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[Cbsupport] Linux address & Dell Base Station Network driver(s)

Hoping someone can help - it's appeared before, but I didn't get any responses.

The linux machine is a COMPUTERBANK supplied machine, running debian linux it was installed with. It's a DELL LAPTOP, which was provided with a base unit which contains a 3COM ethernet interface, but which the linux doesn't seem to recognize.

Question 1.

How is the linux (on booting) address set ?

I've tried the /etc/hosts file assuming it's the LINUX line, but I now gather that was (it gives me errors every boot now) supposed to point to the internet linux site...

Question 2

What was the original address of the linux line in /etc/hosts, or can someone paste in a copy of a standard /etc/hosts file for me.

Question 3

Is it a driver problem - why the dell laptop doesn't look or recognize the supplied base station 3COM ethernet card. The screen, keyboard ports have been tested and work fine, but the 3COM doesn't light up any leds, or PINGing other machines produces nothing.

Is there anything I can do to get my computerbank linux laptop to be recognized by any other machines on my network ?


My original request had more info - but this is a shortened version hoping for a response.

Thanks Chris.

From: "Chris Guiver" <guiverc@ozemail.com.au>
To: <cbsupport@lists.linux.org.au>
CC: "Chris Guiver" <guiverc@hotmail.com>
Subject: Linux addresses & Dell Base Station Network driver(s)
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 23:14:18 +1000

Howdy

(a) LINUX TCP/IP address ?

My linux desktop can't speak to any other machines on my network. If I ping from the linux machine, I can see traffic flow past the other machines (which have LED's on them), but the machines don't recognize the address as within my limit.

All my systems are in the address range 192.168.132.xy (for TCP/IP), but cannot find where on the linux desktop (or how) I tell it what address it is to use.

My "/etc/hosts" file (which I assumed was the answer looks like ....
127.0.0.1 debian localhost loopback
192.168.132.202 debian localhost
#linux linux
192.168.132.200 nt nt_server (my DHCP server)
192.168.132.120 os2 os2
192.168.132.98 98 98
192.168.132.48 dos dos_486
where I modified the linux line (without storing the old address) to be the address I wanted it to be, but have since discovered it's supposed to point to linux on the www.... As I didn't note the address, I can't put it back.

How is the address given to a linux machine (mine's the original non-spell checking DEBIAN 2.2.2 as installed on my machine) ? Where is the LINUX line I deleted supposed to point (each time it boots, it reminds me of my mistake - telling me it's pointing to a wrong address)... ?

(b) Dell Latitude XPi not using Ethernet base station for TCP/IP

A second problem - the machine is a DELL Latitude XPi, but it won't take advantage of the Dell Ethernet base platform (which is where the LAN cable fits). It's as if a driver needed to tell LINUX to look for the ethernet card (external to the machine - in it's base) is needed which isn't on my machine.

Only if I borrow a PCMCIA card cable have I been able to get the machine to ping at all. While I'm happy to transfer files via floppy (for printing etc.), any files bigger than a floppy I cannot get off the machine as I can't get the machine to speak to my others (running DOS, OS/2 & generally old software). The screen, keyboard and other connections are fine - but the network connection is dead.

My cable is thin ethernet, Grant gave me with the machine Alloy 10Base2/T Converteor which has lights - nothing at all will light up from the base station; a borrowed cable connected to the PCMCIA gets traffic - just it isn't recognized. To me it's a driver problem - forcing the machine to look outside itself to the base/cradle... but that's an opinion.

Any help appreciated (either problem)

With Thanks, Chris Guiver.

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