RTL8139/PCMCIA

[Cabec2]

Hi ppl

Once again, i'm in need of some help ;p

I'm currently installing Gentoo on a laptop (hp omnibook XE2) for my
girlfriend (add her to the list of girls using gentoo ! :p) and i've some
difficulties with the network card.
It's a pcmcia cardbus based on the well-known rtl8139 chipset. During the
installation, i tried to use the 1.4_rc4 livecd, but while pcmcia worked
with it, the 8139too module (which is the one i need) wasn't able to load,
giving me a message about region#1 not being an MMIO ressource. So i tried
1.4 rc3 cd, and everything went fine. Then I thought that the 819too on
the rc4 used MMIO and on the rc3 PIO, and finished install.
Now everything is installed, including pcmcia-cs, that works, but i can't
figure how to build the 8139too module and make it work. i compiled at
least 6 different kernel/modules changing one option after another about
this module (PIO instead of MMIO, revision K support, older RX method,
etc..), compiling as module or built-in, disabling/enabling acpi, and some
other things i've read about pcmcia-rtl8139 cards, but it simply don't work.
I got some messages via dmesg when trying to modprobe the 8139too :
first case : Region #0 is not a PIO ressource.
second case : Region #1 is not an MMIO ressource.

so i'm looking for someone that can explains me what to try/do, since i've
no more ideas on how to make this thing work =)

thx, cab

[drizzt]

I used a similar card(PCMCIA,RTL8139):
You must use KERNEL PCMCIA NOT PCMCIA-CS. The module for the card is the standard 8139too.
_________________
People don't have to earn my respect. I offer my respect to them, but be careful to lose my respect...

[Cabec2]

thx drizzt, that's what i done, i just forgot to write it here

anyway, do you know why pcmcia-cs is not working ?

[JonnyRo]

Hello,

I have had similar problems but not yet found the solution. I have a PCMCIA D-Link DFE 690 TXD. IT uses the realtek 8139 chipset.

I also noticed similar problems with using the rc4 install cd. However, even though the card is detected correctly on the rc3 cd. It has a problem. It's hardware address always comes up as all 0's.

When i try to use the rc4 cd i always get the error abour Region #1 not being a MMIO Resource.

Did either of you have problems with the hardware address being blank? One really wierd thing is that if i booted into windows first, and then rebooted to linux the hardware address will come up. (This was windows 2000). I have heard suggestions that this might be an acpi problem with the network card not being told to leave low power mode.

-Jonathan S. Romero
_________________
Jonathan S. Romero
Gentoo Fanatic
http://jonnyro.com

[Cabec2]

hi jonny.. looks like we have exactly the same problems

about rc3/rc4 cds, i guess maybe rc3 use kernel modules where rc4 use pcmcia-cs ...
i've read lots of things about acpi and/or apm, but i can't simply get it to work with pcmcia-cs.

then i use kernel modules, but i don't really know why it's the only solution =)

cab

[JonnyRo]

Load up the Gentoo 1.4 rc3 cd. I believe that the rc4 cd cant be used because of PCMCIA-CS. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES ever type /etc/init.d/pcmcia start (you dont need it, it will load the wrong drivers)

boot using the following command:

gentoo noapic nonet pci=biosirq

Then run:
modprobe ds

//at this point your card might have been autodetected, check by:

dmesg

Mine was autodetected, here is the dmesg output
-------------------
PCI: Enabling device 02:00.0 (0000->0003)
eth0: D-Link DFE 690 TXD at 0x848dd000,00:40:05:8c:67:4d, IRQ 11

eth0: identified 8139 chip type "RTL-8139C"

When I was trying to use the 1.4rc4 cd, the card would show up with no PCI device identifier, and if it was detected it would have a blank hardware address.

When you build your kernel, make sure to compile in the standard Kernel PCMCIA support, do not use PCMCIA-CS.
_________________
Jonathan S. Romero
Gentoo Fanatic
http://jonnyro.com

[neuron]

use the smp kernel on rc4, worked for me

thanks to htd on #gentoo-server that told me to check that

[JonnyRo]

Interesting: re: smp-kernel

I'm so happy to have this card working well. It was only 10$, so I was very excited to get it working. Even though it took a lot of work.

I've used it successfully with gentoo-sources and ck-sources without the pcmcia-cs drivers. Just modprobing ds, and maybe modprobe 8139too if that driver isnt compiled in.

Now if i could only get Full duplex sound working on my ESS Audiodrive on my laptop.

-Jonathan
_________________
Jonathan S. Romero
Gentoo Fanatic
http://jonnyro.com