Warning Intel e1000e driver on openSUSE 11.1 Beta 1

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/11.1-Beta1/iso/0___WARNING___READ_THIS_BEFORE_USING!

We have an important announcement regarding openSUSE 11.1 beta 1 and
SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 beta 1:

The Intel e1000e driver on openSUSE 11.1 Beta 1 and SUSE Linux
Enterprise 11 Beta 1 might have a serious issue with the potential to
damage the network card in a way that it cannot be used any longer.

Intel and Novell are currently working to analyze and solve the issue.

For the time being:

Please do NOT USE:

openSUSE 11.1 Beta 1
or
SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 Beta 1

on systems with Intel e1000e hardware.

Any other hardware, including systems with Intel e1000 (without -e)
network cards, is not affected by this issue.

We will keep you posted. Please watch news.opensuse.org and the
opensuse-announce mailing list for more information.

Joe ‘Zonker’ Brockmeier
openSUSE Community Manager
jzb@zonker.net
openSUSE Spotlight
Community, Incorporated | ZDNet.com

#2

snakedriver wrote:

>
> http://tinyurl.com/45cfw5!
>
> We have an important announcement regarding openSUSE 11.1 beta 1 and
> SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 beta 1:
>
> The Intel e1000e driver on openSUSE 11.1 Beta 1 and SUSE Linux
> Enterprise 11 Beta 1 might have a serious issue with the potential to
> damage the network card in a way that it cannot be used any longer.
>
> Intel and Novell are currently working to analyze and solve the issue.
>
> For the time being:
>
> Please do NOT USE:
>
> openSUSE 11.1 Beta 1
> or
> SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 Beta 1
>
> on systems with Intel e1000e hardware.
>
> Any other hardware, including systems with Intel e1000 (without -e)
> network cards, is not affected by this issue.
>
> We will keep you posted. Please watch news.opensuse.org and the
> opensuse-announce mailing list for more information.
Sure glad this came out Monday since I was about to order a Intel
Motherboard (975 chip set) with this driver used for network card. I held
off. Does this also apply to 11.0 which I am currently using with two
network cards (1 uses Tulip driver and the other SKge driver?

Thanks for any response!

Russ
Linux register user 441463
openSUSE11.0

#3

I find it weird that a software bug CAN damage hardware permanently. Normally I might expect a kernel OOPS error that only terminates the network service in this case.

#4

Tom2k wrote:

>
> I find it weird that a software bug CAN damage hardware permanently.
> Normally I might expect a kernel OOPS error that only terminates the
> network service in this case.
>
>
I agree with you, in my 42 years in Tech support etc I was always told
software cannot cause a hardware failure. Only thing is this driver is
working a a low level near the hardware.

I guess we will have to wait and see how this is resolved.

Thanks for your response.

Russ
Linux register user 441463
openSUSE11.0