Intel PRO/1000 network driver e1000e doesn't always regain connection

[Frans]

On our Dell E6440 laptops we found that the Wired network connection is sometimes not re-established when going from Wifi back to Ethernet, e.g. when booting without LAN and then putting the laptop back in its dock.

The following upstream patch resolved this problem for us in Kubuntu 14.04 LTS kernels 3.13.0-34-generic and 3.13.0-40-generic:

https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/patch/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000e?id=b20a774495671f037e7160ea2ce8789af6b61533

Please incorporate this patch in the Kubuntu kernel so that the /lib/modules/3.13.0-XX-generic/kernel/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000e/e1000e.ko module doesn't have to rebuilt manually every time we follow a kernel update. Thanks.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: linux-image-3.13.0-40-generic 3.13.0-40.69 [modified: lib/modules/3.13.0-40-generic/kernel/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000e/e1000e.ko]
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-40.69-generic 3.13.11.10
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-40-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.6
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC1: homa 2299 F.... pulseaudio
                      homa 2573 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC0: homa 2299 F.... pulseaudio
                      homa 2573 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: KDE
Date: Mon Dec 8 16:22:48 2014
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=df0741f0-a429-48cf-9eaf-0b9a31bb32ea
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-12-05 (3 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140416.1)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Latitude E6440
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-40-generic root=UUID=63b4f79f-bbff-4166-9be1-3adf4ea9708b ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.13.0-40-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.13.0-40-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.127.10
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 02/18/2014
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A05
dmi.board.name: 0YX2X3
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 9
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA05:bd02/18/2014:svnDellInc.:pnLatitudeE6440:pvr01:rvnDellInc.:rn0YX2X3:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct9:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Latitude E6440
dmi.product.version: 01
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

I built a trusty test kernel with a commit of upstream commit:
commit b20a774495671f037e7160ea2ce8789af6b61533
Author: David Ertman <email address hidden>
Date: Tue Mar 25 04:27:55 2014 +0000

    e1000e: Fix no connectivity when driver loaded with cable out

Can you test this kernel and see if it resolves this bug? It can be downloaded from:
http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~jsalisbury/lp1400365/

You will have to install both the linux-image and linux-image-extra .deb packages.

[Frans (frans-de-vries)]

Thanks for picking this up so promptly. I aim to test it this week.

[Frans (frans-de-vries)]

I had a laptop still on the vanilla 3.13.0-40-generic kernel which exhibited the problem: no wired connection (despite many retries) after plugging in the cable after a boot.

With the linux-image and linux-image-extra packages above installed, the wired connection was established right away in the same test. Thanks!

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This bug is awaiting verification that the kernel in -proposed solves the problem. Please test the kernel and update this bug with the results. If the problem is solved, change the tag 'verification-needed-trusty' to 'verification-done-trusty'.

If verification is not done by 5 working days from today, this fix will be dropped from the source code, and this bug will be closed.

See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you!

[Frans (frans-de-vries)]

I'm still new to this Kubuntu bug fixing process and the preceding comment doesn't say whether this is directed at the reporter (me), but I went ahead and installed the 3.13.0-45 kernel packages from trusty-proposed yesterday.
Tested on home and office LAN: booted with just Wifi, docked the laptop, and it acquired the wired connection without a hitch.
Encountered no other issues either.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package linux - 3.13.0-45.74

---------------
linux (3.13.0-45.74) trusty; urgency=low

  [ Seth Forshee ]

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    - LP: #1410384

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    - LP: #1408779
  * KVM: PPC: BOOK3S: HV: CMA: Reserve cma region only in hypervisor mode
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