Network Oddities -- Failure to Communicate

[Matt Shirel]

Hi,

I'm at a loss in trying to get 2 machines to speak to each other via  a
crossover cable.  Each machine has a Netgear FA310tx card (with the DEC
21140 chip).  Each machine initializes the card correctly (as far as I
can tell).  And routing is set up accurately.

When I attempt to communicate with the other card, I get no response. 
If (for example) I attempt to ping the other machine, ping indicates no
response.  However, I can watch the lights on the cards flash as if
something is being sent or recieved.

I just had something interesting happen (I'm trying hard to brainstorm
this even as I'm composing this message.)  Everything has been the same
working in both directions... (ie defining either machine as machine 1
or machine 1)

Scenario 1)  Machine 1 running ping and tcpdump.
	ping hangs getting no response.
	tcpdump shows 	machine 1 > machine 2 echo request

Scenario 2) Machine 1 running ping, Machine 2 running tcpdump
	ping hangs getting no response
	tcpdump shows	machine 1 > machine 2 echo request
			machine 2 > machine 1 echo reply

Scenario 3) Machine 1 running ping and tcpdump, Machine 2 running
tcpdump
	ping responds with normal timing loop.

I'm at a complete loss.  I don't know what the normal network traffic is
associated with ping and don't have a set up to determine that right
now...  But this behavior seems very strange to me..


I'm running 2.0.35 (my own compile from RH sources), tulip.c v 0.89H.

I'll include the output from tulip-diag at the end of the message.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate hearing them...

Thanks in advance...

MATT

------------------------
tulip-diag -a

Unknown PCI device ID bffffb84.
tulip-diag.c:v1.05 8/28/98 Donald Becker (becker@cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov)
Index #1: Found a Digital DS21140 Tulip adapter at 0xec00.
Digital DS21140 Tulip Tulip chip registers at 0xec00:
  ffa04800 ffffffff ffffffff 00fff028 00fff228 fc000102 320e0200
fffe0000
  e0000000 ffffcbf8 ffffffff fffe0000 ffffff80 ffffffff 1c09fdc0
fffffec8
 The Rx process state is 'Stopped'.
 The Tx process state is 'Stopped'.
Transmit stopped, Receive stopped, full-duplex.
 The transmit threshold is 128.
 Port selection is MII, full-duplex.

-------------------------
tulip-diag -e

Unknown PCI device ID bffffb84.
tulip-diag.c:v1.05 8/28/98 Donald Becker (becker@cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov)
Index #1: Found a Digital DS21140 Tulip adapter at 0xec00.
EEPROM transceiver/media description for the Digital DS21140 Tulip chip.

Leaf node at offset 30, default media type 0800 (Autosense).
 CSR12 direction setting bits 00.
 1 transceiver description blocks:
  Media MII,  block type 1.
   MII interface PHY 0 (media type 11).
 MII PHY found at address 0, status 0x782d.
 MII PHY #0 transceiver registers:
   1000 782d 7810 0000 01e1 41e1 0001 0000
   0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
   0000 0000 4000 0000 38c8 0010 0000 0002
   0001 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000.

----------------------------
tulip-diag -m 

Unknown PCI device ID bffffb84.
tulip-diag.c:v1.05 8/28/98 Donald Becker (becker@cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov)
Index #1: Found a Digital DS21140 Tulip adapter at 0xec00.
 MII PHY found at address 0, status 0x782d.
 MII PHY #0 transceiver registers:
   1000 782d 7810 0000 01e1 41e1 0001 0000
   0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
   0000 0000 4000 0000 38c8 0010 0000 0002
   0001 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000.
------------
thanks again...