install lan drivers on Ubuntu - urgent

>>> modprobe module_name, dhclient eth0.

Is module_name the same name used in lsmod/rmmod?  

Will try that and post back shortly.

yes it is same name

Now I'd like to know what happened.  

I tried modprobe, but it had no output, and I still had no connectivity.  I went to Realtek's site and downloaded another driver package.  Intel's version was .006 where Realtek's was .009.  The new package compiled without a hitch, but still no connectivity after dhclient.  I examined dmesg, but there was nothing of interest...it says eth0 link comes up, with no IPv6 routers available, and assigns a 169.254.

I reboot, and it comes up with no problem.  ifdown/up and dhclient both acquire an address just fine.  Both mods are still listed for the device.  How can I tell which module is actually being used for the device?

try lsmod and search for module

I did.  Both show it is not being used.

mis@mis-desktop:/dev$ lsmod | grep r8
r8101                  39568  0 
r8169                  36612  0 
                                              

1:
2:
3:

This next snippet is from dmesg, after the reboot.  I'm guessing this means r8169 is the one:

[   35.838465] r8169: eth0: link up
[   35.838475] r8169: eth0: link up
                                              

1:
2:

so you can try rmmod one by one and see what happend (e.g. your connection was lost)

I'm scared to.  :)  Perhaps I should just leave well enough alone.  Are there any side-effects to have an unused module installed and assigned?

yes r8169 seems like is working for you. you can even try to add r8101 /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist and reboot. if your connection working you know which one was wrong.

If I add it to the blacklist, and my connection does not come back up, I should be able to remove it from the blacklist and go back the way it was, yes?

well side efects depends on situation. i think that will be better to determine which is problematic and than blacklist one.
They can share IRQ or something like that.

yes if your connection will be lost you will just remove module from blacklist and load it.

ARGH!!!

I tried blacklisting the 8101, and rebooted.  No connection.  I removed blacklist 8101, put in blacklist 8169, and rebooted.  No connection.  I removed the blacklist entry, and rebooted.  NO CONNECTION!

lsmod still shows neither module being used.  dmesg shows r8169 being used, and reports eth0 link up.  ifdown brings down the link, and ifup brings it up, but dhclient will not find the router.  The router is good...two other systems are using it with no problems (one reservation, one dynamic).  I had a suspicion about the cable, so I just made a brand new one, and still nothing...

Any ideas?

And now it's back up.  <sigh>  WTF?!?!  I rebooted, and it came up.  I rebooted again, and it came up again.  I have no idea what's going on....

try to disable wake on lan

I'm pretty sure now I'm affected by a bug.  Still unclear if it is a kernel bug or driver issue, but quite a bit of evidence is pointing towards the kernel.  Here's the start of the research:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/223656

There were other entries related to different Realtek chipsets, but most have the same common symptom: an inability to discover DHCP and the r8169 package's insistence on being present.  I'm still working towards finding a 100% solution.  If you can point me in the right direction, please do.  I'm afraid I'm a bit out of my league here...

well i think you can try upgrade kernel.
if you are on debian-like system execute apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade

other option is to rmmod and modprobe so many times until connection will be OK, or you can just wait for patch which will solve this.

I tried apt-get update and dist-upgrade, with no results.

I've found that I can consistently get the network to function properly by using 'modprobe r8169'.  It is the wrong driver, but rmmod and blacklisting will not remove it.  Doing either will simply make the connection not work, despite the fact that the r8169 continues to load (even if blacklisted).

The immediate issue is resolved, but there is still a recurring problem.  I've posted a comment under a related bug in launchpad:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/215450

It seems there are a number of issues with Realtek NICs in Ubuntu, so I guess I just have to wait and see what happens.

i think thats best what you can do

There is a fix out for it, based on bug #223656.  How do I implement it?  The fix is released as source diff...a single line of code in the kernel source needs to be moved.  You can see the diff here:

http://kernel.ubuntu.com/git?p=ubuntu/ubuntu-hardy.git;a=commitdiff;h=222947b1ea81041269639ddb2033f252a5e0ed25

How do I get this into a system?  This box is just one computer...I have to get this done for at least 4 more.