SYBA SI-ADA24037 Gigabit Ethernet USB 3.0 Adapter,Realtek Chipset, GOLD 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps USB 3.0 1 x RJ45

[Wayne Workman]

I can get the FOS environment to recognize this adapter, but I can’t figure out how to network boot with it. I’ve tried on an Optiplex 9020 in both UEFI and BIOS mode, and on a Latitude 3340 in BIOS and UEFI mode. The firmware doesn’t see it there.

Item #: 9SIV0M53MK2405
Mfr. Part #: SI-ADA24037
UNSPSC: 43201404

Link: http://www.neweggbusiness.com/product/product.aspx?item=9b-33-328-032

Output of lsusb -v

Bus 003 Device 005: ID 0bda:8153

[Sebastian Roth]

@Wayne-Workman said:

The firmware doesn’t see it there.

Sad but true - that’s the problem. The BIOS/UEFI firmware needs to talk to the NIC (chip). Seems like it does not like it although it’s a pretty well known NIC chip. Have you tried booting from this USB NIC other than Optiplex 9020??

[Wayne Workman]

@Sebastian-Roth said in [SYBA SI-ADA24037 Gigabit Ethernet USB 3.0 Adapter:

Have you tried booting from this USB NIC other than Optiplex 9020??

Optiplex 9020 - UEFI and BIOS
Optiplex 7010 - BIOS
Latitude 3340 - UEFI and BIOS
ThinkPad L420 - BIOS

None can see the adapter when I tell them to boot to the NIC.

[george1421]

@Wayne-Workman Do I understand that this gold adapter iPXE boots fine in both uefi and bios but is not seen in FOS? Of course you included the kernel parameter for usb nic?

If that’s the case then the linux kernel must not support that specific adapter. If you use a live boot CD is that seen by that kernel?

[Sebastian Roth]

@george1421 Either I got it all wrong or you seem to head down the wrong lane with this. From what I get this is not at all about the Linux kernel yet. Wayne is not able to PXE boot from the adapter (select the USB NIC as first boot device).

[george1421]

@Sebastian-Roth OK I think I missed something. He posted a screen shot of a debug console of the FOS client, so I assumed it was pxe booted OK. Man I have spring fever today.

[Sebastian Roth]

@Wayne-Workman said:

Optiplex 9020 - UEFI and BIOS
Optiplex 7010 - BIOS
Latitude 3340 - UEFI and BIOS
ThinkPad L420 - BIOS
None can see the adapter when I tell them to boot to the NIC.

That’s really odd! Just found a document for Latitude 7350 stating that RTL8153 is supported for PXE booting… hmmmmm!!!

[Tom Elliott]

@Sebastian-Roth maybe the chip is but if the chip is on usb that’s an entirely different setup right?

[Wayne Workman]

At first I tried directly booting from it, and I get messages like “no media present” and such.

I was trying on systems that already have an on board NIC. I then booted into FOS using the on board NIC to see how the adapter is recognized. FOS sees it fine. It’s the firmware on every computer I’ve tried that just doesn’t see the device to network boot from.

Am I doing something wrong? On dell, I tap F12 to get the temp boot menu and select NIC/IPV4 and it just doesn’t do anything and then boots from the HDD.

I took a chance with this adapter, I picked one that was not in our hardware lists or mentioned in the forums in order to maybe find a cheap fast adapter to recommend… Guess I struck out on this one.

[Sebastian Roth]

@Wayne-Workman said:

I then booted into FOS using the on board NIC to see how the adapter is recognized. FOS sees it fine.

Just to make sure the kernel is really happy with it, can you please try DHCP or setting a static IP (ifconfig ethX 10.x.y.z netmask 255.255.x.y up) on that USB NIC when you have FOS up and send pings?

Guess I struck out on this one.

Sounds a bit like it.

At first I thought Tom is right about the NIC chip behind USB being a different story. But reading up on good old John Willis again I think USB should not play a major roll:

because the USB NIC is connected through a USB host controller, that USB host controller must also have a BIOS device driver and the USB host controller must be started before the USB NIC can be started
USB host controllers are internal and fixed, they do not change, they are built into the notebook, so only one device driver needs to be included in the BIOS for the USB host controller built into the notebook

Would be great to test all those machines with one or two different USB NICs. Not sure which one to recommend?! Do you have other adapters?