NASLite Network Attached Storage

All right, I have scoured these forums for days and to no avail, so now I must post a question. I am unable to get my NAS server running due to a network error which I can't overcome. I get this error on boot up everytime:

"ifconfig :eth0: error fetching interface information: Device not found"

That message appears twice and then allows me to login to the admin page. I have attempted this with all three (3) G versions of the floppy boot options, and the NAS lite CD. I have attempted using three network cards. The first is a Netgear GA311 Rev A1. This uses the Realtek 8169 chip. The second is a US Robotics USR7902 which also uses the Realtek 8169 chipset. The third was a generic card which I didn't put much faith into in the first place. However, it is apparent from the posts, that people have used the first two cards succesfully. I have attempted to put each card into one of the five pci slots on the motherboard with the same results. So I have some questions, could it be my BIOS? My bios is a phoenix bios loader 4.0. Should I be enabling Plug and Play on the bios? Should I be reserving any IRQ address? Could it be the network cards? They each use the Realtek 8169S - 32 chipsets. Has anyone else had any problems with these like this. Please Help!?!?!?!

Does this computer have a built in ethernet interface? If so, it could cause NASLite to think the built in ethernet is what it should use. You should be able to disable the built in ethernet in the BIOS.

You could also try the non-G versions of the floppy and see if you still get the same message. If the message goes away, that would be another indication that you may have another ethernet interface that is confusing NASLite.

Do you get link/activity lights on the ethernet card? If this is an older PC it may not have pci slots that support 3.3 volt ethernet cards like the ones you are using. If this is the case you won't get any link or activity lights on the ethernet cards.

No this computer does not have a built in eternet interface. I have tried all three non-G setup disks with the same result. When the server boots up, I do get a connection (green) light on the back of the ethernet card. There are three possible lights 1000/100/10. The 100 led lights up when connected. Thanks for the tip though, I will increase my search for more info on the motherboard.

If you are getting lights on the card it means your pci slot is providing the power the card needs. The card is also determining that you have a 100Mbit ethernet network.

You may have an IRQ conflict. Try reserving an IRQ for the slot your ethernet card is plugged into. What can happen is the BIOS can assign the same IRQ to 2 different devices and this can cause conflicts. Also try removing any other cards you don't need, like sound cards or modems. You should just have the ethernet card and a video card if video isn't built into the motherboard.

Disable everything you can in the BIOS, stuff like on board sound, modem, printer ports, serial ports, etc. This will help free up resources.

As far as plug and play in the BIOS, try it each way and see what happens

You might also see if there are any wait state or speed settings for pci in the BIOS.

Are you able to get the ethernet cards to work in another machine? It could be you have bad cards.

If you're planning on using the NASLite pc as a network drive for Windows you only need to use the SMB or SMB-G versions of the floppies. The 3 G versions should all use the same ethernet driver so there's no need to try each version.

What motherboard brand/model/version do you have?

Thanks for all of your help. I tried everything you mentioned in your post with the bios. I tried reserving every IRQ for every single Floppy boot disk. Nothing worked. Then I changed the Plug and Play bios, and did it again. Nothing worked. Everything else is disabled. Nothing worked. Very Frustrating. The cards themselves work in other computers but not in this one. Just for everyones information, I am working with a Dell XPS T500. Don't know the bios version. In any case, I went to Frys, picked up a $7 dollar network card, and everything works fine. Excrutiatingly painful process only to have it solved by a $7 piece of equipment. Live and Learn I guess. In case anyone is wondering, the card I got that works is a US Robotics 10/100 Mbps Network Card Model 7900. Although its not the Gigabit card I wanted, it works and for the love of God I hope this helps someone else. Thanks again smeyer! Cheers!!