First I have a fresh install of Sarge running the 2.6.8 kernel.
Eth0 was working fine via cat5.
I installed the kernel headers and proceeded to install and configure ipw-2200 wireless driver, firmware, and wpa supplicant.
Rebooted and now have both my wireless connection on eth1 and wired connection on eth0.
All the connections are via dhcp.
Here's where I commited the self inflicted problem. Using the Gnome network tool, I selected the wired connection eth0 to not start at boot while selecting the wireless to start-up at boot.
Well, now I can't boot because the system hangs at "Starting MTA". All this happened when I select eth0 not to start at boot.

I don't know how to undo what I have done. I'm sort of new at linux and debian in particular. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks

Open /etc/network/interfaces file and add this line at the end of the file:

auto etho

and your eth0 interface should start at boot time.

If your system hangs up, you should use some live distribution cd like Knoppix for example, boot up in Knoppix, fix the file and reboot back to your sasrge distribution.

Regards,

Well, it hangs up for maximum 30 seconds isn't it?
And you don't reboot every minute, do you?

I think its due to your DNS configuration, happened to me.Can't remember how I fixed it.. Maybe mta is started before dns cache or bind or..??

If your cable is unplugged, even if eth0 is auto, same thing will happen.

By the way, knoppix send the DHCP to background and it dosent stop waiting... for the transactions to end.



Do you know how to do this?? Send that DHCP detection to background like in knoppix.