Linux supports the VIA EPIA boards using the via-rhine driver. The mii driver is optional. This module is included with recent distros and should load automatically.. If it doesn't load, then try these commands:
bash# /sbin/modprobe via-rhine bash# /sbin/modprobe mii
There are several problems to look out for:
Test kernels. Some test versions of the kernel, such as some of the 2.4.23-test and 2.4.22-ac versions, include broken versions of the via-rhine driver. If you plan to build a new kernel you should read the bug reports first.
Insufficient power. Many users have reported that their on-board ethernet ports do not work using stock kernels from VIA supported distributions. This behaviour is almost always due to insufficient power. If the power supply cannot deliver enough power to the EPIA board, the first thing to fail will be the ethernet chip. If you have ethernet problems try using a more powerful power supply. For instance, if you use a 50W or 60W PSU, full size drives and a PCI graphics card, then you will likely experience ethernet problems.
ACPI. Some users report a conflict between the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) driver and the ethernet driver. This problem affects both the on-board ethernet port and any additional ethernet cards used in the PCI slot. There are several ways to avoid this problem. You could boot the kernel with the pci=noacpi, you could booth the kernel with acpi=off, or you could use a kernel with no acpi built in.