Overview Installing
the Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2 Software
Updating
Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2
Removing
Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2
Starting
Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2
Using
Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2
Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2 (BACS2) is an integrated utility that provides useful information about each Broadcom network adapter that is installed in your system. BACS2 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. BACS2 contains three panes:
Broadcom Advanced Server Program (BASP), which runs within Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2, is used to configure teams for load balancing, fault tolerance, and virtual local area networks (VLANs). BASP functionality is available only on systems that use at least one Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet adapter.
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Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2 lists all of the network adapters in your system, and provides the following information (if available) about each adapter:
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Vital Sign. At-a-glance information on all of the LAN adapters in your system.
Resources. Shows the resource settings for the selected adapter.
Hardware. Shows the hardware information for the selected adapter.
Advanced. Shows the available properties and their values for the selected adapter.
Statistics. Provides detailed performance statistics for the selected adapter.
BASP Statistics. Provides detailed performance statistics for the selected team (the BASP Statistics tab is displayed only when you click the name of an adapter that is part of a team).
The following testing, diagnostics, analyses, and teaming functions are provided:
Network Test. Confirms network connectivity to a remote station.
Diagnostics. Performs comprehensive diagnostics on Broadcom network adapters.
Cable Analysis. Determines if you have the appropriate length of cable connected.
Configuring Teaming. Allows you to group multiple network adapters into teams for load balance and failover.
The Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2 (BACS2) software can be installed from the installation CD or by using the silent install option.
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NOTES:
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| Control Suite. Installs Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2. | |
| BASP. Installs Broadcom Advanced Server Program. | |
| CIM Provider. Installs CIM Provider. |
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NOTE: Microsoft SNMP Service must be running for the SNMP subagent to function properly. |
| SNMP. Installs the SNMP subagent. |
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NOTE: All commands are case sensitive and must be executed from within the installer source folder. |
To perform a silent installation (or upgrade) of BACS2 and BASP management programs
From a command prompt, type msiexec /i "BMP.msi" /qn and then press ENTER.
To perform a silent installation (or upgrade) by feature on IA32 platforms
From a command prompt, type msiexec /i BMP.msi /qn ADDSOURCE=BACSi32,BASPi32,SNMPi32,CIMi32,CHM32 and then press ENTER.
To perform a silent installation (or upgrade) by feature on AMD64/EM64T platforms
From a command prompt, type msiexec /i BMP.msi /qn ADDSOURCE=BACSa64,BASPa64,CHM64 and then press ENTER.
To perform a silent install by feature on IA64 platforms
From a command prompt, type msiexec /i BMP.msi /qn ADDSOURCE=BACSi64,BASPi64,CHM64 and then press ENTER.
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NOTE: Before you begin the update, close all applications, windows, or dialog boxes. |
Follow the instructions for Installing from the Installation CD or Using Silent Installation.
In Control Panel, click (or double-click) Broadcom Control Suite 2 .
Start BACS2. Click the tab that provides the information of interest or from which to perform a desired test, diagnostic, analysis, or set adapter properties. To create a team, from the Tools menu, click Create a Team, which starts Broadcom Advanced Server Program (BASP).
The Vital Sign tab shows useful information about the network adapter(s) in your system. Such information includes the link status of the adapter and network connectivity. To view this information for any installed network adapter, click the name of the adapter listed in the Name pane.
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NOTE: Information about network adapters made by others is less comprehensive than the information provided for Broadcom network adapters. |
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MAC Address. This is a physical MAC (media access control) address that is assigned to the adapter by the manufacturer. The physical address is never all 0s.
IP Address: The network address that is associated with the adapter. If the IP address is all 0s, this means that the associated driver has not been bound with Internet Protocol (IP).
Driver Status. The status of the adapter driver.
Loaded. Normal operating mode. The adapter driver has been loaded by Windows and is functioning.
Not Loaded
Information Not Available
Driver Name/Version/Date. The file name, version, and creation date of the software driver that is associated with the adapter.
BASP State. Information about the status of the BASP application. This information is displayed only when there is a team (see Configuring Teaming).
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Network Status: The following network status information is provided:
Link Status. The indicator is green if a link is established. A red indicator means that a link is not established.
Speed. The link speed of the adapter.
Duplex. The duplex mode in which the adapter is operating.
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Bus Type. The type of input/output (I/O) interconnect used by the adapter.
Slot No. The slot number on the system board occupied by the adapter. This item is not available for PCI Express™ type LOM adapters.
Bus Speed (MHz). The bus clock signal frequency used by the adapter. This item is not available for PCI Exress type adapters.
Bus Width (bit). 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.
Bus No. Indicates the number of the bus in which the adapter is installed.
Device No. The number assigned to the adapter by the operating system.
Function No. 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.
Interrupt Request. The interrupt line number that is associated with the adapter. Valid numbers range from 2 to 25.
Memory Address. The memory mapped address that is assigned to the adapter. This value can never be 0.
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ASIC Version. The chip version of the Broadcom adapter (this information is not available for adapters made by others).
Firmware Version. The firmware version of the Broadcom adapter (this information is not available for adapters made by others).
Vendor ID. The vendor ID.
Device ID. The adapter ID.
Subsystem Vendor ID. The subsystem vendor ID.
Subsystem ID. The subsystem ID.
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From the Advanced tab, you can view and change the values of the available properties of the selected adapter. The potentially available properties and their respective settings are described below. To view the value of a property, click the name of the property in the Property list. The property value is displayed in the Value box. To change the value, click an item in the Value list or type a new value, as appropriate (selection options are different for different properties).
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The 802.1p QOS property enables quality of service, which is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) specification that treats different types of network traffic differently 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 QoS. Otherwise, problems may occur.
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 TCP/IP Checksum. Enables receive TCP/IP/UDP checksum offload.
Tx TCP/IP Checksum. Enables transmit TCP/IP/UDP checksum offload.
TX/Rx TCP/IP Checksum (default). Enables transmit and receive TCP/IP/UDP checksum offload.
None. Disables checksum offload.
The Ethernet@Wirespeed property enables a Gigabit Ethernet adapter to establish a link at a lower speed when only 2 pairs of wires are available in the cabling plant. By default, this property is set to Enable. To disable Ethernet@Wirespeed, change the setting to Disable.
Disable. Disables Ethernet@Wirespeed.
Enable (default). Enables Ethernet@Wirespeed.
The Flow Control property enables or disables the receipt or transmission of PAUSE frames. PAUSE frames enable 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 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 Large Send Offload.
Enable. (default). Enables Large Send Offload.
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 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).
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The Wake Up Capabilities property 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 operating system when an event such as a ping or an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request is received.
The WOL Speed property 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 operating 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.
From the Network Test tab, you can 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. Network Test uses TCP/IP. The network test sends Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packets to remote systems and waits for a response. If a gateway is configured, the test automatically sends packets to that system. If a gateway is not configured or if the gateway is unreachable, the test prompts you for a destination IP address.
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From the Diagnostics tab, you can perform diagnostic tests on the physical components of Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet adapters. The tests are continuously performed. The number of passes and fails in the Pass/Fail column increments each time the tests are performed. For example, if a test is performed four times and there are no fails, the value in the Pass/Fail column is 4/0. If there were 3 passes and 1 fail, however, the value in the Pass/Fail column is 3/1.
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Control Registers. 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.
MII Registers. 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 for configuring network speeds such as 1000 Mbit/s.
EEPROM. 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.
Internal Memory. 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.
On-Chip CPU. This test verifies the operation of the internal CPUs in the adapter.
Interrupt. This test verifies that the Network Device Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) driver is able to receive interrupts from the adapter.
Loopback MAC and Loopback PHY. These tests verify that the NDIS driver is able to send packets to and receive packets from the adapter.
Test LED. This test causes all of the port LEDs to blink 5 times for the purpose of identifying the adapter.
From the Cable Analysis tab, you can run a test to determine if you have the appropriate length of cable connected. The Cable Length test makes this determination by using a return loss algorithm. This information allows you to determine whether a problem you may be experiencing is related to the adapter or if the cabling is too long.
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To run a Cable Length test
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The resulting test information is described below:
Distance. The estimated cable length in meters (an average of all 4 channels using a return loss algorithm).
Margin. The minimum difference (in dB) between the measured length of the cable pair and the maximum length specified in IEEE 802.3ab.
Frequency Margin. The minimum difference (in MHz) between the measured frequency of the cable pair and the maximum frequency specified in IEEE 802.3ab.
From the Statistics tab, you can view traffic statistics for both Broadcom adapters and adapters made by others. Statistical information and coverage are more comprehensive for Broadcom adapters.
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NOTE: Team statistics are not compiled for a Broadcom adapter if it is disabled. |
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Frames Tx OK. A count of the frames that are successfully transmitted. This counter is incremented when the transmit status is reported as Transmit OK.
Frames Rx OK. A count of the frames that are successfully received. This does not include frames received with frame-too-long, frame check sequence (FCS), length, or alignment errors, or frames lost due to internal MAC sublayer errors. This counter is incremented when the receive status is reported as Receive OK.
Directed Frames Tx. A count of directed data frames that are successfully transmitted.
Multicast Frames Tx. A count of frames that are successfully transmitted (as indicated by the status value Transmit OK) to a group destination address other than a broadcast address.
Broadcast Frames Tx. 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 therefore, are excluded.
Directed Frames Rx. A count of directed data frames that are successfully received.
Multicast Frames Rx. A count of frames that are 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, or frames lost due to internal MAC sublayer errors. This counter is incremented as indicated by the Receive OK status.
Broadcast Frames Rx. A count of frames that are 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, or frames lost due to internal MAC sublayer errors. This counter is incremented as indicated by the Receive OK status.
Frames Rx with CRC Error. The number of frames received with CRC errors.
Frames Rx with Alignment Error. A count of the frames that are 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.
Frames Tx with one Collision. A count of the frames that are involved in a single collision and are subsequently transmitted successfully. This counter is incremented when the result of a transmission is reported as Transmit OK, and the attempt value is 2.
Frames Tx with more than one Collision. A count of the frames that are involved in more than one collision and are 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.
Frames Tx after Deferral. 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.
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NOTE: Custom statistics are available only for an enabled Broadcom network adapter. |
Frames size less than 64-byte with bad FCS. The number of frames with a size less than 64 bytes with bad FCS.
MAC Rx w/ Pause Command and Length = 0. MAC control frames with the pause command and a length equal to 0.
MAC Rx w/ Pause Command and Length > 0. MAC control frames with the pause command and a length greater than 0.
MAC Rx w/ no Pause Command. MAC control frames with no pause command.
MAC Sent X-on. MAC Transmit with X-on was on.
MAC Sent X-off. MAC Transmit with X-on was off.
Large Send Offload Transmit Requests. The number of times the adapter was requested to transmit a packet performing TCP segmentation.
From the BASP Statistics tab you can view performance information about the network adapters that are on a team. To view this information for any team member adapter, click the name of the adapter. To view the BASP statistics for the team as a whole, click the name of the team.
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The teaming function allows you to group any available network adapters together to function as a team. Teaming is a method of creating a virtual LAN (a group of multiple adapters that functions as a single adapter). The benefit of this approach is that it enables load balancing and failover. Teaming is done through the Broadcom Advanced Server Program software.
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You can create 4 types of load balance teams:
Smart Load Balancing™ and Failover. In this type of team, a standby member handles the traffic if all of the load balance members fail (a failover event). All load balance members have to fail before the standby member takes over. When one or more of the load balance members is restored (fallback), the restored team member(s) resumes the handling of the traffic. The LiveLink feature is supported only for this type of team.
Link Aggregation (802.3ad). In this type of team, you can dynamically configure the network adapters that have been selected to participate in a given team. If the link partner is not correctly configured for IEEE 802.3ad link configuration, errors are detected and noted. All adapters in the team are configured to receive packets for the same MAC address. The outbound load balancing scheme is determined by the BASP driver. The link partner of the team determines the load balancing scheme for inbound packets. In this mode, at least one of the link partners must be in active mode.
Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static. This type of team is very similar to the link aggregation type, in that all adapters in the team must be configured to receive packets for the same MAC address. This mode does not provide link aggregation control protocol (LACP) or marker protocol support. This mode supports a variety of environments where the link partners are statically configured to support a proprietary trunking mechanism. Trunking supports load balancing and failover for both outbound and inbound traffic.
SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable). This team is identical to Smart Load Balancing and Failover, with the following exception — when the standby member is active, if a primary member comes back on line, the team continues using the standby member rather than switching back to the primary member. This type of team is supported only for situations in which the network cable is disconnected and reconnected to the network adapter. It is not supported for situations in which the adapter is removed/installed through Device Manager or Hot-Plug PCI.
NOTE: If any of the adapters on an SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable) type of team is disabled, this type of team cannot function as described. Instead, the team functions as a Smart Load Balancing and Failover type of team.
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NOTE: Enabling Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is not recommended for members of an SLB type of team. |
From the Tools menu, click Create a Team. The available adapters are listed (these adapters are not currently members of any team).
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NOTE: There must be at least one Broadcom network
adapter assigned to the team. |
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After you have created a team, you can modify the team in the following ways:
To modify a team
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You also can add virtual LANs (VLANs) to a team. This enables you to add multiple virtual adapters that are on different subnets. The benefit of this is that your system can have one network adapter that can belong to multiple subnets. With a VLAN, you can couple the functionality of load balancing for the load balance members, and you can employ a failover adapter.
You can define up to 64 VLANs per team (63 VLANs that are tagged and 1 VLAN that is not tagged). VLANs can only be created when all teams members are Broadcom adapters. If you try to create a VLAN with a non-Broadcom adapter, an error message is displayed.
To configure a team with a VLAN
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NOTE: The Untagged VLAN check box is exclusively used by the VLAN ID field. To use VLAN ID 0, select this check box. If you type a VLAN name or ID and the name already exists, an input error message is displayed. |
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NOTE: To maintain optimum adapter
performance, your system should have 64 MB of system memory for each of
the 8 VLANs created per adapter. |
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NOTE: If you remove a team, do so
only after you remove the individual virtual adapters that are a part
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Read the following notes before you attempt to configure LiveLink.
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To configure LiveLink
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NOTE: Only the first probe target is required. You can specify up to 3 additional probe targets to serve as backups by assigning IP addresses to the other probe targets. |
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NOTE: All of the member IP addresses must be in the same subnet as the subnet for the probe targets. |
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To Configure LiveLink in VLAN-tagged environments
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CAUTION: For the teams with
VLANs (on which LiveLink is enabled): to be able to communicate with the
probe target, both the probe target and the team must be on an untagged
VLAN (VLAN ID 0). Otherwise, the team loses connectivity. |
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NOTE: It is not necessary to specify more than one probe target. If you do want to specify more than one, for each additional probe target (up to a total of 4), click the next probe target in the list, type the target IP address in the IP Address box, and then click OK. |
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NOTE: All of the member IP addresses must be in the same subnet as the subnet for the probe targets. |
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To save a configuration
The configuration file is a text file that can be viewed by any text editor. The file contains information about both the adapter and the team configuration.
To restore a configuration
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NOTE: If necessary, go to the folder where the file is located. |
