Workaround for some cards and low end switches
==============================================

There is a known problem with some cards and low-end switches where the 
ethernet controller is not able to establish a link (see README). In case 
you are experiencing this problem, try the following:

# Stop networking for e1000
$ /etc/init.d/net.eth0 stop
$ rmmod e1000

# compile e1000 with workaround
$ USE_INCOMPATIBLE_SWITCH="yes" emerge e1000

# load e1000 with parameters limiting its speed
$ echo "alias eth0 e1000" > /etc/modules.d/e1000
$ echo "options e1000 Speed=10 Duplex=2,1" >> /etc/modules.d/e1000
$ update-modules

# Start networking again
$ modprobe e1000
$ /etc/init.d/net.eth0 start

This assumes /etc/conf.d/net is set up correctly and your kernel is 
configured without support for e1000 (neither as module nor compiled in) 
as it is needed for net-misc/e1000 to work. 
eth0 has to be replaced with the adapter you are using. You might need 
different settings for Speed and Duplex.