[vortex-bug] AUI connector with 3C905B-Combo, a workaround

[Moritz Franosch]

This is how to get the AUI connector to work with the 3Com
3C905B-Combo EtherLink 10/100 PCI NIC.


Does the AUI connector work for anyone simply with 'modprobe 3c59x
options=1' (I get no answer to ping)?

Why does the workaround below work?

What can I do to find the cause of this problem?


The workaround is:

Insert the module and select the 10baseT interface (!).
modprobe 3c59x options=0 

/var/log/messages should report
'8K byte-wide RAM 5:3 Rx:Tx split, autoselect/Autonegotiate interface.
Media override to transceiver type 0 (10baseT).'

Start the network, on a SuSE system it's
/sbin/init.d/network start

Ping any reachable address
ping -c 1 -w 1 129.187.127.254
There won't be any answer as you selected 10baseT.

Stop the network
/sbin/init.d/network stop

Unload the driver
rmmod 3c59x

Load the driver again, this time with the right option
insmod 3c59x options=1

/var/log/messages should now report
'8K byte-wide RAM 5:3 Rx:Tx split, autoselect/10base2 interface.
Media override to transceiver type 1 (10Mbs AUI).'

Start the network and it works!


/var/log/messages says
star2 kernel: 3c59x.c:v0.99L 5/28/99 Donald Becker http://cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov/linux/drivers/vortex.html
star2 kernel: eth0: 3Com 3c905B Cyclone 10/100/BNC at 0xc800,  00:01:02:2a:bb:a9, IRQ 9
star2 kernel:   8K byte-wide RAM 5:3 Rx:Tx split, autoselect/Autonegotiate interface.
star2 kernel:   Media override to transceiver type 0 (10baseT).
star2 kernel:   Enabling bus-master transmits and whole-frame receives.
star2 kernel: 3c59x.c:v0.99L 5/28/99 Donald Becker http://cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov/linux/drivers/vortex.html
star2 kernel: eth0: 3Com 3c905B Cyclone 10/100/BNC at 0xc800,  00:01:02:2a:bb:a9, IRQ 9
star2 kernel:   8K byte-wide RAM 5:3 Rx:Tx split, autoselect/10base2 interface.
star2 kernel:   Media override to transceiver type 1 (10Mbs AUI).
star2 kernel:   Enabling bus-master transmits and whole-frame receives.

/proc/pci says
 Bus  0, device  17, function  0:
    Ethernet controller: 3Com Unknown device (rev 0).
      Vendor id=10b7. Device id=9058.
      Medium devsel.  IRQ 9.  Master Capable.  Latency=64.  Min Gnt=10.Max Lat=10.
      I/O at 0xc800 [0xc801].
      Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xdffffe80 [0xdffffe80]. 

/proc/version
Linux version 2.2.14 (root@Pentium.suse.de) (gcc version 2.95.2
19991024 (release)) #1 Sat Mar 25 00:45:35 GMT 2000 


Thank you,

Moritz