3c509B stubborn refusal to bootstrap over network!!

["Billy Leung" <vientito@worldnet.att.net>]

Hello:

	I might have found a problem with 3c509B ISA card with netboot-0.7.3.  Let
me describe what I have done so far.  Two machines hooked up over a 10baseT
crossover ethernet cable with a point-to-point config.
The server machine is running win95 or winNT with Hummingbird demon
services installed.  The linux client is bootstrapped with a floppy disk
with a 3c509B ISA card installed and the latest packet driver downloaded
from 3com.  The driver name is 3c5x9pd.com.  The client boots up sending
numerous packets but the server records no packets received.  Basically,
the server has seen NOTHING.  The log file picks up nothing.  It is as if
nothing had ever happened.  By the way, I have used either 0x60 or 0x62 for
the software interrupt.  The rest of the parameters is self-discovered.  It
seems both 0x60 and 0x62 are found by the bootrom.

	Now if I boot the client machine with normal HD boot and issue a normal
bootpc command to the server, the server reacts and sends back
acknowledgements.  This is also being recorded on the server log file.  The
same packet driver is also being used with some internet dos application
such as ping and ftp with success.  So the packet driver itself seems to
work at least.

	I have used a sniffer-like application on NT and detected no incoming
packets for the network bootstrap mechanism.  Nothing whatsoever.  But the
LED light seems to blink on the back of the server so there is evidence
that there is incoming signal, though they are not recognised at all by the
server network driver.

	OK, now after two days of toiling at this I finally gave up and replaced a
SMC card for the 3c509B and it works.  The server software records a log
file alright.  

	I think this is indicative of a bug in the bootrom software.  Somebody
ought to check out this particular card.  

	Thank you for your patience

Regards
Billy Leung
vientito@worldnet.att.net