General Questions

I use the 1.3b4-version of m0n0wall. Because I had a lot of errors 'watchdog timeout' I switched from realtek LAN cards to original Intel cards. That was a lot better. But...

When I use P2P (Bearshare, Limewire) on one of my computers, this error watchdog timeout - resetting keeps coming, first on the WAN-adapter, then on the LAN-adapter. As soon as I disable the P2P software and reset the M0n0wall, everything runs perfect. The machine I am running M0n0wall on is an Intel Pentium 1000 with a VIA-chipset. I checked the BIOS: plug & play OS is disabled. Has anyone got simular problems? The only thing I read was that this error was due to bad Realtek adapters!Wat is Watchdog anyway? something I can turn off..?

In advance thanks for the help!

which Intel adapters? fxp, em, or dc?

This is common with dc cards. The dc(4) man page says:

     watchdog timeout  A packet was queued for transmission and a trans-
     mit command was issued, but the device failed to acknowledge the trans-
     mission before a timeout expired.  This can happen if the device is
     unable to deliver interrupts for some reason, of if there is a problem
     with the network connection (cable or network equipment) that results in
     a loss of link.

In addition to that, the dc(4) driver seems to be buggy and suffer this for no apparent reason with some cards.

But if it's a fxp or em card, that's a much different story. Should never see that with either of those.

I can't find the types that you named, but they are Intel Pro/1000 GT cards (new ones). This is the link to this product:
http://www.intel.com/network/connectivity/products/pro1000gt_desktop_adapter.htm

Since the internet connection is always stable when I bypass the M0n0wall, I can't imagine there's a problem with cables and the switchbox.

When I read your comment, the most likely possibility is that the mainboard with VIA 694 is the 'bad link'; this chipset isn't as stable as, let's say, an Intel mainboard. Since the M0n0wall is more stable with the Intel cards, but not perfect yet, this could very well be a reason.

Can I adjust the timeout-time somehow? When this doesn't help, I think I'll try another PC (I've got several).

em cards can also experience this, but this is the first I've heard of it happening.

It's likely an interrupt problem the motherboard is somehow causing. A BIOS update or change in BIOS settings may resolve it.

Ok. I have updated the BIOS this morning; so far everything is running stable. I'll keep you informed!

Running stable for 12 days now. Bad BIOS was the problem!

i think that your new bios sorted a IRQ problem 

Probably true. However: I'm convinced that using good hardware, like the embedded systems or an Intel-chipset (and probably Intel-based LAN cards) are the right answer to a lot of problems. And of course the newest BIOS version. I can recommend that to all beginning M0n0wall users!