I am the Framework Desktop using it with Arch but I have constant issues with the Networking. It is especially flaky after sleep but sometimes will not work on cold boot either. On Rebooting it might then work fine for hours but its just not reliable. I tried changing the cable and to what switch it connects to. I have it on a Switch that is 10gig and see it connect with its full 5gig. Using it with other switches and only using 2.5 or even just 1 gigabit connection remains just as unstable. What can I do?
1 Like
Could you add some debug info here? I’d start with the make and model of the network card.
Try also swapping your cable to the switch to see if that makes a difference.
Is the unreliability to the switch, or to a router beyond that, or to the internet? If you can leave a ping running permanently to all three, response times or dropped packet info might emerge. Post anything here that you find interesting.
I’d also suggest repeating the experiment with Wi-Fi. I appreciate that’s not the thing you want to fix; however it might be interesting as a control for the experiment. Of course if you find that this is flakey too, then your Ethernet module might not be at fault.
If you can get another Linux distro booting from a memory stick, and try that, you may find that another driver helps.
Finally, is this problem new i.e. you’ve just taken delivery of the machine, and you’ve just put Arch on it? If you’ve tried a different OS and not had a problem previously, that is worth mentioning here.
aren’t all Framework Desktops using the same card? What debug info do you mean?
I don’t have a concrete answer for that question for the Desktop, but in general an OEM can change parts over time. lspci often gives an accurate answer to what is actually in the box.
bf:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8126 5GbE Controller (rev 01)
Super. Have you checked dmesg to see if there might be anything useful in there? My research suggests running sudo dmesg | grep r8169 to see if your firmware might need an update.
Also consider switching off energy-efficient Ethernet:
sudo ethtool --offload <interface> eee off
sudo ethtool --offload <interface> wol d
Also consider switching off power-saving features:
echo "on" | sudo tee /sys/bus/pci/devices/<PCI-address>/power/control
(Don’t forget to swap out the address in this command).
Make sure you have the firmware package installed:
sudo pacman -S linux-firmware
Personally I’d try these one at a time and wait a period, to see if that thing helped.
No robots were harmed in the construction of this message, but one may have been consulted. 
Oh yes, also try fwupdmgr too - there might be a flash firmware update:
sudo pacman -S fwupd
sudo fwupdmgr refresh --force
sudo fwupdmgr get-updates
I find reflashing to be very stable on modern hardware these days, but it’s worth noting it’s not risk-free - devices can be bricked this way. I tend to use this as a last-chance option.
you just rattling off responses from an LLM is helping no one. The problem is not solved by EEE or Wake on Lan. I tested with all power-savings disabled. The firmware is all up to date.
I appreciated the desire to help but if you do not know what you are talking about and are just throwing slop around, I would prefer you leave the topic alone. Thank you
You put me in a difficult position, @draic. You offered a lazy problem that was so partial it was obviously not going to get an answer, and your tone throughout is that someone needs to do your research for you. Meanwhile the help I have offered, in much more good humour than your deserve, may be worth trying. If it genuinely does not help, consider using the optimism as a foil for new attempts.
You actually don’t. If I have to ask you to mind your manners, I will.