CentOS - Feb 2005 - [centos 3.4] e1000 and installation problem

Hello,

I install Centos'es from PXE, with vmlinuz and initrd provided by
images/pxeboot from the first CD of centos 3.4.

The server is a PowerEdge 1850 with two integrated e1000 nic interfaces.

So kernel is booting, then it comes to the screen which ask for one nic
to do a dhcp query. I choose eth0, dhcp server reply well and then i get
an ip address, dns'es, etc. And nothing else happen because the nic link
is going down at this point !!! (no light, no way. )

I've tried with PXE install of centos 3.3, and all is working fine on
this server....

Do you think there is a problem with the centos 3.4 "installation
time"
kernel  ? I remember that centos 3.1 had problems about this nic too ...

Any ideas ?

Thank you !

-- 
Martin

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005, Martin Hamant wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I install Centos'es from PXE, with vmlinuz and initrd provided by
> images/pxeboot from the first CD of centos 3.4.
> 
> The server is a PowerEdge 1850 with two integrated e1000 nic interfaces.
> 
> So kernel is booting, then it comes to the screen which ask for one nic
> to do a dhcp query. I choose eth0, dhcp server reply well and then i get
> an ip address, dns'es, etc. And nothing else happen because the nic
link
> is going down at this point !!! (no light, no way. )
> 
> I've tried with PXE install of centos 3.3, and all is working fine on
> this server....
> 
> Do you think there is a problem with the centos 3.4 "installation
time"
> kernel  ? I remember that centos 3.1 had problems about this nic too ...
> 
> Any ideas ?
> 
> Thank you !
> 
> -- 
> Martin
> _______________________________________________
> CentOS mailing list
> CentOS at caosity.org
> http://lists.caosity.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
> 
Just installed a couple of Supermicro servers with e1000 nics this weekend 
using CentOS 3.4.

Have you tried PXE boot with ksdevice=link ?

//Chris

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005, Martin Hamant wrote:
> I install Centos'es from PXE, with vmlinuz and initrd provided by
> images/pxeboot from the first CD of centos 3.4.
>
> The server is a PowerEdge 1850 with two integrated e1000 nic interfaces.
>
> So kernel is booting, then it comes to the screen which ask for one nic
> to do a dhcp query. I choose eth0, dhcp server reply well and then i get
> an ip address, dns'es, etc. And nothing else happen because the nic
link
> is going down at this point !!! (no light, no way. )
There have been changes over time of the MII link management 
code used by Anaconda.  I encounter these issues with 3-com 
nic's and Intel switches, but have also encountered them with 
T-Lan nic's as well.

Simplify the network topology - go to a straight crossover to 
your dhcp/next server if possible - alternatively, consider 
trying a single switch between the unit under test and the 
dhcp/next server -- then vary the switch brand, to test each. 
If possible, run TCPDUMP on the server side, and see whenre 
the connection is failing.

-- Russ Herrold