[realtek-bug] Realtek 8139C problems, linux 2.2.19

[Donald Becker]

On Mon, 19 Aug 2002, Dan Miller wrote:

> We've been having a variety of sporadic problems with the Realtek
> driver, V1.17, under linux 2.2.19.  Most recently, we left a system
> running over the weekend with the WebStone test (500 connections)
> running through our machine.  After running for a few hours, it
> displayed the following series of messages, and the ethernet interface
> quit functioning.   

The "memory squeeze" message is the driver complaining about no memory.

> We could restore system functionality by downing and uping the
> interface, but the system is VERY low on memory; I'm enclosing the
> meminfo output after the crash. 

Any idea of where it went?
The driver shouldn't have lost any skbuffs -- it takes care to free them
during a timeout.

> Do you have any insights into what's going on here??

Flow control from the switch?  Or a blocked interrupt line?
Try an updated driver -- v1.18 added a message for blocked interrupt
lines.

> eth0: Transmit timeout, status 0d 0000 media 10.
> eth0: Tx queue start entry 1183  dirty entry 1183.
> eth0:  Tx descriptor 0 is 0008a03c.
> eth0:  Tx descriptor 1 is 0008a03c.
> eth0:  Tx descriptor 2 is 0008a03c.
> eth0:  Tx descriptor 3 is 0008a03c. (queue head)
> eth0: MII #32 registers are: 1100 782d 0000 0000 01e1 45e1 0001 0000.

Your switch advertised flow control...

> eth0: Abnormal interrupt, status 00000010.

Rx ring buffer overflow.   You are short of memory.

-- 
Donald Becker				becker@scyld.com
Scyld Computing Corporation		http://www.scyld.com
410 Severn Ave. Suite 210		Second Generation Beowulf Clusters
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