dlpi.7 (2010 09)

d
dlpi(7) dlpi(7)
NAME
dlpi - data link provider interface
DESCRIPTION
This manual page gives a brief description on DLPI (the data link provider interface) and how to inter-
face 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 architecture. 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 interfaces 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 interfaces.
• Support for connectionless and connection-mode services (connection-mode services are sup-
ported only over IEEE802.3 and Token Ring).
• Supports raw-mode services.
•
I_STR 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:
DL_SUBS_BIND_REQ
and DL_SUBS_UNBIND_REQ over
connection-oriented STREAMS.
• Acknowledged connectionless-mode services.
The DLPI requests based on DLPI 2.0 standard are defined in
<dlpi.h>; see dlpi (4). HP extensions for
DLPI are defined in
<dlpi_ext.h>; see dlpi_ext (4).
Device File Format
To access LAN drivers via DLPI interface, DLS users must use the following 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 coupled together and exists as indivi-
dual 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 drivers. 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
<dlpi_drv.h>, 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 appli-
cations.
HP-UX 11i Version 3: September 2010 − 1 − Hewlett-Packard Company 1