Topic: probs with hardware

[Werner Flamme]

i try to use e-smith 3.1 for my home network. Got a permanent connection via cable-tv. Now to the probs:
I use an ancient, stone-aged computer : compaq desqpro 575, this means Pentium 75 MHz, 56 MB RAM, 1 GB HD, IDE CD-ROM.
One prob is the on-board network controller, an AMD 79A970 or something like that. I can disable this strange thing, but the adapters I use instead are NE2000 (not even ne2k-pci). They are not supported!? Is this true?
Do I really have to replace my 2 old cards (I can't use anywhere else) by new ones to use this old box of aged hardware? Sure, not. So,
- where can I get the driver? Can I use the driver of SuSE 6.3?
   If yes, what files do have to take?
- where do I have to make entries for them?

[geoff]

> stone-aged computer : compaq desqpro 575, this means Pentium
> 75 MHz, 56 MB RAM, 1 GB HD, IDE CD-ROM.

We all make do with what we have got

> One prob is the on-board network controller, an AMD 79A970 or something like
> that. I can disable this strange thing, but the adapters I use
> instead are NE2000 (not even ne2k-pci). They are not
> supported!? Is this true? Do I really have to replace my 2 old
> cards (I can't use anywhere else) by new ones to use this old
> box of aged hardware?

Why not just go buy some PCI cards? I bet you could find some new ones really cheap, the time it would save is worth it. I dont think SUSE drivers are going to work here. Perhaps you could find redhat drivers that would do the trick. But the way I look at it is, using those old cards is only delaying the purchase of something new. Why not save all the trouble and do it now, kill two birds with one stone Pardon all the metaphors but it is 3:16am and I am really tired.

-geoff

[Charlie Brady]

Werner Flamme wrote:

> i try to use e-smith 3.1 for my home network. Got a permanent
> connection via cable-tv. Now to the probs: I use an ancient,
> stone-aged computer : compaq desqpro 575, this means
> Pentium 75 MHz, 56 MB RAM, 1 GB HD, IDE CD-ROM.

My test machine is a 486-66, 16MB RAM and 850MB hard drive. I don't find your hardware stone-aged!!

> One prob is the
> on-board network controller, an AMD 79A970 or something like
> that.

IIRC, that works with the "lance" driver, and is a good performer.

> I can disable this strange thing, but the adapters I use
> instead are NE2000 (not even ne2k-pci). They are not
> supported!? Is this true?

They are not supported, but they are usable with a little effort.

> Do I really have to replace my 2 old cards (I can't use
> anywhere else) by new ones to use this old box of aged
> hardware? Sure, not.

No, they are usable, but you need to be a bit clever.

> So, - where can I get the driver?

The correct drivers are already installed.

Assuming your system is a PCI system, then your installation will have completed OK. If not, then you will need to run /tmp/ks.script to complete the post-installation setup.

To enable your NE2000 ethernet cards, log in as root and run these commands:

/sbin/e-smith/config set EthernetDriver1 ne
/sbin/e-smith/config set EthernetDriver1 ne
cat <>/etc/conf.modules
options eth0 io=0x280
options eth1 io=0x300
EOF
/sbin/e-smith/signal-event console-save
/sbin/telinit 6

You will need to use the correct io address for each adaptor.
If you use the built in ethernet, substitute "lance" for "ne".

let me know how you get on.

Charlie

[Werner Flamme]

Thank you for the good advice. I'll try out the "lance" driver soon. For the NE2000, there are 2 things:
1. I didn't figure out the password for root
2. I found a card with a RTL8029. So I don't need (hope so)
   to work so hard

Geoff told me to buy 2 new cards. Well, that's why I told my computing box "stone-aged": it got 5 AT-slots, but only 1 PCI-slot. The 2nd (on-board) IDE-controller (labelled "CD-ROM") isn't recognized by the e-smith software. 1 HD and 1 CDR are connected; expansion impossible 8-(

Charlie Brady wrote:

> Werner Flamme wrote:
>
> > i try to use e-smith 3.1 for my home network. Got a
> permanent > connection via cable-tv. Now to the probs: I use
> an ancient, > stone-aged computer : compaq desqpro 575,
> this means > Pentium 75 MHz, 56 MB RAM, 1 GB HD, IDE CD-ROM.
>
> My test machine is a 486-66, 16MB RAM and 850MB hard drive. I
> don't find your hardware stone-aged!!
>
> > One prob is the > on-board network controller, an AMD
> 79A970 or something like > that.
>
> IIRC, that works with the "lance" driver, and is a
> good performer.
>
> > I can disable this strange thing, but the adapters I use
> > instead are NE2000 (not even ne2k-pci). They are not >
> supported!? Is this true?
>
> They are not supported, but they are usable with a little
> effort.
>
> > Do I really have to replace my 2 old cards (I can't use
> > anywhere else) by new ones to use this old box of aged
> > hardware? Sure, not.
>
> No, they are usable, but you need to be a bit clever.
>
> > So, - where can I get the driver?
>
> The correct d....

[cryblood]

Werner Flamme wrote:
>
> Geoff told me to buy 2 new cards. Well, that's why I told my
> computing box "stone-aged": it got 5 AT-slots, but
> only 1 PCI-slot. The 2nd (on-board) IDE-controller (labelled
> "CD-ROM") isn't recognized by the e-smith software. 1
> HD and 1 CDR are connected; expansion impossible 8-(
>

no prob, you should be able to slave the ide cdrom drive to the HDD on the first IDE controler by setting the HDD to master and the cdrom to slave,  just be sure you have a standard IDE ribbon cable as some of the older (and newer for that matter) proprietary systems used a cable select type cable (yuck!).  As far as the net cards, the ones you have should be fine with the proper drivers (already on the e-smith), As far as I know, the only real reason (although there are some un-real ones too) that e-smit says that it doesn't support isa nics is that it would be nearly impossible to make it easy enough for the "average" (meaning non-technical) person to set it up, better to have them (the non-technical ones) go and get better hardware.  Personally I FULLY agree with them!  better to stay simple for the less technical users and, being that e-smith is open source/very extensable (for the more technical users) the more-technical people still have whatever they want.