i219LM and i211AT LAN adapter

[AlexNTK]

Hi everybody,

Is it possible to keep alive the ethernet connection always even if cable is "disconnected" from the adapter (i219LM and i211AT LAN adapter) ? This is required because in case of power shutdown, when system restarts we need that ETH connection keeps quickly alive before all other devices around (switches, plc etc.) otherwise we loose communication. As systems are far away from our office it would be very hard to restore the working process because no operator is near by.

Thanks a lot

AlexNTH

[AlfredoS_Intel]

Hi Alexntk,

Thank you for your patience.

Due to the complexity of the setup that you are trying to organize, please allow us more time to check on your concern.

We will try to get back to you no later than 3 business days from now.

Best Regards,

Alfred S

Intel® Customer Support

[AlexNTK]

Hi Alfred,

no problem, thank you so much for what you are doing.

Alex

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Alexntk,

Thank you for your kind patience.

Please see below update from our engineering level.

It is not possible for a connection to stay active when it is physically disconnected, that's how Ethernet works. If this is not what you meant by your query, please let us know and we will further investigate. 

Have you considered using static IP address? This will ensure that when you reconnect you always have the same IP address. However, when you disconnect the Ethernet you don't have an IP address.

Can you check if setting up a Loopback address is an option/applicable for you? We believe this can install a Microsoft Loopback Adapter that emulates an Ethernet card which you can assign a dummy IP address. You can also consider contacting Microsoft to verify this with them.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/tn-archive/cc708322(v=ws.10)?redirectedfrom=MSDN

Let us know if you have additional questions and clarifications.

Looking forward to your reply.

Should there be no response, I’ll make sure to reach out after 3 business days.

Best Regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[AlexNTK]

Hi,

I was able to test two network cards with Realtek controllers inside. If you set the static IP address, the controller retains the IP address even if the cable is pulled out from the network card. Why doesn't this happen with your network adapters? What has been changed or removed to prevent the same behavior with Intel devices? 

Thanks a lot.

Alexx

[AlfredoS_Intel]

Hi Alexntk,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this.

Please allow us some time address your question.

We will get back to you no later than 3 business days from now.

Best Regards,

Alfred S

Intel® Customer Support

[AlfredoS_Intel]

Hi Alexntk,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this.

Please allow us some time address your question.

We will get back to you no later than 3 business days from now.

Best Regards,

Alfred S

Intel® Customer Support

[AlfredoS_Intel]

Hi Alexntk,

Thank you for waiting for our update.

While we were checking, these questions came into mind which will help us find an answer for your question regarding the realtek cards:

1. We would like to know how you confirmed that Realtek cards still provide a Static IP Address even if the cable is disconnected. When you disconnect a cable from these cards, do you retype IPConfig, and they still show with a Static IP Address?

2. We would also like to ask if you tried the Microsoft Loopback Adapter recommendation by our engineers. It involves installing a Microsoft Loopback Adapter which can emulate which you can assign a dummy IP address.

We look forward to your reply. Should we not get your reply, we will follow up after three business days.

Best Regards,

Alfred S

Intel Customer Support

[AlexNTK]

Hi AlfredoS,

I tried two  network cards with RTL 8169/8110 PCI and 8168B / 8111B controller from Realtek and I confirm that if set with a static IP address, when the cable is removed the ping command response is still alive. This does not happen if a DHCP address is assigned. For this reason i will propose this work-around to my customer to bypass the problem. Thanks. 

P.S. Microsoft Loopback Adapter fails after customer's test, but maybe customer miss something inside configuration. Have you a short guide about how to configure it correctly ?

Thanks

Alex

[AlfredoS_Intel]

Hi Alexntk,

Thank you for your cooperation on this and for sharing your findings

We will check if we have the guide that you are referring to.

Please allow us some time to check on this. We hope for your understanding regarding this

We will get back to you no later than 3 business days from now.

Best Regards,

Alfred S

Intel® Customer Support 

[AlfredoS_Intel]

Hi Alexntk,

Thank you for waiting for our update.

Here is a link to some instructions on how to carry out their recommendation, https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/tn-archive/cc708322(v=ws.10)?redirectedfrom=MSDN. If you run into problems, we recommend for you to contact Microsoft.

We look forward to your reply. Should we not get your reply, we will follow up after three business days.

Best Regards,

Alfred S

Intel® Customer Support

[AlfredoS_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hi Alexntk,

We are just following up.

It looks like you need more time to assess the answers that we have provided.

We will follow up again after 3 business days. Should we not hear from you, our system may automatically close the thread.

Best Regards,

Alfred S

Intel Customer Support 

[AlfredoS_Intel]

Hi AlexNTK,

Your concern is very important to us, and while we were waiting for your reply, we were constantly and continually looking for other options.

We have another option for you and this is through the WOL image from the devstarter package. You can power it with aux power to accomplish your desired configuration for i219LM and i211AT LAN adapters.

Due to the confidentiality of the image, in order to retrieve this EEPROM/NVM image, you need to register our Resource and Design Center (RDC) and get a Non-Disclosure agreement for this. You may register on this site, https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/design/resource-design-center.html.

Once registered, please look for this on the database:

Title: Intel® Ethernet Controller I210 and I211- AT Production NVM Images

Filename: 513655_I210_I211_Production_images.zip

Description: Ethernet Products (EPG) - Zip file containing EEPROM/NVM images.

Another support group from the RDC team will assist you in case you encounter difficulties finding the file or registering.

From our end, we will now be closing the thread.

Best Regards,

Alfred S

Intel® Customer Support