I need to get a second ethernet card for my HP Proliant CentOS server, to attach a LinkSys WRT54GL router to.
I see that there are many Realtek RTL8169S gigabit cards going for a song on eBay. Is anyone using one of these under CentOS? Do they work OK? (I used to have a couple of Realtek cards - not gigabit - and they worked fine.)
Or does anyone have a strong recommendation for other cards? Any advice or suggestions gratefully received.
On 26/02/11 15:38, Timothy Murphy wrote:
I need to get a second ethernet card for my HP Proliant CentOS server, to attach a LinkSys WRT54GL router to.
I see that there are many Realtek RTL8169S gigabit cards going for a song on eBay. Is anyone using one of these under CentOS? Do they work OK? (I used to have a couple of Realtek cards - not gigabit - and they worked fine.)
Or does anyone have a strong recommendation for other cards? Any advice or suggestions gratefully received.
I really recommend you something else than these "Realcrap" cards. They might work fine in many settings, but you never really know. If you google around, you'll find plenty of stories where these cards are really unpredictable, and my own experiences are also not good.
You can probably find pretty decent Intel EtherExpress PRO/100 cards, which really has an incomparable quality. As you're talking about the WRT54GL, you don't need to think about 1Gbit cards. Which makes the PRO/100 cards optimal.
Just my 2 cents.
kind regards,
David Sommerseth
David Sommerseth wrote:
You can probably find pretty decent Intel EtherExpress PRO/100 cards, which really has an incomparable quality. As you're talking about the WRT54GL, you don't need to think about 1Gbit cards. Which makes the PRO/100 cards optimal.
Thanks very much. I wasn't sure if there was any point in going for a gigabit card.
I've been very impressed with the Intel ethernet adaptors in my laptops, though I was a bit surprised I had to hunt around for both Windows and Fedora drivers for my current Thinkpad T60, with an Intel 82573L Gigabit Ethernet Controller, although once I found them it has worked perfectly.
I see that there are many Realtek RTL8169S gigabit cards going for a song on eBay.
I've always liked and used Realtek cards, and I use the RTL8169S in my servers. However, the RTL8169S has one problem: overheating. If you buy any, make sure they include a heatsink. Those without a heatsink are prone to locking up if the temperatures inside your case get too high.
compdoc wrote:
I've always liked and used Realtek cards, and I use the RTL8169S in my servers. However, the RTL8169S has one problem: overheating. If you buy any, make sure they include a heatsink. Those without a heatsink are prone to locking up if the temperatures inside your case get too high.
Thanks. I'm going to use it in Italy, so I guess heat is a problem ...
Thanks. I'm going to use it in Italy, so I guess heat is a problem ...
I also use the Intel nics (usually the PCI-e version) and they are a lot more expensive, but they are an excellent card.
By the way, some of those cards on ebay show a heatsink, but don't rely on the picture - make sure you ask the seller if it is included.
On Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 10:28 AM, compdoc compdoc@hotrodpc.com wrote:
I see that there are many Realtek RTL8169S gigabit cards going for a song on eBay.
I've always liked and used Realtek cards, and I use the RTL8169S in my servers. However, the RTL8169S has one problem: overheating. If you buy any, make sure they include a heatsink. Those without a heatsink are prone to locking up if the temperatures inside your case get too high.
That just confirms my experiences. I've had issues with onboard Realtek cards and linux. On one desktop the Realtek card would work until the box was restarted. You would have to hard power it off and back on for it to work again. That same box worked fine with Windows.
I stick with Intel for reliability and ease of use. You will find higher end motherboards mostly use Intel NICs. I've also had good experiences with onboard Broadcom NICs. For the price the Intel aren't much more. If you don't need gigabit, like in the original poster's case, then you can grab Intel 10/100 cards for cheap.
Ryan
That just confirms my experiences. I've had issues with onboard Realtek cards and linux. On one desktop the Realtek card would work until the box was restarted. You would have to hard power it off and back on for it to work again. That same box worked fine with Windows.
The old RTL8139 which is Realtek's 10/100 card have been rock solid for many years, and the RTL8169S gigabit cards are rock solid too, with a heatsink.
You can't beat Realtek if you're on a budget.
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compdoc -
David Sommerseth -
Ryan Wagoner -
Timothy Murphy