Re: Configuring pcmcia cards at boot-up

[Udo Klein <udo-michael.klein@kcl.ac.uk>]

Antonio,

adding "auto eth0" to /etc/network/interfaces doesn't work for PCMCIA 
cards. I've already tried. In fact, it actually says so in 
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/reference/ch-gateway.en.html#s-trigger-auto
It says there: "Never list PCMCIA interfaces in auto stanzas. The PCMCIA 
cardmgr is started later in the boot sequence than when 
/etc/rcS.d/S40networking runs."

But surely, there must be a way of configuring two PCMCIA cards during 
boot up...

Udo

Antonio Rafael C. Paiva wrote:
> Udo,
>
> I think the only thing extra to include is that you need to specify in 
> the interface file that both interfaces need to activated when on. For 
> that just add the interface name to the line beginning with auto.
>
> Antonio
>
> Udo Klein wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm trying to use an old Toshiba Satellite laptop as a gateway. To do 
> > this I use two ethernet pcmcia cards (both 3c589), one connected to 
> > the cable modem (external interface), one connected to a switch 
> > (internal interface).
> >
> > What I want is (1) to have both cards permanently plugged in ("cold 
> > plugged") and (2) to have both interfaces configured during boot-up.
> >
> > I worded out how to configure the file /etc/network/interfaces to 
> > allow for the two cards to be hotplugged, so I can FIRST boot up, THEN 
> > insert both cards into the slots, and they get automatically 
> > configured. I also worked out how to configure the same file to allow 
> > for the external interface card to be plugged in before boot-up, and 
> > to be configured during boot-up, but this only works if the second 
> > card is not yet plugged in! As soon as both cards are plugged in at 
> > boot up, the external interface card doesn't get configured properly, 
> > resulting in no connectivity.
> >
> > Can somebody please tell me which files need to be configured and how?
> >
> >
> > The ethernet howto has a section discussing the configuration of two 
> > ethernet interfaces, but I remember having read somewhere that this 
> > only applies to PCI cards, not PCMCIA cards.
> >
> > Specifications: Debian Sarge, kernel 2.4.27-2-386, on a Toshiba 
> > Satellite Pro 430CDS. The ethernet cards are both 3c589.
> >
> > Thanks, Udo K.