Re: 2.4.7-pre7 natsemi network driver random pauses

[Andrew Morton]

Wilfried Weissmann wrote:
> 
> Just for curiosity, do you have those messages in our logfiles:
> 
> eth0: Transmit error, Tx status register 82.

That's a 3com message, not natsemi.

And it's such a common error that it is now specially detected in the
driver:

            if (tx_status == 0x82) {
                printk(KERN_ERR "Probably a duplex mismatch.  See "
                        "Documentation/networking/vortex.txt\n");

Which expands to:

Transmit error, Tx status register 82
-------------------------------------

This is a common error which is almost always caused by another host on
the same network being in full-duplex mode, while this host is in
half-duplex mode.  You need to find that other host and make it run in
half-duplex mode or fix this host to run in full-duplex mode.

As a last resort, you can force the 3c59x driver into full-duplex mode
with

        options 3c59x full_duplex=1

but this has to be viewed as a workaround for broken network gear and
should only really be used for equipment which cannot autonegotiate.

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