my ethernet to my laptop/getting the tcp/X11 socket up

[Chuck Robey]

Well, I need to get two problems off my chest, so to speak, well, really 
3 problems.  May as well hit the easiest first, which is getting the X11 
tcp socket opened up.

BACKGROUND: I want to give the database I wrote to the friend of mine I 
wrote it for.  I got a laptop that sort of fell into my lap, but it 
didn't come with an ethernet, so I had a ethernet card lying around (I 
forget the name of the outboard cards for laptops, this is the very 
first time for me, using a laptop).  I installed it, it worked with the 
rl0 driver.  Sometimes.

Why sometimes?  Smart guy, that's question 1.  The indication I get is, 
I get an error (tcp error) soemthing like this one below (they're not 
all alike):

Mar 30 21:37:52 september kernel: rl0: discard frame w/o leading 
ethernet header (len 2 pkt len 2)

Well, the result is always the same, which is that the rl0 line stops 
dead in it's tracks.  I can do a ifconfig down/ifconfig up and clear it, 
but every time I do that, I take a 1 in 5 chance of getting a kernel 
panic.  It's not something I crave to do a lot, so I can't just dismiss 
it by making a utility to down/up the interface.  I need this fixed.

My kernel is 5.3 stable.  I picked it because it was the only one of all 
of the ones I could pick (and I did try them all) that seemed compatible 
not only with the ethernet card, but also the usb trackball I like (I 
hate mice) and that the available X for that version knows the usb 
drivers.  Too early and it won't work with ums0.

OK, I'd like suggestions from someone who knows the history, is there 
any easy fix for the rl0 driver I'm using, that will allow it to work 
stably?  Anyone know of any problem like what I've described?

Second set of problems is easier to describe: I want to get the tcp 
sockets on X turned on.  I know about the -no-tcp, and there are 
unfortunately too many places that it could be turned off.  On my 
server, running FreeBSD-6.0 (it's an opteron, dual) I am running a very 
  very reent kde (damn but that compiled easily!)  On the other machine, 
well, today it's FreeBSD-5.3 like I said.  Maybe you'll change my mind. 
On neither machine am I running any sort of login daemon, it's just 
startx.  I sure wish that the darned security person who got them to 
bias the options against running that socket would undo his work.  I 
don't mind the option existing, but making it the default was a rotten 
thing to do to me.

I won't listen to anyone who tells me to upgrade my laptop for the hell 
of it, because my app is python/gtk, and needs too many parts to work 
together for me to risk breaking what works today just for the hell of 
it.  Give me a solid reason, and then I'll do it.

I'm quite, *quite* willing to buy another ehternet card.  The one I have 
is a D-Link, the dmesg reports:

miibus0: <MII bus> on rl0
Mar 30 21:44:23 september kernel: rlphy0: <RealTek internal media 
interface> on miibus0
Mar 30 21:44:23 september kernel: rlphy0:  10baseT, 10baseT-FDX, 
100baseTX, 100baseTX-FDX, auto
Mar 30 21:44:23 september kernel: rl0: Ethernet address: 00:0d:88:27:c4:38

OK, so I'm looking for advice on the ethernet problem, and maybe

-- 
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Chuck Robey         | Interests include C & Java programming, FreeBSD,
chuckr at chuckr.org   | electronics, communications, and SF/Fantasy.

New Year's Resolution:  I will not sphroxify gullible people into looking up
fictitious words in the dictionary (on the wall at my old fraternity,
Signa Phi Nothing).
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