Message-ID: <4523E63F.4050805@zytor.com>
Date: Wed, 04 Oct 2006 09:50:07 -0700
From: "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com>
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To: Alex Owen <r.alex.owen@gmail.com>
CC: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, c-d.hailfinger.kernel.2004@gmx.net,
       aabdulla@nvidia.com
Subject: Re: forcedeth net driver: reverse mac address after pxe boot
References: <55c223960610040919u221deffei5a5b6c37cfc8eb5a@mail.gmail.com>
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Alex Owen wrote:
> 
> This is obviously causes me a problem with automated installs started
> via PXE boot as the installed cannot DHCP as the MAC address is wrong.
> 

I have a forcedeth system (ASUS A8N-E) which can't use either the Linux 
driver *or* the standard Windows driver *at all* after booting PXE and 
then exiting the PXE stack for local boot.

> The obvious fix for this is to try and read the MAC address from the
> canonical location... ie where is the source of the address writen
> into the controlers registers at power on? But do we know where that
> may be?
> 
> The other solution would be unconditionally reset the controler to
> it's power on state then use the current logic? can we reset the
> controller via software?
> There does seem to be an nv_mac_reset function... and this does seem
> to be called if the card has a capability DEV_HAS_POWER_CONTROL but it
> is called in nv_open() while the MAC is read in nv_probe().

Doing a proper reset of the hardware would be the right thing, assuming 
that this is safe/possible to do.

	-hpa
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