Slackware 12.2 networking issue. Linksys ethernet card undetected.
 

I have a fresh install of Slackware on an old HP Pavilion. Estimated year 1999 or 2000. I found a Linksys Ethernet card in the closet and stuck it in there, but it was giving me trouble.

>ifconfig eth1 up
>Device busy

That isn't an exact copy+paste, but close enough. Device eth0 didn't exist. I don't know which kernel was loaded. The default on install. I changed to the one at /boot/vmlinuz-huge-2.6.27.7 and now it doesn't say eth1 is busy, but it doesn't detect anything there. The netconfig command does not help either. I gave it a host, domain name, and told it to use DHCP, with no effect. Do I just need a driver?

This is my first time using Slackware. Previously, I've only used SuSE, and had a quick trial of Ubuntu on another machine, which I ditched for SuSE. So I'm quite green with all the low-down, dirty commands and configuration files.

Welcome to LQ.

Please send the full output of following commands, typed as root:Then hopefully we will be able to help you.

And to know everything about configuring you network with Slackware scripts and configuration files, go read this article from Alien BOB.

I switched back to the default kernel because X stopped working with the other one. I don't know why, but anyway. Here is ifconfig.

Now lspci -k

So, you ethernet card seems to be recognized as "ADMtek NC100 Network Everywhere" and the driver "tulip" for it is loaded. So far, so good.

The name given by UDEV to its interface is eth1. That is not a problem, but the fact that the netconfig utility only works for eth0.

I suppose you have a DHCP server listening on the network. If that's true, getting a connection is as simple as:No need to issue an 'ifconfig' command first, dhcpcd will take care of that.

If that works (you can issue a 'route' command as root to check, you should have two lines for eth1 in the output in addition to the one for lo), just edit as root the file /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf so that it includes:
USE_DHCPC[1]="yes"
and save it.

Then make sure that the file /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 be executable; if not, type as root:
chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1

So you will be automatically connected at startup.

PS of course use the default kernel, as eth1 doesn't show with the "new"

EDIT When you install a new kernel for Slackware, do not forget to install the corresponding kernel-modules too and to run lilo after having edited /etc/lilo.conf accordingly.

The dhcpcd command returns this...

The Ethernet card says Linksys on it. Are you sure the 'tulip' driver works with it? I've never heard of ADMtek before.

I followed all the instructions for installing a kernel in the Slackware book at http://www.slackbook.org/ I found slightly different instructions somewhere on this forum, but the official book shouldn't be wrong. Except for some typos, like it tells you to copy the new kernel to /vmlinuz instead of /boot/vmlinuz.

About crd's naming I've found this in this thread:With a little more googling I've found that some people complain about BIOS settings for IRQ, or suppose the card is too old for 2.6 kernel. You could try to add following :
append="pci=biosirq"
to the "image=" section of your /etc/lilo.conf (see man lilo.conf).

If this does not work you could try to setup a connection with a static IP instead of using DHCP, provided you know which IP should be allocated to your system, but I don't think this would really help.

Anyhow I can confirm that the tulip module is the good one, from this page

Other than that, I've checked the "compiling a new kernel" section in the Slackbook.

I agree with it, but I hope you didn't configure your "new" kernel from scratch. Better take the actual .config as a basis. To do that (I suppose you are running an "official" Slackware kernel) when you do it:
cd /new/kernel/source/
zcat /proc/config.gz > .config
make oldconfig
After that you can fine tuning the configuration using make menuconfig or make xconfig, then issue "make" then "make_modules install" and complete the installation as stated.

Anyway you'll be better off using one of the kernels shipped with Slackware 12, either the huge-smp or the generic-smp (remember that to use the latter you need to make an initrd so that you include appropriate drivers for your root filesystem, see README.initrd in the /boot directory)

My conclusion for now: if you can't get this card working, get yourself a new one for a few dollars, euros or pounds ;)

Qoph,

Throw that card away! It's weird. For $10 you can get a new generic card that will just work.

As for installing a new kernel... Don't fight with any instructions as to how to re-compile and install... If you just want a default kernel, that's EASY!


--AS ROOT--
Stick your Slackware Install disc 1 in and mount it.
cd /mnt/cdrom/slackware/a
installpkg kernel-huge-smp-2.6.27.7_smp-i686-1
installpkg kernel-modules-smp-2.6.27.7_smp-i686-1
lilo <---(I think this is right to 'refresh' lilo)
and restart...

You'll have the default kernel

Arfon,

I am using the default kernel. I backed it up like the Slackware book said to, and I added it in the Lilo boot menu. Which is good because the one I compiled failed miserably. Anyway, the 'new' kernel I was talking about was the one labelled huge. That one booted, but provided the aforementioned issues in seeing the Ethernet card. So now I've just gotten rid of all but the default.

Also, it's quite difficult for me to insert and mount the disc, because it's the DVD version and the HP doesn't have a DVD drive. I inserted the hard drive into my Acer for installation and then put it back in the HP. The only real problem with that appears to be that I had to reconfigure the display for the lesser video card in the HP.


Didier Spaier,

Appending said line didn't seem to help. I don't think I want to use a static IP, but I'll figure out which address to use just to see if the card works then. As for the kernel, I just followed the Slackware book for compiling. The menus had some things filled out already, but I don't know. I'll learn more about it before trying again; the default kernel is fine as long as networking works eventually.


All y'all,

Thanks for the help. I'll get back to you if the static IP and/or another card gets it working. The Ethernet card MAY have been in the closet because it didn't work. :-P I thought it was in there because we wanted to use a wireless card, though (which is now in my Acer from which I'm currently typing). I'm not sure.

New 3com card
 

I inserted a 'new' Ethernet card. A 3com brand. The system did detect it. I checked lspci -k again.

As you can see, it's using a new driver. When I'm starting up, it now says IRQ 0 unlikely to work. Then later on it gives the same message about a device or resource being busy when it runs dhcpcd. I added the line back into the lilo.conf file as well:

append = "pci=biosirq"

I have spaces around the first equal sign because all the other entries in that section are the same, and I think it's just for readability. I don't know if it matters where I put it, but it's right after the image tag. Second tag down.

My guess is you have a buggy BIOS.

Ad 'append="pci=biosirq"' doesn't help I would try another kernel parameter.

For that you look below the "pci=option" line in /usr/src/<your_linux_version>/Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt. Obviously you need to have the kernel-source package installed as this file is part of it.

You do not have to put the 'append =' line in /etc/lilo.conf to try, at time of booting just hit the Tab key and write yourself e.g.:
Linux pci=<option> # replace Linux by the image label
then hit the Return key.

Once hopefully you will have founded the good parameter to use, you can put it again in an "append=" line in /etc/lilo.conf (right after the "image=" line is a good place, I would not put spaces before and after the equal sign though may be it doesn't hurt -- check "man lilo.conf" for the right syntax anyway)

if no pci=<option> works, I would search for other parameter in the aforementioned file with "irq" in its name.

Or try to find a BIOS setting which could help.

Sorry no more clue today :(

eth0 up
 

Hell yeah, I'm networked! Thank you for all your help. I was just sitting here, unable to go to sleep. So I plugged in my computer and decided to look at the BIOS. I told it that the operating system was other* (UNIX) and then booted up. I saw it trying to contact a DHCP server and I jumped right up to plug in the ethernet cable. It freaking connected.

My mood just switched poles. I am so glad it works, too. Because this machine goes so fast compared to my grandfather's, and I'm running on 128 megabytes of RAM. He has 768. There could be so many reasons for that, but facts are facts.


*Instead of Win32.