The kernel did not support my ethernet adapter by default. Downloading the drivers from here (the 2.5G linux driver) and trying to install that resulted in multiple errors about missing packages. These could not be easily installed (I wasn't able to at least). So I figured I should write a step by step guide for others experiencing the same problems as I did.
Step 1: (Download kernel files)
I downloaded the following files in order to upgrade the kernel:
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.9/amd64/linux-headers-5.9.0-050900_5.9.0-050900.202010112230_all.deb
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.9/amd64/linux-headers-5.9.0-050900-generic_5.9.0-050900.202010112230_amd64.deb
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.9/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-5.9.0-050900-generic_5.9.0-050900.202010112230_amd64.deb
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.9/amd64/linux-modules-5.9.0-050900-generic_5.9.0-050900.202010112230_amd64.deb
Then move to a USB drive (remember, we don't have the convenience of internet to do everything for us...)
example folder structure: D:/kernel/
You should have 4 files in the kernel folder on your usb drive.
Step 2: (Mount USB)
- Create a folder for mounting your USB:
$ mkdir /media/usb
- Find USB drive address:
$ lsblk
- Mount USB drive in folder:
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /media/usb
(my USB drive's address was sdb1
)
Step 3: (Install new kernel)
To install:
Move to the kernel folder
$ cd /media/usb/kernel
And install the new kernel:
$ sudo dpkg -i *.deb
Step 4: (find ethernet interface)
If all has gone well as it did for me you should find a new interface when running the following command: $ ip a
For a more detailed guide on this, please refer to this answer
Hope it helped!
Mind you, switching to the HWE stack kernel will severely limit LTE support, as they only come with 6 months worth of security updates.
If ^ this is a problem for you, you could download the missing packages for installing the required driver from realtek, then downgrade the kernel to the standard version and subsequently install the driver from a usb stick now that you have the required packages.