Network problem with a BCM5782 card

eantoranz · 04-01-2005, 10:44 AM

At the office, computers for the IT staff wre changed. I got my brand new HP Compaq DC5000 with XP preinstalled, jumped on it and installed Mandrake 10.

Since I did that, I have had network problems... in general, there's no problem at all, however, because of memory issues in this computer (it's too low to use a java ide and application server), I program "remotely" using a visual IDE in a linux server I was "assigned". I ssh into the server and start Eclipse. That's when the problem arises. The network traffic stops for a while with the server.

I have just made some tests. When the traffic halts, other people can ping the server. And other people can ping my computer as well.

I didn't have any problem at all with the computer I had before doing this.

So.... I'm starting to think that the problem could be caused by my computer? Maybe the nic?

I checked dmesg, there's nothing strange there. I also checked / var/log/message, nothing strange there either.

As the communication problem halts for some seconds.... as a woraround, maybe I can force ssh to avoid quitting if the communication is halted for af least a given amount of time, so the applicatinos don't die?

Well... let's see what you come up with.

PS Another tip about the problem:
Yesterday, when the problem started to show up, I went to check the server. I noticed that there was a messege at the display:
wait_for_cmd_done timeout (or something like that). However, there was no message either at the dmesg or /var/log/messages of the server.

eantoranz · 04-01-2005, 11:10 AM

lspci:

Code:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 82865G/PE/P Processor to I/O Controller (rev 02)
        Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company: Unknown device 12bc
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
        Memory at f8000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=64M]
        Capabilities: [e4] #09 [1106]

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp. 82865G Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [VGA])
        Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company: Unknown device 12bc
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
        Memory at f0000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=128M]
        Memory at fc400000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K]
        I/O ports at 14d0 [size=8]
        Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 1

00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB USB (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
        Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company: Unknown device 12bc
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
        I/O ports at 1440 [size=32]

00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB USB (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
        Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company: Unknown device 12bc
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 19
        I/O ports at 1460 [size=32]

00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB USB (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
        Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company: Unknown device 12bc
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 18
        I/O ports at 1480 [size=32]

00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB USB2 (rev 02) (prog-if 20 [EHCI])
        Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company: Unknown device 12bc
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 23
        Memory at fc480000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1K]
        Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
        Capabilities: [58] #0a [20a0]

00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BA/CA/DB/EB PCI Bridge (rev c2) (prog-if 00 [Normal decode])
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
        Bus: primary=00, secondary=05, subordinate=05, sec-latency=64
        Memory behind bridge: fc500000-fc7fffff

00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801EB LPC Interface Controller (rev 02)
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0

00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controller (rev 02) (prog-if 8a [Master SecP PriP])
        Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company: Unknown device 12bc
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 18
        I/O ports at <ignored>
        I/O ports at <ignored>
        I/O ports at <ignored>
        I/O ports at <ignored>
        I/O ports at 14c0 [size=16]
        Memory at 10000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1K]

00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 02)
        Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company: Unknown device 12bc
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17
        I/O ports at 1000 [size=256]
        I/O ports at 1400 [size=64]
        Memory at fc480400 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512]
        Memory at fc480600 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
        Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2

05:02.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5782 Gigabit Ethernet (rev 03)
        Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company: Unknown device 12bc
        Flags: bus master, 66Mhz, medium devsel, latency 64, IRQ 20
        Memory at fc500000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
        Capabilities: [48] Power Management version 2
        Capabilities: [50] Vital Product Data
        Capabilities: [58] Message Signalled Interrupts: 64bit+ Queue=0/3 Enable-

eantoranz · 04-01-2005, 11:37 AM

Oh... and something else. I tried running the 2.6 and the 2.4 kernels that come with Mandrake. Both failed the same way.

eantoranz · 04-05-2005, 12:16 AM

I have done a little more experiments.

I started running the preinstalled XP (I know. I hate it too.... but I was able to work

) that came along. I wanted to give some tries to the connection between the server and my computer.

I started a vncserver at the server and ran the client from the HP workstation.

I worked all day long without a single blink of the netrwork connection..... which leads me to conclude that there is a problem with the NIC's Kernel driver.

I'm using a rather "old" version of mandrake. mandrake 10. Mdk 10.2 is comming soon.... so I guess I'll just wait and install it to see how it goes... Maybe it I try with a newer kernel. I tried with knoppix 3.7. Same problem. Do you have any ideas? Do you know something I'm missing?

eantoranz · 04-05-2005, 02:33 PM

OK.... Solved it.

I downloaded the NIC's manufacturer (bradcom).

I used the "tar" procedure. Untared the code, compiled it (had to install the kernel sources).

it produces a file named bcm5700.ko that should be copied to the kernel's driver directory. However, I've been unable to do that. I copy the file but when I call insmod bcm5700 i get an error saying that the kernel couldn't load it.

However, when I tried by specifiying the file location, the kernel loaded without a blink.

I commented the line at /etc/modules.conf where tg3 was being loaded for eth0 and inserted a line with bcm5700.... and in /etc/rc.local I bring down the network, unload the tg3 driver, load the driver by specifying the hole file location and bring the network back up.

Since then, I've had no problem with the network.

Any ideas to get the module loaded without the rc.local trick?

J.W. · 04-05-2005, 08:26 PM

eantoranz - congrats on solving the problem and thanks for posting back with the solution that worked for you; that will be a big help to any future readers who might have the same question. -- J.W.

eantoranz · 04-05-2005, 11:39 PM

I know, man... not the first post I make.

LOL

I appreciate your appreciation.

shahneepa · 06-27-2006, 12:56 AM

I read your solution but in my case kernel is different and generating tg3.o file which is already there with current kernel but not working.

when i give command insmod tg3

error is like invalid parameter including IO and IRQ.

and when i am trying to install new driver for broadcom netextreme 5782 (Linux tg3)
it again giving me an error while building through this command:

rpmbuild -bb SPECS/tg3.spec

error at line 8500 size isn't known.

please write me if you have any clue or you find any error in configuring methods.

Best,
Neepa.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eantoranz

OK.... Solved it.

I downloaded the NIC's manufacturer (bradcom).

I used the "tar" procedure. Untared the code, compiled it (had to install the kernel sources).

it produces a file named bcm5700.ko that should be copied to the kernel's driver directory. However, I've been unable to do that. I copy the file but when I call insmod bcm5700 i get an error saying that the kernel couldn't load it.

However, when I tried by specifiying the file location, the kernel loaded without a blink.

I commented the line at /etc/modules.conf where tg3 was being loaded for eth0 and inserted a line with bcm5700.... and in /etc/rc.local I bring down the network, unload the tg3 driver, load the driver by specifying the hole file location and bring the network back up.

Since then, I've had no problem with the network.

Any ideas to get the module loaded without the rc.local trick?