Strange problem with network card (wired ethernet)

rolfhub · Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 9:14 pm

I still have a strange problem with my network card (normal, wired ethernet: "Digital Equipment Corporation DECchip 21142/43"). When using Windows 2k, Kanotix or a Knoppix with kernel 2.4.x, it works really well, but not when using Knoppix. It's really strange, the driver that Kanotix uses seems to be perfect, the windows driver is great, too, but Knoppix seems to dislike my card. When booting a older Knoppix with 2.4.x kernel, the card works, but only in half duplex mode, but the problem with Knoppix with kernel 2.6.x is much more severe, the whole system crashes while booting (and I mean a _real_ crash, not even a message like "kernel panic" appears, the system simply freezes).

When using Kernel 2.4.x, I had a little shell script (made myself), that fixed the problem with having only half duplex:

Code:

---SNIP---
pump --kill
ifconfig eth0 down
rmmod de4x5
insmod tulip
pump
---SNIP---

(or better yet: modprobe instead of insmod.)

So, all in all, I think, the wrong driver is being loaded. That's not a big deal with kernel 2.4.x, but with kernel 2.6.x, it becomes one because the whole system hags, making it impossible to run any shell script.

I've checked the output of lsmod when running Kanotix, the module "de4x5" isn't mentioned, but the module "tulip" is, and it works like a charm. So I think, Knoppix should do exactly the same.

I also want to mention that the situation is exactly the same on two computers, that are otherwise different, but with identic network cards.

P.S.: Some information about the card:

Code:

lspci output (kanotix):
0000:01:07.0 Ethernet controller: Digital Equipment Corporation DECchip 21142/43 (rev 41)

lspci -v output (kanotix):
0000:01:07.0 Ethernet controller: Digital Equipment Corporation DECchip 21142/43 (rev 41)
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 12
I/O ports at 9000 [size=128]
Memory at d8000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1K]

mark13 · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 5:56 pm

I just ran into the same bug while playing around with Knoppix 4.0.2 (kernel 2.6.12) on an old Compaq Presario 5660. The NIC on this machine is an onboard which uses the same DECchip 21142/43 (rev 41) chipset. I've been able to get the system to boot by using the following cheatcode:

Code:

knoppix nodhcp

Then by following your logic on the kernel modules, I was able to get the interface up with:

Code:

#echo "iface eth0 inet dhcp" >> /etc/network/interfaces
#rmmod de4x5
#modprobe tulip
#ifup eth0

HTH,
Mark

rolfhub · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:12 pm

mark13 wrote:

I just ran into the same bug while playing around with Knoppix 4.0.2 (kernel 2.6.12) on an old Compaq Presario 5660. The NIC on this machine is an onboard which uses the same DECchip 21142/43 (rev 41) chipset. I've been able to get the system to boot by using the following cheatcode:

Code:

[...]

HTH,
Mark

Oops, I'm sorry, i've found this workaround, too, but forgot to post it here.

The system seems to crash if/when the OS tries to send a packet of any kind out of the NIC, because the driver somehow is broken. So if one manages to unload the driver before any packet is being send, then one can load the correct one, and bring the NIC up, and just be happy Smile

Well, anyway, if any influential person* reads this: It would be really great if Knoppix could be changed to load the correct driver for this card automatically, because a work-around is OK, but a fixed bug would be way better. It can't be too hard, since Kanotix just users the right driver right out-of-the-box.

*influential in regards to Knoppix, that is.

mfrasca · Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 7:48 am

I'm trying to introduce my girlfriend to the world of linux, so I downloaded knoppix 4.0.2 and tried to boot it... nope, it has the same problem as described above. I know very little about the newest versions of windows (last windows machine I used was an NT4, quite some years ago...) so I'm not sure about what the videogame running here is telling me: "intel 21040-based PCI ethernet". I tried the described workaround, but possibly this card needs a different module.

rolfhub · Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 11:25 pm

Well, if I got it correct, the tulip driver should support both the 21040 chip you've got, and the 21142/43 that I've got, as well as some other variants.

Quoting http://www.scyld.com/tulip.html:

This page contains information on using Linux with "Tulip" architecture Network Interface Controllers (NICs).
The orginal Tulip design was Digital DC21040 chip, loosely based on an earlier AMD architecture. It was the first high performance PCI NIC, and earned a well-deserved reputation for low CPU usage and high transfer rates. Since then many network adapters have used the same interface design. This driver works with almost all of them: the Intel/Digital 21040/21041/21140/21142/21143 series chips, as used on the SMC PCI EtherPower and many other ethercards.

So, I don't know why it didn't work for you, maybe you should try some different Linux live CDs (there's a list at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LiveCDs). If the card works with one, use the "lsmod" command to find out the loaded module for your card.

But I still think the tulip driver should work. What is being printed on the console when you try to load the tulip module (modprobe tulip)?

mfrasca · Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 5:30 am

rolfhub wrote:

maybe you should try some different Linux live CDs (there's a list at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LiveCDs). If the card works with one, use the "lsmod" command to find out the loaded module for your card.

I did something similar to this... tried kanotix, which backgrounds the process and never finishes it, then the Debian business-card-sized installation cd, which successfully sets up networking, can't remember if it was using module de2104x or de4x5, in both cases surprising to me...

about the suggestion about the other live cd's: I'm collecting a few of them until I have again the chance to bulk-test them.

rolfhub wrote:

But I still think the tulip driver should work. What is being printed on the console when you try to load the tulip module (modprobe tulip)?

why? does it print anything? I can't test it now, but as far as I can recall, I simply got the prompt back. I don't think I will be able to run any more tests before early next month... Sad

rolfhub · Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:21 pm

why? does it print anything? I can't test it now, but as far as I can recall, I simply got the prompt back. I don't think I will be able to run any more tests before early next month...

Well, OK, if it does not print anything, the module seems to have loaded without errors, so you should try to bring the interface up, any it should work. Well, just do some more tests when you've got the time (and post the results here). I think I'll get a mail when someone posts a reply to this thread. Good luck.

Welcome to the Knoppix Linux Forums