[wellylug] Network cards running at 10mb/s instead of 100 - why?

Volker Kuhlmann hidden at paradise.net.nz
Mon Oct 20 22:21:30 NZDT 2003


> Perhaps someone can enlighten me as to why my network is running at 1/10
> the speed it should be.   The network cards on my firewall, (which is
> running kernel 2.4.18-8.1mdksecure), are all running at 10mb/s.  At
> least two should be running at 100.

Let me guess - you are using RealTek 8139-based NICs? Their automatic
speed negotiation sometimes fails (consistently) when the other end,
i.e. what they're connected to, has a crappy ethernet port
implementation - this includes Dynaclunk RTA-220, MW1122, and prob many
other ADSL modems. ADSL modems just don't have an emphasis on good
ethernet performance.

The only way to fix it is to either force the speed setting on the NIC
to the value you know will work, or by plugging a switch in between.
X-Net 8-port switches do the trick and start at $40 each.
www.tastech.co.nz

Other possibilities were already suggested - if you have a hub rather
than a switch, and plug one 10M device into it, the whole lot will run
at 10M by necessity. Spend $40 on a permanent and easy fix.

Volker

-- 
Volker Kuhlmann			is possibly list0570 with the domain in header
http://volker.dnsalias.net/		Please do not CC list postings to me.



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