usb-ethernet adapter not working on OS X 10.8.5 (disconnected)

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usb-ethernet adapter not working on OS X 10.8.5 (disconnected)

Hi,

I just bought a new Macbook Air 11" that comes with OSX 10.8.5 and an Apple USB-Ethernet Adapter, but for my surprise I can't make it work and even after trying most of the things I've found here around. Unfortunately, I need the ethernet adapter to work because it allows me to get a fixed ip address that is necessary to access to the supercluster in the research institution I work.

The exact procedure I followed was:

- Open the box and decided to re-install all of the software and files manually and not to do a migration from my old Macbook Air 11" running 10.7.5, that has an Apple USB-Ethernet Adapter working perfectly. Just to clean some things up.

- Copied all the stuff succesfully including mail configurations, etc.

- Also copied the /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist to the new laptop.

- However, when I connect the usb-ethernet adapter it always seems to be disconnected. I tried the old adapter working in the old laptop and same result, no connection, so it is not a problem of the adapter nor the cable, because it works perfectly on the old laptop.

- I don't have either an android sync program installed, nor Kies, nor iCloud configured that seems to make some troubles... but not my case.

- Did all the system updates possible, but not upgraded to mavericks because I saw that it experiences the same problem.

- Tried third party drivers that seems to solve problems but no success (tried most of the drivers from here: http://www.sustworks.com/site/news_usb_ethernet.html).

I don't know what else to try.

The system information shows this: (with the old adapter connected with live ethernet cable)

<code>

Bus USB 3.0 de alta velocidad:

Ubicación del controlador de servidor: USB integrado

Driver del controlador de servidor: AppleUSBXHCI

ID del dispositivo PCI: 0x9c31

ID de la revisión de PCI: 0x0004

ID del fabricante de PCI: 0x8086

Número de bus: 0x0a

Apple USB Ethernet Adapter:

ID del producto: 0x1402

ID del fabricante: 0x05ac (Apple Inc.)

Versión: 0.01

Número de serie: 148EAF

Velocidad: Hasta 480 Mb/s

Fabricante: Apple Inc.

ID de la ubicación: 0x14200000 / 6

Corriente disponible (mA): 500

Corriente necesaria (mA): 250

Nombre BSD: en1

BRCM20702 Hub:

ID del producto: 0x4500

ID del fabricante: 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.)

Versión: 1.00

Velocidad: Hasta 12 Mb/s

Fabricante: Apple Inc.

ID de la ubicación: 0x14300000 / 1

Corriente disponible (mA): 500

Corriente necesaria (mA): 94

Controlador Bluetooth de servidor USB:

ID del producto: 0x828f

ID del fabricante: 0x05ac (Apple Inc.)

Versión: 0.66

Velocidad: Hasta 12 Mb/s

Fabricante: Apple Inc.

ID de la ubicación: 0x14330000 / 2

Corriente disponible (mA): 500

Corriente necesaria (mA): 0

<\code>

And the dmesg output I get in the new laptop (the one with the adapter not working) is the following:

<code>

AirPort: Link Down on en0. Reason 8 (Disassociated because station leaving).

en0::IO80211Interface::postMessage bssid changed

266.823703: MacAuthEvent en0 Auth result for: 50:cc:f8:8c:b4:68 MAC AUTH succeeded

wlEvent: en0 en0 Link UP virtIf = 0

AirPort: Link Up on en0

en0: BSSID changed to 50:cc:f8:8c:b4:68

en0::IO80211Interface::postMessage bssid changed

AirPort: RSN handshake complete on en0

USB (XHCI Root Hub USB 2.0 Simulation):Port 2 on bus 0xa connected or disconnected: portSC(0xe0206e1)

considerRebuildOfPrelinkedKernel prebuild rebuild has expired

AppleUSBEthernet: - Version number 3.5.0, Input buffers 64, Output buffers 64

AppleUSBEthernet: Ethernet address 28:37:37:02:17:37

<\code>

however, the dmesg output from the old laptop is the following:

<code>

AirPort: Link Down on en0. Reason 8 (Disassociated because station leaving).

IOSurface: buffer allocation size is zero

AppleUSBEthernet::willTerminate - Link down, Device 18457800

Ethernet [AppleUSBEthernet]: Link down on en2

AppleUSBEthernet::disable - Link down, Device 18457800

AppleUSBEthernet(0xffffff806ab83000): - Version number 2.3.4, Input buffers 64, Output buffers 64

AppleUSBEthernet: Ethernet address 28:37:37:02:17:37

en2: attached with 2 suspended link-layer multicast membership(s)

<\code>

Ok, that's as far as I can go alone... I'd really appreciate some help!!! Thanks,

fede.

MacBook Air, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Nov 27, 2013 3:28 PM

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fedesuarez Author

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Nov 29, 2013 1:17 PM in response to fedesuarez

I've found the solution by myself!!! However I'm not sure what was wrong from the very beginning... Maybe what was wrong was to manually copy the /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist file from one computer to the other.

Looking at the dmesg outputs I realized that en0 is asigned to the wifi and en2 was asigned to my old laptop usb-ethernet adapter. Then, looking at the preferences.plist file, en1 is something with bluetooth. So I thought... maybe the new laptop it is getting troubles because I didn't copied another file to assign the adapter to the en2 port (I presume now that this file is /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/NetworkInterfaces.plist, but not checked).

So I did the following:

- I took the new laptop and connected both usb-ethernet adapters with two live cables.

- Incredibly, looking at the System Preferences > Network, it appeard the "cable disconnected" USB Ethernet in the list, but also it automatically created a new USB Ethernet connection as a Plug&Play behavior, but with the "cable connected". However this didn't work before by simply clicking on the "+" to create a new connection (always showed cabled disconnected).

- Erased the old USB Ethernet connection and configured manually all the ip **** in the new one.

- Disconnected both adapters, then connecting only one adapter works with the new automatically created USB Ethernet connection.

Technically speaking... the OS automatically created a new port en3 that is assigned to any of the adapters attached to the new laptop. The dmesg output looks ok and it doesn't show the considerRebuildOfPrelinkedKernel prebuild rebuild has expired message anymore.

I guess that I should erase the preferences.plist and NetworkInterfaces.plist and start again to confirm that the problem was to be lazy and try to copy the configurations from the old laptop to the new one by copying the file and not to write them manually... but well... another day.

Hope it helps somebody else...

ciao,

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