[Thinkpad] Disappearing NIC *solved*

[Bruce Markowitz]

Just another case of RTFM
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jon Etkins" <jon at snikte.net>
To: <thinkpad at stderr.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 5:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Thinkpad] Disappearing NIC *solved*


> Thanks to Mario and Bruce for their suggestions, which forced me to take 
> yet another look at the hardware settings.  It turns out the culprit was 
> the "Deep Smart Power Down" setting, and a Google search for that term 
> lead me to the following item in the ReadMe from the latest ethernet 
> driver update for the T60:
> 
>   - (New) Deep Smart Power Down support for ThinkPad T60/T60p
> 
>      Deep Smart Power Down (DSPD)
>      ----------------------------
>      Deep Smart Power Down turns off the on-board Ethernet when link
>      is down or the network cable is disconnected.  After a timeout
>      period, the Ethernet will power off.  To the operating system,
>      this appears as a "hot-unplugged" Ethernet.  When the network
>      cable is reconnected and link is restored, the Ethernet powers
>      up and functionality is fully restored.  This appears as a
>      "hot-plugged" Ethernet.  This function is available in Windows
>      XP and functions when the system is battery mode.
> 
>      DSPD information:
>      -----------------
> 
>      To disable DSPD,
>      ----------------
>      1. Connect AC power to the system
>      2. Open Device Manager
>      3. Double-click Network adapters
>      4. Double-click Intel(R) PRO/1000 PL Network Connection
>      5. Click Advanced tab, Select Deep Smart Power Down, and
>         change the value to Disabled
> 
> 
> Sure enough, with that setting disabled, the NIC never goes away, and 
> with it enabled the device magically appears and disappears if I connect 
> or disconnect a LAN cable while running on battery - actually quite a 
> cool feature that should help prolong battery life.  Armed with that 
> knowledge, I'll probably leave it enabled most of the time.
> 
> Caveats:
> 
> What they *don't* tell you is that it only works if you're connected to 
> a hub, router, or switch - the NIC will not power on if it's connected 
> to another NIC via a crossover cable, which is exactly what I was trying 
> to do when I struck problems.
> 
> And of course you have to remember to check the setting before leaving 
> your desk, because if all you have available on site is a crossover 
> cable and no AC adapter, there's no way to make the device reappear so 
> you can change the setting!  Can you spell "catch-22," boys and girls?
> 
> Cheers,
>    Jon.
> 
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