters made by others. Statistical information and coverage are more comprehensive for Broadcom adapters.

To view Statistics information for any installed network adapter, click the name of the adapter listed in the Device Management pane, then click the Statistics tab.

If the Statistics tab is not visible, then from the View menu, select Navigate, then Device Management, and then Statistics.

If any of the sections described below is not visible, then from the Context View tab on the right side of the window, select Statistics and then select the name of the missing section.

Click Refresh to get the most recent values for each statistic. Click Reset to change all values to zero.

Some statistics may not be available for all Broadcom network adapters.

General Statistics

General Statistics show the transmitted and received statistics to and from the adapter.

A count of the frames that were successfully transmitted. This counter is incremented when the transmit status is reported as Transmit OK.

A count of the frames that were successfully received. This does not include frames received with frame-too-long, frame check sequence (FCS), length, or alignment errors, nor frames lost due to internal MAC sublayer errors. This counter is incremented when the receive status is reported as Receive OK.

A count of frames that were successfully transmitted (as indicated by the status value Transmit OK) to a group destination address other than a broadcast address.

A count of frames that were successfully transmitted (as indicated by the transmit status Transmit OK) to the broadcast address. Frames transmitted to multicast addresses are not broadcast frames and are excluded.

A count of frames that were successfully received and are directed to an active nonbroadcast group address. This does not include frames received with frame-too-long, FCS, length, or alignment errors, nor frames lost because of internal MAC sublayer errors. This counter is incremented as indicated by the Receive OK status.

A count of frames that were successfully received and are directed to a broadcast group address. This count does not include frames received with frame-too-long, FCS, length, or alignment errors, nor frames lost because of internal MAC sublayer errors. This counter is incremented as indicated by the Receive OK status.

IEEE 802.3 Statistics

A count of the frames that were not an integral number of octets in length and do not pass the FCS check. This counter is incremented when the receive status is reported as Alignment Error.

A count of the frames that were involved in a single collision and were subsequently transmitted successfully. This counter is incremented when the result of a transmission is reported as Transmit OK, and the attempt value is 2.

A count of the frames that were involved in more than one collision and were subsequently transmitted successfully. This counter is incremented when the transmit status is reported as Transmit OK, and the value of the attempts variable is greater than 2 and less than or equal to the attempt limit.

A count of the frames that were delayed being transmitted on the first attempt because the medium was busy. The frames involved in any collision are not counted.

Custom Statistics

The number of frames with a size less than 64 bytes with bad frame check sequence (FCS).

The number of times the adapter was requested to transmit a packet performing TCP segmentation.