Finding and Exporting Ethernet Driver

AnyoneEB · 09-21-2002, 08:31 PM

I recently got a computer that I could set-up as a Linux server (I really don't like runing a WinXP server). I had the Mandrake Install CD set so I installed Mandrake. I had some various troubles with it and one of my Linux friends suggested that I try Debian. He sent me an ISO for a Debian install that gets almost everything off the internet, but it doesn't support my ethernet card, which is unlabeled and I don't know what type it is. Mandrake supports my ethernet card.

PROBLEM: How do I get the ethernet driver out of Mandrake and onto a floppy (or CD) for the Debian install to use? Or where can I get a generic ethernet driver that might work?

trickykid · 09-21-2002, 09:18 PM

What version of Debian is this ? Its probably not Debian itself but maybe an older kernel version that doesn't have support for your card or not compiled with support. If you can do a lsmod on your Mandrake machine and find out what module its using for the network card, then that is the module you want to use to get your card working with Debian.
Also you can possibly try doing a cat /proc/pci if your NIC is a pci card to try and determine what type it is.

Let us know !

AnyoneEB · 09-22-2002, 12:25 AM

It's a slightly old version of Debian, but I'm not sure how old. It has a big list of kernal moduals that are network drivers to use in the kernel, now I know which one I want thanks to cat /proc/pci, but how do I get it out. I don't think it matters, but the usful info from cat /proc/pci was:
Ethernet controler: Macronix, Inc. [MXIC] MX987x5 (rev 37).

What's Ismod? I tried typing that in at the terminal and it said that it doesn't exist.

EDIT: apparently that card is included in the "Tulip" ethernet driver.

neo77777 · 09-22-2002, 12:33 AM

it is /sbin/lsmod
it shows you what modules are loaded and what are used. As for you NIC check this out http://ele.gec.ac.in/tutorials/linux/node45.html
in the nics there's a passage that says

Quote:

On another system lspci gave

5
.
.
.
00:08.0 Ethernet controller: Macronix, Inc. [MXIC] MX987x5 (rev 20)
00:0a.0 Ethernet controller: Accton Technology Corporation SMC2-1211TX (rev 10)

and the same for... grep... Accton gave rtl8139.o and tulip.o (the former of which was correct), and for... grep... Macronix (or even 987) gave tulip.o, which hung the machine. I have yet to get that card working, although Eddie across the room claims he got a similar card working fine. Cards are cheap--there are enough working brands so that you don't have to waist your time on difficult ones.

AnyoneEB · 09-22-2002, 08:33 AM

It worked, Debian has the Tulip drivers and downloads fine. Thank you for your help!