ODIPKT.TXT  "March 3, 1992"

odipkt: translate Open Data-Link Interface to Packet Driver interface
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SYNOPSIS
 odipkt [ <logical_board> [ <vector> ] ]
 odipktpn [ <logical_board> [ <vector> ] ]

DESCRIPTION
Odipkt.com provides a Packet Driver API over Novell's Open Data-Link
Interface, allowing a single network adapter to service IPX, tcp/ip,
and other protocol stacks which use packet drivers. Odipkt.com
understands Ethernet, Token Ring, and ARCnet frame types.  Ethernet and
Token Ring frames are passed unchanged to packet driver applications,
but ARCnet frames are internally mapped to Ethernet.  Thus, packet
driver applications do not need specific knowledge of ARCnet in order
to operate in such environments.

The <logical_board> argument indicates which logical adapter odipkt
should bind to.  Under ODI, there is one logical adapter per frame
type.  There may be multiple physical adapters, and multiple frame
types per physical adapter.  The logical adapter number starts at
zero and increases by one for each frame type.  For example, if
a system contained two physical adapters with two frame types
each, there would be four logical adapters numbered 0-3.  The
frame types are specified in the NET.CFG file which must be in the
current directory (or on the APPEND path) when the ODI drivers are
loaded.

Typically, the frame type used by default by Netware on a given
adapter will not be appropriate for tcp/ip.  The correct frame type
for tcp/ip on Token Ring is TOKEN-RING_SNAP and the correct frame
type for tcp/ip on Ethernet is almost always ETHERNET_II.  Assuming
an existing installation with one adapter running the default Netware
frame type, it will usually be necessary to define a second frame
type (as listed above) and to specify the <logical_board> argument as
1.  An exception to this rule is ARCnet which uses only one frame
type.  Below is a NET.CFG entry for a 3c501 using the default address
and interrupt.  Other Ethernet adapters would use similar
configurations:

Link driver 3c501
        envelope type ETHERNET_802.3
        envelope type ETHERNET_II

Given the above entry, the <logical_board> argument of oipkt would be 1.
Token Ring uses different frame types:

Link driver token
        envelope type TOKEN-RING
        envelope type TOKEN-RING_SNAP

Again, the <logical_board> should be specified as 1 for this example.  
ARCnet installations require no frame-type definitions and should use a
<logical_board> of 0.

Because odipkt.com uses buffers provided by the Link Support Layer, the 
Link support section of NET.CFG must specify at least one buffer of a 
size appropriate to the medium in use.  Some adapters require more 
buffers for optimal performance, e.g., the 3c503 can use at least five 
during reception of back-to-back packets.  The following lines configure 
five buffers large enough for Ethernet:

Link support
        Buffers 5 1600

The correct buffer size for Token Ring will vary depending on the
installation.  Specifying too small a buffer size will result in
unpredictable behavior.

<vector> is the packet driver interrupt at which to provide service.  
The default is 105 and the parameter is decimal.

Odipkt.com should be loaded after lsl.com and the adapter-specific driver(s).
It must, of course, be loaded before the packet driver applications
which use it.  The Netware shell and ipxodi.com can be loaded before
or after the odipkt.com program.

Odipktpn.com supports an older version of the ODI specification as used in
Farallon's PhoneNET Talk product.  Operation of opipktpn.com is identical 
to that of opipkt.com but configuration of NET.CFG is somewhat different:  
no ``envelope'' statements are required or allowed.  Because
multiple frame types are not supported, odipktpn.com treats all Ethernet 
cards as ETHERNET_II.

AUTHOR
Dan Lanciani
185 Atlantic Road
Gloucester, MA 01930


Note that documentation is provided in troff format in the
file odipkt.8 which I have stripped to ASCII in odipkt.txt.
All the original files are at http://www.danlan.com

To unload (terminate) ODIPKT, use the little termin.com program 
from the x-Clarkson collection. (Get pktd11.zip or later.)


Ferdi Louw.
