Realtek-re-kmod really needed?

MG

MG

I'm trying to help installing FreeBSD 15 remote at someone who never used it. I don't have access to the machine until it's online.
Thing is that it only has a on-board 2.5 Gbit network interface that doesn't work with the release if_re kernel module and needs the port net/realtek-re-kmod. Problem. I would put the .ko on a memstick and load it, but instructing everything is too much. Create and mount USB filesystem, build realrek port and copy the .ko file to the memstick. Then mount it in the installer live shell, configure network...
Is there any way to get a simple connection only to transfer that kernel module? No rtl8139 compat trick or so?
Next option is a USB ethernet dongle but it has to be bought first...
 
take a memstick image locally, build the port locally, and put the .ko file on the image. send them that image. (we assume they can put an image on a USB stick)
 
atax1a said:
take a memstick image locally, build the port locally, and put the .ko file on the image. send them that image. (we assume they can put an image on a USB stick)
Click to expand...
I could try that. Does OSX format a memstick to something readable?
 
the files have to go on the memstick image. i guess if you only have a mac, you can boot the image in a VM and `pkg install` the kmod onto it that way, but then you'll also have to make sure that package gets installed in the resultant system.
 
atax1a said:
the files have to go on the memstick image. i guess if you only have a mac, you can boot the image in a VM and `pkg install` the kmod onto it that way, but then you'll also have to make sure that package gets installed in the resultant system.
Click to expand...
It's only a kernel module. But I'm not at the system, now trying to get a ssh connection to remote install things. The other side has to make a memstick with a 5 years old Mac and load it in the installer shell to get a internet connection. FreeBSD 16 seems to have this in the base. Disappointing that this Realtek isn't backwards compatible. The 100 Mbit legacy realtek is too different to let the old driver do something with it, apparently.
 
If you can use USB, could you use a USB network adapter at the remote end (one where the driver doesn't need a module)? I'm not entirely understanding the problem so very likely not a useful solution.
 
MG said:
It's only a kernel module. But I'm not at the system, now trying to get a ssh connection to remote install things. The other side has to make a memstick with a 5 years old Mac and load it in the installer shell to get a internet connection.
Click to expand...
right, what we're suggesting is to take a local memstick image, boot it in a VM, drop to a shell, mount -uw /, get a connection on the VM, so you can install the module on the memstick, set up to load at boot, then send that image, with the kernel module, over to your remote hands to put on the USB stick, so they don't have to deal with loading it at the shell, which solves the first half of the problem. you still have to do stuff post-install to get the module in the installed system, but you're the one doing that part, right?
 
A much easier way than toying with USB sticks would be the user utilizes a smartphone (it can be borrowed, if unavailable to the user), preferably an Android device, to install the driver via FreeBSD’s USB tethering network support.
  • plug in the phone on the 15.0 system
  • activate USB tethering on the phone, run:
  • dhclient ue0
  • pkg ins realtek-re-kmod
 
atax1a said:
right, what we're suggesting is to take a local memstick image, boot it in a VM, drop to a shell, mount -uw /, get a connection on the VM, so you can install the module on the memstick, set up to load at boot, then send that image, with the kernel module, over to your remote hands to put on the USB stick, so they don't have to deal with loading it at the shell, which solves the first half of the problem. you still have to do stuff post-install to get the module in the installed system, but you're the one doing that part, right?
Click to expand...
The other computer is far away and the user is only familiar with Windows and Mac computers. I just mailed the module file. He has to create a fat32 stick on the Apple now and kldload it manually. Then the installer package servers and sshd become available, and the first FreeBSD install can be completed with a working network.
It's all no problem for me but instructing all required operations to get there is kind of a challennge if you don't see anything. Mainboards with this network interface don't have out of the box support yet.
 
you seem to be misunderstanding what we're suggesting: YOU can create an install image with the module already available, and send that already-prepared image to the remote hands to load onto the stick.
 
atax1a said:
you seem to be misunderstanding what we're suggesting: YOU can create an install image with the module already available, and send that already-prepared image to the remote hands to load onto the stick.
Click to expand...
Going to try the manual stick creation and module loading tonight. This seems the easiest to me. I think it will work.

I also suggested to put the kernel module in the memstick image root. There's a few KB left, so no problem. It takes a few commands in a FreeBSD shell but I have no idea how to do that on an Apple system that I've never used.
My own custom FreeBSD USB system could work too. Currently working on immediate support of this network interface. I have a PC with this hardware too but I still have to manually activate it. It just needs this pretty small port in its base. It should work on some Macs too. I booted it once on a Mac Mini but the keyboard layout was totally incompatible. Never gave it more time but it should work, at least without graphical screen.
 
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