need help :-)

[bikekil]

Gents,
Last few days i was fighting with a Linux on my laptop. Now at this point i can't go forward with it so decided to ask ya for help :-)
Let me describe the situation + i will give you some background.

I'm working on a Dell Latitude C800 (PIII1Ghz;512RAM;30GB HDD;AtiRage128... no matter anyway). It have built in 3C59x compatibile NIC. I decided to plug it a pcmcia Xircom card bus combo card (nic, modem etc) and i decided to install a linux on it. Have a varoius of distributions here. Was going to install a Slackware ( i was working on it some long time ago... never was an ace tho) but after i checked what i have avaliable here i changed my mind I tried a Lindows OS. heard a lot about how crappy it is, but you know how it is... you need to try it by yourself After an instalation at the first boot it froze. Tried again - no result... just couldn't boot the pc.
Allright - i said and i installed a FreeBSD (because of "ports".. i'm lazy ya know). Same thing... it just fromze on the first boot! what the hell is wrong?!?! after some time i realised, that it's booting ok after removing a Xircom card from pcmcia slot
Not that bad huh? Allright. changed Xircom from card bus to the 16bit card.. same result!
Ok, let's try to plug the card when system is running - freeeeeeeeeeeeeeez

At this point i was close to screw linux and move back to the good ole trusty crappy Windows... but i gave the last chance to the RedHat... and it worked (more or less). I can bootup the system and i can work on it...

Now here is the problem:
At work i'm using a static IP=10.9.113.1 with a gateway 10.9.0.1
It home i'm using dhcp but i have the same IP everytime=62.121.87.45 with a gateway 62.121.87.254.
I trued this setup:
eth0 (3c95x)=dhcp
eth1 =static 10.9.113.1

then it's failing to bring ONE of them... i don;'t know why... however it's behaving really strange
(ifconfig eth0 up was bringing it up and i could see the ip adress of it by ifconfig... but after i've entered the X mode and checked the "network" tool i saw eth0 as inactive??? the same goes for eth1 from time to time)

so i tried this:
eth0 (3c)=static 62.121.87.45 with all othes settings typed like it should be -it's working
eth1 (xircom)= static 10.9.113.1

now i have TWO default gateways:
10.9.0.1
62.121.87.254

Of course i'm (or system is) too stupid to autodetect the gateway... so everytime i'm booting the OS i have to delete one GW (route del default gw 62.121.87.254) and then everything is working just fine.

Now my question is:
How the hell i can set it up to have the gateway autodetected? or to have it like that:
10.9.0.1 for the eth1
62.121.87.254 for the eth0
???

or i just have to remove one of the gateways everytime?

I hope some of you know the answer
Thanks!

[bloom25]

I'll ask someone I know about the gateway issue.  Unfortunately, I don't know the answer ... yet.  

The reason the other distributions probably froze up is because newer laptops require full ACPI (rather than the older APM) support to work.  As far as I know, only Redhat 8.0 and maybe SuSe support that in the default install.  Upgrading to a new kernel would probably allow the older distributions to work.

[bikekil]

thanks bloom!

I thikn that's not a "pwer management" problem with the frozes... without Xircom cards plugged in FreeBSD was running ok. So it's the PCMCIA support or... just Xircom support i thikn. Prolly Lindows would run too without this Xircom card plugged.

Anyway i got it working on the RH.

Can't wait for what you will find thanks!

bike

p.s. nice to see you around! still flying? still a knight?

[senna]

Some of the networking ralated files are stored in:

/etc/sysconfig
and
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts

This file contains your defaultrouter. You can have two static routes to two different gateways on two different interfaces but you cannot of course have two defaultrouters. Place your defaultrouter in this file.

/etc/sysconfig/network

under GATEWAY and GATEWAYDEV entries

This file contains your static routes. If you have a defaultrouter in file above, you can leave the two entries in this file alone.

/etc/sysconfig/static-routes

Your IP address is in:
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 (or eth0:1 for virtual devices, oh how Linux changes eh)

/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-1

Within these two files there are various settings. Of concern are these two (assuming all else was set correctly from Xwindows GUI)

ONBOOT (y/n)
ISPCMCIA (y/n)

should be (y)  for both cards.

Still I've seen the problem of interfaces automatically go into inactive mode before and not just for PCMCIA, some times this also occures for PCI card devices as well.


Start with PCMCIA stuff, its in:

/etc/sysconfig/pcmcia

PCMCIA=yes|no
PCIC=i82365|tcic
(make sure its the correct chipset, probably already is)

PCIC_OPTS=socket driver (i82365 or tcic) timing parameters
CORE_OPTS=pcmcia_core options
CARDMGR_OPTS=cardmgr options

Check these setings, make a note of them.

This file contains your actual PCMCIA device configuration:

/etc/pcmcia/config (contains device classes etc for reference)

/etc/pcmcia/network (script that executes when you insert a network PCMCIA adaptor. This cript reads file below)

/etc/pcmcia/network.opts (This file is very important for PCMCIA networking)

Check all of those files. Make sure they all look ok and contain the proper entries.

Lodable module issues:
If you suspect you PCMCIA module is crapping out, reload the module. Do a man on mod or module to find the commands for loading, unloading and showing which modules are currently loaded in the kernel.

==============

So basicall an entry for your defaultrouter in
/etc/sysconfig/network
and whis device to route through should fix your defaultrouter issue.

Then if your eth interfaces are not up, there could be few reasons.

1) is inactive

ifconfig eth0 up

2) inactive at boot
modify /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-1 and 2
see above, then:

ifup eth0
or              (if these commands dont work your kernel is too old)
ifdown eth1

3) or the PCMCIA ethernet device did not load properly or somehow became unloaded

/etc/pcmcia/network start eth0
or
/etc/pcmcia/network start eth1

Running this command is what happens when you insert your PCMCIA cards (dont have to remove card to run command).

--------

If your interface is dying after Xwindos starts, make sure your using the latest Linux kernels. The problem is rather wierd. Just use 1,2,3 solution above to resolve after getting into Xwindows.

I once ran into a similar problem. Fixed issue by going to a new kernel release but it wasnt PCMCIA related, was PCI NIC issue shutting down for no reason after Xwindows starts. Used commands to remedy the situation then new kernel release solved it.

Last thing, always put same PCMCIA card into same slot, save yourself the grief of potential probs with interface# etc.... Hope this helps.

[bikekil]

Allrighty... booting my linux now

Some of the networking ralated files are stored in:

/etc/sysconfig
and
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts

i was setting my network by using this files. I'm using X's only to browse the web... never used any config tool from it.

This file contains your defaultrouter. You can have two static routes to two different gateways on two different interfaces but you cannot of course have two defaultrouters. Place your defaultrouter in this file.

/etc/sysconfig/network

by all this years i was using winblows i thought that a "default route" was attached to the NIC and that was not something "general"... anyway in this file planced my default route some time ago. It looks like this:
networking=yes
hostname=fix
gateway=62.121.87.254

This file contains your static routes. If you have a defaultrouter in file above, you can leave the two entries in this file alone.

/etc/sysconfig/static-routes

i don't have this file... not in /etc ... not named like that or similar

Your IP address is in:
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 (or eth0:1 for virtual devices, oh how Linux changes eh)

/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-1

Within these two files there are various settings. Of concern are these two (assuming all else was set correctly from Xwindows GUI)

I was configuring my network by using MC (f4 for editing) and i configured this files correctly. It's prety easy config but there is no room for a "routes" in this files. Never tried an X gui.. and i don't think i will... it's too sweet looking and i don't trust it

ONBOOT (y/n)
ISPCMCIA (y/n)

should be (y) for both cards.

Still I've seen the problem of interfaces automatically go into inactive mode before and not just for PCMCIA, some times this also occures for PCI card devices as well.

i got onboot=yes for both cards but 3c is built in PCI card not PCMCIA (like Xircom is). When both cards using static IP addys i have no problem with booting them. I had some problems when one of them was on dynamic IP (OS was showing a faliure when bringing it up, but this card was working correctly) anyway it's not a problem.

Start with PCMCIA stuff, its in:

/etc/sysconfig/pcmcia

PCMCIA=yes|no
PCIC=i82365|tcic
(make sure its the correct chipset, probably already is)

PCIC_OPTS=socket driver (i82365 or tcic) timing parameters
CORE_OPTS=pcmcia_core options
CARDMGR_OPTS=cardmgr options

that is pretty interesting... as a winblows admin i never took any care on how PCMCIA is working I'm green here but will tell you wnat i found in this file:
PCMCIA=yes  (ok)
PCIC=yenta_socket   (i think i know what it is )
PCIC_OPTS=    (empty)
CORE_OPTS=   (empty)

all other about PCMCIA looks ok... i don't have a problem with it when i'm using RH.

So basicall an entry for your defaultrouter in
/etc/sysconfig/network
and whis device to route through should fix your defaultrouter issue.

Then if your eth interfaces are not up, there could be few reasons.

1) is inactive

ifconfig eth0 up

2) inactive at boot
modify /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-1 and 2
see above, then:

ifup eth0
or (if these commands dont work your kernel is too old)
ifdown eth1

3) or the PCMCIA ethernet device did not load properly or somehow became unloaded

/etc/pcmcia/network start eth0
or
/etc/pcmcia/network start eth1

Running this command is what happens when you insert your PCMCIA cards (dont have to remove card to run command).

i'm not THAT newbie  I know how to bring up a ethernet adapter

==============================================
bottom line is:

the only problem i have now is a /etc/sysconfig/static-routes file missing... as i understand there i could add a static gw for a eth0 and eth1 interfaces? If i have NO such a file... i should manually create it? if yes - could you post here some example of how this files looks like? if i don't have this file, there is a chance that even if i create it, this new (crerated files) will stay unused... should i place some entries to the other file(s) to use this "/etc/sysconfig/static-routes" file?

Thanks a lot for your replay senna !!!
it's mostly what i already know, but there are some ports that i'm not familiar with (like PCMCIA). I will give them a closer look!

bike

[senna]

For the file:

/etc/sysconfig/static-routes

If you dont have any entries now, dont worry about it. You only need a defaultrouter and you might want to change this between the:

62.121.87.0
and
10.9.113.0

networks whether at work or at home. You only need static routs if your machine is swicthing packets between interfaces.

Such as:

10.9.113.0 --router at--> 10.9.113.1 and there are other networks beyond this one on this segment not reachable from network below.

62.121.87.0 --router at--> 62.121.87.254 and there are other networks beyond this one on this segment not reachable from network above.

You might need stuff like that if your notebook was connected to work (WAN, DSL, VPN) and also to a number of small private home networks or something.

good luck,

[senna]

BTW: Whats your FPS and game performance like playing AH with an AtiRage128 equiped notebook?

[bikekil]

Senna,

the problem is that i don't have this /etc/sysconfig/static-routes file

So far i'm changeing a default route manually everytime after my system boot by:
route add default gw 10.9.0.1
or
route add default gw 62.121.87.254

i'm removing my default gw if needed by route del.... command


But i still have no ideas how to set the static routes...
What i want to have is:
request from eth0 is going by the 10.9.0.1 gateway
request from eth1 is going by the 62.121.87.154 gw

without typing "route add" and "route del" stuff all the time :-)
Do you know how to make it done...without this "static-routes" file (that i don't have)? Is this file specific to some linux distro? I don't have in in RH.

[bikekil]

i will let you know about the FPS. I need to install AH on the dale laptop at my work.