PPC Wired Networking

[LughClyde]

I'm new to Debian. Well, directly. I've used and installed a lot of Linux Mint. However, I needed to get Linux on this iMac G3 600 (Summer 2001) and install Debian 5.0.3 PPC. Getting that Xserver configured manually was a PITA, but I got it.

However, the networking isn't working. Well, the Network Manager can't seem to keep a configuration. The little icon in on the tool bar tells me "No network devices have been found" when I click on it. OTOH, ifconfig seems to think that everything is configured and running just fine. Then again, no Web browser will find anything. I can't ping my own router either.

So, it isn't working and some of Debian agrees and some doesn't. Any clues?

Naturally I'm not sending this from that computer, but from my Windows 7 computer.

Thanks,
Clyde

[racepres]

I have Not gotten newer versions to work w/ my G3's. I believe that etch was able to do ethernet, I know it won't do wireless on my powerbook G3's. I have to go back to Sarge for powerbook G3 wireless to work.
RP

[bluesdog]

What's output of

Code: Select all

lspci

Also, please post output of

Code: Select all

cat /etc/apt/sources.list

[LughClyde]

lspic:

0000:00:0b.0 Host bridge: Apple Computer Inc. UniNorth/Pangea AGP
0000:00:10.0 Display controller: ATI Technologies Inc Rage 128 Pro Ultra TR
0001:10:0b.0 Host bridge: Apple Computer Inc. UniNorth/Pangea PCI
0001:10:17.0 Class ff00: Apple Computer Inc. KeyLargo/Pangea Mac I/O
0001:10:18.0 USB Controller: Apple Computer Inc. KeyLargo/Pangea USB
0001:10:19.0 USB Controller: Apple Computer Inc. KeyLargo/Pangea USB
0002:20:0b.0 Host bridge: Apple Computer Inc. UniNorth/Pangea Internal PCI
0002:20:0e.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Apple Computer Inc. UniNorth/Pangea FireWire
0002:20:0f.0 Ethernet controller: Apple Computer Inc. UniNorth/Pangea GMAC (Sun GEM)


sources.list:

#
# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.3 _Lenny_ - Official powerpc CD Binary-1 20090905-12:40]/ lenny main
deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.3 _Lenny_ - Official powerpc CD Binary-1 20090905-12:40]/ lenny main
deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.3 _Lenny_ - Official powerpc CD Binary-2 20090905-12:40]/ lenny main
deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.3 _Lenny_ - Official powerpc CD Binary-3 20090905-12:40]/ lenny main
deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.3 _Lenny_ - Official powerpc CD Binary-4 20090905-12:40]/ lenny main
deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.3 _Lenny_ - Official powerpc CD Binary-5 20090905-12:40]/ lenny contrib main
deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.3 _Lenny_ - Official powerpc CD Binary-6 20090905-12:40]/ lenny main
deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.3 _Lenny_ - Official powerpc CD Binary-7 20090905-12:40]/ lenny contrib main
deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.3 _Lenny_ - Official powerpc CD Binary-8 20090905-12:40]/ lenny contrib main
deb http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main contrib
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main contrib

Note on the above: The installation didn't find the network connection either. So, those last two wouldn't have been reachable.

ifconfig output:

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr [deleted]
inet addr:192.168.0.3 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::203:93ff:fe08:30d0/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:2 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:70 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:128 (128.0 B) TX bytes:8950 (8.7 KiB)
Interrupt:41 Base address:0x2800

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:8 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:8 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:560 (560.0 B) TX bytes:560 (560.0 B)


Thanks for your help,
Clyde

[LughClyde]

In case we don't get this working, where can I find "etch"?

Thanks,
Clyde

[Absent Minded]

it is under old stable in the repos

[Pick2]

Don't ask me why because I have no clue ,But:
I've had to disable the firewire port on the motherboards I have that have them , or it will try to use firewire for the network ( eth0 ) connection , the ethernet connection will not come up.
Try disabling the firewire and rebooting.

[LughClyde]

Very interesting.

How do I disable Firewire?

Thanks,
Clyde

[jheaton5]

GOING TO Etch is the wrong way. The version of Network Manager in Lenny needs a lot of configuration to recognize a 3G/ppc device. The Network Manager in Squeeze (testing) will automatically recognize your device. You will have to answer a few questions like your name and service provider but that's it.

[Pick2]

How do I disable Firewire?

found this with an HOUR of google
http://www.shallowsky.com/blog/linux/et ... e-net.html
I have not tried it yet ... probably will this week end.

Added:
It would not be a problem if it brought up the ethernet first , as eth0.
It brings up firewire as eth0 , then DHCP fails , and you have no internet

[racepres]

GOING TO Etch is the wrong way. The version of Network Manager in Lenny needs a lot of configuration to recognize a 3G/ppc device. The Network Manager in Squeeze (testing) will automatically recognize your device. You will have to answer a few questions like your name and service provider but that's it.

and you have done this with a G3?
Thanks
RP

[bluesdog]

Wonder what would happen if you edited /etc/network/interfaces?

Code: Select all

# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).

# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

# The primary network interface
# allow-hotplug eth0
allow-hotplug eth1
# iface eth0 inet dhcp
iface eth1 inet dhcp

Then

Code: Select all

 ifdown eth0
ifup eth1

You could also try disabling any firewire modules with modprobe -r command issued on each one, then try

Code: Select all

 ifdown eth0
ifup eth0

[LughClyde]

After half a day of frustration, I still don't have it working.

There were a few bits of misinformation, but I finally got my Firewire disabled. That didn't get networking working though. My /etc/modprobe.d/00local file now looks like this:

install ieee1394 /bin/true
alias fw off
install ohci1394 /bin/true
install ipv6 /bin/true
alias net-pf-10 off
alias ipv6 off

Unlike the link given, the module name is not eth1394. lsmod told me that it was ieee1394. However, ohci1394 uses ieee1394 so I needed to turn that off too. While I was there I thought I'd turn off IPv6 too. That would give me a test as well as turn off something I didnt' need.

After restarting, lsmod shows none of those there. Plugging in a working Firewire device did nothing. So, it looks like Firewire is truely off. However, networking still doesn't work. Oddly, the Network Manager still shows ip6 stuff in it. It doesn't update that when the IPV6 module isn't running. I can't delete those lines, but it doesn't make thing work.

MY /etc/network/interfaces file only has my loopback and primary interfaces in it. The primary is eth0 and it exactly what it should be. BTW, during boot, I see that message that eth0 connects at the full duplex at 100Mb. It then gives a message that pause is disabled. I didn't know there was a pause, but don't want it enabled anyway. However, Network Tools shows everything but the link speed. (Ping & Traceroute still don't do anything.) So, something IS working, but not enough to do anything.

With messages that are conflicting like this, it would be logical to think that something is just broken with networking on an iMac. Since jheaton5 has suggested that Squeeze will cure all of this, I should give that a try. However, overall it sounds like it has more problems than I'm having now. If anyone can set me straight on that, please do. Otherwise, I've had my fill of OS testing over the last 30 years and don't really want to fight another one.

It probably isn't nice to ask here, but does anyone have a suggestion for a different distro that will run realiably and nicely as a desktop on an iMac?

[LughClyde]

Oops. I CAN delete the lines in Network Manager. It doesn't change anything though.

[llivv]

.