1
2 There are a few network parameters that can be tuned to better match
3 the kernel to your system hardware and intended usage. The defaults
4 are usually a good choice for 99% of the people 99% of the time, but
5 you should be aware they do exist and can be changed.
6
7 The current list of parameters can be found in the files:
8
9 linux/net/TUNABLE
10 linux/Documentation/networking/ip-sysctl.txt
11
12 Some of these are accessible via the sysctl interface, and many more are
13 scheduled to be added in this way. For example, some parameters related
14 to Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) are very easily viewed and altered.
15
16 # cat /proc/sys/net/ipv4/arp_timeout
17 6000
18 # echo 7000 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/arp_timeout
19 # cat /proc/sys/net/ipv4/arp_timeout
20 7000
21
22 Others are already accessible via the related user space programs.
23 For example, MAX_WINDOW has a default of 32 k which is a good choice for
24 modern hardware, but if you have a slow (8 bit) Ethernet card and/or a slow
25 machine, then this will be far too big for the card to keep up with fast
26 machines transmitting on the same net, resulting in overruns and receive errors.
27 A value of about 4 k would be more appropriate, which can be set via:
28
29 # route add -net 192.168.3.0 window 4096
30
31 The remainder of these can only be presently changed by altering a #define
32 in the related header file. This means an edit and recompile cycle.
33
34 Paul Gortmaker 06/96
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