From: Cliff Sarginson
Hello.
Last weekend I bought a netwrork card for my brand new 486 Linux server. It was "NE2000 compatible and Software Configurable" First I tried to configure the card whith the shiped diskette, which let me to set base adress, an Interupt setting. Unfotunatly, this wasn't going to work.
Ok. So you set the IRQ and IO address. How did you decide which values to use ? Most of the setup diskettes will run tests on whether the card hardware is in good shape for you. The
The next thing I tried was to boot a one disk linux distro (from Toms ;) But it only showed my already working NE2000 card at adress 300 IRQ5. Then I booted the good old Windows 95, and with a lot of hacking I managed te get my card in the Hardware list, without any errors ( at IRQ11 Adr 340) This is very confusing, what hacking ?
I
thougt maybe the card would remember it's setting when I boot back to linux, but this was a big illusion... - Any thing I forgot? - Is there maybe a test tool to check if the card is functioning? - Is it possible to attacht my 2nd Network card to the 1st network card, which are in the same conputer, without any damage? Attach.. meaning ?
Thanks in advance..
Alex Risselada
With an ISA NE2000 clone. - Disable any wired in IRQ/IO, this may be something like allowing "jumperless configuration" or something similar. Turn off any jazz about plug and play as well - Determine an IRQ/IO range your Linux system regards as free, the I/0 range shouldnt be a problem (there are thousands of them believe it or not) You can get this from /proc/interrupts and /proc/ioports (just cat them). - With the card setup program see what IRQ/IO possibilities it gives you and choose one that would seem acceptable to your linux system. -Set it ! -Use the card diagnostics to test it (the plug test will fail if the card aint connected, dont worry about that) -You will need to adjust rc.config or use yast1..whatever .. to pass the IRQ/IO paramaters to the card. Assuming you are using modules. If you are using NE2000 support in the kernel image you have to do something else .. repost if that is the case.. Hope this helps Cliff