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Network card recommendations

Started by craigm, 2010.06.19, 14:51:47

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craigm

I simply cannot get my networking in eCS to work, my brother visited and hes been doing networking most of his adult life, and while we found things that were wrong in the router and DSL modem, nothing was working after the fixes. And yes, we went though the eCS TCP/IP setting a dozen times.

I have a 3com card in there that is using genmac, it is being found but it finds the internet only once every 20 boot ups, no idea why though, cannot find a pattern. So it works and then more often then not, does not, and I never changed the settings. I have come to the point where I think the problem is the drivers.

I had a spare 10/100 3com card (3CSOHO100-TX) card but eCS could not find it, I tried to manually install it but after 6 different tries in having eCS find it, I gave up.

So I guess I need to get a new network card now...sigh...anyone recommend a solid eCS network card that is very well supported? I would prefer to get a 10/100/1000 card simply because I have to buy one and I might as well get something with a future. But I would rather have a 10/100 card that works 100% of the time.

Thanks!

ivan

Hi craigm,

Here I use RTL8139 based cards, 10/100.  ~ Most of the time they are unbranded and cost between 5 to 10 euro each.
I've never had any problems with any of them using the rtsnd323 driver available on hobbs, it may also be on one of the eCS cds - not sure about that as we are all OS/2 here.

DougB

Since Mensys has initiated a project to properly support Intel NICs, I would suggest getting a GENMAC supported Intel NIC, and use GENMAC until the new driver is ready to go (could be a while, the project just got started). Apparently, the plan is to get the Intel series to work, then start supporting some other, popular, NICs later.

RobertM

craigm:

I am pretty sure that 3COM should work, but cannot recall what driver I used.

Other options are the Intel PRO/1000 MT Desktop adapter. I bought 14 on eBay (which even came with OS/2 drivers on disk) and they work fine with the not-current e1000 Intel drivers. I use the most recent version 3.## instead of the v4.xx version (which apparently has a few issues).

When Mensys completes support for the full Pro/1000 line, I am expecting it will mean newer, and better supported drivers for that series as well. Regardless, the list of e1000 cards supported by the Intel/IBM driver is still quite large.


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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
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sdennis

Quote from: craigm on 2010.06.19, 14:51:47
So I guess I need to get a new network card now...sigh...anyone recommend a solid eCS network card that is very well supported? I would prefer to get a 10/100/1000 card simply because I have to buy one and I might as well get something with a future. But I would rather have a 10/100 card that works 100% of the time.

I've had a lot of success using cards with the DAVICOM chipset in it.  I started using those back in 2000 or so and they've run reliably, with good drivers, since then.  These days, the only machine I have running OS/2 (a Dell OptiPlex GX100) has an onboard Intel PRO/100 chipset which is supported natively by Warp 4.52.  This is only for 10/100 cards as I've never had a need for a gigabit card yet.

The DAVICOM drivers may or may not be available on their website but I know they're over at Hobbes.

Good luck,
Sean
OS/2: Shuts gates, opens windows.

rwklein

Quote from: craigm on 2010.06.19, 14:51:47
I simply cannot get my networking in eCS to work, my brother visited and hes been doing networking most of his adult life, and while we found things that were wrong in the router and DSL modem, nothing was working after the fixes. And yes, we went though the eCS TCP/IP setting a dozen times.

I have a 3com card in there that is using genmac, it is being found but it finds the internet only once every 20 boot ups, no idea why though, cannot find a pattern. So it works and then more often then not, does not, and I never changed the settings. I have come to the point where I think the problem is the drivers.

I had a spare 10/100 3com card (3CSOHO100-TX) card but eCS could not find it, I tried to manually install it but after 6 different tries in having eCS find it, I gave up.

So I guess I need to get a new network card now...sigh...anyone recommend a solid eCS network card that is very well supported? I would prefer to get a 10/100/1000 card simply because I have to buy one and I might as well get something with a future. But I would rather have a 10/100 card that works 100% of the time.

Thanks!

Hello,

How well intended your description sounds it sounds like an attempt "lets throw mud at the wall and see if it sticks".
And if does not work, lets try again.

First thing read the eCS 2.0 manual (If you have media kit it comes with it the booklet). If you don't have it you can download
the file qckguide.pdf, its also in the root directory of CD #1 of eCS 2.0.  We would have been more then happy to help. If you did open up a support ticket, we have a bit of backlog and are trying to work away the backlog of support tickets.

You wrote: "I had a spare 10/100 3com card (3CSOHO100-TX) card but eCS could not find it, I tried to manually install it but after 6 different tries in having eCS find it, I gave up."

What made you try to install 6 times and how did you try it ? Did you manually install select the NIC driver.

Rephrased what you wrote is clear you tried many things but its unclear what exactly. It would for example be interesting to know what NIC driver you have loaded and what is in the file \ibmcom\lantran.log

Check chapter 5 of the manual.

Regards,

Roderick Klein
Mensys

jmbw

Quote from: rwklein on 2010.06.21, 16:11:55
How well intended your description sounds it sounds like an attempt "lets throw mud at the wall and see if it sticks".
And if does not work, lets try again.

Taking pot shots at a customer -- sweet!

Btw my network ports don't work either.  I've tried everything, but apparently that's a newbie move?  Stupid, stupid, STUPID!  (while bonking head on desk)

John Wilson
D Bit

RobertM

Quote from: jmbw on 2010.06.21, 22:37:07
Quote from: rwklein on 2010.06.21, 16:11:55
How well intended your description sounds it sounds like an attempt "lets throw mud at the wall and see if it sticks".
And if does not work, lets try again.

Taking pot shots at a customer -- sweet!

Btw my network ports don't work either.  I've tried everything, but apparently that's a newbie move?  Stupid, stupid, STUPID!  (while bonking head on desk)

John Wilson
D Bit

Hi John,

I think you are misreading Roderick's post. I think the gist of it is this (1) did you read the instructions/notes? and if not, here's where they are located (see his post), and (2) what did you try 6 times? we cant help you further without knowing whats going on.


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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
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rwklein

Quote from: jmbw on 2010.06.21, 22:37:07
Quote from: rwklein on 2010.06.21, 16:11:55
How well intended your description sounds it sounds like an attempt "lets throw mud at the wall and see if it sticks".
And if does not work, lets try again.

Taking pot shots at a customer -- sweet!

Btw my network ports don't work either.  I've tried everything, but apparently that's a newbie move?  Stupid, stupid, STUPID!  (while bonking head on desk)

John Wilson
D Bit

Everybody is absolutely free  to follow there own route. I have been working on eCS for the last 10 years at Mensys with, don't ask me how many driver debugging, installer stuff and support stuff etc. Trying to provide an as good as possible user experience.

A user keeps trying ends up with a solution that did not work. Then comes into a forum and posts this lengthy posting and I go ?
We (Mensys/Serenity Systems) can not make the perfect OS, we are not a large OS vendor.
Thats why we put a lot of work in the manual etc. to try and provide as many tips and tricks, hoping the customer can fix his problem by himself.

If that does not work out we try to provide clear pointers where and how to get help. Especially which files to attach.
What I keep seeing is people trying everything. The tried so much the message that is posted is difficult to understand what they tried and what is failing exactly...

Hence the explanation... If something does not work after 1 or 2 times its in most cases not going to work.
Hence the idea open a ticket. Tomorow is realy ticket clean up day at Mensys :-)

Roderick Klein
Mensys

sdennis

Quote from: jmbw on 2010.06.21, 22:37:07
Taking pot shots at a customer -- sweet!

It's not our fault if you misread Rodrick's post and with an attitude like that, I'd not be surprised if no one bothered to help you.  Perhaps if you asked nicely, you might actually get help instead of making a fool of yourself.

Quote from: jmbw on 2010.06.21, 22:37:07
Btw my network ports don't work either.  I've tried everything, but apparently that's a newbie move?  Stupid, stupid, STUPID!  (while bonking head on desk)

Seems like your common sense circuit is broken too.  If you defined what "network port" and "everything" are, we might be able to help you further.  I've been running OS/2 or eCS in some form since 1997 and I'm pretty good at getting OS/2 and eCS to work properly with networking, even under Linux (which I've been told you can't get OS/2 and Linux talking to each other properly, heh).

So check your sour grapes at the door and ask away; you might just get the answer you're looking for.

-- Sean
OS/2: Shuts gates, opens windows.

craigm

Sorry for not getting back to this sooner, I was out of town on business.

Anyways, to comment on what Roderick Klein asked, I meant I tried installing six different 3com drivers from within eCS:

3Com Fast Etherlink/Etherlink XL Family OS/2
3Com Etherlink II (3c503) Family OS/2
3Com Etherlink III PC Card OS/2
3Com Fast Etherlink + Etherlink II Busmaster Family OS/2
3Com Etherlink/MC (3c523) Family - OS/2
3Com Etherlink 16 (3c507) Family - OS/2

None of them would find it. Right now I have it on:

GenMac Wrapper 3Com 3c90xC, its odd though since I cannot try another GenMac driver (I know there are others) because they do not show up on my Adapter and Protocol Configuration window, the only reason I have it now is because I chose it during installation.

I did read the manual, actually did that before I even installed eCS 2 the first time and nothing seems to work. This is how I found out that my Soundblaster Live was not found by eCS because I had 3 gigs of ram, which is a known problem.

For the network card though I did not find anything that helped me. I went to eComstation's website:

http://www.ecomstation.com/faq/588

It had nothing =(

I am not sure what to do besides buy a new network card, its weird because sometimes when I boot up eCS it works, then I reboot and it does not. This happens even when I do nothing to change the OS.

All the other computers in the house (this includes a PS3 and WII) never have a problem connecting.

Trust me, I love eCS, and Mensys is doing a great job, if I did not like the OS so much I would of dumped it like I did Windows Vista when I could not get it to work after the second try. I just want to get though this so I can really take eCS 2 out for the proper drive it deserves.


sdennis

Quote from: craigm on 2010.06.24, 23:25:14
I am not sure what to do besides buy a new network card, its weird because sometimes when I boot up eCS it works, then I reboot and it does not. This happens even when I do nothing to change the OS.

That's definitely a driver problem.  Did you try using Chuck McKinnis's NICPAK?  It will attempt to auto-detect what drivers you'll need to run your NIC properly.

It's available at: http://www.os2warp.be/index2.php?name=nicpak

Follow the directions and I've had a lot of luck with the drivers his program suggests to use (and get the drivers off that same page).  I've used that over the years many times on many different OS/2 and eCS systems.  FWIW, I've always had problems with eCS picking the wrong driver for my NIC that I had in the computer.  :D

I hope this helps!

--Sean
OS/2: Shuts gates, opens windows.

RobertM

DEFINITELY check out the link that sdennis provided - that may even be where I obtained my 3COM drivers. I think the 3C900 series drivers may work. You may wish to look for a readme file that indicates cmdline switched for the config.sys file, or settings that need to be entered via MPTS or the Network Settings for the card.


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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
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herwigb

From googleing I am quite confident that the 3CSOHO100-TX can be made workable on eCS.

This seems to be a variant of the 3c59x chipset for which a driver for eCS exists. Patching the PCI-ID appropriately should be sufficient...

Adding it in unsupported mode to GenMAC should also be an option.

However, one can never know without trying.

Kind regards,
HerwigB.

rwklein

Quote from: RobertM on 2010.06.19, 22:30:07
craigm:

I am pretty sure that 3COM should work, but cannot recall what driver I used.

Other options are the Intel PRO/1000 MT Desktop adapter. I bought 14 on eBay (which even came with OS/2 drivers on disk) and they work fine with the not-current e1000 Intel drivers. I use the most recent version 3.## instead of the v4.xx version (which apparently has a few issues).

When Mensys completes support for the full Pro/1000 line, I am expecting it will mean newer, and better supported drivers for that series as well. Regardless, the list of e1000 cards supported by the Intel/IBM driver is still quite large.

It is the e1000e kernel module. Which is a different one BTW.

Roderick