gigabit ethernet card problems - smc9462TX

[Donald Becker]

On Wed, 27 Mar 2002, Alexis Zubrow wrote:

> I'm a relative newbie to both linux and beowulf clusters.  I am starting
> up a small beowulf cluster.  Until we get some more funding, I have two
> dual processor computers connected with a crossover cable.  I'm using the
> ns83820 driver in the 2.4.17 kernel.  I have not been able to get any real
> connection between the two cards.  Any suggestions would be greatly
> appreciated.
..
> Dual AMD MP 1800+, Tyan S2460 mother board, SMC9462TX ethernet cards
>
> Tests:
> -crossover cable is good
> -if connect (with crossover cable) one of the cards to another
> (non-gigabit card), it recognizes and correctly auto negotiates to the new
> media speed.
> -ping between two gigabit cards has 100% packet loss.

I encountered this when writing ns820.c.  (I released ns820.c before
ns83820.c was started, but it's the latter that's in the kernel.)  The
'820 chip has an input pin with the link status of the gigabit
transceiver, but the meaning isn't defined -- it depends on what the
transceiver outputs.  If SMC changed the transceiver, the driver might
be doing exactly the wrong thing.

The ns820.c from scyld.com driver _might_ work...

-- 
Donald Becker				becker at scyld.com
Scyld Computing Corporation		http://www.scyld.com
410 Severn Ave. Suite 210		Second Generation Beowulf Clusters
Annapolis MD 21403			410-990-9993