Messages in this thread |  | | Subject | Re: 3Com 3x90x series network cards. | Date | Mon, 3 Feb 1997 11:59:56 -0500 (EST) | From | "Yui-wah LEE (Clement)" <> |
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> > > Hey, I was trying to get a 3c590 PCI card, and ended up with a 3x900 PCI > network card. Does this actually work? It's called an "etherlink XL" > > I grepped for XL and 900 in /Documentation and /drivers/net and came up blank. >
3c90x is "a lot like" 3c59x, according to the latest Ethernet HOWTO (http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/Ethernet-HOWTO.html), so you can used a updated version of 3c59x.c with these cards.
<QUOTE> > 3c900 / 3c905 > > Status -- Supported > > These cards (aka `Boomerang', aka EtherLink III XL) have been recently > released to take over the place of the 3c590/3c595 cards. Cameron > Spitzer of 3Com writes that the ``3C900 has a scatter gather bus master > controlled by a descriptor ring in main memory. Aside from that, it's a > lot like 3C590.'' > > You may still be able to get a couple of these cards at a reduced price > through one of 3Com's evaluation deals, if you are quick. > > To use this card with v2.0 kernels, you must obtain the updated 3c59x.c > driver from Donald's site at: > > Vortex-Page (http://cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov/linux/drivers/vortex.html) > > This updated 3c59x driver allows you to use the 3c900 in a 3c59x > compatible mode, and has been reported to be quite stable. Note that > this updated driver may be snuck into the v2.0 source tree at a later > date.) > > On the same WWW page, you will also find the experimental boomerang.c > driver which uses some of the enhancements of the 3c900 over that which > is available on the 3c59x cards. Since this is a new/experimental > driver, you may be better off in using the updated 3c59x.c if system > stability is a primary concern. > > </QUOTE>
I am currently using the *updated* 3c59x.c on kernel 2.0.18 and 2.0.28 without problem. The one I use is dated 12/23/96 and was grabbed *seperately* from the above cesdis site -- in my case, it was not yet in the main source tree. (just grap it and overwrite the old /usr/src/linux/drivers/net/3c59x.c)
-- Clement
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