Thanks for all the help... I got it to work. I don't understand why though. That's the next part. It found an IP as fast as you can say swiss cheese!
I went and added to my modules.conf
options tulip options=4
I saw some people mentioning problems with full duplex ect... so I thought I would try to change it.
http://www.scyld.com/network/tulip.html says:
debug int The debug message level, 0 (no messages) to 31 (all messages).
options int[] The media type override and card operation settings (See list below.)
full_duplex int[] Force full duplex (obsolete -- for backwards compatibility with existing installations only).
max_interrupt_work int Maximum number of events to handle at each interrupt, default 25.
multicast_filter_limit int Breakpoint for switching to Rx-all-multicast mode, default 32 multicast addresses.
rx_copybreak int See driver source for tuning details.
csr0 int PCI Bus Performance register. See driver source for tuning details.
Here's what the driver pages says for options:
index media
0 Auto-select (default to the 10baseT link)
1 10base2
2 AUI
3 100baseTx
4 10baseT-FD
5 100baseTx-FD
6 100baseT4
7 100baseFx
8 100baseFx-FD
9 MII 10baseT
10 MII 10baseT-FD
11 MII (autoselect)
12 Serial 10baseT (no autoselect)
13 MII 100baseTx
14 MII 100baseTx-FD
15 MII 100baseT4
16 MII 100baseFx-HDX (half duplex)
17 MII 100baseFx-FDX (full duplex)
18 MII Home-PNA 1Mbps
I also found that i could probe a module for options buy doing an /sbin/modinfo tulip that
filename: /lib/modules/2.4.22-1.2115.nptl/kernel/drivers/net/tulip/tulip.o
description: "Digital 21*4* Tulip ethernet driver"
author: "The Linux Kernel Team"
license: "GPL"
parm: tulip_debug int
parm: max_interrupt_work int
parm: rx_copybreak int
parm: csr0 int
parm: options int array (min = 1, max = 8)
parm: full_duplex int array (min = 1, max = 8)
and here's what my syslogs say on boot now:
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: Linux Tulip driver version 0.9.15-pre12 (Aug 9, 2002)
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: PCI: Found IRQ 4 for device 00:0d.0
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: PCI: Sharing IRQ 4 with 00:04.2
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: PCI: Sharing IRQ 4 with 00:04.3
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: PCI: Sharing IRQ 4 with 00:09.0
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: Transceiver selection forced to 10baseT-FDX.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: EEPROM default media type Autosense.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: Index #0 - Media 10baseT (#0) described by a 21140 non-MII (0) block.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: Index #1 - Media 100baseTx (#3) described by a 21140 non-MII (0) block.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: Index #2 - Media 10baseT-FDX (#4) described by a 21140 non-MII (0) block.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: Index #3 - Media 100baseTx-FDX (#5) described by a 21140 non-MII (0) block.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: MII transceiver #1 config 3100 status 782d advertising 05e1.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: eth0: Digital DS21140 Tulip rev 34 at 0xc8903000, 00:60:67:36:21:4F, IRQ 4.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: ip_tables: (C) 2000-2002 Netfilter core team
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: Linux Tulip driver version 0.9.15-pre12 (Aug 9, 2002)
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: PCI: Found IRQ 4 for device 00:0d.0
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: PCI: Sharing IRQ 4 with 00:04.2
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: PCI: Sharing IRQ 4 with 00:04.3
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: PCI: Sharing IRQ 4 with 00:09.0
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: Transceiver selection forced to 10baseT-FDX.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: EEPROM default media type Autosense.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: Index #0 - Media 10baseT (#0) described by a 21140 non-MII (0) block.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: Index #1 - Media 100baseTx (#3) described by a 21140 non-MII (0) block.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: Index #2 - Media 10baseT-FDX (#4) described by a 21140 non-MII (0) block.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: Index #3 - Media 100baseTx-FDX (#5) described by a 21140 non-MII (0) block.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: tulip0: MII transceiver #1 config 0100 status 7809 advertising 05e1.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: eth0: Digital DS21140 Tulip rev 34 at 0xc8903000, 00:60:67:36:21:4F, IRQ 4.
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: ip_tables: (C) 2000-2002 Netfilter core team
Dec 6 00:01:33 localhost kernel: eth0: Using user-specified media 10baseT-FDX.
Anyhow it works. I now know what to do. Though it's sure a pain to figure out. I am comfortable searching the net and editing this and that file but a newbie would be screwed. Heck I have been fighting this problem on/off for two years now. When ever I would try linux I would just live with it. Now I just might keep it on my machine!
Thanks for the help. You have been helpfull. You offered support which helped keep me going to find a resolution to this issue.
Should I report this to anyone so I don't have to keep mudlling with it every time I install a new distro?