Re: Two isa network cards under OpenBsd

["tim smith" <tims@cqpl.com.au>]

I have experienced your pain when it comes to isa network cards. and if you
want some real honest to god good advice - go PCI.
really even if your m/b only has one PCI slot, use it, becuase unless your a
total glutton for punishment 2 ISA nic's is more time and trouble then it's
worth.

cheers
Tim Smith
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nick Holland" <nick@holland-consulting.net>
To: "Misc @OpenBSD" <misc@openbsd.org>
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 10:00 AM
Subject: Re: Two isa network cards under OpenBsd


> Diaconescu Andrei wrote:
> >
> > I have a 486-DX2/66Mhz with a motherboard that only supports isa cards.
> > So, I have an isa network card.
> > All is well as long I configure its flash with I/O 300 and IRQ 10.
> > If I try to put the I/O 240 then OpenBsd expects to have an IRQ 9 which
> > I can not set because it says in bios that it is reserved. So I can not
use
> > IRQ 9.
>
> ?  Reserved for what?
> IRQ 2/9 is usually available on otherwise stripped ISA systems.
> However, a *few* video cards use it (and rarely admit to it, so your
> BIOS wouldn't know), some sound cards, etc.
>
> If you haven't tried it and found it didn't work, I'd take a shot at
> it.  The standard ISA system have no way to easily determine what IRQs
> are in use -- if the BIOS is telling you it is "reserved", I suspect
> it doesn't mean what you think it does.
>
> > My problem is that I need to have two networkcards on this computer so I
> > can use it as a firewall to exit on the internet.
> > The type of network card that I have is the NE2000 compatible Realtek
8019
> > ISA PNP.
> > I mention that I have set the card to jumperless.
>
> Jumperless or ISAPNP?
> "Jumperless" typically means software somehow configures the card (in
> the case of the 8019 cards, a DOS-based application; some cards are
> configured by the driver).
> ISAPNP is voodoo that sometimes works to configure your card whereever
> it can.
>
> > How can I have two isa network cards work on this computer ?
> > One of them is should use irq 9 and the other irq 10 but I can not use
irq
> > 9 for the reson I mentioned above.
>
> Few options...
> * Get more flexible cards (3c509Bs* are my favorite ISA card) which
> have the added advantage that they will probably work better (RT8019's
> are not the best NE2000 compatable, and NE2000s aren't the best ISA
> chipset)
> * Try ISAPNP.  It might work.  I can't believe I just said that.  I
> don't trust ISAPNP, I've had a lot of trouble with it on all
> platforms, but it sometimes (ok, often) works as advertised.  OpenBSD
> does support ISAPNP on the RT8019, can't say how well it works, I've
> avoided it so far.
> * config(8) the kernel to use a different IRQ (and I/O port, if you
> desire):
>     man 8 config
>     http://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq5.html#BootConfig
>     http://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq5.html#config
>
> Nick.
> --
> http://www.holland-consulting.net