How do I get Solaris to recognize generic network cards with well-known chipsets?
There are many new ethernet cards available at major retailers for under $20 using well-supported chipsets. Unfortunately, the cards on the Solaris HCL have been out of production for quite some time — particularly the Intel cards. I was amazed how difficult it is to find hardware on the Solaris HCL. First, save yourself a lot of trouble and see if there’s a driver for your card somewhere. See if the card is listed on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for the latest Solaris Maintenance Update (MU). The HCL is at http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl/ I’ve had good luck with Intel NICs. Check for new and third-party drivers at http://www.Sun.COM/io_technologies/. Also check to see if there’s a patch supporting your card at http://sunsolve.Sun.COM/ A list of third-party drivers (mostly from hardware vendors) for Solaris x86 is at http://www.sun.com/io_technologies/ihv-drivers.html If you have a Linksys LNE100TX or other NIC card, it may be supported by one of Garrett D’Amore’s Ethernet dr
There are many new ethernet cards available at major retailers for under $20 using well-supported chipsets. Unfortunately, the cards on the Solaris HCL have been out of production for quite some time — particularly the Intel cards. I was amazed how difficult it is to find hardware on the Solaris HCL. First, save yourself a lot of trouble and see if there’s a driver for your card somewhere. See if the card is listed on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for the latest Solaris Maintenance Update (MU). The HCL is at http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl/ I’ve had good luck with Intel NICs. Check for new and third-party drivers at http://www.Sun.COM/io_technologies/. Also check to see if there’s a patch supporting your card at http://access1.Sun.COM/ A list of third-party drivers (mostly from hardware vendors) for Solaris x86 is at http://www.sun.com/io_technologies/ihv-drivers.html If you have a Linksys LNE100TX or other NIC card, it may be supported by one of Garrett D’Amore’s Ethernet dri
6.7) How do I get Solaris to recognize a network card that’s not on the HCL? There are many new ethernet cards available at major retailers for under $20 using well-supported chipsets. Unfortunately, the cards on the Solaris HCL have been out of production for quite some time — particularly the Intel cards. Even Solaris 8 does not recognize these newer cards. I was amazed how difficult it is to find hardware on the Solaris HCL, especially fast ethernet cards. For an example take the Intel EtherExpress Pro/100. This card, based on the i82559 chipset, has been out of production for years–yet it is the last card supported by Solaris 8 01/01. The current Intel InBusiness 10/100 card has the very same i82559 chipset in a much smaller BGA package, yet Solaris 8 01/01 still won’t recognize the card. First, save yourself a lot of trouble and see if there’s a driver for your card somewhere See if the card is listed on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for the latest Solaris Maintenance Up
