Initial Linux configuration issues

Linux up and running and stable, various configuration issues to tidy up: -

CDROM - failure

Any attempts to use cdrom results in - /dev/cdrom 'device not found'.

/dev/cdrom, from installation, was a link to /dev/hdb. This was obviously wrong. A bit of searching around resulted in an edit to lilo.conf being required. Append the following to the append field: -

hdb=ide-scsi

Then change the link to the scsi device

ln -s /dev/sr0 /dev/cdrom

Obviously, a reboot is required for the change in lilo.conf to take affect.

Network Link

Any attempts to use point-to-point ethernet resulted in very poor throughput. I was trying to transfer files from my old laptop to my new one use a direct link.

I had the required cross-over cable, I tried the onboard and the PCMCIA interfaces, I tried mii-tool to force the speed (to 10 or 100 MB/sec), and duplex (to half or full). However, whatever combination I tried, the results were the same, an initial high throughput which quickly deteriated to very low throughput. The throughput was only low and not nil because occasionally a transmission would timeout and the retry would succeed.

Workaround, i.e. I have not fixed this and no longer require it so it will remain unresolved, was to use it in it's normal day-to-day environment. I.e. forget point-to-point. Thus, using a normal cable and connecting to 10/100, HD/FD, auto-negotiating switches.

Both interfaces, onboard and PCMCIA, then auto negotiated to using full duplex at 100MB/sec.