[gentoo-user] two NICs -> kernel crash ?

[gentoo-user] two NICs -> kernel crash ?

[Helmut Jarausch]

Hi,

on my HP625 I run a bleeding edge Gentoo (kernel 3.3-rc6).

If the notebook is connected by an ethernet cable, the net comes up  
just fine.

If I disconnect it from ethernet and start net.wlan0, the WLAN comes up  
just fine.

BUT, if it's connect to ethernet, and net.eth0 has been started, the  
kernel crashes badly (i.e. no SysRq anymore) if I start net.wlan0 in  
addition.

Is this a configuration error by me or a kernel bug.
The WLAN card is a Broadcom BCM4313 with the BRCMSMAC driver.

Many thanks for your help,
Helmut.

[gentoo-user] Re: two NICs -> kernel crash ?

[walt]

On 03/06/2012 02:08 AM, Helmut Jarausch wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> on my HP625 I run a bleeding edge Gentoo (kernel 3.3-rc6).
> 
> If the notebook is connected by an ethernet cable, the net comes up
> just fine.
> 
> If I disconnect it from ethernet and start net.wlan0, the WLAN comes
> up just fine.
> 
> BUT, if it's connect to ethernet, and net.eth0 has been started, the
> kernel crashes badly (i.e. no SysRq anymore) if I start net.wlan0 in
> addition.
> 
> Is this a configuration error by me or a kernel bug. The WLAN card is
> a Broadcom BCM4313 with the BRCMSMAC driver.

Well, this is just my non-expert opinion, but I feel that any knob
that can be twiddled by a user should never crash the kernel, ever.
However, the kernel devs might agree with my wife about my opinions ;)

Do kernels from the stable branch also crash?

Re: [gentoo-user] two NICs -> kernel crash ?

[Mark Knecht]

On Tue, Mar 6, 2012 at 2:08 AM, Helmut Jarausch
<jarausch@igpm.rwth-aachen.de> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> on my HP625 I run a bleeding edge Gentoo (kernel 3.3-rc6).
>
> If the notebook is connected by an ethernet cable, the net comes up just
> fine.
>
> If I disconnect it from ethernet and start net.wlan0, the WLAN comes up just
> fine.
>
> BUT, if it's connect to ethernet, and net.eth0 has been started, the kernel
> crashes badly (i.e. no SysRq anymore) if I start net.wlan0 in addition.
>
> Is this a configuration error by me or a kernel bug.
> The WLAN card is a Broadcom BCM4313 with the BRCMSMAC driver.
>
> Many thanks for your help,
> Helmut.
>

1) Do you need such a leading edge kernel to support your hardware,
etc.? If not consider droping back to something more stable.

2) As you are Broadcom based there have been some networking
regressions reported on LKML about Broadcom NICs. Consider reporting
this on LKML. It's likely a configuration they haven't tested.

Good luck,
Mark