Strange problem: if_xe only works in GENERIC kernel

[John Baldwin]

On Thursday 18 March 2010 3:27:58 pm Joerg Wunsch wrote:
> I'm running into a strange problem with 8-current (or 8.0-RELEASE) on
> an elderly Thinkpad 600E.
> 
> As long as I'm using the GENERIC kernel, an Intel Etherexpress PC card
> works as expected:
> 
> interrupt storm detected on "irq11:"; throttling interrupt source
> xe0: <Intel EtherExpress(TM) PRO/100 PC Card Mobile Adapter16> at port 
0x100-0x10f iomem 0x20000000-0x20000fff irq 11 function 0 config 1 on pccard1
> xe0: version 0x45/0x04, 100Mbps capable
> xe0: Ethernet address: 00:a0:c9:bc:b5:ef
> xe0: [ITHREAD]
> 
> However, as soon as I start removing unneeded stuff from the kernel
> config file, the driver completely jams.  It just sits there, the
> machine blocks, until I eventually pop out the card, when I get the
> following messages:
> 
> cbb1: ready never happened, status = 00
> xe0: <Intel EtherExpress(TM) PRO/100 PC Card Mobile Adapter16> at port 
0x100-0x10f iomem 0x20000000-0x20000fff irq 11 function 0 config 1 on pccard1
> xe0: version 0xff/0x07, 100Mbps capable
> xe0: Ethernet address: 00:a0:c9:bc:b5:ef
> xe0: [ITHREAD]
> xe0: detached
> cbb1: Bad Vcc requested
> 
> As the CPU is a little slow, recompiling kernels takes an eternity on
> it (even with NO_KERNELCLEAN), so I could not isolate it to a single
> line in the config file so far.

Sounds like the process of removing things prevented the interrupt storm from 
being throttled somehow, and that ejecting the card caused the interrupt storm 
to finally stop at which point the card was probed.  I would talk to Warner 
(imp@) about trying to fix the interrupt storm.  Also, if you could narrow 
down which particular item that you trim "breaks" it, that would be helpful.

-- 
John Baldwin