# Where do I get NIC drivers from?



## sysop1911 (Jul 25, 2011)

As per my previous thread, I installed FreeBSD 8.2 on a Dell Optiplex GX620.  I looked up the NIC type on Dell's website.  It's a Broadcom NetXtreme 57xx.  Where do I get these drivers from and how do I install them?  Are they in the ports directory?  I do not have any network connectivity now, obv.  Thanks.


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## fonz (Jul 26, 2011)

`% man -k broadcom`

```
[b]bce(4)                   - Broadcom NetXtreme II (BCM5706/5708/5709/5716) PCI/PCIe Gigabit Ethernet adapter driver[/b]
bcmfw(8)                 - firmware download utility for Broadcom BCM2033 chip based Bluetooth USB devices
bfe(4)                   - Broadcom BCM4401 Ethernet Device Driver
bge(4)                   - Broadcom BCM57xx/BCM590x Gigabit/Fast Ethernet driver
bwi(4)                   - Broadcom BCM43xx IEEE 802.11b/g wireless network driver
bwn(4)                   - Broadcom BCM43xx IEEE 802.11b/g wireless network driver
ubsec(4)                 - Broadcom and BlueSteel uBsec 5x0x crypto accelerator
ubtbcmfw(4)              - Firmware driver for Broadcom BCM2033 chip based Bluetooth USB devices
```
Installation instructions are in the Handbook.

Fonz


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## SirDice (Jul 26, 2011)

Drivers are either already built in or you're out of luck. There's no need to download drivers from a vendor. Most vendors don't even have Linux drivers let alone FreeBSD. Intel being the notable exception.

You may get a non-supported network card working with ndisgen(8) but I haven't heard many success stories.


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## wblock@ (Jul 26, 2011)

There are a few drivers in ports, and some vendors provide their own FreeBSD driver code outside of ports and base.  Mainstream stuff like bce(4) is all in base.


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