[vortex] Problems with a 3c900 network adapter

[Bogdan Hojda]

Hello!

I have a problem with a 3Com EtherLink XL Combo (3C900-COMBO)
network adapter.

I have 2 i386 computers connected together. The computer with
3Com network adapter runs Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 with kernel
2.2.22 and the driver 3c59x.c is builded directly into the
kernel. The problem is: if I switch the "debian computer" on
(the computer with 3Com), and then I switch the "other computer"
on, the network is inaccesible for both computers. If I switch
the "other computer" on first , and then the "debian computer",
the network is accesible, and everything works fine. Everything
works fine until the moment I switch off the "other computer",
and then back on (in the mean time the "debian computer" is
running), when the network is inaccesible for both computers.
The "other computer" runs Windows 98 and the "debian computer"
also have Windows 98 installed. When I run Win98 on both
computers there are no such problems.

The "other computer" is running, the "debian computer" is
running, the network is not accesible. The only way to make the
network accesible is to switch the "debian computer" off
(shutdown -h), and then back on. If I only reboot (shutdown -r),
the network is still inaccesible, and `/var/log/kern.log' says
that eth0 is 10base2 interface -- `eth0: Initial media type
10base2.' -- (the interface is combo, in fact, but the network
is build with RJ-45 connectors and twisted pair category 5
cable). When the network is not accesible, on the "debian
computer" I get from time to time the following message on the
screen:

     eth0: transmit timed out, tx_status 00 status e000.

Some lines from `/var/log/kern.log' file:

     ...
     ...
     ...
     Oct 21 09:16:42 debian kernel: 3c59x.c 18Feb01 Donald
Becker and others http://www.scyld.com/network/vortex.html
     Oct 21 09:16:42 debian kernel: eth0: 3Com 3C900 Boomerang
10Mbps Combo at 0x6000, 00:10:4b:4f:c7:40, IRQ 10
     Oct 21 09:16:42 debian kernel:   8K work-wide RAM 3:5
split, 10baseT interface.
     Oct 21 09:16:42 debian kernel:   Enabling bus-master
transmit and whole-frame receives.
     ...
     ...
     ...
     Oct 21 09:16:42 debian kernel: eth0: Initial media type
10baseT.
     ...
     ...
     ...
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel: eth0: transmit timed out,
tx_status 00 status e000.
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   Flags; bus-master 1, full
1; dirty 28 current 44.
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   Transmit list 02ff42c0 vs.
c2ff42c0.
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   0: @c2ff4200  length
8000006e status 0000006e
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   1: @c2ff4210  length
8000006e status 0000006e
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   2: @c2ff4220  length
8000006e status 0000006e
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   3: @c2ff4230  length
8000006e status 0000006e
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   4: @c2ff4240  length
8000006e status 0000006e
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   5: @c2ff4250  length
8000006e status 0000006e
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   6: @c2ff4260  length
8000006e status 0000006e
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   7: @c2ff4270  length
8000006e status 0000006e
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   8: @c2ff4280  length
800000db status 000000db
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   9: @c2ff4290  length
8000010e status 0000010e
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   10: @c2ff42a0  length
800000f9 status 800000f9
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   11: @c2ff42b0  length
8000010e status 8000010e
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   12: @c2ff42c0  length
800000e7 status 000000e7
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   13: @c2ff42d0  length
800000e7 status 000000e7
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   14: @c2ff42e0  length
800000e7 status 000000e7
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel:   15: @c2ff42f0  length
800000e7 status 000000e7
     Oct 21 09:26:50 debian kernel: eth0: Resetting the Tx ring
pointer.
     ...
     ...
     ...
     
The lines from `/var/log/kern.log' are extracted with the time
stamps when the "other computer" was switched off. The same
messages are in `/var/log/kern.log' when the "other computer" is
switched on, and the network is not accesible.

At the boot time I don't bypass any optional arguments - with
LILO - to the kernel (such as `LILO linux ether=...' or `LILO
linux reserve=...').

Thank you,
   Bogdan Hojda, bogdanhojda@yahoo.co.uk


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