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It is always a good idea to make a backup, in case things get messed up. Furthermore, as the standard SME 7.x kernel doesn't support the [http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PFid=4&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=9 RTL8110SC] network controllers on board the J7F4, you might want to perform at least steps 1 through 4 on a different machine, and switch the harddisk to the Jetway machine after the new kernel is installed. If you follow the instructions below, the new kernel should run on most machines with a 686-compatible CPU (i.e. a Pentium II or higher).
It is always a good idea to make a backup, in case things get messed up. Furthermore, as the standard SME 7.x kernel doesn't support the [http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PFid=4&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=9 RTL8110SC] network controllers on board the J7F4, you might want to perform at least steps 1 through 4 on a different machine, and switch the harddisk to the Jetway machine after the new kernel is installed. If you follow the instructions below, the new kernel should run on most machines with a 686-compatible CPU (i.e. a Pentium II or higher).
Alternatively you could install a temporary network-card in the PCI slot on the Jetway-board, or [http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=35435.0 install the r1000 kernel module from Realtek]. The r1000 driver works with all RTL8169 and RTL8110 gigabit ethernet controllers. However, many people have found it to be buggy and unstable. Realtek has recently released a [ftp://209.216.61.149/cn/nic/r8169-6.001.00.tar.bz2 new version (6.001.00) of the r1000 driver], which is rumoured to fix some of the problems of earlier versions (1.05 and before). However, as soon as you have installed the new kernel you can also switch to the r8169 kernel module. Recent versions of this driver have support for the RTL8110.
Alternatively you could install a temporary network-card in the PCI slot on the Jetway-board, or [http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=35435.0 install the r1000 kernel module from Realtek]. The r1000 driver works with all RTL8169 and RTL8110 gigabit ethernet controllers. However, many people have found it to be buggy and unstable. Realtek has recently released a [ftp://209.216.61.149/cn/nic/r8169-6.001.00.tar.bz2 new version (6.001.00) of the r1000 driver], which is rumoured to fix some of the problems of earlier versions (1.05 and before). However, this version does not yet compile with newer kernel versions. You can use it with the SME/CentOS 2.6.9 kernel, but not with the new 2.6.2x kernels. As soon as you have installed the new kernel you can however switch to the r8169 kernel module. Recent versions of this driver have support for the RTL8110.
===Step 1: Installing a compiler and build tools===
===Step 1: Installing a compiler and build tools===
title SME Server (2.6.21-rc5-git1-custom-via)
title SME Server (2.6.21-rc5-git1-custom-via)
root (hd0,0)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.21-rc5-git1-custom-via ro root=/dev/hda6
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.21-rc5-git1-custom-via ro root=/dev/main/root
initrd /initrd-2.6.21-rc5-git1-custom-via.img
initrd /initrd-2.6.21-rc5-git1-custom-via.img
==Other Tips & Tricks==
==Other Tips & Tricks==
According to [http://forums.viaarena.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=77032 this thread], the chipset used on many VIA C7-based boards is quite sensitive to overheating. This may cause lockups during high disk activity, especially if your board is passively cooled and in a small case.
According to [http://www.tkarena.com/forums/linux-arena/32095-j7f4k-hard-lockups-14.html#post228588 this thread], the chipset used on many VIA C7-based boards is quite sensitive to overheating. This may cause lockups during high disk activity, especially if your board is passively cooled and in a small case.
Jetway has released a [http://download.jetway.com.tw/download/bios/J7F4A06.BIN new BIOS version (A06) for J7F4 boards] that seems to more or less fix this problem. To flash it, you'll need to [http://www.nenie.org/misc/flashbootcd.html boot the board in DOS] and use the [http://download.jetway.com.tw/download/utilities/awdflash.zip Award flash utility]. If you keep experiencing mysterious lockups after the BIOS-update, it is advisable to add a CPU- or case-fan or to fit the board into a bigger case.
Jetway has released a [http://download.jetway.com.tw/download.asp?sorder=Name&sword=J7F4K1G5D new BIOS version (A07) for J7F4 boards] that seems to more or less fix this problem. To flash it, you'll need to [http://www.nenie.org/misc/flashbootcd.html boot the board in DOS] and use the [http://download.jetway.com.tw/download/utilities/awdflash.zip Award flash utility]. If you keep experiencing mysterious lockups after the BIOS-update, it is advisable to add a CPU- or case-fan or to fit the board into a bigger case.
Jetway have released a new revision of the J7F4 mainboard, which incorporates a bigger heatsink in conjunction with the new BIOS to solve the overheating problems. Thanks to Ryan Salsbury for pointing this out. Ryan has also kindly provided pictures of the old and new board revisions:
* [http://www2.multithread.co.uk/mtcshop/images/linitx.com/products/Jetway_J7F4K_1.2GHz_EDEN_Mainboard_-_Dual_GigaLAN_main.jpg The board with the old, small heatsink]
* [http://www2.multithread.co.uk/mtcshop/images/linitx.com/products/Jetway_J7F4K_1.2GHz_EDEN_Mainboard_-_Dual_GigaLAN_rear.jpg Rear view of the old board]
* [http://www2.multithread.co.uk/mtcshop/images/linitx.com/products/Jetway_J7F4K_1.2GHz_Eden_CN700_Mainboard_-_Dual_GigaLAN_-__NEW_REVISION_main.jpg New board, with larger heatsink]
* [http://www2.multithread.co.uk/mtcshop/images/linitx.com/products/Jetway_J7F4K_1.2GHz_Eden_CN700_Mainboard_-_Dual_GigaLAN_-__NEW_REVISION_front.jpg Front view of the new board]
* [http://www2.multithread.co.uk/mtcshop/images/linitx.com/products/Jetway_J7F4K_1.2GHz_Eden_CN700_Mainboard_-_Dual_GigaLAN_-__NEW_REVISION_rear.jpg Rear view of the new board]
* [http://www2.multithread.co.uk/mtcshop/images/linitx.com/products/Jetway_J7F4K_1.2GHz_Eden_CN700_Mainboard_-_Dual_GigaLAN_-__NEW_REVISION_side.jpg Side view of the new board]
* [http://www2.multithread.co.uk/mtcshop/images/linitx.com/products/Jetway_J7F4K_1.2GHz_Eden_CN700_Mainboard_-_Dual_GigaLAN_-__NEW_REVISION_Overview.jpg Overview of the new board]
==Kernel Version Issues==
People have reported that USB drive recognition will no longer work after updating the kernel. This is due to the fact that the udev version used in CentOS 4 will not work with kernel versions above 2.6.12. You will need to update the udev package. I will update this Howto as soon as I have tried this myself. In the mean time, you may find newer udev versions here: ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/kernel/hotplug/
Another problem is that the custom kernel may cause problems when trying to upgrade SME. On any update that includes a newer kernel, yum will complain about dependency problems because the custom kernel has a higher version-number than the kernel that is to be updated. The only way around this seems to be to uninstall the custom kernel (using yum remove ...), do the upgrade, and then re-install the custom kernel before rebooting.
You can also use the exclude package option to avoid kernel and kmod updates, and everything will just work fine !
==Author and Acknowledgements==
==Author and Acknowledgements==
This Howto is written by Levien van Zon (levien at scum.org). It is based to a large extent on forum postings and documents by Harro, Charlie Brady, Falko Timme, Simon Arlott, Neil and many others. See the references below for more information. This document may still contain mistakes and typos, so please feel free to add or correct things if you have wiki-access. You can also send corrections and suggestions to the author by e-mail.
This Howto is written by Levien van Zon (levien at scum.org). It is based to a large extent on forum postings and documents by Harro, Charlie Brady, Falko Timme, Simon Arlott, Neil, Ryan Salsbury and many others. See the references below for more information. This document may still contain mistakes and typos, so please feel free to add or correct things if you have wiki-access. You can also send corrections and suggestions to the author by e-mail.
==References==
==References==
