Re: [LBo] Hardware glitch: Vitesse Lan chip won’t warm boot

[Jim Westbrook]

Jisao wrote:

>(Warning.  Advanced hardware topic - long)
>
>I recently purchased a Gigabyte 64 bit GA-K8N51PVMT-9 motherboard with 
>onboard Lan (Vitesse 8201 phy chip, a successor of Cicada 8201 chip).
>
>The problem I have with it and Linux is that the network “won’t work” if I 
>reboot after having run Windows. I get a nice Linux distribution without 
>network support.
>
>The lan chip is not recognized, whereas if I do a cold boot (wait 20 seconds 
>after a complete shutdown, or turn off the power switch at the back, then 
>turn on the computer in the front – to discharge whatever residual power 
>left then turn the back switch on and reboot), eth0 is detected with no 
>problem and works fine.  The problem has been reported by others, as I had 
>seen this problem submitted in a Ubuntu forum.  Apparently, that would have 
>to do would the MAC address (nothing to do with MAC computers, or the emacs 
>editor). More about this later.
>
>I have been explained in layman’s term that what could be happening is that 
>as long as the computer is powered (even residually), the chip remembers the 
>Win MAC address, so it doesn’t work when I reboot with Linux.  
>
>The provided solution (cold reboot) being somewhat of a major annoyance, I 
>was looking for a better solution.  
>
>Some posts say about the chip:
>«Vitesse 8201 is a physical layer chip. The physical layer talks to the MAC 
>and the software layer talks to the MAC. The 8201 is usually used on Nvidia 
>chipset motherboards. They have a gigabit MAC built into the chipset. You 
>need to find drivers for that.»
> 
>Some people report having success with the RealTek RTL8129/8139 and the 
>RealTek RTL 8219/8139 modules. I have found a post by no other than Linux 
>Torvalds this July 2006 about a patch being applied to the kernel for this 
>chip. Unfortunately, what I understood from this was:  Torvalds = kernel = 
>way-over-my-head.
>
>I haven’t use lsmod so far to see what module I am using (I shall do this 
>next), but I was wondering if there is the way to flush the MAC address. 
>Unfortunately for me:  MAC address = hardware-esoteric-concept = way-over-my-
>head.
>
>
>>From here, I wonder what my options are:
>1.	Check if there is an updated module for the chip (how? – I run 
>Ubuntu 6.06 LTS right now).
>2.	Check if there is a beta driver which could solve the problem (even 
>if it might still be “experimental”)
>3.	… ??? …
>4.	Just live with it.
>
>
>  
>
This is the result of a Windows "feature" in which the network card is 
not fully reset during a warmboot.  This works in Windows because it is 
the expected behaviour.  In Linux, as you've discovered, it is less than 
optimum.  The only cure I've found for this is to always do a full 
shutdown and cold start when moving from Windows to Linux.

JimW