[kwlug-disc] intermittent NIC?

[unsolicited]

john at netdirect.ca wrote, On 11/19/2009 2:24 PM:
> kwlug-disc-bounces at kwlug.org wrote on 11/19/2009 01:17:14 PM:
> 
>> From: unsolicited <unsolicited at swiz.ca>
>> In another reply, it says to watch for setting changes when you move 
>> it to another connection. Huh? A nailed local nic's settings don't 
>> stay nailed?
> 
> When setting the MII options for a NIC and then changing it to another 
> switch or hub the settings may need to be changed. Say moving from a 
> 10/100 switch to a 10MBit, or from a 10/100 to GbE only.
> 
> I mentioned that because going outside the norm on something like this 
> usually means tripping over it in the future. A $10 NIC to some (and a 
> sticker on the internal Ethernet port) is preferred by some rather than 
> tripping over this in the future.

So mii-tools ( mii = Media Independent Interface, 
http://www.netadmintools.com/html/mii-tool.man.html) is tracking the 
mac address of the next hop per nic? And changing the next hop means 
re-setting the settings. (Or no connectivity.)

<sigh> I thought we'd moved beyond such by now. OTOH, I can see the 
need when such security is required. Or perhaps you set things to be a 
bit more permissive when connected to your own 'home' port, and more 
restrictive when not. Pro grammatically.


This would also happen should you set the switch port to which the nic 
connects to accommodate that nic. And moving that wire ...