Based on the device name, I believe you may be using a NIC with the RealTek
chipset.  I have seen many different bizarre errors with these NICs, in Netbsd
as well as other operating systems.

This is easy to verify or refute; stick a different NIC in the box and see if
the problem goes away.

I ultimately removed all RealTek based NICs from my firewalls and the problems
immediately and permanently disappeard.

"Non-integer number of bytes" doesn't make sense.  There is no such thing as a
fraction of a byte.  I think they mean that there are framing errors and the
stream is interpreted as having bits that are not part of a byte.  In any event
it must be a framing error; to really see why requires a storage scope or an
old style network analyzer that shows you the serial bit stream.



On 20-Jan-2003 Michael Richardson wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> 
> 
>>>>>> "Michael" == Michael Richardson <mcr@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca> writes:
>     Michael> My firewall has started to do:
> 
>     Michael> Jan 20 10:35:20 bud /netbsd: tlp0: receive error: dribbling bit
>     Michael> Jan 20 10:35:20 bud /netbsd: tlp0: receive error: CRC error
>     Michael> Jan 20 10:35:22 bud /netbsd: tlp0: receive error: dribbling bit
>     Michael> Jan 20 10:35:22 bud /netbsd: tlp0: receive error: CRC error
> 
>     Michael> This interface is plugged directly into a GVC ADSL modem doing
>     Michael> bridged ethernet. 
>     Michael> A couple of other interfaces did this for awhile, and the switch
> died or
>     Michael> needed to be reset soon afterwards. The GVC ADSL modem has been
> power cycled
>     Michael> already.  (As has the firewall)
> 
>     Michael> Can anyone say what this means? Clearly, there is corruption,
> which the CRC
>     Michael> is in fact catching, but any deeper hit on the dribbling bit?
> This is a
>     Michael> D-LINK 4-port card in a Dell Optiplex (thus the two PCI
>     Michael> bridges):
> 
>   Okay, found the datasheet... dribbling bit means that I'm getting
> non-integer number of bytes. Cables do not usually go bad suddendly. I wonder
> if something else moved too close. Any advice welcome.
> 
> ]       ON HUMILITY: to err is human. To moo, bovine.           |  firewalls 
> [
> ]   Michael Richardson, Sandelman Software Works, Ottawa, ON    |net
> architect[
> ] mcr@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca http://www.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca/ |device
> driver[
> ] panic("Just another Debian GNU/Linux using, kernel hacking, security guy");
> [
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-- 
----------------------------------
Seth Kurtzberg
M. I. S. Corp.
E-Mail: seth@cql.com
Date: 20-Jan-2003
Time: 14:22:00

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