[tulip] Recommended Non-Tulip NIC's for Linux?

[Jim Morris]

Hi Guys (and gals),

I've been using Linux for more than 8 years. In the early days, I used
a variety of SMC based cards, or 3COM cards - heck I even spent two
weeks one time hacking a copy of the WD8013 driver (an old ISA card)
to work on a PS/2 with a Microchannel card IBM sold with the same
chipset.

Due to their lower cost and good performance, I've tried to go with
Tulip-based cards for the past 5 years probably - mainly of Linksys or
Netgear manufacturing.  However, enough is enough! I am tired of
Linksys cards breaking driver compatibility every time they make a new
rev of their board - and the Netgear FA310 cards which are Tulip based
are hard to find locally.  I recently TRIED an upgrade to a Linux
2.4.x kernel, only to find that the included tulip driver does *NOT*
work with my old Linksys card (first PNIC version they started
shipping).  Heck - even with the Linux 2.2 kernel supplied drivers, I
can only run that card in 10BaseT 1/2 duplex. The media detection is
just hosed in the kernel drivers for this card at least.

What is a GOOD card to go with?  3COM 3c90x series?  I've got one of
those in my ADSL router here at the house, along with the Linksys that
is giving me fits - the 3C905B never seems to have a problem...

I guess I am just wondering whether I should keep fighting with the
Tulip cards, or if I should cave and spend more money on something
else.  I just don't know what that something else should be!

I quite using 3COM cards a few years ago because I had some major
problems at the time trying to use 3c590 (Vortex?) cards in a SMP box
- with that card in, my system would hang periodically when running
either Linux or Windows NT.  At the time I did some reseach, and this
seemed to be a known issue with those cards on SMP systems at the
time.  Switching to a Tulip card fixed those hangs. I just worry there
may still be something up with 3COM cards....

So... any advice? I know this is the Tulip mailing list - I've been a
subscriber for several years.  I don't know of a better place to ask
though.

Thanks for any advice or tips....

Best regards,
 Jim Morris                           mailto:Jim@Morris.net