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Netlink/ethertap and 100Mbit

To: netdev@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Netlink/ethertap and 100Mbit
From: Markus Westergren <markus@xxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 15:47:31 +0200
Sender: owner-netdev@xxxxxxxxxxx
Hi

I have some problem with ethertap and 100Mbit networks. I'm working on a
VPN solution that uses the ethertap device. Everything is working in a
10Mbit network. When I try it in a 100Mbit network I get much lower
transfer rates( < 100KB/s). The VPN solution splits large packets so
that the users can run their own VLAN's over the VPN. This generates
packets which are sent back-to-back. The VPN computer is a Celeron 533
64 MB
and runs kernel 2.2.14 with LRP Materhorn.

A lousy figure of the system:
                Client--VPN---VPN--Client

  I have the same problem when I use FTP to transfer data between two
computers connected with TapTunnel (author Lennart Poettering). This
test was done on two other computers running kernel 2.2.14 and Mandrake
7.0.

  I have done some tracing in the kernel and found the following:

        10Mbit                              100Mbit
  rtl8139_rx: got 872 bytes          rtl8139_rx: got 872 bytes
  net_bh: eth0: 858 bytes            rtl8139_rx: got 808 bytes
  ip_rcv: 858 bytes                  net_bh: eth0: 858 bytes
  inet_recvmsg: 806 bytes            ip_rcv: 858 bytes
  ethertap_rx_skb: tap0: 802 bytes   net_bh: eth0: 794 bytes
  rtl8139_rx: got 808 bytes          ip_rcv: 794 bytes
  net_bh: eth0: 794 bytes            inet_recvmsg: 1548 bytes
  ip_rcv: 794 bytes                  ethertap_rx_skb: tap0: 802 bytes
  net_bh: tap0: 800 bytes            net_bh: tap0: 800 bytes
  my_proto_rx: part one 800 bytes    my_proto_rx: part one 800 bytes
  inet_recvmsg: 742 bytes          
  ethertap_rx_skb: tap0: 738 bytes
  net_bh: tap0: 736 bytes
  my_proto_rx: part two 736 bytes

The second fragment almost always disapears in the 100Mbit case. I can
make
this problem go away by lowering the MTU on the clients so that I don't
have to split the packages. It seems like the problem appears when
packets are sent back-to-back. 
  I have tried to follow the path of a packet in the kernel without much
success. Have anyone any idea what could be the problem here? I would be
happy to fix this if only I could understand the connection between
IP/netlink/ethertap. 

Thanks

/Markus

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Markus Westergren       Home: maw@xxxxxxxxxx
Biologigränd 17         Work: markus@xxxxxxx
S-907 32 Umeå
Sweden

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