8139too network driver problems

artworcs · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 12 Jun 2005 Posts: 126

Hi, I have a Realtek network card and i'm experiencing some problems with it. The problem is as follows:
I've configured my kernel with 8139too support both statically and as a module. Output from dmesg shows the ethernet card as found. lspci also shows the card. I can do ifconfig eth0, assign it an ip adress, but i cannot ping any host on the network and the led from the switch doesn't light up, as if no network cable would be present. The cards works perfectly in WinXp(using it now). I've found some references on google that i should enable PIO mode, but that didn't help. The 8139too is the correct module since knoppix(any version) detects it, but has the same problem, the driver is loaded, but no connectivity. All of my ip and route settings are correct, also tried to use dhcp, but i could not get a response. Static ip at least shows up in ifconfig. I'm using the same settings as in WinXP.
When i specify the media=<something> parameter to modprobe, the ethernet cards led lights up, but the switch or the other computers on the network still do not see my host.
Any help would be appreciated as i'm searching the net for mor then a week now and still wasn't able to locate any real solution for my problem.

Pithlit · l33t Joined: 27 Dec 2003 Posts: 887 Location: fuhen

artworcs · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 12 Jun 2005 Posts: 126

It doesn't work on the liveCd!

Pithlit · l33t Joined: 27 Dec 2003 Posts: 887 Location: fuhen

Doesn't work? Are you saying my livecd is different from yours?

artworcs · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 12 Jun 2005 Posts: 126

artworcs · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 12 Jun 2005 Posts: 126

Pithlit · l33t Joined: 27 Dec 2003 Posts: 887 Location: fuhen

OK... got me there. I'm not at home so I can't dispute that. Anyway... just humor me and try loading that module on your livecd. If it _still_ doesn't work then use the Jackass! liveCD.
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rhill · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2005 1:19 am Post subject:

uh, why would the Jackass LiveCD be any different?

8139cp is the experimental module for 8139 Rev C+ cards. It won't be loaded if he doesn't have one.
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Pithlit · l33t Joined: 27 Dec 2003 Posts: 887 Location: fuhen

The Jackass! liveCD has the module. I used it this afternoon. I don't know if the Jackass! liveCD has different modules than the Gentoo liveCD.
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artworcs · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 12 Jun 2005 Posts: 126

My net connection was out for some houres, sorry. But back to topic.
I've recompiled my kernel do include 8139cp suport, but the modules does not load, with some sort od no such device error.
On my card there's printed that it's a rtl8139D card. After a couple of searches i've found that 8139too is the right driver for my card, not 8139cp.
I'll keep on searching and i'll post here any new info.
[edit]And i'm currently downloading the jackass iso, but my isp is doing some work on the lines, so i don't have a too good connection[/edit]

artworcs · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 12 Jun 2005 Posts: 126

After editing the 8139too.c file and turning on depug messages, one can notice that in the dmesg output the card id succesfully detected as 8139D, but it doesn't work.
Also when trying to load the 8139cp driver it tells me to use the 8139too instead

artworcs · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 12 Jun 2005 Posts: 126

I've tried out two more livecds: Mandrake Move and Mepis. Neither could make the nework work. The module loads, but no connection.
I've noticed that in Linux the card uses IRQ 5 while in winxp IRQ 16.
1. Is that important?
2. How can i change the IRQ in Linux?

jojopyro · n00b Joined: 14 Mar 2003 Posts: 5 Location: South Dakota

didn't we all see earlier that both of his cards were recognized? that would mean that its either just a connectivity or resolution problem, right? Do you have /etc/resolv.conf configured correctly, can you ping 192.168.*.* (*s being whatever a local device is, i.e. router). Maybe i didn't read all the posts completely, but it WAS my understanding by the first dmesg and lsmod that the module was loaded, we probably made him do something that unloaded it. Also, don't EVER post your ifconfig prints... people will then have your box's ip address (for security purposes, this is a bad idea). I also use the Realtek 8139too module, however when i upgraded to 2005.0, the module was built-in, yay for us cheap people.
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cabbagewalker · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 6:34 pm Post subject:

espeleta · n00b Joined: 22 Jun 2005 Posts: 1 Location: Barcelona

Turn off ACPI in kernel options.

frankc · n00b Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 1 Location: Sydney

Muchas gracias espeleta, I have been battling all this week with exactly the same problem with 8139too as described by artworcs. Your fix.. namely turn off ACPI and rebuild kernel.. worked at last.

For those with the same problem, note that although the driver appears to load and dmesg and ifconfig look ok, as soon as you try to actually use it you are getting messages in /var/log/messages (or wherever your logger goes) showing a low-level transmit timeout fault in the 8139too driver. This problem did not occur with the 2004.3 livecd nor with windows xp; it appears after studying all the other newsgroups out there, as far as I understand it, that kernel 2.6.11 8139too driver is broken for the combination of ACPI plus this card with older motherboards that have flakey ACPI support. I note that the 8139too driver gets tweaked in this area at every kernel revision so hopefully not too many others will suffer this particular nightmare with post-2.6.11 kernels.