Subject: Re: very strange ethernet problem
To: Mark Abene <phiber@radicalmedia.com>
From: Jeremy Cooper <jeremy@baymoo.org>
List: port-sparc
Date: 10/30/2000 18:00:12
On Mon, 30 Oct 2000, Mark Abene wrote:

> Hello.  I'm experiencing a very strange problem on my home LAN, which I've
> traced back to my two NetBSD boxes being the cause.  The two NetBSD boxes
> in question are a Sun3/80 and a Sun4/110, running 1.4.2 and 1.3.3,
> respectively.
>
> [ Problem: constant collisions on hub ] 

The problem that you have described sounds like an ethernet heartbeat
discrepancy.  What kind of transcievers are you using on your Sun
boxes?  (I assume you are using a transciever because there are very few
hubs with multiple DB-15 AUI connectors these days).

If your transceiver has its heartbeat feature turned on, it will very
likely cause constant collisions with the hub.  Look around for a switch
on the transcriever to disable it.  The switch may be labeled 'SQE'
instead of 'heartbeat'.

-J