Best NIC for heavy loads (6-8TB backups)? (the ones that don't die from overheating).

[shahar]

I just followed the tutorial posted here.
Download the plist and add the device on the chameleon.boot
I tried link aggregation and it also worked.

After removing the DSDT injection I followed this tutorial:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/network/7...orking-z77-boards-hp-nc360t-3.html#post529098

(is this the one you were referring to?):


Any my NC360T is now looks like that (as en0 & en1):



But the same problem still exists.

after roughly 2-3 minutes of traffic, the network is acting up like it was described in the posts above.

Any ideas?

 

[shahar]

..the same problem still exists.

after roughly 2-3 minutes of traffic, the network is acting up like it was described in the posts above.

Any ideas?

Got a bit frustrated with this, so I took a different approach.
wrote a small application which pings a stable device on the network all the time and once it misses on more than two pings, it executes ifconfig <interface name> down && ifconfig <interface name> up.

Note: The application needs to be run in sudo - and it requires one terminal window open all the time right now. I plan on getting it to be a login item which will ask for credentials once upon login, but right now it works

sometime is the only way...

 

[sfinktah]

The smalltree seems surprisingly similar to the HP NC360T (which is also an intel one).

Any idea if one could just use the smalltree drivers with the HP NC360T?

HP NC360T
https://www.google.be/search?q=HP+N...rj4QTAmIGgAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1461&bih=875

Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port
https://www.google.be/search?q=Inte...GTywP5uYLQDA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1461&bih=875

Smalltree:
http://www.small-tree.com/Dual_Port_Copper_PCI_e_Gigabit_Ethernet_Server_p/peg2.htm

If you pull the top center HP stickers of an HP NC360T (which I just did), underneath you'll find an Intel logo (front), and on the back, etched into the PCB, PB D49919-002 and MP D49921-002. Both appear to be Intel part numbers for "INTEL PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Network Adapter."

The card will now look identical to the small-tree image, but I suspect that was never actually a picture of a real small-tree product. Most probably it was taken from Intel's own site, something similar to this:

Intel:

Smalltree:

Note that the small-tree claims to use the Intel® 82572EI chipset on their dual card, which is impossible, since the 82572EI is a single port controller. see: http://www.intel.com/design/network/products/lan/controllers/82572ei.htm

The closest matches might be the NC 360T's 82571EB, or the 82571GB from the Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port. There's a good argument for both (if they aren't interchangeable)

Small-tree's quad port: "Two Intel® 82571GB Gigabit Controllers"
Intel's PRO/1000 PT quad: "Two Intel® 82571GB Gigabit Controllers"

(Hmmm... copy and paste anyone?)

To confuse matters, ark.intel.com contradicts other intel references with regard to the Dual Port version of that card, the Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter.

It's either running a 82571GB (same as the Quad PT), or it's running a 82571EB (same as the HP).

For completeness, HP specifies the 82571EB for their dual port, and two of same 82571EB for their quad.

Helpfully, you can't actually read the markings on any of the chips, as they're under heat-sinks that will not re-attach without new thermal glue. But fortunately for you, the reader, I did it anyway, and as should have been expected, the HP N360T which claims a 82571EB, has a chip marked: JL82571GB

Anybody want to take bets on how many seconds it will last before overheat?

Here's a useful list of what Intel cards have what.

Intel® PRO/1000 PT Server Adapter	82572GI
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Quad Port Server Adapter	82571GB
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter	82571EB (ark)
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter	82571GB
Intel® PRO/1000 PF Server Adapter	82572GI
Intel® PRO/1000 PF Server Adapter	82572EI (ark.intel.com)
Intel® PRO/1000 PF Quad Port Server Adapter	82571EB
Intel® PRO/1000 PF Dual Port Server Adapter	82571GB
Intel® PRO/1000 MT Server Adapter	82545GM
Intel® PRO/1000 MT Dual Port Server Adapter	82546GB
Intel® PRO/1000 MF Server Adapter (LX)	
Intel® PRO/1000 MF Server Adapter	
Intel® PRO/1000 MF Dual Port Server Adapter	82546GB
Intel® PRO/1000 GT Quad Port Server Adapter	82546GB
Intel® Gigabit ET2 Quad Port Server Adapter	82576
Intel® Gigabit ET Quad Port Server Adapter	82576EB
Intel® Gigabit ET Dual Port Server Adapter	82576EB
Intel® Gigabit EF Dual Port Server Adapter	82576EB

... and it turns out that the card with the re-attached heatsink wouldn't even detect.

So I replaced it with an "identical" HP card, and Linux says:

03:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Intel Corporation 82571EB Gigabit Ethernet Controller [8086:105e] (rev 06)
03:00.1 Ethernet controller [0200]: Intel Corporation 82571EB Gigabit Ethernet Controller [8086:105e] (rev 06)
[code]

and dmesg says:
[code]
[    3.297379] e1000e: Intel(R) PRO/1000 Network Driver - 1.5.1-k
[    3.297382] e1000e: Copyright(c) 1999 - 2011 Intel Corporation.
[    3.467994] e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth0: Intel(R) PRO/1000 Network Connection
[    3.641985] e1000e 0000:03:00.1: eth1: Intel(R) PRO/1000 Network Connection

e1000e?

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/205771-appleintele1000ekext-for-108107106105/

indicates that it should be supported via that kext (although it is untested), it's the first PID in the list.


BTW, if anyone has a small-tree controller, boot it up and press ^S to enter it's menu, and it will have a MAC Address and PBA Number - mine says D51930-003, which you can google.