RE: attaining IO port info for an ISA networkcard
> short question, the subject says it all really. how do you find out which io
> port your ISA networkcard is using?
>
>
> Brendon
Short question, but a long answer <g>. The answer lies in understanding
how the kernel handles the ISA bus during bootup AND how your particular
NIC works.
If you are using loadable modules for devices on the ISA bus, then you
have to specifiy the port and sometimes the irq. Some devices, such as
sound cards, may well need other info like DMA, etc. On the other hand,
if the NIC code is compiled into the kernel (not using loadable
modules), then usually the kernel will scan a range of ports & irqs
specified by the code to "find" the card and initialize it. If you have
a card with unknown io/irq values, re-compiling the kernel with a
specific piece of code "hardwired" into the kernel will frequently
suffice. In your case, it would probably be the "ne.o" code.
Most ISA NICs come from the factory with a pre-set io/irq values in it's
EEPROM. Some support "PnP" operation, but Linux doesn't during bootup
without the use of the "isapnp" program. Also, most ISA NICs will come
with "setup" program you can run under M$DOS to set the io port and irq
to free values for your system and/or choose "PnP" operation. This is
great for Winders, but not too useful for Linux users. You can obtain a
set of Linux diagnostics and setup programs for many cards from Don
Becker's site at: http://www.scyld.com/page/support/network/ . This
should allow you to "setup" your NIC to whatever values match your
system. The important thing here is that you should choose these values
correctly. Linux WILL NOT change these values via PnP, and if you
specify something that conflicts with something else, you WILL have a
resource conflict.
Another way of finding out the io/irq values to use in modconf(or with
loadable modules) is just to insert the card into a Winders (Win 95, 98,
ME, etc) machine and see what it detects, then use the same values for
your modconf options. In any case, I would review the copious amount of
info available on your particular NIC at the site mentioned above. The
various ISA NIC's setup will vary somewhat according to the chipset
used.
Cheers,
-Don Spoon-
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