Re: SiS900 Ethernet Problems

[Heather <star@betelgeuse.starshine.org>]

Franz Keferb?ck:
>:> I have an IPC Top H Notebook with the "famous" SiS chipset which is in
>:> several new laptops (gericom, ipc, ...). I had no problems installing Debian
>:> on it, but since I updated to woody  ...
>:> when the System "Configures the network devices" the whole boot-process
>:> stops for about a minute and the kernel says "Media Link Off". Then
>:> everything goes on as it should - but ONE minute delay ... !
. . .
>:> Can anybody help me solve the problem and "speed up" my boot-time???

Mark Janssen:
> A thing that does work for me is pressing CTRL-C during this delay. It
> usually skips immediately.
> 
> ANother way to solve this is to only boot with a network cable attached.

Chris:
> One thing you can do is pick one of the runlevels
> 2 through 5, and make one of them a networkless
> option by removing the relevant Snn* script from
> the relevent rcN.d directory.
 
I usually do this by creating a directory named "disabled" under the
relevant runlevel, and moving the symlink in there.

Warning: updating the relevant package will put the stupid link back.

Much better: add into your /etc/network/interfaces, in the stanza for
	this interface --
		noauto

Then, it won't try to ifconfig while you've no cord present.  It'll wait
for you to type "ifup eth0".

> Then be sure to configure lilo to give you a
> boot prompt, so that you can enter "linux 2"
> for example to get to that run-level for 
> booting away from the network.  Then it won't
> even try configuring the network.
> 
> RedHat actually does this, making runlevel 2
> (or 3?) a network-less gui-less multi-user boot, and
> 5 a network-ful gui-ful multi-user boot.
> 
> Chris

If you want to make custom runlevels, I *deeply* recommend that you make
up runlevels 7, 8, or 9 and use them.  Our init supports these because it's
easier to honor all the digits than ignore 3 of them.  Our scripts don't
automagically put cruft in them during package updates -- I think.  Some 
might.  It's still easier to keep track of your own that way.

The "2 without network" "3 is normal multiuser" "4 for X support" 
"5 is most GUI-ful" layout for sysvinit predates Linux itself.  In those
setups, you actually progressed *through* the runlevels, not *to* a specific
one.

* Heather Stern * star@ many places...