3com 996-bt gigabit

[Robert G. Brown]

On Tue, 28 May 2002, David van der Spoel wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> Is there anybody out there that has used the above card in linux boxes?
> 3com says it supports linux 2.2 and 2.4, but I couldn't find it in the 
> hardware compatibility list for redhat, nor on the beowulf.org site.
> 
> 

It does run under linux 2.4 kernels.  This is the card I'm getting on my
new 2466N cluster.  Issues:

   a) Haven't gotten PXE to work correctly, yet.  This is not a driver
issue -- it fails at the DHCP level before it has a chance to load any
kernel at all.  I >>think<< it is a broadcast problem, but am not sure.

   b) The kernel comes preconfigured with PXE off (possibly because it
doesn't work?  Gotta wonder.) One has to run a DOS-based utility program
to turn it on.

drivers are available (in GPL source rpm form) on the 3com site:

http://support.3com.com/infodeli/tools/nic/linuxdownloads.htm

(you may have to meander through their site to get here -- it feeds off
an "accept" page where you have to accept the GPL;-)

   rgb

-- 
Robert G. Brown	                       http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/
Duke University Dept. of Physics, Box 90305
Durham, N.C. 27708-0305
Phone: 1-919-660-2567  Fax: 919-660-2525     email:rgb at phy.duke.edu