Troubles with e1000e Networking

[Tobias Brunner]

Hi,

I have a simple HP dc7900 Desktop which I'd like to stage with FAI. This works with the "old" environment on a Lenny server.
Now I'm in the process to upgrade this environment to a Ubuntu Precise Server.

After struggling with many silly bugs in Precise Beta (f.e. NFS does not start correctly https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nfs-utils/+bug/951925, FAI package broken (wrong package configs), ...) and not getting it to copy files over NFS (there seems to be incompatibilities with the NFS client on the live system with the nfs server delivered in Precise) I'd like to get the 3.1.0-grml Kernel running (and hope that NFS works with this Kernel).
Now it does not get past "IP-Config: eth0 hardware address [...]". With Kernel 2.6.32-grml it works. And it even worked with 3.1.0-grml one time, but since then nothing happens anymore. I even changed to a different device, but no change.
The Kernel Module e1000e is loaded during boot...

Has anyone some input for me, how to debug that thing?

And is it possible to have a Ubuntu Live System, rather than the Debian Live System (maybe in the future)?

Thanks a lot!

Cheers,
Tobias