> Most of the time the ethernet card can detect full duplex vs half duplex > on the fly. You only need to fuss with the nic driver if the switch > you're using can't autodetect properly (cisco switches, for example). > > > If anybody has a good way of going about this please let me know. I fear > > that it is all very dependent on what type of nic I'm using; but if > > anyone has a road map, it would be really helpful. > > It is dependant on the nic you're using - some can do full duplex, some > can't. > > It also depends on the switch/hub that's on the other end of the ethernet > cable :)
The best is to buy a NIC that can autonegotiate with the switch (eg, Cisco and Intel EtherExpress Pro100). In the case of Cisco switch and 3com905 nic you have two options: 1) use Windows setup program to switch the card to full-duplex and 100 Mbps (you can find the program at 3com web page) 2) or don't compile the driver into kernel but use it as module with special parameters (see D.Becker's web page at www.scyld.com) -Igor Mozetic
