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Losie
12-23-2005, 12:30 AM
I've recently installed the Sarge version of Debian Linux and have run into a problem with it's networking abilities.

I access the internet by cable modem, connected to a linksys broadband router. The router is set up to allow access by the computer.

When I run dhclient from Debian, it can't even locate the router to be assigned an IP on the network. I get "network not accessable" when I try to ping my router, or any IP for that matter.

I have run different Linux distributions in the past (the "user friendly" beginner level distributions) but this is my first experience with Debian.

To me, it almost seems as if my network card, (3-Com NIC) is not configured properly (it is configured, and Debian detects it, but it could be an IRQ conflict or something along those lines), although that is only speculation as I really have no idea what is in fact going on. The i386 architectures of the other distributions that I have run have all automatically detected and configured my NIC with no problems, and their DHCP clients easily detected a DHCP server.

After hunting, experimenting by trial and error, and running around with a headache for several days, I decided I'd see if the community knew anything about this problem. None of the topics I found searching the forum addressed quite this problem, they deal with DHCP problems, but they assume that the network it detected in the first place. Is there anyone who can offer some advice as to what the conflict could be, as well as methods of solving it?

Many thanks

nabis
12-23-2005, 07:18 AM
With Debian, you may have a better luck if you read the documentation from debian.org (http://debian.org)

You have to find out which module exactly has to be loaded for you network card. Read the output of `dmesg' and `cat /proc/pci' or `lspci'. It will give you the description of your card omong the other things. Search google/linux (http://google.com/linux), using the strings dmesg gave you about your card.

See which modules are loaded with lsmod.
Read a little about modprobe and modrm: `man modprobe'.
Find out which parameters dhclient uses: `ps ax | grep dhc'
See how ifconfig sees your card: `ifconfig -a'

Debian-specific: try to run `dpkg-reconfigure etherconf' to reconfigure your network card e.t.c.

You will find all this in Debian documentation.

je_fro
12-23-2005, 04:34 PM
nano -w /etc/network/interfaces

what's in there?

DarkDexter
12-24-2005, 05:56 AM
If ur in a non GUI use ifup eth0 to try dhcp and stuff. Besure your router is also allowing DHCP and stuff. Also I've had a problem on a couplse of my Linksys routers with the 1st port blowing out for no reason, i think it might be a head issue of stacking them up. Bleh, good luck!