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Date:      Tue, 15 May 2001 11:20:44 +1000
From:      Dave Seddon <das@mbox.com.au>
To:        freebsd-bugs@FreeBSD.ORG, wpaul@ctr.columbia.edu
Subject:   RE: vr0 network card failure
Message-ID:  <290838290381.290381290838@mbox.com.au>

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Dominic,

I've got a bunch of machines that use the D-Link (vr) cards.  I had 
major problems a couple of months ago, when after months of good 
performace the network card started failing.  It would work fine for a 
while, then completley stop.  Ended up just replacing the card with 
another of the same and it's worked no worries since.  

I suggest you get Intel cards.  The driver has been tweaked for FreeBSD 
so they scream.
(The lastest Intel Pro cards have some new chip on the card, that can 
either do hardware CRC checking or something to do something to do with 
IPSec (sorry I only noticed the option in the Windows driver).  
Currently FreeBSD does not support the new features on the card, 
althought the card does work, but I hope in the near future we'll be 
able to utilize this new features.)

Dave Seddon

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-freebsd-bugs@FreeBSD.ORG
[mailto:owner-freebsd-bugs@FreeBSD.ORG]On Behalf Of Dominic Marks
Sent: Tuesday, 15 May 2001 1:12
To: freebsd-bugs@FreeBSD.ORG
Cc: wpaul@ctr.columbia.edu
Subject: vr0 network card failure


Hello,

> # FreeBSD Version Information
FreeBSD apollo 4.3-STABLE
Mon May 14 08:37:38 BST 2001
<

> # dmesg | grep vr
Preloaded elf module "if_vr.ko" at 0xc02aa278.
vr0: <VIA VT6102 Rhine II 10/100BaseTX> port 0x1000-0x10ff mem
+0xf4000000-0xf40000ff irq 9 at device 16.0 on pci0
vr0: Ethernet address: 00:50:ba:f1:b0:44
miibus0: <MII bus> on vr0
vr0: watchdog timeout
<

I'm having problems using a D-Link network card, which is supported in
the kernel as a VIA Rhine chipset (vr). I've searched the mailing list
archives and it appears that I'm not the first to experience this flaw
either.

The problem occurs when I do intensive data traffic on the interface and
this causes two effects. Firstly there are large durations when there
is no traffic being sent, which is normally resumed after 20 seconds.
Then there is second, which is the core problem. The card often dies
completely setting the OACTIVE flag and becoming unresponsive. This is
only fixed by downing and restarting the interface, which is very 
annoying
as it normally only manages 20MB of data to be transferred. On low
data load ( < 200KBps) the cards work fine.

In my setup there are two FreeBSD boxes each with a vr card. One is a
standard Intel BX440 based motherboard, the other an Abit KT7A. The
problem seems to occur on both machines, although more frequently on
the BX440 board.

Having read various PR's on this problem there seems to be no good
solution. It is reccomended that I move the card back to its pre-MII Bus
state in the kernel, however is this really a good fix? If it is why
isn't it either the default or mentioned in the 'man vr' page?

Has anyone got a preferrable solution to this problem or am I going to
have to buy a new set of network cards?

Many Thanks

-- 
Dominic Marks

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