3COM 3C905C-TX, 3C905C-TX-M User Manual

Name: 3COM 3C905C-TX
Brand: 3COM
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EtherLink® 10/100 PCI for Complete PC Management Network Interface Cards User Guide

3C905C-TX and 3C905C-TX-M EtherLink 10/100 PCI NICs for Complete PC Management

http://www.3com.com/ http://www.3com.com/productreg

Part No. 09-1488-000 Published March 1999

3Com Corporation ■ 5400 Bayfront Plaza ■ Santa Clara, California ■ 95052-8145

Copyright © 1999, 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 ﬁle 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, the 3Com logo, Dynamic trademarks of 3Com Corporation. Intelligent Auto Install is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. 3Com Facts is a service mark of 3Com Corporation.

Magic Packet is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Wake on LAN is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. Novell and NetWare are trademarks of Novell, Inc. SCO is a trademark of The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.

All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Access

, EtherDisk, EtherLink, and Parallel Tasking are registered

ONTENTS

BOUT THIS GUIDE

Conventions 9 Year 2000 Compliance 10

NTRODUCTION

3C905C NIC Overview 11

Features 12 Using Remote Wake-Up 12

Remote Wake-Up Requirements 13

Multiple NIC Installations and Remote Wake-Up 13 Using the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) Software 13 Using Dynamic Using the Workgroup Keep-Alive Packet 15 Using Remote System Alerts 15

Remote System Alerts Requirements 15

Supported Remote System Alerts 15 Using Desktop Management Interface (DMI) 2.0 16

Access

Software 14

ETWORK INTERFACE CARD INSTALLATION

Overview 17 Preparing for Installation 18 Running the Preinstallation Program 19 Inserting the NIC 19 Connecting the Remote Wake-Up Cable 22 Connecting SOS or SMBus Cables for Remote System Alerts 24 Connecting to the Network 24

INDOWS

RIVER INSTALLATION

Overview 27 Installing the Driver 27

Windows 95 27 Windows 98 30 Windows NT 4.0 32 Windows NT 3.51 33

Verifying Successful Installation 35

Windows 95 and Windows 98 35 Windows NT 4.0 35 Windows NT 3.51 36

Installing Multiple NICs 36

Windows 95 and Windows 98 36 Windows NT 4.0 37

NETW

Installing the NetWare Client Driver 39

About 3Com Intelligent Auto Install Software 39 Intelligent Auto Install Requirements 40 Running the Intelligent Auto Install Program 40

Installing the NetWare Server Driver 41

Obtaining NetWare Loadable Modules 41 NetWare 3.12 41 NetWare 4.10 and 4.11 42 Multiple NICs 42 Verifying the PCI Slot Number 43

95/98

ARE CLIENT AND SERVER DRIVER INSTALLATION

AND WINDOWS

NIC C

ONFIGURATION

Conﬁguration Methods 45 Default NIC Settings 46 Changing General NIC Conﬁguration Settings 47 Conﬁguring the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) 49

Enabling or Disabling the Boot ROM Setting 49 Booting From the Network 50

BBS BIOS-Compatible PCs 50 Non-BBS BIOS-Compatible PCs 51

ROUBLESHOOTING AND DIAGNOSTICS

Troubleshooting the Installation 53 Accessing 3Com Support Databases 54

Accessing the 3Com Knowledgebase 54 Accessing the 3Com NIC Help System 54 Accessing Release Notes and Frequently Asked

Questions 55

Interpreting the LEDs 56 Running the NIC Diagnostics Tests 57

To Run the Network Test 58 To Run the NIC Test 59 To Run the Remote Wake-Up Test 59

Troubleshooting Remote Wake-Up 61 Viewing Network Statistics 62 Using the 3Com Icon in the Windows System Tray 63 Removing NIC Software 64

Windows 95 and Windows 98 64 Windows NT 4.0 64 Windows NT 3.51 65

Frequently Asked Questions 66

PECIFICATIONS AND CABLING REQUIREMENTS

Hardware Speciﬁcations 69

Network Interface 69 Physical Dimensions 69 Environmental Operating Range 69 Power Requirements 69

Standards Conformance 70 Cabling Requirements 70

Twisted-Pair Cable 70 10BASE-T Operation 71 100BASE-TX Operation 72

RJ-45 Connector Pin Assignments 72

YNAMIC

AND CONFIGURATION

Client PC Requirements 73 Installing Dynamic Verifying Successful Installation 75 Conﬁguring Dynamic Removing Dynamic

Overview 77 System Requirements 78

Client PC Requirements 78 Network Management Requirements 78

Installing the 3Com DMI Agent 79

ECHNICAL SUPPORT

Support from Your Network Supplier 81 Online Technical Services 81

World Wide Web Site 81 3Com FTP Site 82 3Com Bulletin Board Service 82

3Com Facts Automated Fax Service 83

Access

DMI A

Access by Analog Modem 82 Access by Digital Modem 83

OFTWARE INSTALLATION

Access

Software 74

Access

Software 75

Access

Software 76

GENT INSTALLATION

NDEX

3COM C

FCC C

FCC D

ORPORATION LIMITED WARRANTY

LASS

B S

ECLARATION OF CONFORMITY

3COM END U

TATEMENT

SER SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT

IGURES

3C905C Network Interface Cards 11

Installing the NIC 21

Connecting the Remote Wake-Up Cable 23

Connecting to the RJ-45 Port 25

Add New Hardware Wizard 30

Network Settings Window 34

Selected NIC Screen 44

General Screen 48

Conﬁguration Screen 48

Support Screen 55

Diagnostics Screen 58

Remote Wake-Up Test Screen 60

Statistics Screen 62

RJ-45 Connector Pin Assignments 72

15 DynamicAccess Software Setup Screen — Trafﬁc

Prioritization 76

TABLES

1 Notice Icons 9 2 Text Conventions 10 3 Installation Overview 17 4 Cable Speciﬁcations 24 5 NetWare NLMs 41 6 NIC Conﬁguration Methods 45 7 NIC Conﬁguration Settings 46 8 Installation Troubleshooting Tips 53

9 LED Interpretations 56 10 Frequently Asked Questions 66 11 Unshielded Twisted-pair Cable Categories 71 12 DynamicAccess Software Minimum Client Requirements 74

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

This guide describes how to install, conﬁgure, and troubleshoot the 3Com® EtherLink® 10/100 PCI for Complete PC Management (3C905C) network interface card (NIC).

This guide is intended for those who install and conﬁgure Ethernet NICs. Some familiarity with Ethernet networks and NICs is assumed.

If release notes are shipped with your product and the information there differs from the information in this guide, follow the instructions in the release notes.

Most user guides and release notes are available in Adobe Acrobat Reader Portable Document Format (PDF) or HTML on the 3Com World Wide Web site:

http://www.3com.com/

You can download Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Systems Incorporated Web site:

http://www.adobe.com/

Conventions

Table 1 and Table 2 list conventions that are used throughout this guide.

Table 1 Notice Icons

Icon Notice Type Description

Information note Information that describes important features

Caution Information that alerts you to potential loss of

Warning Information that alerts you to potential

or instructions

data or potential damage to an application, system, or device

personal injury

10 ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Table 2 Text Conventions

Convention Description

Screen displays This typeface represents information as it appears on

the screen.

Commands The word “command” means that you must enter the

command exactly as shown and then press Return or Enter. Commands appear in bold. Example:

To launch the DOS diagnostics program, enter the following command:

a: install

The words “enter” and “type”

When you see the word “enter” in this guide, you must type something, and then press Return or Enter. Do not press Return or Enter when an instruction simply says “type.”

Words in italics Italics are used to:

■ Emphasize a point.

■ Denote a new term at the place where it is defined in

the text.

■ Identify menu names, menu commands, and software

button names. Examples: From the Help menu, select Contents. Click OK.

Year 2000 Compliance

For information on Year 2000 compliance and 3Com products, visit the 3Com Year 2000 Web page:

http://www.3com.com/products/yr2000.html

INTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the 3Com® EtherLink® 10/100 PCI for Complete PC Management (3C905C) network interface card (NIC).

3C905C NIC Overview

The 3C905C NIC is a 10/100 Mbps PCI NIC that includes a suite of desktop management features, including Remote Wake-Up, managed PC boot agent, system alerts, workgroup keep-alive, and DMI 2.0 support.

The two versions of the 3C905C NIC are shown in Figure 1 and described in the next section.

Figure 1 3C905C Network Interface Cards

RJ-45

LEDs

port

TX DATA

ACT

100

3C905C-TX-M 3C905C-TX

TX DATA

ACT

100

MBA Boot ROM

L N K

Boot ROM socket

SOS pin connector System Management

Bus (SMB) connector

Remote Wake-Up (RWU) connector

12 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Features

The 3C905C NIC supports the following features:

■ Remote Wake-Up

■ Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) software (integrated

as a boot ROM on the 3C905C-TX-M NIC; available separately for installation and use with the 3C905C-TX NIC)

■ DynamicAccess® software

■ Remote system alerts

■ Workgroup keep-alive packet

■ Desktop Management Interface (DMI) 2.0 and 2.0s

■ PCI 2.2

■ Wired for Management 2.0

■ Advanced Conﬁguration Power Interface (ACPI)

■ Parallel Tasking

■ 802.3x Flow Control

■ TCP/IP Checksum

For a complete list of the standards that the 3C905C NIC supports, see “Standards Conformance” in Appendix A.

Unless speciﬁcally indicated, 3C905C is used throughout this guide to refer to both NICs.

and Parallel Tasking II technology

Using Remote Wake-Up

Remote Wake-Up is the ability to remotely power-on a PC for after-hours administration.

Remote Wake-Up support is enabled in one of two ways:

■ If your PC is compliant with PCI 2.2, Remote Wake-Up is

automatically enabled through the PCI bus. No special installation is required. (See your PC documentation if you are unsure whether your PC is compliant with PCI 2.2.)

■ If your PC is not compliant with PCI 2.2, you must

connect a Remote Wake-Up cable from the NIC Remote Wake-Up (RWU) connector (see Figure 1) to a 3-pin Remote Wake-Up connector on the PC motherboard. See “Connecting the Remote Wake-Up Cable” in Chapter 2 for instructions.

3C905C NIC Overview 13

Remote Wake-Up Requirements

Your PC or server must have the following items to use Remote Wake-Up:

■ BIOS that supports Remote Wake-Up

■ PCI 2.2-compliant bus 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 the following 3Com World Wide Web site:

http://www.3com.com/partners/acpi

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.

See your PC documentation if you are unsure whether your PC power supply can accommodate more than one Remote Wake-Up device.

Using the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) Software

The 3C905C-TX-M NIC has an installed boot ROM (see Figure 1) that contains Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) software.

A boot ROM with MBA software can be purchased separately for installation and use with the 3C905C-TX NIC.

The MBA adds management capabilities to the NIC by enabling the PC to boot from the server, rather than from its local drive.

This preboot support allows you to use management applications to remotely:

■ Install and conﬁgure a new PC that has never been

connected to the network.

■ Upgrade software.

14 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

■ Conﬁgure or reconﬁgure multiple systems

simultaneously.

■ Scan for viruses.

■ Back-up hard drives and perform disaster recovery tasks.

For information on conﬁguring the MBA to boot from the network, see “Conﬁguring the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA)” in Chapter 5.

For detailed information on the MBA, see the Managed PC Boot Agent User Guide, located on the MBA Utility diskette.

Using DynamicAccess Software

The 3C905C NIC comes with DynamicAccess software, advanced network software that improves performance, management, and control of your network.

DynamicAccess software adds intelligence to the NIC by integrating the following features:

■ Distributed RMON (dRMON) SmartAgents — Enables

full RMON reporting on all network segments, including switched networks, without the need to place dedicated RMON probes throughout the network.

■ Trafﬁc prioritization (IEEE 802.1p/Q) — Ensures that

business-critical and delay-sensitive trafﬁc (such as multimedia applications) has priority over normal data.

■ Fast IP—Eliminates router bottlenecks and improves

performance in switched networks.

■ Efﬁcient multicast control — Prevents ﬂooding of

switched networks by multicast applications such as video training, stock quotes, or online news.

DynamicAccess software can be installed on a PC running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT. See Appendix B for more information.

For detailed information on DynamicAccess software, go to the following 3Com World Wide Web site:

http://www.3com.com/dynamicaccess

3C905C NIC Overview 15

Using the Workgroup Keep-Alive Packet

The 3C905C NIC can transmit a workgroup keep-alive packet periodically while the PC is in a sleep state. This packet prevents the PCs workstation address from being aged-out of switch and router tables.

For instructions on enabling or disabling the workgroup keep-alive packet, see “Conﬁguring the Workgroup Keep-Alive Packet” in Appendix D.

Using Remote System Alerts

The 3C905C NIC can be conﬁgured to continuously monitor the PC and transmit a remote system alert to an alert target management station when a speciﬁc event, such as a power problem or a case intrusion, is detected.

Remote System Alerts Requirements

To generate remote system alerts:

■ The 3C905C NIC must be connected to the

PC motherboard using the NIC SOS or SMBus (SMB) connector.

See your PC documentation or contact your PC manufacturer if you are unsure whether the NIC can be connected (or already is connected) to the PC motherboard using one of these connectors.

■ The alert target management station that is to receive

the alerts must have software that supports the Platform Event Trap Format (PETF) speciﬁcation for remote system alerts.

See your management station software documentation if you are unsure whether it supports the PETF speciﬁcation, the packet format used by the 3C905C NIC.

Supported Remote System Alerts

A PC can support a maximum of seven remote system alerts. The remote system alerts that are supported by your PC depend upon your PCs conﬁguration.

16 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Using Desktop Management Interface (DMI) 2.0

The 3C905C NIC supports DMI 2.0 and 2.0s, which enables managed PCs and net PCs to report details about themselves and their peripheral devices across the network to a DMI 2.0-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 Appendix C.

For more detailed information on DMI, go to the following 3Com World Wide Web site:

http://www.3com.com/managedpc

NETWORK INTERFACE CARD

INSTALLATION

This chapter describes how to install the 3C905C NIC in your PC and connect it to an Ethernet or Fast Ethernet network.

CAUTION: Do NOT physically install the NIC in your PC until you have run the preinstallation program, as described in “Running the Preinstallation Program” later in this chapter.

Overview

Table 3 provides an overview of how to install the 3C905C NIC, depending on your PC conﬁguration.

Table 3 Installation Overview

Installation Task Instructions

Installing the NIC in a new PC

Installing multiple NICs To install multiple 3C905C NICs in a Windows 95/98 or

Replacing an installed NIC

(continued)

To install the 3C905C NIC in a new PC or in a PC that never has had a NIC installed:

1 Run the NIC preinstallation program before installing

the NIC in the PC, as described in this chapter.

2 Install the NIC in the PC and connect it to the network,

as described in this chapter.

3 Install the NIC driver and software. See Chapter 3 or

Chapter 4 for instructions.

Windows NT 4.0 PC, follow the instructions in “Installing Multiple NICs” in Chapter 3.

To install multiple 3C905C NICs in a NetWare server, follow the instructions in “Multiple NICs” in Chapter 4.

To install the 3C905C NIC in a PC in which a NIC has previously been installed:

1 Remove the drivers and the NIC before installing the

3C905C NIC in the PC. See “Removing NIC Software” in Chapter 6 for instructions.

2 Install the 3C905C NIC in the PC, following the

instructions in “Installing the NIC in a new PC” earlier in this table.

18 CHAPTER 2: NETWORK INTERFACE CARD INSTALLATION

Table 3 Installation Overview (continued)

Upgrading Windows 95 to Windows 98

Updating EtherDisk software

To upgrade a PC from Windows 95 to Windows 98 in which a 3C90x NIC has already been installed, follow the instructions in the WIN98.TXT file located in the HELP directory on EtherDisk diskette 3.

To update EtherDisk 4.x or earlier software to EtherDisk 5.x software, follow the instructions in the text file appropriate for your operating system in the HELP directory on EtherDisk diskette 3.

Preparing for Installation

Before you install the NIC in your PC, make sure that you have the following items:

■ 3C905C NIC

■ 3Com EtherDisk diskettes 1, 2, and 3

■ Remote Wake-Up cable (This cable is optional. Install it

only if you want to use Remote Wake-Up and your PC is not compliant with PCI 2.2. Contact your PC manufacturer for the Remote Wake-Up cable.)

■ SOS or SMBus cable (This cable is optional. Install it

only if you want to use remote system alerts and your PC has a matching connector on its motherboard. Contact your PC manufacturer for cabling and installation instructions.)

If the 3C905C NIC or the EtherDisk diskettes are damaged or missing, contact your shipper or network supplier.

You also need to know the following about your network environment:

■ The kind of network cabling that is used to connect to

the network at your site (10BASE-T or 100BASE-TX).

■ Your network protocol (IPX, NetBEUI, or TCP/IP).

Running the Preinstallation Program 19

Running the Preinstallation Program

Before you physically install the NIC in your PC, you must run the following preinstallation program to properly set up your system environment.

CAUTION: If you do not run the preinstallation program, the NIC driver and software will not be installed correctly.

To run the preinstallation program:

1 Do not install the NIC in the PC.

2 Turn on the power to the PC and start Windows.

3 Insert EtherDisk diskette 1 in drive A.

4 From the Windows Start menu, select Run.

5 Run the preinstallation program. Enter:

a:\preinstl

6 After the preinstallation program ﬁnishes, turn off

the power to the PC and remove EtherDisk diskette 1.

The next step is to install the NIC in the PC.

Inserting the NIC

The following instructions apply to installing the NIC in most PCs. If these instructions are not appropriate for your PC, refer to the documentation that accompanied your PC.

CAUTION: 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.”

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.

20 CHAPTER 2: NETWORK INTERFACE CARD INSTALLATION

To install the NIC in your PC:

1 Make sure that you have run the preinstallation

program, as described in the previous section.

2 Remove all jewelry from your hands and wrists. Use

only insulated or nonconducting tools.

3 Make sure that the power to the PC is turned off and

that the power cord is unplugged.

4 Remove the cover from your PC.

5 Locate an empty, nonshared bus mastering PCI slot

and remove the corresponding slot cover. Save the screw.

Do not install the NIC in a shared PCI slot. Avoid any PCI slot next to an ISA slot. This is often a shared slot and does not support bus mastering.

If you do not know how to identify a PCI slot, check your PC documentation or ask your system administrator.

If you are planning to install the Remote Wake-Up cable or a cable for the SOS or SMBus connector, choose an empty PCI slot that is close to the matching connector on the PC motherboard.

6 Carefully insert the NIC into the empty PCI slot (see

Figure 2). Press ﬁrmly to ensure that the NIC is fully seated in the slot.

Figure 2 Installing the NIC

1 Remove slot cover

2 Insert NIC

Inserting the NIC 21

PCI slots

7 Secure the NIC with the screw you removed in step 5.

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 want to connect a cable from the SOS or SMBus connector, see your PC documentation or contact your PC manufacturer for instructions.

If you do not want to connect a cable, continue with step 8.

8 Replace the PC cover and plug in the power cord.

Do not turn on the power to the PC.

9 Go to “Connecting to the Network” later in this chapter.

22 CHAPTER 2: NETWORK INTERFACE CARD INSTALLATION

Connecting the Remote Wake-Up Cable

This section describes how to connect the Remote Wake-Up cable from the NIC to the PC motherboard.

Contact your PC manufacturer for the Remote Wake-Up cable.

Connecting the Remote Wake-Up cable is optional. Connect this cable only if you want to use this feature and your PC has the following items:

■ 3-pin Remote Wake-Up connector on the

PC motherboard

■ 5-volt standby power supply unit rated at a minimum

of 375 milliamperes

■ BIOS that supports Remote Wake-Up

If 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.

WARNING: Make sure that the PC power cord is unplugged. Only properly trained and authorized personnel should perform service. Contact your PC manufacturer for information about safe service techniques.

To connect the Remote Wake-Up cable:

1 Make sure that the NIC is properly installed in a PCI slot.

2 Insert the Remote Wake-Up cable into the

RWU connector on the NIC (see Figure 3).

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 (see Figure 3).

Refer to your PC documentation if you need help locating the connector.

Connecting the Remote Wake-Up Cable 23

Figure 3 Connecting the Remote Wake-Up Cable

Power

supply

Connect Remote Wake-Up cable from NIC to motherboard connector

Plug in Remote Wake-Up cable to RWU connector

4 Replace the PC cover and plug in the power cord.

Do not turn on the power to the PC.

5 Go to the next section, “Connecting SOS or SMBus

Cables for Remote System Alerts” or go directly to the following section, “Connecting to the Network.”

24 CHAPTER 2: NETWORK INTERFACE CARD INSTALLATION

Connecting SOS or SMBus Cables for Remote System Alerts

Connecting the SOS or SMBus cables is optional, and requires a matching connector on your PC motherboard. Connect one of these cables only if you want to use Remote System Alerts and if your PC supports this feature.

Contact your PC manufacturer for these cables.

To connect the SOS or SMBus cable for Remote System Alerts, conﬁrm that your PC supports one of these cables and follow the instructions provided with the PC documentation.

Connecting to the Network

This section describes how to connect the 3C905C NIC RJ-45 port to an Ethernet or Fast Ethernet network.

The RJ-45 port provides a 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps connection automatically, depending on the speed of the connected hub or switch.

Table 4 shows the cable requirements and maximum network cable lengths for the 3C905C NIC.

Table 4 Cable Speciﬁcations

Network Environment

10 Mbps (10BASE-T)

100 Mbps (100BASE-TX)

Cable Required

Category 3, 4, or 5 unshielded twisted-pair

Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair

Maximum Cable Length

100 m (328 ft)

Connecting to the Network 25

TX Data

ACT 10 100

L N K

To connect the 3C905C NIC to a 10 Mbps Ethernet or 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet network:

1 Plug the RJ-45 connector on the twisted-pair network

cable into the RJ-45 port on the NIC backplate (see Figure 4).

Figure 4 Connecting to the RJ-45 Port

RJ-45 connector

2 Connect the other end of the network cable to an

active network port.

The next step is to install the NIC driver and software. Go to the appropriate chapter for your operating system.

WINDOWS 95/98 AND

Overview

WINDOWS NT DRIVER INSTALLATION

This chapter describes how to install the NIC driver and software on a PC running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows NT 3.51.

To obtain the latest shipping version of a driver, contact your PC manufacturer.

You install the NIC driver and software using the EtherDisk diskettes after you have run the preinstallation program and installed the NIC in your PC, as described in Chapter 2.

The NIC driver can be used in both Microsoft and NetWare network environments.

Do not use the 3Com Intelligent Auto Install software to install the NIC driver under Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT. The Intelligent Auto Install software is for Windows 3.x and DOS clients connecting to a NetWare server. See Chapter 4 for more information.

Installing the Driver

To install the NIC driver and software, follow the steps in the section appropriate for your operating system.

Windows 95

If you encounter problems during the installation, see the W95NDIS.TXT ﬁle located in the HELP directory on EtherDisk diskette 3 for troubleshooting tips.

Before installing the NIC driver and software:

■ Make sure that you have run the preinstallation

program, as described in Chapter 2.

■ Make sure that the NIC is installed in the PC and

that it is connected to the network.

28 CHAPTER 3: WINDOWS 95/98 AND WINDOWS NT DRIVER INSTALLATION

■ Make sure that you have the Windows 95 installation

ﬁles. These ﬁles may be on a CD or diskettes, or they may have been copied to your hard drive when Windows 95 was installed on your PC.

To install the NIC driver and software on a PC running Windows 95:

1 Turn on the power to the PC.

Windows 95 detects the NIC. Depending on the version of Windows 95 that you have

installed, the New Hardware Found dialog box appears or the Update Device Driver Wizard starts.

If the New Hardware Found dialog box appears: a Select Driver from disk provided by hardware

manufacturer, and then click OK.

b Insert EtherDisk diskette 1 in drive A, make sure that A:\

appears in the entry box, and then click OK.

c Go to step 2 when prompted for EtherDisk diskette 2. If the Update Device Driver Wizard starts:

a Insert EtherDisk diskette 1 in drive A, and then click Next.

Windows ﬁnds the driver and asks if you want to use this driver.

b Click Finish, and then click OK when prompted for

EtherDisk diskette 1.

c Go to step 2 when prompted for EtherDisk diskette 2.

2 Remove EtherDisk diskette 1 from drive A, insert

EtherDisk diskette 2, and then 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 3.

■ If networking has already been installed, you are

prompted for the Windows 95 CD. Go to step 4.

Installing the Driver 29

3 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 the same for all the PCs in 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.

4 Insert the Windows 95 CD or diskette, and then

click OK.

If you do not have the Windows 95 CD or diskette, but the Windows 95 installation ﬁles are on your hard drive, click

OK. Enter the directory in the Copy Files From entry box (usually C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS), and then click OK.

Files are copied. You are prompted for EtherDisk diskette 2.

5 Make sure that EtherDisk diskette 2 is in drive A, and

then click OK.

Files are copied. You are prompted to restart the PC.

6 Remove EtherDisk diskette 2 from drive A, and then

click Yes to restart the PC.

You must restart the PC to complete the installation.

The installation is complete. Go to “Verifying Successful Installation” later in this chapter to conﬁrm that the NIC is properly installed.

After Windows restarts, double-click the Network icon in the Windows Control Panel and make sure that the conﬁguration settings are properly set for your network environment. Contact your system administrator for assistance.

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