[tulip] samsung SC1200-TX weirdness?

[John Sutton]

Hi

I'm running linux kernel 2.2.19 with the latest tulip.c (v0.93 11/7/2001)
compiled into the kernel.  Attempting to get some samsung SC1200-TX cards going
but with mixed results this far ;-(

Driver installs thus:

kernel: eth0: Digital DS21140A Tulip rev 34 at 0xe400, 00:40:05:A5:86:CC, IRQ10.
kernel: eth0:  EEPROM default media type Autosense.
kernel: eth0:  Index #0 - Media MII (#11) described by a 21140 MII PHY (1) block.
kernel: eth0:  MII transceiver #0 config 0000 status 780d advertising 0001.
kernel: tulip.c:v0.93 11/7/2001  Written by Donald Becker <becker@scyld.com>
kernel:   http://www.scyld.com/network/tulip.html
kernel: eth0: Setting full-duplex based on MII #0 link partner capability of 41e1.

but it appears (from the led on the backplate) to be only running at half
duplex? tulip-diag -e gives:

tulip-diag.c:v2.10 3/08/2002 Donald Becker (becker@scyld.com)
 http://www.scyld.com/diag/index.html
Index #1: Found a Digital DS21140 Tulip adapter at 0xe400.
 Port selection is MII, full-duplex.
 Transmit started, Receive started, full-duplex.
  The Rx process state is 'Waiting for packets'.
  The Tx process state is 'Idle'.
  The transmit threshold is 128.
EEPROM 64 words, 6 address bits.
PCI Subsystem IDs, vendor 1099, device 1100.
CardBus Information Structure at offset 00000000.
Ethernet MAC Station Address 00:40:05:A5:86:CC.
EEPROM transceiver/media description table.
Leaf node at offset 30, default media type 0800 (Autosense).
 CSR12 direction setting bits 0x00.
 1 transceiver description blocks:
  Media MII, block type 1, length 12.
   MII interface PHY 0 (media type 11).
    No MII reset sequence.    No MII initialization sequence.
    Media capabilities are 7800, advertising 01e1.
    Full-duplex map 5000, Threshold map 1800.
 MII PHY found at address 0, status 0x782d.

However, the real show stopper is that I'm running a diskless client config so
I need to boot from a kernel which has been pulled over the network.  To
do this I've built a bootrom image using the netboot package and the DOS packet
driver SC1200.COM supplied with the cards.  And this works fine - it pulls
the kernel using TFTP *and* using full duplex - until the kernel loads the tulip
driver, at which point the card switches to half duplex (judging by the led) and
then the whole thing locks up with "neighbour table overflow" messages spitting
out!

So, in summary:

boot the system directly with the linux kernel, OK except only get half duplex
(and passing the ether=0,0,0x200,eth0 kernel param makes no difference)

boot the system with SC1200.COM, comes up full duplex, pulls the *same* kernel
over the network, kernel loads, but on loading the tulip driver the card
switches to half duplex and then locks up.

Any ideas?  I bought the cards as I could no longer find Kingston 100TX cards
;-(.  Suggestions for hassle free alternatives greatly welcomed!

TIA

***************************************************
John Sutton
SCL Internet
URL http://www.scl.co.uk/
Tel. +44 (0) 1239 711 888
***************************************************