Re: 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps ISA cards

Dear all,

 I am sorry to back to you again with this problem. I followed the
instructions of Donald Beckers site and I successfully I can use the 3c50=
9 and
the 3c515 NICs in my 486 (doesnt have ISAPnP support) using the default k=
ernel
2.4.18-3 of the RedHat 7.3.

 The problem comes up when I use the kernel 2.4.23. I have used modules
support for both NICs and I can only use the 3c509 NIC, the other in the =
boot
proccess is not recognized. I also have set ISAPnP support in the kernel =
(not
as a module).

 Someone told me that It might work disabling the PnP support the DOS too=
l
from 3Com but I am still having the same problem.

  I hope anyone could give me any advice of how to achieve this.

 Many thanks

 Miguel

Donald Becker ha escrito:

> On Mon, 3 Nov 2003, Miguel Gonz=E1lez Casta=F1os wrote:
>
> >  I have a 486 working as a router using linux RedHat 7.3. It has two
> > 3Com ISA cards, a Etherlink Fast 100 Mbps (driver 3c515) and Etherlin=
k
> > III 10 Mbps (driver 3c509).
> >
> >  The router is connected to a cable modem through the 10 Mbps ISA car=
d
> > and the other one interfaces with a switch-hub to the LAN.
> >
> >  I am considering if due to the limits of the bandwidth of the ISA bu=
s
> > if it really is worth to have a 100 Mbps to the LAN interface in the
> > 486.
>
> No, it's not.
>
> > If I use that 100 Mbps ISA i.e. in a Pentium III the performance
> > would be similar to a PCI NIC?
>
> Not at all.
> Even the worst $5 10/100 PCI NIC is far better than any ISA device.
>
> >  I am having problems to configure the parameters in the monolithic
> > kernel for using the two NICs in the /etc/lilo.conf because the syste=
m
> > detects the 3c509 card, but not the 3c515. What is funny is that If I
> > boot using modules, it uses isapnp, I cant make them work either, but=
 if
> > I reboot to the monolithic kernel then It suddenly appears to detect =
the
> > 3c515. If I shutdown and boot again the monolithic kernel, says that =
no
> > 3c515 card found...I=B4m stumped.
>
> This is a ISA-PnP bug in the kernel -- there is a PnP reset sequence
> that needs to be sent correctly.
>
> >  Anyway I dont know if the 3c515 is trying to use the wrong IRQ. When=
 I
> > succeed to recognize the 3c515 card (using the trick of booting the
> > modular kernel first), it seems that IRQ 10 is fine, but uses the DMA=
 3
> > channel...Is this right?
>
> It's whatever IRQ and DMA channel is assigned by the PnP code.
>
> The 3c509 has a non-PnP activation mode that uses the IRQ and I/O from
> the EEPROM.  Otherwise it uses the ISA-PnP assigned values.
>
> --
> Donald Becker                           [email protected]
> Scyld Computing Corporation             http://www.scyld.com
> 914 Bay Ridge Road, Suite 220           Scyld Beowulf cluster system
> Annapolis MD 21403                      410-990-9993