---
name: "alta-diag"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "nictools-pci"
version: "1.3.8-2+b1"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/alta-diag"
---

# alta-diag(8)

EEPROM setup and diagnostic program for ethernet cards based on the chip Sundance ST201 "Alta".

## NAME

alta-diag - EEPROM setup and diagnostic program for ethernet cards based on the chip Sundance ST201 "Alta".

## SYNOPSIS

**alta-diag** \[*options*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**alta-diag** is a program that you can use to diagnose problems with ethercards based the Sundance ST201 "Alta" Chip as well as reconfiguring it.

## OPTIONS

These programs follow the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (\`-'). A summary of options is included below.

- **-h, --help**

  Show summary of options.

- **-V, --version**

  Show version of program.

- **-v, --verbose**

  Verbose mode.

- **-D**

  Debug mode.

- **-q, --quiet**

  Be very unverbose.

- **-a, --all**

  Print all registers.

- **-e, --show-eeprom**

  Dump EEPROM contents to stdout.

- **-E, --emergency-rewrite**

  Re-write a corrupted EEPROM.

- **-p, --port-base \<port\>**

  Specify port to use.

- **-# \<cardnum\>**

  Use card number \<cardnum\>.

- **-A, --Advertise \<mediaype\>**

  Advertise media type. Valid Options are: 10baseT, 100baseTx, 100baseTx-FD, 100baseTx-HD, 10baseT-FD and 10baseHD.

- **-F, --new-interface \<interface\>**

  Interface number. Options that make sense are: 10baseT, 100baseTx, 10baseT-FDX, 100baseTx-FDX, 100baseT4, 100baseFx, 100baseFx-FDX, MII and Autosense.

- **-H, --new-hwaddress \<address\>**

  Set card to a new hardware address.

- **-m, --show-mii**

  Dump MII management registers.

- **-R, --reset**

  Reset the transceiver.

- **-T, --test**

  Do register and SRAM test.

- **-t, --chip-type \<type\>**

  Use chip type. Only available option is "Sundance Technology Alta", but more may come.

- **-w, --write-EEPROM \<values\>**

  Write to the EEPROMS with the specified values. Do not use this, if you do not know what you do!

- **-# \[card-number\]**

  Specify card to work on.

- **-B**

  Dumps the flash to the screen.

- **-L \<file\>**

  Load file and write it into the flash.

- **-S \<file\>**

  Saves the flash to a file. **-t, --chip-type \<card\>** Explicitly set the chip. To get all valid numbers, run alta-diag with the options '-t -1'.

## SEE ALSO

[**mii-diag**(8)](/mii-diag/8.md)

## AUTHOR

alta-diag was written and is still maintained by Donald Becker  \<becker@scyld.com\>. This manual page was written by Alain Schroeder \<alain@debian.org\>, for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others).