Davicom 9102AF (dmfe) / Alladin V IDE(ali15xx) on sparc64(v100/Netra-x)

Davicom 9102AF (dmfe) / Alladin V IDE(ali15xx) on sparc64(v100/Netra-x)

[Eugene San]

Probem with Davicom91xx ethernet NIC on sparc64(v100/Netra-x) is well 
known (google ::dmfe+sparc).
The problem is that specific driver (dmfe)  can be loaded but once used 
couses errors on PCI/sabre and at the end couses Kernel Panic.
Some pepole advice using (tulip) wich loads but fails to work normaly: 
it works at ~10Mbps in 10BaseT4 mode while all other modes brings
huge amount of carierr/TX errors and VERY low throuput(sometimes less 
then 50Kbps) and after some time at mid/high load driver fails
with some kind of TX errors.
Another problem is with DMA on Alladin V wich used on thoses machines.
Usualy kernel unable to boot if strated without ide=nodma. If DMA 
set-on  after boot is often couses data loses.

Bothe problems well known for a long time but somehow not treated till now.
The problems exists in kernels since 2.4.17 up to latest 2.6.11 ( all 
versions in that range tested by me :-( )

I wonder if there anything that can be done to make those sparc64 
machines usable with linux.

Thanks ahead.

Davicom 9102AF (dmfe) / Alladin V IDE(ali15xx) on sparc64(v100/Netra-x)

[Eugene San]

There is Problem with Davicom91xx Ethernet NIC on 
sparc64(v100/Netra-x).  That problem is VERY old and well known (google 
::dmfe+sparc).
The problem is that specific driver (dmfe)  can be loaded but once used 
coses errors on PCI/sabre and at the end coses Kernel Panic.
Some people advice using (tulip) which loads but fails to work normally: 
it works at ~10Mbps in 10BaseT4 mode while all other modes brings
huge amount of carrier/TX errors and VERY low performance (usually less 
then 50Kbps) and after some time at mid/high load driver fails
with some kind of TX errors.
Another problem is with DMA on Alladin V which used on those machines.
Usually kernel unable to boot if started without ide=nodma. If DMA 
set-on  after boot is often coses data loses.

Both problems well known for a long time but somehow not treated till now.
The problems exists in all 2.4.x and 1.6.x kernels ( all versions in 
that range tested by me :-( )

I wonder if there anything that can be done to make those sparc64 
machines usable with linux.

Thanks ahead.