Network connectivety lost after 20 seconds...
 

I have a base OpenSUSE setup - nothing fancy, basic install - NIC (Davicom 21x4x DEC-Tulip) connects directly to a switch - static IP/gateway etc.

When the PC is restarted the network comes up OK for maybe 20 seconds then drops out - interface is still up and route is assigned ok.
Running an ifdown and ifup doesn't bring it back online but unplugging the network cable for a few seconds and reseating does!

Errors are high at 964 (and rising) - this seems bad

Also seems to be other reports of this card having issues but with earlier SUSE installs.

Someone suggested PPP was set to auto connect but I have disabled this. Log files don't appear to show anything related to what the issue is....

Anyone got any ideas what I can check?

EDIT
Found this similar thread
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...1x4x+DEC-Tulip

Have you checked your duplex settings on both ends (NIC and on the switch port)? If you're receiving a lot of errors, namely CRC and/or collisions, that's usually a symptom of a duplex mismatch between the host and the switch.

Set to auto on the NIC - full on switch - card support full duplex
No collision errors...

How can the connection work ok for 60 secs then drop but if you pull the cable and reinsert it jumps back to life...for 60 seconds?! rcnetwork restart make no difference.....

Looks like a driver issue maybe?

Have tried a few more things suggested by Google - changed the card driver to the blacklisted dmfe one and blacklisted the tulip driver - exact same issue......

Looks like the answer is to force the use of dmfe module
I tried:
rmmod tulip
modprobbe dmfe
but it froze the machine - do I need to specify any parameters to get this working? Maybe PCI parameters?
If so...how do I do it?

EDIT
I used YASt and changed the module from tulip to dmfe - again freezes the system :(

Cheers!

Seemed to have resolved this - couldn't modprobe the dmfe driver but using YAST worked - it froze the pc but on reboot loaded ok. I had previously blacklisted the tulip driver and unblacklisted dmfe