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Date:      Mon, 14 Dec 1998 17:22:38 -0800
From:      Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au>
To:        Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>
Cc:        hardware@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Good, cheap 100BaseT Ethernet cards? 
Message-ID:  <199812150122.RAA01346@dingo.cdrom.com>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Sun, 13 Dec 1998 16:40:44 MST." <4.1.19981213163548.06cd3450@mail.lariat.org> 

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> I'm looking for some good, cheap 100BaseT Ethernet cards which are
> supported by drivers included with FreeBSD. Unfortunately, the ones listed
> in the "Readme" are "name brands" -- and are going for $80-100 instead of
> the $20 that most people seem to be paying for Ethernet NICs for WinDoze.
> For example, the Netgear FA310TX is priced in the mid-$20's and comes from
> a reputable company, but I can't tell if it will work.

It will.  You generally need to actually look at the adapter to tell; 
there are just too many "noname" cards that are based on supported 
chipsets to try offering you brand names.

> Does anyone have a handle on a good, inexpensive brand that's known to be
> compatible? 

There is no such animal; most of the "inexpensive" brands are 
ephemeral, and those that aren't tend to change the actual hardware 
they use at the drop of a hat.  You should always buy based on the 
chipset.

> I'll need a few 32-bit PCI units and one or two for ISA, so I'm
> interested in recommendations for both.

The Netgear unit you've mentioned will work OK (it's a 'de' card), and 
just about any "NE2000-compatible" ISA card will be fine.  If possible, 
get one with jumpers rather than a setup program...

-- 
\\  Sometimes you're ahead,       \\  Mike Smith
\\  sometimes you're behind.      \\  mike@smith.net.au
\\  The race is long, and in the  \\  msmith@freebsd.org
\\  end it's only with yourself.  \\  msmith@cdrom.com



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