newbie: setting NIC speed?

Hi,

I just installed Red hat 9 and I have a D-Link 538 100/10 NIC. In
order to connect to my router I need to set the NIC's speed to 10mbps.
I tried putting MEDIA=10baseT in ifcfg-eth0 (which has no effect) and
"ifconfig eth0 media 10baseT" which gives an "operation not permitted"
error. I can do it from winXP (dual boot) so I know the NIC is
capable of switching speeds...

Any hints?

On 25 Dec 2003 21:14:50 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) (Steven Wong)
wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I just installed Red hat 9 and I have a D-Link 538 100/10 NIC. In
>order to connect to my router I need to set the NIC's speed to 10mbps.
>I tried putting MEDIA=10baseT in ifcfg-eth0 (which has no effect) and
>"ifconfig eth0 media 10baseT" which gives an "operation not permitted"
>error. I can do it from winXP (dual boot) so I know the NIC is
>capable of switching speeds...
>
>Any hints?

Why setting speed manualy? Isn't your NIC auto-sense medium? It
should work perfectly well in auto-sense mode - it works for me with
lot diferent cards and routers (AlliedTelesyn, D-Link, 3-COM, Corega,
built-in cards and AlliedTelesyn, D-Link, Cisco routers & switche's)

S. Baksa

On 25 Dec 2003 21:14:50 -0800, Steven Wong <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I just installed Red hat 9 and I have a D-Link 538 100/10 NIC. In
> order to connect to my router I need to set the NIC's speed to 10mbps.
> I tried putting MEDIA=10baseT in ifcfg-eth0 (which has no effect) and
> "ifconfig eth0 media 10baseT" which gives an "operation not permitted"
> error. I can do it from winXP (dual boot) so I know the NIC is
> capable of switching speeds...
>
> Any hints?

Not sure how to do that in ifconfig (maybe your syntax is incomplete or
needs quotes around value), or how to do it in /etc/modules.conf. Have
you tried using mii-tool (see 'man mii-tool). Try it from the shell first
(as root, or 'su -') and see if something like following works:

mii-tool -F 10baseT-HD eth0

or if either full or half duplex would work:

mii-tool -A 10baseT-FD,10baseT-HD eth0

If one of these work, you need to figure out where to put an
/sbin/mii-tool statement in an init script after that interface is brought
up.

--
David Efflandt - All spam ignored http://www.de-srv.com/

sasa-(E-Mail Removed) (Sasa S Baksa) wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
> On 25 Dec 2003 21:14:50 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) (Steven Wong)
> wrote:
>
> >Hi,
> >
> >I just installed Red hat 9 and I have a D-Link 538 100/10 NIC. In
> >order to connect to my router I need to set the NIC's speed to 10mbps.
> >I tried putting MEDIA=10baseT in ifcfg-eth0 (which has no effect) and
> >"ifconfig eth0 media 10baseT" which gives an "operation not permitted"
> >error. I can do it from winXP (dual boot) so I know the NIC is
> >capable of switching speeds...
> >
> >Any hints?
>
> Why setting speed manualy? Isn't your NIC auto-sense medium? It
> should work perfectly well in auto-sense mode - it works for me with
> lot diferent cards and routers (AlliedTelesyn, D-Link, 3-COM, Corega,
> built-in cards and AlliedTelesyn, D-Link, Cisco routers & switche's)
>
> S. Baksa

My router only works at 10 mbps, so I need to lower the speed

Steven Wong wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I just installed Red hat 9 and I have a D-Link 538 100/10 NIC. In
> order to connect to my router I need to set the NIC's speed to 10mbps.
> I tried putting MEDIA=10baseT in ifcfg-eth0 (which has no effect) and
> "ifconfig eth0 media 10baseT" which gives an "operation not permitted"
> error. I can do it from winXP (dual boot) so I know the NIC is
> capable of switching speeds...
>
> Any hints?
ethtool is the tool to use to do this over the (IIRC) now depricated
mii-tool. If you want to make the settings permanent, then use the
ETHTOOL_OPTS setting in the ifcfg file to select the ethtool options you
want set on a given interface when its brought up.
HtH
Neil

--
Neil Horman
Red Hat, Inc., http://people.redhat.com/nhorman
gpg keyid: 1024D / 0x92A74FA1, http://www.keyserver.net

(E-Mail Removed) (David Efflandt) wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
> On 25 Dec 2003 21:14:50 -0800, Steven Wong <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I just installed Red hat 9 and I have a D-Link 538 100/10 NIC. In
> > order to connect to my router I need to set the NIC's speed to 10mbps.
> > I tried putting MEDIA=10baseT in ifcfg-eth0 (which has no effect) and
> > "ifconfig eth0 media 10baseT" which gives an "operation not permitted"
> > error. I can do it from winXP (dual boot) so I know the NIC is
> > capable of switching speeds...
> >
> > Any hints?
>
> Not sure how to do that in ifconfig (maybe your syntax is incomplete or
> needs quotes around value), or how to do it in /etc/modules.conf. Have
> you tried using mii-tool (see 'man mii-tool). Try it from the shell first
> (as root, or 'su -') and see if something like following works:
>
> mii-tool -F 10baseT-HD eth0
>
> or if either full or half duplex would work:
>
> mii-tool -A 10baseT-FD,10baseT-HD eth0
>
> If one of these work, you need to figure out where to put an
> /sbin/mii-tool statement in an init script after that interface is brought
> up.


I get:
SIOCGMIIPHY on 'eth0' failed: Invalid argument

Is it possible that the current driver does not support setting the
speed of the NIC?

The driver cd that came with my NIC has a linux driver (A C file)
written for Red Hat 6, and I get all sorts of errors trying to compile
it.

(E-Mail Removed) (Steven Wong) wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed). com>...
> sasa-(E-Mail Removed) (Sasa S Baksa) wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
> > On 25 Dec 2003 21:14:50 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) (Steven Wong)
> > wrote:
> >
> > >Hi,
> > >
> > >I just installed Red hat 9 and I have a D-Link 538 100/10 NIC. In
> > >order to connect to my router I need to set the NIC's speed to 10mbps.
> > >I tried putting MEDIA=10baseT in ifcfg-eth0 (which has no effect) and
> > >"ifconfig eth0 media 10baseT" which gives an "operation not permitted"
> > >error. I can do it from winXP (dual boot) so I know the NIC is
> > >capable of switching speeds...
> > >
> > >Any hints?
> >
> > Why setting speed manualy? Isn't your NIC auto-sense medium? It
> > should work perfectly well in auto-sense mode - it works for me with
> > lot diferent cards and routers (AlliedTelesyn, D-Link, 3-COM, Corega,
> > built-in cards and AlliedTelesyn, D-Link, Cisco routers & switche's)
> >
> > S. Baksa
>
> My router only works at 10 mbps, so I need to lower the speed


Sorry, I just re-read your post and I get what you mean now.
My router does switch between 100/10 mbps, but it is broken in that
connecting at 100 mbps does not work properly. I can connect fine at
10 mbps from WinXP so I know it is possible to use the router.

On 26 Dec 2003 21:20:53 -0800, Steven Wong <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> (E-Mail Removed) (David Efflandt) wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
>> On 25 Dec 2003 21:14:50 -0800, Steven Wong <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> > Hi,
>> >
>> > I just installed Red hat 9 and I have a D-Link 538 100/10 NIC. In
>> > order to connect to my router I need to set the NIC's speed to 10mbps.
>> > I tried putting MEDIA=10baseT in ifcfg-eth0 (which has no effect) and
>> > "ifconfig eth0 media 10baseT" which gives an "operation not permitted"
>> > error. I can do it from winXP (dual boot) so I know the NIC is
>> > capable of switching speeds...
>> >
>> > Any hints?
>>
>> Not sure how to do that in ifconfig (maybe your syntax is incomplete or
>> needs quotes around value), or how to do it in /etc/modules.conf. Have
>> you tried using mii-tool (see 'man mii-tool). Try it from the shell first
>> (as root, or 'su -') and see if something like following works:
>>
>> mii-tool -F 10baseT-HD eth0
>>
>> or if either full or half duplex would work:
>>
>> mii-tool -A 10baseT-FD,10baseT-HD eth0
>>
>> If one of these work, you need to figure out where to put an
>> /sbin/mii-tool statement in an init script after that interface is brought
>> up.
>
>
> I get:
> SIOCGMIIPHY on 'eth0' failed: Invalid argument
>
> Is it possible that the current driver does not support setting the
> speed of the NIC?
>
> The driver cd that came with my NIC has a linux driver (A C file)
> written for Red Hat 6, and I get all sorts of errors trying to compile
> it.

RH 9 (or any 2.4 kernel) should have already had 8139too module that
should work for your nic. You should have checked that before compiling
your own older module. Hope you did not mess anything up. Some systems
that try to recognize the nic, try to use rtl8139 module, which did not
work for my DFE-530TX+ nics, which I think have same chip as your 538.
But 8139too works fine. Maybe the newer module would work better
automatically with your router without having to do anything.

The older module might not have supported 'mii-tool' or other methods of
easily changing settings. Someone mentioned 'ethtool', but I do not know
what that is because it is not on any of my SuSE systems (maybe RH
specific or something very new).

--
David Efflandt - All spam ignored http://www.de-srv.com/

On 26 Dec 2003 21:24:45 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) (Steven Wong)
wrote:

>(E-Mail Removed) (Steven Wong) wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed). com>...
>> sasa-(E-Mail Removed) (Sasa S Baksa) wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
>> > On 25 Dec 2003 21:14:50 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) (Steven Wong)
>> > wrote:
>> > Why setting speed manualy? Isn't your NIC auto-sense medium? It
>> > should work perfectly well in auto-sense mode - it works for me with
>> > lot diferent cards and routers (AlliedTelesyn, D-Link, 3-COM, Corega,
>> > built-in cards and AlliedTelesyn, D-Link, Cisco routers & switche's)
>> >
>> > S. Baksa
>>
>> My router only works at 10 mbps, so I need to lower the speed
>
>
>Sorry, I just re-read your post and I get what you mean now.
>My router does switch between 100/10 mbps, but it is broken in that
>connecting at 100 mbps does not work properly. I can connect fine at
>10 mbps from WinXP so I know it is possible to use the router.

Can you force your router NIC to be only 10BaseT then your card can
autosens wich speed is on other end of connection. This works for
Cisco router and firewall interfaces but for other routers I didn't
have oportunity or nead to try. Which brand/model is your router?

Sasa Baksa

Neil Horman <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<gM4Hb.57287$(E-Mail Removed) >...
> Steven Wong wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I just installed Red hat 9 and I have a D-Link 538 100/10 NIC. In
> > order to connect to my router I need to set the NIC's speed to 10mbps.
> > I tried putting MEDIA=10baseT in ifcfg-eth0 (which has no effect) and
> > "ifconfig eth0 media 10baseT" which gives an "operation not permitted"
> > error. I can do it from winXP (dual boot) so I know the NIC is
> > capable of switching speeds...
> >
> > Any hints?
> ethtool is the tool to use to do this over the (IIRC) now depricated
> mii-tool. If you want to make the settings permanent, then use the
> ETHTOOL_OPTS setting in the ifcfg file to select the ethtool options you
> want set on a given interface when its brought up.
> HtH
> Neil

Do you have example syntax?

I tried this and can't get it to work. I too have a screwed up router
that only talkes to cards aet to 10 with autoneg off.