[Solved] Several installs and issues with DHCP issue every time.

Question

Edited: more concise information!
Hi folks,
I was using Arch fine for months but decided to reinstall it fresh at the new year, but since then I have been plagued by connection issues. I install Arch and follow many of the tips found in these Wikis to set it up how I like then install preload and readahead.
Post-Installation Tips
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pos … ation_Tips
- LCD filtered fonts
- Disable IPv6 (I use Chorus/NTL and they have a tip for improving Firefox that disables IPv6, so I think that this is not to blame)
Laptop
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Laptop
- Battery state monitoring utilities (acpi)
- Laptop-mode-toold
- Powernowd
Maximising Performance
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Max … erformance
- Swapiness
- Mount /tmp to RAM
My internet connection works fine, even when rebooting, but later I turn on my computer and WICD or networkmanager fails on "obtaining IP address. I really think that there is something in one of these tips that is causing this problem, but I am at a loss as to what. Like I say, I was using it happily for many months before these current issues. The only thing I did differently was systematically set up my computer with all the tips detailed above, where as before, I collected these tips over a period of time and did not do them all straight after installation. I have tried rolling back the changes and this has not fixed the issue.
I have had this issue over many reinstalls, using networkmanager or WICD and each time I was hoping that I was doing something wrong.  I have an Ubuntu and work Windows laptop that both work fine, so I don.t think it is anything to do with the connection itself.
I am not sure what information you would need so I thought I would post both of these files. If you would like anything else, give me a shout and i can post it.
# /etc/rc.conf - Main Configuration for Arch Linux
# LOCALIZATION
# LOCALE: available languages can be listed with the 'locale -a' command
# HARDWARECLOCK: set to "UTC" or "localtime", any other value will result
# in the hardware clock being left untouched (useful for virtualization)
# TIMEZONE: timezones are found in /usr/share/zoneinfo
# KEYMAP: keymaps are found in /usr/share/kbd/keymaps
# CONSOLEFONT: found in /usr/share/kbd/consolefonts (only needed for non-US)
# CONSOLEMAP: found in /usr/share/kbd/consoletrans
# USECOLOR: use ANSI color sequences in startup messages
LOCALE="en_GB.UTF-8"
HARDWARECLOCK="UTC"
TIMEZONE="Europe/Dublin"
KEYMAP="uk"
CONSOLEFONT=
CONSOLEMAP=
USECOLOR="yes"
# HARDWARE
# MOD_AUTOLOAD: Allow autoloading of modules at boot and when needed
# MOD_BLACKLIST: Prevent udev from loading these modules
# MODULES: Modules to load at boot-up. Prefix with a ! to blacklist.
# NOTE: Use of 'MOD_BLACKLIST' is deprecated. Please use ! in the MODULES array.
MOD_AUTOLOAD="yes"
#MOD_BLACKLIST=() #deprecated
MODULES=(acpi-cpufreq vboxdrv coretemp)
# Scan for LVM volume groups at startup, required if you use LVM
USELVM="no"
# NETWORKING
# HOSTNAME: Hostname of machine. Should also be put in /etc/hosts
HOSTNAME="laptop"
# Use 'ifconfig -a' or 'ls /sys/class/net/' to see all available interfaces.
# Interfaces to start at boot-up (in this order)
# Declare each interface then list in INTERFACES
# - prefix an entry in INTERFACES with a ! to disable it
# - no hyphens in your interface names - Bash doesn't like it
# DHCP: Set your interface to "dhcp" (eth0="dhcp")
# Wireless: See network profiles below
#Static IP example
#eth0="dhcp"
eth0="dhcp"
INTERFACES=(eth0)
# Routes to start at boot-up (in this order)
# Declare each route then list in ROUTES
# - prefix an entry in ROUTES with a ! to disable it
gateway="default gw 192.168.0.1"
ROUTES=(!gateway)
# Enable these network profiles at boot-up. These are only useful
# if you happen to need multiple network configurations (ie, laptop users)
# - set to 'menu' to present a menu during boot-up (dialog package required)
# - prefix an entry with a ! to disable it
# Network profiles are found in /etc/network.d
# This now requires the netcfg package
#NETWORKS=(main)
# DAEMONS
# Daemons to start at boot-up (in this order)
# - prefix a daemon with a ! to disable it
# - prefix a daemon with a @ to start it up in the background
DAEMONS=(preload syslog-ng hal wicd @powernowd @laptop-mode @fam @alsa @sensors @readahead-list)
/etc/resolv.conf
# Generated by dhcpcd
# /etc/resolv.conf.head can replace this line
# /etc/resolv.conf.tail can replace this line
Thanks for your help,
Scott
Last edited by ScottArch (2010-02-14 12:30:25)

Answer 1

Hey Scott!
I don't know if it is helpful in any way but I have a similar problem with my desktop PC.
I have two ethernet controllers installed and somtimes I had a Ip address assigned and sometimes I didn't.
One which is connected to the router and a 2nd one I use sporadically to connect additional computers.
The dhcpcd would fail to load even if I followed steps suggested from other forum members.
My temporary fix was to run:
# dhcpcd
manually.
If this helps you might consider adding "dhcpcd" at the end of
/etc/rc.d/network
I know it's not really a fix but it helps me to get a working connection whoch otherwise would fail - or work if lucky but i don't like lucky with network/internet ^^