[Posted and mailed]
Quote:> Folks,
> I am building up a new computer, and converting my old Pentium 166/MMX
> to a Linux box (my new computer will have Linux on it as well, but it
> will primarily be a Windows98 box for my wife).
> I plan to network the two computers, and am trying to determine which
> NIC cards to use.
> I am considering a Linksys Fast Ethernet Kit which contains two
> Linksys LNE100TX cards and a hub. It seems like a good value.
I've got one of these cards in one of my computers, and I've got a LinkSys
hub, but I didn't buy them as part of a kit.
Quote:> I have been to RedHat's web site, and see that they do not support
> this card, but I have been to LinkSys' web site, and see that they do
> support it for Linux.
> I sure that a few of you have used this kit. Any words of wisdom on
> this kit?
> 1. Does it work for Linux? (I know that Linksys states it does, but I
> want to hear it from somebody who is actually using it!)
Yes, it'll work with Linux. You may need to replace one file in the Linux
kernel source tree and recompile, though. This is because recent LinkSys
10/100 boards use a PNIC chipset (it's labelled "LinkSys" on the chip
itself, though), rather than the original DEC 21x4x. The latest Tulip
drivers support the PNIC chipset, but they have yet to appear in any
kernel as of 2.2.9 (the latest I've checked). You can obtain these latest
drivers from:
http://cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov/linux/drivers/tulip-devel.html
The drivers on LinkSys' web site are the same (or possibly slightly
older). LinkSys didn't write Linux drivers themselves, though the source
code includes a comment to the effect that LinkSys did donate a PNIC-based
board.
Quote:> 2. Any "gotchas"?
See above. Also, be sure that you're getting a 10/100 hub, as well as
10/100 NICs. I've heard of kits that bundle 10/100 NICs with cheaper 10
Mbps-only hubs. I don't know if the LinkSys kit is like this, but it
might be.
Quote:> 3. Any suggestions for any other NIC's and hubs that support 100BaseT
> (that don't cost an arm and a leg!)?
Intel and 3COM NICs are both reputed to work well in Linux, and without
updating drivers, at least for recent kernels. They're more expensive,
though (typically $60-$80 apiece).
Most of the inexpensive 10/100 NICs, including models from Netgear,
Kingston, SOHOware, and others now use clones of the Tulip chips,
supplied by PNIC, Macronix, ASIX, and perhaps others. The actual chips
are often labelled with the board's manufacturer, though, so it's hard to
tell that this is the case until you see the Linux kernel bootup message
confirming the fact. Most of these board should work fine with Linux
when using recent drivers, but may not work with the kernel "out of the
box." I've seen reports of both success and failure for each of the
major Tulip clone board brands, though, so there may be subtle
differences from model to model, incompatibilities with some models with
other hardware, or plain old-fashioned user error.
The most popular exception to this rule I'm aware of is the D-Link
DFE-530TX, which uses a VIA Rhine chipset. It's supported by
2.2.x-series kernels without any driver update. The kernel source for
this board indicates that the drivers sometimes need to move data to
align it, though, which causes a speed hit. I don't know how serious
this problem is. I do have one of these boards in one system, though,
and it's been reliable.
No matter what model you get, I recommend purchasing from a store that
will let you return the whole mess for a refund or exchange with another
model, in case you have problems.
--
Rod Smith
http://www.channel1.com/users/rodsmith
NOTE: Remove the "uce" word from my address to mail me
Author of _Special Edition Using WordPerfect for Linux_, from Que;
see http://www.channel1.com/users/rodsmith/books.html
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