MIATA hardware variation breaks Linux ethernet driver: survey!

[Kristoffer.Rose@ens-lyon.fr]

Dear all,

  Abstract: I propose a survey to pinpoint exactly what hardware change in
  newer digital MIATAs (PWS 433/500 a/au) it is that breaks the linux
  ethernet drivers (tulip and de4x5).

As you have seen from my several recent messages there seems to be a change
in the integrated ethernet hardware in newer MIATAs (aka PWS 433a, 433au,
500a, 500au, ...).  In my case this means that the PWS500a that was sold to
me by a digital dealer with redhat 5 cannot run this system without them
lending me another ethernet card...

First, thanks for all the suggestions for how to fix it: I tried them all,
and I have spent more than 30 hours compiling kernels (2.0.30/32/33,
2.1.92/102/103) and drivers (tulip 0.83/87/88/89D/89H and de4x5),
downloading different MILO versions, cold booting, passing options to the
tulip driver, etc., reinstalling from scratch (as you kindly proposed :).
Maybe I have faulty hardware -- but today Harold Lind reported a similar
problem on another new MIATA (a 500au), and we just might be looking at an
avalanche here.  This is really a shame since I feel we should support that
digital (France, at least) actually delivers PWS500as *with* redhat.

In short, I think this has reached a state where it is pointless to propose
more experiements.  Instead I propose that we help digital pinpoint
*exactly* what change in newer MIATAs cause this trouble.  Therefore I'd
like to SURVEY which variants work and which don't, and get the serial
numbers of the machines so digital can track down the difference to a
particular change (or production site or whatever).

So please fill out the following QUESTIONNAIRE if you have a MIATA.
Please: It is equally important to get replies from machines that work and
those that do not.  Then we can probably get an exact reply from digital
without it costing them too much effort, and hopefully provide the
tulip/de4x5 authors with precise data for fixing it.

==8<======================================================================
		       MIATA ETHERNET QUESTIONNAIRE

Please replace the _s below with information about your MIATA system and
send the result to Kristoffer.Rose@ENS=Lyon.FR.

* Generic information (from the box).

  MIATA model (as written on the box):		_
  Serial number:				_

* Hardware information (from /proc/pci).

  Ethernet controller:				_
  Ethernet controller PCI location:		_
  PCI bridge (from /proc/pci):			_
  Do you have a second ethernet card?		_

* Kernel information (from the boot message; repeat if several).

  Linux kernel version:				_
  Primary ethernet driver:			_
  Is the ethernet driver a module?		_
  Driver startup parameters:			_
  Does it work?					_
  (If yes and you did something special then please explain below.)

Thank you.
==8<======================================================================

For information, here is mine:

==8<======================================================================
		       MIATA ETHERNET QUESTIONNAIRE

* Generic information (from the box).

  MIATA model (as written on the box):		PWS500a	
  Serial number (of "MIATA kernel assembly"):	AY80405516

* Hardware information (from /proc/pci).

  Ethernet controller:				dec dc21142 (rev 48)
  Ethernet controller PCI location:		bus 0 device 3
  PCI bridge (from /proc/pci):			dec dc21152 (rev 2)
  Do you have a second ethernet card?		yes

* Kernel information (from the boot message; repeat if several).

  Linux kernel version:				2.0.30
  Primary ethernet drivers:			tulip 0.83
  Is the ethernet driver a module?		no
  Driver startup parameters:			
  Does it work?					no

  Linux kernel version:				2.0.33
  Primary ethernet drivers:			tulip 0.88
  Is the ethernet driver a module?		yes
  Driver startup parameters:			options=12
  Does it work?					no

  Linux kernel version:				2.1.103
  Primary ethernet drivers:			tulip 0.89H
  Is the ethernet driver a module?		yes
  Driver startup parameters:			options=12
  Does it work?					no

  Linux kernel version:				2.1.103
  Primary ethernet drivers:			de4x5 0.536
  Is the ethernet driver a module?		yes
  Driver startup parameters:			
  Does it work?					no
==8<======================================================================

Thank you.

-- 
Kristoffer Høgsbro Rose, Ph.D., prof.associé  <Kristoffer.Rose@ENS-Lyon.FR>
Laboratoire de l'Informatique du Parallélisme  équipe PLUME, bureau LR5-026
Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon; 46, Allée d'Italie; F-69364 Lyon 07 cedex
phone: +33(0)4 7272 8642; fax:...8080    <http://www.ens-lyon.fr/~krisrose>


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