Topic: Adding a different nic

[Fred Van Andel]

How do I add support for a network card that is not in the preconfigured list?  I have a 3com 3c515 adapter, there is a standard red hat driver for it but how do I get e-smith to use it?

[Scott]

It appears that e-smith does already have the 3c515.o module in /lib/modules/2.2.16-3/net that you need.
If this is a standard pci network card, you would only need to change the file /etc/conf.modules to have a line that reads:
alias eth0 3c515   (replace eth0 with eth1 if it is your second ethernet adapter card)

then type: /etc/rc.d/init.d/network reload
to cause the /etc/conf.modules file to be read.

But I am only now learning the e-smith templates scheme, I can not tell you the template to change to make your modification to /etc/conf.modules stick after your next reboot. Someone else will have to help you there since I can not find the master template responsible for conf.modules.

It also may be that the e-smith console manager program menu choice "Configure this server and gateway" with the manual option with the preconfigured network cards list can somehow choose the correct 3c515 driver if you choose the 3c59x option. Perhaps that designator applies to the whole family of 3com cards.

Scott

[Charlie Brady]

Scott wrote:

>
> It appears that e-smith does already have the 3c515.o module in
> /lib/modules/2.2.16-3/net that you need. If this is a standard
> pci network card, you would only need to change the file
> /etc/conf.modules to have a line that reads: alias eth0 3c515
> (replace eth0 with eth1 if it is your second ethernet adapter
> card)

/sbin/e-smith/config set EthernetDriver1 3c515
/sbin/e-smith/signal-event console-save

will correctly set up your machine to use this NIC. (Use EthernetDriver2 if it is your external link NIC that you are setting up for).

Regards

Charlie

[Fred Van Andel]

Scott wrote:
  >If this is a standard pci network card, you would only need to ...

Unfortunatly this card is a 100mb ISA card and the autodetect routines do not work.  I manually set the irq address and the io ports as per my Red Hat docs but no joy.

  >It also may be that the e-smith console manager program menu choice   >"Configure this server and gateway" with the manual option with the   >preconfigured network cards list can somehow choose the correct 3c515   >driver if you choose the 3c59x option. Perhaps that designator   >applies to the whole family of 3com cards.

No, they are based on different chipsets.

  >But I am only now learning the e-smith templates scheme, I can not   >tell you the template to change to make your modification to   >/etc/conf.modules stick after your next reboot. Someone else will   >have to help you there since I can not find the master template     >responsible for conf.modules.

The contents of the /sbin/e-smith/ directory are actually perl programs that manage the configuration.  If you understand perl then you should be able to glean enough information to figure out how it works.  

I currently dont know enough about the internals of linux to understand much of it.

[Fred Van Andel]

Charlie Brady wrote:

> /sbin/e-smith/config set EthernetDriver1 3c515
> /sbin/e-smith/signal-event console-save
>
> will correctly set up your machine to use this NIC. (Use
> EthernetDriver2 if it is your external link NIC that you are
> setting up for).
>
The shell keeps giving me an error when I try it. I dont recall the message and since I cannot get it to work I actually have to swap the hard drive on my gateway box to get a working windoze box for internet access.  Regardless, the 3c515 is not a PCI adaptor so the simple way doesnt seem to work regardless.

[Charlie Brady]

Fred Van Andel wrote:

> Charlie Brady wrote:
>
> > /sbin/e-smith/config set EthernetDriver1 3c515
> > /sbin/e-smith/signal-event console-save
> > will correctly set up your machine to use this NIC.

Since your NIC is an ISA NIC, there is an additional instruction required. You need to do:

echo options 3c515 io=0x300 >> /etc/conf.modules

(substitute the actual I/O address of your card).

> The shell keeps giving me an error when I try it.

You will need to report the actual message for us to be able to help.

> Regardless, the 3c515 is not a PCI adaptor so the simple way
> doesnt seem to work regardless.

You now have the full instructions for using ISA NICs.

Best wishes

Charlie

[Fred Van Andel]

Charlie Brady wrote:
> Since your NIC is an ISA NIC, there is an additional
> instruction required. You need to do:
>
> echo options 3c515 io=0x300 >> /etc/conf.modules
>
> (substitute the actual I/O address of your card).
-snip-
> You now have the full instructions for using ISA NICs.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Charlie

No dice, I will get a PCI card on Monday any let the autoconfigure routine do its stuff.

Thanks for your help.

Fred Van ANdel