Re: anyone got a quad/tri port ethernet card for sale?!!
This sounds like a problem I have had to deal with. We are using the VIA
CL 10000 in a firewall/filter application for local schools. The two LAN
ports actually use different controller chips. One is a VT6105 and the
other a VT6102 (crazy but true!) The latest version of the via-rhine
driver (in kernel 2.4.23 onwards, I believe) works properly with both
ports. The standard bf24 version does not. It is possible to use the
driver code that comes with the motherboard with standard 2.4.18 kernel
source - it produces a driver called rhinefet which works. I decided it
was simpler to move to the newer kernel with a fully supported driver,
and I now have a fully working version based on the 2.4.24 kernel. In
the process I have tried to optimise the kernel setup.
We did not have the option of bypassing the on-board ports as we are
producing ~150 boxes in a 1U rackmount case.
HTH
--
----------------------------
Giles Nunn - ISP Officer
Carms ICT Development Centre
+44 1267 228277
----------------------------
On Sun, 2004-02-29 at 00:51, Chris Evans wrote:
> Semi-serious request: I really don't think I can afford 350 pounds
> for an Intel card with a hugely impressive but for me gratuitous
> Gigabit of bandwidth when all I need is three ethernet ports on a
> firewall on a set up I run for charities (it's a sort of ISP but only
> for opt-in lists!) at a net loss to myself. My stupid fault but any
> help or advice desperately needed as my old firewall is making very
> nasty noises.
>
> Long, tedious story that has gone to debian-users and netdrivers in
> little hope below but thanks for reading this far anyway!!
>
> Chris
>
> Long story:
>
> I hope I can get some help on this list as I've dug myself in a hole
> I think.
>
> I run debian stable (3.0r2) for a small home set up on ADSL that
> handles Email (closed opt in!) for some charities. I've used old
> hardware for a firewall and a server but the firewall is dying and I
> replaced it with a lovely, small, near silent box with a VIA EPIA
> mini-ITX motherboard which has two LAN ports controlled by a VT6105
> on board controller. If I stick a tried and tested realtek 8139
> clone PCI card in I can have the three ports I want ....
>
> Having always used old hardware and never hit compatibility problems
> I didn't realise I was asking for trouble. The 2.4.18 kernel is the
> latest in the Debian stable distro and I want to stick with Debian
> 'cos I know and trust it, and stable 'cos of the security updates,
> particularly important as this is firewall. Trouble is that I think
> the driver I need is a via-rhine one but the one that comes with that
> Debian kernel won't install (the rtl one does fine!). I've tried
> pulling the driver (rhinefet) off the VIA motherboard site and the
> via-rhine off the scyld site but I'm hopelessly out of my depth now
> as there are clearly old and vexatious issues about the ways that
> different distros store the headers and source, e.g. both VIA and
> scyld's Makefiles and source want a modversions.h file that clearly
> doesn't exist in Debian .. I've tried to work round that but modprobe
> on the via-rhine.o I finally produced gives all sorts of unresolved
> symbol complaints and I know I'm out of my league here.
>
> Can anyone help? The only alternative I can see looming is to spend
> about a third as much as I paid for the entire machine on a totally
> unnecessarily fast quadport Intel card (I need three ports and only
> have one free PCI slot as the machine is so small).
>
> Sod, sod, sod: I'll take hardware compatibility more seriously in
> future won't I?!
>
> TIA,
>
> Chris
>
> PSYCTC: Psychotherapy, Psychology, Psychiatry, Counselling
> and Therapeutic Communities; practice, research,
> teaching and consultancy.
> Chris Evans & Jo-anne Carlyle
> http://psyctc.org/ Email: chris@psyctc.org
>
>
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