dlpi(7)dlpi(7)NAMEdlpi - data link provider interface
DESCRIPTION
This manual page gives a brief description on DLPI (the data link
provider interface) and how to interface with the set of API's that are
provided by DLPI.
HP-UX DLPI serves as a Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) of an OSI architec‐
ture. DLPI serves as an interface between LAN device drivers and DLPI
users. DLPI is intended for use by experienced network users only.
HP-UX DLPI has two broader sets of interface. The first set of inter‐
faces are provided as per the DLPI 2.0 standard and the second set that
are HP extensions to the standard.
HP-UX DLPI also provides interfaces to device drivers to interface with
STREAMS modules and DLPI applications.
For STREAMS Modules and DLPI Applications
Hewlett-Packard's implementation of DLPI is a Style 2 service provider.
The Style 2 provider requires a DLS user to identify a PPA explicitly,
using a special attach service primitive. Refer to the lan(7) manual
page for more information on PPA.
HP DLPI offers the following services to STREAMS modules and DLPI
applications:
· Clone (maximum of 3992) and non-clone (maximum of 100)
access.
· Support for Ethernet/IEEE802.3, FDDI and Token Ring inter‐
faces.
· Support for connectionless and connection-mode services (con‐
nection-mode services are supported only over IEEE802.3 and
Token Ring).
· Supports raw-mode services.
· ioctl is supported for doing device-specific control and
diagnostic requests.
· Support for third-party device drivers.
· Support for all levels of promiscuous mode.
HP DLPI does not offer the following for STREAMS modules and DLPI
applications:
· Quality of Service (QOS) management.
· Connection Management STREAMS: and over connection-oriented
STREAMS.
· Acknowledged connectionless-mode services.
The DLPI requests based on DLPI 2.0 standard are defined in see
dlpi(4). HP extensions for DLPI are defined in see dlpi_ext(4).
Device File Format
To access LAN drivers via DLPI interface, DLS users must use the fol‐
lowing device files:
Name Type Major # Minor # Access Type
---------------------------------
/dev/dlpi c 72 0x77 Clone access
/dev/dlpiX c 119 0xX Non-Clone access
For Device Drivers
HP-UX DLPI is of non-native design. The drivers and DLPI are not cou‐
pled together and exists as individual components on the system. The
non-native DLPI supports two kinds of drivers. Tightly coupled and
loosely coupled drivers.
DLPI provides interfaces to tightly coupled and loosely coupled driv‐
ers. DLPI serves as a sole interface to DLS users for tightly coupled
drivers. Whereas, a loosely coupled driver depends on DLPI only to
provide information to user-space commands lanscan(1M) and nwmgr(1M)
for display purposes.
The interfaces for device drivers is defined in see dlpi_drv(4).
DLPI provides the following functionality for tightly coupled drivers:
· Infrastructure that allows drivers to communicate with upper
layer STREAMS modules or applications.
· Infrastructure for protocol, multicast and promiscuous pro‐
cessing.
· Infrastructure for asynchronous processing of control.
· Inbound frame processing.
· Processing link up and down events.
· Repository for all registered interfaces and associated
information.
· Outbound processing before hand off to physical drivers.
DLPI provides its services through three header files that are
exported. The header files and are for user space applications and
kernel level STREAMS modules. The header file is for physical and log‐
ical drivers.
WARNINGS
Various implementations of DLPI exists within HP-UX for special tech‐
nologies like ATM, Hyper Fabric, etc.; but the DLPI that supports LAN
class drivers (tightly coupled) is the one covered by this manual page.
The and commands are deprecated. These commands will be removed in a
future HP-UX release. HP recommends the use of replacement command
nwmgr(1M) to perform all network interface-related tasks.
AUTHOR
was developed by HP, based on DLPI 2.0 standard.
SEE ALSOlanscan(1M), nwmgr(1M), dlpi(4), dlpi_drv(4), dlpi_ext(4), lan(7).
dlpi(7)
