If I was using Token ring I'd string myself up from frustration. Heh. No Token Ring here!

Did you try the Intel 82559/82558 chipsets? They are Cisco's favorite for PIX/IDS :)

Regards

Farrukh

I bought 4 cards, waiting for them to get in.

Are you sure you are talking about the IDS-4230?

The IDS-4230 is very very old, and no longer supported.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/vpndevc/ps4077/prod_eol_notice09186a008032d606.html

If it really is a IDS-4230 then I don't think it is worth your effort to try and add any interfaces.

If instead you mean the IDS-4235 which is a different model, then understand that is also End Of Sale:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/vpndevc/ps5729/ps5713/ps4077/ps4078/prod_end-of-life_notice0900aecd801d74d2.html

Signatures are still supported on it, but only if you have kept your contract (Cisco Service for IPS contract) up to date. If you do not currently have a contract, then it is too late to get one. The last date to get it started under a contract was way back on May 31st, 2006.

So if you don't have already have a contract, then it likely won't be worth your effort to add interfaces. You need the contract to get a license, and you need the license to keep the signatures up to date.

If you actually do have your contract still in effect on an IDS-4235, then there were 2 interface card options, but only one of which is still being sold.

The IDS-4FE-INT= is a 4 FE interface card that can be used in the IDS-4235, and is still being sold by Cisco.

There was also a Single Gbps interface card as well, but that card is no longer being sold by Cisco.

You are limited to just one of these cards at a time in the chassis.

And only these 2 cards are supported. other interface cards will not be recognized by the software.

I do mean the 4230 - this is not for production purposes, its a challenge for myself to get it working.

Hey, so I'm a masochist, so sue me.

Well if it is a challenge you want, then it is definately a challenge you've got. The biggest challenge will just be finding that specific card since it is so old.

The FE card supported back in the IDS-4230s was the SMC 9432TX.

If I remember right it came in 2 varieties. One with WOL and one without.

I am not posititve but I think that only the variety without WOL was supported.

I remember testing and seeing problems when the WOL was added by SMC, but I don't remember if we made software changes to correct the issue in the IPS software or not.

Also only 1 card was supported in the chassis at a time. The software was not able to fully recognize and configure mutltiple cards if I remember right.

Of course, all of this is only pertinent if you are actually going to try and run IDS version 4.x on it.

Howver, if you are like others who just want to load a generic Linux or Windows image on it and use it as a standard PC (not an IDS), then you can probably use almost any NIC that works on that bus and has driver support in whatever Linux (or windows) image you want to run.

Good Luck, let us know how it turns out.

The 4230 only supports only one card in the chassis at a time? Then what are the other PCI slots for? Decoration?

:)