Topic: Waking up of SME 9.1 using WoL (SME server used for Affa)

[ReetP]

Hope you don't mind me to have kept after you to do the triage its just once you go through the process you learn something, get a bit of a kick and show others it is relatively straightforward..

Bloody slave driver....

[TerryF]

Why the heck does SME 9.1 crash with a kernel panic, if I now try to load r8169!? I see only a single explanation: the installation of r8168 changed something, which is not compliant with r8169. Isn't this one more indication, that something is wrong with r8169!?

and lots of refs in google to r8169 causing a crash..

and ReetP knows what my response is

[ReetP]

Chortle

[TerryF]

Nice little write up here:  https://wiki.hetzner.de/index.php/Installation_des_r8168-Treibers/en

[turandot]

Thanks for all your help 

I have now tested the r8168 driver from ELRepo.org, it works perfectly      Here are the detailed steps, how made this happen.

First make a clean install of SME 9.1 e.g. from CDROM. After that apply all available updates.

Next enable ELRepo.org repository, details see here: https://wiki.contribs.org/ELRepo#tab=For_SME_9

Check that the repository has been added:

Code: [Select]

[root@smebackup ~]# /sbin/e-smith/audittools/repositories
base: enabled
centosplus: disabled
contrib: disabled
elrepo: disabled            <--- see here
extras: disabled
fasttrack: disabled
smeaddons: enabled
smecontribs: disabled
smedev: disabled
smeextras: enabled
smeos: enabled
smetest: disabled
smeupdates: enabled
smeupdates-testing: disabled
updates: enabled
[root@smebackup ~]#
Check driver status:

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[root@smebackup ~]# lsmod |grep r816
r8169                  74333  0            <--- see here: r8169 is loaded
mii                     5376  1 r8169
[root@smebackup ~]# modprobe -l r8168            <--- see here: r8168 is not present
[root@smebackup ~]# modprobe -l r8169
kernel/drivers/net/r8169.ko            <--- but r8169 is present
[root@smebackup ~]#
Update ELRepo repository:

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[root@smebackup ~]# yum update --enablerepo=elrepo
Geladene Plugins: fastestmirror, smeserver
Einrichten des Aktualisierungsprozess
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * base: mirror.23media.de
 * smeaddons: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * smeextras: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * smeos: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * smeupdates: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * updates: repo.de.bigstepcloud.com
elrepo                                                   | 2.9 kB     00:00 ...
elrepo/primary_db                                        | 727 kB     00:02
Keine Pakete für die Aktualisierung markiert
[root@smebackup ~]#
No driver is installed without explicit loading from ELRepo:

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[root@smebackup ~]# yum install kmod-r8168
Geladene Plugins: fastestmirror, smeserver
Einrichten des Installationsprozess
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * base: mirror.23media.de
 * smeaddons: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * smeextras: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * smeos: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * smeupdates: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * updates: repo.de.bigstepcloud.com
Kein Paket kmod-r8168 verfügbar.            <--- r8168 is not downloaded, because ELRepo repository is disabled
Fehler: Nichts zu tun
[root@smebackup ~]#
However when enabling ELRepo, the driver is downloaded and installed, and the GPG key is added:

Code: [Select]

[root@smebackup ~]# yum install --enablerepo=elrepo kmod-r8168
Geladene Plugins: fastestmirror, smeserver
Einrichten des Installationsprozess
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * base: mirror.23media.de
 * smeaddons: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * smeextras: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * smeos: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * smeupdates: mirrors.rbx.opencare.nl
 * updates: repo.de.bigstepcloud.com
Löse Abhängigkeiten auf
--> Führe Transaktionsprüfung aus
---> Package kmod-r8168.x86_64 0:8.043.01-1.el6.elrepo will be installiert
--> Abhängigkeitsauflösung beendet

Abhängigkeiten aufgelöst

================================================================================
 Paket            Arch         Version                       Repository   Grösse
================================================================================
Installieren:
 kmod-r8168       x86_64       8.043.01-1.el6.elrepo         elrepo        95 k

Vorgangsübersicht
================================================================================
Install       1 Package(s)

Gesamte Downloadgrösse: 95 k
Installed size: 728 k
Ist dies in Ordnung? [j/N] :j
Lade Pakete herunter:
kmod-r8168-8.043.01-1.el6.elrepo.x86_64.rpm              |  95 kB     00:00
Warnung: rpmts_HdrFromFdno: Header V4 DSA/SHA1 Signature, Schlüssel-ID baadae52: NOKEY
Retrieving key from http://elrepo.org/RPM-GPG-KEY-elrepo.org
Importing GPG key 0xBAADAE52:
 Userid: "elrepo.org (RPM Signing Key for elrepo.org) <secure@elrepo.org>"
 From  : http://elrepo.org/RPM-GPG-KEY-elrepo.org
Ist dies in Ordnung? [j/N] :j            <--- GPG key is added:
Führe rpm_check_debug durch
Führe Verarbeitungstest durch
Verarbeitungstest erfolgreich
Führe Verarbeitung durch
  Installieren : kmod-r8168-8.043.01-1.el6.elrepo.x86_64                    1/1
Working. This may take some time ...
Done.
  Verifying    : kmod-r8168-8.043.01-1.el6.elrepo.x86_64                    1/1

Installiert:
  kmod-r8168.x86_64 0:8.043.01-1.el6.elrepo

Komplett!
[root@smebackup ~]#
Now the r8168 driver is present, but not yet loaded:

Code: [Select]

[root@smebackup ~]# lsmod |grep r816
r8169                  74333  0
mii                     5376  1 r8169
[root@smebackup ~]# modprobe -l r8168
weak-updates/r8168/r8168.ko
[root@smebackup ~]# modprobe -l r8169
kernel/drivers/net/r8169.ko
[root@smebackup ~]#
Now unload r8169, and load r8168:

Code: [Select]

[root@smebackup ~]# modprobe -r r8169
[root@smebackup ~]# modprobe r8168
Last check on driver status, r8168 is now loaded:

Code: [Select]

[root@smebackup ~]# lsmod | grep r816
r8168                 329880  0
[root@smebackup ~]# modprobe -l r8168
weak-updates/r8168/r8168.ko
[root@smebackup ~]# modprobe -l r8169
kernel/drivers/net/r8169.ko
[root@smebackup ~]#
Now do a reboot (for testing), and check driver status again, that r8168 loading survives a reboot:

Code: [Select]

[root@smebackup ~]# signal-event reboot

[root@smebackup ~]# lsmod | grep r816
r8168                 329880  0
[root@smebackup ~]#
Now halt the server:

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[root@smebackup ~]# signal-event halt

And bingo: WoL now works in this configuration 

Background information:

https://wiki.hetzner.de/index.php/Installation_des_r8168-Treibers/en
http://elrepo.org/tiki/tiki-index.php

turandot

[TerryF]

Mate...I like your work

Excellent triage, testing and outcome, pats on the back..

Now I am off to do the same to a white box server I have running for a community group that has worked but always been slow, the investigation etc of this driver issue has given me a possible solution..

Now need to wait for RH to look to adding an updated driver..

Also have read what seems to be conflicting advise re driver reverting with a Kernel update, can someone confirm if the elrepo kmod driver will still be active on a kernel update. 

Would be a pleasure to buy you a coffee if you are ever in Melbourne Oz..

[turandot]

Mate...I like your work

Thanks for your compliments 

Excellent triage, testing and outcome

I am working in the space business. Here you learn it the hard way how to prepare and run tests

...the investigation etc of this driver issue has given me a possible solution..

This is what I like most: one successful collaboration inspires ideas for the next task

Would be a pleasure to buy you a coffee if you are ever in Melbourne Oz..

Just for the coffee would be probably a bit too expensive, since it would require a flight around half the globe! But you never know...

Redhat has at least assigned the bug report to dedicated persons.

[TerryF]

Just for the coffee would be probably a bit too expensive, since it would require a flight around half the globe! But you never know...

You never ever know Formula 1 in March

Redhat has at least assigned the bug report to dedicated persons.

Yes, just a waiting game now, if they aren't told then it would definitely never get looked at.

[turandot]

I reported that I had opened bug report https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1410994

Things started to move. The bug is assigned, I was requested to provide more info (output of dmesg and ethtool under various conditions), I provided that information.

https://bugs.contribs.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7928 reports a comparable bug which was managed through https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=996331 . I gave the hint to Redhat to cross check that bug / bug fix in RHEL 5.

turandot

[TerryF]

Love it when a plan bears fruit

If you add me as a CC contact in your Red Hat bug I will be able to read it, kernel bugs are made private and only accessible by registered users etc, which I am.

[turandot]

If you add me as a CC contact in your Red Hat bug

Easier said than done... I need to know your bugzilla contact email address for this, right? I would have sent a private message to request that, but I am not allowed to post private messages 

Redhat has worked on the bug on a test system, but they could not reproduce it. They asked me to use RHEL 6.8 instead of 6.7, I used centOS 6.8. And bingo: I reproduced the faulty behaviour. First I thought about using CentOS 6.7, but with duplication under 6.8 I don't think that it makes much sense. Terry, do you think that I should give CentOS 7 a try?

turandot

[TerryF]

tfage at yahoo dot com dot au will find me..

CentOS 7 is a very different animal I don't think it would server any useful purpose just now, personal curiosity not withstanding.

Have to question whether Red Hat used the same Ethernet card/motherboard Realtek chipset version in their testing.

[turandot]

I have added you to the CC list.

[TerryF]

I have added you to the CC list.

Sweet, looking at the comments etc, there may very well be differences between the stand alone nic they used to test with and the, I would think, older spec of an on board system. The proof is in the testing

[turandot]

Yes, the mainboard with onboard NIC is from 2007 or 2008.

I tried to install CentOS 7 on the machine, but I failed (unknown error). Looking into https://wiki.centos.org/About/Product , I suspect that there is not enough memory installed (1GB for 2 logical cores) versus required (1GB per logical CPU).

I will now wait for Redhat's actions.