Linux on PowerPC FAQ-O-Matic : System Configuration : Networking :
Why are there intermittent ethernet problems on the 6500?
Subject: 2.2.4, de4x5.c, cache coherency, 6500
From: Stefan Jeglinski <jeglin@4pi.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 11:17:47 -0500
If one checks for my name in the archives, one will find a lot of
posts from me about my 6500/linux/ethernet problems.A couple of months ago I communicated with Paul M about this. According to him, there is a cache coherency bug which affects 6500s. I don't know if this affects other machines. At any rate, he has patched de4x5.c in such a way that fixes this. That's why only the samba kernels ever worked for me w.r.t. ethernet and internet.
The 2.2.4 source still has the pristine 12/30/98 de4x5.c code. Paul has submitted the patches to the maintainer of de4x5.c but they are not in general distribution yet.
Last night, the 2.2.4 source marked the first time ever I was able to patch de4x5.c and compile it in successfully with the rest of the kernel, and prove to myself that it indeed does fix the ethernet problems with my 6500.
I'm posting this as a clue to anyone else who might be having intermittent ethernet problems. The best way to get the patches is to compare de4x5.c in any vanilla source distribution with Paul Makerras' de4x5.c which can be found in his 2.2.1 source at his ftp site. I apologize for not including the URL. It was recently changed for us non-aussies, and I have it only at home.
Stefan Jeglinski
mashl@ncsa.uiuc.edu
de4x5.c driver patches for 2.2.7 and 2.2.8 and how they were obtained can be found at http://www.rapierbit.org/linux/de4x5.html. The 2.2.7 patch is also known to work with 2.2.6 (when applied by hand, but YMMV) and is likely to work with earlier 2.2.x.
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