Intel e1000e network card not detected

Issues related to configuring your network
djuarezg
Posts: 8
Joined: 2020/02/13 10:51:11

Re: Intel e1000e network card not detected

Post by djuarezg » 2021/01/27 16:03:08

toracat wrote:
2020/09/01 19:03:16
An updated version of kmod-e1000e for EL7 has been released to the elrepo main repository and is currently syncing to the mirror sites:

src:

e1000e-kmod-3.8.4-1.el7_8.elrepo.src.rpm

x86_64:

kmod-e1000e-3.8.4-1.el7_8.elrepo.x86_64.rpm

This version should have support for [8086:0d4c].
Noob question, where could I get this rpm? Also, if I understand correctly I have to build a dud iso myself to be added during installation, am I right? if so, how?

User avatar
TrevorH
Site Admin
Posts: 33191
Joined: 2009/09/24 10:40:56
Location: Brighton, UK

Re: Intel e1000e network card not detected

Post by TrevorH » 2021/01/27 16:09:34

You don't need ethernet working to perform an install so you don't need a driver update disk.

Google ELRepo, download their kmod-e1000e-3.8.4-2.el7_8.elrepo package and transfer it to the machine then run yum --disablerepo=\* install /path/to/kmod-e1000e-3.8.4-2.el7_8.elrepo.rpm to install it. Also make sure you install their elrepo-release package too so that you get future updates to it for newer kernels.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

djuarezg
Posts: 8
Joined: 2020/02/13 10:51:11

Re: Intel e1000e network card not detected

Post by djuarezg » 2021/01/27 16:26:45

TrevorH wrote:
2021/01/27 16:09:34
You don't need ethernet working to perform an install so you don't need a driver update disk.

Google ELRepo, download their kmod-e1000e-3.8.4-2.el7_8.elrepo package and transfer it to the machine then run yum --disablerepo=\* install /path/to/kmod-e1000e-3.8.4-2.el7_8.elrepo.rpm to install it. Also make sure you install their elrepo-release package too so that you get future updates to it for newer kernels.
Found it. My problem is that I have a model with this very same affected card, and these machines get PXE boot, so it will need to use this driver on install time, otherwise CentOS 7 does not install. If I understand correctly according to https://access.redhat.com/documentation ... orming-ppc and with what you just told me, I could refer to this rpm on the PXE conf, right?

User avatar
TrevorH
Site Admin
Posts: 33191
Joined: 2009/09/24 10:40:56
Location: Brighton, UK

Re: Intel e1000e network card not detected

Post by TrevorH » 2021/01/27 18:01:18

I think you can pass inst.dd= via PXE and point it to an http repo but quite how it would get there to fetch it if it doesn't have a network card is another question.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

User avatar
jlehtone
Posts: 4523
Joined: 2007/12/11 08:17:33
Location: Finland

Re: Intel e1000e network card not detected

Post by jlehtone » 2021/01/28 11:29:57

TrevorH wrote:
2021/01/27 18:01:18
I think you can pass inst.dd= via PXE and point it to an http repo but quite how it would get there to fetch it if it doesn't have a network card is another question.
PXE can definitely pass inst.dd=https://elrepo.org/linux/dud/el8/x86_64/dd-x.elrepo.iso (where dd-x.elrepo.iso was for a RAID).
However, that requires that the kernel does support the network card. Furthermore, the https://elrepo.org/linux/dud/el8/x86_64 seems to contain mostly storage drivers. Nothing like "e1000e".

Overall, PXE has first the network card connecting the DHCP and TFTP servers to load syslinux/grub which in turn connect TFTP server to load the kernel. If your network card supports PXE and the bootloader at your TFTP server is ok with the card, then it is down to the kernel.
The bootloader loads both the kernel file and the initrd. Could the driver be packed into the initrd image?

djuarezg
Posts: 8
Joined: 2020/02/13 10:51:11

Re: Intel e1000e network card not detected

Post by djuarezg » 2021/01/28 14:43:46

jlehtone wrote:
2021/01/28 11:29:57
TrevorH wrote:
2021/01/27 18:01:18
I think you can pass inst.dd= via PXE and point it to an http repo but quite how it would get there to fetch it if it doesn't have a network card is another question.
PXE can definitely pass inst.dd=https://elrepo.org/linux/dud/el8/x86_64/dd-x.elrepo.iso (where dd-x.elrepo.iso was for a RAID).
However, that requires that the kernel does support the network card. Furthermore, the https://elrepo.org/linux/dud/el8/x86_64 seems to contain mostly storage drivers. Nothing like "e1000e".

Overall, PXE has first the network card connecting the DHCP and TFTP servers to load syslinux/grub which in turn connect TFTP server to load the kernel. If your network card supports PXE and the bootloader at your TFTP server is ok with the card, then it is down to the kernel.
The bootloader loads both the kernel file and the initrd. Could the driver be packed into the initrd image?
Up to this point the network card does PXE boot and start loading GRUB + the CentOS7 image. It then gets stuck on the dracut shell even if using the `inst.dd` approach as in:

Code: Select all

menuentry 'TEST C7 HP 800 G6 workaround' {
    insmod progress
    clear
    echo -n 'loading kernel ...'
    linuxefi (http)/path/C7_X86_64/vmlinuz ip=dhcp inst.repo=http://patatinpatatan/os/x86_64/ inst.dd=https://elrepo.org/linux/elrepo/el7/x86_64/RPMS/kmod-e1000e-3.8.4-2.el7_8.elrepo.x86_64.rpm
    clear
    echo -n 'loading initrd ...'
    initrdefi (http)/path/C7_X86_64/initrd
}
If you have any pointer on how to get the driver into the initrd, it would help a lot.

User avatar
TrevorH
Site Admin
Posts: 33191
Joined: 2009/09/24 10:40:56
Location: Brighton, UK

Re: Intel e1000e network card not detected

Post by TrevorH » 2021/01/28 14:48:38

I'd use a USB stick labeled as "OEMDRV" and put the package on there (it needs a particular directory structure). That should be picked up by the installer automatically and used (if it's set up right).
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

djuarezg
Posts: 8
Joined: 2020/02/13 10:51:11

Re: Intel e1000e network card not detected

Post by djuarezg » 2021/02/01 11:38:40

TrevorH wrote:
2021/01/28 14:48:38
I'd use a USB stick labeled as "OEMDRV" and put the package on there (it needs a particular directory structure). That should be picked up by the installer automatically and used (if it's set up right).
In my case the USB is not an option as it must be PXE only. I wanted to include the driver into the initrd as in https://unix.stackexchange.com/question ... ted-driver and at least now it seems to recognise the network card. My problem seems to now be where to add the pci.updates info. How the pciid need to be declared somewhere to be pickup by correct driver, that is my current issue.

It is also a pity there is only a version for C7.8 but not for 7.9.

EDIT: There is now a version for 7.9, and with that you can create the dud yourself.

User avatar
poltr1
Posts: 25
Joined: 2020/01/03 21:43:57
Location: Dayton OH USA

Re: Intel e1000e network card not detected

Post by poltr1 » 2021/03/30 20:00:32

TrevorH: That sounds similar to what I do with the NVIDIA video drivers and dkms. If dkms wasn't previously installed, we would have to reinstall the NVIDIA drivers. But if it's installed first, the NVIDIA driver puts its hooks into dkms, and not the kernel. And you're right; I ended up having to rebuild the rpm file, erasing it from rpm, and reinstalling it for every kernel upgrade. Yecch.

Unfortunately, Corporate's policy is that every piece of software must be vetted (i.e. tested and approved) before it gets installed on a system connected to our networks. (It's a policy that makes sense; we don't want any Trojan horses, malware, or spyware sending data back to the vendor.) They grandfathered the CentOS and epel repos, since they've been well-maintained by their respective communities. But ElRepo has not. If I had a better idea as to their vetting process, I can send it up the chain and lobby for them.

Post Reply