no carrier when using forcedeth on MSI K8N Neo4-F

no carrier when using forcedeth on MSI K8N Neo4-F

[Arne R. van der Heyde]

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I am trying to connect two identical MSI K8N Neo4-F servers with NVIDIA 
nForce4 gigabit Lan ports. When the two ports are connected together via 
a crossover cable, neither computer is able to detect a carrier on the 
Lan ports and are not able to communicate. When either of the nForce4 
gigabit port is connected to a Lan port on another computer with a 
different Lan hardware or to a port on a switch the forcedeth drivers 
detect a carrier and are able to communicate.

It appears that the nForce4 Gigabit ports are not generating a carrier. 
Does the nForce4 not provide standard ethernet ports? If they are 
standard ethernet ports, how do I tell forcedeth to generate a carrier? 
Also how do I get forcedeth to run at a Gigabit?

Thanks for any help,

Best regards,
Arne R. van der Heyde
vanderHeydeAR@summitinstruments.com

Summit Instruments Inc.
2236 N. Cleveland-Massillon Rd.
Akron, Ohio 44333-1255  USA

Phone (330)659-3312
Fax   (330)659-3286
www.summitinstruments.com


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Re: no carrier when using forcedeth on MSI K8N Neo4-F

[linux-os (Dick Johnson)]

On Fri, 13 Jan 2006, Arne R. van der Heyde wrote:

> I am trying to connect two identical MSI K8N Neo4-F servers with NVIDIA
> nForce4 gigabit Lan ports. When the two ports are connected together via
> a crossover cable, neither computer is able to detect a carrier on the
> Lan ports and are not able to communicate. When either of the nForce4
> gigabit port is connected to a Lan port on another computer with a
> different Lan hardware or to a port on a switch the forcedeth drivers
> detect a carrier and are able to communicate.
>

You need to use the correct kind of cross-over cable for the Gigabit
ports. Then, you need to set both ports manually because there
is no hardware (the switch) to handle the auto-configuration. The
default is usually `autoneg on`. This tells the switch to
auto-configure. Connected to another port, not a switch, this
means nothing and the device remains dormant.

You do this with `ethtool`. Set both to full-duplex and they should
work. Also, there is no "carrier". This is all multi-phase NRZ.

> It appears that the nForce4 Gigabit ports are not generating a carrier.
> Does the nForce4 not provide standard ethernet ports? If they are
> standard ethernet ports, how do I tell forcedeth to generate a carrier?
> Also how do I get forcedeth to run at a Gigabit?
>
> Thanks for any help,
>
> Best regards,
> Arne R. van der Heyde
> vanderHeydeAR@summitinstruments.com
>
> Summit Instruments Inc.
> 2236 N. Cleveland-Massillon Rd.
> Akron, Ohio 44333-1255  USA
>
> Phone (330)659-3312
> Fax   (330)659-3286
> www.summitinstruments.com
>
>

Cheers,
Dick Johnson
Penguin : Linux version 2.6.13.4 on an i686 machine (5589.54 BogoMips).
Warning : 98.36% of all statistics are fiction.
.

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Thank you.

Re: no carrier when using forcedeth on MSI K8N Neo4-F

[Krzysztof Halasa]

"linux-os \(Dick Johnson\)" <linux-os@analogic.com> writes:

> You need to use the correct kind of cross-over cable for the Gigabit
> ports.

Correct, with all pairs crossed.
I don't force-death but I think most gigabit cards (and some 100BaseTX)
work with plain cable as well (using auto MDI-X, and auto-polarity
if needed).

> Then, you need to set both ports manually because there
> is no hardware (the switch) to handle the auto-configuration. The
> default is usually `autoneg on`. This tells the switch to
> auto-configure. Connected to another port, not a switch, this
> means nothing and the device remains dormant.

Again, I don't know nforce, but normal cards with autonegotiation
(i.e., (almost?) all 100BaseTX and newer) can negotiate speed and
duplex without need for a switch. BTW from net POI switches and
cards are DTEs, there is no special distinction WRT autonegotiation.
-- 
Krzysztof Halasa

Re: no carrier when using forcedeth on MSI K8N Neo4-F

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Fri, Jan 13, 2006 at 01:37:14PM -0500, Arne R. van der Heyde wrote:
> I am trying to connect two identical MSI K8N Neo4-F servers with NVIDIA 
> nForce4 gigabit Lan ports. When the two ports are connected together via 
> a crossover cable, neither computer is able to detect a carrier on the 
> Lan ports and are not able to communicate. When either of the nForce4 
> gigabit port is connected to a Lan port on another computer with a 
> different Lan hardware or to a port on a switch the forcedeth drivers 
> detect a carrier and are able to communicate.

Gigabit does NOT use cross over cables.  You connect gig ports with a
normal ethernet cable at all times unless you are connecting to a 10 or
100mbit port at the other end.  When running at gigabit speed, there are
4 pairs of wire in use with full duplex on all 4 pairs.  10 and 100mbit
have a single pair for data each way, and hence need the cross over when
not connecting to a switch/router.

> It appears that the nForce4 Gigabit ports are not generating a carrier. 
> Does the nForce4 not provide standard ethernet ports? If they are 
> standard ethernet ports, how do I tell forcedeth to generate a carrier? 
> Also how do I get forcedeth to run at a Gigabit?

Hopefully using the right cable type will solve the problem.

Len Sorensen

Re: no carrier when using forcedeth on MSI K8N Neo4-F

[Christopher Friesen]

Lennart Sorensen wrote:

> Gigabit does NOT use cross over cables.

I don't think this is always true.  Some gigabit ports can autosense 
polarity and are able to use standard cables.  Others require gigabit 
crossover cables.

Chris

Re: no carrier when using forcedeth on MSI K8N Neo4-F

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Fri, Jan 13, 2006 at 04:38:13PM -0600, Christopher Friesen wrote:
> Lennart Sorensen wrote:
> 
> >Gigabit does NOT use cross over cables.
> 
> I don't think this is always true.  Some gigabit ports can autosense 
> polarity and are able to use standard cables.  Others require gigabit 
> crossover cables.

Hmm, it appears you are right.  I have never seen a non autosensing
gigabit port, so I thought it was part of the spec.  Given the pairs all
send and receive already it seemed like an obvious part to include in
the spec.

Certainly a cross over cable made for 10/100 mbit won't work.  It needs
the other two pairs swapped to.  Most store bought cross over cables
seem to only have 10/100mbit in mind when they were made.

Proper pinout appears to be:
1 <-> 3
2 <-> 6
4 <-> 7
5 <-> 8

Len Sorensen