---
name: "if_tx"
section: "4"
platform: "linux"
package: "freebsd-manpages"
version: "6.0-5"
release: "Debian 4.0 (Etch)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/if_tx"
---

# if\_tx(4)

SMC 83c17x Fast Ethernet device driver

## NAME

**tx** – SMC 83c17x Fast Ethernet device driver

## SYNOPSIS

To compile support for the

**tx** driver into your kernel, place the following lines in your kernel configuration file:

**device miibus** **device tx**

Alternatively, to load the

**tx** driver at boot time, place the following line in [loader.conf(5)](/loader.conf/5.md):

```
if_tx_load="YES"
```

## DESCRIPTION

The **tx** driver provides support for the Ethernet adapters based on the SMC 83c17x (EPIC) chips. These are mostly SMC 9432 series cards.

The **tx** driver supports the following media types (depending on card's capabilities):

- **autoselect**

  Enable autonegotiation (default).

- **100baseFX**

  Set 100Mbps (Fast Ethernet) fiber optic operation.

- **100baseTX**

  Set 100Mbps (Fast Ethernet) twisted pair operation.

- **10baseT/UTP**

  Set 10Mbps on 10baseT port.

- **10base2/BNC**

  Set 10Mbps on 10base2 port.

The **tx** driver supports the following media options:

- **full-duplex**

  Set full-duplex operation.

The **tx** driver supports oversized Ethernet packets (up to 1600 bytes). Refer to the [ifconfig(8)](/ifconfig/8.md) man page on setting the interface's MTU.

The old “ifconfig tx0 linkN” method of configuration is not supported.

### VLAN (IEEE 802.1Q) support

The **tx** driver supports the VLAN operation (using [vlan(4)](/vlan/4.md) interfaces) without decreasing the MTU on the [vlan(4)](/vlan/4.md) interfaces.

## DIAGNOSTICS

- tx%d: device timeout %d packets

  The device stops responding. Device and driver reset follows this error.

- tx%d: PCI fatal error occurred (%s)

  One of following errors occurred: PCI Target Abort, PCI Master Abort, Data Parity Error or Address Parity Error. Device and driver reset follows this error.

- tx%d: cannot allocate mbuf header/cluster

  Cannot allocate memory for received packet. Packet thrown away.

- tx%d: can't stop %s DMA

  While resetting, the driver failed to stop the device correctly.

## SEE ALSO

[arp(4)](/arp/4.md), [miibus(4)](/miibus/4.md), [netintro(4)](/netintro/4.md), [ng\_ether(4)](/ng_ether/4.md), [ifconfig(8)](/ifconfig/8.md)

## BUGS

The auto-negotiation does not work very well.