IOCINFO (Describe Device) entioctl Ethernet Device Handler Operation

Purpose

Note: This function is supported in AIX® 5.1 and earlier only.

Returns a structure that describes the Ethernet device.

Description

The IOCINFO operation returns a structure that describes the Ethernet device. For this operation, the arg parameter points to the ethernet substructure, which is defined as part of the devinfo structure. This devinfo structure is located in the /usr/include/sys/devinfo.h file and contains the following fields:

Field Description
devtype Identifies the device type. The Ethernet type is DD_NET_DH. This label is defined in the /usr/include/sys/devinfo.h file.
devsubtype Identifies the device subtype. The Ethernet subtype is DD_EN. This label can be found in the /usr/include/sys/devinfo.h file.
broad_wrap Indicates the adapter's ability to receive its own packets. A value of 1 indicates that the adapter can receive its own packets. A value of 0 indicates that the adapter cannot receive its own packets. For this adapter, a value of 0 is returned.
rdto Specifies the receive data transfer offset. This value indicates an offset (in bytes) into the data area of the receive page-sized mbuf structure. The device handler places received data in this buffer.
haddr Identifies the 6-byte unique Ethernet adapter address. This address is the burned-in address that is readable from the adapter's vital product data (VPD). The most significant byte of the address is placed in the haddr(0) field. The least significant byte is placed in the address specified by the haddr(5) field.
net_addr Identifies the 6-byte unique Ethernet adapter address currently being used by the Ethernet adapter card. This address is either the burned-in address (readable from the VPD) or the alternate address that can be used to configure the adapter. The most significant byte of the address is placed in the address specified by the net_addr(0) field. The least significant byte is placed in the address specified by net_addr(5) field.

The IOCINFO operation functions with an Ethernet High-Performance LAN adapter that has been correctly configured for use on a qualified network. Consult the adapter specifications for more information on configuring the network adapter and network qualifications.

The parameter block is filled in with the appropriate values upon return.

Execution Environment

An IOCINFO operation can be called from the process environment only.

Return Values

The return codes for the IOCINFO operation are:

Return Code Description
EFAULT Indicates a specified address is not valid.
EINVAL Indicates an operation code is not valid.
ENXIO Indicates no such device exists.