Debian Etch, DEC 21041 NIC chip set

I'm planning on trying a Debian network install this weekend
so the network has to work. The problem has been this chip.
Some distributions detect it, but can't seem to configure
it correctly so there is no eth0 shown in ifconfig. Others
show a eth0 card with a lot of errors. Can anyone confirm
that Etch will detect and configure this card correctly (or
offer the how-to to make it work)? I have searched the net
and the Debian site and there is nothing specifically
mentioned about this chip, at least not in the last year.

Yes, I realize that for $15 I could replace the NIC, but
what's the fun in that?

Thanks,

In article <46409ab7$0$8991$(E-Mail Removed)>,
Dave Boland <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>I'm planning on trying a Debian network install this weekend
>so the network has to work. The problem has been this chip.
> Some distributions detect it, but can't seem to configure
>it correctly so there is no eth0 shown in ifconfig. Others
>show a eth0 card with a lot of errors. Can anyone confirm
>that Etch will detect and configure this card correctly (or
>offer the how-to to make it work)? I have searched the net
>and the Debian site and there is nothing specifically
>mentioned about this chip, at least not in the last year.
>
>Yes, I realize that for $15 I could replace the NIC, but
>what's the fun in that?
>
>Thanks,
>

Haven't tried Etch... but the chipset's worked well since RH6.2 and all
through the RH series. Used 'em both on RH7.2 with a four ports board
at work.

Good chips.


The only board with problems is the one I have from Matrox which is NOT
supported anywhere since they did some things with the Shark 4ports card
to make it not work.

I'd give anyone who wants a card if they can get one of these working
under Linux for me.

I've got a couple of these NS100/4 cards I'd like to use.
They'd go great in IPcop firewalls.

from:
http://www.freelabs.com/~whitis/hardware/quartet.html

"The matrox shark NS-100/4 is a four port tulip 21140 based card. To be
truly asinine, they put the EEPROM on the second (or third if you probe
backwards) chip so the tulip driver will not work correctly with or
without reverse_probe=1. This was reportedly a deliberate
incompatibility."

It will only ifconfig and run port eth2 because of the hardware layout
of the on board eeprom.

I think SCO had online driver sources for them as an example of writing
driver code.

Bill

pechter-at-gmail-dot-com

--
--
"When I think back on all the crap I learned in Vax school
It's a wonder I fixed anything at all." (to the tune of Kodachrome)
pechter-at-gmail.com