can't configure network on Pavilion 8776

[Dave Kristol]

I recently bought a Pavilion 8776 and naively assumed I would have no problem installing Red Hat 7.1. Well, the install went okay, but Linux does not recognize the network card (HP 10/100 on motherboard). (Of course, Win98 does recognize it.)

Is there a way to persuade Linux to see the interface, or will I have to install a separate network card?

[Kodjo Agbenu]

Hello Dave,

All PC manufacturers (including HP) make all their possible so that their products work with Linux. In some cases, it may take few weeks even after the official launch of the product.

You can have a list of some "officially" certified products at the linuxcare website (http://www.linuxcare.com/labs/certs/). As you can see, no Pavilion PC is included in this list. Only professional material.

However HP products generally support Linux. Network cards that are often found in HP PCs are "eepro100" or "pcnet32".
Just try :

modprobe -a eepro100

If it works, try :

ifconfig eth0 netmask

If everything is OK, now it's time to definitely set network parameters using "linuxconf" utility. In the "network module" tab, enter "eepro100" or the appropriate module name.

If neither eepro100 nor pcnet32 work, just post another message with the result of the command :

cat /proc/pci

Doing this, we can have an idea of the model of the Network card. You can also gather this information in Win98.

Good luck.

Kodjo

P.S. Don't hesitate to rate this answer.

[Dave Kristol]

I didn't try the specific advice posted, because in my previous tries I had determined that Linux was not seeing any network card.

However, through a response via a different venue (Usenet), I was advised to change the BIOS setting for "OS" from "Win98" to "Other". When I did so, Linux found my network interface (Realtek 8139 family) and loaded the module, 8139too.

If I changed the BIOS setting back to Win98, would I be able to do an explicit 'modprobe -a 8139too' in some part of the Linux startup sequence to get the networking to work?

Thanks
Dave Kristol

[Kodjo Agbenu]

Hello Dave,

Normally, Linux support Plug & Play.

Actually, you can just replace the "l" by "r" in Play and it becomes Plug and Pray :-)

When selecting "win98" in the BIOS settings, you tell the BIOS not to configure anything, as the PnP Operating System is supposed to do so.
Therefore, Linux does not automatically configure your NIC because it has not enough information to select the proper driver, or to set the right IRQ and I/O port settings.

When you select "Other" in BIOS menu, the BIOS pre-configures the NIC hardware with IRQ and I/O port. Therefore when probed by Linux, it replies something that Linux is able to understand.

Just a question : is your NIC connected to ISA or PCI slot ?

If ISA, then you must keep "Other" in BIOS menu.

If PCI, normally it is not mandatory.

In all cases, verify that the line :

alias eth0 8139too

is in your /etc/modules.conf file. If you have to add it manually, don't forget to type :

depmod -a

Good luck.

Kodjo

P.S. Don't forget to rate this answer (from 1 to 10).

[Dave Kristol]

The ethernet interface on the Pavilion 8776 is built into the motherboard. Apparently it behaves like PCI, though. After I changed the BIOS OS setting to "Other", Linux's kudzu found the interface and added "alias eth0 8139too". I have changed the BIOS setting back to Win98, and Linux continues to be happy.

Dave Kristol

[bob smith_6]

I just got a pavilion 7935 and had no luck getting the network up under redhat 7.0.. that is until I read these posts : ) I set the bios PnP to NO, and BAM! kudzu found it the first time. I booted and DHCP supplied an IP. One problem now... when I shut down (via 'halt' or ctrl-alt-del to reboot) it hangs during shutdown right after it says

Shutting down interface eth0:

Any ideas how to get a clean shutdown? (With out it, I'm stuck waiting on fsck for this 40 gig drive)

Also, FYI if I reset PnP to YES and the boot up can't find eth0 and ifconfig's only the loopback. (But subsequently can shut down properly). Once I set PnP back to NO, the eth0 is again ifconfig'd.

Thanks!