Killer E2201 imbedded NIC not functioning [Solved]

[Nonuna]

I built a computer with a Gigabyte GA-970-Gaming motherboard, and installed Linux Mint 17.3 Cinnamon 64 bit with the 4.0.2-25 kernel.

From the start, the Killer E2201 gave me problems, to install Mint I had to use a USB NIC.

Anyway, it connects to my network, and then the connection fails, and it tries to reconnect, which it does, but then it fails again, and gets stuck in that loop.

I was going to give you the output from inxi, unfortunately, what I got is unreadable, I'll get it later.

This is what I get from dmesg

Code: Select all

[  129.711976] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  129.714037] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  129.845996] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  129.848407] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  129.980026] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  129.982498] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  130.114057] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  130.116091] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  130.248041] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  130.250644] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  130.382066] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  130.384616] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  130.516139] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  130.518651] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  130.650169] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  130.652352] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  130.784193] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  130.786629] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  130.918219] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  130.920233] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  131.052246] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  131.054693] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  131.186274] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting
[  131.188732] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: NIC Up: 100 Mbps Full
[  131.320301] alx 0000:04:00.0 eth1: fatal interrupt 0x200, resetting

It just repeats that over and over.

One of the reasons I got that motherboard was because I was told that the newer kernels supported that NIC, I guess I was told wrong.

So, where do I go from here? If you need any other info, please let me know.

[Old Ruler]

Who suggested you need that kernel? It isn't particularly new technology, so "new" may well include the default Mint 17.3 (3.19 ).

Have a look in your BIOS settings for any wake ups enabled and try switching them off. Try with as little connected as you can, including trying without any internal cards you fitted. Could be something else is generating those interrupts. I'd even start disabling peripherals in the BIOS, but I'd revert to your old kernel in case that's confusing the issue, or your advisor is absolutely convinced you need it.

Is it a new board and parts?

[Nonuna]

The Motherboard is new, the processor is about 3 years old or so but was never used in anything.

I still have the original kernel installed, I can easily go back to it, and I have, but it doesn't make any difference.

[Nonuna]

Sorry it took so long to get this, but, {insert your favorite excuse here}

Here is inxi with the Killer 2201 enabled

Code: Select all

 
System:    Host:  Kernel: 4.2.0-25-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 4.8.2)
           Desktop: Cinnamon 2.8.6 (Gtk 3.10.8~8+qiana) Distro: Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa
Machine:   System: Gigabyte product: N/A
           Mobo: Gigabyte model: 970-GAMING v: x.x Bios: American Megatrends v: F1 date: 11/03/2015
CPU:       Hexa core AMD Phenom II X6 1045T (-MCP-) cache: 3072 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4a svm) bmips: 32552
           clock speeds: max: 2700 MHz 1: 2000 MHz 2: 800 MHz 3: 800 MHz 4: 1400 MHz 5: 800 MHz 6: 2000 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Bonaire XTX [Radeon R7 260X] bus-ID: 01:00.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.17.1 drivers: ati,fglrx (unloaded: fbdev,vesa,radeon)
           Resolution: 1920x1080@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: AMD Radeon R7 200 Series GLX Version: 4.4.13374 - CPC 15.20.1013 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card-1 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Device aac0 driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 01:00.1
           Card-2 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] SBx00 Azalia (Intel HDA) driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:14.2
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.2.0-25-generic
Network:   Card-1: Techsan B2C2 FlexCopII DVB chip / Technisat SkyStar2 DVB card
           driver: b2c2_flexcop_pci port: d000 bus-ID: 03:07.0
           IF: N/A state: N/A speed: N/A duplex: N/A mac: N/A
           Card-2: Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2200 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
           driver: alx port: c000 bus-ID: 04:00.0
           IF: eth1 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 2000.4GB (0.9% used) ID-1: /dev/sda model: Hitachi_HUA72302 size: 2000.4GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 1.8T used: 8.5G (1%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 8.56GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 22.9C mobo: N/A
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 197 Uptime: 1 min Memory: 479.8/8019.9MB Init: Upstart runlevel: 2 Gcc sys: 4.8.4
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.111) inxi: 2.2.28 

And, for what it's worth, this is dmesg with the Killer 2201 disabled:

dmesg1.odt

[SOCRATE_MMXII]

Check http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2008332&page=7 and http://askubuntu.com/questions/333938/h ... ing#335405

[Nonuna]

I got the NIC working, by disabling IOMMU. I found that out by disabling just about everything and enabling one thing at a time.

However, now none of the USB 2.0/1.1 ports on the motherboard function. The 3.0 and 3.1 ports work, but I don't have any USB 3.0 or 3.1 devices to give them a "full" test.

If it isn't one thing, it's another.

[Old Ruler]

It's not looking good. There's a line in your dmesg which says:

Code: Select all

[    1.262455] AMD-Vi: Event logged [IO_PAGE_FAULT device=05:00.0 domain=0x000c address=0x00000000bdee5880 flags=0x0010]

A quick search for that led to this page: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=889749

Which suggests it can't be fixed. You may find a patch will work if you follow the links provided by Catholic, but I'm wondering if you bought it recent enough to get an exchange. Doesn't work with your OS is a good enough reason and "CANTFIX" from kernel developers is pretty final.

Though it may be worth trying the "iommu=soft" option spoken of here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php? ... st12851568

Which was mentioned here: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 87#p792634

[Nonuna]

It'd odd, the NIC is working just fine right now, it's the USB 2.0/1.1 ports that are working intermittently.

[Nonuna]

Disabling the IOMMU option in the BIOS and using the "iommu=soft" option in grub worked, everything seems to be working well.

Edit: One thing I should mention, IOMMU was disabled by default in the BIOS, I enabled it because I was told that it needed to be on.

[mikkelbreiler]

Recently I bought a ASRock Z97 OC Formula which did not show anything using a Mint 17.3 installation on 120GB M.2 which I used on my last board ASUS Z97-A, which had intermittent issues with freezing but mostly rebooting, so I knew the instalaltion was good and used the same chipset to talk to devices on the board - I thus did not expect to have that kind of issue.

Little I could do as I did not have a handy USB NIC or one that fit in a PCI-E socket. So eventually I reinstalled Mint 18.1 but to my surprise the networking did not improve, and I started thinking that E2200 is not supported even though it is old. Google taught me it should work - even in Mint 17.3. And I came upon very few threads on the card - which includes this one - and no usable threads with ASRocks Z97 OC Formula board.

Then I went hunting in the BIOS. And to my astonishment the Killer E2200 on the ASRock OC Formula was disabled. Just enabling it made Mint see it and I could do update and upgrade.
The reason why I was astonished is that the board is factory new, at least I have bought it as such on the german Amazon which is the only place I could find it still for sale - it is not a recent board. But disabled was the setting it came in. Could be that someone loaded one of the overcocl settings, so I should keep an eye on the system beforeI let it run 24/7, I use this rig for SETI at Home on BOINC, when I am not at home watchign a movie or something.

So if you run into issues with networking and dectection is off or flaky, do try loading BIOS defaults to see if the onbard devices are detected properly and working before you suspect anything else. The box I received was complete and the cables and bac I/O plate were in originally unbroken plastic bags. But you never know if it was refurbished by the seller or simply used by seller to show off, demo or something else unharmful and difficult to see.