IBM MOBILE COMBO ADAPTER PRO/100 SP - Manual (Page 19)

requires only one PCI transaction, the PCI bus is more efficient, but transmit
time is slightly longer. When the option is disabled, the packets are not
coalesced, and each packet requires several PCI transactions. The PCI bus is
less efficient, but transmit time is faster.
Receive Buffers
The recommended value is 32 and the range is 1–1024. This specifies how
many buffers the driver is to use when copying data to the protocol memory.
When the network load is high, increasing receive buffers can increase
performance. The tradeoff is that this also increases the amount of system
memory used by the driver. If too few receive buffers are used, performance
will suffer. If too many are used, the driver will unnecessarily consume
memory resources.
Transmit Control Blocks
The recommended value is 16 and the rage is 1-80. This specifies how many
transmit control blocks the driver allocates for adapter use. This directly
corresponds to how many outstanding packets the driver can have in its
″send″ queue. If too few transmit control blocks are used, performance will
suffer. If too many transmit control blocks are used, the driver will
unnecessarily consume memory resources. Transmit Control Blocks Range:
1-80.
Smart Power Down
The recommended value is enabled. Designed for mobile computers, this
feature helps extend battery life. When the feature is enabled, the adapter
automatically removes power from the adapter when the LAN cable is
disconnected from the adapter. Later, when the LAN cable is connected, power
to the adapter is restored. If the feature is off, power is applied to the adapter
at all times.
Intel Priority Packet: An Overview
Priority Packet is a traffic-prioritization utility that enables you to set up filters
to process high-priority traffic before normal traffic. Using Priority Packet, you
can set up filters to give priority to critical applications or users.
Prioritizing Network Traffic
To set up priority filters so that information from critical nodes or applications
will be sent according to priority, use Intel’s Priority Packet.
Part 1: Installation and user’s guide 1-11