5.0.1 (2006-06-01) DVD and networking.

[sean.1986]

Hi, All. I cannot get networking to work on this release (specified in title) on either my pc or my laptop, using either dhcp or manual configuration. Both machines run Fedora Core and Windows and are running fine with dhcp configuration. The dhcp configuration will go smoothly upon booting but not thereafter and manual configuration seems to work when the OS is running. I run ifconfig after using manual configuration and eth0 appears with the correct IP address etc, but I cannot connect to the Internet or network. I ran the network traffic monitor and it shows the computer trying to connect out through eth0 but nothing connects. I tried disabling the knoppix firewall with no luck. The md5sum on the iso I downloaded is fine and the disc burned correctly. The wired cards on both computers are eth0. Any thoughts? :(

[Harry Kuhman]

It works for me,
see ansewr #3 (http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/User:Harry_Kuhman).

[richard_earhart]

I also have this problem with both the DVD (purchased), the CD(purchased) and a CD downloaded from ftp.kernel.org.
The computer gets its private IP address from my router, and I can ping the router. When I ping an external web site, the DNS resolves to the correct IP address, but the ping response is never received. I have also tried to enable the firewall and then disable the firewall. My 4.0.2 CD operates properly on this computer with its Intel 865 PERL motherboard's ethernet interface.

[sean.1986]

Okay, I read number 3. You seem very confident in your own abilities, however, you've completely failed to help me. I'm still stuck. Someone help, please,

[Harry Kuhman]

Okay, I read number 3. You seem very confident in your own abilities, however, you've completely failed to help me. I'm still stuck. Someone help, please,
The reference that I gave you suggested that if we are going to help you we need to know some key information about your system. You still choose not to post that information. We can not help you.

[sean.1986]

Well seeing as it hasn't worked on any system I've tried it on, intuitively I didn't think the problem was going to be system-specific but rather something inherent in Knoppix.

My router is a wired Belkin 4 port router. My computer connects to it via a belkin 5 port gigabit switch and my laptop has a direct connection. They both have built-in onboard intel lan cards but the one on the pc is gigabit whereas the laptop one is fast ethernet. I think it's trivial to mention my Internet connection is from a cable modem in my set-top box. I can't even get local networking to work, so I'm sure it has little to do with my Internet connection.

The following is the output from ifconfig -

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0E:A6:F0:A0:11
inet addr:192.168.2.5 Bcast:255.255.255.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:64 Metric:1
RX packets:4 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:2 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:786 (786.0 b) TX bytes:940 (940.0 b)
Base address:0xcf80 Memory:fe9e0000-fea00000

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:22 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:22 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:1100 (1.0 KiB) TX bytes:1100 (1.0 KiB)



Then netcardconfig gives me this...

Sending DHCP broadcast from device eth0Failed.
Hit return to exit.

Hope this helps.

[Harry Kuhman]

My router is a wired Belkin 4 port router.....
Hope this helps.
Ah! Yes, this does shed some potential light oo the problem. The only router that I have ever had fail to DHCP handshake with Lunix was also a Belkin. You didn't "bother" to give a model number (yea, these things matter) but in this case I know it is not the same model as I had since mine was both wired and wireless(802.11b). Still, I expect that they used much of the same code in the various routers and that your router could have this code problem. However, I saw this problem back on Knoppix 3.1 and switched to a different router, so I can't say for certain if it happened with 4.0.2 or not or if it still happens with 5.0.1. That the router works with 4.0.1 is confusing. But my advise would be to check for a flash update for the router firmware and apply it if one is available, and to try a different router if you can.

[richard_earhart]

Networking Hardware:
Eth0: Intel Corporation 82562EZ 10/100 Ethernet Controller (rev 1) (on Main Board = Intel 865 PERL)
Router: SMC7004ABR
Cable Modem: Webstar
Charter.Net provides a dynamic IP configuration to the Router which in tern provides a NAT configuration to Eth0.
Networking works under Knoppix 4.0.2.
Networking works under Knoppix 3.3 through 3.9.
The sound module for the Intel AC97 chip fails to load.

For Knoppix 5.0.1:
The sound module for the Intel AC97 chip loads successfully.
There is no /proc/pci file in 5.0.1 and it exists in 4.0.2.

The startup config for eth0 permits DNS resolution of external website. Pings, both by URL and IP address, fail.
netcardconfig with dhcp for eth0 fails. In 4.0.2, it succeeds.
netcardconfig with manual configuration allows pinging of router at 192.168.2.1. External ping fails without dns resolution, even when external DNS server IP address is added to the router DNS IP address.
Unable to open Router webadmin page at 192.168.2.1, even though able to ping router.
-----------------------------------------------
Different Computer behind same SMC7004ABR router and cable modem:
Network Card: RTL8139C+
Networking works WITH DHCP under Knoppix 4.0.2.
The sound module for the VIA AC97 chip loads successfully.

For Knoppix 5.0.1:
The sound module for the VIA AC97 chip loads successfully.
There is no /proc/pci file in 5.0.1 and it exists in 4.0.2.
The startup config for eth0 fails.
netcardconfig with dhcp for eth0 fails.
netcardconfig WITH MANUAL CONFIGURATION SUCCEEDS.
-----------------------------------------------
CONCLUSIONS For Knoppix 5.0.1:
1. There is a problem with DHCP.
2. There is a problem with hardware detection: e.g. no /proc/pci
3. Intel network chips are not being properly detected or configured.

[sean.1986]

My router is a wired Belkin 4 port router.....
Hope this helps.
Ah! Yes, this does shed some potential light oo the problem. The only router that I have ever had fail to DHCP handshake with Lunix was also a Belkin. You didn't "bother" to give a model number (yea, these things matter) but in this case I know it is not the same model as I had since mine was both wired and wireless(802.11b). Still, I expect that they used much of the same code in the various routers and that your router could have this code problem. However, I saw this problem back on Knoppix 3.1 and switched to a different router, so I can't say for certain if it happened with 4.0.2 or not or if it still happens with 5.0.1. That the router works with 4.0.1 is confusing. But my advise would be to check for a flash update for the router firmware and apply it if one is available, and to try a different router if you can.

I've tried to find firmware updates for my router but there is none available and I certainly don't consider changing my router as a solution to this problem. It's like telling me to solve it by using a different operating system :roll:

My gut feeling is that Debian hates Belkin routers because none of my Fedora Core installs ever had a problem but I've not tried Debian before knoppix so it might well be that.

Still, for now I'll cling onto the hope that there's a solution kicking-about somewhere.

[Harry Kuhman]

I've tried to find firmware updates for my router but there is none available and I certainly don't consider changing my router as a solution to this problem. It's like telling me to solve it by using a different operating system :roll:
You are free to solve the problem however you want. And we are not sure yet that it is even the Belkin router in your case. But if you can't get a firmware update (or if one doesn't help), then I would suggest at least trying to find out if it is the router. Perhaps you have a friend who would be willing to bring over his, just long enough to do a test.

In my case it was the Belkin router; I confirmed it 100% and switched to a different router. That worked for me and was a much better choice for me than manually setting up the netcardconfig each time (which, by the way, would work). If the router is what is broken, then I don't see how saying that I didn't want the router to be what was broken and blaming Debian would help my problem.

But there is another good reason to find out if it's the Belkin router that is the issue. A couple of years after this happened I looked at the Belkin package and noted that it had a lifetime warranty. So I called Belkin tech support and had a long conversation with them. I told them about the problem and how their tech support guy with the heavy Indian accent was no help at the time. I told them how my old wired router worked fine and how I switched back to it. I told them how I waited and kept checking for a firmware update, but none was ever posted. I told them that I saw that there were firmware updates for that model router, but they were for "version 2" hardware and I had "version 1" hardware, so it was pretty clear that I wasn't likely to get a firmware update for a router that they had changed the hardware for. I asked Belkin to honor the lifetime warranty. And you know what? They sent me a new router! And it was even 802.11g, faster than my old router! And that router works with Knoppix.

Now the bad news is that the new Belkin router is still an awful router. It may be the only router that I own that doesn't have support for Dyndns in the firmware, and I'm a bit of a router junkie, so that's a comparison with a fair number of routers. And it has a lot of other shortcomings too. So it's sitting in a box collecting dust, no reason to fight with a Belkin router when there are good routers out there. But I guess if people didn't know about any router than the Belkin and the Belkin worked ok enough to talk to Knoppix, then some people might accept it.

So if you want to say that trying to pinpoint where the problem is seems like telling you to use a different operating system, I don't see how I can be of any further help. I thought I was sharring my past experiences with a router vendor with you and that it might help you.

[sean.1986]

I've already tried setting-up netcardconfig manually and it definitely doesn't work for me. I've decided to use PCLinuxOS instead. It comes with far less software than knoppix but at least the basics are working properly. I'm not sure which distribution it's based-on, if any, but I'd recommend it to anyone having trouble with knoppix. It even lets me use a 1280x1024 resolution, which knoppix didn't. I guess I should'nt be plugging a different system on a knoppix site, but if anyone's fed-up with knoppix not working then I strongly suggest them giving it a go.

[jofb]

I started to try out the 5.0.1 on a AMD 1 Ghz, 512 MByte with a 3COM NIC. I got a similar
picture of the network trouble as discribed by sean,1986:

a) dhcp configuration worked fine (!) with my DSL router - DHCP server combination provided
by my telecommunication supplier

ifconfig showed up the expected network address, broadcast addr and netmask

b) a ping to the DHCP server failed: host unreachable message.

c) dns and all other services fail

d) while observing ip traffic, I saw activieties on the loop back device while pinging (lo)

e) the 5.0.1-host is also not visible within the local network

f) I tried the full installation of 5.0.1 and did a full manual network configuration.
The malfunction is still the same.

I hope that there is someone out who can put together the dangling ends - I'm sure
the hardware is correct and I saw that the setup of the network worked correctly. The big
question is: why does everything works fine with 4.0.2 (also in my case) - is there a trick
with respect to features of the kernel or something like that (pure speculation)

Best regards

[sean.1986]

Heh, in fact, when I tried to load a webpage or something, I could see the light on the back of my network adapter flashing. Hope they sort it out because it has bags of decent software.

[richard_earhart]

I have posted to the 5.0 DVD buglist the following:

For Knoppix 5.0.1 both DVD and CD
1. Several different routers correctly configured several different net chips with DHCP in previous versions and are no longer doing so.
2. There is a problem with hardware detection, specifically: NO /proc/pci which exists in previous versions.
3. Intel and 3COM network chips that worked in previous versions are not being properly detected or configured .

See: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/ (Networking) 5.0.1 (2006-06-01) DVD and networking for details.

I hope these problems are fixed soon. New software and features are nice, but the old stuff has to work or nothing is gained.