Re: modconf not working, net module 3c59x can't be loaded. any help?
On Sat, Nov 03, 2001 at 04:36:17PM -0500, Gianguido Cianci wrote:
> if I do not add the line "3c59x" manually to /etc/modules then the dmesg
> does not contain any trace of eth0. So I guess I need to leave that in
> then??
Yes. /etc/modules is the list of kernel modules (think device drivers,
if you are coming from Windows) that get loaded by the init scripts on
boot. You need to leave that in, else the kernel will not know about
your network card.
> and carry on with configuring eth0 ...(?)
eth0 is the kernels name for the first ethernet card in the system.
Unlike the rest of the system devices, network cards don't have a file
in /dev... they just are refered to by name.
To configure eth0, you should look at /etc/network/interfaces, and the
ifup and ifdown commands. man ifup and man interfaces for details.
> Also, the position of the eth0 part of dmesg with respect to the rest of the
> message varies according to the position of "3c59x" in the file
> /ect/modules... is that ok/normal?
Yep. They get loaded from the top down, but that shouldn't matter.
> Eitherway, with or without the extra line in /etc/modules neither lsmod nor
> modconf tell me about eth0. So how do I know all is working?
> Surely there is a better test than looking at dmesg?? or is there ??
You can query the status of an interface using the ifconfig command.
ifconfig eth0, for example.
> Finally, what does configuring eth0 exactly mean? how far am I from internet
> access? Or is it ridiculous to eventhink about at the stage where I am at?
Configuring eth0 means that you're going to setup the network config for
the network protcols you want to use on the interface called eth0. In
your case, you are probably going to be configuring TCP/IP, so you'll be
setting up your IP address, gateway, etc.
As for how far away you are from Internet access... depends on the rest
of your setup, but you're certainly on the right track if you ethernet
card is being recognized.
> forgive my ignorance, this *is* my first time with Linux as well as Debian
No problem. That's what this list is for, and it's hard to get that
first pointer towards what you want to accomplish sometimes. (ie, it's
hard to RTFM when you can't even find the manual, or even know what the
name of the thing you're looking for is)
M
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