HP XW4600 Workstation - Network card error whilst imaging

[george1421]

This sounds like a very new computer, so I might expect that the nic driver is not part of the ipxe build.

The one bit you left out of the info is are you using uefi or bios settings?

[Robx64]

@george1421
BIOS settings
As far as I know, there is no UEFI in this model. It’s quiet old (4/5 years)

[george1421]

@Robx64 Well shame on me I was looking at the intel IO controller model not the broadcom nic.

Can you include a screen shot (mobile phone picture is OK as long as we can read the errors). Because right now I’m not sure if the error is with ipxe or the boot kernel.

[Robx64]

@george1421
The machine already gone but next time i’ll get the picture of the error. Hope it will be soon

[Sebastian Roth]

The error “No network interface found” is happening within FOG (so after iPXE and after loading the kernel). From what I can see here the NIC is supported by the linux kernel since a long time: http://cateee.net/lkddb/web-lkddb/TIGON3.html

Could you please boot up the workstation with a linux live CD or from its installed system. If it’s linux run lspci -n and if it’s windows then open the device manager to find out about the PCI IDs. Should be 14e4:16xy. Please tell us the exact IDs.

Is the broadcom NIC the built in card? I really wonder why our current kernel would not recognize this NIC. Do you see any errors before this? Could you take a video or picture and post a link here in the forums?

[george1421]

Just to add some info to this thread.

If you don’t have a live linux distribution in mind, the Ubuntu 15 desktop version has a live boot option.

http://releases.ubuntu.com/15.04/

Once booted into the desktop use the search function to find terminal. That will open a console window for you.

[Robx64]

@george1421
I don’t think it have to be linux
Windows will tell you all those details as well right ?
So it is: Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet
PCI\VEN_14E4 & DEV_167B & SUBSYS_1308103C & REV_02\4 & 103B7ECA …

[george1421]

@Robx64 Yes, I guess if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail Windows will work for that, but it would be way cooler with linux.

So to translate the device ID is 14e4:167b which is different than what @Sebastian-Roth expected.

Is this an add in card or something built into the motherboard?

For a bit more details, that is listed as
BCM5755 NetXtreme Desktop/Mobile

on the broadcom page: https://www.broadcom.com/application/ethernet_nic.php

[Sebastian Roth]

@george1421 said:

So to translate the device ID is 14e4:167b which is different than what @Sebastian-Roth expected.

Seams like I have caused some confusion when saying ‘14e4:16xy’. I actually meant ‘xy’ to be a placeholder.

@Robx64 Is the broadcom the built in card? Any other errors you see? Which kernel version do you use right now (file /var/www/fog/service/ipxe/bzImage)?

[Robx64]

@Sebastian-Roth Version: 5566

You are not running the most current version of FOG!
You are currently running version: 5566

Latest stable version is 1.2.0

Latest git version is 5676

Kernel Versions
GNG-Images
bzImage Version: 4.3.0
bzImage32 Version: 4.3.0
I’ll check tomorrow with linux just to make sure is it exactly what it is

[Sebastian Roth]

@Tom-Elliott CONFIG_TIGON3 is in the current kernel and has always been there, right? Just checking.

@Robx64 Could you try a live linux with 4.3.0 kernel to see if it recognizes the NIC?!

[Robx64]

@Sebastian-Roth
I’ve checked under the linux, PCI ID is as We already know 14E4:167B

[Sebastian Roth]

Have you had this XW4600 successfully running with an older version of FOG? I am a bit lost with how to debug this issue. TG3 driver should be in the kernel and this is not a very new piece of hardware so it should work!

Which kernel version did you have in this ubuntu live system? uname -a

[george1421]

@Sebastian-Roth (I meant to check this before I left the office today, so I’ll have to ask)

If we boot into the debug console, can we get a list of 'in memory" drivers, and/or are the drivers built into the kernel or are they loaded at boot time “modular” drivers. If they are modular drivers we should be able to navigate to the network drivers directory and see the tg3 driver.

I know back in the day when I was building the 2.4.x series kernels for that embedded device company, they had the tg3 network drivers in their build. SO those drivers have been around for a while.

[Tom Elliott]

Is there a way we can find out what Firmware is expected for this particular nic?

I have added tigon information to the kernels and what not, but I’ve also had to add firmware to the kernels to get some things to operate.

[Sebastian Roth]

I am fairly sure this (old) NIC does not need any firmware but only the tg3 driver in the kernel. As you can see in the second screen shot the ethernet controller is using it (‘Kernel driver in use: tg3’).

@Robx64 Can you please run a debug session (Host -> Basic Tasks -> Debug) on this client, wait till you get to the shell and then see what you have in dmesg about ethernet. Command dmesg | less (you can scroll up & down and also search using ‘/’ - without the quotes) or dmesg | grep -i eth

[Robx64]

@Sebastian-Roth
Hehehe really ?
I know that, it’s quiet old and it should work but somehow unfortunately it won’t

[Robx64]

@Sebastian-Roth
I’m not sure since I left tech department many things changed. I’ll ask techs since when we have this particular model and was there any problem before.

Apparently there was no problem on Fog 0.32 at all and XW4600 worked beautifully

[Robx64]

@Sebastian-Roth said:

dmesg | grep -i eth

Is that enough ?

[Tom Elliott]

@Sebastian-Roth I think I may have figured it out.

The current drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom had the vendor ID (14e4) but it lacked the Device ID. I just added the DEVICE under TG3PCI_DEVICE_TIGON3_4 I added the line: #define TG3PCI_DEVICE_TIGON3_5755 0x167b in hopes that it would be found. I don’t know what else may be broke, but hopefully we’re kind of on to something?