Gigabit networking problems :(

[watercooled]

Thanks I'll look into it.

[shaithis]

Nope, that's about the same as I paid. Intel cards aren't cheap

£20 for a top quality peice of hardware is peanuts in the great scheme of things.

There was a time when NICs cost £1000....*cue Dvorak's "New World Symphony"*

[probedb]

I got the same recommendations and the D-Link card I bought and that just plain wouldn't work on my network unfortunately

From looking at the Intel settings I think it may be to do with some Master/Slave settings which I've only been able to change on the Intel (or rather didn't have to).

[oolon]

I got the same recommendations and the D-Link card I bought and that just plain wouldn't work on my network unfortunately

From looking at the Intel settings I think it may be to do with some Master/Slave settings which I've only been able to change on the Intel (or rather didn't have to).

Well D-Link stuff is ok, however I have had devices fail a number of times, and would not be a first choice, a good second though. I have a D-Link managed switch (DGS-3200-10) and Cisco (3560G and 2960), the dlink has crashed and had to be power cycled, my cisco(s) never miss a heart beat.

Master/Slave? Do you mean auto crossover?

[probedb]

Master/Slave? Do you mean auto crossover?

Under the Advanced tab in their drivers there is a 'Gigabit Master Slave Mode' setting which is either auto, force slave or force master. Their help is as follows:

Determines whether the adapter or link partner is designated as the master. The other device is designated as the slave. Changing the setting may improve link quality with certain link partners.

CAUTION: Some multi-port devices may be forced to Master Mode. If the adapter is connected to such a device and is configured to "Force Master Mode", link is not established. Forcing the adapter to master or slave setting can break link if the link partner is not configured correctly.

[oolon]

Under the Advanced tab in their drivers there is a 'Gigabit Master Slave Mode' setting which is either auto, force slave or force master. Their help is as follows:

Yes that sound exactly like auto crossover mode and is useful when you can't get a link. Normally Nics are one way round and switchs/hubs are the other. If say you wanted to join a NIC directly to another NIC without a switch you could not do it with a normal cable, and insted you had to use a crossover. This was also a problem with the uplink from one switch to another, and you had to use a cable or use a special button on the switch. People came up with the idea of doing this detection automatically, initially on one port of the switch but now all of them do it and by the sounds of it some NICS can now do it.

The problem is if you have both ends of a connection switch backwards and forwards, it is possible for it to fail, so locking one end into a steady state is a good idea, doing this for speed and duplex is also a good idea. Generally I do this on the switch and leave the computer on automagic. Doing this allows you to detect problems better rather than the link being degraded to 10M, and people wondering why it is so painfully slow.

[probedb]

Cheers for the info And you think these things should just be plug and play