Changing the Ethernet card and/or IP address

0.

If you are installing a card, first verify that it works on a more sensible, functioning machine. This will save you hours of time mired in the subsequent steps.

1.

If the card you are installing (such as the SMC 83C690) has a jumper to set the memory location, then set it to the ``Software'' position before installing it. (A card that was initially unrecognized became recognized after I set this. Of course, it had other problems....)

2.

In the file /etc/hosts, define localhost as 127.0.0.1 and define your hostname with the appropriate IP address.

3.

Define HOSTNAME and IP_ADDRESS appropriately in /etc/install.conf

4.

Define my_name as the hostname in /net/rc.network

5.

Verify that the startup command for wd3e0 is uncommented in /net/rc.network (``wd3e0'' stands for Western Digital WD8003E interface for x86 systems, card#0). Specify the appropriate network information as follows (the values listed are for the CfA in Cambridge):
/bin/ifconfig wd3e0 <host.ip.address> netmask 255.255.248.0 broadcast 131.142.15.255

6.

Before the last line of /net/rc.network, add the command:
route -f add default 131.142.8.1 1
where the IP address is the address of your gateway computer.

7.

Verify that the device file exists: /dev/wd3e0. If not, then:
mknod <name> <term> <major> <minor> <perm>
by using the colon-delimited values from /etc/nodetab

8.

Reboot, and watch for a SIGIO error from /bin/ifconfig. If you see one, your card is not recognized. You can try one of four things:
1) Edit the settings at the bottom of the appropriate Ethernet card information file (e.g. /sys/devices/if_wd3info.c). The ``on board ram address'' may need to be corrected. After editing, you will need to rebuild the kernel. I think this will be achieved if you run make from the /sys directory. When complete, repeat step 8.
2) Shutdown and try a different card
3) Remove the card, unscrew the ISA bus and gently pry it up. Check that the none of the pin connectors are bent over. If so, fix them and try the card again.
4) Copy the kernel file (/lynx.os) from a different machine (renaming the current file for safe-keeping) and reboot. At least some of the Ethernet card support is built into the kernel, and I have found that a card that is not initially recognized by a machine, will be recognized if you copy the kernel from a different machine in which the card was recognized. Got that?

9.

If there are no errors, verify that the ``receive'' LED is active, thereby proving that your data line is operating. In fact, it is best to first plug it into a separate machine to confirm that two-way traffic is possible.

10.

If the card and cable seem to work, try to telnet to localhost. If this works, the software is likely to be installed correctly. Now try to telnet to your host machine by its explicit IP address. If this fails, you may have a dead transmitter on the Ethernet card.

11.

If the previous step succeeded, try telneting to a machine on your local network, then finally, to a machine external to your network to verify that the gateway works properly.