Atheros AR8151 driver will load but not work for wire ethernet, but does work for WiFi.

I'm using an Acer Aspire 1830T-3721 notebook, which has an Atheros AR8151 network interface.

Since getting this notebook (about 6 months now), the procedure to enable the network every time there was a kernel update was as follows:

- goto source directory where the Atheros driver code existed, build and install the new driver with the following command:
sudo make install
- this resulted a new folder being created, namely, /lib/modules/<KERNEL VERSION>/kernel/drivers/net/atl1e/atl1e.ko
  where KERNEL VERSION is the latest kernel folder, and the new built network driver.
- in this folder it is then possible to load the network driver with the command: sudo insmod atl1e.ko , which will load the driver and i have internet connection immediately. In addition, this also gets the WiFi driver working also.
(note: in Atheros' own readme notes they specify arl1e.[k]o, this module name does not exist)
-once confirming that it works I then add this module in the /etc/modules file so it is started up automatically at boot time.

The above procedure is what I have been doing for the last several kernel updates, with no problems.

But now with kernel 2.6.32-28-generic, the above procedure does not work. Once re-building the new module, I go to the new version in the 2.6.32-28-generic/kernel/drivers/net/atl1e/ folder and load the driver, the driver does load, but it does not work. There is no network connectivity. But the accompanying WiFi driver does work, hence I still have network (and therefore internet) connectivity, but only wirelessly and not via ethernet cable. That is the problem.

Below are version signatures of Ubuntu and Linux that I am using:

Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS
Ubuntu 2.6.32-28.55-generic 2.6.32.27+drm33.12

Attached to this report is a tar file containing the dmesg and lspci outputs.

Thank you.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: linux-image-2.6.32-28-generic 2.6.32-28.55 [modified: lib/modules/2.6.32-28-generic/kernel/drivers/net/atl1e/atl1e.ko]
Regression: Yes
Reproducible: Yes
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-28.55-generic 2.6.32.27+drm33.12
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-28-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.21.
Architecture: amd64
ArecordDevices:
 **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC269 Analog [ALC269 Analog]
   Subdevices: 1/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
AudioDevicesInUse: Error: command ['fuser', '-v', '/dev/dsp', '/dev/snd/by-path', '/dev/snd/controlC0', '/dev/snd/hwC0D0', '/dev/snd/hwC0D3', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D0c', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D0p', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D1p', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D3p', '/dev/snd/seq', '/dev/snd/timer', '/dev/sequencer2', '/dev/sequencer'] failed with exit code 1:
CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xd4400000 irq 22'
   Mixer name : 'Intel G45 DEVIBX'
   Components : 'HDA:10ec0269,1025040e,00100100 HDA:80862804,104d4b00,00100000'
   Controls : 21
   Simple ctrls : 10
Date: Wed Jan 26 12:25:01 2011
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=a889ef3d-1d1a-4f56-9b5e-b153dd4e46c4
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100429)
MachineType: Acer Aspire 1830T
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-2.6.32-28-generic root=UUID=8fda44c1-cf24-45ae-942c-104d4356e264 ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
RelatedPackageVersions: linux-firmware 1.34.3
RfKill:
 0: acer-wireless: Wireless LAN
  Soft blocked: yes
  Hard blocked: no
SourcePackage: linux
dmi.bios.date: 06/04/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: INSYDE
dmi.bios.version: V1.11
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: Base Board Product Name
dmi.board.vendor: Intel Corp.
dmi.board.version: Base Board Version
dmi.chassis.type: 1
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacturer
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnINSYDE:bvrV1.11:bd06/04/2010:svnAcer:pnAspire1830T:pvrV1.11:rvnIntelCorp.:rnBaseBoardProductName:rvrBaseBoardVersion:cvnChassisManufacturer:ct1:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: Aspire 1830T
dmi.product.version: V1.11
dmi.sys.vendor: Acer