How to install network drivers?

Forum: DSL-N
Topic: How to install network drivers?
started by: helpme

Posted by helpme on July 23 2007,15:07

Hello

This is my first time with any kind of Linux OS so please bare with me if I ask things that seem obviouse etc.

I have been trying DSL-N hoping it could be a kind of backup OS for me at first. if I can boot from a CD it might save me if my HD gets messed up somehow. It boots OK for me and I can use the desktop and apps but it dosn't seem to find my integrated ethernet adaptor -- I'll try to explain.

The button for "netcardconfig" on the "control pannel" just brings up a window saying "no supported network cards detected".

After reading the posts here i tryed the command "lspci" at a prompt to ID the adaptor I have and the output icluded the following line:
"Ethernet controler: Intel corperation 82573L Gigabit Ethernet Controler".
Armed with this I have searched Intel's support pages and found a driver they say is for Linux so downloaded that and have been trying to install it following their instructions. Cut and past of of relevant part follows -- inset lines are their command examples.

1) Move the base driver tar file to the directory of your choice. For example, use '/home/username/e1000' or '/usr/local/src/e1000'.

2) Untar/unzip the archive, where <x.x.x> is the version number for the driver tar file:

tar zxf e1000-<x.x.x>.tar.gz

3) Change to the driver src directory, where <x.x.x> is the version number for the driver tar:

cd e1000-<x.x.x>/src/

4)Compile the driver module:

make install

This seems to work, using the ramdisk to experiment with, untill step 4 when DSL reports something like that the "make" command is not available. BTW. I have been trying all this with the system just as it boots up without changing users or anything.

Can anyone suggest how to get this working -- DSL and DSL-N seems a great project and I would love to use it for something.
If you need to know anything I haven't mentioned just post and I'll try to fid out and get back.

Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on July 23 2007,17:14

Both DSL and DSL-N looks like they already have the e1000 driver... did you try them first?
Or did you need a newer version?

Anyways, if you want to keep on compiling, you'll find a compiler and other tools such as `make` in the gcc packages in mydsl

Posted by helpme on July 24 2007,15:12

Thank you for the interest.

I must show my ignorance of Linux and ask how to use the driver that is included.

As I say DSL doesn't appear to find my network addaptor but I don't know realy how to check.

Thanks again for your time.

Posted by curaga on July 24 2007,15:31

from a terminal type:
"sudo modprobe e1000"

explained: sudo - get administrator rights
modprobe - load a module
e1000 - the module to load

Posted by helpme on July 24 2007,16:39

Thanks, that looks clear enough for even me to follow.

I'm affrade I haven't time to try it right now but when I next play with DSL I'll report back wheather I can get it to work.

Thanks again

Posted by helpme on July 26 2007,14:04

Quote (curaga @ July 24 2007,11:31)

from a terminal type:
"sudo modprobe e1000"

I have tryed this but I must still be doing something wrong as my net card still doesn't appear to be recignised.

I entered the command line in a teminal and it was accepted with no errors returned. Trying to find out if this has worked I have tryed the following.

Working from the Control Pannel: "netcard config" still reports No supported network cards found, PPEoE setup says there is no workig network card and offers to run "modconf2 to try and find one. If I OK this nothing seems to happen -- the same report window appears again and again.

The net browser (whose name I forget) can't connect to anything but local documents.

From a terminal I have tryed to ping my router (which I can do in MS Windows) but ping reports that the network is inaccesable when I try it in DSL. BTW the network link lights are on at the router and PC.

I would be greatful if you have any ideas what I am doig wrong.

Posted by Juanito on July 26 2007,14:24

After "sudo modprobe e1000", type "lsmod" and look if e1000 appears as a loaded module in the list.

Posted by helpme on July 26 2007,15:09

Thanks there.

I've got a bit of work to do right now, but I'll try that and report back. I do't realy want to let this beat me.
Thanks.

Posted by helpme on July 27 2007,16:03

Juanito, I have managed to try "lsmod" and the first line of the output is as follows

Module Size Used by
e1000 97204 0

so it looks as if the ethernet driver is loaded by "modprobe" but what can I try next to conect with my router?

BTW I have managed to save the whole "lsmod" output as a text file and could post it here if it would be helpful.

Thanks again for your interest everybody

Posted by curaga on July 27 2007,16:20

now it's loaded, you can try to give it a ip address manually..

It's done with ifconfig, I don't remember the exact command but it's something like "ifconfig eth0 192.168.0.5/24 up"

Posted by helpme on July 28 2007,15:34

Hello, I'm back.

I have tryed that ifconfig line that you suggestted but unfortunately only got this respoonse

SIOCGIFFLAGS: No such device

I did try replacing eth0 with eth1 and 2 in case the adaptor had been IDed oddly but with the same results.

Is the IP address you gave in your example important or is it an example to replace with what my router shoud have issued? I have tryed both ways but with the same results.

I then try "ifconfig" with no further arguments so see if it gave a sytax reminder but got an output starting as follows

lo Link encap:Local loopback
inet addr: 127.0.0.1 Mask: 255.0.0.0
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1

Then some stuf about packets, errors, Byets, etc that were all 0.

I have had another scour of the Wiki and found the following
< article > which I missed before as it seemed to be about installation. Some of the first part mentions "ifconfig" -- is this what I am trying to do?

Just for backgroung. My ISP issues a fixed WAN IP. My router collects this form their servers and does NAT. It issues a local IP for the ethernet port by DHCP but this is always the same as I only have one PC connected. Windows picks this up by DHCP also the subnet mask. The router handles DNS.

Hope this is't too confusing -- I am still rather "week" on networking after moving on from dial-up.
Thanks again

Posted by helpme on Aug. 02 2007,15:13

Hello

Has ayone got any ides on this.

I tryed comands in the form
ifconfig eth0 <<<<<IP reqired >>>> netmask <<<< mask required >>>>
but both comands report no such device.

I have been googling this as well ad have tryed udhcpcd, dchclient etc to try and get an IP via DHCP as I do in Windows but none of the clients I have seen mentioned seem to be icluded in DSL-N. There is a button on the control panel that says somethig about DHCP but it dosn't seem to do anything for me -- or I'm not using it right, I don't realy kow what I'm doing here but would like to learn.

Thanks for any further sugestions.

Posted by stupid_idiot on Aug. 03 2007,06:56

hi helpme:
The dhcp client in DSL is "/sbin/pump".

Posted by helpme on Aug. 03 2007,15:04

Hello

Do you meen that I type

Quote

/sbin/pump

at the prompt in a terminal window after loading the net driver with "modprobe"? Does "pump" need any arguments etc?

Thanks again

Posted by curaga on Aug. 03 2007,15:16

pump -i eth0

Posted by helpme on Aug. 06 2007,14:07

Hello

Have now had time to try "pump" but this reports "opperation failed" -- any ideas?

Sorry about the lack of success.