Natsemi driver turning NIC off?

wheelsg · 01-28-2014, 09:50 AM

I recently upgraded a PentiumPro machine I use as a home router to a more current version of Slackware (12.2). After the upgrade I was no longer able to reach the internal network. The computer has two NICs, one a Realtek and the other is the NIC requiring the natsemi driver. Because of the boot sequence the Realtek is recognized first so I've aliased the two in order to reverse the order, which shouldn't be relevant but in the interest of full disclosure...

After poking around, seeing similar issues, I used ethtool to diddle the card and have gotten it to work. This involves changing the speed from 10 to 100, turning on autoneg, and changing the media from TP to mii and back to TP. But I have to think there must be a better way and that occasions this post. What follows is some of the dmesg output that provides context along with a section that appears to be a problem the driver encounters. I'm a little baffled by what it means and any help is appreciated.

Code:

natsemi dp8381x driver, version 2.1, Sept 11, 2006
  originally by Donald Becker <becker@scyld.com>
  2.4.x kernel port by Jeff Garzik, Tjeerd Mulder
natsemi eth0: NatSemi DP8381[56] at 0xfeb9f000 (0000:00:13.0), 00:a0:cc:75:34:c0, IRQ 10, port TP.
8139too Fast Ethernet driver 0.9.28
eth1: RealTek RTL8139 at 0xe800, 00:e0:29:53:19:3e, IRQ 9
eth1:  Identified 8139 chip type 'RTL-8139A'
eth0: DSPCFG accepted after 0 usec.
eth0: link up.
NET: Registered protocol family 10
lo: Disabled Privacy Extensions
eth0: no IPv6 routers present
eth1: link up, 100Mbps, full-duplex, lpa 0x45E1
------------[ cut here ]------------
WARNING: at net/sched/sch_generic.c:219 dev_watchdog+0x1c8/0x1e0()
NETDEV WATCHDOG: eth0 (natsemi): transmit timed out
Modules linked in: nfsd auth_rpcgss exportfs ipv6 sg pcmcia pcmcia_core agpgart lp ppdev parport_pc parport fuse psmouse rtc_cmos rtc_core evdev s3fb rtc_lib serio_raw 8139too natsemi svgalib mii vgastate [last unloaded: pcmcia_core]
Pid: 2760, comm: depmod Not tainted 2.6.27.31-smp #2
 [<c0125d48>] warn_slowpath+0x68/0x80
 [<c0730030>] ? hptiop_probe+0x570/0x5f0
 [<c01973b5>] ? mnt_drop_write+0x25/0xf0
 [<c0194160>] ? touch_atime+0x30/0xf0
 [<c015c13b>] ? generic_file_aio_read+0x65b/0x6b0
 [<c015f6e1>] ? get_page_from_freelist+0x2f1/0x4a0
 [<c03a7f29>] ? strlen+0x9/0x20
 [<c03a607d>] ? strlcpy+0x1d/0x60
 [<c06a8618>] dev_watchdog+0x1c8/0x1e0
 [<c012f0b7>] ? __mod_timer+0x97/0xb0
 [<c012f299>] ? mod_timer+0x19/0x40
 [<c069d4ed>] ? neigh_periodic_timer+0x12d/0x170
 [<c012ebd8>] run_timer_softirq+0x128/0x190
 [<c01238dc>] ? scheduler_tick+0xac/0xd0
 [<c06a8450>] ? dev_watchdog+0x0/0x1e0
 [<c012ab22>] __do_softirq+0x82/0xf0
 [<c012abd5>] do_softirq+0x45/0x50
 [<c012af55>] irq_exit+0x45/0x50
 [<c0112ac0>] smp_apic_timer_interrupt+0x60/0x90
 [<c016e0db>] ? sys_munmap+0x4b/0x60
 [<c0103cac>] apic_timer_interrupt+0x28/0x30
 [<c0730000>] ? hptiop_probe+0x540/0x5f0
 =======================
---[ end trace 82c211194ac6b037 ]---
eth0: Transmit timed out, status 0x000000, resetting...
eth0: DSPCFG accepted after 0 usec.
eth1: no IPv6 routers present
eth0: Transmit timed out, status 0x000000, resetting...
eth0: DSPCFG accepted after 0 usec.
eth0: Transmit timed out, status 0x000000, resetting...
eth0: DSPCFG accepted after 0 usec.
eth0: Transmit timed out, status 0x000000, resetting...
eth0: DSPCFG accepted after 0 usec.
ip_tables: (C) 2000-2006 Netfilter Core Team
nf_conntrack version 0.5.0 (4096 buckets, 16384 max)
CONFIG_NF_CT_ACCT is deprecated and will be removed soon. Plase use
nf_conntrack.acct=1 kernel paramater, acct=1 nf_conntrack module option or
sysctl net.netfilter.nf_conntrack_acct=1 to enable it.

Thanks, in advance,
Geoff.

nini09 · 01-29-2014, 02:45 PM

The dmesg output show natsemi driver has problem. The driver can't transmit any frame out. You should upload lspci output to make sure driver is correct.

wheelsg · 01-30-2014, 09:07 AM

Thanks, nini09, here you go: (btw, natsemi & 8139too have worked with this machine for the last ten+ years...)

Code:

00:12.0 Ethernet controller: Accton Technology Corporation SMC2-1211TX (rev 10)
	Subsystem: Accton Technology Corporation EN-1207D Fast Ethernet Adapter
	Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B- DisINTx-
	Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
	Latency: 64 (8000ns min, 16000ns max)
	Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 9
	Region 0: I/O ports at e800 [size=256]
	Region 1: Memory at feb9ef00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
	Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 1
		Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1+,D2+,D3hot+,D3cold-)
		Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
	Kernel driver in use: 8139too
	Kernel modules: 8139too

00:13.0 Ethernet controller: National Semiconductor Corporation DP83815 (MacPhyter) Ethernet Controller
	Subsystem: Netgear FA311 / FA312 (FA311 with WoL HW)
	Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B- DisINTx-
	Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
	Latency: 64 (2750ns min, 13000ns max)
	Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 10
	Region 0: I/O ports at ec00 [size=256]
	Region 1: Memory at feb9f000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]
	Expansion ROM at feb80000 [disabled] [size=64K]
	Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
		Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=320mA PME(D0+,D1+,D2+,D3hot+,D3cold+)
		Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME+
	Kernel driver in use: natsemi
	Kernel modules: natsemi

...though from the looks of things, there was a revision to the driver in 2006 or so. The 'acpi=off' suggestion of similar threads was no help.

Thanks for looking,
Geoff.

nini09 · 01-30-2014, 06:13 PM

If natsemi have worked with this machine for the last ten+ years, that means something else. Basically, using ethtool to make natsemi interface working is nothing. You just re-initialize natsemi driver and NIC again.
Reversing the order could be a problem. System is based on name to initialize NIC.