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Is changing or upgrading network interface even possible

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 9:15 pm
by jkbuckethead
I recently obtained a multi-gigabit switch that will support 10Gb ethernet as well as 5Gb, 2.5Gb, or 1Gb depending on the type and length of cable used. I got this switch because I was looking for a managed switch when I found a good deal that allowed me to future-proof the switch without spending much more money. After getting the switch I decided to make the future now when I found reasonably affordable multi-gigabit NICs ($70 for a 5G card or $80 for 10G). The first two NICs I purchased are intended for different computers, but I decided to see if I could get one working in my amahi HDA. Unfortunately my first couple of experiments did not go well.

I researched this topic as much as I could before charging in. Unfortunately what information I could find was rather dated. Several threads date back to 2012, and even the most recent threads in 2016 and 2015 make reference to files and folders that simply do not exist on my system. I quickly realized that topics discussed in these threads might not work, but I did pick up one repeated comment I thought might be relevant. This was the fact that amahi is slaved to the eth0 interface. I was hoping that if I could get the new NIC to show up as eth0 and all would be good. Recent experience with another computer showed that when I added a PCIe NIC, it reported as eth0 while the onboard was eth1. I hoped for the same with my amahi machine, and decided to experiment.

First I installed the new PCIe NIC, connected it to the switch, and disabled the onboard NIC in BIOS. I was hoping that with only one NIC, the "first" NIC would be eth0. Unfortunately after rebooting I had no network access. I checked my router (providing DHCP), and the amahi IP address was not showing as connected, nor was there a DHCP lease for the card (I know the machine was booting okay because I connected a monitor, and could see the HDA login prompt.) Quickly the hope that the new NIC would be eth0 and all would be good was quickly dashed. I then re-enabled the onboard NIC, plugged it into the switch, and booted with both NICs installed. At this point the network config was stock, except for having the 2nd NIC in the machine, but unplugged, but I still could not connect remotely. Hopes of an easy swap gone, I removed the 2nd NIC, and restarted in my stock config, and started to dig a little deeper.

I checked the network config using

Code: Select all

ifconfig -a
I was surprised to see that my interface was not named eth0 or eth-anything. My interface is actually named "enp3s0" so clearly the old threads I read were not completely relevant. This is not surprising since Amahi and Fedora have been updated since those posts were made, but this leaves me with virtually no idea how to change my NIC. A fresh install might work, but I don't think I am interested in that much effort for an experiment that might not work.

Any ideas appreciated.

Re: Is changing or upgrading network interface even possible

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 7:08 am
by bigfoot65
Check out this article. It might help.

You could also try changing the name of the ifcfg-enp* name in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts directory to match your new card. It would also require a change in /etc/networks file too.

The paths listed above may not be accurate as I am trying to go from memory, but you should be able to find them easily.

Once complete, a restart of the network or machine may be needed.