NFS kickstart fails with e1000.ko drivers

Sun May 9 00:26:38 UTC 2004

Well, I've done quite a bit of testing to characterize 
this  year-old problem when using Gbit ethernet interface 
cards.  I believe the answer is somewhere in anaconda and 
is timing related.

My next step is to load anaconda source and try to 
figure out how to fix this issue (I don't know anaconda 
nor python so that will be a slow process).  This problem 
appears this has been in the discussion world for the past 
year now and is still a problem as evidenced by the number 
of responses I've seen to my first post.  I'm pretty well 
convinced this is simply a timing issue and anaconda is 
declaring a failure too early.

Perhaps someone with anaconda knowledge can point me in a 
direction that might help?

My test effort / results to date:

With considerable help from Richard Black, I've gone through 
modifying the initrd.img file to insert a script that
loads the NIC driver then sleep for awhile before 
anaconda starts.  The changes made to implement this idea
work but they don't help - anaconda loads the 
driver again anyway.

I then tried removing the entry for the e1000 driver for 
my card in the /modules/pcitable file in the initrd.img 
file.  This didn't work since I then got a report that 
there was no network driver and the install terminated.

Based on a suggesion by seph, I have experimented with
connecting the pxe installation client to one of several
different switch models. I found that some switches 
appear to work around the problem (Unfortunately I 
can't use any of the switches that do work around it - 
they are all 10/100). This does let me validate all of 
my setup and I know that the kickstart configuration is 
correct.

After finding a switch that allowed a kickstart via 
network, I immediately ran into a bug reported earlier 
by Martin Robb
(https://listman.redhat.com/archives/kickstart-list/2004-April/msg00107.
html)
and I cannot get Fedora Core 2 test 3 to finish a 
kickstart install (error installing at-3.1.8-52).  

Does anyone know of a fix for this yet?

I was  able to get Core 2 test 2 to run kickstart to 
completion. I tested the following switches and found 
some that worked and some that didn't.  I tested with 
the kickstart file via NFS and HTTP and the installation 
files via NFS.

  Switches used when the kickstart install was successful
  (via network):

	Linksys EZXS16W 	16 Port EtherFast 10/100 (Unmanaged)
		(HTTP ks failed once - tried again it worked)
	Intel InBusiness	16 Port 10/100 Switch (Unmanaged)
	Netgear FS108 	8 Port 10/100 Switch (Unmanaged)

  Switches used when the install failed to get the kickstart 
  file (NFS or HTTP):

	No switch		(used crossover cable directly from
				pxe install server and client.  The
				install server and client both use
				the same Gbit ethernet type)
	Netgear GS105 	5 Port Gigabit Switch (Unmanaged)
	Netgear GS524T 	24 Port Gigabit Switch (Unmanaged)
	3COM 3C39036	36 Port 10/100 (Managed)
		Spanning Tree disabled
		Autonegotiate disabled	
		Port set to 100half and 100full (separate tests)

Note:  Interactive installs work in all of these cases 
and I have no problems with the network once the 
installation is done.  The only failure mode here is 
when anaconda loads the drivers and attempts to do an 
NFS or HTTP access for kickstart. I tried loading the 
kickstart file from floppy and the failure was simply 
delayed until it needed to access the NFS for the install 
files.

A suggestion was made by lccha-rhlist at naos.org to update 
the e1000.ko NIC driver with the latest from Intel. I 
looked at their download site and their latest appears to
be the same version that is in test 3.  The Intel version 
is 5.2.39 and the Fedora Core 2 test 3 version is 
(reported when loaded by insmod) as 5.2.39-k2.

I've been pulling my hair out on this one and really
need to resolve it.  I'm preparing to install a large
number of machines using pxe installs and I don't
want to have to do each one interactively.  It would
be great to get a fix for this in the Core 2 release.

Thanks for any suggestions / help.
Joe

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ryan Golhar [mailto:ryangolhar at verizon.net] 
> Sent: Friday, May 07, 2004 8:08 PM
> To: 'Discussion list about Kickstart'
> Subject: RE: NFS kickstart fails with e1000.ko drivers
> 
> 
> I observed the same thing with a Cisco switch.  The switch 
> was set at 10 Mbps half-duplex.  The fact that it was 
> obtaining a DHCP IP address threw me off for quite awhile.  
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com 
> [mailto:kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com] On > Behalf Of seph
> 
> Sent: Friday, May 07, 2004 10:12 PM
> To: Discussion list about Kickstart
> Subject: Re: NFS kickstart fails with e1000.ko drivers
> 
> 
> > The switches I'm currently using are unmanaged netgear 24 
> port (or 5 
> > port) cheap switches so there is no way to change this.
> > I've tried using a crossover cable so the switch was eliminated 
> > altogether - same results.  I also tried using a 3COM 3C39036
> > 100 Mbit switch in default mode (I'll learn how - then try 
> > setting the portfast later to see if it helps.)
> 
> I observed the same problem, and mentioned it here at the end 
> of march. unfortunately, I then got buried in work, and 
> didn't get a chance to debug it.
> 
> I'd observed that kickstart failed for my dells with intel 
> gige on the motherboard. But only when hooked up to netgear 
> equipment. Failed on both a netgear gige switch, as well as a 
> netgear 10/100 hub. Worked okay on a cheap linksys switch though.
> 
> I also observed the same failure. Namely, I could manually 
> walk through an install, but kickstart always failed to fetch 
> its config file. Interestingly, it successfully used dhcp to 
> get an ip address.
> 
> I'm certainly interested in whatever results you end up with.
> 
> seph
> 
> 
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