Topic: Server-Only Mode / eth0 not up

[Bruce Friedman]

Can anyone offer some help in getting SME Server V5.0 working in server-only mode?

I am behind a router, and thus only need server functionality.

When I bring up the system after configuring it, eth0 is always down.

I have tried the usual: ifconfig eth0 down; ifconfig eth0 up and it give me the following error:
SIOCSIFFLAGS: Resource temporarily unavailable

I have tried three different PCI network adaptors (all working under Windows), all give the same result.

The drivers used are: rtl8139.o, and ne2k-pci.o.  Two of the card types use the Realtech 8139 chip.

These same cards have worked using those drivers under versions of RHL 7.0 and prior.

In my version of RHL7.1, a 2.4 kernel is used: 2.4.2-2 to be exact.  In that kernel, on the same machine, it uses 8139too.o instead of rtl8139.o.  On a version of RHL7.0, with kernel 2.2.16-22, it uses rtl8139.o just fine.  And RHL7.0 uses the ne2k-pci.o just fine, too.

This makes me suspect that the problem is not the machine (motherboard/bios), not the network adapter (ne2k or rtl8139), but the configuration of SME Server.

Has anyone seen this or have any ideas of what to look for?

[Luke Drumm]

It sounds like you're after a server/gateway configuration rather just a server only one.

In a server only configuration, it only uses one network card because it's only serving to the local network.

If you would like the server to route traffic (ie. act as a gateway) then you'll need to put the server in server/gateway mode.

The extra services it offers are optional in their use and can be safely ignored (or modified) so they don't interfere with your existing setup.

All of this info can be found in the online manual (http://www.e-smith.org/docs/manual/5.0/) for your grokking. (ie. RTFM ).

Regards,
Luke

[Bruce Friedman]

I really do want a server only mode, with only one NIC.  I already have a gateway/firewall, and don't need another.  I have read the manual (a few times), and can't seem to get around this problem.

I have seen other people having trouble with the RTL8139 in other messages here, but that doesn't make much sense to me, since this very system works just fine in RHL7.1, kernel version 2.4.2-2, AND under RHL7.0, kernel version 2.2.16-22.

Rather than blaming the problem on the ethernet NIC or driver, I believe the problem must be coming from some configuration in SME V5, or possibly custom kernel/drivers provided in SME V5.

[Dan Brown]

SME 5 does not use a "custom" kernel or driver set, though it is different from the one shipped with RH 7.1 (it's using the latest 7.0 update kernel).  It works with at least one rtl8139-based NIC, as I have it configured with one.

When you do lsmod, is rtl8139 listed?  What happens when you do modprobe rtl8139?

[Bruce Friedman]

I ran lsmod and there is an entry for rtl8139 - but it is revealing

Module             Size                    Used By
rtl8139              12464                  0  (autoclean) (unused)

So, It says it is unused.  I ran modprobe rtl8139 and there was no change.
I wanted to try 8139too.o instead of rtl8139.o, but I can't figure out how to associate that driver with the ethernet interface startup.  It is not chooseable from the admin interface.

Dan, what rtl8139-based NIC are you using?  Mine is the EE 100-AE from GigaFast (www.gigafast.com) - using RTL8139C.

[Dan Brown]

Mine is a D-Link DFE-530TX+, if I recall correctly--I'll check for sure when I get back home.