The Quad Fast Ethernet (QFE) card is officially supported in Ultra [TM] 30 systems. The release notes and the information in the Sun System Handbook do contain the following additional information

(see http://sunsolve.Sun.COM/handbook_pub/Devices/Ethernet/ETHER_SunQuadFastEther_PCI.html):

3.  The Ultra 30, Netra T1, and Sun Blade [TM] 100 are not compatible with DC21153 Rev A or B. 
    See BugIDs 4094903, 4432431, and 4615897.                        

Using a new QFE/P card it might happen that the card still doesn't work in an Ultra 30. You'll see the physical link up (by checking the LED on the card) but when you try to plumb the interface from Solaris you'll get the following error message (which is also logged in /var/adm/messages by default):

pcipsy: [ID 496629 kern.warning] WARNING: pcipsy2: no portid property                       

ECO # WO_12815 points to revision C of the Digital chip (DC21153). On newer QFE/P cards this chip however has been replaced by an Intel chip (FW21154BE) which can be found on cards with part numbers 501-5406-25 or 501-5406-27.

During configuration of the drivers the Openboot PROM (OBP) has to identify the cards. Based on the name of the hardware (and compatible names) the associated driver will be selected.

If you do use an older OBP release (in the example is was 3.9.5) the new card will show up in the output of the prtconf command like this:

# prtconf -vp
[...]
            bus-range:  00000001.00000001
            #address-cells:  00000003
            #size-cells:  00000002
            reg:  00002800.00000000.00000000.00000000.00000000
            compatible: 'pci8086,b154'
            name:  'pci'
            66mhz-capable:
            fast-back-to-back:
            devsel-speed:  00000001
            class-code:  00060400
            revision-id:  00000000
            device-id:  0000b154
            vendor-id:  00008086
[...]                       

As you can see the only available compatible name is pci8086,b154 which is unknown to the operating system. After an update of the OBP to a more recent version (in this case by using patch 105930-06 to upgrade to OBP 3.27.0) the same card will show up as:

# prtconv -vp
[...]
            bus-range:  00000081.00000081
            compatible: 'pci8086,b154.0' + 'pci8086,b154' + 'pciclass,060400' + 'pciclass,0604'
            #address-cells:  00000003
            #size-cells:  00000002
            reg:  00800800.00000000.00000000.00000000.00000000
            device_type:  'pci'
            name:  'pci'
            66mhz-capable:
            fast-back-to-back:
            devsel-speed:  00000001
            class-code:  00060400
            revision-id:  00000000
            device-id:  0000b154
            vendor-id:  00008086
[...]                       

Now we do have three additional names in the list of compatible names. The entry pciclass,060400 will now be found in the file /etc/driver_aliases and the correct driver will get selected.

Due to lack of test systems it is unclear whether the Netra T1 or Sun Blade 100 systems (which are also affected by the hardware problems with revision A/B of the digital chip) are also affected by this OBP requirements.

The Sun Systems Handbook should be updated to include a minimum OBP release number which is required for the QFE/P card in an Ultra 30 system.