Can't get Gigabit connection on ECS A780GM-A Mobo

[salvador]

hey guys

 

I have an ECS A780GM-A mobo that has a Realtek RTL 8111C Gigabit Fast Ethernet NIC. I recently upgraded my switch to gigabit and but my unraid server (plus 4.5.4 version) is still using a 100mbit connection. How can I configure unraid to use gigabit?

 

I ran the ethtool eth0 command and here is what I got:

 

root@server:~# ethtool eth0

Settings for eth0:

       Supported ports: [ TP ]

       Supported link modes:   10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full

                               100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full

                               1000baseT/Full

       Supports auto-negotiation: Yes

       Advertised link modes:  10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full

                               100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full

                               1000baseT/Full

       Advertised auto-negotiation: Yes

      Speed: 100Mb/s

       Duplex: Full

       Port: Twisted Pair

       PHYAD: 0

       Transceiver: internal

       Auto-negotiation: on

       Supports Wake-on: g

       Wake-on: d

       Current message level: 0x0000003f (63)

       Link detected: yes

 

[bcbgboy13]

Cat 5e cable?

[salvador]

Yeah I am using cat 5e that is pretty short, about 1 foot in length.

 

So you think it is because i am not using cat 6 cable? My other pcs are getting gigabit connections with much longer cat 5e runs. One of them is 50 feet....

[Rajahal]

No, cat5e should be fast enough.  Just remember that every connection must be cat5e or better.  Did you make these cables yourself?  They have to be wired correctly using the LAN standard (Joe L. knows more about this).

 

What switch are you using?

 

When I google searched your motherboard it reported using the ATHROS L1 NIC, which is supported by unRAID.  In your description you mention a Realtek NIC.  Did you install a different NIC?  If so, then you probably just need to disable the slow NIC in the BIOS.

[salvador]

I am using the onboard NIC.

 

The switch I am using the the asus GX-D1081:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_355&item_id=030491

 

I went to the ECS website to see what kind of LAN chipset I have and I saw realtek LAN chip:

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?DetailID=944&CategoryID=1&MenuID=20&LanID=0

 

BUT since you mentioned you saw Atheros, I opened up my server to look at exactly which lan chip I have. And indeed it was an atheros! So ok it is an atheros.

 

I also ran the ethool command just to make sure and it looks like an atheros driver is being used;

 

root@server:~# ethtool -i eth0

driver: atl1

version: 2.1.3

firmware-version: N/A

bus-info: 0000:02:00.0

root@server:~#

 

 

So what do i do now?

 

Thanks for all your help

[Rajahal]

Huh.  Well then all I can think of is that your cables are bad.  Do you have others you can try?

[salvador]

Ok so I put in a PCI-X Gigabit Intel just to see what would happen and lo and behold I got a gigabit connection!

http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=447982

 

So that pretty much eliminates the network cables I am using as the issue here.

 

Looks like maybe there needs to be a driver update for the atheros chipset my mobo is using?

[bcbgboy13]

Yeah I am using cat 5e that is pretty short, about 1 foot in length.

 

Sometimes a very short cable may cause problems - try with a longer cable (>1m) if you want to use your onboard NIC.