eth0 works with Linksys hub but not Netgear switch?!?

I have a weird issue, not really a problem anymore since I figured it
out .... I was swapping & moving network hubs & switches around and
noticed (after some serious hair-pulling) that my server's built-in
network (intel 82559-based) works fine when it's plugged into a Linksys
EW5HUB hub, but not when it's plugged into a Netgear FS608v2 switch
(the hub is plugged into the switch). WHen plugged into the hub
(prepare for idiot-led observations), the hub LED is steady or flashes
as expected ... same for the ethernet LED on the back of the computer,
and eth0 works fine. When plugged into the Netgear switch, the LED on
the switch flashes continuously at about 10 per sec and eth0 doesn't
work at all. The ethernet LED on the computer is steady.

Two other PCs work fine when plugged into either the hub or switch. I
checked all the ports on the switch, so it isn't a flakey port.
/var/log/messages indicates that the server isn't able to get an IP
from my DHCP router/firewall (see below)

Is there some kind of incompatability betweek the 82559 (or e100
driver?) and Netgear?

-----------------------------------------------
Good connection:
kernel: parport0: irq 7 detected
kernel: ip_tables: (C) 2000-2002 Netfilter core team
kernel: ip_conntrack version 2.1 (4095 buckets, 32760 max) - 292 bytes
per conntrack
kernel: Intel(R) PRO/100 Network Driver - version 2.2.21-k1
kernel: Copyright (c) 2003 Intel Corporation
kernel:
kernel: e100: eth0: Intel(R) PRO/100 Network Connection
kernel: Hardware receive checksums enabled
kernel: cpu cycle saver enabled
kernel:
netfs: Mounting other filesystems: succeeded
autofs: automount startup succeeded
sshd: succeeded
network: Bringing up interface eth0: succeeded
xinetd[746]: xinetd Version 2.3.11 started with libwrap loadavg
options compiled in.
xinetd[746]: Started working: 4 available services
xinetd: xinetd startup succeeded
ntpd: ntpd startup succeeded
ntpd[758]: ntpd 4.1.1c-rc1@1.836 Thu Feb 13 12:17:19 EST 2003 (1)
ntpd[758]: precision = 9 usec


-----------------------------------------------
Failed connection:
..
..
kernel: cpu cycle saver enabled
kernel:
kernel: e100: eth0 NIC Link is Up 100 Mbps Full duplex
kernel: e100: eth0 NIC Link is Up 100 Mbps Full duplex
autofs: automount startup succeeded
ifup: , pipe 3
dhcpcd[534]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response
sshd: succeeded
xinetd[714]: xinetd Version 2.3.11 started with libwrap loadavg
options compiled in.
xinetd[714]: Started working: 4 available services
xinetd: xinetd startup succeeded
ntpd: ntpd startup succeeded



-----------------------------------------------
modinfo e100
filename: /lib/modules/2.4.20-31.9smp/kernel/drivers/net/e100/e100.o
description: "Intel(R) PRO/100 Network Driver"
author: "Intel Corporation, <(E-Mail Removed)>"
license: "GPL"
parm: TxDescriptors int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Number of transmit descriptors"
parm: RxDescriptors int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Number of receive descriptors"
parm: XsumRX int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Disable or enable Receive Checksum offload"
parm: e100_speed_duplex int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Speed and Duplex settings"
parm: ucode int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Disable or enable microcode loading"
parm: ber int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Value for the BER correction algorithm"
parm: flow_control int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Disable or enable Ethernet PAUSE frames processing"
parm: IntDelay int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Value for CPU saver's interrupt delay"
parm: BundleSmallFr int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Disable or enable interrupt bundling of small frames"
parm: BundleMax int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Maximum number for CPU saver's packet bundling"
parm: IFS int array (min = 1, max = 16),
description "Disable or enable the adaptive IFS algorithm"





RHL (Linux version 2.4.20-31.9smp)
Intel L440gx+ server (dual Piii)

pt wrote:
> I have a weird issue, not really a problem anymore since I figured it
> out .... I was swapping & moving network hubs & switches around and
> noticed (after some serious hair-pulling) that my server's built-in
> network (intel 82559-based) works fine when it's plugged into a Linksys
> EW5HUB hub, but not when it's plugged into a Netgear FS608v2 switch
> (the hub is plugged into the switch). WHen plugged into the hub
> (prepare for idiot-led observations), the hub LED is steady or flashes
> as expected ... same for the ethernet LED on the back of the computer,
> and eth0 works fine. When plugged into the Netgear switch, the LED on
> the switch flashes continuously at about 10 per sec and eth0 doesn't
> work at all. The ethernet LED on the computer is steady.
>
> Two other PCs work fine when plugged into either the hub or switch. I
> checked all the ports on the switch, so it isn't a flakey port.
> /var/log/messages indicates that the server isn't able to get an IP
> from my DHCP router/firewall (see below)
>
> Is there some kind of incompatability betweek the 82559 (or e100
> driver?) and Netgear?
>

I've never used that specific Intel NIC, but I've seen that behavior
with other NICs and switches. In particular early 3com 3c905's.

Have you tried grabbing the latest source from Intel ?
http://www.intel.com/support/network...linux/e100.htm
Maybe whatever version you're using is the issue...

If that doesn't help, I'd try forcing the NIC to a specific speed/duplex
instead of auto detect which is probably the default. That helped us
with the 3com's in some cases. Forcing the switch port to a specific
speed/dulpex also worked, but that's probably not an option with a
Netgear switch...

If your NIC driver is a module, have you tried unloading/reloading it
and/or brining the interface down + up ?
Or have you tried compiling it directly into the kernel instead of as a
module ? Worth a shot maybe.

Anyway, what you're describing isn't unheard of, and there should be a
workaround if updating the module/source doesn't help.


--
- Matt -

> Is there some kind of incompatability betweek the 82559 (or e100
> driver?) and Netgear?

Like Matt, I have seen this sort of behavior before with a Netgear hub
(and a 3C905B I think). The problem was a negotiation screw-up: the 905
thought the connection was full duplex, and the Netgear hub wanted half
duplex. IIRC, forcing the connection to be half duplex cured the
problem. You could try this.

Another thing you could do would be to try the eepro100 driver, which I
think was part of the stock RH9 kernel. If the problem is in
negotiation this shouldn't make any difference, but it can't hurt to try.

pt wrote:
> I have a weird issue, not really a problem anymore since I figured it
> out .... I was swapping & moving network hubs & switches around and


One other thing I forgot to mention... The fast LED flashing behavior
that the Netgear switch exhibits starts almost immediately after the PC
powers on, while it's still running through it's self-test. Obviously
the driver isn't an issue, and I would even doubt it's a BIOS issue,
unless the NIC goes through some kind of negotiation asynchronously
from what's happen with the BIOS & cpus. That's a guess though.