USB to Ethernet adapter not working on USB 3 port but OK on USB 2 port

[Alan AZZERA]

Hello,

my new laptop is a Dell XPS 11, with no ethernet port. So I bought an USB to Ethernet adapter. It also has two more USB 3 ports. When connected on my laptop, I'm unable to acquire an IP through my DHCP, but a new network interface is automatically raised. I tried to set manually an IP, but I cannot ping any system which normally honors ping requests. The surprising point is that when I connect the same adapter on an old laptop (Dell E4300), running the same version of Ubuntu 14.04 (both systems are fully up-to-date), it perfectly works ! The only difference I can see is that my old laptop has only USB 2 ports...

Additionally, the USB hub works on both computers, and I connected the adapter to 2 desktop computers :
- one with an additional USB 3 card : it works ;
- one with embedded USB 3 port : same error as with the modern laptop.

So it really seems to be a problem related to the way USB 3 is handled by Ubuntu 14.04, but perhaps only with some specific chipsets. I cannot find what chipset is on the mainboard of my laptop (it is an Intel one, for sure, since the CPU is a Core i5-4210Y), but my desktop PC as an Intel Z97 chipset.

Here is what I read tailing kern.log when connecting the adapter. Note the errors near the end :
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.356635] usb 2-1: new high-speed USB device number 5 using xhci_hcd
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.385156] usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=05e3, idProduct=0610
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.385165] usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.385170] usb 2-1: Product: USB2.0 Hub
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.385174] usb 2-1: Manufacturer: GenesysLogic
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.386453] hub 2-1:1.0: USB hub found
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.387717] hub 2-1:1.0: 4 ports detected
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.508766] usb 3-1: new SuperSpeed USB device number 2 using xhci_hcd
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.528979] usb 3-1: New USB device found, idVendor=05e3, idProduct=0616
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.528993] usb 3-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.528999] usb 3-1: Product: USB3.0 Hub
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.529005] usb 3-1: Manufacturer: GenesysLogic
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.532085] hub 3-1:1.0: USB hub found
Apr 1 21:00:57 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.532498] hub 3-1:1.0: 4 ports detected
Apr 1 21:00:58 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.805848] usb 3-1.1: new SuperSpeed USB device number 3 using xhci_hcd
Apr 1 21:00:58 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.821076] usb 3-1.1: New USB device found, idVendor=0bda, idProduct=8153
Apr 1 21:00:58 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.821088] usb 3-1.1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=6
Apr 1 21:00:58 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.821094] usb 3-1.1: Product: USB 10/100/1000 LAN
Apr 1 21:00:58 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.821099] usb 3-1.1: Manufacturer: Realtek
Apr 1 21:00:58 XPS11 kernel: [ 1360.821104] usb 3-1.1: SerialNumber: 000001000000
Apr 1 21:01:03 XPS11 kernel: [ 1365.846558] usb 3-1.1: Disable of device-initiated U1 failed.
Apr 1 21:01:03 XPS11 kernel: [ 1365.850638] usb 3-1.1: Disable of device-initiated U2 failed.
Apr 1 21:01:03 XPS11 kernel: [ 1365.854180] usb 3-1.1: Set SEL for device-initiated U1 failed.
Apr 1 21:01:03 XPS11 kernel: [ 1365.857613] usb 3-1.1: Set SEL for device-initiated U2 failed.
Apr 1 21:01:03 XPS11 kernel: [ 1365.857682] usbcore: registered new interface driver cdc_ether
Apr 1 21:01:03 XPS11 kernel: [ 1365.865825] xhci_hcd 0000:00:14.0: URB transfer length is wrong, xHC issue? req. len = 0, act. len = 4294967288
Apr 1 21:01:03 XPS11 kernel: [ 1365.887328] usb 3-1.1: Set SEL for device-initiated U1 failed.
Apr 1 21:01:03 XPS11 kernel: [ 1365.890841] usb 3-1.1: Set SEL for device-initiated U2 failed.
Apr 1 21:01:03 XPS11 kernel: [ 1365.890862] r815x: probe of 3-1.1:2.0 failed with error -71
Apr 1 21:01:03 XPS11 kernel: [ 1365.890922] usbcore: registered new interface driver r815x

uname -ar output :
Linux XPS11 3.13.0-48-generic #80-Ubuntu SMP Thu Mar 12 11:16:15 UTC 2015 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

On my old laptop, here is the kern.log relevant parts :
Apr 1 21:24:13 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11988.964194] usb 2-4: new high-speed USB device number 8 using ehci-pci
Apr 1 21:24:13 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.107799] usb 2-4: New USB device found, idVendor=05e3, idProduct=0610
Apr 1 21:24:13 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.107805] usb 2-4: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
Apr 1 21:24:13 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.107808] usb 2-4: Product: USB2.0 Hub
Apr 1 21:24:13 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.107812] usb 2-4: Manufacturer: GenesysLogic
Apr 1 21:24:13 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.109222] hub 2-4:1.0: USB hub found
Apr 1 21:24:13 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.110586] hub 2-4:1.0: 4 ports detected
Apr 1 21:24:14 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.396649] usb 2-4.1: new high-speed USB device number 9 using ehci-pci
Apr 1 21:24:14 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.489395] usb 2-4.1: New USB device found, idVendor=0bda, idProduct=8153
Apr 1 21:24:14 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.489400] usb 2-4.1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=6
Apr 1 21:24:14 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.489404] usb 2-4.1: Product: USB 10/100/1000 LAN
Apr 1 21:24:14 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.489408] usb 2-4.1: Manufacturer: Realtek
Apr 1 21:24:14 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.489411] usb 2-4.1: SerialNumber: 000001000000
Apr 1 21:24:14 stilgar-e4300 kernel: [11989.490346] r815x 2-4.1:2.0 eth0: register 'r815x' at usb-0000:00:1d.7-4.1, RTL8153 ECM Device, 00:e0:4c:68:08:75

Thanks in advance for your attention. Best regards,

Al

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. It seems that your bug report is not filed about a specific source package though, rather it is just filed against Ubuntu in general. It is important that bug reports be filed about source packages so that people interested in the package can find the bugs about it. You can find some hints about determining what package your bug might be about at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage. You might also ask for help in the #ubuntu-bugs irc channel on Freenode.

To change the source package that this bug is filed about visit https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1439361/+editstatus and add the package name in the text box next to the word Package.

[This is an automated message. I apologize if it reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[Alan AZZERA (azzera-alan)]

The package linux-image-extra-3.13.0-48-generic may also be concerned, I'm sot sure...

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream kernel? Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest v4.0 kernel[0].

If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

If you are unable to test the mainline kernel, for example it will not boot, please add the tag: 'kernel-unable-to-test-upstream'.
Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as "Confirmed".

Thanks in advance.

[0] http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.0-rc7-vivid/

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This bug is missing log files that will aid in diagnosing the problem. From a terminal window please run:

apport-collect 1439361

and then change the status of the bug to 'Confirmed'.

If, due to the nature of the issue you have encountered, you are unable to run this command, please add a comment stating that fact and change the bug status to 'Confirmed'.

This change has been made by an automated script, maintained by the Ubuntu Kernel Team.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]