How do I find out what's causing my network to not-work?

The machine in question is a P100 (ancient) with a 3COM 3C509B ISA 10Mbps network card. Module 3C509 is loaded and doesn't offer any errors. I've checked the IFCFG files, HOSTS, HOSTS.ALOC/DENY, HOST.CONF and RESOLV.CONF files. It all looks fine but it doesn't work.

Two other machines can talk quite happily, TELNET/FTP/PING etc. It's only this machine that's knackered. All systems are running 2.2nn Kernel Linux Mandrake 7.0 or 7.1 or 7.2.

I think I need to be able to delete/(re)define the card but how?

Vindaloo.

 

Is it an ISA PnP card ?
Have you told the driver the IO and IRQ ?

Errrr. I've struggled a couple of time recently to get an ISA card to work in Linux (ISDN) searching for ISAPNP might get yo some info...

Deano

 

I'm currently on GOOGLE searching for info.....erm...there's a lot out there.

I've tried two different cards in two different ISA slots. I've a 3C509-TPO and a 3C509B. I'm concentrating on the B for now.

I'll try the io=0x300 option this evening.

...if that doesn't work, then I'll try bootparm:-
ether=10,0x310,4,0x3c509,eth0 ...or similar.

Vindaloo.

[Edited by vindaloo - 11/28/2003 5:58:57 PM]

 

What does 'lspci' say?

Oh, just read it's an ISA and not PCI

[Edited by stevencotton - 11/28/2003 7:20:55 PM]

 

I've now tried three network cards without success and degraded the situation to the point where the PC would hang if I IFDOWN'd ETH0. The cards are now out of the PC.

I have a 3C509 (1992 vintage) that isn't detected at all by PNPtools. In addition I have 3C509B (1995) and a 3C509B-TPO

From what I've read, I need a config. utility to tell the card (3C509B) it's not to PNP.

Vindaloo.

 

before you go any further, have you pinged the loopback?
The first step should always be to check the TCP stack is functioning correctly.
Then you can start to work your way through the OSI layers.

If not from what I have read here, it sounds to be a driver issue, but then I suppose you already knew that. Its difficult to be of more help in situations like this without being local to the machine.

Might be worth grabbing a different distro of Linux. Slack tends to have pretty good driver support for older cards. RH and SuSE rarely letyou down with drivers either.

 

Yup, loopback works fine.

This is the first time that these cards have been tried in a "linux only" config. I may have been lucky in the past as Win98 probably sorted out the configs for me. There are SO MANY people having trouble with these cards. Searching on Google reveals reams of the stuff.

I think I'm going to buy a PCI card. opefully my stress level and Bierre 33 consumption level will drop afterwards.

Vindaloo.

 

grabbing a new card is a good idea. They are only about a fiver anyway.

I can recommend realtek cards for Linux systems. I have never had any issues with them on any unix like system.

 

Gedi,

An excellent suggestion and spookily what I'd bought this afternoon....

Belkin 10/100 Mbps Realtek for £4.99 from PC world. Now installed and running fine.

Vindaloo.