Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards - Printable Version
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+--- Thread: Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards (/thread-1117.html)
Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards - 55cancri - 04-12-2019
Henlo!
I want to upgrade my Octane2 with a gigabit ethernet card (got a shoehorn adapter) and just naively plugged a 3com 3C966B-T card in there, because I've read somewhere that they are somewhat comapible. Then I installed the hacked driver from futuretech.blinkenlights.nl/depot, but I can not see the card anywhere in IRIX.
Maybe I need another card with fitting drivers, but I only have very little money. Are those listed network cards in the "Octane Hardware Aggregator" the only ones?
I've also added a 80MB/s SCSI card the same way, which works fine.
RE: Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards - Titox - 04-12-2019
These 3Com cards were sold by several sellers and they changed the ID Code of them so you have to match the vendor string of the hacked driver.
I prefered the flash hack (I modded an 3Com card and an IBM double port one).
Unfortunately I only found instructions for the double port, but I think is a very similar way to do:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160319072529/http://forums.nekochan.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16718780&p=7295721
RE: Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards - 55cancri - 04-12-2019
Hmmm, It's not easy for me to unterstand this linked thread, but I am ready to try it out.
So I have to put the 3com 3c996B-T card in a PC and change an ID with ethtool, so IRIX thinks it is a SGI P/N 9210289 card. But which ID and to what number? How I puzzle the ethtool command together?
RE: Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards - Titox - 04-13-2019
There was another post in Nekochan that explained de detailed command to do this. I was a lot of lines of ethtool commands in an script. But I'm not able to find it in the archive or in Nekomikon. I can't find it on my archives too.
RE: Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards - Titox - 04-17-2019
Found: https://gainos.org/~elf/sgi/nekonomicon/forum/3/12702/1.html
This are the instructions a followed to convert my card. Remember to install the original kernel driver.
RE: Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards - jan-jaap - 04-17-2019
(04-17-2019, 03:48 PM)Titox Wrote: Found: https://gainos.org/~elf/sgi/nekonomicon/forum/3/12702/1.html
This are the instructions a followed to convert my card. Remember to install the original kernel driver.
That recipe patches the PCI SVID:SDID but doesn't change a couple of other things. It works in IRIX (though I think the TG3 info utility can spot the difference), but fails the Broadcom diagnostics and there was something else (I forgot).
I have a different method, using Broadcom software and EEPROM data from genuine SGI cards. The result is a 100% valid clone (minus the MAC address which can be anything you want). I did a run of cards a couple of years ago for the Nekochan crowd. Never had any complaints. I can do other personalities too, like IBM p/n IBM-73P4219 or HP A6825-60101 which is maybe interesting for HP-UX fans.
RE: Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards - Titox - 04-18-2019
(04-17-2019, 07:43 PM)jan-jaap Wrote:(04-17-2019, 03:48 PM)Titox Wrote: Found: https://gainos.org/~elf/sgi/nekonomicon/forum/3/12702/1.html
This are the instructions a followed to convert my card. Remember to install the original kernel driver.
That recipe patches the PCI SVID:SDID but doesn't change a couple of other things. It works in IRIX (though I think the TG3 info utility can spot the difference), but fails the Broadcom diagnostics and there was something else (I forgot).
I have a different method, using Broadcom software and EEPROM data from genuine SGI cards. The result is a 100% valid clone (minus the MAC address which can be anything you want). I did a run of cards a couple of years ago for the Nekochan crowd. Never had any complaints. I can do other personalities too, like IBM p/n IBM-73P4219 or HP A6825-60101 which is maybe interesting for HP-UX fans.
I supose that you must have all ROMS ready to burn in the cards. Right?
I have SGI cards too, How I can read all the ROM?
RE: Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards - jan-jaap - 04-18-2019
(04-18-2019, 07:45 AM)Titox Wrote: I supose that you must have all ROMS ready to burn in the cards. Right?I have EEPROM images of various personalities of this card.
I have SGI cards too, How I can read all the ROM?
That Linux tool can read the entire EEPROM address range (it takes forever, but works). Beware that if you do a full copy you clone the MAC address too, and duplicate MAC addresses are a recipe for disaster. If you do a partial copy of the EEPROM you need to update the checksum or the diagnostics fail. If you accept that you may as well only change the PCI SVID:SDID. For a hobbyist with a card or two for his personal IRIX systems this is not a problem I guess.
The tool I use takes care of all of this and some other aspects. There is still occasional commercial interest in rebranded dual GBit cards so I keep the tool and the scripts I wrote to myself for now. Ian Mapleson will be happy to sell you rebranded cards.
RE: Octane Gigabit Network PCI cards - Titox - 04-18-2019
(04-18-2019, 10:09 AM)jan-jaap Wrote:I'm not interested in your tools or to buy a new card as I have my needs fullfiled. Just want to know how to read my cards. I supose a need to do it using ethtool in the adecuate card addresses then.(04-18-2019, 07:45 AM)Titox Wrote: I supose that you must have all ROMS ready to burn in the cards. Right?I have EEPROM images of various personalities of this card.
I have SGI cards too, How I can read all the ROM?
That Linux tool can read the entire EEPROM address range (it takes forever, but works). Beware that if you do a full copy you clone the MAC address too, and duplicate MAC addresses are a recipe for disaster. If you do a partial copy of the EEPROM you need to update the checksum or the diagnostics fail. If you accept that you may as well only change the PCI SVID:SDID. For a hobbyist with a card or two for his personal IRIX systems this is not a problem I guess.
The tool I use takes care of all of this and some other aspects. There is still occasional commercial interest in rebranded dual GBit cards so I keep the tool and the scripts I wrote to myself for now. Ian Mapleson will be happy to sell you rebranded cards.
Another project to do when I have time... or to my retirement... ;D