LARTC - Jul 2005 - Frustrating problem with natsemi (DP83815) ethernet devices

[Sorry if this is off-topic for this list, please advise me if there''s
a
better place to ask this]

I have an embeded motherboard with 4 natsemi (DP8315) ethernet chips.
I''m running a 2.6.9 kernel (I''ve tried 2.6.11 too) and a very
minimal
Slackware distribution.

Now about the problem: 
The network interfaces seem to NOT transmit anything when the interface
is autonegotiated at 100Mbit-FD. I''ve forced the interfaces to
half-duplex with mii-tool still nothing. 

I see, with tcpdump, that packets are comming in (broadcasts and multicasts)
and I see the packets that are supposed to go out of the interface. But
nothing is recevied on the other side. I''ve tried to put the interfaces
in a switch and with a cross-over cable to another PC.

I''ve also tried to mannually fix the MAC <-> IP address with
"arp -s",
thinking that maybe ARP is not working, still nothing - I see icmp
requests enter the interface I see icmp replies go out of the interface,
but nothing gets to the other side (PC).

I''ve tried all of the interfaces, I''ve tried enabling and
disabling
ACPI. The only modules I''have loaded are uhci-hcd and usbhid (since the
computer doesn''t have ps2 ports). 3 of the 4 interfaces don''t
share an
IRQ with anything (cat /proc/interrupts).

If I force the interface to 10Mbit (either FD or HD) then everything works.

Now the stangest thing, I got the motherboard with some kind of
basterized Debian installed on it. I couldn''t understand it, so I
backuped
it up and installed my mini Slackware. I used the same kernel from the
original distribution which has the ethernet driver compiled in. The
original distribution is not setting any extra parameters in lilo.conf.
And with that distribution hte interfaces work even at 100mbit.

I just can''t find what that distribution does to make the interfaces
work
at 100mbit. Its not the kernel, I use the same one. Its not some
parameters to the driver... I don''t know what could be the problem.

So, any ideas???



-- 
damjan | дамјан
This is my jabber ID --> damjan@bagra.net.mk <-- not my mail address!!!

Damjan wrote:
> 
> [Sorry if this is off-topic for this list, please advise me if
there''s a
> better place to ask this]
> 
> I have an embeded motherboard with 4 natsemi (DP8315) ethernet chips.
> I''m running a 2.6.9 kernel (I''ve tried 2.6.11 too) and a
very minimal
> Slackware distribution.
> 
> Now about the problem:
> The network interfaces seem to NOT transmit anything when the interface
> is autonegotiated at 100Mbit-FD. I''ve forced the interfaces to
> half-duplex with mii-tool still nothing.
> 
> I see, with tcpdump, that packets are comming in (broadcasts and
multicasts)
> and I see the packets that are supposed to go out of the interface. But
> nothing is recevied on the other side. I''ve tried to put the
interfaces
> in a switch and with a cross-over cable to another PC.
> 
> I''ve also tried to mannually fix the MAC <-> IP address with
"arp -s",
> thinking that maybe ARP is not working, still nothing - I see icmp
> requests enter the interface I see icmp replies go out of the interface,
> but nothing gets to the other side (PC).
> 
> I''ve tried all of the interfaces, I''ve tried enabling and
disabling
> ACPI. The only modules I''have loaded are uhci-hcd and usbhid
(since the
> computer doesn''t have ps2 ports). 3 of the 4 interfaces
don''t share an
> IRQ with anything (cat /proc/interrupts).
> 
> If I force the interface to 10Mbit (either FD or HD) then everything works.
> 
> Now the stangest thing, I got the motherboard with some kind of
> basterized Debian installed on it. I couldn''t understand it, so I
backuped
> it up and installed my mini Slackware. I used the same kernel from the
> original distribution which has the ethernet driver compiled in. The
> original distribution is not setting any extra parameters in lilo.conf.
> And with that distribution hte interfaces work even at 100mbit.
> 
> I just can''t find what that distribution does to make the
interfaces work
> at 100mbit. Its not the kernel, I use the same one. Its not some
> parameters to the driver... I don''t know what could be the
problem.
> 
> So, any ideas???
> 
> --
> damjan | дамјан
> This is my jabber ID --> damjan@bagra.net.mk <-- not my mail
address!!!
What have you tried?

What is the working distro _EXACTLY_?  "some kind of basterized
Debian" is not
enough.  What does dmesg say about the DP8315?

Have you looked at the Debian ifconfig?

Is the same cable being used?  Same cable path?  I found a 10 Mb hub in a
customer setup that was hidden behind the next desk where the Bad Boy computer
plugged in.  The computer thought the connection was 100Mb but it would only
work at 10.

Sorry, gotta go.  Google the distro and DP8315.
--
gypsy

Hi.

Damjan wrote:
> Now about the problem: 
> The network interfaces seem to NOT transmit anything when the interface
> is autonegotiated at 100Mbit-FD. I''ve forced the interfaces to
> half-duplex with mii-tool still nothing. 
Several questions...
Is it really absolutely the same kernel on both distros? Which one is
it? Did you try another cable? Did you try another switch? Did you try a
 cross-cable to connect two of the four interfaces on the same host?

NSC brought out a completely new driver some weeks ago, which can be
found here:
http://www.national.com/appinfo/networks/files/dp8381x_linux_ver_1.0.tgz

In case you''ve a 2.4 kernel let me know, I have yet another driver you
could try out.

Bye, Mike