[hobbit] Custom extension - checking LAN adapter settings

[mike at razorsedge.org]

Allan.Marillier at dana.com wrote:
> I found some inconsistencies between my RedHat AS 2.1, AS 3, and Fedora
> Core 3 and 4 servers because of different LAN adapters. mii-diag, mii-tool
> and ethtool are on all of my servers, and tend to give different results.
> I ended up trusting mii-diag more than ethtool but ethtool is the only one
> that runs on a few servers. I wrote an extension which sends me a yellow
> alert if any card drops from 100-full, or red if a card is not responding.
> Of course the card not responding is only useful if I have more than one
> LAN adapter configured, and I'll probably get other alerts anyway. Does
> anybody have a better (or for that matter any other) way of testing LAN
> card settings? Are there any other Linux tools than mii-diag, mii-tool and
> ethtool? Ideally, one program that can understand all devices rather than
> me having to use different ones on different servers.

The reason for the different tools is due to the ethernet kernel drivers
supporting different APIs.  SIOCETHTOOL (ethtool) is the newer API with
SIOCGMIIREG (mii-diag) the elder.

Maybe this tool will help:
http://0pointer.de/lennart/projects/ifplugd/ifplugstatus.8.xml

-- 
-m

... so long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those
who wish to tyrranize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent,
and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious
and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.
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