Intel Network devices not detected

[nurbles]

We are trying to switch to a new hardware platform for our TinyCore devices because the old platform is no longer available.  Unfortunately, neither TinyCore nor CorePlus (I have tried v5 through v11) see any network hardware at all.  Slax, Ubuntu, and other huge builds see it fine, with the two devices being named enp1s0 and enp2s0 (I may have mis-remembered the second device's exact name.)

The computer is an Axiomtek ICO300 (not the -WT variant) with no wireless devices, just the two wired ethernet connections.  You can read about it at https://www.axiomtek.com/Default.aspx?MenuId=Products&FunctionId=ProductView&ItemId=1151&C=ICO300&upcat=134

Is there any chance that TinyCore will ever work with this device (and those like it)?  Or is there some boot/install/setup option that I am missing to make it work?

[Juanito]

What does lsusb/lspci say your network hardware is?

Does googling on the network hardware name give a kernel driver/firmware name?

[nurbles]

What does lsusb/lspci say your network hardware is?

Both commands report the same thing:  "command not found"

I would install them, but without a network I cannot reach the repository.  I think I should be able to find the files on CorePlus CD (or the drive where I installed CorePlus), but I don't know where to look and neither does it (at least, not by default or in any clear and obvious way.)

Does googling on the network hardware name give a kernel driver/firmware name?

The name I found for what I *think* you are asking is: (quoted from an intel support article)

igb-x.x.x.tar.gz driver: Supports all 82575/6, 82580, I350, I354, and I210/I211 based gigabit network connections.

[Juanito]

The igb module is present in the base - does it show up in lsmod?

If igb is in lsmod, does it show up in dmesg looking for firmware?

[nurbles]

Not listed in lsmod.
Unknown symbol error in dmesg for igb (with CorePlus 11.0, downloaded Mar, 5, 2020)

image of output from lsmod and dmesg | grep -i igb attached (I hope)

[Rich]

Hi nurbles
You need to install  i2c-KERNEL.tcz.

[nurbles]

I don't know how critical this might be, but I found this quote on the intel page where the igb-x.x.x.tar.gz driver source may be downloaded (https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005480/network-and-i-o/ethernet-products.html for anyone interested):

The Linux base drivers support the 2.4.x, 2.6.x and 3.x kernels.

Apparently they haven't felt a need to update it for the 4.x or 5.x kernels.

[nurbles]

You need to install  i2c-KERNEL.tcz.

Gladly.  If I had a network connection, I could use the apps tool.  I have not learned any other way and the apps tool does not allow me to point it to a location where I may have downloaded extensions.  Time for me to start searching for how to do all this stuff manually when no network is available.

Thanks!

Hmmm... which would that be:

i2c-5.4.3-tinycore64.tcz
i2c-5.4.3-tinycore.tcz
i2c-tools-dev.tcz
i2c-tools-doc.tcz
i2c-tools.tcz

(found by browsing TCZs on the tinycore web site)

[Rich]

Hi nurbles
Use your browser to download it to a USB thumb drive. Then copy it from the thumb drive to your  tce  directory.
32 bit:
http://tinycorelinux.net/11.x/x86/tcz/i2c-5.4.3-tinycore64.tcz
64 bit:
http://tinycorelinux.net/11.x/x86_64/tcz/i2c-5.4.3-tinycore64.tcz

[Rich]

Hi nurbles

... Hmmm... which would that be:

i2c-5.4.3-tinycore64.tcz
i2c-5.4.3-tinycore.tcz ...

Use the one that matches the output from this command:

Code: [Select]

uname -r

[nurbles]

THANKS!  (and thanks for the uname tip)

FWIW, I had found the http://tinycorelinux.net/11.x/x86/tcz/ page, but it was just a text listing of file names.  It was very NOT CLEAR (to me, at least) that I could cut'n'paste any file name to the end of the URL to download it.  Thanks for clearing that up, too!

[nurbles]

Sigh.  My uname -r emitted 5.4.3-tinycore, so I used this file:

http://tinycorelinux.net/11.x/x86/tcz/i2c-5.4.3-tinycore.tcz

I copied the file to /mnt/sda1/tce and then rebooted.  No change.
I tried the file in /mnt/sda1/tce/optional (and /mnt/sda1/tce/ondemand) and still no change.

I repeated all of the above with the tinycore64 version of the file and then with the same files from the x86_64 branch.  Still no change.

So, is there another step required to actually ACTIVATE the new file?  Or is there a different tce folder than the only one I have found?

Also, FWIW, every time the system boots there is an error printed at the $ prompt, just before the GUI launches:

udhcpc: SIOCGIFINDEX:  No such device

I have been assuming that us the DHCP client complaining that there are no network devices for it to use, but maybe it is a symptom of something else?

[curaga]

The above instructions had omitted some steps that new user may not be familiar with. Putting it into /mnt/sda1/tce/optional makes it available to the system, but does not load it. You can then load it at runtime by running "tce-load -i i2c-KERNEL" or by using the Apps GUI (load local extension).

To have it automatically load on boot, you'd list it in the onboot.lst file (/mnt/sda1/tce/onboot.lst); managing that list can also be done via GUI, or edited manually.

[Rich]

Hi nurbles
/mnt/sda1/tce/optional  is the right place. You also need to add it to your  onboot.lst  file so it gets loaded when you boot.
Using the  Apps  utility, click on  Apps->Maintenance->OnBoot Maintenance. Click on the  i2c  extension, then click the  Add  button.

[nurbles]

THANK YOU!

Your knowledge (and more importantly, patience) have helped me get my problem resolved!

If you are ever near Cocoa Beach, Florida, I owe you a drink (or the equivalent if you don't drink!)

Thanks again!