Networking works! ... but why?

tcv · n00b Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 8

Hi folks,

I am in the process of installing Gentoo on a MSI MS-6378 mainboard. This board has an on-board NIC, an ADMtek AN983B.

The boot identifies it as a tulip-compatible NIC, and tries to load that driver. An error occurs, however, unable to allocate resources.

But here's the odd part.

I placed a Netgear NIC in PCI Slot 1, just to see if I could get by with that card.

Both NICs work.

If I take out the Netgear NIC, I am back to recieving resource errors on the ADMTek integrated NIC.

According the ECSD, the integrated NIC is on IRQ 11, sharing with two USB controllers.

I've tried various things, including disabling the USB controllers and nothing seems to allow the proper detection and driver-loading of the integrated NIC as long as I don't have that Netgear card in PCI 1. There is a modem in PCI2, but I don't know it's make.

(For what it's worth, I know that it's not necessarily that particular NIC.)

The box that I'm playing with used to have Mandrake 8 on it. So, this is obviously a fine NIC otherwise.

Any ideas why this works?

Cheers,

Mike...

BonezTheGoon · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 3:17 am Post subject:

It might have something to do with APIC (Advanced Programmable Interupt Controller) which has nothing to do with ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface.) APIC allows your system to double the number of allowed IRQ's and can sometimes lead to errors like you mentioned. Even though your BIOS is assigning IRQ 11 to the onboard NIC if APIC is enabled then software can change the IRQ to anything it wants, including something above 15 which is previously not supported. I have no idea why adding in a second NIC changes the behavior so much -- although I have seen on many APIC systems running Windows 2000 that try to group devices that allow it all onto one IRQ, maybe just maybe the APIC controller in Linux changed your onboard back down to a lower (normal) IRQ when you added in the PCI NIC. My only suggestion though would be to try and boot with APIC disabled, I think there is (was, maybe?) an option for this when booting with the live CD. I've not heard of big problems with the VIA chipset you are sporting on that board (like the problems so well documented for SiS chipset mainboards like the ones I use) regarding APIC support in Linux -- so this is just my guess.

Anyway, please let us know what you find!

Regards,
BonezTheGoon

tcv · n00b Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 8

derk · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 6:15 am Post subject:

you should be able to mount all your drives and /proc etc. and chroot into the install where you left off. i've done this a few times in the past on a very slow machine where I'd install/compile as much as i could overnight and then return the machine to that other os during the day. worked fine. i just had to make sure i cleanly unmounted when exiting and then restarting the gentoo install CD, remounting everything each time before chrooting and continuing on.

derk

BonezTheGoon · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 5:15 pm Post subject:

tcv · n00b Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 8

I appreciate your response ... and your encouragement. I've installed FreeBSD before with limited success, so I have some (dangerous) knowledge.

I understand the "mount" command.

I suppose there's an "unmount" command?

m

BonezTheGoon · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 6:25 pm Post subject:

Yeah there is a way to unmount things but it is named umount instead of unmount -- [Rant}you know those unix guys were so clever saving that ONE character really makes the difference in productivity (and also it improves job security for them since it hardly makes any sense it makes it harder for low-lifes to start into the field.) [/Rant]

Regards,
BonezTheGoon

tcv · n00b Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 8

HI,

I am a little confused.

I'm following the code and I see what's been done, but I don't know how to untie it in order to try the APIC stuff. I'm afraid if I just reboot (reset) I will harm the system.

BonezTheGoon · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 10:21 pm Post subject:

To get out of your chroot(ed) environment simply issue the command

tcv · n00b Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 8

Wow. What a simple solution.

Exit.

Ok, so explain this to me a little. Am I in a different console? What am I exiting from? Does CHROOT create a new console or something?

It's almost like I'm exiting a simultaneous O/S or something...

m

BonezTheGoon · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 2:09 am Post subject:

tcv · n00b Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 8

I do understand. Format away, if you care to do so.

First, let me report that the APIC idea did not work out. The integrated NIC simply isn't able to run without that other NIC in the PCI slot. (Again, I make no assumptions here that a NETGEAR NIC needs to go into PCI1 in order for this to work.)

Anyhoo, I followed your instructions, unmounted the various mount points and rebooted. I am back to installing.

Here's something interesting... but unfortunately.

I was performing the emerge -u system when about 1/2 through hda simply dropped out of sight. It's a hardware problem, no doubt. I reset the system and the BIOS was unable to detect the HDD. I turned OFF the system and the HDD came back.

Sucks, really. I'm going to have to troubleshoot this with another HDD.

m

Regor · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 6:17 am Post subject:

derk · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 12:55 pm Post subject:

make sure after you chroot that you do the next two commands each time as well: (this may not apply in other chroot situations .. )

env-update
source /etc/profile

that is to be sure you are pointed at the correct executables and have your environment variables set corrrectly. I forgot these once and couldn't get things to work right until I did these commands first.

there is an interesting article on chroot at:
http://www.networkdweebs.com/chroot.html
for the curious.

derk

BonezTheGoon · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 1:08 pm Post subject:

I've not experienced disappearing hard disks before so I can't offer any theories or experiences. Regor's comment is, unfortunately, a reasonable conclusion -- but like I said I really have no experience with such symptoms.

The only reasonable (meaning normal, as in not malfunctioning) explanation I could come up with for your NIC phenomenon was the APIC scenario, which we have proved is not the cause. While there may be some other reasonable explanation out there I am unaware of one, and so I too conclude that there may be something faulty that is the root cause of the NIC situation -- but of course I cannot be sure.

Hope you get things worked out!! I hope even more that they work out nicely and easily (which is rare!)

Regards,
BonezTheGoon

taz · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 87

I have just come across the same problem with my NIC, except that I haven't got a second NIC. I have an ASUS mobo, which has been running fine, with a sis900 integrated NIC. I am trying to install Gentoo, but can't connect to the net. With the help of others, I think I have narrowed down the issue to the fact that my NIC and usb both share the same irq#. I have tried booting the livecd with the apic both in my bios and in the boot line turned on and off in different variations and it doesn't seem to help. I have also gone so far as to turn off irq9 (which is where the NIC and usb are being assigned), but the bios, or Gentoo, just moved both to irq5. Has anyone any ideas?

tcv: Did you figure out a solution to the integrated NIC, other than the second NIC?

Thanks

BonezTheGoon · Posted: Wed May 28, 2003 1:49 pm Post subject:

taz5612 it sounds like you probably have a SiS7xx or SiS6xx (depending on whether you have an intel or amd cpu) series chipset, on these chipsets the current 2.4 Linux kernels implementation of APIC really causes trouble. So I strongly urge you to disable APIC in both your BIOS and using the boot option on the live CD. I have used the sis900 nic onboard four different mainboards in four different boxes for a few years now using linux. I've never noticed that the USB and nic were sharing an IRQ though, this should be fine though. Try disabling PnP in your BIOS as well, which will require the BIOS to assign resources given you are telling it that your OS is unable to -- this will atleast let you know who (what) is assigning the resources then. The module you will need to load for your integrated nic is sis900 to load this module while using the liveCD just issue the command

dma