No ethernet service during install

No ethernet service during install

[Robby Zambito]

Hello,

I am trying to install GNU Guix on my Dell R710 server, but during the
installation I am running into this error:

> No ethernet service available, please try again.

I've tried rebooting, using both the stable and latest releases, and
using different ethernet ports on the machine. Each time I end up with
the same error.

I've tracked down the error to this file
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/guix.git/tree/gnu/installer/newt/ethernet.scm
(at least I don't see that error anywhere else but that file), but I am
unsure how I can try to debug the issue.

Any suggestions for resolving this would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Robby

Re: No ethernet service during install

[pelzflorian (Florian Pelz)]

Hello Robby,

On Sun, Aug 01, 2021 at 10:31:37AM -0400, Robby Zambito wrote:
> I am trying to install GNU Guix on my Dell R710 server, but during the
> installation I am running into this error:
> 
> > No ethernet service available, please try again.

Maybe (possibly) your ethernet card is not supported by Linux-libre.


> I've tried rebooting, using both the stable and latest releases, and
> using different ethernet ports on the machine.

Do you have a USB ethernet adapter with which you can try?

Regards,
Florian

Re: No ethernet service during install

[Robby Zambito]

Hello Florian,

Thanks for the reply.

> Maybe (possibly) your ethernet card is not supported by Linux-libre.

It seems like this is the case unfortunately :( I tried doing the
installation from the shell, rather than using the graphical
installation. Running `ip link set <my interface> up` gave me an error
that it is missing Free firmware.

> Do you have a USB ethernet adapter with which you can try?

No, unfortunately. It seems like I will need to get creative. Perhaps I
can do some IP over USB or something like that.

Thanks,
Robby

Re: No ethernet service during install

[Robby Zambito]

On Sun, Aug 01, 2021 at 05:03:13PM -0400, Leo Famulari wrote:
> That's unfortunate. Can you tell us what card it is? Ethernet (at least gigabit and slower) is usually supported by linux-libre, so I'm curious to know which card is missing support.

lspci says that it's a Broadcom NetXtreme II BCM5709 Gigabit Ethernet
card.

Re: No ethernet service during install

[Leo Famulari]

On Sun, Aug 01, 2021 at 09:06:31PM -0400, Robby Zambito wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 01, 2021 at 05:03:13PM -0400, Leo Famulari wrote:
> > That's unfortunate. Can you tell us what card it is? Ethernet (at least gigabit and slower) is usually supported by linux-libre, so I'm curious to know which card is missing support.
> 
> lspci says that it's a Broadcom NetXtreme II BCM5709 Gigabit Ethernet
> card.

Thanks for the details. Googling, I found some discussions about this
card, including this:

https://old.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions/comments/4wh3gu/is_the_broadcom_bcm5709_chipset_no_longer/

I believe this is the Linux configuration option / driver:

https://cateee.net/lkddb/web-lkddb/BNX2.html

However, since it appears that this driver is not free software,
linux-libre will have disabled it and it won't be supported within GNU
Guix.

Re: No ethernet service during install

[Philip McGrath]

On 8/2/21 11:15 AM, Leo Famulari wrote:> I believe this is the Linux 
configuration option / driver:
> 
> https://cateee.net/lkddb/web-lkddb/BNX2.html
> 
> However, since it appears that this driver is not free software,
> linux-libre will have disabled it and it won't be supported within GNU
> Guix.

To be unambiguous, GNU Guix as a project, on principle,[1][2] does not 
support or recommend non-free software.

By those same principles, since `guix` itself is free software, you have 
"the freedom to run the program as [you] wish, for any purpose."[1] In 
that sense, Guix "supports" any software you instruct it to install: it 
does not attempt any technical measures to second-guess your decision.

Perhaps that should be obvious, but of course there are some systems 
which do restrict their users from installing and running software that 
the system's developers have not approved.

My understanding is that some people do use Guix to install non-free 
software: I'm not one of them, but I'm confident you'll find them if you 
go looking for them. You won't find them here, though, out of respect 
for the Guix project's principled decision never to recommend installing 
non-free software.

I'm sure the outcome we'd all prefer would be to have a free driver for 
your ethernet card! Unfortunately I don't know anything about that.

-Philip

[1]: https://gnu.tools/en/documents/social-contract/
[2]: https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html