Bug#527963: Regression bug - xirc2ps_cs kernel module works under Etch, fails under Lenny
When I closed this bug report, it appeared that my Compaq Netelligent 10/100 PC Card Ethernet adapter WOULD work with Ethernet cables which have no soft plastic boot protecting the hard plastic hook, but WOULD NOT work with cables which have boots. Subsequent testing, however, has disproved this. I've found cables with boots that work, and I've found cables without boots that don't work. I've done quite a bit of testing since then, and I now believe that the problem is a combination of cable length and router/switch quality. When attaching the dongle directly to my home router, which is a Trendnet TW100-S4W1CA 4-port Cable/DSL Broadband Router, via a single length of cable, I have found that the card works fine with shorter cables, such as ten-foot lengths, regardless of whether the cable has boots or not. The amber link integrity light on the dongle comes on and remains on. When using longer cables, such as 25-foot lengths, the card does not work. The amber link integrity light on the dongle flashes on and off. This is true regardless of whether the cable has boots on its plugs to protect the hooks or not. On the other hand, when I take the machine into the office and attach the dongle to the wall jack, behind which is a commercial-grade switch, I can use the longer 25-foot cables successfully, whether they have boots on them or not. My current theory is that the Compaq Netelligent 10/100 PC Card Ethernet adapter draws a lot of current from the router or switch that it is connected to, in comparison to other PC Card Ethernet adapters, and that the voltage drop across the longer cables is enough to make the voltage out of spec as seen by the card when it is connected to my cheap home router. When it is connected to a commercial-grade switch, which has a lower internal resistance, the voltage drop is not sufficient to make the voltage out of spec, even with the longer cables, and the card therefore works fine. But that is just a guess. What I do know is (1) when using my home router, 10-foot cables work with the card and 25-foot cables do not work with the card, boots or no boots. (2) When using a 3Com card that I have, either length of cable works fine with my home router, boots or no boots. (3) When using a commercial grade switch at the office, both 10- and 25-foot cables work fine with the Compaq card, boots or no boots. They also work with the 3Com card. In any case, my difficulties with the card are not related to changes made to the xirc2ps_cs driver between kernel releases 2.6.18 and 2.6.26. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-kernel-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
Bug#527963: Regression bug - xirc2ps_cs kernel module works under Etch, fails under Lenny
In the process of collecting additional supporting data, I have stumbled upon the problem. As mentioned earlier, there are two laptops involved here. One runs Etch (kernel 2.6.18) and the other runs Lenny (kernel 2.6.26). The Compaq Netelligent 10/100 PC Card adapter works in the Etch machine and fails in the Lenny machine. I concluded therefore that something must have changed in the driver (xirc2ps_cs) between Etch and Lenny that caused it to fail. Well, there are differences in the driver between the two releases. But that's not the problem. The problem turns out to be the Ethernet cable / dongle connection. The cable that runs to the Etch machine uses an older style of connector. The cable that runs to the Lenny machine uses a newer style of connector. The cable that runs to the Lenny machine has a flexible plastic sheath around the back of the hard plastic snap clip. It is intended to protect the hard plastic snap clip. In particular it is intended to keep the hard plastic snap clip from snagging on something and breaking off when the cable is being pulled out from under the floor, or otherwise being treated roughly. The cable that runs to the Etch machine does not have this protective plastic sheath. As it turns out, the newer style of connector with the protective plastic sheath does not mate securely with the RJ-45 connector in the short patch cable, sometimes called a dongle, that transitions from the miniature connector on the edge of the credit card adapter to a standard RJ-45 connector, into which the Ethernet cable is plugged. There is nothing wrong with the card. There is nothing wrong with the patch cable (dongle). There is nothing wrong with the Ethernet cable. But the patch cable (dongle) does not mate properly with that kind of Ethernet cable. Substituting a different Ethernet cable with the older style of connector (no protective plastic sheath) solved the problem. In other words, it's a hardware problem, not a software problem. Sorry to bother you. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-kernel-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
Bug#527963: Regression bug - xirc2ps_cs kernel module works under Etch, fails under Lenny
If you need more information on my system and how it is set up, please see http://www.wowway.com/~zlinuxman/tp600.htm.
Bug#527963: Regression bug - xirc2ps_cs kernel module works under Etch, fails under Lenny
I tried installing linux-image-2.6.29-bpo.2-686 from lenny-backports to see if the latest linux kernel would fix the problem, but it does not. The symptom is the same. The card is recognized and configured, but I/O does not work. Therefore, DHCP configuration fails. Here is the output of lspcmcia -v: -- Socket 0 Bridge:[yenta_cardbus] (bus ID: :00:02.0) Configuration: state: on ready: yes Voltage: 5.0V Vcc: 5.0V Vpp: 0.0V Socket 0 Device 0: [xirc2ps_cs](bus ID: 0.0) Configuration: state: on Product Name: Compaq Netelligent 10/100 PC Card CPQ-10/100 1.00 Identification: manf_id: 0x0183 card_id: 0x010a function: 6 (network) prod_id(1): Compaq (0x54f7c49c) prod_id(2): Netelligent 10/100 PC Card (0xefe96769) prod_id(3): CPQ-10/100 (0x7a590ccf) prod_id(4): 1.00 (0x83dbf271) Socket 1 Bridge:[yenta_cardbus] (bus ID: :00:02.1) Configuration: state: on ready: yes -- The exact same card works fine in another laptop running Etch, and a different 16-bit card which uses a different driver (3c574_cs) works fine under Lenny using both kernels linux-image-2.6.26-2-686 and linux-image-2.6.29-bpo.2-686.
Bug#527963: Regression bug - xirc2ps_cs kernel module works under Etch, fails under Lenny
Package: linux-image-2.6.26-2-686 Version: 2.6.26-15 Severity: normal I have two laptops. One is an IBM ThinkPad 390E running Debian Etch (kernel linux-image-2.6.18-6-686). The other is an IBM ThinkPad 600 running Debian Lenny (kernel linux-image-2.6.26-2-686). I have a 16-bit PC Card 10/100 Ethernet adapter that works in the Etch machine but does not work in the Lenny machine. The card has COMPAQ 10/100 PC CARD and 292811-008 on the front and various things on the back such as COMPAQ, With Integrated 100Mbps Transceiver, 292811-009, Series NNB108, N260, CE, PC Card, and some other stuff. I am using the patch cable (or dongle, or whatever you want to call it) that came with the card. Linux recognizes the card as fully supported and loads kernel module xirc2ps_cs to drive it. Under Etch, the card works fine. Under Lenny, the failure occurrs with a timeout of DHCP configuration. I can use other 16-bit and 32-bit Ethernet cards successfully in the Lenny machine, but not the Compaq card. lspcmcia -v lists the card as a Compaq Netelligent 10/100 card, though the word Netelligent is not physically printed on the card anywhere.
