Troubleshooting
Problem
Onboard AMD Ethernet adapter fails to detect correct duplex mode for Servers.
Resolving The Problem
Source |
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RETAIN tip H174547
Symptom |
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Onboard AMD Am79c975 Ethernet adapter fails to auto-negotiate duplex correctly when the system is under stress.
Affected configurations |
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The system might be any of the following IBM eServer xSeries servers:
- xSeries 350, type 8682, any model
- xSeries 250, type 8665, any model
- xSeries 240, type 8664, any model
- xSeries 230, type 8658, any model
The system might be any of the following IBM Netfinity servers:
- Netfinity 7600 server, type 8665, any model
- Netfinity 7100 server, type 8666, any model
- Netfinity 6000R server, type 8682, any model
- Netfinity 5600 server, type 8664, any model
- Netfinity 5100 server, type 8658, any model
The following network operating systems are affected:
- Red Hat, version 7.2
- SUSE LINUX, version 7.3
- TurboLinux, version 7.0
- Caldera OpenLinux, version 3.1.1
The pcnet32 (version 1.26p) device driver for the Ethernet is affected.
Solution |
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TurboLinux version 7.0 |
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- Install kernel-2.4.9-6xxx.i586.rpm (which includes the pcnet32 fixes). The referenced file is available from the Turbolinux web site (http://www.turbolinux.com).
-
At the command prompt, type rpm -ivh --force kernel-2.4.9-6.i586.rpm and press Enter.
If the system is an SMP box, type rpm -ivh kernel-smp-2.4.9-6.i586.rpm and press Enter.
If more than 4GB of RAM is installed in the SMP box, type rpm -ivh kernel-smp64G-2.4.9-6.i586.rpm and press Enter.Note: The file kernel-2.4.9-6.i586.rpm and kernel-smp64G-2.4.9-6.i586.rpm will vary as new versions of the kernel are released.
- Restart the server by typing init 6 and press Enter.
SUSE LINUX version 7.3 |
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- Successfully boot into the system.
- Download SUSE LINUX 2.4.18 kernel and updated modutils package from the Downloads section of the SUSE LINUX web site (http://www.suse.com). Versions later than 2.4.18 will also suffice.
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From a command prompt, change the directory to where the kernel was downloaded and execute the following commands:
- rpm -Uvh k_smp_<version>.i386.rpm (replace <version> with the version number of the kernel)
- rpm -Uvh modutils-<version>.i386.rpm (if applicable; replace <version> with the version number of the modutils)
- mk_initrd
- lilo
- reboot
Workaround |
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- Edit the file /etc/modules.conf with an appropriate text editor. Locate the line that reads "alias eth(x) pcnet32" where "(x)" is the instance of the AMD network interface card (NIC).
- Edit the line to read "alias eth(x) pcnet32 full_duplex=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 options=14,14,14,14,14,14,14,14".
- Shutdown and reboot the machine for the changes to take effect.
Additional information |
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The driver detected the chip correctly from the message log ("PCnet/FAST III 79C975 @ 0x2000 ..."). However, the options value for the chip is incorrectly set to "0x04 = PORT_ASEL". As a result, the system may or may not load the card in full duplex mode, even when the full_duplex parameter is set to 1.
Document Location
Worldwide
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Document Information
Modified date:
28 January 2019
UID
ibm1MIGR-40423