network problems - can't access dhcp?

klepp0r · n00b Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Germany

This device:
"Nat. Semiconductor Corp. DP83815 (MacPhyter) Ethernet Controller" (according to "lspci") is sometimes running and sometimes not!!!

I am booting with LiveCD 2004.0 and most times it was easy to just load the module "natsemi" with "modprobe", starting "net-setup eth0", choosing DHCP-Auto-Detection and checking the WORKING result with "ifconfig"!

But more and more often it won't work because of the DHCP detection isn't working and there is no way to get the network runnig, although "lsmod" shows the "natsemi" module is loaded.

With WinME the network is always working without problems.

How comes, now this stupid NETGEAR-PCI-Card is -with gentoo- most times not working? Maybe the IRQs? But why is the "natsemi" always loaded perfect?

PLEASE help me!
Or should I just trash this stupid NETGEAR crap?
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klepp0r · n00b Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Germany

Who has this card running correctly?
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lotw · Guru Joined: 09 Jan 2005 Posts: 342 Location: Palmdale

Does it work with the Gentoo Live CD? If so do a lsmod and see what modules are loading in to make it work, then check your kernel to see if you have that one selected as module only, then add it to the /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.x file.

klepp0r · n00b Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Germany

there is no problem with the module! "natsemi" is the right module and it ALWAYS loads perfect and is displayed if I type "lsmod".

but most times "dhcpcd" gets no access to either eth0 (my device) or the dhcp.....
if I tried the "dhcpcd" option "-d" to see any error message or something else occure; but only the MAC adress is being printed on screen and that "dhcpcd" didn't finish in 2000 usec.
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ithika · n00b Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 23 Location: Edinburgh, UK

Have you tried turning off APIC when you load the kernel as mentioned here:

Gentoo installation guide

I had a problem very much like this with my NIC which was solved straight away with the 'noapic' kernel arg.

klepp0r · n00b Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Germany

what does "-noapic" exactly do? just not loading the hardware?
btw, I didn't do anything but today my ethernet device was configured by dhcpcd without any problems on several boots.
well, I can't explain - it's a miracle

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