Looking for Ethernet/Sound Driver help...

Rounan · 06-29-2003, 02:36 AM

Hi.
I've been toying with different versions of Linux and varying degrees of frustration for a year or so now. After Mandrake left my machine unbootable for a terrifying hour (and then rescued it), I ditched it and am trying debian.

I'm running a Dell Dimension 4500 with some add-ons:
2 Ghz P4 processor
512 RAM
2 HDs: one 40, one 120.
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 64MB
^---- up til here everything's fine.
Voyetra Turtle Beach sound card
Macronix MX98715 NIC

Initially, Debian-out-of-the-box wouldn't startX for me, so I recompiled kernel (version 2.4.18) as per the instructions I just posted in the "Getting startx to work in debian" thread. Now I get into KDE just peachy, but no sound and no internet capabilities. (Network unreachable).
I know the ethernet worked at one point, as I used it to install 90% of my system. I don't think it has since the recompile though. Somehow I've either installed conflicting drivers or haven't installed the right one (i think). The Macronix Card should work with the Tulip driver, but modprobe Tulip doesn't solve the problem. Any ideas?

As for sound:
On load KDE told me:
device /dev/dsp can't be opened (permission denied)
So I added usr (me) to the audio section. (can't remember exactly how, found it in a guide somewhere.)
NOW, it tells me:
device /dev/dsp can't be opened (does not exist)

According to a lspci -v, both these devices are being properly detected (I can see their names, model numbers, physical addresses, etc...)
So I think it's a driver issue. But I could be wrong.
For the record, I don't have any evidence the sound was ever working, since I never had KDE up and running before the recompile.

Any suggestions?
Sorry this info isn't exact, I'm forced to boot back into windows to post and read, so c/p isn't an option. Let me know if there's anything specific you need to see and I'll find it for ya.

Thanks!
--Rounan

MasterC · 06-29-2003, 02:59 AM

To check if a module (driver) is loaded, as root type (into a terminal):
lsmod

If the alsa modules are loaded, then that should be fine. However, if they aren't, you might look at your /etc/modules.conf to see if the entries for them are there. You also might look at the ALSA documentation and ensure you've followed it correctly for your soundcard.

Most of the time, for soundcards I don't recognize I'll go to google.com/linux or to www.alsa-project.org and look up my soundcard from lspci -v If I don't find anything anywhere, I'll then post up my lspci -v on here, hope someone knows something, and then go from there.

Usually google.com/linux works for me though, that or the sound card matrix at alsa-project.org

Cool

Rounan · 06-29-2003, 03:15 AM

Thanks for the help.

According to lsmod, Tulip is installed but my sound driver ain't. Apparently, I should be using cs46xx, and I'm searching around for it.... more on that later.

I can't figure out what's buggering up my network though.
There's no reference to Tulip in modules.conf
Is this a bad thing?
Also, I've come across references to a "dummy" ethernet device, in lspci I think. What is this, what does it do and is it a problem?

--Rounan

MasterC · 06-29-2003, 04:00 AM

Straight outta the kernel config info on dummo.o:

Code:

CONFIG_DUMMY:                                                           „_
  „_                                                                         „_
  „_ This is essentially a bit-bucket device (i.e. traffic you send to       „_
  „_ this device is consigned into oblivion) with a configurable IP          „_
  „_ address. It is most commonly used in order to make your currently       „_
  „_ inactive SLIP address seem like a real address for local programs.      „_
  „_ If you use SLIP or PPP, you might want to say Y here. Since this        „_
  „_ thing often comes in handy, the default is Y. It won't enlarge your     „_
  „_ kernel either. What a deal. Read about it in the Network                „_
  „_ Administrator's Guide, available from                                   „_
  „_ <http://www.tldp.org/docs.html#guide>.                                  „_

If you don't find a reference to tulip in modules.conf then it's getting called elsewhere (it'd have to be). Assuming you aren't calling it (with insmod or modprobe) then look in your rc files (/etc/rc.d) for something calling it.

Tell us what you do to get on the net (DSL, dial up.. and how they are usually connecting, PPP, DHCP, static IP..) normally. Maybe it's not a problem with the ethernet device but somewhere else in the chain of events something isn't working right (maybe you can ping? ping linuxquestions.org and then ping 64.179.4.146 maybe it's a resolv.conf issue).

Cool

Rounan · 06-29-2003, 12:26 PM

I connect via a router to a cablemodem, using a DHCP server.
I can't ping in any way; internet sites and pinging local LAN IPs returns -1, says: sendto: Network is unreachable
In fact, it returns that many, many, many times. :P

I found where tulip is referenced; I don't have a rc.d file, just rc0.d, rc1.d, etc... and these "aren't regular files" and can't be read.
But tulip is referenced in etc/modules, as one of three modules to load at boot:

af_packet
tulip
ntfs

Possibly relevant: in /etc/network/interfaces:
----------------
# The first network card - this entry was created during the debian installation

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp
-------------------

I don't really know what that means, but it says dhcp. :P

the contents of my /etc/resolv.conf:
------------------------
search wlfdle.net.cable.rogers.com\000
nameserver 24.153.22.67
nameserver 24.153.22.195
-------------------------

--Rounan

Rounan · 06-29-2003, 12:35 PM

also, in modules.conf, there's a bunch of references to aliases for ppp protocols. I didn't specify to install ppp, (I don't think. I've installed so many times over the past 2 days they've all blended together) and I don't have any use for it.
Is it possible that it's conflicting?

--Rounan

Rounan · 06-29-2003, 04:44 PM

Here's what a dmesg | more turned up (that's the Kernel loading output, I think, right?):

Linux Tulip driver vers 0.9.15-pre9
PCI: Found IRQ 3 for device 02:0c.0
PCI: Sharing IRQ3 with 00:1f.3
tulip0: no phy info, aborting mtable build
eth0: Macronix 98715 PMAC rev37 at 0xd800, 00:80:C6:F1:C9:2A IRQ 3

What's an mtable, and is it bad that it aborted?

MasterC · 06-29-2003, 07:08 PM

Not sure, it looks like I'm outta my league on this one, but I'll take a stab still..

It's possible the modules.conf ppp stuff could be conflicting, either way, if you don't use PPP, then you can safely remove/comment it out. Try unloading the module:
rmmod tulip

If it complains that something needs it, rmmod it first, then tulip.

Then try calling dhcp:
dhcpd
And wait, post up any errors. If it just returns to a prompt, that usually means it didn't work. Check with:
ifconfig
If you don't have an IP for eth0 or eth0 doesn't exist, then it didn't work. So then:
modprobe tulip
dhcpd
And wait. Same thing, ifconfig, is there an IP?

You mentioned a router. Make sure your router is capable/enabled to do DHCP. If it's not, then setup static private IP's instead.

If eth0 is getting recognized from ifconfig, I'm gonna bet that the issue is with the router rather than the card. But we'll see...

Cool