ethernet Realtek RTL8168/8118

[dsbarbos]

:(

Hi,
I have a new Asus A6J laptop. Actualy it is being quite painful since it comes with just 3 problematic items with the Fedora 5 core I installed :
- ATI radeon x1600 graphics card wihch doesn't work with the righ resolution (but I saw at least a precription for it).

- wireless card intel i13985ABG (saw a post about it already).

-ethernet card Realtek RTL8168/8111, wich is not detected at all.

Any hope of having a kernel version or rpm files that make this card work, and thus avoid a kernel compilation (+ whathever ...)

ciao
domingos

[fedornoob]

Hi,
I have an Asus W2Jc. Same problem ... i resolved only one half :D

First of all, the most important is the ethernet card .... download the devel package corresponding to your kernel version (from another computer of from windows) : it is "kernel-smp-devel.i686" (do yum list kernel* to see the right version) ... then install it with yum ...
second step .. download the linux driver (the source from Realtek) ... unzip it in the /usr/src directory ... there do : make clean install ... ok .. now do "dhclient eth0" ---> here we are ... you have ethernet active ...

Next : for the x1600 fglrx driver ... easy ... download the kmod-fglrx module .... see the unoficial FAQ in this site ... also the exelent stanton-finley.net web site ...


For blutooth and sound and wifi .. I am investigating ...
good luck

[DigitalDingo]

I have the same problem – and another one: I'm completely new to Linux so I really don't have the slightest idea of what fedornoob is talking about. So:

Can anybody please tell me how to do what fedornoob says? Please!

I really want to learn Linux, but it's rather difficult if you forced to read manuals from Windows! So I really hope that there's a helpful soul out there...

[DigitalDingo]

With a lot of help, I finally managed to install both the network and the graphics driver. So here's what I did:

Network
First you need to install the kernel header and the hardlink package. You may need to install other packages, but the process is the same.
Log in as root:
$ su -
Check your kernel version:
$ uname -r
Now, this is the version of the kernel header you need to install. You can find all the packages on the FC5 CD's/DVD or you can download them from another computer (http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/5/i386/os/Fedora/RPMS/). Make sure you choose the kernel-smp-devel version for the header (smp is for dual core processors).
Now install it:
$ rpm -Uvh filepath
Now you're ready to install the network driver. Just follow the readme file and enter the following lines in the shell:
$ tar vzxf r1000_v1.04.tgz
$ cd r1000_v1.04
$ make clean modules
$ make install
$ /sbin/depmod -a
Now you need to do:
$ modprobe r1000
$ dhclient
Now you can check if you successfully installed the driver:
$ dmesg
Look for lines starting with “eth0”.
Reboot the computer.
Go to System->Administration->Network and your network card should already be there. If your network card doesn't appear automatically try adding a wrong card, for example the 3Com something... Then do the above steps again (install the card) and the wrong card should be replaced with the right one.
After you have filled in the proper IP-address, DNS and so on simply deactivate and the activate the card. You network should be working properly now.

Now you need to update your Fedora:
$ su -
$ yum -y update
After the update the network doesn't work any more. However this is fairly easy to correct.
Navigate to the r1000_v1.04 folder from before and go to the src directory. For example:
$ cd /home/username/r1000_v1.04/src/
When there type:
$ su -
$ gedit r1000_n.c
Once opened look for the following lines:
MODULE_PARM (speed, "1-" __MODULE_STRING(MAX_UNITS) "i");
MODULE_PARM (duplex, "1-" __MODULE_STRING(MAX_UNITS) "i");
MODULE_PARM (autoneg, "1-" __MODULE_STRING(MAX_UNITS) "i");
and replace them with:
MODULE_PARM_DESC (speed, "1-" __MODULE_STRING(MAX_UNITS) "i");
MODULE_PARM_DESC (duplex, "1-" __MODULE_STRING(MAX_UNITS) "i");
MODULE_PARM_DESC (autoneg, "1-" __MODULE_STRING(MAX_UNITS) "i");
Save and close.
Ok, now repeat the installation of the network driver and everything should be fine.
You may want to install the NetworkManager: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Tools/NetworkManager

Graphics driver
Now you need to install the graphics driver. This can be done by following the Unofficial Fedora FAQ's guide: http://www.fedorafaq.org/#radeon
However, not all steps worked for me. Step 1 through 5 worked very well, but here's my version of the last part:
The FAQ shuts down X with
$ init 3
That didn't work for me. Instead do the following:
$ su -
$ gedit /etc/inittab
Once opened change “id:5:initdefault” to “id:3:initdefault”. Save and reboot the computer.
Login and become root:
$ su -
Now do:
$ ati-fglrx-config-display enable
Restart X:
$ init 5
Now remember to change “id:3:initdefault” to “id:5:initdefault” again!
Once this is done go to System -> Administration -> Display -> Hardware and configure the Video Card. Choose ”fglrx – Vendor-supplied driver for fglrx cards”.
Reboot the computer, and the resolution should be all right.

Any comments or adds will be greatly appreciated. : )

[jesseissorude]

...
Check your kernel version:
$ uname -r
Now, this is the version of the kernel header you need to install. You can find all the packages on the FC5 CD's/DVD or you can download them from another computer (http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/5/i386/os/Fedora/RPMS/). Make sure you choose the kernel-smp-devel version for the header (smp is for dual core processors).
Now install it:
$ rpm -Uvh filepath
.....


I'm a little confused about the filename to look for. I have a 64bit dual-core set up so instead of http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/5/i386/os/Fedora/RPMS/ I think I should be in http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/5/x86_64/os/Fedora/RPMS/ for my particular needs. What is the right kernel header for me?
Kernel: 2.6.15-1.2054_FC5

I am thinking that kernel-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5.x86_64.rpm might be right... but I want to be sure.

Thanks so much!

[DigitalDingo]

Sorry about the confusion. You're right – this wasn't written very clearly.
For my notebook (ASUS A6Ja) I should choose the kernel-smp-devel-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5.i686.rpm. You're right about the directory you are looking in, but to me it seems strange that there isn't a kernel-smp-devel rpm in there. One thing I'm sure of, is that you definitely need the kernel-devel – but I would have like a smp version of the file.
I am definitely not a linux expert (started using it about 3 months ago) so I'm not sure about the right kernel header for you. I would say http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/5/x86_64/os/Fedora/RPMS/kernel-devel-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5.x86_64.rpm, but as I've already said, it probably should be an smp version (which I haven't been able to find).
I once installed a non-smp kernel header for my FC5 by mistake and I can say that Fedora runs just fine on that header. But I definitely would not recommend this as I don't know, if it could harm the computer.

I think the best thing for you would be to ask in the software forum what kernel header you should choose. I did the same thing as I were just as confused as you! :D

[jesseissorude]

Ok, thanks, I'll do that. The header that was installed when I first installed FC5 was kernel-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5.x86_64.rpm, so I think the kernel-devel-... one is right. I'll ask in software to be sure though.
I'll be sure to post again when I have problems with the network driver, haha.

[DigitalDingo]

You're very welcome to post again! :D

[genok]

DigitalDingo
Did exactly how u said. I added 3com ethernet device then installed realtel drivers and 3com really was replaced by Realtek card. But when i tried to activate it FC said:
Command failed: /sbin/modprobe 3c501

Output:
FATAL: Module 3c501 not found

So, 3com was replaced by RTL but still wanting 3com modules :(

[genok]

DigitalDingo
Did exactly how u said. I added 3com ethernet device then installed realtel drivers and 3com really was replaced by Realtek card. But when i tried to activate it FC said:
Command failed: /sbin/modprobe 3c501

Output:
FATAL: Module 3c501 not found

So, 3com was replaced by RTL but still wanting 3com modules :(

PS BTW, dmesg said that eth1 is my RTL card but in System-Administrarion-Network eth1 is my Wireless card.

PS2 Even when i try to add a device which modules are in FC6, for example RTL8139 and it successfully replaced by my card after installing drivers, when i try to activate it it says that 8139too device eth0 does not seem to be present, delaying initialization :( S.O.S.

[DigitalDingo]

Are you working in FC6? If you are then it's no wonder it doesn't work.
When I installed FC6 earlier this week, I found out that this guide doesn't work. You need to use FC5 to make it work. I'm sorry that I didn't think about making a post about that problem.
If you are in FC5 I would recommend you making a clean reinstall of Fedora – just in case you have touched something that shouldn't have been touched.

There may also be another solution:
A few days ago I installed Ubuntu on this machine – sadly formatting my whole hard drive, but now the ethernet card works out of the box and both the graphics driver and the wireless card need only one small command each to work. I would without any doubt recommend you to switch to Ubuntu – especially if you are new to Linux. I struggled two months in FC5 getting the ethernet and screen resolution right – in Ubuntu it was made in less than 10 minutes including making the wireless card work, which I haven't been able to do in FC5 yet.
If you really want to keep working with Fedora (like myself) I would recommend you making a dual boot with Ubuntu and Fedora. Then you can work to get Fedora going and at the same time have a working Linux distribution on your computer.

I hope this solves your problem. If not you're welcome to write back though I probably can't help you more since I'm also a Linux newbie myself.