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EtherFast 10/100 LAN Card Linux Support
Contents
Installing Under RedHat 5.2 or 6.0
Installing Under Other Linux Distributions
If Your Distribution Supports Modules
Recompile Kernel method
Recompile Module method
If Your Distribution Doesn't Support Modules
Troubleshooting the Tulip Driver
NOTE If you have the new LNE100TX Version 2 with Wake On Lan Support, You will need to use the driver provided on disk 2 in the linux directory.
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Installing Under RedHat 5.2 or 6.0
If you are using RedHat 5.2 or above, you don't need to follow the directions below. Instead, follow the general OS and networking installation directions that RedHat provides. When asked to supply the name of the proper network driver during the RedHat installation, choose the Tulip driver from the list of drivers that appears on your screen. Continue with the installation as directed by RedHat, then configure your networking.
**Note** If you have problems using the redhat driver, use the instructions below to obtain and install a newer version of the driver. also check the driver disk that came with the card, it may have a linux driver on it.
Installing Under Other Linux Distributions
The Linksys network card has been tested with Caldera, Debian, Slackware, and SUSE distrubution versions of Linux. If your distribution of Linux supports modules, you will find that the driver setup is relatively quick. If your version of Linux does not support modules, you will need to re-compile the Linux kernel with the proper driver for the Linksys network card. Instructions for both of these methods are described below.
In order to complete the Linux setup, you'll need to be familiar with basic Linux procedures and commands (mounting, compiling, etc.). If you are unfamiliar with Linux, try visiting some of these sites for helpful documentation:
www.ora.com
www.kernel.org
www.linux.org
www.linuxmall.com
www.amazon.com
www.ssc.com
www.linuxhq.com
You can also find documentation at any of the major distribution sites for Linux:
www.redhat.com
www.caldera.com
www.debian.org
www.slackware.org
www.suse.com
To determine if your Linux distribution supports modules, start up your machine, login as admin, and type the following:
cat /proc/modules
Your distribution supports modules if you don't receive any errors. If you see one or more errors, then your distribution does not support modules, and you will need to recompile the Linux kernel with the appropriate Linksys network card driver.
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If Your Distribution Supports Modules
Make sure that you have the kernel source tree installed. Consult your Linux documentation for further help if you need it.
Linksys network cards use a driver called Tulip, which is stored in a file called tulip.c. Although you will find this file on the disk that came with your Linksys card, it is a good idea to download the latest copy of the Tulip driver, since improvements are constantly being made. If you choose to download a new copy of the driver, you will need to compile it.
To download the latest version of the Tulip.c driver, go here.
To download the latest test version of the driver, go here.
If You Are Using a Windows Machine for Downloading
If you download the latest version of the Tulip driver onto a Windows computer, you will probably find that the driver will NOT compile properly after you copy it to your Linux box, since Windows and Linux use different linefeeding. To solve this problem, either (1) download the driver using your Linux box, or (2) if you must download it to a Windows machine, covert the driver to Linux format with the DOS2UNIX program, which is freely available on most open source sites on the Internet.
Next:
You can compile and install the Tulip.c driver in one of two ways. If you are familiar with modules, you can simply compile the driver as a module and copy it to the proper location in your Linux system. If you aren't familiar with modules, and don't mind waiting awhile for your Linux kernel to recompile, you can recompile the entire kernel with the Tulip.c driver inside. Both methods are described below.
Recompile Module Method
Log in to your Linux box as root, admin, or super user.
Obtain the Tulip.c driver from the Linksys disk, or by downloading the latest version of it as described above.
Compile the Tulip.c driver with the following command (type the entire command on one line):
gcc -DMODULE -D__KERNEL__
-I/usr/src/linux/net/inet
-Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -O6 -c tulip.c
`[ -f /usr/include/linux/modversions.h ]
&& echo -DMODVERSIONS`
If your system is using dual processors, compile the Tulip.c driver using this command instead (type the entire command on one line):
gcc -D__SMP__ -DMODULE -D__KERNEL__
-I/usr/src/linux/net/inet
-Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -O6 -c tulip.c
`[ -f /usr/include/linux/modversions.h ]
&& echo -DMODVERSIONS`
Next:
mv /lib/modules/kernel_version/net/tulip.o /tmp
cp tulip.o /lib/modules/kernel_version/net
Next, issue the following commands as root:
depmod -a
modprobe tulip.o
Check the /var/log/messages log file for errors. If there are no errors, then the module is installed correctly. Issue the following command:
rmmod tulip.o
Follow the instructions that came with your distribution to configure the LAN card. If you are asked what module to use, chose Tulip.
Recompile Kernel Method
Log in to your Linux box as root, admin, or super user.
Obtain the Tulip.c driver from the Linksys disk, or by downloading the latest version of it as described above. Move the old version of the Tulip.c driver to safe location and copy the new version of the Tulip driver over the old one:
(the mv command below should be typed on one line, not two):
mv /usr/src/linux/drivers/net/tulip.c
/usr/src/linux/drivers/net/tulip.old
cp tulip.c /usr/src/linux/drivers/net
Consult the documentation that came with your Linux distribution to recompile the kernel. Be sure to reboot the system after recompiling.
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If Your Distribution Doesn't Support Modules
If your Linux kernel doesn't support modules, you'll need to recompile the Tulip.c driver into the kernel. To do this:
(the mv command below should be typed on one line, not two):
mv /usr/src/linux/drivers/net/tulip.c
/usr/src/linux/drivers/net/tulip.old
cp tulip.c /usr/src/linux/drivers/net
Consult the documentation that came with your Linux distribution to recompile the kernel. Be sure to reboot the system after recompiling. After rebooting, follow the instructions that came with your distribution to configure the LAN card.
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Tulip Driver Troubleshooting
If you encounter errors while the Tulip driver is loading, see if the errors look similar to this:
Kernel: Found Lite-On 82c168 PNIC at PCI I/O address 0x0.
Initialization of tulip failed
Try doing a cat /proc/pci and see if a message similar to this appears:
Bus 0, device 9, function 0:
Ethernet controller: Lite-on LNE100TX (rev 32).
Medium devsel. Fast back-to-back capable.
Master Capable. No bursts. I/O at 0x0.
If you see these messages, your PC's BIOS is probably configured incorrectly. Refer to your PC's motherboard documentation for help.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.