Linux-Hardware Digest #43, Volume #11 Wed, 18 Aug 99 19:13:38 EDT
Contents:
Re: Solved Linksys Etherfast 10/100 Problems ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Re: 3D CreativeLabs Voodoo^2 ("Bobby D. Bryant")
YAMAHA sound card problems - need help (Calin Rotaru)
Re: swap partition size issues ("Bobby D. Bryant")
Re: WhereToFind? Socket 7 motherboard with onboard ethernet, sound, and (Shawn
Green)
Re: modemblaster (Richard Walllace)
Re: Can't get 2 NIC's to work too (Scott McEachern)
Re: Need help! want to intsall Linux but Compusa says No! (Bill Rausch)
Re: Voodoo vs. Riva TNT (David Ripton)
Re: #@$%&%( WINMODEMS are a pain in the A#$^& (Left Hand of Xenu)
Re: How to use Floppy and ZIP driver in Linux Redhat 6.0? ("kryliss")
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.networking
Subject: Re: Solved Linksys Etherfast 10/100 Problems
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 21:14:43 GMT
I got the following hillarious article from the tulip driver archives.
Hope it solves most of your Linksys Etherfast 10/100 LAN card problems
on Linux:
Linksys PNIC II glitches
Robin Whittle ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Sat, 14 Aug 1999 01:29:42 +1000
Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
Next message: Kevin Myer: "Re: strange behavior with 21143 cards"
Previous message: Richard Dynes: "Re: 2.2.11 and tulip.c issues"
Short version:
1 - The Linksys LNE100TX NICs I recently purchased with the
*excellent* super-cost-effective EZXS55W 5 port 10/100 Meg switch
are more trouble that they are worth for me, due to difficulties
with drivers under Linux, and a few other intermittent problems
which have been reported, and observed.
2 - Positive appraisal and defanning of the EZXS55W.
- - - -
Dear Donald and Linksys people,
(Also to the Tulip driver development list.)
Thanks, Donald, for your Ethernet drivers for Linux!
I am writing to report that your currently valid driver version (v0.91
4/14/99) at
http://cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov/linux/drivers/tulip.c
does not work with my particular Linksys NICs, but that the version
which comes on a floppy from Linksys does.
"v0.90f 12/17/98 Originally written by
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Driver modified for Linksys LNE100TX Fast Ethernet
PCI Adapter on 01/13/99"
Here is a description of the NIC.
PCB says:
Part No.: LNE100TX
Version 2.0
P/N:6804057404 REV:A2
(Date code on foil side of PCB: "9816".)
LSI, 128 pins:
LINKSYS
LNE100TX
LC82C115
C9914
T4023702
37BDX
This card has a "WOL" Wake On LAN connector and a 6 pin jumper to
configure it.
These NICs works fine with Windows 98.
They are not recognised at all by the Red Hat 6.0 installation
procedure. (This is a pest even if the card is subsequently made to
work, since I find it easier to install via LAN and set up all the
networking details during installation, rather than later.)
Once RH6.0 is installed, attempts to use the normal tulip.o driver
fail, with an error message pointing out that the card ID of:
11ad c115
is not recognised.
Therefore, I looked up the Ethernet HowTo, which took me to the
Linksys page:
http://www.linksys.com/support/solution/nos/linux_lne100tx.htm
which directed me to use the latest available driver at:
http://cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov/linux/drivers/tulip.c
(v0.91 4/14/99) which I compiled and installed. The driver was happy
with the NIC, but it would not in fact send or receive any packets to
the LAN (actually to a magnificent Linksys 100 Mbps 5 port *switch*).
(BTW, the Linksys page says to "depmod -a", which I did, but this is
not mentioned on the development page.)
I tried every other possible configuration thing, and still it would
not work.
When I compiled the driver from the floppy, the worked fine. (Althoug
I have not extensively tested it.)
Clearly the "v0.91 4/14/99" driver is supposed to work with this chip,
since:
1 - The source mentions its PCI ID and has special provisions for it.
2 - The Linksys site indicates that this is the driver code to use.
3 - The driver recognises the chip and installs itself happily, with
the message:
"Lite-On PNIC-II rev 37 at . . . . IRQ 9"
4 - TCP-DUMP reports activity of packets sent to this interface.
However, it simply doesn't work! (I have not tried the "testing"
version of the driver, currently "v0.91g".)
Here are some suggestions for Linksys to improve matters:
1 - Correct the page:
http://www.linksys.com/support/solution/nos/linux_lne100tx.htm
which states that for RH5.2 and 6.0 the standard drivers will
work. (Below that, there is a qualification, for if they don't!)
Also, it states that the current driver from the Tulip team
should work, which it doesn't - for these particular cards.
2 - Make the Floppy 2 /linux/ directory more helpful than simply the
tulip.c file and the GPL copying file. Point the user to the
web support page, and the Tulip development site. Give explicit
compilation and installation instructions in a readme.txt file.
Other concerns
==============
I note in the Errata of:
http://cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov/linux/drivers/tulip.html
"Due inaccurate documentation, autonegotiation cannot be enabled on
the PNIC chip."
This sounds like a good reason to use another kind of NIC!
This NIC card in my Windows machine occasionally (say every ten or
twenty minutes - or more often with lots of activity?) appears to die
for a second or so. The three LEDs for this card on the 5 port switch
go off together, and then come back on together.
According to the mailing list archives, a number of incorrect
behaviours have been observed with some PNIC based cards. I am not
sure if these are exactly the same cards as I have, but I would prefer
to avoid using cards which occasionally send invalid data to the LAN.
Whether these problems are caused by faulty driver design or not, I
cannot tell.
The point is, life is too way short to be spending time debugging
other people's hardware and software when all you want is a handfull
of bulletproof NICs! I can buy tried-and-tested Intel NICs (S/H
82557s for USD$33) and not have to worry about any of this! I only
got these Linksys NICs as part of the switch package, and I don't plan
to buy any more, or use them except perhaps on Windows machines . . .
but even then, I want real-time audio through the LAN, so I can't have
NICs going to sleep for a moment.
The Tulip Development Page has details of joining the mailing list.
Here are some URLs of recent postings in the archive pointing to
anomalous behaviour of PNIC cards (not necessarily the same type as
mine):
Problem with Linksys etherfast 10/100
http://www.tux.org/hypermail/linux-tulip-bug/1999-Jul/0014.html
Linksys PNIC card hangs up under load (v. 0.91g)
http://www.tux.org/hypermail/linux-tulip-bug/1999-Jul/0012.html
Odd bug when using tulip v0.91g on a LinkSys EtherFast 10/100 card
http://www.tux.org/hypermail/linux-tulip-bug/1999-Aug/0003.html
" . . . Whenever I send data from this card, it randomly (as far as
I can tell) cuts 2 characters within the file and moves them
forward a character before replacing them. . . . "
(Seriously low-level user debugging!)
- - - -
I have put the tulip.c from the floppy, this email, and any other
related files at:
http://gair.firstpr.com.au/temp/tulip/
- - - -
All hail the Linksys EZXS55W 5 port 10/100 Ethernet Switch!
===========================================================
Finally, lest someone think I have something against Linksys, let me
say that I think their new 5 port 10/100 Ethernet EZXS55W *Switch* is
a beauty! The cost here, ex-tax, with two NICs and two cables as a kit
was AUD$330, which is USD$215. If you look around, such as:
http://www.1stcomputersource.com/cgi-win/detail.exe?443980
the switch itself can be purchased for USD$124.
It is small, and has a fan - which is a source of noise and a dust and
long-term maintenance issue. (The fan is a 40mm sleeve bearing
Sunon.)
I modified my EZXS55W for fanless operation by removing the rear
panel, replaceing the top panel with a metal grid, adding a large
heatsink to the heatsink on the main LSI (I found one which
interdigitated nicely, used silicone grease, and cut some sheet
aluminium to slot into the side-slots of the case and work as a spring
to hold it in place) and adding a heatsink to the second largest LSI
(Allayer AL102).
As far as I know, this device is a faultless full-duplex 5 port 10/100
meg switch. Apart from perhaps its use of a fan, I think it is
beautifully made - and its cost is extremely attractive!
- Robin
===============================================================
Robin Whittle [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.firstpr.com.au
Heidelberg Heights, Melbourne, Australia
First Principles Research and expression: Consulting and
technical writing. Music. Internet music
marketing. Telecommunications. Consumer
advocacy in telecommunications, especially
privacy. M-F relationships. Kinetic sculpture.
Real World Electronics and software for music including:
Interfaces Devil Fish mods for the TB-303, Akai sampler
memory and Csound synthesis software.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
------------------------------
From: "Bobby D. Bryant" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: 3D CreativeLabs Voodoo^2
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 16:25:28 -0500
pces wrote:
> Can someone point out whether or not this 3D accelerator card works with
>
> Linux( specifically, for the SuSE 6.1 distribution)?
>
> I'm thinking of buying it (or the Diamond Monster 3D), but am not sure
> of its
> compatibility with Linux. I've checked the 3DfX howto, but it doesn't
> specifically
> list it, so thus my query.
>
> Any information appreciated.
It probably will. I ran the Monster 3D II on my old system, but it wasn't
SuSE. Look around at http://glide.xxedgexx.com/. They'll probably have the
info you need, and if not I think they link to some specialized fora where
you can ask.
Personally, I'd stay away from the Voodoo II and get a TNT or TNT2 or a
G200 or G400 if I could afford it. The acceleration for these is not up to
snuff yet, but they're working on it, and they already do in-window
rendering faster than the Voodoo II ever will. (Ignore this suggestion if
you just want it for playing full-screen 3D games.)
Bobby Bryant
Austin, Texas
------------------------------
From: Calin Rotaru <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: YAMAHA sound card problems - need help
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 22:00:47 GMT
Hi guys,
I'm trying to configure my YAMAHA YMF719-Y soundcard to work with Red
Hat 5.2. Has anyone successfully configured this type of sound card?
I have RedHat 5.2, kernel 2.0.36. The card's chipset is OPL3-SA3 (it's
a 16 bit card)
Device Manager in Windows shows the following:
IO adresses: 0220 - 022F
0530 - 0537
0388 - 038F
0330 - 0331
0370 - 0371
IRQ - 05
DMA - 00
DMA - 01
I tried sndconfig first (manually choosing OPL3/SAx chipset) but it
couldn't detect it (I couldn't hear the sound sample).
Then I tried pnpdump > /etc/isapnp.conf + uncommented some lines (so
that the params would be as above) + isapnp /etc/isapnp.conf. It still
didn't work! No sound! ( I even tried sndconfig again ) What does isapnp
actually do? What files does it change? I looked at my /dev/sndstat but
it wasn't touched.
What else should I try? Do I have to manually edit /etc/conf.modules?
What should I put there? I read somewhere that DMA channels 0-3 are 8
bit channels and 5-7 are 16 bit. Should I try DMA channels in the range
5-7?
Or should I try to recompile the kernel to include sound support? I
don't think there is support for my specific type of card. Would Red Hat
6.0 be better at detecting the card?
Thanks in advance,
Calin
------------------------------
From: "Bobby D. Bryant" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: swap partition size issues
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 16:17:10 -0500
Jeremy Fincher wrote:
> I'll be succint here: I have 256mb of ram. How big should I make my swap
> partition?
Everyone has a different opinion. I think almost everyone would say you need
*some* swap space, but disagree over how much.
I built a 256Mb system a few months ago and gave it 256Mb swap (actually 2 x
128Mb, since I did not know at the time that swapfiles can be > 128Mb under
recent kernels). I run a resource meter applet, and the only time it shows me
using a substantial fraction of my swap is when I work with large graphics files
or large LyX documents, or when Netscape goes into memory-grabbing mode. This in
spite of the fact that I use a resource-intensive desktop and tend to keep lots
of things open simultaneously. I'm sure I'd be OK with 128Mb of swap, or probably
even only 64Mb, but the difference between that and 256Mb is not significant on
today's large disks, so I don't regret deciding to allocate the large swap space.
IANAExpert, but I understand that Linux likes to kick idle things out to swap so
it can allocate big chunks of physical memory for buffers and the like. If disk
space is not an issue for you, go ahead and grab a big chunk for swap. It's
easier to live with a bit of "wasted" disk space if you allocate too much, than
to go back and repartition to create more if you allocate too little. Also,
history tells us that next year's apps will be more resource-hungry than this
year's are.
But if you have a small disk, 64Mb will surely be OK unless you run a lot of
really memory-intensive applications simultaneously. 256Mb of physical memory
goes a long way under Linux.
If you have multiple hard disks, you'll get some benefit from putting a smaller
swap partition on each physical disk rather than creating a single large one.
Good luck,
Bobby Bryant
Austin, Texas
------------------------------
From: Shawn Green <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.portable
Subject: Re: WhereToFind? Socket 7 motherboard with onboard ethernet, sound, and
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 12:08:27 -0700
OK, I need to ask. Why/how are you going to put a computer in your car?
BTW, go to www.atacom.com or www.astak.com. You may be able to find the
board at one of those places.
Shawn
David Scott Copus wrote:
> I'm looking for a Socket 7 (preferable Super 7) that has *onboard*
> sound, ethernet, and video. Does anybody recommend any
> motherboards that have all these features... and can work
> with Linux?
>
> Or... if you know where I can look to find motherboards with all
> these features... I will gladly accept any suggestions!!
>
> Just curious... but would an Intel 166 MMX (socket 7) run _cooler_
> or _warmer_ than any Pentium II chip? I want to put a computer
> in my car... and am concerned about heat. :>
>
> thanks!
> Scott.
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------------
From: Richard Walllace <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: modemblaster
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 20:03:14 GMT
I'm pretty sure they are winmodems, not quite 100% but close. I had one
that I tried to get to work for weeks and wound up going out and buying
the USR modem.
Richard
j wrote:
> does anyone know if the isa modemblasters are winmodems or hardware
> modems? I couldn't really get much info off the site about the
> hardware.
>
> thanks.
>
> j.
------------------------------
From: Scott McEachern <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.setup
Subject: Re: Can't get 2 NIC's to work too
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 22:06:35 GMT
eelco of viola wrote:
> Ed Wilts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> schreef in berichtnieuws
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> > >
> > > I have 2 identical 3com 905b NIC's. When I use just
> > > one to connect my machine to the outside world
> > > everthing is fine. As soon as I try to put both cards
> > > in nothing works. On bootup I get a delaying
> > > initialization message for both eth0 & eth1. Also adm
> > > takes forever to start when this happens.
> >
> > Try re-compiling your kernel without making the NIC modular. On some
> > (all?) NICs, making them modular won't work. I've got mine permanent
> > (and after all, I'm using them all the time anyway) and it's working
> > fine compiled in. I'm using PCI-based NE2000 clones.
> >
> > .../Ed
> > --
> > Ed Wilts
> > Mounds View, MN, USA
> > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Hello I`ve got the same problem using two NE2000 pci clones.
> I have them compiled in the kernel But they still won`t work together.
> At startup no delayes or failing messages.
>
> Can annyone shed another light on this matter maybe?
>
> thanks Eelco
I'm running SuSE 6.1, 2.2.10 with two PCI NE2k clones without any
problems. I only have the NE2k driver compiled in, and not as a module,
and the driver picks up both.
I wonder if it's because you have PnP enabled in your BIOS? Linux
usually get hairy around that stuff. I'm just wondering if they are both
competing for the same IRQ or something...
Try upgrading to the latest kernel (thus latest drivers)?
--
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www3.sympatico.ca/scott.mceachern
On the side of the software box, in the "System requirements section",
it said "Requires Windows 95 or better." So I installed Linux.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bill Rausch)
Subject: Re: Need help! want to intsall Linux but Compusa says No!
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 14:13:02 -0700
In article <7peirl$2ai$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> I am thinking about installing Linux on a new computer.
> It will have the below listed hardware.
>
> Ricoh CDRW
>
> Will I be able to use my CD writer? MOST IMPORTANT!
> I thought this was a good OS with support for most hardware. I read the
> package, but it did not say anything about compatible hardware so I put
> it down and did not buy.
I've installed successfully and burned CDRs on two systems with CD-RW
drives, one a Ricoh and one a Yamaha. I've never tried the CDRW capability
because I didn't have a need for it.
> Please help! I want to try the OS but do not want to give up the CD
> writer or net card. The other items such, as the TV card isn't so
> Important. Can anyone lead me into the right direction, a Web page or
> something to study up on the hardware compatibility.
Start at www.linux.com and www.linux.org and start following links.
--
Bill Rausch
bill at numerical dot com
UNIX, Mac, Windows software development
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (David Ripton)
Subject: Re: Voodoo vs. Riva TNT
Date: 18 Aug 1999 21:44:47 GMT
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
QuestionExchange <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>get ugly.... I am a big fan of the Riva cards, they do work
>quite nicely with linux, and Nvidia even ships linux drivers
>off theyre website. 3DFX voodoo 3's are essentially the same,
>except bear in mind, it will be a while before full rendering
>support is created. If I recall, glide is not supported by
>linux, so the major bennifet to 3Dfx is lost. Instead you have
Glide has been supported under Linux since 1997.
>to use OpenGL which is supported by both. Depending on the
>test, most often the Riva comes out on top, however when
>comparing the Riva TNT with the Voodoo 3, you tend to have a
>problem, as your jumping generations, the voodoo 3 being
>(technically) a third generation card, and the TNT being second
>generation. I reccomend personally, if this is just a user end
>system, not a graphics workstation (in which case, drop the
>cash for a real videocard) that you go with the TNT cards, only
>because drivers are shipped by nvidia. However, if you want to
>dual boot to windows, more games use glide there, so it might
>not be bad to look into the 3dfx cards. Best of luck.
Nvidia, Matrox, and 3dfx all make hardware with some 3D support
under Linux.
3dfx's closed-source Glide library has been used to allow Mesa
to run accelerated on 3dfx hardware. 3dfx has sued people for
writing Glide wrappers for other hardware. This kind of
behavior is a major threat to Linux and to competition in the
computer market in general (if IBM had successfully stopped
reverse-engineered BIOS, there would be no x86 clones, and
computers would be more expensive; if Microsoft had stomped
Samba, Linux would be a lot less useful in mixed-OS offices),
and I will no longer buy or recommend 3dfx products.
Nvidia has released open-source X and OpenGL Linux drivers.
Matrox has released partial specs for the G200, and an
open-source third-party Mesa driver is out there.
I'm using a Creative TNT 1 card, which works fine. The latest
cards are somewhat faster in 3D games.
--
David Ripton [EMAIL PROTECTED]
spamgard(tm): To email me, put "geek" in your Subject line.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Left Hand of Xenu)
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux,at.linux,comp.os.linux.setup
Subject: Re: #@$%&%( WINMODEMS are a pain in the A#$^&
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: 18 Aug 1999 14:51:53 -0700
On or about 9 Aug 1999 15:48:49 GMT, Jeremy Crabtree Intoned thusly:
>Lee Sharp allegedly wrote:
>
>>I don't not want to pay in
>>money or performance to support everyone else's legacy hardware.
>
>Good, then <GASP!!!!!> /DON'T!/
>Buy a mobo without any ISA slots, and leave us ISA-users(1) alone.
>
Even if the mainboard doesn't have ISA slots, if the chipset supports
them then the board is still burdened by a kludge impersonating a
bus. The sooner the entire ISA subsystem is gone, the better, as far
as I am concerned.
Bye.
--
They laughed at Louis Pasteur | "finger" me | I love humanity,
They laughed at Isaac Newton | for my pgp | It's just people
But they also laughed at | key block | I can't tolerate
Bozo the clown |___________________|
------------------------------
From: "kryliss" <kryliss_at_navix.net>
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux,comp.os.linux.setup
Subject: Re: How to use Floppy and ZIP driver in Linux Redhat 6.0?
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 16:44:21 -0500
Just try using mount /mnt/floppy
What IDE channel is your zipdrive on?
Jack Liu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> Dear Sir,
> I set up the Linux Redhat 6.0 and I can mount the CD-ROM rightly. I can
> find Floppy in Local driver information using Linuxconf. But when I use
> mount -t msdos dev/hd0 /mnt/floppy to mount the floppy, there is an error.
> I have the floppy directory in /mnt. So can you help me to use my floppy
> driver in Linux? I havn't setup PICIA in installing Redhat, How can I use
> the interal ATAPI Zip driver?
> Thank you very much!
>
> Jack
>
------------------------------
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