Realktek r8169 driver unrelaible with r8101/02

[Chris B]

Support for the realtek r8101 Ethernet interfac is handled by r8169 driver on Ubuntu Precise. However, the link is very unreliable and fails to connect most of the time. Speed negotiates down to 10Mbit/sec usually, half duplex, even when using the workaround 'sudo ethtool -s eth0 autoneg off'
There seems a problem with the link speed negotiation?
Won't connect at higher speeds at all.
It's not possible to use the r8101 driver previously available as this is supplied by Realtek only for 2.4/2.6 kernels. It won't compile under 3.2.x

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: linux-image-3.2.0-38-generic-pae 3.2.0-38.61
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-38.61-generic-pae 3.2.37
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-38-generic-pae i686
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24.
AplayDevices:
 **** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC662 rev1 Analog [ALC662 rev1 Analog]
   Subdevices: 1/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu17.1
Architecture: i386
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: oliver 2844 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC1: oliver 2844 F.... pulseaudio
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xfe938000 irq 44'
   Mixer name : 'Realtek ALC662 rev1'
   Components : 'HDA:10ec0662,10ec0662,00100101'
   Controls : 20
   Simple ctrls : 11
Card1.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:1 'U0xeb1a0x2776'/'USB Device 0xeb1a:0x2776 at usb-0000:00:1d.7-7, high speed'
   Mixer name : 'USB Mixer'
   Components : 'USBeb1a:2776'
   Controls : 2
   Simple ctrls : 1
Card1.Amixer.values:
 Simple mixer control 'Mic',0
   Capabilities: cvolume cvolume-joined cswitch cswitch-joined penum
   Capture channels: Mono
   Limits: Capture 0 - 63
   Mono: Capture 61 [97%] [61.00dB] [off]
Date: Sat Feb 23 16:27:14 2013
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=76935e71-c474-4de4-b9d4-9fb12d8b1d34
MachineType: czc czc
MarkForUpload: True
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-38-generic-pae root=UUID=309c2426-7a29-4c52-a7bc-b41ed2a25184 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.2.0-38-generic-pae N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.2.0-38-generic-pae N/A
 linux-firmware 1.79.1
RfKill:
 0: phy0: Wireless LAN
  Soft blocked: no
  Hard blocked: no
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-06-17 (251 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 05/18/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 080015
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: czc
dmi.board.vendor: czc
dmi.board.version: 1.0
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: czc
dmi.chassis.version: 1.0
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr080015:bd05/18/2009:svnczc:pnczc:pvr1.0:rvnczc:rnczc:rvr1.0:cvnczc:ct10:cvr1.0:
dmi.product.name: czc
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: czc

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[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 v3.8 kernel[0] (Not a kernel in the daily directory) and install both the linux-image and linux-image-extra .deb packages.

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/v3.8-raring/

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Panagiotis Papadakos (papadako-u)]

The r8169 is unreliable also in my system. I am using latest saucy distribution with 3.11.0-5 kernel.
The link is unstable, most of the times does not connect and also sometimes leads to hard lockups.
This is on a RTL8101E/RTL8102E.

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Ivan Frederiks (idfred)]

I found solution for this issue, at least for my case: one has to set correct MAC-address before bringing up the interface.

On my board RTL8102E works without EEPROM, so MAC value is unpredictable. In many cases this random value has multicast bit set to 1. This fact breaks driver and (or) TCP stack operation:
* r8169 reports that link is down
* r8101 reports that link is OK, but Linux TCP stack ignores packets with multicast destination MAC

Overall behavior of r8169 seems to be better than r8101's: second one sometimes stops to transceive packets (once per several hours of continuous TCP traffic, average load ~30Mbps down). In same conditions r8169 works without issues (or at least I think so? (c)).

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Chris B, this bug was reported a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue? If so, could you please test for this with the latest development release of Ubuntu? ISO images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ .

If it remains an issue, could you please just make a comment to this.

Also, could you please test the latest upstream kernel available (not the daily folder) following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds ? It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please comment on which kernel version specifically you tested. If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tags:
kernel-fixed-upstream
kernel-fixed-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

where VERSION-NUMBER is the version number of the kernel you tested. For example:
kernel-fixed-upstream-v3.13-rc2

This can be done by clicking on the yellow circle with a black pencil icon next to the word Tags located at the bottom of the bug description. As well, please remove the tag:
needs-upstream-testing

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the following tags:
kernel-bug-exists-upstream
kernel-bug-exists-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

As well, please remove the tag:
needs-upstream-testing

Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug's Status as Confirmed. Please let us know your results. Thank you for your understanding.

[Chris B (billington-chris)]

Unfortunately I will not have access to the machine in question until the
end of this month.

I suggest the bug be closed for now to conserve everybody's time. When I
re-test, I will open it again if necessary.

Chris

On 6 December 2013 01:46, Christopher M. Penalver <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Chris B, this bug was reported a while ago and there hasn't been any
> activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue? If
> so, could you please test for this with the latest development release
> of Ubuntu? ISO images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com
> /daily-live/current/ .
>
> If it remains an issue, could you please just make a comment to this.
>
> Also, could you please test the latest upstream kernel available (not the
> daily folder) following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds ? It
> will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Once you've
> tested the upstream kernel, please comment on which kernel version
> specifically you tested. If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel,
> please add the following tags:
> kernel-fixed-upstream
> kernel-fixed-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER
>
> where VERSION-NUMBER is the version number of the kernel you tested. For
> example:
> kernel-fixed-upstream-v3.13-rc2
>
> This can be done by clicking on the yellow circle with a black pencil icon
> next to the word Tags located at the bottom of the bug description. As
> well, please remove the tag:
> needs-upstream-testing
>
> If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the following
> tags:
> kernel-bug-exists-upstream
> kernel-bug-exists-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER
>
> As well, please remove the tag:
> needs-upstream-testing
>
> Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug's
> Status as Confirmed. Please let us know your results. Thank you for your
> understanding.
>
> ** Changed in: linux (Ubuntu)
> Status: Confirmed => Incomplete
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1132156
>
> Title:
> Realktek r8169 driver unrelaible with r8101/02
>
> Status in “linux” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Support for the realtek r8101 Ethernet interfac is handled by r8169
> driver on Ubuntu Precise. However, the link is very unreliable and fails to
> connect most of the time. Speed negotiates down to 10Mbit/sec usually, half
> duplex, even when using the workaround 'sudo ethtool -s eth0 autoneg off'
> There seems a problem with the link speed negotiation?
> Won't connect at higher speeds at all.
> It's not possible to use the r8101 driver previously available as this
> is supplied by Realtek only for 2.4/2.6 kernels. It won't compile under
> 3.2.x
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
> Package: linux-image-3.2.0-38-generic-pae 3.2.0-38.61
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-38.61-generic-pae 3.2.37
> Uname: Linux 3.2.0-38-generic-pae i686
> AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24.
> AplayDevices:
> **** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
> card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: A...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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