[960] in linux-net channel archive
Re: Kernel Panic with 1.2.13 - bug in tcp_rcv()?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Paul Gortmaker)
Tue Aug 22 23:23:24 1995
From: Paul Gortmaker <gpg109@rsphy1.anu.edu.au>
To: dhollis@gp.magick.net (Daniel Hollis)
Date: Tue, 22 Aug 1995 15:14:24 +1000 (EST)
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.rutgers.edu, linux-net@vger.rutgers.edu
In-Reply-To: <m0sjyrn-000xACC@gp.magick.net> from "Daniel Hollis" at Aug 19, 95 06:07:59 pm
>
> Latest kernel panic under 1.2.13. Keyboard VC switching still worked but
> otherwise Linux was dead. Nothing in the logs to indicate any kind of
> problem. The panic didn't get syslogged, so I had to write down the
> screen and type it in by hand. Hope someone appreciates it!
>
> Hardware:
> 486DX4/100, 40mb RAM
> 3c509 0x360 IRQ 5
Dan, you have reported about 8 crashes in the last month or two
with this same machine (40MB DX4/100). You originally had random crashes
with a wd8013 clone, and then as well with a ne2000 clone, so you blamed the
8390 drivers, as seen below.
>Apparently, any 8390 based card is not going to be stable with Linux. So
>here's the big question:
>
>Which card is >>>the most stable<<< under Linux? With the 8390 drivers in
>the state they are, that disqualifies any 80x3 and NEx000 card. My guess is
>it's some 3COM 3509 or other card?
[...]
>We'll may be trying an SMC Ultra card if we can get our hands on one, and
>see if that makes any difference. Will the SMC prove anything or should we
>try some other card to rule out our hardware and definitively point the
>finger at the Linux networking code? What do we have to do to satisfy the
>kernel developers that it's not our hardware? What card will prove it?
So then you moved onto a 3c509 card (as seen above) and now you still get
random crashes. (You have already reported 2 for the 3c509 so far.) You are
right in assuming that not all three cards can be broken, but you then
overlook the possibility of a flakey motherboard, and hence blame linux.
I suggest that you use more conservative settings in the CMOS
setup (if possible) -- things like adding ISA i/o wait states, etc.
If this is not possible,(or it doesn't help) then I would recommend you
grab another motherboard, it would probably be cheaper than the two extra
ethernet cards that you have bought.
Until you do this, I don't think you will find anyone who is going to take
too many of your crash reports very seriously anymore.
Good luck with it.
Paul.
