SGI Octane, net install and eth0

vanhu · n00b Joined: 16 Dec 2005 Posts: 3

Hi all.

I tried to install a Gentoo on a SGI Octane, and had some networks problems once the linux kernel has booted (the hardware itselfs works, as I can get the boot image from a tftp server).

After some searches, I found on forums here that this a known issue:
eth0 never gets "RUNNING", and never sends packets.

The temporary solution was to use an old kernel image, but I couldn't find one which boots correctly AND doesn't have the ethernet bug (including the latest I found, ip30-r10k+-20050820.img).

Is there a newer archive somewhere which may work ?

Or is there an HowTo somewhere to build such images from sources, which could be a base for me to start tracking down the bug ?

Thanks,

Yvan.

Redhatter · Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 2:32 pm Post subject:

The image you mention is indeed the latest one. How does it not boot correctly?
_________________
Stuart Longland (a.k.a Redhatter, VK4MSL)
I haven't lost my mind - it's backed up on a tape somewhere...

Gentoo/MIPS Cobalt developer, Mozilla herd member.

vanhu · n00b Joined: 16 Dec 2005 Posts: 3

It boots, but when I set up eth0, I can't join the network.

I'm *sure* that I set up correctly IP, netmask, gate, etc...

I'm sure that the cables are good, as I got the boot image via tftp.

And when I look at ifconfig eth0 output, I can notice two things:

- interface is "UP", but not "RUNNING"

- Tx counter stays to zero, even if I try to send pings (and a dump on the network shows nothing, not even a single ARP request).

Rx counter increases when I try to send pings from another host. Well, the station probably sees arp requests, not ICMP echo requests, but Rx counter increases only when I try to contact it.

Dmesg also shows that eth0 link is detected as "down", where it is in fact up.

I found this thread here describing exactly then same problem:
https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-350773-highlight-octane.html

But the solution used (use an older image) doesn't work for me: image ip30-r10k+-20050530.img has the same problem, and image 200501(don't remember the exact day) freezes during boot.

Redhatter · Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 1:58 am Post subject:

Well, the fix to the bug in the 20050530 image, was indeed to use the later image (20050820). The issue was a bug with IOC3 which h0rked the ethernet driver, which the newer netboot image fixed (apparently).

Are you sure that's the image you're booting? Is there a chance the machine is picking up an older image by mistake?
_________________
Stuart Longland (a.k.a Redhatter, VK4MSL)
I haven't lost my mind - it's backed up on a tape somewhere...

Gentoo/MIPS Cobalt developer, Mozilla herd member.

Kumba · Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 2:06 am Post subject:

The ethernet bug was a fun one. It was introduced in 2.6.12-rc4 as an update to the core ethernet code, and it actually exposed a dormant bug in the IOC3 driver. The 200508 netboot is fixed, so make sure your tftp server is sending the correct image. Alternatively, if you have an external CD-ROM, you can use the RC5 livecd, which I definitely know works.

--Kumba
_________________
"The past tempts us, the present confuses us, the future frightens us. And our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast, terrible in-between."
--Emperor Turhan, Centauri Republic

vanhu · n00b Joined: 16 Dec 2005 Posts: 3

I don't know what strange manipulation error I made, but you're right: there was a chance that I still used 20050530

I just checked md5sum of tftpboot copy, noticed my mistake, copied the good image (20050820), booted again, and the network works.

Sorry, and thanks for the quick answer !

Yvan.