network stalls on Fedora Core 3

[Keith Fetterman]

Since this problem isn't a FC3 specific problem (I also discovered the 
same problem in the latest Ubuntu Linux), does anyone know the best 
mailing list/forum to that discusses kernel 2.6 and ethernet driver 
issues?  Maybe this problem has already been identified and workarounds 
suggested.

I do know that this problem is not limited to a specific ethernet card. 
  I have the same problem with both an OEM 3com ethernet card and an 
Intel ethernet card. I guess its possible they are the same chip inside 
so they are using the same driver, but I though Intel made their own 
network chips.



Tom Trebisky wrote:
> On Sat, Apr 23, 2005 at 09:27:28AM -0700, Keith Fetterman wrote:
> 
>>Tom Trebisky wrote:
>>
>>>I thought I would followup post since I have been having a similar problem
>>>on my home system, and MAYBE have a clue for a solution.
>>>
>>>...
>>>My home system has an intel etherpro 100 NIC, and connects through some
>>>dogmeat ethernet switch to a Cisco 678 DSL router.  These are the details,
>>>though I don't think any are particularly relevant.
>>>
>>>Last night I added the following entry to my /etc/sysconfig/network
>>>file:
>>>
>>>IPV6_NETWORKING=no
>>>...
>>>This was right after experiencing a stall using scp to copy a big
>>>file to my home system.  After this, ... things seemed much better.
>>
>>I will check because you might have hit it.  One difference between FC3, 
>>which is the 2.6 kernel, and my RHE3 systems, which is the RH modified 
>>2.4 kernel, might be the IPv6 settings.  In the RHE3 they may be 
>>different or turned off by default, where as they may be turned on by 
>>default in FC3.  I will check and retest.
> 
> 
> I am now somewhat less enthusiastic about this, although it -seemed- to
> work.  Apparently the variable to set is:
> 
> NETWORKING_IPV6=no (not IPV6_NETWORKING) -- I just reported verbatim what
> some other poster advised, but a look at /etc/rc.d/init.d/network shows
> that NETWORKING_IPV6 is the relevant variable, so it isn't clear how setting
> IPV6_NETWORKING could do anything at all -- just a placebo ... sigh.
> 
> And reading the posts about slow network and IPv6 issues indicate this is
> primarily a DNS thing, not something that would slow down or stall an
> existing TCP connection (which is what I am seeing).  see:
> 
>     http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/darin/archives/005753.html
> 
> To really kill ipv6 it is recommended that the following be added to
> /etc/modprobe.conf and then REBOOT (just restarting the network won't
> yank the ipv6 modules out of the kernel).
> 
> alias net-pf-10 off
> alias ipv6 off
> 
> Then to check if ipv6 is really gone, do ifconfig -a and verify
> that no ipv6 address is assigned to your network interface.
> 
> This is as much as I have learned.  There definitely is something amiss
> as far as TCP connections stalling now and then, and it really is a
> kick in the head when it happens in the middle of editing a long email
> like this one (knock on wood).  At first I suspected my ISP (now changed
> for other reasons), then I suspected my wireless access point/switch
> (now bypassed) -- but it seems to trace to fedora core 3, a fellow at
> work reports that he is seeing similar incidents in the same timeframe
> (i.e. as of the 2.6 kernel).  It would be better if the connection would
> timeout and fail rather than stall and deadlock.
> 
> 	Tom
> 


-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Keith Fetterman                          206-780-5670
Mariner Supply, Inc.                     kfetterman at go2marine.com
http://www.go2marine.com