Asus M5A78L-M LX3 motherboard.

[fullbore]

The motherboard on our backup server died so it was replaced with this board. All's fine apart from I can't get networking to work.

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# ifconfig -a
lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:12082973 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:12082973 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0 
          RX bytes:2146832149 (1.9 GiB)  TX bytes:2146832149 (1.9 GiB)

virbr0    Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 52:54:00:CC:3E:4B  
          inet addr:192.168.122.1  Bcast:192.168.122.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:539 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 b)  TX bytes:131845 (128.7 KiB)

virbr0-nic Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 52:54:00:CC:3E:4B  
          BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:500 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 b)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 b)
#

So check the actual onboard device

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# lspci -nn | grep -i net
02:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Atheros Communications Inc. Device [1969:10a1] (rev 10)
#

Are there drivers installed-

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# grep 1969 /lib/modules/2.6.32-2.6.32-358.el6.x86_64/modules.* | grep -i 10a1
#
# grep 1969 /lib/modules/2.6.32-2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.* | grep -i 10a1
#

Seems not so I searched for "1969:10a1" on http://elrepo.org/tiki/DeviceIDs and there's nothing.

So is there any point in me trying further to get the onboard networking running, or would I be best installing a card known to work?

[TrevorH]

Try kmod-alx from ELRepo.

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[root@c6test ~]# yum info kmod-alx.x86_64
Available Packages
Name        : kmod-alx
Arch        : x86_64
Version     : 0.0
Release     : 10.el6.elrepo
Size        : 33 k
Repo        : elrepo
Summary     : alx kernel module(s)
URL         : http://www.kernel.org/
License     : GPLv2
Description : This package provides the alx kernel module(s) built
            : for the Linux kernel using the x86_64 family of processors.

However, you are running a really ancient and unsupported version of CentOS 6 there. Kernel 2.6.32-358 belongs to 6.4 which has been out of support since the release of 6.5 in December 2013 so you are more than 5 years out of date. You need to yum update and get your system onto 6.10 ASAP. The current version of kmod-alx appears to require the 6.10 kernel for a start, not to mention the nearly 6 years of security fixes you're missing - some of them really nasty ones that need fixing ASAP.

[fullbore]

The box has just sat in the corner for years it's true.

Much as yum update is a very sensible idea, it's a bit tricky without connectivity unless it can be done using usb connected storage

[TrevorH]

So then you will have to download and sneaker-net the various kmod-alx package versions from the ELRepo repo to your box and attempt to install them one by one starting with the most recent and working backwards until you find the latest one that works with your 5 year old kernel. You may need to ask them where and how to access their archives as I suspect the version you will need will no longer be on the current mirrors.

[fullbore]

I can see some back to 2012 in elrepo, so do I just try them until I get one that doesn't throw on any dependancies?

[fullbore]

Seems there are alx drivers already there, just not for device ID 10a1

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# grep 1969 /lib/modules/2.6.32-2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.*
lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001048sv*sd*bc*sc*i* atl1
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00002048sv*sd*bc*sc*i* atl2
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001066sv*sd*bc*sc*i* atl1e
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001026sv*sd*bc*sc*i* atl1e
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001083sv*sd*bc*sc*i* atl1c
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001073sv*sd*bc*sc*i* atl1c
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00002062sv*sd*bc*sc*i* atl1c
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00002060sv*sd*bc*sc*i* atl1c
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001062sv*sd*bc*sc*i* atl1c
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001063sv*sd*bc*sc*i* atl1c
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias usb:v17CCp1969d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip* snd_usb_caiaq
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001091sv*sd*bc*sc*i* alx
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00002062sv*sd*bc*sc*i* alx
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00002060sv*sd*bc*sc*i* alx
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001083sv*sd*bc*sc*i* alx
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001073sv*sd*bc*sc*i* alx
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001062sv*sd*bc*sc*i* alx
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.alias:alias pci:v00001969d00001063sv*sd*bc*sc*i* alx
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:atl1                 0x00001969 0x00001048 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:atl2                 0x00001969 0x00002048 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:atl1e                0x00001969 0x00001026 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:atl1e                0x00001969 0x00001066 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:atl1c                0x00001969 0x00001063 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:atl1c                0x00001969 0x00001062 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:atl1c                0x00001969 0x00002060 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:atl1c                0x00001969 0x00002062 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:atl1c                0x00001969 0x00001073 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:atl1c                0x00001969 0x00001083 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:alx                  0x00001969 0x00001063 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:alx                  0x00001969 0x00001062 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:alx                  0x00001969 0x00001073 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:alx                  0x00001969 0x00001083 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:alx                  0x00001969 0x00002060 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:alx                  0x00001969 0x00002062 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.pcimap:alx                  0x00001969 0x00001091 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0
/lib/modules/2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64/modules.usbmap:snd-usb-caiaq        0x0003      0x17cc   0x1969    0x0000       0x0000       0x00         0x00            0x00            0x00            0x00               0x00               0x0

[TrevorH]

The kmod packages won't install if they don't match the kernel that's installed. You'll get lots of missing dependencies for different entry points in the kernel. If you download it and run e.g. rpm -q --requires kmod-alx-0.0-10.el6.elrepo then you'll see lots of things like "kernel(__const_udelay) = 0xeae3dfd6" and those must match with one of the installed kernels and those will be the things that yum complains about when you try to install it. If it does that then you need to either install the newer kernel or the older kmod-alx until they match.

Running rpm -q --provides kmod-alx shows:

modalias(pci:v00001969d000010A[01]sv*sd*bc*sc*i*)

so that card is supported by the kmod but not by the distro version of the driver (I checked the 6.10 kernel and it's still not supported).

[fullbore]

so that card is supported by the kmod but not by the distro version of the driver (I checked the 6.10 kernel and it's still not supported).

OK, so best answer is a separate NIC, wired or wireless.

Any suggestions as to something that might work to get up and running and be able to update.

[fullbore]

Thanks for your time.

Found a D-Link DFE-530TX on a shelf, installed and made the few necessary changes to files and we're talking to the network

Need to check a few things before a blanket "yum update" I have a feeling that my predecessor manually installed later versions of things like spamassassin & bind...