On (17/11/03 17:17), Kent West wrote: > I have a new Dell Dimension 2400 with an integrated Broadcom BCM4401 > 100Base-T nic. > > When I first installed Woody on it, with a 2.4.18-bf kernel, the nic was > not recognized. > > When I upgraded the kernel to a stock 2.4.22-1-686 kernel, the nic > worked. Later, for other reasons, I needed to compile my own kernel. I > copied over the .config file and recompiled a new 2.4.22 kernel. The nic > stopped getting a dhcp address, and if I put in a static address, the > network was unreachable. > > So I changed back to the stock kernel, and the problem remained. > > After a while I discovered that if I power off the computer and unplug > it from the AC mains for a few seconds, I can then restart the machine > and get a DHCP address, but the network remains broken with errors such as: > b44: eth0: Link is down > b44: eth0: Link is up at 10 Mbps, half duplex. > b44: eth0: Flow control is off for TX and off for RX. > > and then the network traffic just dies. A ping just sits there until I > ctrl-c it, at which time I don't even get the normal x % packets lost > type messages. > > If I reconfigure the nic for static and restart the network (but not the > computer), the network remains dead. I can then reconfigure for dhcp, > and restart the network, and never get a new dchp address. It's like the > nic has gone off to spend the weekend in the Bahamas. > > If I reconfigure the nic for static and then restart the whole computer > (with a power off), the network comes back up and I can use the machine, > as long as I don't stop the network for any reason. If I do stop the > network, the nic goes back on vacation until the next power cycling. > > It "feels" like the driver is failing to reset something in the nic, or > the nic is failing to accept a reset command, but not being a > programmer, that's just shooting from the hip. > > I installed the nictools-pci package, but don't find anything of use for > the Broadcom. I also installed mii-diag, but it reports that everything > is dandy: > > Using the default interface 'eth0'. > Basic registers of MII PHY #1: 1000 782d 0040 6360 0de1 0021 0004 2001. > Basic mode control register 0x1000: Auto-negotiation enabled. > You have link beat, and everything is working OK. > Your link partner is generating 10baseT link beat (no autonegotiation). > End of basic transceiver information. > Hi Kent
I had similar problems with epro100.c (driver) card which came with the HP server I recently acquired. It just seemed to drop connections for no apparent reason. Being less tenacious (or less capable) I just swapped the card for a 3com905 which I had used before and never had a problem since. I know it's a cop out but with so many things to get right... it was one less. I suspect you will get to the bottom of it ;) Regards Clive -- http://www.clivemenzies.co.uk strategies for business -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
