[realtek] Re: [tulip] Flash EEPROM problems

[Donald Becker]

On Tue, 27 Jun 2000, Bernd Dammann wrote:

> I am experimenting at the moment with some diskless machines, and I
> ran into problems with Flash EEPROMS.  By looking at the code in
> libflash.c I found a list of supported Flash EEPROMS, and I got hold
> of an Atmel AT29C256 (12PC).

Hmmm, a "-12" part?  That's 120ns access time, a little slow.  The required
specs depend on the exact chip you use it with.

> If I put it in a D-Link DFE-538TX network card (Realtek 8139 chip),

A plain RTL8139, or a rtl8139-A, -B, or -C?
I don't recall offhand which chip can write the Flash parts, but earlier
chips often cannot write Flash.

> libflash reports a vendor and device ID of 0 0, the same EEPROM in a
> D-Link DFE-500TX network card (Tulip chip) reports FF FF as vendor and
> device ID.

Same issue -- which Tulip chip?

> What am I doing wrong here?  Funny enough, the flash utility (running
> under DOS) provided by Realtek also reports FF FF as vendor and device
> ID, but for the Realtek card.
> 
> Are there other ways to write the boot ROM image into this Flash
> EEPROMS?

It's easiest and cheapest to use an Ethernet card.  How else can you get a
programmer for $10-$20?  You can even recover motherboard Flash from a
corrupted upgrade.

Donald Becker				becker@scyld.com
Scyld Computing Corporation		http://www.scyld.com
410 Severn Ave. Suite 210		Annapolis MD 21403