Realtek 8111e vs. Precise

[Basil Chupin]

On 10/03/13 20:37, Colin Law wrote:
> On 10 March 2013 07:49, Basil Chupin <blchupin at iinet.net.au> wrote:
>> ...
>> I have rethinking about what occurred at my end to zap the onboard LAN.
>>
>> I always use an anti-static wrist-strap (but you prefer to shove your elbows
>> into the sides of the casing, or something :-) ) so even if I accidentally
>> shoved my finger (or even the stamped out piece of tin plate) into the LAN
>> port nothing would have happened.
>>
>> But what DID happen, now that I think about it, is that the manual for the
>> motherboard warns that the computer should not be "live" when you plug in
>> the LAN cable from the modem/router.
>>
>> I ignored that warning because there were uncountable times I unplugged and
>> replugged the cable at the modem/router's end - BUT this was *always* when
>> having a NIC card installed and never using the onboard LAN - the Gigabyte
>> mobo I was working on was the first ever mobo with an onboard LAN. It seems
>> that the NIC card is more robust and is less affected by the sudden
>> application of + and - current.
> I have been using ethernet pretty much since its invention and have
> never (as far as I know) damaged a controller by plugging the cable in
> with it live.  It would have to be a very poor design for that to
> happen.  One does not, for example, have to power down a router every
> time one plugs in a cable, and the interface in the PC is basically
> the same as in the router.
>
> One thing one /should/ do, however is to disconnect a PC from the
> mains (or remove the battery on a laptop) before, for example, adding
> or removing controller cards or disks.

Yes, you care correct about this. I forgot about this. The psu sends a 
tiny current to the mobo while the computer is swirched but the power 
connected and turned on. With some mobos there is an LED (often) close 
to the RAM slots to indicate there the mobo is powered.

As to what happened to me, I do recall having the psu switch on OFF even 
though the power cord was "active" - but then maybe I didn't :-( . 
Anyway, all I know is that the onboard LAN went west and I installed the 
PCIe NIC card.


>    Also, as you say, it is a good
> idea to wear a wrist strap (though it can be difficult to find
> something to clip onto on a laptop).

I have my wrist strap wired to a power plug which is then plugged in 
into the wall socket. But before everyone cries out in horror, the wire 
which is connected is the earth wire - the active and the neutral wires 
are non-existent :-) .
>    If you have not got a strap then
> touch the chassis immediately before touching anything else or
> inserting a card or connector.

BC

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