Re: [debian-knoppix] Multiple NIC Problem
On Fri, Aug 22, 2003 at 12:12:03AM +0000, Alex Kirk wrote:
> I've been running just fine off of a 3Com 905TX NIC for that time; it's
> worked like a charm. However, after I plugged in a new D-Link DWL-520
> Wireless card (which was immediately recognized by the system), my 3Com
> card ceased to be recognized. dmesg only had the wireless card, and
> unsurprisingly at that point, ifconfig -a showed just eth0 as the wireless
> NIC.
>
> Obviously, the system has no problem with the old 3Com card, since it ran
> like a charm and I didn't touch it. I found some vauge references to
> Knoppix not liking multiple NICs when searching the forums on Knoppix.net,
> but I've not been able to find squat in terms of actual info on the
> (possible) problem anywhere else.
>
> Does anyone know if Knoppix does barf out with two NICs?
No, Linux does not barf out with two or more NICs.
You may have hit a general problem with IRQ misconfiguration in your
BIOS or a broken ACPI. Sometimes changing the sequence of slots in which
the cards are inserted, helps. As you may know, some PCI slots share
IRQs with some bridge or AGP controllers, which leads to all kinds of
trouble.
> Obviously, this
> can't be a permanent condition if it does die like that; what can I do to
> fix this? I admit I'm new to Linux, but I've been running OpenBSD for a
> couple of years, so I'm pretty comfortable with basic *NIX stuff, and I've
> tried just about everything I can think of.
OpenBSD (and DOS/Windows, too) should have the same problem, if there is
one, if the IRQ configuration of your PCI cards is just impossible. Please
check your boards manual, and your BIOS settings, for possible
conflicts.
I have been configuring computers with up to 5 network cards (different
and similar ones), and sometimes you just have to try out different
slot locations for these cards until everything works correctly.
Sometimes, a single ISDN card in the same computer can make all network
cards stop working, if put in the "wrong" slot.
Maybe you even ran out of usable interrupts. Or you have a broken APIC,
which means that booting with "knoppix noapic" may help to resort broken
IRQ configurations.
Some IRQs may be shared between network cards, some not. PC hardware is
awful, and gets worse all the time.
Regards
-Klaus Knopper
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