82579LM in ThinkPad T530, Windows 8, VLANs

[idata]

Hi! Has anybody been successful in configuring 802.1q VLAN support on a Lenovo ThinkPad T530 with Windows 8 Enterprise?

My ThinkPad has an 82579LM Gigabit Ethernet adapter. I've installed the latest PROWinx64 driver that specifically supports Windows 8 (http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=21642&keyword=82579LM&lang=eng Download Center). Advanced Network Services is installed. I am running Windows 8 Enterprise, 64-bit.

I am connected via the Ethernet port on my docking station to a Cisco SG200-26P 26-port Gigabit POE switch. All ports are configured for VLAN 1 Untagged, and my own port is also configured for VLAN 91 tagged. I haven't tried this while undocked, using the laptop's own Gigabit Ethernet port.

Elsewhere on this switch is a Windows Server 2012 server, and one of its ports is configured similarly. The appropriate PROWinx64 driver is installed on that server, and I've configured it to use VLAN 91 tagged. It works, it can access devices elsewhere on our network on VLAN 91.

With the PROWinx64 driver for Windows 8 installed on my laptop, I have network access on the untagged VLAN 1, as long as I don't configure any VLAN. But as soon as I add VLAN 91 Tagged and the untagged VLAN 1, I lose all connectivity. Not even the untagged VLAN 1 works. I don't get a Cable Unplugged message, unless I actually do unplug the cable.

In the Network Connections window, the "Status" of the two newly created interfaces shows "Enabled", as does the original interface. Under "Connectivity", nothing is shown at all. Without any VLANs configured, the Connectivity of the single interface shows "Internet Access".

If I right-click the newly created "Ethernet 3", which is my Untagged VLAN, and choose "Status" from the menu, I see "Not Connected" by IPv4 Connectivity and IPv6 Connectivity, "Enabled" by Media State, and "1.0 Gbps" by Speed. In the properties, both IPv4 and IPv6 are enabled. IPv4 is configured for DHCP, but it also doesn't work if I configure my usual static IP address.

The same goes for the VLAN 91 interface.

And if I try to ping any address on our networks, I get the message "PING: transmit failed. General failure." after every packet sent.

Any thoughts?

[idata · Accepted solution]

Oh, now this is interesting. I've got it working now, but I'm not sure if it will continue to work through a reboot.

What I've done is:

1. Notice that the driver I linked to above is version 17.3, but the Intel Ethernet Connections CD version is 17.4, so I downloaded that and installed the newer driver from that CD. I'm now running 17.4.95.0.
2. Re-created my VLAN 91 and Untagged VLAN interfaces. Still no network connectivity.
3. Individually disabled and then re-enabled the two newly created network interfaces. I hadn't tried this before. They both came up with network access!
4. Disabled and then re-enabled the main Ethernet interface, the one in which the two VLAN interfaces are configured. This caused the two interfaces to disable and then re-enable, and they no longer have network access.
5. Step 3 again, individually disabled and re-enabled the two VLAN interfaces. Now I have network access on both VLAN interfaces, I can reach devices on both networks, everything seems fine.

I'm concerned about step 4 above, and wondering if that means that after I reboot the laptop, the two VLAN interfaces will have no connectivity until I explicitly disable and re-enable them.

[idata]

After a reboot, the VLAN interfaces are working fine without needing any manual intervention. So I guess this is resolved!

[idata]

Thanks, very helpful!