Re: cheap NICs

[Jonathan Q <jq@example.com>]

Hector Akamine (akamine@example.com) wrote:

> How good is the support for "cheap" network cards in linux? We plan to
> buy a new PC, and initially thought to use a 3COM card, but with cards
> with less than one-third of the price (Corega, Netgear, Planex, I/O Data)

Corega uses the via-rhine chipset in their 10/100 PCI cards.  While
I seem to recall a penguin sticker on the box, that comes
with a few caveats.  Pay attention to the distro info.  It didn't
work out of the box with RH 7.0, so I had to chase down a module for
it.  It was suported by RH 7.1 starting with the betas, so if you're
running 7.1 it will be fine.  I've got two of them, and they
both run 100 megabit full duplex under Linux.  They used to be connected
to a 10baseT hub, and when I replaced that with a 10/100 auto-sense
switch (see below), I was quite pleased when those two links  both came
as 100 megabit full duplex with no intervention on my part.

I've got them plugged into a Corega Fast SW III-8P, which is a 10/100 switch.
I think they are under 5,000 yen these days and they work great.

I've never used any cards from IO Data.  Netgear stuff is decent, but I
haven't used it under Linux so can't comment on support there. 

Steer clear of Planex, unless someone can tell you that it doesn't
stink anymore.  Back in the dark ages of corporate poverty, we had
bought a bunch of Planex hubs.  The failure rate was so high that it
led to them all being pulled and banned from the network, except
maybe for use just at your desk, where you had ready access to it
when (not if) it went stiff.

Jonathan