-----Original Message-----
Dear Managers
I wonder if anyone knows whether D-Link Quad Channel Ethernet Card
DFE-570TX is supported by Tru64 4.0F.
I intended to use it on XP1000.
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A lot of thanks to everyone who answered and especially Dr. Thomas Blinn
for the following:
"It is unlikely but not impossible. There are two broad classes of
Ethernet chips that work with the drivers in Tru64 UNIX. The first
is the old Digital "tulip" chips. These were the basis of all of
the "DE5xx" cards, and there were earlier generation chips also on
the "DE4xx" cards. Intel now owns that chip design. If you put
one of the cards with the "tulip" chip on it in an Alpha system,
the console should recognize it as an "EW" (e.g., EWA0) device.
However, there are LOTS of ways to build the cards, and some of
those that you can purchase in the market violate the published and
readily available document that describes how to build cards that
will work with what was then Digital's and now is Compaq's system
software. Such cards won't work with the "tu" driver that's in
the V4.0D and later versions of Digital UNIX (now called Tru64 UNIX).
In V4.0F, there was no support for the newer Intel EtherExpress ("ee")
option cards, but that support was added via "NHD" supplement kits,
and eventually integrated into the more recent V4.0F patch kits. If
you have a card that has the same chip that's used in the DE6xx family
of Ethernet cards (sold by Digital/Compaq), then there is an EXCELLENT
chance that the card will work with the "ee" driver if you can figure
out how to get the driver configured into your kernel. In the system
console, these cards are called something like "EI" devices; I don't
have a handy console log from a system with one of the cards, I have
one in my DS20E but I don't remember what the console calls it.
I have NO IDEA what Ethernet chip the D-Link people use on their card.
You have to ask them. Or you have to just get the card and try it."
(Dr. Thomas Blinn)
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I did try it. It was recognised by SRM, I was able to change modes, etc.
But when I tried to configure it, Tru64 crashed.
I repeated it twice, once it crashed at configuration stage,
second time at the time when I tried to ping it.
I am not sure how it's possible, but it looks like my /etc/rc.config was
wiped out.
That's not a big problem for me, it's not a critical system.
So, my conclusion is NO. Buy LSI logic card (they indicate Alpha
support), or from Compaq.
I think they cost approximately same, though 3 times more than D-link.
Best Regards
Nik Tarasyuk
Snowy Hydro
Australia
Received on Tue Dec 11 2001 - 22:14:37 NZDT