Current version: 1.0.19 1.0.15 (as of 2018-12-10)
Realtek GBE USB
- Gigabit ethernet
- USB hub
- Launch
System Preferences->Network - See
USB 10/100/1000 LAN - https://i.imgur.com/Bm7D0Ld.png (mirror)
- https://i.imgur.com/wcMZFh8.png (mirror)
- Launch
System Information(also known asSystem Profiler) ->Hardware->USB - https://i.imgur.com/NJi9yC4.png (mirror)
- Launch
System Information(also known asSystem Profiler) ->Software->Extensions - https://i.imgur.com/64QCxxS.png (mirror)
- Launch a terminal/shell
ioreg -p IOUSB -w0ioreg -p IOUSB -w0 -l: For more info
+-o Root <class IORegistryEntry, id 0x100000100, retain 14>
+-o Root Hub Simulation Simulation@14000000 <class AppleUSBRootHubDevice, id 0x1000002fa, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (6 ms), retain 13>
+-o USB2.0 Hub @14100000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x1000002fb, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (43 ms), retain 14>
+-o Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad@14400000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x1000002ff, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (96 ms), retain 22>
+-o USB3.0 Hub @14500000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x100000363, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (54 ms), retain 15>
| +-o USB 10/100/1000 LAN@14540000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x100000418, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (73 ms), retain 18>
+-o Bluetooth USB Host Controller@14300000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x1000003d8, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (58 ms), retain 24>
Terminal output snippet from `ioreg -p IOUSB -w0 -l`
+-o USB3.0 Hub @14500000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x100000363, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (54 ms), retain 15>
| | {
| | "sessionID" = 2480892594
| | "iManufacturer" = 1
| | "bNumConfigurations" = 1
| | "idProduct" = 2066
| | "bcdDevice" = 37009
| | "Bus Power Available" = 900
| | "USB Address" = 5
| | "bMaxPacketSize0" = 9
| | "iProduct" = 2
| | "iSerialNumber" = 0
| | "bDeviceClass" = 9
| | "Built-In" = No
| | "locationID" = 340787200
| | "bDeviceSubClass" = 0
| | "bcdUSB" = 768
| | "USB Product Name" = "USB3.0 Hub "
| | "PortNum" = 5
| | "non-removable" = "no"
| | "IOCFPlugInTypes" = {"9dc7b780-9ec0-11d4-a54f-000a27052861"="IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOUSBLib.bundle"}
| | "bDeviceProtocol" = 3
| | "IOUserClientClass" = "IOUSBDeviceUserClientV2"
| | "IOPowerManagement" = {"DevicePowerState"=0,"CurrentPowerState"=3,"CapabilityFlags"=65536,"MaxPowerState"=4,"DriverPowerState"=3}
| | "Device Speed" = 3
| | "USB Vendor Name" = "VIA Labs, Inc. "
| | "idVendor" = 8457
| | "IOGeneralInterest" = "IOCommand is not serializable"
| | "IOClassNameOverride" = "IOUSBDevice"
| | }
| |
| +-o USB 10/100/1000 LAN@14540000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x100000418, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (73 ms), retain 18>
| {
| "sessionID" = 3379212797
| "iManufacturer" = 1
| "bNumConfigurations" = 2
| "idProduct" = 33107
| "bcdDevice" = 12288
| "Bus Power Available" = 900
| "USB Address" = 8
| "bMaxPacketSize0" = 9
| "iProduct" = 2
| "iSerialNumber" = 3
| "bDeviceClass" = 0
| "Built-In" = No
| "locationID" = 341049344
| "bDeviceSubClass" = 0
| "bcdUSB" = 768
| "USB Product Name" = "USB 10/100/1000 LAN"
| "PortNum" = 4
| "non-removable" = "no"
| "IOCFPlugInTypes" = {"9dc7b780-9ec0-11d4-a54f-000a27052861"="IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOUSBLib.bundle"}
| "bDeviceProtocol" = 0
| "IOUserClientClass" = "IOUSBDeviceUserClientV2"
| "IOPowerManagement" = {"ChildrenPowerState"=4,"DevicePowerState"=0,"CurrentPowerState"=4,"CapabilityFlags"=32768,"MaxPowerState"=4,"DriverPowerState"=4}
| "Device Speed" = 3
| "USB Vendor Name" = "Realtek"
| "idVendor" = 3034
| "IOGeneralInterest" = "IOCommand is not serializable"
| "USB Serial Number" = "002427FE48F6"
| "IOClassNameOverride" = "IOUSBDevice"
| }
|
- Launch a terminal/shell
ifconfig
en4: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
options=2b<RXCSUM,TXCSUM,VLAN_HWTAGGING,TSO4>
ether 00:24:27:fe:48:f6
inet 192.168.1.135 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.1.255
media: autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex,flow-control>)
status: active
The driver is located at
/System/Library/Extensions/IONetworkingFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleRTL815X*.kext/Library/Extensions/AppleRTL815X*.kext
Here are the namespaces:
com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XEthernetcom.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XComposite
See http://osxdaily.com/2015/06/24/load-unload-kernel-extensions-mac-os-x/
With normal operation with only the network cable plugged in, I only see com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XEthernet loaded.
# Unload
sudo kextunload /Library/Extensions/AppleRTL815XEthernet109.kext
sudo kextunload /Library/Extensions/AppleRTL815XComposite109.kext
# Load
sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/AppleRTL815XEthernet109.kext
sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/AppleRTL815XComposite109.kext
# Find if loaded
kextstat | grep com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XEthernet
kextstat | grep com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XComposite
Perhaps clear the Kernel cache
sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kext.caches
I got a new USB ethernet adapter because the old one had lots of issues (hence the gist in the first place). But it still uses the same Realtek 8153 chip although am using the native driver though now, AppleUSBECM.kext
In terms of my previous issues, I remember that when I clicked the little lock in the browser to view the cert, it would crash my computer. But the disconnects that required a restart were the bigger issue. (personal reference link)
I'm currently running macOS Mojave 10.14
Final note: the r8153_ecm linux driver is really just a very minor extension to the standard generic linux cdc ecm driver.
That's why it's just 170 lines (and much of that is boilerplate).
If I'm reading it right, it uses the standard ECM driver for everything, except that it uses a vendor extension for MII - which IFIRC is a way to report (and or configure advertised) link speed/duplex (see https://linux.die.net/man/8/mii-tool ).
The normal Linux ECM driver is normally prevented from binding to an 8153 device, so that the more specific driver will be used instead.
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/drivers/net/usb/Kconfig#L637 is pretty crazy.
The lack of a string doc on the tristate line means it is not actually user configurable (there is no build time option to choose whether the driver is enabled or not) - hence the kernel configuration file gets to automatically select whether it should be enabled during build time.
config USB_RTL8153_ECM
tristate
depends on USB_NET_CDCETHER && (USB_RTL8152 || USB_RTL8152=n)
default y
Roughly translates as:
Here stuff gets really finicky.
(you can't have the driver extension be built into the kernel, if the driver it extends isn't built in itself)
It gets worse:
This is because USB_RTL8152 is either Yes or Module or No.
Yes and Module make the first half of the || true, while No makes the second half of the || true.
USB_NET_CDCETHER && (USB_RTL8152 || USB_RTL8152=n)
has the curious property that USB_NET_CDCETHER=y + USB_RTL8152=m results in the 'default y' being demoted to 'm'.
(because we're depending on a module)
Why do this? Because if you build the ECM driver into the kernel, and build the 'better' native 8152 driver as a module, you want to be able to easily load the 8152 driver and have it bind to the device, instead of having the built in driver win. This requires the extension to be a module, even though the thing it extends is builtin.
Basically if both USB_NET_CDCETHER (ie. ECM) and R8153_ECM were builtin, but USB_RTL8152 was a module, the module would never load, since the builtin driver would bind the device when you plug it in.
Linux does provide a way to manually unbind the built-in driver, and manually bind in the other one, but it's a hassle, and better to just make the extension a module.
This probably still isn't ideal... since I'm not sure what determines which of the 2 drivers wins if both are modular... likely it's random (or alphabetical sort order or something)