# 8139too woes..

## Locri

Hello,

I'm trying to install Gentoo 1.4 on my laptop but I'm running into a problem loading the driver for my PCMCIA network card.  I've already tried Knoppix just to see if Linux supports the card and it did, I also had VectorLinux installed on it earlier which supported it as well.

When I boot off the CD and set it up to load PCMCIA, it loads the stuff for the PCMCIA, but doesn't detect the card when it's searching for hardware.  When I try to modprobe 8139too (I know it's the proper driver because that is what the other two distros use) it gives me this error:

```
PCI:  No IRQ known for interrupt pin A of device . Please try using pci=biosirq.

8139too:  :  region #1 not an MMIO resource, aborting

/lib/modules/2.4.21-gss/kernal/drivers/net/8139too.9:  init_module:  No such device

Hint: insmod errors can be caused by incorrect module parameters, including invalid IO or IRQ parameters

[.... other unimportant stuff cut....]
```

However when I try using pci=biosirq, gentoo goes nuts during bootup, spewing out what looks like a bunch hex addresses or something (it goes by too fast).

The laptop I'm using is a Compaq Armada 7370DMT (233Mhz, 96MB, 4GB HD) with a generic PCMCIA network card based on the 8139 chipset.  As mentioned above, all hardware is autodetected fine in Knoppix, so I'm not sure what is different about the way Gentoo is trying to set it up.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, another note, cardctl ident does find the card in the PCMCIA socket... not sure if that's useful or not, but it's good to know it can at least be seen.

-locri

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## puggy

Moving to Networking & Security from Hardware & Laptops, cheers Devon. Puggy

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## darookee

maybe you need to load 'mii' before (seems to be a default answer 0_o)

insmod mii

insmod 8139too

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## Locri

Just tried that, still came up with the same error message.  I found out something though while trying to figure out what it is.  lspci works alright in knoppix, but for some reason in Gentoo it says:

```
pcilib:  Cannot open /proc/bus/pci/01/00.0

Unable to read 64 bytes of configuration space.00:00.0 Host bridge:  Compaq Computer corporation NorthStar CPU to PCI Bridge (rev 01)

[... then it lists the two CardBus bridges, the VGA controller, the ISA bridge and the IDE interface just fine ...]
```

And (I think I'm figuring this out a bit better) 01:00.0 in Knoppix is the Ethernet Controller (Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+) so Gentoo is trying to read that space and failing for some reason.  Any ideas on what areas I can look in to find out why it might not be loading/configuring properly?

I've also noticed that it isn't loading APM for some reason even though my laptop uses APM instead of APCI, but I suppose that's one for the laptop forum isn't it?

-Locri

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## Celtis

What happens if you try the 8139c+ driver instead? You compile it in the kernel (sorry, can't remember the name but it's the one above the 8139too option). Some people have claimed better a response with that driver instead

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## Locri

It claims that 8139cp is not compatible with the network card I'm trying to use, and suggests that I use 8139too.  When I had VectorLinux installed, I think 8139too would work but 8139cp wouldn't.  I'm not exactly sure why this is, but at least two other distros seem to think that 8139too is the only driver that will work properly so I'm sticking with that  :Smile: 

-Locri

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## Locri

Ok, after some searching I found a solution that appears to be working.  Apparently PCMCIA-CS and 8139too don't get along.  I think there is a bug with the pci=biosirq in the "final" 1.4 because it just glitches.  However someone in a post elsewhere mentioned to use the 1.4 rc3 and use:

gentoo noapic nonet pci=biosirq

and then use modprobe ds and then it should pretty much be set it.

It works, I hope they fix whatever is causing that problem though.

-Locri

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## geoaxis

 *Quote:*   

> Ok, after some searching I found a solution that appears to be working. Apparently PCMCIA-CS and 8139too don't get along. I think there is a bug with the pci=biosirq in the "final" 1.4 because it just glitches. However someone in a post elsewhere mentioned to use the 1.4 rc3 and use: 
> 
> gentoo noapic nonet pci=biosirq 
> 
> and then use modprobe ds and then it should pretty much be set it. 
> ...

 

Locri where can I find the RC_3 iso image ...i did try to install it from RC_2 but since it does not have the cdcache option it is usless for me ..oh btw i am using a VAIO PCG-C1 VG notebook with external CD-ROM PCMCIA, I also tried the latest Gentoo CD but it runs out of memory.  I am able to boot with 

```
gentoo ide2=0x180,0x386 cdcache noacpi pci=biosirq
```

 with RC_4 but i get the same error which started the thread. And i am alos able to get my card identfied by the carctl ident...and the green light turns on when i use the 

```
cargmgr -f
```

 command. One more thing when i 

```
modprobe pcmcia_core
```

 it goes fine ...but in the next step 

```
modprobe i82365
```

 (i hope i get the number right ..cause i am writing it all down without any logs   :Rolling Eyes:  ) it assigns irq-7 to it and says some thing about the irq being spurious ...now i am familar with the concept but dont know what to do ...the next step goes fine ie 

```
modprobe ds
```

but in the end i come to the same error when i 

```
modprobe 8139too
```

 whihc is  in the beginning of the thread. I am not going to try to install it from RC_4. But i need gentoo for my little Laptop    :Crying or Very sad: 

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## TheCoop

try selecting 'Use PIO instead of MMIO' or something like that in the kernel config under the 8139too module options

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## geoaxis

 *Quote:*   

> try selecting 'Use PIO instead of MMIO' or something like that in the kernel config under the 8139too module options

 

well ...that might work on a working system ...but u see ...i am talking about the install CD . which autoconfigures it slef. I am using a PCMCIA CD ROM in Sony VAIO and some one rightly said taht SONY uses some witchcraft to recognize it as an IDE device. Now after caching the disk i plug out the CD ROM and ingoes the Card. Now as far as i can understand i can not pass these options to the module 8139too. Or can I ?

Let me try and get back to u..[/quote]

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## Locri

I'm not sure where you'd get the RC3 image, I just happened to have it from downloading it after it came out.

I think part of the trick is that you aren't supposed to use pcmcia-cs.  Instead of modprobing all that other stuff, just modprobe ds right away and see if it works, that's what I do.

*shrugs* just follow what I said exactly and see if that works, if not maybe there are other things to try.

-Locri

----------

## geoaxis

now this should be titled SONY-GENTOO witchcrafts ...funny ..i used the R-4 CD and used the smp kernel with this simple coomand

```
smp ide=0x180,0x386 cdcache 
```

after boot

```
 modprobe ds 
```

and took out the PCMCIA CD-ROM ..it gets stuck if u try to unmount it and then at last just plug my 10$ D-LINK 690 TXD in and yeahhhhh ...its alive ...well i just did it ..i think i am going to start with stage-1 and go to sleep ...it will be totally done by some time in 2 days    :Crying or Very sad:     cause almost 38% of the ram is being already used (CD-CACHAE = 40 MB if i am right and VIDEO RAM = 8..total 128 )...and the processor is less than 600 MHz any ways...the problem was eith the gentoo kenel in RC-4 CD ..it does not use PIO i guess ...it uses MMIO ...another thing not related to this is that the Gentoo 1.4 August Release cannot CD-Cache itslef...it runs out of writing space  ..(its 79 MB total CD image and i guess should not take more than 40 to cache ...which is said in the options of RC-4 CD) thats might just be a bug i guess ...

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## Deedook

Beeing to lazy to read everything in this thread, I might repaet something that is already posted.. I guess you'll have to live with it ;-)

Have you tried to use the io and irq reported by dmesg? How does the nic setup (the one stored in the nic bios) look like? Have you enabled/disabled pnp?

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