[SOLVED] bcm57780 network driver not loaded correctly: can't install

[muvvenby]

I've been meaning to check out Proxmox VE for a while and I finally got around to doing that. I ran into a problem installing on a box with a Broadcom bcm57780 network adapter. The installer cannot find a usable network connection and stops.

I can fix this same issue on Arch by loading the broadcom driver before the tg3 driver, as per the instructions on the Arch wiki.

(As I am a new user, I can't post external URLs, so here is a bit of a mangled version, sorry: wiki[dot]archlinux[dot]org/index.php/Network_configuration#Broadcom_BCM57780 )

If I abort the Proxmox installation, I get a usable TTY, I unload the tg3 driver, load broadcom and subsequently the tg3 driver again. I can see that the network adapter is now recognized by the kernel.

However, I can't seem to bring the network interface up and I don't know how to restart the installation script. Any help would be appreciated.

I've been scanning the documentation and wiki and maybe I have missed the pertinent information there. #firstpost

Edit: the only other post on the forum mentioning this network adapter does not offer an explanation how the user solved the problem.

 

[Stoiko Ivanov]

Hmm, this is quite unfortunate, since the ISO is not modifiable in order to change the 'tg3' and 'bnx' order....
You could do the following:
* Try installing plain debian and then installing PVE: https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Install_Proxmox_VE_on_Debian_Stretch
* Plugging in another NIC only for the installation (probably even a USB nic should work) and fixing the network config afterwards
* Starting the installation in debug mode - this should give you access to a terminal+shell at certain points of the installation - there you could `rmmod` and `modprobe` - and try to install that way

Hope one of the options work for you!

 

[muvvenby]

Alright, after 24 hours I suddenly remembered I have a noname USB wireless adapter in a drawer somewhere. That allowed me to install Proxmox.

It would appear the Broadcom network adapter is properly initialized after the installation, but I cannot reach Proxmox over the lan.

Any pointers on how to reconfigure the network on the right network interface?

 

[muvvenby]

Ah, never mind. I edited `/etc/network/interfaces` and substituted the proper interface. Now it works

 

[Stoiko Ivanov]

Glad to hear you managed to solve your issues. Please mark the thread as 'SOLVED', so that others know what to expect.
Thanks!

 

[muvvenby]

Thanks again for putting me on the right track @Stoiko Ivanov I marked the thread solved.

 

[alej]

How exactly did you solve this? I have the same issue. I can get it to find the card doing modprobe -r tg3, modprobe broadcom, modprobe tg3. but when I exit the command line it reboots and doesn't remember. I can't figure out how to continue installation once the broadcom card is found.

 

[alej]

If I correct an issue in the command line, how to I continue installation? If I hit ctrl +d or exit, it will reverse the changes. I don't know how to save the changes and get back to the gui, or continue installation from the command line.

 

[muvvenby]

How exactly did you solve this? I have the same issue. I can get it to find the card doing modprobe -r tg3, modprobe broadcom, modprobe tg3. but when I exit the command line it reboots and doesn't remember. I can't figure out how to continue installation once the broadcom card is found.

My solution was: plug in a supported USB wifi adapter while installing.

If the USB network device is detected, you can proceed with the installation. When the installation is finished, shut down, remove USB wifi adapter, and boot.

When you boot, either it detects your Broadcom device correctly or you need to add it with the `modprobe` command.

I don't know if I read your messages correctly, but I think you have come this far.

Because you used the USB network device when installing, it has been set as the default network device in `/etc/network/interfaces`.

Edit the `/etc/network/interfaces` file. Most likely the 4th line will read something like `iface wlp2s0 inet manual`. Here you need to change the `wlp2s0` device to the correct wired Broadcom device.

Use `ip link show` to show the available network devices. If your Broadcom driver has been loaded properly, it will be something like `enp2s0`.

So in `/etc/network/interfaces` change the 4th line to `iface enp2s0 inet manual`.

Now your driver should load automatically and the correct network device should be used at boot.

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