Linux Distribution Issues

# Troubleshooting -- Using Intel® Network Adapters with Linux*

Overview

SuSE* LINUX Enterprise Server 8

SuSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9

Red Hat* 7.1

ACPI enable may cause Dual Port Pro/1000 adapters to fail

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 Distribution

Loading and unloading modules with the Linux 2.6 Kernel

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 with Intel Desktop Board D915GEV

## Overview

This file describes Linux distribution-specific issues. For general information and support, see the Support page.

If an issue is identified with the released source code on the supported kernel with a supported adapter, email the specific information related to the issue to linux.nics@intel.com.

## SuSE LINUX Enterprise Server 8

### SuSE LINUX Enterprise Server 8 IA64 causes unresolved symbols

If you get unresolved symbol errors when loading the e1000 driver, perform
the following:

1. cd /usr/src/linux
2. make cloneconfig
3. make dep

Then rebuild the driver.

## SuSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9 warning message during driver build

While building the driver on SuSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9 installations, the following warning or one similar may be displayed. It is safe to ignore this message. The driver will load and function normally.
Symbol version dump /usr/src/<kernel-version>-obj/<arch>/<kernel flavor>/Module.symvers is missing, modules will have CONFIG_MODVERSIONS disabled.

While loading the driver, ignore the warnings in the syslog:
linux kernel: <driver name>: no version for "struct_module" found: kernel tainted.
linux kernel: <driver name>: unsupported module, tainting kernel.

## Red Hat Linux 7.1

### Creating an RPM from tar / zipped File

When trying to generate an RPM from the .tar.gz file, a segmentation fault (core dump) occurs. This failure occurs because Red Hat 7.1 uses version 4.0.2 of the RPM utility. This version does not have the ability to handle parameterized macros, which are used within the e100 and e1000 spec files to generate an RPM. Updating the RPM utility to a more current version resolves the issue. The utility can be obtained from http://www.rpm.org.

## ACPI enable may cause Dual Port PRO/1000 Adapters to fail

If ACPI is turned on in the kernel, dual port adapters may not work. This is due to a limitation in ACPI. Currently, this affects all new versions of SuSE and the United Linux family.

## Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 Distribution

If there are errors while compiling the driver, do the following:

1. Change to the kernel source directory.
2. Perform all the required steps to build the kernel up to and including ‘make dep’.
3. Modify EXTRAVERSION in the Makefile in Red Hat kernel source directory to match the version of the running kernel.
4. Build the driver, using instructions located in the README file.
   While building the driver, ignore the warning:
   /lib/modules/2.4.9-e.34/build/include/linux/rhconfig.h:31:60: operator '(' has no left operand

NOTES:

- For Red Hat's procedure for building a Linux kernel we recommend visiting their web site at www.redhat.com
- This problem is resolved in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 Update 4.

## Loading and unloading modules with the Linux 2.6 Kernel

A new kernel API has been implemented within the Linux 2.6 kernel regarding the module reference count. This results in the e100, e1000 and ixgb drivers being used with a module reference count of zero. Consequently, our driver module can be removed from the system while still being used by other modules. Until the other modules within the Linux stack use the new API, unintended consequences may occur with module removal. This may result in system hangs and/or panics.

## Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 with Intel® Desktop Board D915GEV

If you are using a system based on an Intel® Desktop Board D950GEV, and install a PCI Express (PCIe) adapter, and run a Linux distribution with the v2.4 kernel (such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3), the system may panic or hang. This behavior has been observed with various brands of PCIe adapters besides those from Intel. This does not occur on Linux distributions using a v2.6 kernel, such as Red Hat EL 4 AS or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 9. Booting with the 'noapic' kernel parameter should also workaround this problem for systems running with a 2.4 kernel.

`Last modified on 9/19/05 3:12p Revision 13`