Subject: Serious trouble with ep driver on 1.5 branch.
To: None <current-users@netbsd.org>
From: Feico Dillema <feico@pasta.cs.uit.no>
List: current-users
Date: 10/04/2000 15:33:54
Hi,

I very strange behaviour when trying to install and run
NetBSD-1.5_ALPHA2 (and latest kernel on 1.5 branch) on an old
486 laptop. Initially I expected hardware trouble, but I think I
reuled that one out (tried three different machines and three network
cards. Also, installing with 1.4.2 bootfloppies goes just fine).

The trouble is with the ep driver for 3c589 3Com PCMCIA ethernet cards
(with pcic at isa). Driver configures ok, but ftp gets a troughput of
about 7Kbs on a quiet 10Mbs ethernet. I cannot see anything straneg
with tcpdump, except for the low speed. After a while, ftp either
core-dumps or the kernel panics with a page fault (in different places
with the different laptops, one consistently panic-ed in vfs_close()
while trying to ftp a new kernel).

When I use a cnw (Xircom wireless 1Mbs card) I do not see such strange
behaviour and problems, therefor my suspicion to the ep driver.
However, one of the 3com cards works just fine without problems in my
thinkpad 570 with NetBSD-1.5.

Hope you can help me or point out how to get more details for a decent
PR. I really like to make nice NetBSD based IPv6-only routers out of
these old laptops for our radionet.

Feico.