Solaris

Hi Incredible, no is the short answer.
Any attempt to get through to the network results in the hme:0 link down problem.

---------- Post updated at 03:25 PM ---------- Previous update was at 02:30 PM ----------

In case it makes any difference, this is not a desktop, it is a floor standing server of some stature. Enterprise E150 server.

Ultra Enterprise 150 is listed under desktops in the Sun ESOL site, right under the Ultra 80... but really, that's irrelevant to troubleshoot the network connection - other than to determine hardware age which may be a factor on HW components mal-functioning.

Here are a couple things you can do to isolate the problem:

- If it is a big self-standing server, it surely has more than 1 NIC. Configure another NIC and try your network connection on the other NIC.

- or better yet, use another server/PC/laptop to test the network connection. Simply configure the server/PC/laptop with the E150's IP.

Obviously, in either case, you'd want to use the very same cable and switch port that are connected to hme0 in the E150.

Thanks - I will test the connection with another machine shortly. I guess this server was not a majorly expensive one as it only has one ethernet connection. Could it have a second NIc, connected to the same cable port? There is a picture of it here; Netra 150 / Ultra Enterprise 150

It probably doesn't look like a workstation to you, but that is a late 90's Sun workstation Basically an Ultra 80 with a stand. It would have one built in NIC, and probably an addon quad NIC if it was ordered that way. I believe the addon ports would come up as qfe0, qfe1, etc.. you can try plumbing qfe0, qfe1, etc and see if one plumbs...

Now that I think about it, I'd say it would be better to first try the network connection the E150 is using in another box. Just take a laptop, hardcode it with the IP info from the E150, have the network guys reserve the IP to the laptop's MAC (if that's what they are using to reserve the IP) then remove the cable from the E150's hme0 right and plug it right into the laptop. That will tell you if the network connection works or not.
If it works, then you know is something in the server.

excellent, will do. There is definitely no other interface when plumbing, unless you count le0?

Do one simple test. ensure that the IP on your system is plumbed up and is "UP". configure your laptop to an IP of the same subnet and see if you can ping. This will tell your if your Nic is good or not

That's incorrect. If you configure a laptop on the same subnet and try to ping the server, that ping still has to go through the laptop's NIC, the cable to the patch panel, the switch port the patch panel is connected to, the other switch port, the other patch panel, the cable from the patch panel to the server, then the server NIC. IF you ping doesn't go through, where's the problem? It could be any of the points mentioned above.

The right test woulb be to configure a laptop with the IP of the server and plug it right to the very same cable that plugs into the server.