Re: Synology PPCBoot SK98 network bug fix

[Frank Wille <frank%phoenix.owl.de@localhost>]

On Sun, 29 May 2011 22:42:25 +0100
Julian Coleman <jdc%coris.org.uk@localhost> wrote:

> With this altboot.bin:
> 
>   transmit works in altboot (I see bootp requests and reply to them)

Great!


>   receive fails in altboot (I see 4 "timeout" and 1 "bootp: no reply")

Oh...

I don't understand. Oscar reported that everything is working on his 407e
now. Can you check if you have a different chip (other than 88E8001-LKJ1) ?

Also tell us your PPCBoot version. Maybe there are more versions with even
stranger SK-drivers. Although I would have guessed you two have the same.


>   both transmit and receive work in the kernel (I can use an NFS root)

That's good. So we are just missing something which the kernel driver does.
It's easier to read the NetBSD driver than the SK98 Linux driver source. ;)


> So, I'm slightly puzzled why it works in the kernel, but not in
> altboot.

Different drivers. :)
The altboot driver is extremely minimalistic.


> I would guess that either the chip doesn't think that the
> packet is for us (wrong MAC address loaded?)

The MAC address in use is printed into the console. And you should be
able to see it with tcpdump or Wireshark when the bootp-request is sent.


> or that we are not getting receive interrupts.

The altboot driver doesn't need interrupts. It polls the descriptor until
it is ready.


> The latter seems unlikely, but I notice
> that the kernel driver also sets up Source Address {Low|Middle|High}
> #2 and the multicast filters.  I will try adding those to altboot
> #tomorrow.

Yes, filters could be an option worth testing.


> Also, on finding somewhere to place altboot on the flash, my ppcboot
> reports:
> 
>   _MPC824X > flinfo
> [...]

Thanks. I will include that into the Synology Installation Guide.
I had already documented this method for QNAP, but I'm not sure if my
older 101g+ PPCBoot supported flinfo too. I will check that.

-- 
Frank Wille