Troubleshooting: Broadcom NetXtreme II™ Network Adapter User Guide
Checking if Current Drivers are Loaded
Removing the Broadcom NetXtreme II Device Drivers
Upgrading from Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2003
Microsoft Remote Installation Service
Linux Red Hat 3.0 AS x86_64 and BMAPI
Broadcom Advanced Server Program (BASP)
Hardware Diagnostics
Loopback diagnostic tests are available for testing the adapter hardware. These tests provide access to the adapter internal/external diagnostics, where packet information is transmitted across the physical link (for instructions and information on running tests in an MS-DOS environment, see User Diagnostics; for Windows environments, see Diagnostics).
Checking Port LEDs
See Network Link and Activity Indication to check the state of the network link and activity.
Troubleshooting Checklist
Caution! Before you open the cabinet of your server to add or remove the adapter, review Safety Precautions.
The following checklist provides recommended actions to take to resolve problems installing the Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter or running it in your system.
- Inspect all cables and connections. Verify that the cable connections at the network adapter and the switch are attached properly. Verify that the cable length and rating comply with the requirements listed in Connecting the Network Cables.
- Check the adapter installation by reviewing Installing the Adapter. Verify that the adapter is properly seated in the slot. Check for specific hardware problems, such as obvious damage to board components or the PCI edge connector.
- Check the configuration settings and change them if they are in conflict with another device.
- Verify that your server is using the latest BIOS.
- Try inserting the adapter in another slot. If the new position works, the original slot in your system may be defective.
- Replace the failed adapter with one that is known to work properly. If the second adapter works in the slot where the first one failed, the original adapter is probably defective.
- Install the adapter in another functioning system and run the tests again. If the adapter passed the tests in the new system, the original system may be defective.
- Remove all other adapters from the system and run the tests again. If the adapter passes the tests, the other adapters may be causing contention.
Checking if Current Drivers are Loaded
Windows
See Vital Sign to view vital information about the adapter, link status, and network connectivity.
NetWare
To verify that the driver is loaded properly, type
LOAD BX2.LAN FRAME_ETHERNET_II NAME=BX2_1_EIIThis command automatically verifies if the link is active. If the link is active, the command returns Link is up.
From the command line, type
config
then press ENTER. The following status information is displayed:Broadcom NetXtreme II Gigabit Ethernet Adapter Version:
Hardware Setting:
Node Address:
Frame Type:
Board Name:
LAN Protocol: ARP (see note)
LAN Protocol: IP Addr: (see note)
NOTE: The LAN protocol status is displayed after an IP address is assigned to the adapter.
Linux
To verify that the bnx2.o driver is loaded properly, run:
lsmodIf the driver is loaded, a line similar to the one below is displayed, where size is the size of the driver in bytes, and n is the number of adapters configured.
Running a Cable Length Test
For Windows operating systems, see Cable Analysis for information on running a cable length test.
Testing Network Connectivity
NOTE: When using forced link speeds, verify that both the adapter and the switch are forced to the same speed, or that at least one link partner is configured for auto-negotiation.
Windows
Use the ping command to determine if the network connection is working.
NOTE: Network connectivity can also be tested using the Network Test feature in Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2.
The ping statistics that are displayed indicate whether the network connection is working or not.
NetWare
Ping an IP host on the network to verify connection has been established.
From the command line, type
ping IP address
, and then press ENTER.The ping statistics that are displayed indicate whether or not the network connection is working.
Linux
To verify that the Ethernet interface is up and running, run ifconfig to check the status of the Ethernet interface. It is possible to use netstat -i to check the statistics on the Ethernet interface. See Linux Driver Software for information on ifconfig and netstat.
Ping an IP host on the network to verify connection has been established.
From the command line, type
ping IP address
, and then press ENTER.The ping statistics that are displayed indicate whether or not the network connection is working.
Removing the Broadcom NetXtreme II Device Drivers
Uninstall the Broadcom NetXtreme II device drivers from your system only through the InstallShield wizard. Uninstalling the device drivers with Device Manager or any other means may not provide a clean uninstall and may cause the system to become unstable. For information on uninstalling Broadcom NetXtreme II device drivers, see Removing the Device Drivers.
Upgrading from Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2003
Prior to performing an OS upgrade from Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2003 when a Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter is installed in your system, Broadcom recommends that you uninstall the adapter's driver. This is to ensure that no errors are encountered in the installation of the Windows Server 2003 drivers for the NetXtreme II adapters. The device drivers for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 are not the same and require the installation of the Windows 2003 drivers to be performed after the OS upgrade is completed.
Microsoft Remote Installation Service
Currently, Microsoft's Remote Installation Service (RIS) does not support Broadcom's NetXtreme II software architecture, which uses a virtual bus driver for network connectivity, due to limitations in the operating system. Steps are being taken to provide this functionality at a later time.
Linux Red Hat 3.0 AS x86_64 and BMAPI
Problem: Broadcom Management Application Programming Interface (BMAPI) is not compatible with the Red Hat 3.0 AS x86_64 distribution.
Solution: There is no solution to this compatibility issue at this time. Try using a different 64-bit Linux distribution.
Broadcom Boot Agent
Problem: Unable to obtain network settings through DHCP using PXE.
Solution: For proper operation make sure that the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is disabled or that portfast mode (for Cisco) is enabled on the port to which the PXE client is connected. For instance, set spantree portfast 4/12 enable.
Broadcom Advanced Server Program (BASP)
Problem: The 802.3ad team member links disconnect and reconnect continuously (applies to all operating systems).
Solution: This is a third-party issue. It is seen only when configuring an 802.3ad team with greater than two members on the server and connecting an HP2524 switch, with LACP enabled as passive or active. The HP switch shows an LACP channel being brought up successfully with only two team members. All other team member links disconnect and reconnect. This does not occur with a Cisco Catalyst 6500.
Problem: A Generic Trunking (GEC/FEC) 802.3ad-Draft Static type of team may lose some network connectivity if the driver to a team member is disabled.
Solution: If a team member supports underlying management software (ASF/IPMI/UMP) or Wake-On-LAN, the link may be maintained on the switch for the adapter despite its driver being disabled. This may result in the switch continuing to pass traffic to the attached port rather than route the traffic to an active team member port. Disconnecting the disabled adapter from the switch will allow traffic to resume to the other active team members.
Miscellaneous
Table 1. Miscellaneous Problems/Solutions Problem Solution The Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter may not perform at optimal level on some systems if it is added after the system has booted. The system BIOS in some systems does not set the cache line size and the latency timer if the adapter is added after the system has booted. Reboot the system after the adapter has been added. Large Send Offload (LSO) and Checksum Offload are not working on my team. If one of the adapters on a team does not support LSO, LSO does not function for the team. Remove the adapter that does not support LSO from the team, or replace it with one that does. The same applies to Checksum Offload. Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) is not functioning properly. IPMI works only when LiveLink™ is disabled. See Configuring LiveLink for a Smart Load Balancing and Failover Team.