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10/100 PCI Network Interface Cards User Guide

1. Install the NIC in the PC Connect the NIC to the network Install the NIC driver Reboot the PC Windows NT 4 0 1 Install the NIC in the PC 2 Connect the NIC to the network 3 Install the NIC driver 4 Reboot the PC 2 Installing and Connecting the NIC Installing Multiple NICs If you are installing multiple 3Com NICs in a PC or server follow the instructions in Installing Multiple NICs on page 25 Updating the Network Driver and NIC Software If you already have a 3Com NIC installed and want to update the driver and or NIC software follow the instructions in Updating the Network Driver and NIC Software on page 24 Installing From Diskette If your PC does not have a CD ROM drive access a PC that has a CD ROM drive and create installation diskettes from the EtherCD For instructions see Installing From Diskette in Appendix D Running the Preinstallation Program for Windows 95 98 This section applies to Windows 95 and Windows 98 operating systems only If you are running Windows 2000 Windows XP Windows Me or Windows NT 4 0 go to Inserting the NIC in the PC on page 11 to begin the installation Before you physically install the NIC in a Windows 95 or 98 PC run the NIC preinstallation program to properly set up your system environment The preinstallation program prevents conflicts between the NIC and your operating system It guides you through the NIC installatio
2. To connect the SC port 1 Remove the protective cover from the SC connector on the NIC 2 Connect the network cable to the SC connector on the NIC 3 Connect the other end of the cable to an active 100BASE FX Fast Ethernet network port The next step is to install the NIC driver Go to Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows on page 19 or Installing the NetWare Server Driver on page 27 2 Installing and Connecting the NIC ST Port The ST port on the 3C900B FL NIC provides a 10 Mbps fiber based connection only The following table shows the cable requirements and maximum network cable lengths for the ST port Port Cable Required Maximum Network Cable Length ST Short wavelength fiber optic 850 nm m 50 W125 u multimode fiber m 62 5 W125 u multimode fiber Full duplex 2 000 m 6 560 ft Half duplex 412 m 1 351 ft Full duplex 2 000 m 6 560 ft Half duplex 412 m 1 351 ft To connect the ST port 1 Remove the protective covers from the ST connector on the NIC 2 Connect the network cable to the ST connector on the NIC The cable that you use for the 3C900B FL NIC consists of two individual cables You can insert either cable into the transmit 10 and receive RX connectors on the NIC 3 Connect the other end of the network cable to a 10BASE FL Ethernet network hub or switch a Insert the cable that is c
3. Windows XP or Windows 2000 3Com Configuration and Diagnostics program for DOS Configure the NIC locally using the 3Com Configuration and Diagnostics program for DOS 1 Copy the 3C90xcfg exe file from the EtherCD to a diskette 2 Reboot the PC using a DOS bootable diskette 3 Insert the diskette containing the 3C90xcfg exe file in the PC 4 Enter at the DOS prompt a 3c90xcfg exe See the DOSDIAG TXT file located in the HELP directory on the EtherCD for more information Customers running Japanese DOS must switch to U S mode DOS before running this program DOS Windows NT 3 51 Windows 3 x or Windows for Workgroups DMI 2 0s Configure the NIC remotely using the 3Com DMI Agent software See Appendix C Installing the 3Com DMI Agent for more information 3Com DMI Agent and a DMI compatible browser or a network management application that supports DMI 2 0s Changing General NIC Configuration Settings 32 Before you configure the NIC make sure that the m NIC is installed in the PC and is connected to the network m Driver is installed mw 3Com NIC Diagnostics program is installed 1 Open the Windows Start menu 2 Select Programs and then 3Com NIC Utilities 3 Click 3Com NIC Doctor The 3Com NIC Diagnostics General screen appears To change the NIC general configuration settings such as network driver optimization duplex mode and media type Booting From the Network NOTE
4. or Ctrl Alt S keys The correct key to press is usually shown on the screen b Once in the Setup program find the entry for PCI slots and set these parameters as shown in the table below The entry for the PCI slots may be in the main menu or sometimes in advanced system configuration BIOS System Parameters Setting PCI Slot Number Slot where the 3Com PCI NIC is installed 1 3 Master ENABLED Slave ENABLED Latency Timer 40 Interrupt Choose any one of several available interrupts that Setup provides Edge or Level Level Triggered Interrupt NOTE The exact wording of each of the parameters varies from computer to computer Save the changes exit the Setup program and continue with the installation 40 Troubleshooting the Network Connection Troubleshooting the Network Connection If you encounter problems with the NIC or connecting to the network check the table below for troubleshooting tips H CAUTION Before inserting or removing the NIC from the PC turn the PC power off and unplug the power cord Tip Check the NIC installation Description On a Windows 98 95 or NT 4 0 PC make sure that you have run the preinstallation program as described in Running the Preinstallation Program for Windows 95 98 on page 10 This program must be run before installing the NIC in a PC with one of these operating systems Make sure that the NIC is installed correctly in a PCI slot Check for specifi
5. enter the following information into your FTP client m Hostname tp 3com com m Username anonymous m Password lt your Internet e mail address gt NOTE You do not need a user name and password with Web browser software such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer 67 E Technical Support Support from Your Network Supplier If you require additional assistance contact your network supplier Many suppliers are authorized 3Com service partners who are qualified to provide a variety of services including network planning installation hardware maintenance application training and support services When you contact your network supplier for assistance have the following information ready m Product model name part number and serial number m A list of system hardware and software including revision levels m Diagnostic error messages m Details about recent configuration changes if applicable If you are unable to contact your network supplier see the following section on how to contact 3Com Support from 3Com 68 If you are unable to obtain assistance from the 3Com online technical resources or from your network supplier 3Com offers technical telephone support services To find out more about your support options call the 3Com technical telephone support phone number at the location nearest you When you contact 3Com for assistance have the following information ready m Product model name part number
6. make sure that you have two blank formatted diskettes Label the diskettes EtherDisk 1 and EtherDisk 2 m EtherDisk 1 contains a NDIS 3 4 5 drivers a NetWare server drivers a Windows for Workgroup drivers NIC preinstallation program a README TXT file m EtherDisk 2 contains a NDIS 2 driver a PACKET driver a Help text files a DOS utilities To create installation diskettes from the EtherCD 1 Turn on the power to the PC and start Windows 2 Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive The EtherCD Welcome screen appears If the EtherCD Welcome screen does not appear enter the following command from the Run option of the Windows Start menu d installs setup exe where d represents the letter name of the CD ROM drive Click NIC Software Click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics Click Installation Utilities ao uk W Click Create Installation Diskettes The EtherCD Diskette Creation Utility Welcome screen appears 65 D Installing From Diskette 7 Click Next 8 Insert the blank formatted diskette labeled EtherDisk 1 in the PC and then click Next Files are copied 9 Remove the disk and insert the disk labeled FtherDisk 2 when prompted and then click OK Files are copied The diskette creation is complete NOTE For instructions on using the installation diskettes to install the network driver refer to the text file for your operating system in the HELP directory on the EtherCD 66 Technical Support 3Com provi
7. the same for all the PCs on your network Computer Description Displays additional details to other users on the network about this PC For example you could specify that the PC has a printer attached Filling in this field is optional Follow the prompts on the screen to continue the installation If you are prompted to restart the PC click Yes You must restart the PC to complete the installation il NOTE After Windows restarts double click the Network icon in the Windows 20 Control Panel and make sure that the correct configuration settings are selected for your network environment Contact your system administrator for assistance The installation is complete Go to Verifying Successful Installation on page 22 to confirm that the NIC is installed properly Windows NT 4 0 Windows NT 4 0 Installing the Driver in Windows 98 To install the network driver and NIC software 1 Turn on the power to the PC The operating system detects the NIC The Insert Disk dialog box appears prompting you to insert the EtherCD NOTE If the Add New Hardware Wizard starts the NIC preinstallation program was not run on the PC You can follow the prompts on the screen to install the network driver only For instructions see the WIN98 TXT file located in the HELP directory on the EtherCD 2 Make sure that the EtherCD is inserted in the CD ROM drive 3 Click OK 4 Open the pull down menu and select c windows options cabs 5 C
8. 17309 0800 113153 0800 917959 0800 1821502 00800 12813 1800553117 1800 9453794 1678 79489 0800 0227788 800 11376 00800 3111206 0800 831416 0800 995014 900 983125 020 795482 0800 55 3072 0800 966197 1 800 527 8677 65 543 6348 31 30 6029999 none none select option 2 and none none Numerics 10 LNK LED 46 picture of 2 troubleshooting with 45 46 100 LNK LED 46 picture of 2 troubleshooting with 46 100BASE FX cable requirements 17 ink LED 46 100BASE TX cable requirements 14 ink LED 2 operation 55 100Mbps link LED 46 10BASE2 cable requirements 15 ink LED 46 10BASE5 cable requirements 16 ink LED 46 10BASE FL cable requirements 18 ink LED 5 10BASE T cable requirements 14 ink LED 2 operation 55 10Mbps link LED 46 3C900B COMBO NIC features 5 picture of 5 specifications 53 3C900B FL NIC features 5 picture of 5 specifications 53 3C900B TPO NIC features 5 picture of 5 specifications 53 3C905B COMBO NIC features 4 picture of 3 specifications 52 3C905B FX NIC features 4 picture of 4 specifications 52 3C905B TX NIC features 4 picture of 3 specifications 52 Index 3C905B TX M NIC eatures 4 picture of 3 specifications 52 3C905B TX NM NIC eatures 4 picture of 3 specifications 52 3C905C TX NIC eatures 2 picture of 2 specifications 51 3C905CX NIC eatures 2 picture of 2 specifications 51 3C90XC LAN file 27 3Com Configuration and Diagnosti
9. 650 mA maximum Network Interface 10 Mbps Ethernet 10BASE T Ethernet IEEE 802 3 industry standard for a 10 MBPS baseband CSMA CD local area network continued 53 A Specifications and Cabling Requirements Environment Operating temperature Storage temperature Operating humidity Storage humidity Altitude 32 to 158 F 0 to 70 C 22 to 194 F 30 to 90 C 10 to 90 noncondensing 10 to 90 noncondensing 984 ft to 9 840 ft 300 to 3 000 m Standards Conformance m IEEE 803 3x flow control m Microsoft PC98 m PCI2 1 a DMI2 0s Cabling Requirements 54 The cable quality distance and connectors must comply with the Electronic Industries Association Telecommunications Industries Association EIA TIA 568 Commercial Building Wiring Standard and the Technical Services Bulletin TSB38 standards Twisted Pair Cable Twisted pair cable consists of copper wires surrounded by an insulator Two wires are twisted together the twisting prevents interference problems to form a pair and the pair forms a circuit that can transmit data A cable is a bundle of one or more twisted pairs surrounded by an insulator Unshielded twisted pair UTP is the most commonly used type of twisted pair cable Shielded twisted pair STP provides protection against crosstalk Twisted pair cable is now commonly used in Ethernet Fast Ethernet and other network topologies The EIA TIA defines five c
10. EtherCD for instructions To run the NIC Test or Network Test 1 Make sure that the NIC the driver and the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program are installed 2 Open the Windows Start menu 3 Select Programs and then 3Com NIC Utilities 4 Click 3Com NIC Doctor The 3Com NIC Diagnostics General screen appears NOTE Click Help to obtain general information about the function of a screen To obtain specific information about any topic on a screen click the question mark in the upper right corner of the screen move it over a topic and click once 5 Click the Diagnostics tab The Diagnostics screen appears Network Test Run the Network Test to check the NIC connectivity to the network Do not remove the network cable while the Network Test is running 1 Click Run Network Test on the Diagnostics screen The Network Connectivity Test screen appears 2 Click Start If the test passes the NIC connection to the network is functioning correctly 3 Click Close If the test fails make sure that the NIC is properly connected to the network cable a Hub or switch to which the NIC is connected is powered on a Cable complies with the proper length and specifications for your network 47 7 Running NIC Diagnostics NIC Test Run the NIC Test to check the physical components connectors and circuitry on the NIC 1 Click Run NIC Test on the Diagnostics screen The NIC Test screen appears Click Perform NIC Test While
11. PC manufacturer for information about safe service techniques 1 Make sure that the NIC is properly installed in a PCI slot 2 Insert the Remote Wake Up cable into the Remote Wake Up connector on the NIC Twist the cable twice before attaching the cable to the PC 3 Attach the other end of the cable to the connector on the PC motherboard Refer to your PC documentation if you need help locating the connector 4 Replace the PC cover and plug in the power cord Do not turn on the power to the PC The next step is to connect the NIC to the network Go to the next section Connecting the NIC to the Network Remote Wake Up connector 2 Installing and Connecting the NIC Connecting the NIC to the Network Follow the procedure for the port that matches your NIC and your network environment RJ 45 Port On the 3C905CX TX M 3C905C TX M and 3C905B NICs the RJ 45 port provides a 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps connection automatically depending on the speed of the connected hub or switch On the 3C900B NIC the RJ 45 port provides a 10 Mbps connection only The following table shows the cable requirements and maximum network cable lengths for the RJ 45 port Network Environment Cable Required Maximum Cable Length 10 Mbps 10BASE T Category 3 4 or 5 unshielded 100 m 328 ft twisted pair 100 Mbps 100BASE TX Category 5 unshielded twisted pair 100 m 328 ft To
12. m Access a list of frequently asked questions as well as the 3Com Knowledgebase System Requirements To install and use the 3Com Connection Assistant requires m Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows Me Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4 0 m Internet Explorer version 4 0 or later or Netscape Navigator version 4 06 or later m Microsoft Java Virtual Machine JVM Refer to your PC documentation if you are unsure whether your PC is a Microsoft Java Virtual Machine JVM NOTE The 3Com Connection Assistant is currently not supported in Windows XP Check the 3Com Web site for support updates Installation 1 Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive The EtherCD Welcome screen appears If the EtherCD Welcome screen does not appear enter the following command from the Run option of the Windows Start menu d setup exe where d represents the letter name of the CD ROM drive 2 Click NIC Software 37 6 Troubleshooting the NIC 3 4 5 Click 3Com Connection Assistant Click Install 3Com Connection Assistant Follow the prompts on the screen A 3Com Connection Assistant icon appears on your Windows desktop Double click the icon to start the program For help on using the 3Com Connection Assistant refer to the online help included with the software Accessing 3Com Support Databases In addition to the 3Com support databases listed in this section refer to the README TXT and the Help text files located in the HELP directory on the Ether
13. monitoring RMON and v Vv v Vv Vv RMON2 a Efficient multicast control Vv v Vv v Vv a A boot ROM with MBA software can be purchased separately for use with the 3C905B TX 3C905B TX NM 3C905B COMBO and 3C905B FX NICs 3C900B NICs 3C900B NICs The 3C900B NICs connect your PCI compliant PC to a 10 Mbps Ethernet network The 3C900B NICs support the following desktop and network management features 3C900B COMBO Remote Wake Up 3C900B FL only 3Com Connection Assistant Software DynamicAccess LAN Agent for traffic prioritization and remote monitoring RMON and RMON2 Desktop Management Interface DMI 2 0s Boot ROM socket Boot ROM socket 3C900B TPO 3C900B FL The following table outlines the features of the 3C900B NICs a Remote Wake Up connector 3C900B NIC Model Features Supported COMBO TPO FL m RJ 45 connector for 10BASE T 10 Mbps only Vv Y m AUI and BNC connectors for 10BASE5 and 10BASE2 Vv m ST connector for 100BASE FL v m Remote Wake Up v m 3Com Connection Assistant Software v v v a DMI2 0s Y v v m Boot ROM socket v v v Traffic prioritization v Y v m Remote monitoring RMON and RMON2 Vv Y Vv m Efficient multicast control v v v a A boot ROM with MBA software can be purchased separately for use with the 3C900B NICs 1 Learning About the NICs Remote Wake Up Remote Wake Up is the ability to remotely power on a PC for afte
14. universal way to use currently available management applications to remotely a Install and configure a PC that has never been connected to the network Upgrade software Configure or reconfigure multiple systems simultaneously Scan for viruses Back up hard drives and perform disaster recovery tasks MBA includes the Preboot Execution Environment PXE protocol the industry standard for network booting and a component of the Wired for Management 2 0 specification Previously available only on a boot ROM on the NIC the MBA software is now available on the EtherCD where it can be used as a bootable CD When you boot the PC with the EtherCD MBA uses the NIC to do a network boot allowing the PC to be managed in the preboot stage The bootable EtherCD feature supports most 3Com PCI NICs LAN CardBus PC cards Mini PCI cards and USB Ethernet adapters 3Com Connection Assistant Using the MBA software on the EtherCD to boot the PC m Eliminates the need to change PC or NIC specific settings m Allows a user with an older version of MBA or PXE embedded in his or her system BIOS to get up and running with the latest version of MBA without waiting for a PC manufacturer s update m Enables a PC with a LAN CardBus PC card that does not contain a boot ROM or with a BIOS that does not enable the CardBus when the PC is booting to boot from the network This includes PCs with USB but lacking a NIC a The installed base of legacy 3Com 3C5
15. 09 B ISA NICs For information on configuring the MBA to boot from the network see Booting From the Network on page 33 3Com Connection Assistant The 3Com Connection Assistant is an optional Web based software component that allows users access to a variety of interactive technical support services These services can help you m Fix NIC installation problems m Fix network connection problems m Download the latest NIC drivers m Access a list of frequently asked questions as well as the 3Com Knowledgebase Depending on your network connection you can obtain self service support or assisted service support via the Web m Self service support installed with the 3Com Connection Assistant software The self service support can detect and analyze installed NIC s and then run diagnostics tests that check for NIC functionality and network connectivity If either test fails step by step solutions appear informing users how to correct the problem m Assisted service support iinks you directly with 3Com support analysts where you can receive answers to your support questions as well as help with diagnosing and fixing NIC problems The assisted service support can capture information about your NIC and your system and then use that information to automatically correct your NIC problem The assisted service support is available only with an active Internet connection The 3Com Connection Assistant can be installed after you install
16. 3COM User Guide 10 100 PCI Network Interface Cards 3C905CX For Complete PC Management 3C905C For Complete PC Management 3C905B 3C900B http www 3com com http www 3com com productreg Published September 2001 User guide version 5 4 0 3Com Corporation 5400 Bayfront Plaza Santa Clara California 95052 8145 U S A Copyright 2001 3Com Corporation All rights reserved No part of this documentation may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative work such as translation transformation or adaptation without written permission from 3Com Corporation 3Com Corporation reserves the right to revise this documentation and to make changes in content from time to time without obligation on the part of 3Com Corporation to provide notification of such revision or change 3Com Corporation provides this documentation without warranty term or condition of any kind either implied or expressed including but not limited to the implied warranties terms or conditions of merchantability satisfactory quality and fitness for a particular purpose 3Com may make improvements or changes in the product s and or the program s described in this documentation at any time If there is any software on removable media described in this documentation it is furnished under a license agreement included with the product as a separate document in the hard copy documentation or on the removable media in a directory f
17. 7 cm 3C905C TX M Height 3 00 in 7 62 cm Length 5 85 in 14 86 cm 5 V 5 375 mA maximum 3 3 V 5 375 mA maximum 3 3 V 20mA maximum in sleep state with RWU disabled 3 3 V Aux for RWU supplied over PCI 2 2 compliant PCI bus Network Interface 10 Mbps Ethernet 10BASE T 100 Mbps Ethernet 100BASE TX Ethernet IEEE 802 3 industry standard for a 10 Mbps baseband CSMA CD local area network Ethernet IEEE 802 3u industry standard for a 100 Mbps baseband CSMA CD local area network Environment Operating temperature Storage temperature Operating humidity Storage humidity Altitude 32 to 158 F 0 to 70 C 22 to 194 F 30 to 90 C 10 to 90 noncondensing 10 to 90 noncondensing 984 ft to 9 840 ft 300 to 3 000 m continued 51 A _ Specifications and Cabling Requirements Standards Conformance EEE 802 3 10BASE T EEE 802 3u 100BASE TX EEE 802 3x Full Duplex auto negotiation and flow control NWay 10 100 auto negotiation EEE 802 1p Q EEE 802 3x RMON 1 RMON 2 Microsoft PC99 Microsoft PC2001 PCI 2 2 DMI 2 0s ACPI ASF specification Wired for Management WfM 1 1a 2 0 including PXE 2 0 and BIS SMBus 2 2 Pre OS boot protocol support PXE BootP DHCP NCP RPL 3C905B NICs Specifications Hardware Bus interface PCI Local Bus Specification Revision 2 1 32 bit bus PCI master Supports bus master scatter gather DMAs Dim
18. 800 8 79489 0800 3625 0800 0227788 800 11376 00800 3111206 0800 831416 0800 995014 900 983125 020 795482 0800 55 3072 0800 966197 Latin America Brazil Mexico Puerto Rico Central and South America 0800 13 3266 01 800 849CARE 800 666 5065 AT amp T 800 998 2112 North America 1 800 527 8677 69 E Technical Support Returning Products for Repair Before you send a product directly to 3Com for repair you must first obtain an authorization number Products sent to 3Com without authorization numbers will be 70 returned to the sender unopened at the sender s expense To obtain an authorization number call or fax Country Telephone Number Fax Number Asia Pacific Rim Europe South Africa and Middle East Central and South America Argentina Bolivia Brazil Caribbean Chile Colombia Ecuador Mexico Paraguay Peru Uruguay Venezuela From the following countries you may call the toll free numbers then option 2 Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Hungary Ireland Israel Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland U K U S A and Canada 65 543 6500 31 30 6029900 525 201 0075 0810 222 3266 511 241 1691 0800 133266 or 55 11 5643 2700 525 201 0004 562 240 6200 525 201 0004 525 201 0004 525 201 0004 525 201 0004 511 241 1691 525 201 0004 525 201 0004 0800 297468 0800 71429 800
19. CD for troubleshooting information 38 Knowledgebase To access a database of technical information that can help you diagnose and solve NIC installation configuration and upgrade problems go to http knowledgebase 3com com NIC Help System To access the 3Com NIC Help system 1 Make sure that the NIC its driver and the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program are installed See Installing the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program on page 23 for instructions 2 Open the Windows Start menu 3 Select Programs and then 3Com NIC Utilities 4 Select 3Com NIC Doctor Help 5 The main Help screen appears Click Help Topics to display a list of Help topics or click Find to search for a Help topic Release Notes and Frequently Asked Questions To access release notes and frequently asked questions about the NIC 1 Make sure that the NIC its driver and the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program are installed See Installing the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program on page 23 for instructions 2 Open the Windows Start menu 3 Select Programs and then 3Com NIC Utilities 4 Click 3Com MC Doctor The 3Com NIC Diagnostics General screen appears Click the Support tab The Support screen appears Troubleshooting the NIC Installation 6 Click Support Databases to display customer support databases about the NIC in three categories a Release notes Display tips about installing and using the NIC a Frequently asked questions Display
20. Click Help to obtain general information about the function of a screen To obtain specific information about any topic on a screen click the question mark in the upper right corner of the screen move it over a topic and click once 4 If your PC has more than one NIC installed open the Network Interface Card NIC list box and select the NIC to be configured 5 Click the Configuration tab The Configuration screen appears 6 Under Network Parameter select the setting to be changed For a description of each setting click the question mark in the upper right corner of the screen move it over a setting and click once 7 Open the Set Value list box and select a new value from the list of available options Repeat the process to change any other configuration setting To undo changes and return the settings to their previous values click Undo Changes To return the settings to the factory default settings click Set Factory Defaults 8 Click OK to save the changes and exit the program Booting From the Network This section explains how to use the Managed PC Boot Agent MBA to boot from the network NOTE For detailed information on using configuring and troubleshooting the MBA refer to the Managed PC Boot Agent User Guide located with the MBA software on the EtherCD The MBA allows the PC to boot from the server rather than from its local hard drive Previously available only on a boot ROM on the NIC the MBA software is
21. NIC you can view LEDs in the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program 1 Make sure that the NIC the driver and the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program are installed 2 Open the Windows Start menu 3 Select Programs 3Com NIC Utilities and then 3Com NIC Doctor The 3Com NIC Diagnostics General screen appears and displays the following LEDs 46 Link lights if there is a valid connection between the NIC and the network The color denotes link speed Yellow 10 Mbps Green 100 Mbps Transmit lights if the NIC is transmitting information Receive lights if the NIC is receiving information Duplex indicates if the NIC is transmitting data across the network in half duplex mode half the LED lights or in full duplex mode the entire LED lights Running the NIC Diagnostics Tests Troubleshooting with the LEDs If a link LNK LED indicates a problem ensure that 1 Your network hub or switch and the cable connecting to your NIC comply with the specifications appropriate for your network connection 2 The hub or switch is powered on Running the NIC Diagnostics Tests The 3Com NIC Diagnostics program for Windows contains tests that can check the status of the following items m Network a NIC NOTE To run NIC diagnostic tests on a PC running DOS Windows NT 3 51 Windows 3 x or Windows for Workgroups use the 3Com Configuration and Diagnostics program for DOS Refer to the DOSDIAG TXT file located in the HELP directory on the
22. R subdirectory on the EtherCD to the server s hard drive 2 Boot the server and launch the Install program 3 Edit the AUTOEXEC NCF file to add the following line assuming the server start directory is C NWSERVER where the LAN drivers and NLM files were copied LOAD C NWSERVER 3C90XC LAN SLOT lt slotnumber gt The lt slotnumber gt variable is the hexadecimal slot number of the PCI NIC This address can be obtained by issuing a load command where the driver identifies the slot numbers Pressing the Esc key prevents loading of the driver Because of the Novell scheme for identifying PCI slots it is not possible for 3Com to pre identify the slot number See Verifying the PCI Slot Number on page 29 for instructions on obtaining this number Installing the Server Driver Installing Multiple NICs To support more than one NIC in a NetWare server change the AUTOEXEC NCF file to the following format load C NWSERVER 3C90XC LAN slot lt slotl1 gt NAME lt namel gt FRAME lt frametypel gt bind ipx to lt namel gt net lt netl gt load C NWSERVER 3C90XC LAN slot lt slot2 gt NAME lt name2 gt FRAME lt frametype2 gt bind ipx to lt name2 gt net lt net2 gt The values lt slot1 gt and lt slot2 gt are the numbers of the PCI slots in which the NICs are physically installed To view the numbers of these PCI slots use the 3Com Configuration and Diagnostic program for DOS See Verifying the PCI Slot Number on p
23. Select Network Adapter dialog box appears 21 3 Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows 5 Click Have Disk The Insert Disk dialog box appears 6 Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive 7 Make sure that the letter name of the CD ROM drive for example d appears in the entry box and then click OK The Select OEM Option dialog box appears 8 Make sure that the 3Com EtherLink PCI NIC is selected and then click OK The Adapters tab of the Network screen appears 9 Click Close If the Microsoft TCP IP Properties screen appears enter the requested information for your network environment Consult your system administrator or refer to the Windows NT documentation for assistance If the Microsoft TCP IP Properties screen does not appear the installation is complete 10 Click Yes to restart the PC The network driver installation is complete Go to the next section Verifying Successful Installation to confirm that the NIC is installed properly Verifying Successful Installation Follow the steps for your operating system Windows XP and Windows 2000 To verify successful NIC installation 1 Right click the My Computer icon and then click Properties 2 Select the Hardware tab and then click Device Manager in the middle panel 3 Double click Network Adapters and make sure that the name of the 3Com EtherLink NIC appears If a red X or a yellow exclamation point appears by the name of the NIC the inst
24. Up a Failed Installation on page 39 for instructions Check the 3Com support databases Review the known problems and solutions found in the following areas 3Com Knowledgebase m 3Com NIC Help system m Release Notes and Frequently Asked Questions See Accessing 3Com Support Databases on page 38 for instructions on using these databases Troubleshooting Remote Wake Up If your PC does not boot in response to a Remote Wake Up event perform these troubleshooting steps 1 Make sure that the PC meets the Remote Wake Up requirements listed in Chapter 1 2 Make sure that you are using the latest driver for the NIC This driver is shipped with the NIC on the EtherCD It can also be downloaded from http Awww 3com com 41 6 Troubleshooting the NIC 3 Check the PC BIOS a Boot the PC and enter the BIOS If you do not know how to enter the BIOS refer to the reference manual for your PC or consult your PC vendor b Locate the Wake Up on LAN event setting c Verify that the setting is enabled 4 Check the Remote Wake Up cable connection il NOTE If you have a 3C905C TX M NIC and your PC is compliant with PCI 2 2 the Remote Wake Up cable is not required Remote Wake Up is automatically enabled through the PCI bus a Turn off the power to the PC and remove the PC cover b Make sure that the Remote Wake Up cable is plugged into the RWU connector on the NIC and into the appropriate connector on the PC mo
25. Windows Me 19 Windows NT 4 0 21 Windows XP 19 installing multiple NICs NetWare server 29 Windows 25 K keep alive packet workgroup 8 Knowledgebase topics accessing through diagnostics program 39 accessing through Web site 38 L late collisions viewing 48 LEDs description 45 picture of 1 2 troubleshooting 47 viewing 45 46 viewing in Diagnostics program 46 Link LED viewing 46 link speed viewing 49 logo 3Com disabling 35 M Managed PC Boot Agent MBA software overview 33 using on the EtherCD 33 using on the NIC boot ROM 34 media type configuring 32 default setting 31 multiple collisions viewing 48 multiple NIC installations NetWare server 29 Windows 25 N NetWare NLMs 27 server driver 27 Netware Loadable Modules NLMs 27 network activity verifying 48 49 booting 33 cable maximum length 15 16 17 18 connecting to 14 connection testing 47 connection troubleshooting 41 statistics viewing 48 test running 47 network driver optimization configuring 32 default setting 31 description 31 network supplier support 68 NIC diagnostic tests 47 driver installation 27 driver removing 43 test running 48 Novell NetWare server driver installing 27 O online Help 38 online Knowledgebase 38 online technical services 67 P packets viewing 48 49 PC requirements 9 PCI slot identifying 11 pin assignments 55 preinstallation program running 10 R Receive LED viewing 46 receive over
26. a Type Determines the type of media your network is using a Auto Select a Auto Select allows the NIC to automatically select the Media Type m 10BASE T 10Mb s for you m 100BASE TX 100Mb s m If you set the NIC Duplex setting to Auto Select the Media Type is AUI automatically set to Auto Select m f you set the NIC Duplex setting manually you must set the Media E DNS Type setting manually m 100BASE FX m 10BASE FL 31 5 Configuring the NIC Configuration Methods The NIC can be configured using any of the methods listed in the table below NOTE This chapter describes how to configure the NIC using the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program for Windows For instructions on using the other methods see the file or section mentioned in the table Method Description Requirement s 3Com NIC Diagnostics program for Windows Configure the NIC locally using the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program for Windows 1 Make sure that the 3Com NIC diagnostics program is installed See Installing the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program on page 23 for instructions 2 Open the Windows Start menu 3 Select Programs and then 3Com NIC Utilities 4 Click 3Com NIC Doctor Windows 2000 Windows XP Windows Me Windows 98 Windows 95 or Windows NT 4 0 Advanced tab in the Windows Device Manager Configure the NIC locally using the Advanced tab in the Windows Device Manager Refer to your Windows documentation for instructions
27. able 15 traffic prioritization configuring 59 overview 8 transmit deferrals viewing 48 Transmit LED viewing 46 transmit underruns viewing 48 troubleshooting 10 LNK LED 46 ACT activity LED 45 cable 41 cleaning up a failed installation 39 error messages 39 LEDs 47 MBA boot ROM 33 network connection 41 NIC installation 39 Remote Wake Up 41 twisted pair cable description 54 U uninstalling the NIC 43 unshielded twisted pair UTP cable 14 54 updating network driver 24 NIC diagnostic program 24 V verifying successful installation 22 Windows 2000 installing driver 19 installing multiple NICs 25 removing NIC software 43 verifying installation 22 ndows 95 installing driver 20 installing multiple NICs 25 removing NIC software 43 verifying installation 22 ndows 98 installing driver 21 installing multiple NICs 25 removing NIC software 43 verifying installation 22 Windows Me installing driver 19 installing multiple NICs 25 verifying installation 22 ndows NT 4 0 installing driver 21 multiple NIC installations 26 removing NIC software 44 verifying installation 23 Windows system tray 3Com icon 48 Windows XP installing driver 19 installing multiple NICs 25 removing NIC software 43 verifying installation 22 workgroup keep alive packet 8 World Wide Web WWW 67 Wi Wi Wi Y yellow exclamation point in Windows Device Manager 39 73
28. age 29 for instructions The values lt name1 gt and lt name2 gt are unique names assigned to each NIC by your system administrator The values lt name1 gt and lt name 2 gt must be different The frame parameters lt frametype1 gt and lt frametype2 gt can be one of the following m Ethernet_802 2 m Ethernet_802 3 a Ethernet_ll m Ethernet_SNAP Make sure that the frametype for the server and the workstation is the same For example if the server uses Ethernet_802 2 the workstation must also use Ethernet_802 2 The values lt net1 gt and lt net2 gt are unique numbers assigned by the system administrator to each NIC Make sure that lt net1 gt and lt net2 gt are different numbers Refer to the appropriate Novell NetWare manuals for further information Verifying the PCI Slot Number To verify the PCI slot number in which a NIC is installed 1 Boot the NetWare server with the na option This boot prevents the AUTOEXEC NCF file from loading For example enter server na 2 Issue the load command for the NIC LAN driver without a slot parameter For example enter load c nwserver 3C90XC LAN 3 NetWare lists the valid slot number s for the NIC depending on how many NICs are installed The values appearing in the list are the slot values that you should use 29 Configuring the NIC This chapter describes how to configure the NIC NOTE Before you change the NIC configuration settings consult your system administra
29. allation was not successful See Troubleshooting the NIC Installation on page 39 for troubleshooting help Windows Me Windows 98 and Windows 95 To verify successful NIC installation 1 Right click the My Computer icon and then click Properties 2 Select the Device Manager tab 3 Double click Network adapters and make sure that the name of the 3Com EtherLink NIC appears If a red X or a yellow exclamation point appears by the name of the NIC the installation was not successful See Troubleshooting the NIC Installation on page 39 for troubleshooting help 22 Installing the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program Windows NT 4 0 To verify successful NIC installation 1 Double click the My Computer icon then the Control Panel icon and then the Network icon 2 Select the Adapters tab 3 Make sure that the name of the NIC appears in the list of network adapters If the name of the NIC does not appear in the list of network adapters the installation was not successful See Troubleshooting the NIC Installation on page 39 for troubleshooting help Installing the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program If you installed the driver only and at a later time want to install the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program you must run the Update NIC Driver program on the EtherCD The 3Com NIC Diagnostics program allows you to run tests that determine the status of your network and the NIC It also allows you to configure the NIC view network st
30. an be accessed on the EtherCD 59 Installing the 3Com DMI Agent This appendix explains how to install the 3Com Desktop Management Interface DMI Agent on your PC The 3Com DMI Agent allows any DMI compatible browser or network management application that supports DMI 2 0s to remotely manage and configure advanced features of the NIC NOTE For detailed information on the 3Com DMI Agent refer to the 3Com DMI Agent User Guide included with the 3Com DMI Agent software on the EtherCD For more information on DMI go to http www 3com com About the 3Com DMI Agent The 3Com DMI Agent allows you to obtain basic NIC information including m Node address m MAC address m Driver version Additionally depending on the features of your NIC the 3Com DMI Agent allows you to view and configure advanced NIC features including m Managed PC Boot Agent MBA software m Remote Wake Up events m Remote system alerts Each PC that contains a 3Com NIC and the 3Com DMI Agent generates a Management Information Format MIF file that contains information about the PC and the NIC DMI applications use the information from the MIF to manage the PC and the NIC The content of the MIF is based on the capabilities of the NIC driver found in the PC For example if a NIC with an MBA boot ROM is found all groups related to the boot ROM are included in the MIF for that particular NIC This ensures that the network management application does not receive irr
31. and serial number m A list of system hardware and software including revision levels m Diagnostic error messages m Details about recent configuration changes if applicable Here is a list of worldwide technical telephone support numbers These numbers are correct at the time of publication Refer to the 3Com Web site for updated information Country Telephone Number Asia Pacific Rim Australia 1 800 678 515 Hong Kong 800 933 486 India 61 2 9937 5085 or 000800 6501111 Indonesia 001 800 61 009 Japan 03 5783 1270 Malaysia 1800 801 777 New Zealand 0800 446 398 Pakistan 61 2 9937 5083 Philippines 1235 61 266 2602 P R of China 10800 61 00137 or 021 6350 1590 or 00800 0638 3266 Singapore 800 6161 463 S Korea 82 2 3455 6455 From anywhere in S Korea 00798 611 2230 From Seoul 00798 611 2230 Taiwan R O C 0080 611 261 Thailand 001 800 611 2000 continued Support from 3Com Country Telephone Number Europe Middle East and Africa From anywhere in these regions call Europe and South Africa From the following countries you may use Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Hungary Ireland Israel Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland U K 44 0 1442 435529 phone 44 0 1442 436722 fax he toll free numbers 0800 297468 0800 71429 800 17309 0800 113153 0800 917959 0800 1821502 06800 12813 1800 553117 1800 9453794
32. ategories of unshielded twisted pair cable Category Use 1 Traditional telephone cable 2 Data transmission up to 4 MHz 3 Voice and data transmission up to 25 MHz The cable typically has four pairs of wires Category 3 is the most common type of installed cable found in older corporate wiring schemes 4 Voice and data transmission up to 33 MHz The cable normally has four pairs of wire This grade of UTP is not common 5 Voice and data transmission up to 125 MHz The cable normally has four pairs of copper wire and three twists per foot Category 5 UTP is the most popular cable used in new installations today RJ 45 Connector Pin Assignments 10BASE T Operation 10BASE T is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE 802 3 standard for Ethernet signaling over unshielded twisted pair wire at 10 Mbps Ethernet as the most widely used network protocol uses 10BASE T as its primary cabling scheme Ethernet characteristics include a m Data rate of 10 Mbps m Broadcast architecture m Specific media access control MAC scheme The 10BASE T name indicates a signaling speed of 10 Mbps and twisted pair wiring Base stands for baseband which denotes a technique for transmitting signals as direct current pulses rather than modulating them onto separate carrier frequencies A wiring topology using 10BASE T specifies a wiring hub cable arranged in a star configuration and unshielded twisted pair cable Each
33. atistics and LEDs and access support databases NOTE When you install the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program the network driver is automatically updated to the latest version on the EtherCD To install the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program 1 Turn on the power to the PC and start Windows 2 Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive The EtherCD Welcome screen appears If the EtherCD Welcome screen does not appear enter the following command from the Run option of the Windows Start menu d installs setup exe where d represents the letter name of the CD ROM drive Click NIC Software Click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics Click Update NIC Driver Click Update Drivers and Diagnostic Program Follow the prompts on the screen and then exit the EtherCD when the update is complete on OU BP W Restart Windows The installation is complete To start the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program 1 Open the Windows Start menu 2 Select Programs and then 3Com NIC Utilities 3 Click 3Com NIC Doctor For instructions on using the program see Running the NIC Diagnostics Tests on page 47 23 3 Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows Updating the Network Driver and NIC Software The latest 3Com drivers can be downloaded from 24 http www 3com com Using Diskettes To update the driver using diskettes that were downloaded from the Web or that were created using the EtherCD 1 u BP WN Open the Windows Device Mana
34. boot process Using the Boot ROM on the NIC to Boot from the Network The boot process for the MBA boot ROM varies depending on the type of PC you have BBS BIOS compatible or non BBS BIOS compatible If your PC was purchased recently it may be BBS BIOS Boot Specification BIOS compatible The BBS determines how the system BIOS identifies boot devices in a PC such as a CD ROM drive a hard drive or a floppy drive allows the user to select the boot order of these devices and then attempts to boot from each device in the specified order Refer to your PC documentation if you do not know which type of PC you have BBS BIOS Compatible PCs To enable a BBS BIOS compatible PC to boot from the network using the MBA boot ROM 1 Make sure that the NIC boot ROM setting is Enabled See the previous section Enabling or Disabling the Boot ROM Setting for instructions 2 Set the MBA manually as the first boot device in the PC BIOS Refer to your PC documentation for instructions on accessing and configuring the PC BIOS 3 Reboot the PC The MBA attempts to boot from the network using the default boot method PXE To change the default method or any other MBA configurations press the Ctrl Alt B keys when the following message appears Initializing MBA Press Ctrl Alt B to configure If the network boot fails the following message appears Network boot aborted press any key to continue The BIOS continues to the next device in the boot o
35. c hardware problems such as broken traces or loose or broken solder connections Check the network connection Inspect all cables and connections Make sure that the cable complies with length and rating specifications described in Connecting the NIC to the Network on page 14 Check your PC BIOS Make sure that you are running the latest BIOS for your PC If your BIOS has not been upgraded in the previous 12 months consult your PC manufacturer to obtain the current version of your BIOS software Run the NIC diagnostic tests Run the NIC and Network Tests as described in Running the NIC Diagnostics Tests on page 47 If the tests fail replace the NIC with a known working NIC and run the tests again using the same configuration settings as those used on the failed NIC If the working NIC passes all tests the original NIC is probably defective For information on product repair see Technical Support in Appendix E Run the 3Com Connection Assistant self service Install the 3Com Connection Assistant and run the self service option This option analyzes your NIC and system and guides you through troubleshooting steps to help resolve the problem Download the latest NIC driver Download and install the latest NIC driver from http www 3com com Run the Undo Broken Installation and Uninstall program The Undo Broken Installation and Uninstall program is located on the EtherCD See Cleaning
36. chnology at your site il NOTE The DynamicAccess LAN agent configuration instructions are intended for network administrators who have experience installing software and using management tools for an Ethernet network The instructions in this section are for configuring the DynamicAccess LAN agent on a local PC You can obtain the complete configuration instructions by accessing the 3Com DynamicAccess Technology User Guide on the EtherCD To configure the DynamicAccess LAN agent on a local PC 1 Double click the 3Com DynamicAccess icon in the Windows Control Panel The Traffic Prioritization tab of the DynamicAccess Setup screen appears 2 Select the tab containing the information you want to configure Traffic Prioritization Allows you to prioritize applications which can ease bottlenecks in your network and allow critical applications to take network precedence Fast IP Allows you to enable and configure Fast IP Administration Allows you to set DynamicAccess control panel access set VLAN options enable efficient multicast control and enable the prioritizing of traffic NOTE For specific instructions on configuring any of the DynamicAccess technology options click Help on the 3Com DynamicAccess screen or go to http Awww 3com com dynamicaccess Removing the DynamicAccess LAN Agent For instructions on removing the DynamicAccess LAN agent from your PC refer to the DynamicAccess Software User Guide This user guide c
37. common questions asked by customers and answered by 3Com support experts Knowledgebase topics Display NIC compatibility topics Troubleshooting the NIC Installation If you encounter any of the following problems or error messages follow the steps in Cleaning Up a Failed Installation below to resolve the problem m A red X ora yellow exclamation point appears by the name of the NIC in the Windows Device Manager The Network Neighborhood icon does not appear on the Windows desktop The NIC does not appear in the Network Configuration or Properties window Error This device is not present not working properly or does not have all of the driver installed Code 22 Error Windows was unable to locate a driver for this device Error You have selected a plug and play adapter Please turn off your machine and install the adapter Then turn on your machine and reinstall Cleaning Up a Failed Installation If the network driver installation failed follow the steps below to clean up your system and install the NIC correctly This procedure Removes all 3C90x NICs from your system Removes the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program Installs the latest network driver only You can reinstall the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program after completing this procedure See Installing the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program on page 23 for instructions 1 a uu AUN Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive The EtherCD Welco
38. connect the RJ 45 port 1 Plug the RJ 45 connector on the twisted pair network cable into the RJ 45 port on the NIC backplate 2 Connect the other end of the network cable to an active network port The next step is to install the NIC driver Go to Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows on page 19 or Installing the NetWare Server Driver on page 27 Connecting the NIC to the Network BNC Port The BNC port provides a 10 Mbps connection only The following table shows the cable requirement and maximum network cable length for the BNC port Maximum Network Port Cable Required Cable Length BNC 10BASE2 thin Ethernet coaxial 185 m 607 ft 10 Mbps only A i g 2 To connect the BNC port 1 Connect the BNC connector on the thin Ethernet cable to the BNC port on the NIC 2 Connect the other end of the network cable to another PC or to a 50 ohm terminator NOTE If your PC is the last physical device in the network daisy chain you must connect a 50 ohm terminator to the other end of the BNC T connector The next step is to install the NIC driver Go to Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows on page 19 or Installing the NetWare Server Driver on page 27 2 Installing and Connecting the NIC AUI Port The AUI port provides a 10 Mbps connection only The following table shows the cable req
39. cs Program for DOS 32 3Com Connection Assistant installing 37 overview 7 starting 38 system requirements 37 3Com DMI Agent client PC requirements 62 installing 62 network management requirements 62 overview 61 65 3Com icon in Windows system tray removing 48 showing 48 3Com Knowledgebase 67 3Com logo disabling 35 3Com NIC Diagnostics program installing 23 removing 42 starting 32 48 3Com support services accessing 38 50 ohm terminator 15 A accessing Help 38 ACT activity LED troubleshooting with 45 activity on the network verifying 48 49 AUI port connecting to network 16 specifications 16 AUTOEXEC NCF file 29 B BNC port connecting to network 15 specifications 15 boot ROM MBA booting from network 34 default setting 31 enabling or disabling 35 C cabling fiber optic 17 18 Remote Wake Up 6 requirements 54 specifications BNC port 15 16 RJ 45 port 14 SC port 17 18 thick Ethernet coaxial 16 thin Ethernet coaxial 15 troubleshooting 41 unshielded twisted pair UTP 14 carrier sense lost viewing 48 cleaning up a failed installation 39 coaxial cable thick 16 thin 15 collisions viewing 48 configuring DynamicAccess LAN agent 59 NIC 32 CRC errors viewing 48 D diagnostics tests running 47 diskettes creating 65 DOS 3Com Configuration and Diagnostics Program 32 driver removing 43 drivers NetWare server installing 27 Windows 2000 installing 19 Windows 95 i
40. des easy access to technical support information through a variety of services This appendix describes these services Information contained in this appendix is correct at time of publication For the most recent information 3Com recommends that you access the 3Com Corporation World Wide Web site Online Technical Services 3Com offers worldwide product support 24 hours a day 7 days a week through the following online systems a World Wide Web site m 3Com Knowledgebase Web Services m 3Com FTP site World Wide Web Site To access the latest networking information on the 3Com Corporation World Wide Web site enter this URL into your Internet browser http www 3com com This service provides access to online support information such as technical documentation and a software library as well as support options that range from technical education to maintenance and professional services 3Com Knowledgebase Web Services This interactive tool contains technical product information compiled by 3Com expert technical engineers around the globe Located on the World Wide Web at http knowledgebase 3com com this service gives all 3Com customers and partners complementary around the clock access to technical information on most 3Com products 3Com FTP Site Download drivers patches software and MIBs across the Internet from the 3Com public FTP site This service is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week To connect to the 3Com FTP site
41. dows 98 Windows NT 4 0 or Windows NT 3 51 The DynamicAccess LAN agent is not supported on a PC running Windows 2000 Windows XP or Windows Me CAUTION Do not install the DynamicAccess LAN agent on a PC running Windows 98 SE 1 The installation will result in system failure CAUTION If you plan to install the DynamicAccess LAN agent on a multiprocessor PC running Windows NT 4 0 Service Pack 4 you must first download and install the appropriate Microsoft patch available at http support microsoft com support kb articles q195 7 25 asp FR 0 Failure to install the patch will result in system failure The following table lists the minimum client requirements and recommended Microsoft Service Packs if any for the version of the DynamicAccess LAN agent that is included on the EtherCD Recommended Microsoft Operating System PC Requirements Service Pack Windows 95 486 75 MHz CPU Windows 95 OSR2 or Service Pack 1 16 MB RAM 32 MB recommended 5 MB available hard drive space Windows 98 486 75 MHz CPU Any Service Pack except 16 MB RAM 32 MB recommended Windows 98 SE 1 5 MB available hard drive space Windows NT 4 0 Pentium 100 MHz CPU Latest Service Pack available from 32 MB RAM Microsoft 5 MB available hard drive space Windows NT 3 51 Pentium 100 MHz CPU Service Pack 5 32 MB RAM 5 MB available hard drive space 57 Installing the DynamicAccess LAN Agent Installing the DynamicAccess LAN Ag
42. e Device Manager Repeat the process for each additional NIC to be installed Windows NT 4 0 To install multiple NICs in a PC running Windows NT 4 0 1 2 3 Install the NICs in your PC and connect each to the network Turn on the power to the PC and start Windows NT Double click the My Computer icon then the Control Panel icon and then the Network icon The Network screen appears 4 Select the Adapters tab Click Add The Select Network Adapter screen appears 6 Click Have Disk 7 Insert the EtherCD 8 Make sure that d appears in the entry box where d represents the letter name of 10 11 12 the CD ROM drive and then click OK The Select OEM Option screen appears with the name of one of the NICs selected Only one NIC appears on this screen Click OK Files are copied The Network screen appears with the name of the first installed NIC Close the Network screen If you are prompted for network information enter the requested information Restart the PC After Windows NT starts repeat steps 3 through 11 for each NIC that is installed in the PC NOTE You will not be prompted for the EtherCD when you install the network driver for the second NIC Installing the NetWare Server Driver This chapter describes how to install the NetWare 3 x 4 x and 5 x server drivers To obtain the latest shipping version of a driver go to http www 3com com Installing the Server Driver The NWSERVER di
43. elevant information for the NIC For a description of each MIF that is supported by the 3Com DMI Agent refer to the 3Com DMI Agent User Guide included with the 3Com DMI Agent software on the EtherCD 61 C Installing the 3Com DMI Agent System Requirements This section lists the client PC and network management requirements for installing and using the 3Com DMI Agent Client PC Requirements Your PC requires the following items to use the 3Com DMI Agent m DMI Service Provider 2 0s or greater such as Smart Technologies Service Provider 2 0 m NDIS 3 4 or 5 driver a Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows NT Windows 2000 Windows Me or Windows XP using the latest available Service Pack from Microsoft Network Management Requirements Your network management station requires a DMI compatible browser or a network management application that supports DMI 2 0s such as sm Hewlett Packard TopTools Tivoli Management Suite Dell OpenManage Compaq Insight Manager Management Station Intel LANDesk Client Manager Installing the 3Com DMI Agent 62 This section describes how to install the 3Com DMI Agent For instructions on how to install the 3Com DMI Agent on a PC running Windows NT 3 51 refer to the 3Com DMI User Guide included with the 3Com DMI Agent software on the EtherCD NOTE Before installing the DMI Agent log on to the PC with an account that has system administration privileges To install the 3Com DMI Agent 1 Make su
44. ell Inc All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated Contents Learning About the NICs 3C905CX TX M and 3C905C TX MNICs 1 3C905B NICs 2 3C905B TX NICs 3 3C905B COMBO NIC 3 3C905B FXNIC 4 3C900B NICs 5 Remote Wake Up 6 Remote Wake Up Cable 6 Multiple NIC Installations and Remote Wake Up 6 Managed PC Boot Agent MBA Software 6 3Com Connection Assistant 7 Desktop Management Interface DMI 2 05 8 DynamicAccess LAN Agent 8 Remote System Alerts 8 Installing and Connecting the NIC Meeting PC Requirements 9 Obtaining Drivers 9 Installation Overview 9 Installing Multiple NICs 10 Updating the Network Driver and NIC Software 10 Installing From Diskette 10 Running the Preinstallation Program for Windows 95 98 10 Inserting the NIC inthe PC 11 Connecting the Remote Wake Up Cable 12 Connecting the NIC to the Network 14 RJ 45 Port 14 BNC Port 15 AUI Port 16 SC Port 17 ST Port 18 Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows Windows XP Windows 2000 and Windows Me 19 Windows 95 and Windows 98 20 Installing the Driver in Windows 95 20 Installing the Driver in Windows 98 21 Windows NT4 0 21 Verifying Successful Installation 22 Windows XP and Windows 2000 22 Windows Me Windows 98 and Windows 95 22 Windows NT 4 0 23 Installing the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program 23 Updating the Network Driver and NIC Software 24 Using Diskettes 24 Using the EtherCD 24 I
45. ensions TX TX M TX NM Height 3 57 in 8 57 cm Length 4 75 in 12 07 cm COMBO Height 3 950 in 10 033 cm Length 6 874 in 17 459 cm FX Height 3 75 in 9 53cm Length 4 75 in 12 07cm Power requirement 5 V 5 650 mA maximum continued 52 3C900B NICs Specifications Network Interface 10 Mbps Ethernet 10BASE T 100 Mbps Ethernet 100BASE TX 100 Mbps Ethernet 100BASE FX Ethernet IEEE 802 3 industry standard for a 10 Mbps baseband CSMA CD local area network Ethernet IEEE 802 3u industry standard for a 100 Mbps baseband CSMA CD local area network Ethernet IEEE 802 3q industry standard for 100BASE FX Environment Operating temperature Storage temperature Operating humidity Storage humidity Altitude 32 to 158 F 0 to 70 C 22 to 194 F 30 to 90 C 10 to 90 noncondensing 10 to 90 noncondensing 984 ft to 9 840 ft 300 to 3 000 m Standards Conformance a IEEE 803 3x flow control m Microsoft PC98 m PCI2 1 a DMI2 0s 3C900B NICs Specifications Hardware Memory Bus interface PCI master Dimensions Power requirement 4 KB internal RAM PCI Local Bus Specification Revision 2 1 32 bit bus Supports bus master scatter gather DMAs TPO Height 3 00 in 7 62 cm Length 4 80 in 12 19 cm COMBO Height 3 95 in 10 03 cm Length 6 82 in 17 32 cm FL Height 9 53cm 3 75 in Length 12 07cm 4 75 in 5 V 5
46. ent To install the DynamicAccess LAN agent 1 Make sure that the NIC and the network driver are installed on your PC See Verifying Successful Installation on page 22 to confirm that the NIC is properly installed in the PC 2 Start Windows 3 Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive O O NOU A The EtherCD Welcome screen appears If the EtherCD Welcome screen does not appear enter the following command from the Run option of the Windows Start menu d installs setup exe where d represents the letter name of the CD ROM drive Click NIC Software Click DynamicAccess Technologies Click DynamicAccess LAN Agent Click Install DynamicAccess LAN Agent Now Exit the EtherCD and then exit Windows Restart the PC il NOTE You must restart the PC to complete the installation Verifying Successful Installation After the DynamicAccess LAN agent is installed the following changes are visible in the Windows Network control panel 58 For each physical NIC installed in the PC a virtual NIC entry appears in the list of network adapters All protocols are re bound to the virtual NIC The bindings to the physical NIC are still intact A 3Com DynamicAccess LAN agent entry appears as a protocol A 3Com DynamicAccess LAN agent icon is installed in the Windows Control Panel Configuring the DynamicAccess LAN Agent Configuring the DynamicAccess LAN Agent Consult your system administrator about using DynamicAccess te
47. er Import the driver when installing the NetWare server software Copy the driver to the server s hard disk and then load the driver manually il NOTE Make sure that you have the latest NetWare Support Pack installed The support pack changes the LOADER EXE file and provides the NBI NLM MSM NLM and ETHERTSM NLM files 3Com has provided the latest NLM files at time of testing on the EtherCD in the NWSERVER directory Copy these files to the same location as the server driver Under some circumstances where NBI NLM NBI31x NLM for 3 x will be loaded at server startup time you should also copy the NBI NLM file to the server startup directory Importing the Server Driver To import the server driver into a NetWare 4 x or 5 x server 1 2 3 6 Install the NetWare server software Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM when the NIC selection menu appears Press the Insert key This key tells the server installation program that you want to add a driver externally Press the F3 key This key tells the server installation program that you want to change the path At the prompt enter the command lt drive gt NWSERVER For example a nwserver The installation program gathers the files and prompts you for a NIC selection Press the Enter key to select the driver displayed and continue the installation Loading the Driver Manually To update an existing server driver manually 1 Copy all of the files from the NWSERVE
48. ete PC Management 3C905CX TX M 3C905C TX M 10 100 PCI 3C905B 3C905B TX M 3C905B TX NM 3C905B COMBO 100 PCI Fiber 3C905B FX 10 PCI Fiber 3C900B FL 10 PCI 3C900B TPO 3C900B COMBO NIC models il NOTE Unless specifically indicated information in this user guide refers to all This guide is intended for those who install and configure Ethernet NICs Some familiarity with Ethernet networks and NICs is assumed 3C905CX TX M and 3C905C TX M NICs The 3C905CX TX M and 3C905C TX M NICs connect your PCI compliant PC to either a 10 Mbps Ethernet network or a 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet network The NICs support a suite of desktop and network management features including Remote Wake Up Managed PC Boot Agent MBA software 3Com Connection Assistant software DynamicAccess LAN Agent for traffic prioritization and remote monitoring RMON and RMON2 Desktop Management Interface DMI 2 0s Remote System Alerts 1 Learning About the NICs 3C905CX TX M 3C905C TX M MBA Boot ROM Ag Remote Wake Up connector The following table outlines the features of the 3C905CX TX M and 3C905C TX M NICs Features Supported 3C905CX TX M NIC 3C905C TX M NIC RJ 45 connector for 10BASE T or 100BASE TX Vv Remote Wake Up 3Com Connection Assistant software DMI 2 0s SS 88 Integrated boot ROM with Managed PC Boot Agent MBA software Traffic prioritization Remote monitoring RMON and RMON2 Efficient multicast c
49. ger Locate the 3Com NIC under Network Adapters and then click Properties Select the Driver tab Click Update Driver Follow the prompts on screen and insert the correct diskette when prompted Using the EtherCD To update the driver and NIC diagnostic software using the EtherCD 1 2 Turn on the power to the PC and start Windows Insert the EtherCD in the appropriate drive in the PC The EtherCD Welcome screen appears If the EtherCD Welcome screen does not appear enter the following command from the Run option of the Windows Start menu d installs setup exe where d represents the letter name of the drive your are using 3 Click NIC Software 4 Click MIC Drivers and Diagnostics Click Update To update the network driver only click Update Drivers and remove Diagnostics Program To update the network driver and NIC diagnostics software click Update Drivers and Diagnostics Program Follow the prompts on the screen Installing Multiple NICs Installing Multiple NICs This section describes how to install multiple 3Com PCI NICs in a PC NOTE You must use these procedures to install multiple NICs Failure to follow these procedures may lead to problems requiring you to reinstall your operating system Windows XP Windows 2000 and Windows Me To install multiple NICs in a PC running Windows 2000 Windows XP or Windows Me install and configure each NIC individually following these steps 1 Install the f
50. icon The Network screen appears Click the Adapters tab Highlight the name of the NIC in the Network Adapters box and then click Remove Click Yes to confirm the removal Click Close to close the Network screen You are prompted to restart the PC If you are physically removing the NIC from the PC click No Do not restart the PC until you shut down the system turn the power off and remove the NIC from the PC If you are reinstalling the NIC software click Yes to restart the PC Running NIC Diagnostics This chapter explains how to m Interpret the NIC LEDs ma Run the NIC diagnostic tests a View network statistics m Use the 3Com icon in the Windows system tray Interpreting the NIC LEDs The NICs have light emitting diodes LEDs as described in the following tables that can assist with network diagnostics and troubleshooting Some LNK LED states do not apply to the AUI BNC SC and ST connectors that are present on some NICs as indicated by N A in the table Depending on your NIC model the NIC may have two or three LEDs 2 LED Configuration Connector LED State Meaning RJ 45 AUI BNC sc ST If drivers are installed the 10Mbps Yes N A N A N A N A LNK link Green connection is active If drivers are installed the 100Mbps Yes N A N A N A N A Amber connection is active Something is preventing the Yes N A N A N A N A connection between the NIC and the Off hub or switch ACT activ
51. ile named LICENSE TXT or LICENSE TXT If you are unable to locate a copy please contact 3Com and a copy will be provided to you UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LEGEND If you are a United States government agency then this documentation and the software described herein are provided to you subject to the following All technical data and computer software are commercial in nature and developed solely at private expense Software is delivered as Commercial Computer Software as defined in DFARS 252 227 7014 June 1995 or as a commercial item as defined in FAR 2 101 a and as such is provided with only such rights as are provided in 3Com s standard commercial license for the Software Technical data is provided with limited rights only as provided in DFAR 252 227 7015 Nov 1995 or FAR 52 227 14 June 1987 whichever is applicable You agree not to remove or deface any portion of any legend provided on any licensed program or documentation contained in or delivered to you in conjunction with this User Guide Unless otherwise indicated 3Com registered trademarks are registered in the United States and may or may not be registered in other countries 3Com DynamicAccess EtherDisk EtherLink and Parallel Tasking are registered trademarks and the 3Com logo is a trademark of 3Com Corporation 3Com Facts is a service mark of 3Com Corporation Microsoft Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corp Novell and NetWare are trademarks of Nov
52. in a PC running Windows 95 or Windows 98 install and configure each NIC individually following these steps 1 Run the preinstallation program before installing the NICs in the PC as described in Running the Preinstallation Program for Windows 95 98 on page 10 2 Install the first NIC in your PC and connect it to the network as described in Inserting the NIC in the PC on page 11 CAUTION Do not physically install the second NIC in your PC until you complete the driver installation for the first NIC following the steps below 3 Turn on the power to the PC and start Windows 25 3 Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows 26 4 Insert the FtherCD when prompted and then click OK Follow the prompts on the screen to install the network driver See the Installing the Driver in Windows 95 or Installing the Driver in Windows 98 section earlier in this chapter for instructions 6 After the network driver is installed restart the PC 7 After the PC restarts exit Windows and turn the power off to the PC Make sure that the PC is unplugged 8 Install the second NIC in your PC and connect it to the network 10 Plug in the PC power cord turn on the power to the PC and then start Windows Windows detects the second NIC The second NIC uses the same network driver as the first NIC You are not prompted for the EtherCD When Windows starts the second NIC appears under Network adapters in th
53. installed in the PC and that it is connected to the network You have the Windows installation files These files may be on a CD or diskettes or they may have been copied to your hard drive when Windows was installed on your PC Installing the Driver in Windows 95 To install the network driver and NIC software 1 2 3 4 7 Turn on the power to the PC Windows 95 detects the NIC The Insert Disk dialog box appears prompting you to insert the EtherCD NOTE If the New Hardware Found screen appears or the Update Device Driver Wizard starts the NIC preinstallation program was not run on the PC You can follow the prompts on the screen to install the driver only Make sure that the EtherCD is inserted in the CD ROM drive Click OK Open the pull down menu and select c windows options cabs Click OK Files are copied If this is the first time that networking is being installed on your PC the Identification tab of the Network screen appears Go to step 6 If networking has already been installed go to step 7 In the specified fields of the Identification tab screen enter the following information and then click OK Computer Name Identifies the PC on the network for other users This entry must be a unique name of 15 characters or fewer containing no spaces Workgroup Identifies the group for example your department name to which your PC belongs If you belong to a peer to peer network this entry must be exactly
54. irst NIC in your PC and connect it to the network as described in Inserting the NIC in the PC on page 11 CAUTION Do not physically install the second NIC in your PC until you complete the driver installation for the first NIC following the steps below 2 Turn on the power to the PC Windows detects the NIC and installs the driver The driver that ships with Windows needs to be updated to the latest version on the EtherCD 3 After Windows starts insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive 4 Click NIC Software NIC Drivers and Diagnostics and then Update Drivers and Diagnostics 5 To install the driver only click Update NIC Driver To install the driver and the NIC diagnostics program click Update with Diagnostics Program 6 Follow the prompts on the screen and then exit the EtherCD when the update is complete 7 Reboot the PC 8 After the PC restarts shutdown Windows and turn the power off to the PC Make sure that the PC is unplugged 9 Install the second NIC in your PC and connect it to the network 10 Plug in the PC power cord turn on the power to the PC and then start Windows Windows detects the second NIC The second NIC uses the same network driver as the first NIC You are not prompted for the EtherCD When Windows starts the second NIC appears under Network adapters in the Device Manager 11 Repeat the process for each additional NIC to be installed Windows 95 and Windows 98 To install multiple NICs
55. ity Blinking Network traffic is present Yes N A N A N A N A Steady Heavy network traffic is present Yes N A N A N A N A Off No network traffic is present N A N A N A N A N A 45 7 Running NIC Diagnostics 3 LED Configuration Connector LED State Meaning RJ 45 AUI BNC SC ST If drivers are installed the 10Mbps Yes N A N A N A Yes 10 LNK link On connection is active If drivers are not installed the NIC is Yes Yes Yes N A Yes receiving power Something is preventing the Yes N A N A N A Yes connection between the NIC and the Off hub or switch The cable polarity is reversed Try a Yes N A N A N A N A different network cable or contact Blinking your system administrator If drivers are installed the 100Mbps Yes N A N A Yes N A 100 LNK link On connection is active If drivers are not installed the NIC is Yes Yes Yes Yes N A receiving power Something is preventing the Yes N A N A Yes N A connection between the NIC and the Off hub or switch The cable polarity is reversed Try a Yes N A N A N A N A different network cable or contact Blinking your system administrator ACT activity Blinking Network traffic is present Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Steady Heavy network traffic is present Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Off No network traffic is present Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Viewing the NIC LEDs in the Diagnostics Program In addition to the LEDs that are on the
56. lications has priority over normal data a Fast IP Eliminates router bottlenecks and improves performance in switched networks a Efficient multicast control Prevents flooding of switched networks by multicast applications such as video training stock quotes or online news The DynamicAccess LAN agent can be installed on a PC running Windows 95 Windows 98 or Windows NT See Installing the DynamicAccess LAN Agent in Appendix B for instructions For detailed information on the DynamicAccess LAN agent refer to the DynamicAccess Technology User Guide located on the EtherCD Remote System Alerts Remote system alerts enable a PC to monitor itself proactively and report detected problems to a management console on the network The 3C905CX TX M and 3C905C TX M NICs can be configured to send two types of remote system alerts m Heartbeat alert the NIC continuously transmits a packet to an alert target management station If the management station fails to receive the regularly scheduled packet an alert can be triggered that signals a possible PC power loss or theft m Workgroup keep alive alert the NIC transmits a packet periodically while the PC is in asleep state This packet prevents the PC workstation address from being aged out of switch and router tables NOTE Only system administrators should configure these features Refer to the ADVCONFG TXT file located in the HELP directory on the EtherCD for more information I
57. lick OK Files are copied NOTE If you are prompted for the EtherCD click OK Make sure that the drive letter of the CD ROM drive for example d appears in the dialog box and then click OK You are prompted for the Windows 98 CD 6 Remove the EtherCD insert the Windows 98 CD and then click OK Files are copied You are prompted to restart the PC 7 Remove the Windows 98 CD and then click Yes to restart the PC NOTE You must restart the PC to complete the installation After Windows li restarts double click the Network icon in the Windows Control Panel and make sure that the correct configuration settings are selected for your network environment Consult your system administrator for assistance The installation is complete Go to Verifying Successful Installation on page 22 to confirm that the NIC is installed properly After you have physically installed the NIC in the PC and connected it to the network as described in Chapter 2 follow the steps below to install the driver and NIC software 1 Turn on the power to the PC 2 Double click the My Computer icon then the Control Panel icon and then the Network icon The Network window appears 3 Click the Adapters tab If networking has not been installed on your PC before Windows NT asks you if you want to install networking Click Yes Refer to the WINNT TXT file located on the EtherCD or your Windows NT documentation for instructions 4 Click Add The
58. me screen appears Click NIC Software Click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics Click Installation Utilities Click Undo Broken Installation and Uninstall Click Proceed A message appears stating that all of the 3Com NICs will be removed from your system Click OK A message appears stating that the NIC has been removed 8 Click OK 9 Exitthe EtherCD and then exit Windows 10 Reboot the PC 39 6 Troubleshooting the NIC 11 Install the network driver as described in Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows on page 19 If you are prompted for 3Com files when Windows restarts on Windows 95 and Windows 98 PCs open the drop down box and select the following path options cabs To verify successful installation see Verifying Successful Installation on page 22 Other Installation Problems 3Com has found that some PCI computers require additional configuration steps to install a PCI NIC 3Com recommends these steps 1 Determine whether you have the latest BIOS version for your PC Consult the PC manufacturer to make sure that you are using the latest BIOS 2 Make sure that the BIOS is set up correctly In some PCI computers you may need to enable the PCI slot using the BIOS Setup program Enabling the PCI slot is especially common in PCI computers with a Phoenix BIOS a After installing the NIC turn on the PC and enter the Setup program during system initialization usually by pressing the F1 F2
59. mly to ensure that the NIC is fully seated in the slot 2 Installing and Connecting the NIC f Remove slot cover Insert NIC 6 Secure the NIC with the screw you removed earlier NOTE If you want to install the Remote Wake Up cable go to the next section Connecting the Remote Wake Up Cable to continue the installation If you do not want to connect the cable continue with step 7 7 Replace the PC cover and plug in the power cord Do not turn on the power to the PC The next step is to connect the NIC to the network Go to Connecting the NIC to the Network on page 14 Connecting the Remote Wake Up Cable This section describes how to connect the Remote Wake Up RWU cable from the NIC to the PC motherboard Connecting the Remote Wake Up cable is optional Connect this cable only if your NIC supports Remote Wake Up and you want to use this feature The following NICs support Remote Wake Up 3C905CX TX M 3C905C TX M 3C905B TX 3C905B TX M 3C905B COMBO 3C905B FX 3C900B FL Connecting the Remote Wake Up Cable NOTE If you have a 3C905CX TX M or 3C905C TX M NIC and your PC is compliant with PCI 2 2 Remote Wake Up is automatically enabled through the PCI bus You do not need to connect the Remote Wake Up cable To connect the Remote Wake Up cable WARNING Make sure that the PC power cord is unplugged Only properly trained and authorized personnel should perform service Consult your
60. n 46 Viewing the NIC LEDs in the Diagnostics Program 46 Troubleshooting with the LEDs 47 Running the NIC Diagnostics Tests 47 Network Test 47 NIC Test 48 Viewing Network Statistics 48 Using the 3Com Icon in the Windows System Tray 48 Enabling the Icon 48 Displaying Network Statistics 49 Specifications and Cabling Requirements 3C905CX TX M and 3C905C TX M NIC Specifications 51 3C905B NICs Specifications 52 3C900B NICs Specifications 53 Cabling Requirements 54 Twisted Pair Cable 54 10BASE T Operation 55 100BASE TX Operation 55 RJ 45 Connector Pin Assignments 55 Installing the DynamicAccess LAN Agent Client PC Requirements 57 Installing the DynamicAccess LAN Agent 58 Verifying Successful Installation 58 Configuring the DynamicAccess LAN Agent 59 Removing the DynamicAccess LAN Agent 59 Installing the 3Com DMI Agent About the 3Com DMI Agent 61 System Requirements 62 Client PC Requirements 62 Network Management Requirements 62 Installing the 3Com DMI Agent 62 Installing From Diskette Technical Support Online Technical Services 67 World Wide Web Site 67 3Com Knowledgebase Web Services 67 3Com FTP Site 67 Support from Your Network Supplier 68 Support from 3Com 68 Returning Products for Repair 70 Index Learning About the NICs This guide describes how to use EtherCD version 5 4 to install configure and troubleshoot the following 3Com PCI network interface cards NICs NIC Model Number 10 100 PCI For Compl
61. n and must be run before you physically install the NIC in the PC To run the NIC preinstallation program 1 Do not install the NIC in the PC 2 Turn on the power to the PC and start Windows 3 Quit any open applications and disable the automatic protection feature of any anti virus software that may be running 4 Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive The EtherCD Welcome screen appears If the EtherCD Welcome screen does not appear enter the following command from the Run option of the Windows Start menu d installs setup exe where d represents the letter name of the CD ROM drive 5 Click NIC Software 6 Click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics 7 Click Install NIC Driver a To install the network driver and the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program click Install with Diagnostic Program To install the network driver only click Install without Diagnostic Program Files are copied Do not continue until a message box appears stating that the installation is complete 8 Click OK 9 Select your operating system to continue the installation The Completing NIC Installation screen appears Inserting the NIC in the PC 10 Click Done 11 Exit the EtherCD shut down Windows and then turn off the power to the PC Do not remove the EtherCD from the CD ROM drive The next step is to install the NIC in the PC Go to the next section Inserting the NIC in the PC Inserting the NIC in the PC The following instructions apply to i
62. node has a separate cable run that must not exceed 100 meters 328 ft from the node to the hub 100BASE TX Operation 100BASE TX is the IEEE 802 3u standard for Fast Ethernet signaling over Category 5 UTP or STP wire at 100 Mbps Based on an extension to the IEEE 802 3 Ethernet specification Fast Ethernet characteristics include a m Data rate of 100 Mbps m Broadcast architecture m Specific media access control MAC scheme A wiring topology using 100BASE TX specifies a wiring hub cable arranged in a star configuration and Category 5 UTP or STP wiring Each node has a separate cable run that must not exceed 100 meters 328 ft from the node to the hub RJ 45 Connector Pin Assignments The following illustration shows the RJ 45 connector pin assignments for the EtherLink PCI NICs acr TD D RD RD ONDUIPRWD 4 LILII 2345678 55 Installing the DynamicAccess LAN Agent This chapter explains how to install and configure the DynamicAccess LAN agent on a PC running Windows 95 Windows 98 or Windows NT NOTE For an overview of the DynamicAccess LAN agent see DynamicAccess il LAN Agent on page 8 For detailed information on using configuring and troubleshooting the DynamicAccess LAN agent refer to the 3Com DynamicAccess Technology User Guide on the EtherCD Client PC Requirements The DynamicAccess LAN agent can be installed on a PC running Windows 95 Win
63. now available on the EtherCD where it can be used as a bootable CD When you boot the PC with the EtherCD MBA uses the NIC to do a network boot allowing the PC to be managed in the preboot stage Using the EtherCD to Boot from the Network These instructions apply to NICs that do not contain a boot ROM If the NIC installed in your PC does contain a boot ROM and you want to use the FtherCD instead of the boot ROM to boot from the network you must first either disable the boot ROM on the NIC see Enabling or Disabling the Boot ROM Setting on page 35 for instructions or place the CD ROM drive before the boot ROM in the order of boot devices on the PC The order of boot devices can be modified through the PC BIOS setup Refer to your PC documentation for instructions NOTE The default MBA configuration setting on the EtherCD is the PXE boot li method If you need another boot method you must create a bootable MBA floppy disk or CD containing the new boot method For instructions see the MBA on Disk section in the Managed PC Boot Agent User Guide located with the MBA software on the EtherCD 33 5 Configuring the NIC 34 To boot from the network using the MBA software on the EtherCD 1 Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive 2 Reboot the PC The MBA code runs and attempts to boot from the network using the default protocol PXE NOTE To cancel the network boot press the Esc key anytime during the network
64. nstalling 20 Windows 98 installing 21 Windows Me installing 19 Windows NT 4 0 installing 21 Windows XP installing 19 Duplex LED viewing 46 duplex mode configuring 32 default setting 31 71 Index DynamicAccess LAN agent administration 59 client requirements 57 configuring 59 efficient multicast control 8 Fast IP 8 features 8 Help accessing 59 installing 58 removing 59 traffic prioritization 8 verifying installation 58 E efficient multicast control configuring 59 overview 8 EIA TIA 568 standards 54 EtherCD using to boot from the network 33 Ethernet cable fiber optic 17 18 thick coaxial 16 thin coaxial 15 Ethernet protocol characteristics of 55 excessive collisions viewing 48 external transceiver 16 F Fast Ethernet protocol characteristics of 55 Fast IP configuring 59 overview 8 fiber optic cable 17 18 frame alignment errors viewing 48 frames sent and received viewing 49 frequently asked questions 39 full duplex configuring 31 viewing 46 H half duplex configuring 31 viewing 46 heartbeat alert 8 Help system accessing 38 l icon 3Com 48 installation 3Com Connection Assistant 37 3Com DMI Agent 62 connecting to the network 14 diskettes creating 65 DynamicAccess LAN agent 58 multiple NICs 29 overview 9 preinstallation program running 10 Remote Wake Up cable 12 verifying 22 installation steps 9 72 installing drivers Windows 2000 19 Windows 95 20 Windows 98 21
65. nstalling Multiple NICs 25 Windows XP Windows 2000 and Windows Me 25 Windows 95 and Windows 98 25 Windows NT 4 0 26 Installing the NetWare Server Driver Installing the Server Driver 27 Obtaining NetWare Loadable Modules 27 NetWare 3 12 27 NetWare 4 x and 5 x 28 Importing the Server Driver 28 Loading the Driver Manually 28 Installing Multiple NICs 29 Verifying the PCI Slot Number 29 Configuring the NIC Default NIC Settings 31 Configuration Methods 32 Changing General NIC Configuration Settings 32 Booting From the Network 33 Using the EtherCD to Boot from the Network 33 Using the Boot ROM on the NIC to Boot from the Network 34 BBS BIOS Compatible PCs 34 Non BBS BIOS Compatible PCs 34 Enabling or Disabling the Boot ROM Setting 35 Disabling the 3Com Logo 35 Troubleshooting the NIC Installing and Using the 3Com Connection Assistant 37 System Requirements 37 Installation 37 Accessing 3Com Support Databases 38 Knowledgebase 38 NIC Help System 38 Release Notes and Frequently Asked Questions 38 Troubleshooting the NIC Installation 39 Cleaning Up a Failed Installation 39 Other Installation Problems 40 Troubleshooting the Network Connection 41 Troubleshooting Remote Wake Up 41 Removing the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program 42 Removing the Driver 43 Windows XP and Windows 2000 43 Windows Me Windows 98 and Windows 95 43 Windows NT4 0 44 Running NIC Diagnostics Interpreting the NIC LEDs 45 2 LED Configuration 45 3 LED Configuratio
66. nstalling and Connecting the NIC This chapter describes how to install the NIC in your PC and connect it to an Ethernet or Fast Ethernet network Meeting PC Requirements Your PC or server must meet the following requirements to install the NIC m 80486 or Pentium processor m Available bus mastering PCI slot a Minimum of 640 K of memory Obtaining Drivers To obtain the latest drivers or for a list of additional drivers that are not included on the EtherCD go to the 3Com Web site and search for 3C905C drivers http www 3com com Installation Overview The NIC installation varies depending on your PC operating system In some instances you must run a preinstallation program before installing the NIC in the PC Review the following table that summarizes the NIC installation before installing the NIC in the PC Operating System Installation Steps Windows XP 1 Install the NIC in the PC and connect it to the network Windows 2000 2 Startthe PC Windows Millennium The operating system detects the NIC and installs the driver Edition Me 3 After Windows starts insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive 4 Update the NIC driver 5 Reboot the PC Windows 98 1 Run the EtherCD preinstallation program before installing the NIC in Windows 95 the PC The preinstallation program prevents conflicts with the NIC and the operating system It guides you through the installation and must be run before you physically install the NIC in the PC
67. nstalling the NIC in most PCs If these instructions are not appropriate for your PC refer to the documentation that accompanied your PC il NOTE If you have a Windows 95 or Windows 98 PC do not install the NIC in your PC until you have run the preinstallation program as described in the previous section Running the Preinstallation Program for Windows 95 98 Before handling the NIC touch the bare metal case of your PC to discharge static electricity from your body While you are handling the NIC wear a wrist strap grounded to the PC chassis To install the NIC in the PC 1 Remove all jewelry from your hands and wrists Use only insulated or nonconducting tools Turn off the power to the PC and unplug the power cord 2 3 Remove the cover from the PC 4 Locate an empty nonshared bus mastering PCI slot and remove its slot cover Save the screw il NOTE Do not install the NIC in a shared PCI slot Avoid any PCI slot next to an ISA slot This slot is often shared and does not support bus mastering If you are planning to install the Remote Wake Up cable choose an empty PCI slot that is close to the matching connector on the PC motherboard The Remote Wake Up cable is required only if your NIC supports Remote Wake Up and you want to use this feature If you do not know how to identify a PCI slot check your PC documentation or ask your system administrator 5 Carefully insert the NIC in the empty PCI slot Press fir
68. onnected to the transmit 10 connector on the NIC into the receive RX connector on the network hub or switch a Insert the cable that is connected to the receive RX connector on the NIC into the transmit TX connector on the network hub or switch The next step is to install the NIC driver Go to Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows on page 19 or Installing the NetWare Server Driver on page 27 Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows This chapter explains how to install the NIC driver and software using EtherCD version 5 4 after you have physically installed the NIC in the PC as described in Chapter 2 It also explains how to a Install the NIC diagnostics program after you have already installed the driver m Update the driver or NIC diagnostics program a Install multiple NICs To obtain the latest shipping version of a driver go to http Awww 3com com The driver can be used in both Microsoft and NetWare network environments NOTE For instructions on creating installation diskettes from the EtherCD to install the driver see Installing From Diskette in Appendix D Windows XP Windows 2000 and Windows Me After you have physically installed the NIC in the PC and connected it to the network as described in Chapter 2 follow the steps below to install the driver and NIC software 1 Turn on the power to the PC Windows detects the NIC and installs the driver The driver that ships wi
69. ontrol SS 8 8 Remote system alerts v CS SS 3C905B NICs The 3C905B NICs connect your PCI compliant PC to either a 10 Mbps Ethernet network or a 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet network The 3C905B NICs support a suite of desktop and network management features including Remote Wake Up Managed PC Boot Agent MBA software 3Com Connection Assistant software DynamicAccess LAN Agent for traffic prioritization and remote monitoring RMON and RMON2 Desktop Management Interface DMI 2 05 3C905B NICs 3C905B TX NICs 3C905B TX Boot ROM socket I Remote Wake Up connector 3C905B TX M 3C905B COMBO NIC Boot ROM MBA Boot ROM socket Remote Wake Up connector 3C905B TX NM Boot ROM socket lt Remote Wake Up connector 1 Learning About the NICs 3C905B FX NIC o fd lt q Boot ROM socket lt _ Remote Wake Up connector The following table outlines the features of the 3C905B NICs 3C905B NIC Model Features Supported TX TX M TX NM COMBO FX m RJ 45 connector for 10BASE T or v v v v 100BASE TX AUI and BNC connectors for Vv 10BASE5 and 10BASE2 m SC connector for 100BASE FX Vv m Remote Wake Up Y v v Y m 3Com Connection Assistant Vv v Vv v Vv software m DMI 2 0s v v v v v m Boot ROM socket Vv Y Vv v m Integrated boot ROM with v Managed PC Boot Agent MBA software m Traffic prioritization Vv Y Vv Y Vv m Remote
70. r hours administration To use Remote Wake Up your NIC must support this feature See the tables in the previous section if you are unsure whether your NIC supports Remote Wake Up Additionally your PC or server must have a m Management application that supports Remote Wake Up m BIOS that supports Remote Wake Up m PCI 2 2 compliant bus 3C905CX TX M and 3C905C TX M NICS only or a 3 pin Remote Wake Up connector on the PC motherboard and a 5 volt standby power supply unit rated at a minimum of 375 milliamperes If you are unsure whether your PC meets the requirements listed above refer to your PC documentation or contact your PC manufacturer For more information on Remote Wake Up including a list of PCs that currently support this feature go to http www 3com com Remote Wake Up Cable A Remote Wake Up cable is shipped with each NIC that supports this feature To order additional Remote Wake Up cables contact 3Com 1 800 527 8677 Multiple NIC Installations and Remote Wake Up To use multiple NICs as Remote Wake Up NICs in the same PC the PC must have a power supply that can support multiple Remote Wake Up devices Refer to your PC documentation if you are unsure whether your PC power supply can accommodate more than one Remote Wake Up device Managed PC Boot Agent MBA Software The MBA software allows the PC to boot from the server rather than from its local hard drive This preboot support allows you a simple and
71. r your operating system Windows XP and Windows 2000 To remove the driver 1 2 3 4 Right click the My Computer icon and then click Properties Select the Hardware tab and then click Device Manager in the middle panel Double click Network Adapters Right click on the name of the NIC and then select Uninstall A warning message appears Click OK to confirm the device removal The network driver is removed Exit the Device Manager and shut down Windows If you want to physically remove the NIC from the PC shut down the system and turn the power off before removing the NIC If you want to reinstall the NIC driver and software restart the PC Windows Me Windows 98 and Windows 95 To remove the driver 1 ao uk UN Double click the My Computer icon then the Control Panel icon and then the System Icon Click the Device Manager tab Double click Network adapters Highlight the name of the NIC Click Remove Click OK to confirm the device removal You are prompted to restart the PC If you are physically removing the NIC from the PC click No Do not restart the PC until you shut down the system turn the power off and remove the NIC from the PC If you are reinstalling the NIC software click Yes to restart the PC 43 6 Troubleshooting the NIC 44 Windows NT 4 0 To remove the driver 1 u BP WN Double click the My Computer icon then the Control Panel icon and then the Network
72. rder for example the local hard drive NOTE To cancel the network boot press the Esc key anytime during the network boot process Non BBS BIOS Compatible PCs To enable a non BBS BIOS compatible PC to boot from the network using the MBA boot ROM 1 Make sure that the NIC boot ROM setting is Enabled See Enabling or Disabling the Boot ROM Setting below for instructions 2 Change the MBA default boot setting from Local to Network To change the default boot setting or any other MBA configurations use the MBACFG utility located on the MBA utility diskette or press the Ctrl Alt B keys when the following message appears Initializing MBA Press Ctrl Alt B to configure Disabling the 3Com Logo NOTE For more information on using configuring and troubleshooting the MBA boot ROM refer to the Managed PC Boot Agent User Guide located with the MBA software on the EtherCD Enabling or Disabling the Boot ROM Setting To enable or disable the boot ROM setting on the NIC 1 Make sure that the NIC is installed and is connected to the network and that the driver is installed 2 Open the Windows Start menu 3 Select Programs and then 3Com NIC Utilities 4 Click 3Com NIC Doctor The 3Com NIC Diagnostics General screen appears Click the Configuration tab The Configuration screen appears 6 Under Network Parameter select Boot PROM 7 Open the Set Value list box and select Enabled to enable the boot ROM or Disabled
73. re installed 2 Open the Windows Start menu 3 Select Programs and then 3Com NIC Utilities 4 Click 3Com NIC Doctor The 3Com NIC Diagnostics General screen appears Using the 3Com Icon in the Windows System Tray 5 Onthe General screen select the check box next to Show Icon in System Tray 6 Close the 3Com NIC Diagnostic program The NIC icon appears in the Windows system tray When you double click the icon the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program starts Displaying Network Statistics When you drag the mouse pointer over the icon but do not double click the icon a network statistics box appears displaying the following information m Frames Sent and Received A count of the number of frames packets sent and received through the NIC since the last time statistics were reset m Link Speed The speed 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps at which the NIC is connected to the network The information is updated each time you move your mouse pointer over the 3Com icon 49 Specifications and Cabling Requirements This appendix lists the specifications standards conformance cable requirements and connector pin assignments for the EtherLink PCI NICs 3C905CX TX M and 3C905C TX M NIC Specifications Hardware Bus interface PCI master Dimensions Power requirements PCI Local Bus Specification Revision 2 2 32 bit bus Supports bus master scatter gather DMAs 3C905CX TX M Height 2 00 in 5 08 cm Length 4 75 in 12 0
74. re that the PC meets the requirements listed in Client PC Requirements above 2 Make sure that the 3Com NIC is installed in the PC and is connected to the network 3 Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive The EtherCD Welcome screen appears If the EtherCD Welcome screen does not appear enter the following command from the Run option of the Windows Start menu d setup exe where d represents the letter name of the CD ROM drive 4 Click NIC Software 5 Click DynamicAccess Technologies 6 Click 3Com DMI Agent Installing the 3Com DMI Agent 7 Follow the prompts on the screen 8 Restart the PC when prompted To verify successful installation use a DMI compatible browser or a network management application that supports DMI 2 05 to verify that the 3Com NIC is present Refer to the 3Com DMI Agent User Guide or contact your system administrator for instructions 63 Installing From Diskette This appendix describes how to create installation diskettes from the EtherCD If your PC does not have a CD ROM drive access a PC that has a CD ROM drive and create installation diskettes from the EtherCD You can also download the EtherCD software and place it on diskettes from the 3Com World Wide Web site http Awww 3com com il NOTE The installation diskettes allow you to install only the driver If you want to install the NIC diagnostics or desktop management software you must install them from the FtherCD Before you start
75. rectory on the EtherCD contains the network driver file 3C90XC LAN to be used for servers running NetWare 3 x 4 x or 5 x Additional files NetWare Loadable Modules NLMs that are required for servers running NetWare are on the EtherCD in the NWSERVER directory or they can be obtained from Novell NOTE The 3Com PCI NICs do not support NetWare 3 xx or 4 xx servers that are not updated to the latest driver pack Obtaining NetWare Loadable Modules You can obtain current NLMs for the NetWare servers listed in the table below from the Novell World Wide Web site http www support novell com Netware Server NLM Name NetWare 3 12 ETHERTSM NLM NBI31X NLM MSM31X NLM NetWare 4 10 4 11 ETHERTSM NLM NBI NLM MSM NLM NetWare 5 x ETHERTSM NLM MSM NLM NetWare 3 12 To install the driver in a NetWare 3 12 server 1 Copy the MSM31X NLM ETHERTSM NLM and NBI31 NLM files from the EtherCD to the directory on your hard drive where other NLM files are located 2 Copy the LAN driver file 3C90XC LAN from the EtherCD to the same directory 3 Add the following two lines to the AUTOEXEC NCF file load C NWSERVER 3C90XC LAN slot lt slot gt NAME lt name gt FRAME lt frametype gt bind ipx to lt name gt net lt number gt 4 Save and exit the file and then reboot the server 27 4 Installing the NetWare Server Driver 28 NetWare 4 x and 5 x There are two ways to install the NetWare 4 x or 5 x driv
76. runs viewing 48 received frames viewing 49 red X in Windows Device Manager 39 release notes accessing 39 remote monitoring RMON 8 remote system alerts overview 8 Remote Wake Up cable connecting 12 obtaining 6 multiple NIC Installations 6 troubleshooting 41 removing DynamicAccess LAN agent 59 removing NIC driver 43 removing NIC software 43 requirements 3Com Connection Assistant 37 3Com DMI Agent 62 cabling 54 DynamicAccess LAN agent 57 NIC 9 returning products for repair 70 RJ 45 port connecting to network 14 connector pin assignments 55 specifications 14 RMON remote monitoring 8 S SC fiber port connecting to network 17 specifications 17 sent frames viewing 49 shielded twisted pair STP cable 54 single collisions viewing 48 Index software 3Com Connection Assistant installing 37 3Com DMI Agent installing 61 3Com NIC Diagnostics program installing 23 DynamicAccess LAN Agent installing 57 NetWare drivers installing 27 updating 24 Windows drivers installing 19 specifications cabling BNC port 15 16 RJ 45 port 14 SC port 17 18 NIC 51 speed link viewing 49 SQE errors viewing 48 ST fiber port connecting to network 18 specifications 18 statistics network viewing 48 STP wire 54 support databases accessing 38 T technical support 3Com Knowledgebase 67 3Com URL 67 network suppliers 68 product repair 70 test Network 47 NIC 48 thick Ethernet coaxial cable 16 thin Ethernet coaxial c
77. th Windows needs to be updated to the latest version on the EtherCD 2 After Windows starts insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive 3 Click NIC Software NIC Drivers and Diagnostics and then Update Drivers and Diagnostics 4 To install the driver only click Update NIC Driver To install the driver and the NIC diagnostics program click Update with Diagnostics Program The NIC diagnostics program allows you to run tests that verify if the NIC is functioning correctly in the PC It also allows you to view and configure NIC settings such as duplex mode and media type You can install other NIC software such as the 3Com Connection Assistant DynamicAccess LAN Agent or DMI Agent after the NIC driver is installed See the appropriate sections in this guide for more details a Installing and Using the 3Com Connection Assistant on page 37 Installing the DynamicAccess LAN Agent on page 57 Installing the 3Com DMI Agent on page 61 5 Follow the prompts on the screen and then exit the EtherCD when the update is complete 6 Reboot the PC The installation is complete Go to Verifying Successful Installation on page 22 to confirm that the NIC is installed properly 3 Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows Windows 95 and Windows 98 Before installing the driver make sure that You have run the preinstallation program as described in Running the Preinstallation Program for Windows 95 98 on page 10 The NIC is
78. the NIC driver For more information see Installing and Using the 3Com Connection Assistant on page 37 il NOTE The 3Com Connection Assistant is supported on U S English PCs only 1 Learning About the NICs Desktop Management Interface DMI 2 0s DMI 2 0s enables managed PCs and net PCs to report details about themselves and their peripheral devices across the network to a DMI 2 0s compliant management application A network administrator can then use this information to configure and manage a client or server PC remotely For instructions on installing the 3Com DMI Agent see Installing the 3Com DMI Agent in Appendix C For more detailed information on DMI refer to the 3Com DMI Agent User Guide located with the 3Com DMI Agent software on the EtherCD Information is also available at http www 3com com DynamicAccess LAN Agent The DynamicAccess LAN agent is advanced network software that improves performance management and control of your network The DynamicAccess LAN agent enables the following features m RMON SmartAgents Enables full RMON reporting on all network segments including switched networks without the need to place dedicated RMON probes throughout the network RMON SmartAgents are for use with the DynamicAccess network edge monitor or other remote monitoring applications a Traffic prioritization IEEE 802 1p Q Ensures that business critical and delay sensitive traffic such as multimedia app
79. the test is running a progress bar indicates test progress If the test passes the NIC is functioning correctly If the test fails a message indicates the error type Click Help in the error message screen to obtain more information 3 Click Close Viewing Network Statistics To view statistical information about the network 1 Make sure that the NIC the network driver and the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program are installed 2 Open the Windows Start menu 3 Select Programs and then 3Com NIC Utilities 4 Click 3Com NIC Doctor The 3Com NIC Diagnostics General screen appears Click the Statistics tab The Statistics screen appears The information is updated by the NIC driver every 5 seconds For a description of each statistic click the question mark in the upper right corner of the screen drag it over a statistic and click once A pop up box appears displaying information about the statistic Click OK to exit the diagnostics program To go to another diagnostics screen click the associated tab Using the 3Com Icon in the Windows System Tray The 3Com icon which can be enabled to appear in the Windows system tray allows you to start the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program It also allows you to view the NIC s link speed and number of frames sent and received 48 Enabling the Icon To show the 3Com icon in the Windows system tray 1 Make sure that the NIC the network driver and the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program a
80. therboard Unplug and reinsert the cable if necessary c Replace the Remote Wake Up cable with a known functioning Remote Wake Up cable and perform the Remote Wake Up Test again If the previous steps have failed install a known functioning Remote Wake Up NIC in the PC If Remote Wake Up works with the new NIC installed consult your PC vendor for a replacement NIC If Remote Wake Up does not work with the new NIC installed there may be a problem with the PC motherboard Consult your PC manufacturer Removing the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program The 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program can be removed using the Add Remove Programs Wizard in Windows or by using the EtherCD For instructions on using the Add Remove Programs Wizard in Windows refer to your Windows documentation 42 To remove the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program using the EtherCD 1 2 Nn OAU RR UW Start Windows Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive The EtherCD Welcome screen appears If the EtherCD Welcome screen does not appear enter the following command from the Run option of the Windows Start menu d installs setup exe where d represents the letter name of the CD ROM drive Click NIC Software Click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics Click Installation Utilities Click Remove Diagnostics Click Proceed and then follow the prompts on the screen Removing the Driver Removing the Driver To remove the 3Com NIC driver from your PC follow the steps fo
81. to disable the boot ROM Click OK to save the setting and exit the program Disabling the 3Com Logo To disable the 3Com logo that appears on the screen when the NIC first connects to the network 1 Make sure that the NIC the network driver and the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program are installed 2 Open the Windows Start menu 3 Select Programs and then 3Com NIC Utilities 4 Click 3Com NIC Doctor The 3Com NIC Diagnostics General screen appears On the General screen make sure that the check box next to Show 3Com Logo on Startup is not selected Exit the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program 35 Troubleshooting the NIC This chapter explains how to a Install and use the 3Com Connection Assistant Access 3Com support databases Troubleshoot NIC installation problems Troubleshoot NIC and network connection problems Troubleshoot Remote Wake Up Remove the NIC diagnostics software Remove the network driver NOTE To access a database of technical information that can help you diagnose and solve NIC installation configuration and upgrade problems go to http knowledgebase 3com com Installing and Using the 3Com Connection Assistant The 3Com Connection Assistant is an optional Web based software component that allows users access to a variety of interactive technical support services These services can help you m Fix NIC installation problems m Fix network connection problems m Download the latest NIC drivers
82. tor Default NIC Settings The table below lists the configuration settings for the NIC The default setting is in bold in the Settings column Option Description Settings Network Driver Optimization Specifies how to optimize the network driver for your network by Normal allowing trade offs between network performance and CPU utilization Minimized CPU a Normal balances CPU utilization and network performance Utilization a Minimized CPU Utilization saves CPU resources for other tasks m Maximized Network m Maximized Network Performance is appropriate if no other Performance applications are making major demands on CPU resources Duplex Determines if the NIC transmits data across the network in both a Auto Select directions simultaneously full duplex or in one direction at a time Full Duplex half duplex i a Auto Select allows the NIC to automatically connect at the duplex ane Pune mode of the connected hub or switch When you select this setting the Media Type is automatically set to Auto Select Full Duplex sets the NIC to operate in full duplex mode To use this setting the switch that you are connected to must support full duplex You must also manually set the NIC Media Type setting m Half Duplex sets the NIC to operate in half duplex mode You must also manually set the NIC Media Type setting Boot PROM Enables or disables the NIC s boot ROM if a boot ROM is installed on a Enabled the NIC a Disabled Medi
83. uirement and maximum network cable length for the AUI port Maximum Network Port Cable Required Cable Length 15 pin AUI 10BASE5 thick Ethernet coaxial 500 m 1 640 ft 10 Mbps only ig N 3 To connect the AUI port 1 Locate the 15 pin AUI port on the NIC and move the slide latch down to the open position 2 Connect the thick Ethernet coaxial cable to the AUI port on the NIC This connector attaches in only one way Orient the AUI connector to match the AUI port on the NIC 3 Move the slide latch up to the closed position to lock the AUI connector in place 4 Connect the other end of the network cable to an external transceiver The next step is to install the NIC driver Go to Installing the NIC Driver and Software in Windows on page 19 or Installing the NetWare Server Driver on page 27 Connecting the NIC to the Network SC Port The SC port on the 3C905B FX NIC provides a 100 Mbps fiber based connection only The following table shows the cable requirements and maximum network cable lengths for the SC port Port Cable Required Maximum Network Cable Length SC Long wavelength fiber optic 1300 nm m 50 u 125 u multimode fiber Full duplex 2 000 m 6 560 ft Half duplex 412 m 1 351 ft 62 5 W125 u multimode fiber Full duplex 2 000 m 6 560 ft Half duplex 412 m 1 351 ft

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