Very Computer

I have a very old redhat 5.1 gnu/linux system whose ethernet card has
both bnc and an aui connectors.  The bnc connector works, but i'd
like to switch to using the aui.

So somehow i need to inform the hardware that i'll be using a
different connector.

I'd like to use /sbin/ifconfig, but the version of ifconfig on the
machine (1.24, net-tools 1.33, kernel 2.0.32) does not support a
`type' argument, and even if it did, i don't know if the device driver
would know what to do.

So how else can i do it?

The machine is a legacy system so i don't want to touch any of the
hardware internals, and i don't want to do anything outside of
userland to the software.

People back in the old days must have had some way to change the
media type of their ethernet cards?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.  (And thanks to John-Paul
Stewart, Hactar, and Michael Meissner for earlier advice on getting
the external hardware connections lined up this far.)

dan

This sounds like a really old card. Is it PCI or, more likely, ISA?

Quote:> I'd like to use /sbin/ifconfig, but the version of ifconfig on the
> machine (1.24, net-tools 1.33, kernel 2.0.32) does not support a `type'
> argument, and even if it did, i don't know if the device driver would
> know what to do.
> The machine is a legacy system so i don't want to touch any of the
> hardware internals, and i don't want to do anything outside of userland
> to the software.

If the settings is done with jumpers you will not be able to change this
with software.

Quote:> People back in the old days must have had some way to change the media
> type of their ethernet cards?

With very old ISA cards this was usually done with jumpers. Later the
cards came with a floppy containing a DOS program to reconfigure the
cards.

What kind of card do you have? If you don't know, which driver do you use?

regards Henrik
--
The address in the header is only to prevent spam. My real address is:
hc2(at)uthyres.com Examples of addresses which go to spammers:

If you're lucky, the card/driver will autodetect the media type at boot
time.

Sometimes media type is set as a parameter to the device driver.  If
you're loading it as a module with modprobe/insmod, you can specify the
appropriate option then.  If the driver is built into the kernel, put
the parameter on the kernel command line with an "append=..." statement
in LILO.

Some cards are software selectable, but only with manufacturer's own
DOS-based config program.  In that case, a DOS boot floppy and a quick
download from the manufacturer's tech support site will be needed to
make the change.

Finally, some cards require physically moving jumpers on the card itself
to change media type.

You don't say which card you're using, so I can't be any more specific.
Sorry.

Quote:> The machine is a legacy system so i don't want to touch any of the
> hardware internals,

That may be unavoidable, depending on your card.

Quote:> I have a very old redhat 5.1 gnu/linux system whose ethernet card has
> both bnc and an aui connectors.  The bnc connector works, but i'd
> like to switch to using the aui.

> So somehow i need to inform the hardware that i'll be using a
> different connector.

Just power down, remove the BNC connector, attach the aui line, reboot.  If
you're REALLY lucky the card will sense the connection.

Quote:> I'd like to use /sbin/ifconfig, but the version of ifconfig on the
> machine (1.24, net-tools 1.33, kernel 2.0.32) does not support a
> `type' argument, and even if it did, i don't know if the device driver
> would know what to do.

> So how else can i do it?

If you know the manufacturer of the card, go to their website and search for
setup tools for the card you have.  Many of the ISA cards used DOS-based
setup programs that wrote to CMOS on the cards.

Quote:> The machine is a legacy system so i don't want to touch any of the
> hardware internals, and i don't want to do anything outside of
> userland to the software.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're likely to have to pull the
lid off to (a) determine exactly which card is installed, and/or (b) set
jumpers/dip switches to configure the card.  This is one of the methods that
was common in the "old days" referenced below.  *I was there!*

Quote:> People back in the old days must have had some way to change the
> media type of their ethernet cards?

JW

Thanks Jacob, and also Henrik and John-Paul, for responding.

As i think everybody noted, i should have mentioned the type of the
card, which is an SMC with a 1992 copyright date.  And it is certainly
not PCI, which i don't think existed yet when the system was put
together.

I don't believe there are jumpers on it.

Passing in parameters to the kernel at boot time is something i didn't
think of.

Thanks again everybody for all the help, and i guess i'll have to
mull over this some more.

dan

Unfortunately, none of the SMC card drivers use kernel parameters to
specify the media type, AFAICT.  

If the system doesn't autodetect whether you're using BNC or AUI you'll
probably have to resort to SMC's DOS-based configuration utility (if you
can find it).  Have you tried the AUI connector yet?  (FWIW, my SMC
Ultra autodetects between its BNC and twisted pair connectors.)

The Ethernet-HOWTO at http://www.tldp.org/ has more information if you
can determine exactly which SMC card you're using.