serial port? buggy MP table?

[linowes]

This may not be a linux question, but I suspect my serial port is not working. (I want to use it for an external modem). I checked the bios settings and without any documentation, they seem pretty normal. The USB port works, cause I use it for my mouse (I had to enable it in the bios though; that's another hunt story :) How would I go about verifying if the serial port works at all, other than hoping it detects the modem? what else should I check?

This may or may not be related. When Linux boots, I get the following text (I'm retying it here):

pci: enabling device 00:12.1 (0000 -> 0003)
pci: no IRQ for interrupt pin B of device 00:12.1 probably buggy MP table
pci: setting latency timer of device 00:12.1 to 64
pci: enabling device 00:12.0 (0000 -> 0003)
pci: no IRQ for interrupt pin A of device 00:12.0 probably buggy MP table

[mdwatts]

What distro and kernel version are you running?

uname -r (for the kernel version)

I read that the 2.4.6 kernel had a bug that could cause that problem.

Another suggestion I found (if you are using a laptop)


Check the "exclude irq n" lines in your /etc/pcmcia/config.opts
Maybe it conflicts with some "PnP" interrupt like serial or paralell
port's...

[linowes]

I'm running RH 7.3 on a desktop system,
2.4.18-3smp

[mdwatts]

Sorry as I really don't have any idea what those errors mean.

If you are not running a dual processor, you can try adding 'nosmp' to the kernel line in the Grub config.

/boot/grub/menu.lst


title = UnitedLinux-2.4.19 (Beta2)
root = (hd0,4)
kernel = /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.19-64GB-SMP vga=normal quiet nosmp noapic root=/dev/hda5
initrd = /boot/initrd-2.4.19-64GB-SMP