em(4) on FreeBSD is sometimes annoying

[Martin]

On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 10:34:47 -0700
"Jack Vogel" <jfvogel at gmail.com> wrote:

> Telling me what kind of NIC it is isn't going to help, 82573's are
> working the world over :)  What exactly is your laptop, what model,
> is the NIC a LOM (on the motherboard) or some addin.

Hi Jack,

this is a Lenovo Thinkpad T60p model 2007-93G. It's the standard
built-in NIC by Lenovo on the mainboard.

> There should be NO need to specify full duplex, if you have to do
> that then you have some problem with your switch.

No, I don't have to specify full duplex. Earlier someone has asked me if
it might be some problem with the autonegotiation. I don't think it is.

> Are you loading the driver as a module, or is it static?

Static.

> So, if you do this:  get a cable and eliminate any switch, just a
> back to back connection between two machines,  then if you load the
> driver and ifconfig address up... what happens??

Ok, I've done that. I connected my laptop directly to my home router.
At the other side we have an xl(4) NIC, btw.

Faulty variant:
1) Boot with cable disconnected. DHCP fails, of course, which is ok.
2) I plug in the cable where on the other side sits xl(4). ifconfig
shows me "no carrier", all LEDs at the NIC are off. No way to get an
IP. No way to get "status: active", by "ifconfig em0 up/down".

Ok:
1) Boot with cable directly connected to xl(4) at the other side.
2) em0 gets instantly an IP from DHCP server running on xl(4).

-- 
Martin