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

[Moritz Franosch]

Bogdan Costescu <Bogdan.Costescu@IWR.Uni-Heidelberg.De> writes:

> On 22 Aug 2000, Moritz Franosch wrote:
> 
> > Aug 22 21:10:57 star2 kernel: eth0: vortex_open() irq 5 media status 8080.
> > Aug 22 21:10:57 star2 kernel: eth0: Media selection timer tick happened, 10Mbs AUI.
> > Aug 22 21:10:57 star2 kernel: eth0: Media 10Mbs AUI is has no indication, 8808.
> 
> Media status 8808 indicates auiDisable, linkDetect and enableSQE. The
> first item is obviously wrong, as we try to use the AUI port. The second
> is OK (as linkBeatEnable is cleared) and the third is desired for AUI
> operation.
> Media status should read 0808 in this case, as the auiDisable bit should
> not be set. The lines which impose these media settings are around middle
> of vortex_open():
> ...

I can't reproduce the bug with self-compiled kernels.
With kernel 2.2.14, 2.2.14 patched by SuSE, and 2.2.16
/var/log/messages tells

Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel: eth0: 3Com 3c905B Cyclone 10/100/BNC at 0xd000,  00:01:02:2a:bb:a9, IRQ 5
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel:   Internal config register is 1800000, transceivers 0x3a.
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel:   8K byte-wide RAM 5:3 Rx:Tx split, autoselect/Autonegotiate interface.
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel:   Media override to transceiver type 1 (10Mbs AUI).
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel:   Enabling bus-master transmits and whole-frame receives.
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel: eth0: Media override to transceiver 1 (10Mbs AUI).
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel: eth0: Initial media type 10Mbs AUI.
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel: eth0: vortex_open() InternalConfig 01100000.
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel: eth0: vortex_open() irq 5 media status 0880.
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel: eth0: Media selection timer tick happened, 10Mbs AUI.
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel: eth0: Media 10Mbs AUI is has no indication, 808.
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel: eth0: vortex_close() status e000, Tx status 00.
Aug 24 11:20:40 star2 kernel: eth0: vortex close stats: rx_nocopy 2 rx_copy 13 tx_queued 2 Rx pre-checksummed 8

which is correct and the network works.

Only with the precompiled SuSE kernel 2.2.14 (SuSE Linux 6.4) it says

Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel: 3c59x.c:v0.99L 5/28/99 Donald Becker http://cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov/linux/drivers/vo
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel: eth0: 3Com 3c905B Cyclone 10/100/BNC at 0xd000,  00:01:02:2a:bb:a9, IRQ 5
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel:   Internal config register is 1800000, transceivers 0x3a.
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel:   8K byte-wide RAM 5:3 Rx:Tx split, autoselect/Autonegotiate interface.
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel:   Media override to transceiver type 1 (10Mbs AUI).
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel:   Enabling bus-master transmits and whole-frame receives.
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel: eth0: Media override to transceiver 1 (10Mbs AUI).
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel: eth0: Initial media type 10Mbs AUI.
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel: eth0: vortex_open() InternalConfig 01100000.
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel: eth0: vortex_open() irq 5 media status 8080.
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel: eth0: Media selection timer tick happened, 10Mbs AUI.
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel: eth0: Media 10Mbs AUI is has no indication, 8808.
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel: eth0: vortex_close() status e000, Tx status 00.
Aug 24 14:48:59 star2 kernel: eth0: vortex close stats: rx_nocopy 0 rx_copy 0 tx_queued 3 Rx pre-checksummed 0.

and the network doesn't work.

I am sorry for that because I should have tried 2.2.16 immediately,
but didn't think it's that easy.
Maybe the bug occurs only with certain kernel options or compilers or
compiler options.


Moritz