Subject: Re: ugh... de0 problems
To: Chris G. Demetriou <cgd@cs.cmu.edu>
From: Greg Oster <oster@cs.usask.ca>
List: port-alpha
Date: 03/10/1997 09:39:08
cgd@cs.cmu.edu writes:
> >Now for the real question I have.  I don't have this mysterious green book o
> r
> >any other real documentation on the SRM env vars and programs.  I swapped ou
> t
> >this one alpha that died with another that was running NT for weeks of uptim
> e.
> >This NT worked fine on the ethernet.  I happen to have NetBSD on an external
>  drive,
> >so all I had to do was switch the machine to srm console mode and boot off t
> he 
> >drive.  It comes up fine, but refuses to talk on the ethernet.
> 
> I assume this isn't a problem with enabling the BNC connector, or
> whatever it is?  I don't know remember what the resolution there was,
> but as far as I know it isn't possible to use the BNC connector on the
> Multia.

The BNC port works fine on my Multia.  I had to make a few small changes
to the de driver to get it working though.  I posted the changes in 
a message in January (they were only a few lines long) and will happily 
give them to whoever asks... 

FWIW: NetBSD on my Multia has been rock-solid since I got the Multia 
last Sept, and the BNC ethernet has been working like a charm since 
mid-January. 

> > Ifconfig shows it working, the boot manifest shows it working, but ping or
> > traceroute or routed or whatever fails.
> > 
> > I hope someone has had this problem and knows a solution.
> 
> There are certainly problems with the de driver in -current.  I
> _strongly_ recommend people building new kernels for themselves use
> the old version.  

I'm quite a happy camper with the new de driver...  I couldn't get the
old one to use the BNC port at all, but after a bit of hacking on the 
new one it works just fine...

Later...

Greg Oster

oster@cs.usask.ca
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, CANADA