[Virtual-pkg-base-maintainers] Bug#499027: static ip setting causes interface flag errors - breaks networking permanently

[gnujoey]

Package: base
Severity: important

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 4.0
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (500, 'stable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell:  /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.18-6-686

After setting a static ip on a machine and re-booting it, the interface
eth0 is not brought up at all.

attempting this command: '# ifup -a' on a reboot produces the following
output:
-------------------
SIOCSIFADDR: No such device
eth0:ERROR while getting interface flags: No such device
SIOCSIFNETMASK: No such device
eth0:ERROR while getting interface flags: No such device
Failed to bring up eth0.
______________________

I rebooted the system twice before this fatal error appeared.The attempt
to set a static ip breaks the system networking as it seems to currupt
one or more device files. Once this error occurs, it cannot be fixed by
simply replacing the interface configuration entries to default DHCP
values.

I now have no workable network interface on the machine that I attempted
to set the static ip address to.