i210AT network link does not go up on automated installations

[Floris]

Configuration:

- Supermicro X10SLN+-LN4F mainboard which has 4 LAN ports with Intel i210AT chipsets.
- Network cable connected to first port (em1)
- PXE network installation with kickstart file.

Problem:

- DHCP times out, and gives error message: "Network autoconfiguration failed"
- Pressing "Retry" does not work, no matter how many times you press it.
- Looking at dmesg it shows the network link is not up.
- However if one selects "go back" that restarts the installation procedure and then tries again, the network link does go up, and installation proceeds without problems.

Attached /var/log/syslog which I copied to USB stick.

If I just boot PXE boot from the network manually and go through the installation steps one by one, instead of an automated kickstart installation it does work properly.
I suspect that on automated installations there may be insufficient time between loading the network modules and the interface being activated, or something like that.
When one selects "go back" it seems netcfg shuts down all interfaces, and brings them up again, and it does work then.

Automated kickstart installations do work properly on servers with different hardware. So there is nothing wrong with the kickstart file itself.

[Floris (bos)]

- Tested with Ubuntu 14.04 (64-bit).
- Debian Wheezy has the same problem with preseeded installations (but again not with manual ones)