3Com 3C980-TXM, 3C980B-TXM, 3C980C-TXM, 3C982-TXM User guide

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EtherLink

Server 10/100 PCI NIC Family User Guide

3C980x-TXM 10/100 PCI server network interface card with Dynamic Access

3C982-TXM 10/100 PCI dual port server network interface card with Dynamic Access

technology

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Published October 2000

3Com Corporation Bayfront Plaza Clara, California

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Copyright © 2000 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.

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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.

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Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. Microsoft, Windows and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. NetWare and Novell are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. SCO, SCO OpenServer, and UnixWare are trademarks or registered trademarks of The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.

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

About This Guide

This guide describes how to install, conﬁgure, and troubleshoot the following 3Com

network interface

card (NIC):

Description Model Number

3Com EtherLink Server 10/100 PCI NIC

3C980-TXM 3C980B-TXM 3C980C-TXM

3Com EtherLink 10/100 PCI Dual Port Server

3C982-TXM

NIC

This guide is intended for the network administrator, network operator, or network hardware installer. Knowledge of Ethernet and the server network operating system is required.

Documentation is available in Adobe Acrobat Reader Portable Document Format (PDF) or HTML on the 3Com Web site: http://www.3com.com. You can download Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Systems Incorporated web site: http://www.adobe.com/.

ONTENTS

NTRODUCTION

Overview 1 Advanced Server Features 2

Bidirectional Load Balancing 2 Self-Healing Drivers 3 Failover 3 VLANs 4

Server Features Using Other NICs 5 Hot Plug NIC Installation 5 Remote Wake-Up (Single Port Models Only) 5 Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) Software 5 Desktop Management Interface (DMI) 2.0 6 Remote System Alerts 6

NSTALLING

Safety Precautions 7 Installation Requirements 7 Preparing the NIC and the Computer 8 Installing and Connecting the NIC 9 Installing Software 11

Obtaining Installation Diskettes 12

Creating Diskettes in Windows 12

NSTALLING

Software Installation Requirements 13 Getting Help 13 Installing in Windows NT 13 Installing in Windows 2000 14 Conﬁguring SHD Parameter Settings 14

Windows NT 14

Windows 2000 15 Verifying Successful Installation 16

Windows NT 16

Windows 2000 16 Updating Software in Windows 16

Windows NT 16

Windows 2000 17

AND

ONNECTING

ONFIGURING

THE

NIC

INDOWS

DynamicAccess Server Features 17

Planning Groups and VLANs 17 Installing Dynamic Access Software 19 Conﬁguring Server Features 19

Windows NT 19

Windows 2000 19 Creating a Group 20 Adding NICs to a Group 21 Specifying a Dedicated IP Address 21 Changing an IP Address 22 Creating a VLAN 22 Specifying Trafﬁc Priorities (Windows NT 4.0 Only) 23 Saving the Conﬁguration 23 Disabling Load Balancing for a Group 23 Changing the Primary NIC 24 Removing a NIC from a Group 24 Deleting or Editing a VLAN 24 Displaying NIC Properties 24 Displaying Group Properties 24 Specifying Failover from Gigabit to 10/100 PCI 24 Troubleshooting a Load Balancing Conﬁguration 25 Changing Windows 2000 Property Settings 25 Identifying Windows 2000 Miniport and LAN Connections 25

NSTALLING

Software Installation Requirements 27

Netware Packet Receive Buffers 27 Slot Numbers for Multiple NICs 27 Obtaining Slot Numbers 27

Installation and Conﬁguration Instructions 28

Load the 3Com EtherLink Server CD 28 Copy the Driver 28 Specify the Slot Number 29 Load the Driver 29 Set Up Another NIC 29 Install Server Features 30 Conﬁgure Groups 30 Verify the Installation and Conﬁguration 31

Changing NetWare Driver Conﬁguration Parameters 32 Conﬁguring Groups 34

Planning the Conﬁguration 34 Adding a Secondary NIC to a Group 35 Adding a Group 36 Server Feature Commands 37

group 38

display status 38

help 38

AND

ONFIGURING

ARE

link timeout 39 probe interval 39 receive timeout 39 retry count 39 send timeout 40 ungroup 40 wait timeout 40

Troubleshooting a Group Conﬁguration 41

ONFIGURING

Conﬁguration Settings 43 Conﬁguration Methods 44 Conﬁguring the NIC in Windows 44 Conﬁguring the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) 45 Booting From the Network 45 Disabling the 3Com Logo 46

ROUBLESHOOTING

Interpreting the LEDs 47

Viewing the NIC LEDs in the Diagnostics Program 48 Accessing the 3Com Knowledgebase 48 Accessing the 3Com NIC Help System 48 Accessing Other Information 48 Troubleshooting the Network Connection 49 Troubleshooting Remote Wake-Up 49 Removing the Network Driver 50

Windows NT 50

Windows 2000 51

NetWare 51 Removing Server Features 51

Windows NT and Windows 2000 51

NetWare 52 Removing 3Com NIC Diagnostics 52

Windows NT and Windows 2000 52

THE

NIC

THE

NIC

UNNING

Overview 53 Running the NIC Test 53 Running the Network Test 54 Viewing Network Statistics 54 Using the 3Com Icon in the Windows System Tray 54

Enabling the Icon 54

Displaying Network Statistics 55

NIC D

IAGNOSTICS

INDOWS

NSTALLING

Windows Fresh Installation 57

Windows NT 57 Windows 2000 57

NetWare Fresh Installation 57

Requirements 57 Installation Instructions 57

NSTALLING

Overview 59 System Requirements 60 Installation Instructions 60

PECIFICATIONS

ECHNICAL

Online Technical Services 63

World Wide Web Site 63

3Com FTP Site 63 Support from Your Network Supplier 63 Support from 3Com 64 Returning Products for Repair 66

THE

UPPORT

NIC W

DMI A

HILE

GENT

NSTALLING

THE

NOS

NDEX

ORPORATION

EGULATORY

RODUCT

NFORMATION

SER

EGISTRATION

IMITED

OFTWARE

ICENSE

ARRANTY

GREEMENT

NTRODUCTION

Overview

The 3Com

EtherLink

Server 10/100 PCI NIC family of network interface cards (NIC)

connect PCI-compliant server computers to Ethernet or Fast Ethernet networks.

Parallel Tasking II

hardware technology, plus a powerful suite of DynamicAccess® technology software features, relieve network congestion and ensure high performance and maximum bandwidth availability.

Figure 1 EtherLink Server 10/100 PCI NIC

MBA Boot ROM

Remote Wake-Up (RWU) connector

TX DATA

ACT

L N

100

Figure 2 Dual Port EtherLink Server 10/100 PCI NIC

MBA Boot ROM

ACT

10/100

ACT

10/100

2 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Each NIC supports these features:

■ Advanced Server Features—Improve network performance, management, and

control.

■ Hot Plug NIC Installation—Lets you add a new NIC or remove and replace a NIC

without turning off power to the computer.

■ Remote Wake-Up (Single Port Models Only)—Lets you power-on a computer

remotely for after-hours administration.

■ Integrated boot ROM (through port A on 3C982-TXM) with Managed PC Boot

Agent (MBA) Software—Adds management capabilities by enabling the

computer to boot from another computer, rather than from its local drive.

■ Desktop Management Interface (DMI) 2.0—Enables managed computers and

net computers to report details about themselves and their peripheral devices across the network to a DMI 2.0-compliant management application.

■ Remote System Alerts (heartbeat packets)—Can signal a possible computer

power loss or theft.

Advanced Server Features

Bidirectional

Load Balancing

3Com DynamicAccess technology advanced network software adds intelligence to the NIC to improve network performance, management, and control. DynamicAccess server features relieve network congestion and ensure high performance and maximum bandwidth availability.

■ Self-healing drivers (SHDs) detect common error conditions and correct them

while maintaining server link performance.

■ Bidirectional load balancing groups share the network load over resilient server

links (RSLs) that keep trafﬁc ﬂowing both into a server and out of a server even if a NIC in a group is temporarily disconnected.

■ VLANs (IEEE 802.1Q multiple virtual LANs) let you divide network segments

into logical partitions that simplify conﬁguration changes, organize work groups efﬁciently, help to control trafﬁc, and provide extra security.

■ Trafﬁc prioritization (IEEE 802.1p/Q)—Ensures that business-critical and

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

For detailed information on DynamicAccess technology products, go to:

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

Bidirectional load balancing maximizes bandwidth at the server through the use of multiple parallel resilient server links (RSLs) that share the network load.

An RSL consists of two or more NICs that form a virtual NIC. Each virtual NIC has multiple physical NICs bound to it, forming a group. Each NIC in a group uses the same protocols and frame types. One NIC is designated the primary NIC and the others secondary NICs.

Advanced Server Features 3

Clients

Bidirectional

Server

Primary

Secondaries

Transmit-only

Primary

Secondaries

Switch

¨ ¨

Figure 3 Types of Load Balancing Arrangements

Self-Healing Drivers Self-healing drivers (SHDs) work together with RSLs to maintain the network

connection. An SHD monitors the NIC continuously for error conditions and makes corrections. These corrections can include resetting the NIC, rebuilding software data structures, temporarily disabling features, or transferring all network trafﬁc to secondary NICs (termed a failover event). An SHD can also continuously monitor the status of the physical NICs in a virtual NIC group before and after failover. Errors and actions are reported to the system console and to the system log ﬁle. Error threshold values can be conﬁgured at any time.

Failover In addition to load balancing, RSLs provide failover fault tolerance between a

server and a switch—if one NIC in a group fails, the others assume the network load of the failed NIC. The failover behavior of secondary NICs depends on how you set load balancing:

■ In a transmit load balancing arrangement, the primary NIC is the only one that

receives packets. If the primary NIC fails, a secondary NIC assumes the conﬁguration proﬁle, network trafﬁc, and active status of the failed primary NIC.

■ In a bidirectional load balancing arrangement, all NICs receive packets. If any

NIC fails, receive load balancing is disabled, and the other NICs continue transmit-only load balancing activity. Receive load balancing is restored when new connections are established with clients.

Bidirectional load balancing is restored after a failure when applications create new connections and new clients log in.

4 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Figure 4 Bidirectional Load Balancing Failover

Bidirectional

load balancing

Server

Primary failure Secondary failure

Switch

Clients

Primary

Secondaries

Primary

¨ ¨ ¨

Secondaries

Primary

Secondaries

VLANs A VLAN is a group of location-independent and topology-independent devices

that communicate as if they were on the same physical LAN. Network devices on different LAN segments and of different media types can be members of the same VLAN. Membership in a VLAN is determined by a VLAN tag that is transmitted with the Ethernet frame for use by a switch.

With VLANs, you can deﬁne a network according to:

■ Organizational groups—For example, you can have one VLAN for the

Marketing department and one for the Finance department.

■ Application groups—For example, you can have one VLAN for e-mail users and

one for multimedia users.

Implementing VLANs on a network has these advantages:

■ It eases the change and movement of devices on IP networks.

With traditional IP networks, if users move to a different IP subnet, the IP addresses of each workstation must be updated manually. With VLANs installed, if an end station on VLAN 1 is moved to a port elsewhere on the network, you need only to specify that the new port is on VLAN 1.

■ It helps to control trafﬁc.

With traditional networks, congestion can be caused by broadcast trafﬁc that is directed to all network devices whether they require it or not. Each VLAN can be set up to contain only those devices that need to communicate with each other, increasing network efﬁciency.

■ It provides extra security.

Devices within each VLAN can communicate only with member devices in the same VLAN. If a device in VLAN 1 needs to communicate with devices in VLAN 2, the trafﬁc must cross a router.

The DynamicAccess technology multiple VLAN capability supports IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging and works with any switch that is compliant with IEEE 802.1Q speciﬁcations. See your Ethernet switch documentation for more information on IEEE 802.1Q VLANs.

Hot Plug NIC Installation 5

Server Features Using

Other NICs

Hot Plug NIC Installation

Remote Wake-Up (Single Port Models Only)

Two foreign NICs (two that are not 3Com EtherLink Server NICs) are allowed per server. For guidelines on using foreign NICs, see these topics:

■ Windows NT and Windows 2000—Planning Groups and VLANs on page 17.

■ NetWare—Planning the Conﬁguration on page 34.

If your computer supports PCI hot plug speciﬁcations, you can add a new 3Com NIC or remove and replace a 3Com NIC without turning off power to the computer. Hot plug NIC installation allows you to expand connections without taking the computer out of service and makes troubleshooting faster and easier because you do not need to wait for the computer to reboot.

For instructions on performing a hot plug NIC installation, refer to your computer documentation and to the HOTPLUG.TXT ﬁle in the HELP directory on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD.

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

If the computer is compliant with PCI 2.2, Remote Wake-Up is automatically enabled through the PCI bus. If the computer is compliant with PCI 2.1, Remote Wake-Up support is enabled by connecting a Remote Wake-Up cable from the NIC Remote Wake-Up (RWU) connector to a 3-pin Remote Wake-Up connector on the computer motherboard.

Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) Software

The following items are needed to use Remote Wake-Up:

■ Management application that supports Remote Wake-Up

■ BIOS that supports Remote Wake-Up

■ PCI 2.2-compliant bus or a 3-pin Remote Wake-Up connector on the computer

motherboard and a 5-volt standby power supply unit rated at a minimum of 375 milliamperes

■ A power supply in the computer that can support multiple Remote Wake-Up

devices (to use multiple NICs as Remote Wake-Up NICs in the same computer)

If you are unsure whether the computer meets the requirements listed above, refer to the computer documentation or contact the computer manufacturer.

For more information on Remote Wake-Up, including a list of computers that currently support this feature, go to:

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

The Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) software adds management capabilities to the NIC, enabling the computer to boot from the server, rather than from its local drive.

This preboot support allows you to use management applications to perform the following tasks remotely:

■ Install and conﬁgure a new computer that has never been connected to the

network.

6 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

■ Upgrade software.

■ 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) on page 45.

For detailed information on the MBA, see the Managed PC Boot Agent User Guide, located with the MBA software on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD.

Desktop Management Interface (DMI) 2.0

DMI 2.0 enables managed computers and net computers 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 computer remotely.

For instructions on installing the 3Com DMI Agent, see Installing the

3Com DMI Agent on page 59.

For more detailed information on DMI, go to:

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

Remote System Alerts The NIC can be conﬁgured to continuously transmit 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 computer power loss or theft.

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

INSTALLING AND CONNECTING THE NIC

Safety Precautions Observe the following safety precautions:

WARNING: Computers operate with voltages that can be lethal. Before removing the cover, turn off the computer and unplug it. Disconnect all cables that are connected to the main system unit. Remove jewelry from your hands and wrists. Use insulated or nonconductive tools.

CAUTION: The NIC is packed in an antistatic container to protect it during shipment. Do not touch the components or any metal parts on the NIC, except for the backplate. To avoid damaging the NIC or the computer, reduce static electricity on your body by wearing an electrostatic discharge wrist strap attached to the chassis or by touching an unpainted metal part of the chassis before unplugging the computer and before handling the NIC.

Installation Requirements

CAUTION: Install the NIC in a PCI slot that conforms to PCI 2.1 or higher speciﬁcations. Do not attempt to install the NIC in an ISA or EISA slot. Doing so may damage the NIC and the computer.

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

The following items are required for hardware and software installation:

■ NIC—At least one 10/100 NIC.

■ Processor—Intel-based CPU (Pentium-class processor).

■ Server RAM—128 megabytes minimum; 256 megabytes recommended.

■ PCI slot—For each NIC, one bus master slot that conforms to PCI 32/64-bit

speciﬁcations, revision 2.1 or 2.2.

■ Drive—CD-ROM.

■ Cable—Category 5 UTP (for 100 Mbps operation).

■ Connector—RJ-45, one or two ports.

■ Software—One 3Com EtherLink Server CD with DynamicAccess technology

software and network drivers.

8 CHAPTER 2: INSTALLING AND CONNECTING THE NIC

■ Operating system—Base drivers and DynamicAccess software are available

for the following operating systems:

■ Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 with the most recent Service Pack

available from Microsoft technical support (www.microsoft.com).

■ Microsoft Windows 2000 with the most recent Service Pack available from

Microsoft technical support (www.microsoft.com).

■ Novell NetWare version 4.2 or 5.x with the most recent patches and

updates available from Novell technical support (www.novell.com).

Base drivers are also available for the following operating systems:

■ SCO UnixWare 7 available on the 3Com Web site

(http://support.3Com.com/infodeli/tools/nic/SCO.htm).

■ SCO OpenServer 5 available on the 3Com Web site

(http://support.3Com.com/infodeli/tools/nic/SCO.htm).

■ Linux available on the 3Com Web site

(http://support.3Com.com/infodeli/tools/nic/linux.htm).

Check the 3Com Web site (http://support.3Com.com/infodeli/tools/nic) for other supported drivers.

Preparing the NIC and the Computer

■ Computer BIOS—Latest version. Contact the computer manufacturer

to verify.

■ Remote Wake-Up—For requirements, see Remote Wake-Up (Single Port

Models Only) on page 5.

Observe the precautions listed in Safety Precautions on page 7. Follow these preparation steps:

1 Decide if you want to use the Remote Wake-Up feature.

If you want to use the Remote Wake-Up feature on a computer that is compliant with PCI 2.1, you must obtain a Remote Wake-Up cable for the NIC (for details, see Remote Wake-Up (Single Port Models Only) on page 5). If the computer is compliant with PCI 2.2, Remote Wake-Up is automatically enabled through the PCI bus and no Remote Wake-Up cable is required.

2 Make sure that cable requirements are met.

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

The following table shows the cable requirements and maximum network cable lengths for the RJ-45 port.

Maximum

Network Environment Cable Required

10 Mbps (10BASE-T) Category 3, 4, or 5 unshielded

twisted-pair

100 Mbps (100BASE-TX) Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair 100 m (328 ft)

Cable Length

100 m (328 ft)

Installing and Connecting the NIC 9

3 Unpack and inspect the NIC for damage. 4 Exit all open applications and user processes. 5 Turn off the power to the computer and attached devices. 6 Unplug the power cables from the power source. 7 Remove the computer cover. 8 Locate an empty, nonshared bus-mastering PCI slot and remove its slot cover. Save

the screw, if there is one.

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 the computer documentation or ask the system administrator.

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 computer motherboard. The Remote Wake-Up cable is required only if the computer is compliant with PCI 2.1 and you want to use the Remote Wake-Up. The cable is not required if the computer is compliant with PCI 2.2.

9 Write down the MAC address of the NIC and note the relative position of the

intended PCI slot.

Installing and Connecting the NIC

This information is helpful when you are installing the network drivers and connecting the cables to the hub or switch. The MAC address is the 12-digit hexadecimal number printed on the small bar code label on the component side of the NIC.

The next step is to install the NIC in the computer and connect it to the network.

Observe the safety precautions listed in Safety Precautions on page 7.

Prepare the NIC and the computer as described in Preparing the NIC and the

Computer on page 8.

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

10 CHAPTER 2: INSTALLING AND CONNECTING THE NIC

TX DATA

ACT

100

L N K

Figure 5 Installing and Connecting the NIC

–

1 Carefully insert the NIC into an empty PCI slot.

Press ﬁrmly to ensure that the NIC is fully seated in the slot. Secure the NIC with the screw if you removed one earlier.

2 Follow these steps only if you need to connect a Remote Wake-up cable:

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

■ Insert the Remote Wake-Up cable in the RWU connector on the NIC.

Twist the cable two times before attaching the cable to the computer.

■ Attach the other end of the cable to the connector on the computer

motherboard. Refer to the computer documentation if you need help locating the connector.

3 Replace the computer cover and plug in the power cord.

Do not turn on the power to the computer.

Installing Software 11

4 Plug the RJ-45 connector on the twisted-pair network cable into an RJ-45 port on

the NIC backplate.

If you are installing a dual port NIC, plug the ﬁrst cable into Port A on the NIC backplate.

5 Connect the other end of the network cable to an active network port.

The next step is to install the software.

If your site network installation procedures require you to verify that installed hardware is functional before you install software, run the 3C90XCFG.EXE DOS diagnostics program before installing the driver. This program is located on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD.

Figure 6 Connecting a Remote Wake-up Cable (PCI 2.1 only)

Installing Software See the following topics for requirements and instructions on installing software in

various operating systems:

■ Installing and Conﬁguring in Windows on page 13

■ Updating Software in Windows on page 16.

■ Installing and Conﬁguring in NetWare on page 27

12 CHAPTER 2: INSTALLING AND CONNECTING THE NIC

Obtaining Installation

Diskettes

Creating Diskettes in

Windows

If your computer does not have a CD-ROM drive, access a computer that has a CD-ROM drive and use the installation utilities to create installation diskettes from ﬁles on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD.

If you do not have access to a computer that has a CD-ROM drive, you can download the drivers from the 3Com web site:

http://www.3com.com/

Use the installation utilities on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD to create installation diskettes. The installation diskettes allow you to install drivers, diagnostics, DynamicAccess technology server features, and associated text ﬁles. The installation diskettes do not contain the user guide that is available on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD.

You will need ﬁve blank formatted diskettes.

To create the installation diskettes:

1 Turn on the power to the computer and start Windows. 2 Insert the 3Com EtherLink Server CD in the CD-ROM drive. 3 On the Welcome screen, click on NIC Software. 4 Click Installation Utilities. 5 Click on Create Installation Diskettes. 6 Follow the prompts to copy ﬁles to the diskettes.

INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN

Software Installation Requirements

Getting Help To display the Help system during the software installation, click Help on any

INDOWS

Before you install software, you may want to verify that the installed server NICs are functional or change their conﬁguration settings by running DOS diagnostics. Use the 3C90XCFG.EXE program located on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD.

If you are installing the software during the installation of the network operating system, see Installing a 3Com NIC While Installing the NOS on page 57.

For a list of installation requirements, see Installation Requirements on page 7.

The installation instructions assume you are using the Windows Auto Run feature. If the Welcome screen does not come up automatically, you can perform the installation by running begin.exe.

3Com window.

Installing in Windows NT

Before you begin software installation:

■ Make sure that all installation requirements are met. See Installation

Requirements on page 7.

■ Install the hardware. See Installing and Connecting the NIC on page 9.

Use the following procedure to install the driver and diagnostics for the ﬁrst time in a computer that is running Windows NT. (If you are updating a previous installation, see Updating Software in Windows on page 16.)

1 Boot the computer and start Windows NT. 2 Log in to the Windows NT Administrator account. 3 Insert the 3Com EtherLink Server CD in the CD-ROM drive. 4 From the Welcome screen, select NIC Software. 5 Click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics. 6 Follow the Wizard prompts. 7 Choose Typical or Custom Installation.

The Please Wait screen appears. After the installation is completed, an Update dialog box appears.

14 CHAPTER 3: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN WINDOWS

8 Click OK.

The Setup Complete screen appears.

If your network environment uses the TCP/IP communications protocol, the Microsoft TCP/IP Properties dialog box appears. Enter the information needed to deﬁne an IP address. Continue after you have deﬁned the TCP/IP settings.

9 Click Finish to complete the installation. 10 Click Exit. 11 Restart your computer for changes to take effect.

Installing in Windows 2000

Before you begin software installation:

■ Make sure that all software installation requirements are met. See Installation

Requirements on page 7.

■ Install the hardware. For instructions, see Installing and Connecting the NIC on

page 9.

Use the following procedure to install the driver and diagnostics for the ﬁrst time in a computer that is running Windows 2000. (If you are updating a previous installation, see Updating Software in Windows on page 16.)

1 Reboot the computer, start Windows 2000, and log in to the Windows 2000

Administrator account.

The Windows 2000 Found New Hardware wizard detects the new NICs and begins the driver installation.

2 Insert the 3Com EtherLink Server CD in the CD-ROM drive.

3 From the main menu, select NIC Software.

4 From the list on the left, click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics.

5 Follow the Wizard prompts.

6 Choose Typical or Custom Installation.

The Please Wait screen appears. After the installation is completed, an Update dialog box appears.

Conﬁguring SHD Parameter Settings

Windows NT

7 Click OK

The Setup Complete screen appears.

8 Click Finish to complete the installation.

9 Click Exit.

Follow the procedure for your operating system.

1 Right-click My Network Places and select Properties from the menu.

2 In the next window, right-click a connection and select Properties from the menu.

3 Click Conﬁgure.

Windows 2000

Configuring SHD Parameter Settings 15

4 In the NIC Properties window, click the Advanced tab. 5 In the Advanced window, you can conﬁgure the SHD parameters. Select a

parameter in the Property ﬁeld and change its value in the Value ﬁeld. Table 1 describes the SHD parameters. Default values are optimal for most networks.

1 From the Windows Start menu, select Settings/Control Panel. 2 Double-click the Network icon. 3 In the Network window, click the Adapters tab. 4 Double-click the adapter you want to modify 5 Double-click a parameter to change its value. Table 1 describes the SHD

parameters. Default values are optimal for most networks.

Slot numbers listed in the SHD Conﬁguration window may not match those labeled on the mother board

6 When you are ﬁnished, click OK. 7 Remove the 3Com EtherLink Server CD from the CD-ROM drive. 8 Restart the computer.

Table 1 SHD Parameters (Windows)

Range of Values

Field

Self Check Level

Sampling Window

Sampling Ratio 0–100 percent

Error Tolerance Low

Alert Type (Windows NT)

(Defaults in Bold)

Off, Basic, Enhanced Basic level checking monitors Tx/Rx errors (see

0–65536 packets 0 disables sampling.

1024

Medium

High

Information Warning

Error

Description

Sampling Window), link beat, and NIC hardware.

Enhanced level adds maintenance of valid data structures and uses more CPU cycles. Basic level checking is forced when RSL is enabled. Off disables SHD.

This option specifies the number of Tx/Rx packets to be sampled for carrier lost, late collisions, jabbers, CRC, overruns, underruns, and bus contention errors. Setting the Sampling Window to 0 effectively disables all checking.

Sampling Ratio establishes a rate of error accumulation. Every second, the error counters are diminished by the Sampling Ratio. The larger the Sampling Ratio, the more recent are the accumulated errors.

Error Tolerance specifies threshold levels for Tx/Rx errors. An RSL failover or NIC reset occurs when the threshold is exceeded during the sampling period.

Low = 5 of each error category Medium = 50 of each error category High = 100 of each error category

Double-click to enable or disable alert types. Enabled types are reported to the Windows System Events monitor.

16 CHAPTER 3: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN WINDOWS

Table 1 SHD Parameters (Windows) (continued)

Verifying Successful Installation

Windows NT

Windows 2000

Field

SHD Inform messages

SHD Warning messages

SHD Error messages (Windows 2000)

Range of Values (Defaults in Bold) Description

Enabled Disabled

Select a parameter in the Property field and change its value in the Value field. Enabled types are reported to the Windows System Events monitor.

Follow the procedure for your operating system.

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.

1 Right-click My Network Places and select Properties from the menu.

Updating Software in Windows

Windows NT

2 Check connections in the Network and Dial-up Connections window.

The following procedures update a previous installation of the network driver and NIC diagnostics software in Windows.

1 Boot the computer and start Windows NT.

2 Log in to the Windows NT Administrator account.

3 Insert the 3Com EtherLink Server CD in the CD-ROM drive.

4 From the Welcome screen, select NIC Software.

5 Click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics.

The Please Wait screen appears.

6 Follow the Wizard prompts.

7 Choose Custom Installation.

8 Select the desired installation option.

9 Click Next. 10 Choose any advanced features you would like set. 11 Click Next. 12 Click OK. 13 Click Finish to complete the installation.

Windows 2000

DynamicAccess Server Features 17

14 Click Exit. 15 Restart your computer for changes to take effect.

After you restart the computer, you may wish to conﬁgure self-healing drivers. To do so, bring up the Adapters tab in the Network window, select a NIC, and click Properties. For details on the SHD parameters, see SHD Parameters (Windows) on

page 15.

1 Reboot the computer, start Windows 2000, and log in to the Windows 2000

Administrator account.

The Windows 2000 Found New Hardware Wizard detects the new NICs and begins the driver installation.

2 Insert the 3Com EtherLink Server CD in the CD-ROM drive. 3 From the Welcome screen, select NIC Software. 4 Click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics. 5 Follow the Wizard prompts.

DynamicAccess Server Features

6 Choose Custom Installation. 7 Select the desired installation option. 8 Click OK

The Setup Complete screen appears.

9 Click Finish to complete the installation.

10 Click Exit.

DynamicAccess technology server features allow you to conﬁgure load balancing groups and virtual LANs (VLANs). The features are described in Advanced Server

Features on page 2.

The following DynamicAccess technology server features are available for NIC groups in Windows:

■ Bidirectional load balancing

■ RSL failover

■ Multiple VLANs

The examples in this section illustrate typical actions you might take in the course of maintaining a DynamicAccess server conﬁguration in Windows.

Planning Groups and

VLANs

Consider these items when planning groups and VLANs:

■ Decide whether you want to use bidirectional load balancing, or transmit load

balancing.

To use bidirectional load balancing, you must assign a dedicated IP address for each load balancing group. This address must be unique (not used elsewhere on the network). For details, see Specifying a Dedicated IP Address on page 21.

18 CHAPTER 3: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN WINDOWS

■ Decide which NICs are to be part of each group. Each group must

include at least two NICs.

■ Decide whether you want to use a foreign NIC in one of the groups.

Two foreign NICs (two that are not 3Com EtherLink Server NICs) are allowed in one group per server.

■ Decide which NIC is to be the primary NIC in each group.

■ You can specify failover from a Gigabit NIC to a 10/100 NIC. To ensure optimal

performance, this type of failover requires that you disable load balancing for the group.

■ For the best failover performance, turn the spanning tree feature off at

switches that are connected directly to the server. If the spanning tree feature is turned on, a failover may be delayed up to 30 seconds while the switch processes the spanning tree algorithm.

■ Plan the cable changes required to connect each primary NIC and all secondary

NICs to the same network segment.

■ Observe the recommended support limit of four groups per server.

■ The following guidelines apply to groups under Windows 2000:

802.1p Support Property—The value of the Windows 2000 802.1p Support property must be the same for all NICs in a group. For example, if this property is enabled for the primary NIC, it must also be enabled for all other NICs in the group.

Microsoft Task Ofﬂoad Support—It is possible to form a group of NICs that have different levels of support for Microsoft Task Ofﬂoad features (TCP Checksum, TCP Segmentation, and IP Sec). In this case, the ofﬂoad support is limited to the features supported by all NICs in the group. For example, if two NICs in a group support all ofﬂoad features but one NIC supports only TCP Checksum, then ofﬂoad support for the group is limited to TCP Checksum.

■ Observe these VLAN conﬁguration guidelines:

■ Assign a VLAN ID number to each VLAN. If you are not using a DHCP server,

each VLAN that is using IP services requires an IP address and subnet mask.

■ DynamicAccess software supports as many as 16 VLANs per server.

■ Each VLAN bound to TCP/IP must exist on a separate IP subnet. DHCP

servers used to allocate IP addresses must be located on the same IP subnets as the VLANs.

■ Each VLAN bound to the IPX/SPX protocol must use a unique network

number.

■ Under Windows 2000, when VLANs are enabled, the Windows 2000

802.1p Support property must be disabled for all the underlying miniports.

■ A minimum of 128Mb of RAM is required for multiple VLAN conﬁgurations

(up to a maximum of 16 VLANs). You can improve overall system performance with VLANs by increasing the physical RAM, the virtual memory page size, or both.

DynamicAccess Server Features 19

Installing

DynamicAccess

Software

Conﬁguring Server

Features

Use the following procedure to install DynamicAccess technology server features in a computer that is running Windows NT or Windows 2000.

Installing teaming software from multiple vendors may cause problems with your system. Before installing DynamicAccess software, uninstall any other teaming software you may have previously installed on your computer.

1 Insert the 3Com EtherLink Server CD in the CD-ROM drive. 2 From the Welcome screen, select NIC Software. 3 Click DynamicAccess Technology. 4 Click Install DynamicAccess Server Software. 5 Select Windows 2000 or Windows NT installation. 6 Click OK to Install the DynamicAccess server software. 7 Restart your system.

When DynamicAccess server features are installed, NICs bind to the DynamicAccess protocol and real protocols bind to the DynamicAccess Miniport. Do not modify these bindings.

The DynamicAccess server features window contains tabs for these windows:

■ In the Load Balance/RSL window, you can create and change Load

Balancing/RSL groups. The NICs in a group work together to route trafﬁc efﬁciently and to recover from failures.

■ In the VLANs window, you can set up virtual LANs. All groups listed in the

Load Balance/RSL window also appear as groups in the VLAN window. Any ungrouped NICs in the Load Balance/RSL window are also listed in the VLAN window.

Windows NT

Start DynamicAccess server features under Windows NT as follows:

1 Log in to the Windows NT Administrator account. 2 From the Windows Start menu, select Settings/Control Panel. 3 Double-click the DynamicAccess Server icon.

The DynamicAccess Resilient Server Link/Load Balance/VLAN Conﬁguration window appears. Click the appropriate tab to conﬁgure server features.

Windows 2000

Access DynamicAccess server features through the Windows 2000 Network and Dial-up Connections window as follows:

1 Log in to Windows 2000 with administrator privileges. 2 Launch the Windows 2000 Network and Dial-up Connections window. 3 Select a Local Area Connection icon. 4 Click the right mouse button and select Properties.

The Local Area Connections Properties window appears.

20 CHAPTER 3: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN WINDOWS

5 Click the General tab.

6 In the General window, select DynamicAccess Protocol and click Properties.

The DynamicAccess Protocol Properties window appears. Click the appropriate tab to conﬁgure server features.

Creating a Group

1 Click the Load Balance/RSL tab.

2 In the Load Balance/RSL window, click Create Group.

3 In the Create Group dialog box, type a group name.

4 Set the load balancing:

To enable transmit load balancing—Check the Transmit Load Balance Enabled

box. To enable bidirectional load balancing—Check both the

Transmit Load Balance Enabled box and the Receive Load Balance Enabled box. Enter only the Host ID bytes required for a dedicated IP address.

Do not use the group IP address as the dedicated IP address.

For example:

Byte 1 Byte 2 Byte 3 Byte 4

Class A Network ID Host ID

24 1 253

Class B Network ID Host ID

2 253

Class C Network ID Host ID

253

See Specifying a Dedicated IP Address for more information on the dedicated IP address.

To disable all load balancing—Clear the Receive Load Balance Enabled and the Transmit Load Balance Enabled check boxes.

5 Click OK.

The name of the new NIC group appears in the Load Balancing/RSL Groups list box.

Adding NICs to a Group

DynamicAccess Server Features 21

1 Click the Load Balance/RSL tab. 2 In the Load Balance/RSL window:

■ Select a group from the Load Balancing/RSL Groups list.

■ Select a NIC from the Network Interface Cards list.

3 Click Add NIC.

The NIC appears as part of the group in the Load Balancing/RSL list box.

If you click Add NIC repeatedly, NICs are added to the group in the order that they are listed after the ﬁrst NIC you selected.

Specifying a Dedicated

IP Address

Bidirectional load balancing requires that you specify a dedicated IP address for the load balancing group. This address speciﬁes a Network ID and a Host ID, and it must be unique (not used elsewhere on the network). For example:

Byte 1 Byte 2 Byte 3 Byte 4

Class A Network ID Host ID

125 24 1 253

Class B Network ID Host ID

139 25 2 253

Class C Network ID Host ID

193 26 3 253

You can specify the dedicated IP address in the Create Group or Group Properties dialog boxes. You cannot specify the bytes for the Network ID; they are ﬁxed. Specify the bytes for the Host ID for various classes of subnets as follows:

Class Byte 1 Specify only bytes

A 126 2, 3, and 4 (the three rightmost boxes).

B 128–191 3 and 4 (the two rightmost boxes).

C 192–223 4 (the rightmost box).

22 CHAPTER 3: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN WINDOWS

Changing an IP Address If another device is using the dedicated IP address of a bidirectional load balancing

group, you must change either the IP address of the load balancing group or the IP address of the other device. Use the appropriate procedure below:

Creating a VLAN

Changing the IP Address of the Other Device

Changing the Dedicated IP Address of the Group

After you change the IP address of the other device, restart receive load balancing as follows:

1 In the Load Balancing/RSL window, select the group that had

the duplicate address.

2 Click Properties. 3 In the Properties dialog box, click OK. 4 In the Load Balancing/RSL window, click OK to exit the window

and restart receive load balancing.

1 In the Load Balancing/RSL window, select the group that has

the duplicate address.

2 Click Properties. 3 In the Properties dialog box, enter a new IP address and click

OK.

4 In the Load Balancing/RSL window, click OK to exit the window

and restart receive load balancing.

1 Click the VLANs tab.

2 In the VLANs window, select a NIC or group from the VLANs list and click Create

VLAN.

3 In the VLAN ID dialog box, type a VLAN ID number and click OK.

Legal VLAN ID numbers are 1–511 and from 768–4095. Numbers in the range 512–767 are reserved.

The new VLAN is added to the VLANs list.

Windows NT—Restart the computer when the software prompts you to do so. Windows 2000—If you create more than one VLAN, assign a VLAN ID number to

each VLAN as follows:

■ Right-click My Network Places and select Properties from the menu.

■ In the next window, right-click a VLAN and select Properties from the menu.

■ Click Conﬁgure.

■ In the NIC Properties window, click TCP/IP.

■ In the next window, conﬁgure the IP address and subnet mask.

DynamicAccess Server Features 23

Specifying Trafﬁc

Priorities (Windows NT

4.0 Only)

You can use the DynamicAccess Software Setup window to specify trafﬁc priorities.

1 Double-click the 3Com DynamicAccess icon in the Windows Control Panel.

The DynamicAccess Software Setup window appears.

2 Click the appropriate tab:

■ Trafﬁc Prioritization—Prioritize applications to ease bottlenecks in the

network and allow critical applications to take network precedence. You can turn trafﬁc prioritization on or off independently for:

■ Each NIC that is not in a group and does not have VLANs

■ Each group that does not have VLANs

■ Each VLAN

■ Each virtual NIC (NIC, group, or VLAN) shown in the Trafﬁc Prioritization

control panel

■ Administration—Set DynamicAccess control panel access, set VLAN options,

enable efﬁcient multicast control, and enable the prioritizing of multicast trafﬁc.

For detailed information on DynamicAccess software, go to:

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

Saving the

Conﬁguration

Disabling Load

Balancing for a Group

To save and exit, click OK.

A prompt asks whether you want to conﬁgure trafﬁc prioritization. If you click Yes, the DynamicAccess Software Setup window appears.

To exit without saving the conﬁguration, click Cancel.

1 Click the Load Balance/RSL tab. 2 In the Load Balance/RSL window:

■ Select a group from the Load Balancing/RSL Groups list.

■ Click Properties.

3 In the Group Properties dialog box:

To disable receive load balancing only—Clear the Receive Load Balance

Enabled check box. To disable all load balancing—Clear the Receive Load Balance Enabled and the

Transmit Load Balance Enabled check boxes.

4 Click OK.

24 CHAPTER 3: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN WINDOWS

Changing the Primary

NIC

Removing a NIC from a

Group

Deleting or Editing a

VLAN

The ﬁrst NIC added to an empty group is automatically designated the primary NIC. NICs added subsequently are designated as secondary NICs. Primary status is

indicated by a P icon at the beginning of the NIC name. When there are more than one NIC in a group, you can change the primary NIC as follows:

1 Click the Load Balance/RSL tab.

2 In the Load Balance/RSL window, select a secondary NIC from the Load

Balance/RSL Groups list.

3 Click Select Primary.

The NIC you selected becomes the primary NIC.

1 Click the Load Balance/RSL tab.

2 In the Load Balance/RSL window, select a NIC from a group in the Load

Balancing/RSL Groups list.

3 Click Remove NIC.

When a VLAN is selected, you can delete it or edit its properties.

1 Click the VLANs tab.

Displaying NIC

Properties

Displaying Group

Properties

2 In the VLANs window, select a VLAN.

To delete the selected VLAN, click Delete VLAN.

To edit the VLAN ID for the selected VLAN, click Edit VLAN.

1 Click the Load Balance/RSL tab.

2 In the Load Balance/RSL window, select a NIC.

3 Click Properties.

The NIC Properties window appears, showing the properties of the selected NIC.

1 Click the Load Balance/RSL tab.

2 In the Load Balance/RSL window, select a group in the Load Balancing/RSL Groups

list box.

3 Click Properties.

The Group Properties window appears, showing the properties of the selected group.

Specifying Failover from

Gigabit to 10/100 PCI

You can specify failover from a Gigabit NIC to a 10/100 NIC. To ensure optimal performance, this type of failover requires that you disable load balancing for the group.

DynamicAccess Server Features 25

Troubleshooting a Load

Balancing Conﬁguration

Use the troubleshooting tips in Table 2 to solve problems that may occur in a load balancing conﬁguration.

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

Table 2 Troubleshooting Load Balancing In Windows

Symptom Tip

Receive load balancing fails to begin functioning.

Receive load balancing stops functioning.

Reconnecting cables does not restore load balancing.

Receive load balancing does not function across a router.

Check the Group Properties to verify that the dedicated IP address has been entered. If no address appears in the Group Properties dialog box, enter one to enable receive load balancing.

Cables may be disconnected, or there may be other hardware problems. Reconnect or change the cables. Correct any other hardware problems. Bidirectional load balancing is restored after this type of failure when applications create new connections and new clients log in.

Check the event log for a duplicate IP address. If another device is using the dedicated IP address of a load balancing group, change one of the IP addresses. See “Changing an IP Address” for instructions.

Receive load balancing across a router is not supported. Clients across the router cannot use receive load balancing, but clients within the subnet get higher throughput from receive load balancing.

Changing Windows

2000 Property Settings

Identifying Windows

2000 Miniport and LAN

Connections

If you receive warnings about inconsistent property settings (for example, the

802.1p Support property) while creating a group, use the following procedure to change a NIC property:

1 Right-click the My Computer icon and select Properties from the menu. 2 Click the Hardware tab, then click Device Manager. 3 Double-click Network Adapters. 4 Right-click on the name of the appropriate NIC and select Properties from the

menu.

5 Click the Advanced tab. 6 Select the appropriate property from the list (for example, 802.1p Support). 7 Use the scroll list to change the property value. 8 Exit the Device Manager.

DynamicAccess miniport connections and NIC Local Area Connections are listed in the Network and Dial-up Connections window. If a group or VLAN is associated with a miniport, the group name and VLAN name appear in the miniport icon name.

INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN

Software Installation Requirements

Netware Packet Receive

Buffers

ETWARE

The instructions in this topic demonstrate the fundamentals of setting up a sample conﬁguration. Setting up your own conﬁguration may require a slightly different sequence of tasks and different numbers of NICs.

If you are installing the software during the installation of the network operating system, see Installing a 3Com NIC While Installing the NOS on page 57.

For a list of installation requirements, see Installation Requirements on page 7.

Follow these guidelines for NetWare 4.2 and 5.x:

The driver requires 200 packet receive buffers for each installed NIC. You must increase the minimum and maximum packet receive buffers values by 200 for each installed NIC. For example, if you install two NICs, increase the parameters in the STARTUP.NCF ﬁle by 400 as follows:

Before installing NICs SET MINIMUM PACKET RECEIVE BUFFERS = 1000

SET MAXIMUM PACKET RECEIVE BUFFERS = 2500

After installing two NICs SET MINIMUM PACKET RECEIVE BUFFERS = 1400

SET MAXIMUM PACKET RECEIVE BUFFERS = 2900

Slot Numbers for

Multiple NICs

Obtaining Slot Numbers The NetWare driver installation program requires you to enter a PCI slot number

If you are installing more than one NIC on a server, you must know which NIC corresponds to a given PCI slot to connect a cable from the NIC to the appropriate port on the hub or switch. You can correlate slots with physical NICs by the NIC MAC addresses. (The MAC address is written on a bar code label on the top component side of the NIC.)

for each NIC. In older versions of NetWare software, the term slot number referred to the physical slot in which the NIC was installed in the server. Now, the slot number is a combination of the bus number, bus type, and the physical slot number. The value of a slot number can be 10001 or larger.

28 CHAPTER 4: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN NETWARE

Follow this procedure to obtain slot numbers for a multi-NIC installation:

1 Install only one 3Com EtherLink Server NIC.

2 Follow the installation instructions in this chapter to load the 3Com EtherLink

Server CD, copy the driver, and load the driver.

You need not specify a slot number when only one NIC is installed.

3 In the Netware Console, issue a CONFIG command.

4 Write down the slot number that is listed for the installed 3Com EtherLink Server

NIC.

5 Install the second 3Com EtherLink Server NIC.

6 Follow the installation instructions in this chapter to install the driver on the

second NIC.

Each time you load the driver, the CONFIG command displays the slot numbers for all the 3Com Server NICs in the system.

Installation and Conﬁguration Instructions

Load the 3Com

EtherLink Server CD

Copy the Driver

With NetWare installed and the server up and running, complete the following steps to install and conﬁgure the driver and DynamicAccess technology server features on a NetWare ﬁle server.

In NetWare screens, use the arrow keys to select an item and then press Enter.

NetWare 4.2 Insert the CD in the CD-ROM drive and enter these commands:

load cdrom

cd mount ecd210p980x

NetWare 5.x Insert the CD in the CD-ROM drive and enter this command:

load cdrom

Wait for the message that states the CD is mounted successfully, and then proceed to copy the driver.

1 Enter this command at the prompt:

NetWare 4.2: load install

NetWare 5.x: load nwconfig

2 In the Conﬁguration Options screen, select Driver options.

3 In the Driver Options screen, select Conﬁgure network drivers.

4 In the Additional Driver Actions screen, select Select a driver.

The Select a Driver screen appears, listing all previously saved drivers in the system.

If this is the ﬁrst installation of the 3Com server NIC driver, it does not appear in this list

5 Press Insert.

A system message for selecting a disk drive appears.

6 Press F3.

Installation and Configuration Instructions 29

7 Enter a path to the volume that contains the driver. For example:

ecd210p980x:/nwserver

The Select a Driver to Install screen appears with the 3Com EtherLink Server NIC driver name highlighted.

8 Press Enter to select the driver. 9 Select Yes at the prompt to conﬁrm the name of the driver to copy.

The installation program copies the driver to the appropriate server subdirectory. The Conﬁguration screen appears.

Specify the Slot Number You need not specify the slot number if you are installing only one NIC.

1 In the Conﬁguration screen, select Slot Number. 2 Enter the slot number of the NIC that you want to install. For example:

10001

See Changing NetWare Driver Conﬁguration Parameters for instructions on changing other parameters in this screen.

Load the Driver

Set Up Another NIC

1 Select Save parameters and load driver.

The installation program loads the conﬁgured driver and then writes the appropriate LOAD and BIND commands to the AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle.

The system assigns a network number.

2 Enter a network number, or press Enter to select the system-assigned number.

If no errors are encountered, the installation program asks whether you want to select an additional network driver.

3 Select Yes to set up another NIC.

1 Follow the prompts for another NIC:

■ Select the driver

■ Enter the slot number

■ Save parameters and load the driver

2 Repeat the process for all NICs to be set up. 3 After all NICs are set up, press Esc several times to return to the Installation

Options screen.

30 CHAPTER 4: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN NETWARE

Install Server Features Two drivers are associated with DynamicAccess technology server features under

NetWare: SE and LBRSL.

1 From the Conﬁguration Options screen select Product options.

2 Select Install a product not listed.

The following message appears:

Product will be installed from A:\. If you are installing from floppy, insert the first diskette of the product you want to install into the drive and verify that the path above is correct.

Press <F3> to specify a different path; Press <ENTER> to continue.

3 Press F3.

4 Enter this path:

ecd210p980x:\nwserver

The following message appears:

Product “3Com DynamicAccess Server Features” was found. Verify that this is the product you want to install before proceeding.

Conﬁgure Groups

Press <ENTER> to continue. Press <ESC> to abort installation.

5 Press Enter.

The system copies the DynamicAccess technology server features software to the SYS volume.

1 Press Esc to return to the Installation Options screen.

2 From the Conﬁguration Options screen, select NCF ﬁles options (create/edit server

startup ﬁles)

3 Select Edit AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle.

4 Make the following changes to the AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle:

■ Add a command to load the SE and LBRSL drivers before any commands to

load LAN drivers. For example:

load se

load lbrsl

■ Add or verify the LOAD commands for the LAN drivers for all slot-frame

instances.

■ For each Load Balancing/RSL group, load the same protocols and frame

types on the primary and all secondary NICs.

■ On the primary NIC only, bind a protocol to each slot-frame instance.

■ Remove any protocol BIND commands from each secondary NIC.

Installation and Configuration Instructions 31

■ For each group, add an LBRSL GROUP command to group the primary and

secondary NICs together. There can be only one LBRSL GROUP command per group, and it must list the primary and all secondary NICs. Place this command after the LAN driver.

If INETCFG is used, all adapters will have protocol bindings. You will have to unbind all secondary adapters in the AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle.

To specify a load balancing group with resilient server links, use the LB option. To specify a resilient server link group without load balancing, use the RSL option.

For the LBRSL GROUP command syntax, see Server Feature Commands on

page 37.

For more information on maintaining the group conﬁguration, see Conﬁguring

Groups on page 34.

5 Save the AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle and return to the server prompt.

The sample AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle in Figure 7 shows a group of two NICs. The primary NIC in slot 10001 is bound to a secondary NIC in slot 10002.

Verify the Installation

and Conﬁguration

Figure 7 AUTOEXEC.NCF File for One Group of Two NICs

load se load lbrsl

;Define primary NIC slot-frame instances load 3c980 slot=10001 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=p1_802.2 load 3c980 slot=10001 frame=ethernet_ii name=p1_ii

;Define secondary NIC slot-frame instances load 3c980 slot=10002 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=p2_802.2 load 3c980 slot=10002 frame=ethernet_ii name=p2_ii

;Bind protocols to primary NIC bind ipx to p1_802.2 net=FF02 bind ip to p1_ii address=192.1.1.1 mask=ff.ff.ff.00

;Create a group with NIC 10001 primary and NIC 10002 secondary lbrsl group lb 10001 10002 ;To create a resilient server link group without load balancing (for ;use with NICs from manufacturers other than 3Com) use the rsl option: ;lbrsl group rsl 10001 10002

To verify that the driver has been properly loaded on the NetWare server, perform the following procedure:

1 At the system prompt, enter:

load monitor

The NetWare Monitor screen appears.

2 From the Available Options menu, select LAN/WAN Drivers.

The Available LAN Driver menu appears. If the driver has been properly loaded, the driver and frame types associated with the driver appear on this menu.

32 CHAPTER 4: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN NETWARE

3 Select a driver to view its associated statistics.

A functioning driver displays packets being sent and received.

To verify that the server is communicating over the network, perform the following procedure:

1 Set up a NetWare client on a LAN supported by the server to be tested.

2 Log in or map to the server.

If you cannot log in or map to the server, the link is not functional.

If the link is functional, the following message appears on the server console:

Link integrity test for primary slot #XXXXX passed.

Changing NetWare Driver Conﬁguration Parameters

You can change parameters from the NetWare installation program Conﬁguration screen. Table 3 lists the parameters shown on the Conﬁguration screen.

Table 3 NetWare Installation Program Conﬁguration Parameters

Range of Values

Parameter

Slot Number All PCI slot numbers

Node Address Default is

Log Message Level

Receive Checksumming

Transmit Checksumming

SHD Configuration

Check Level Basic Level Checking

Transmit/Receive Error Threshold

Sampling Window Size

(Defaults in Bold)

valid to the system

factory-assigned MAC address.

Error messages logged

Message logging disabled

Enabled

Disabled

Enabled

Disabled

Configure SHD

Use default conﬁguration

All Checking is Disabled

Enhanced Level Checking

Basic and Enhanced

1–64000

0–64000 packets

0 = disabled

1024

Description

Represents the PCI slot number of the physical NIC to be configured.

Leave blank to use factory-assigned default.

Determines which type of messages are displayed to the system console and the SYS:\SYSTEM\SYS$LOG.ERR file.

NetWare 5.x only. Select Enabled to allow the NIC to perform checksum operations on incoming packets.

NetWare 5.x only. Select Enabled to allow the NIC to perform checksum operations on outgoing packets.

Select Conﬁgure SHD to change self-healing driver settings.

Appears when Conﬁgure SHD is selected. Basic Level Checking monitors link beat, DMA FIFOs, interrupt availability, bus contention errors, internal NIC subsystems, and recoverable Tx/Rx errors (CRC, Tx underruns, Rx overruns, late collisions, jabbers). Enhanced Level Checking maintains valid data structures and uses more CPU cycles.

Appears when Conﬁgure SHD is selected. Specifies threshold levels for Tx/Rx errors. A failure is reported when the threshold is exceeded during the sampling period.

Appears when Conﬁgure SHD is selected. Specifies the number of Tx/Rx packets to be sampled for late collisions, receive overruns, transmit underruns, jabbers, and bus contention errors. Automatically ages error count to ensure that only recent errors are accumulated.

Changing NetWare Driver Configuration Parameters 33

Follow these steps to change parameters:

1 From the Conﬁguration screen, select Select/Modify driver parameters and

protocols.

The Select a Protocol box is selected.

2 To add a network protocol, select the desired protocol from the Protocols box and

press Enter.

IPX is the default protocol. If you select TCP/IP, supply the TCP/IP addresses as follows:

■ Type the IP address.

■ Type the IP subnet mask.

■ Press Enter to continue.

3 Enter the slot number.

The slot number is the PCI slot number of the physical NIC.

The following ﬁelds appear:

■ Node Address

■ Log Message Level

■ SHD Conﬁguration

When multiple NICs are installed, you must determine which physical NIC corresponds to which PCI slot to correctly connect the cables to the hub or the switch.

4 Press F3 to set the frame types.

Use the arrow keys to select frame types. Select as many of the supported frame types as required. Adding frame types after exiting the installation program is best done by editing the AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle. The default is 802.2 only. Ethernet_802.3, Ethernet_II, and Ethernet_SNAP frame types are also supported.

5 To use the default MAC address of the NIC, leave the Node Address ﬁeld blank.

The default MAC address is recommended for most installations.

6 Select Log Message Level and press Enter. 7 Select which messages to log from the pop-up box and press Enter.

All messages are printed to the system console screen and to the SYS:\SYSTEM\SYS$LOG.ERR ﬁle. All messages are logged by default.

8 Set receive checksumming.

This parameter applies only to NetWare 5.x. It must be disabled in NetWare 4.2.

9 Set transmit checksumming.

This parameter applies only to NetWare 5.x. It must be disabled in NetWare 4.2.

34 CHAPTER 4: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN NETWARE

10 To conﬁgure the SHD:

From the SHD Conﬁguration ﬁeld, select Conﬁgure SHD.

The following SHD parameter ﬁelds appear:

Check Level

Transmit/Receive Error Threshold

Sampling Window Size

The default values of the SHD parameters are optimal for most networks. See

Table 3 for explanations of the parameters.

11 When you have set all the conﬁguration values, select Save parameters and load

driver.

The installation program loads the conﬁgured driver and then writes the appropriate LOAD and BIND commands to the AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle. The system assigns a network number.

12 Enter a network number, or press Enter to select the system-assigned number.

If no errors are encountered, the installation program asks whether you want to select an additional network driver.

13 Continue with the installation:

If you are installing only one NIC, select No to ﬁnish loading and exit.

If you are installing more than one NIC, select Yes to set up another NIC.

Conﬁguring Groups DynamicAccess technology server features allow you to conﬁgure load balancing

groups. The load balancing features are described in Advanced Server Features on

page 2.

The following DynamicAccess technology server features are available for NIC groups in NetWare:

■ Bidirectional load balancing

■ RSL failover

The examples in this section illustrate typical actions you might take in the course of maintaining a DynamicAccess server conﬁguration under NetWare. They show how to add NICs and groups to a server where DynamicAccess technology server features are already installed and conﬁgured.

Two drivers are associated with DynamicAccess technology server features in NetWare: SE and LBRSL.

Planning the

Conﬁguration

■ Plan the cable changes required to connect each primary NIC and all secondary

NICs to the same network segment.

■ For optimal failover performance, turn the spanning tree feature off at switches

that are connected directly to the server. If the spanning tree feature must be turned on, a failover may be delayed up to 30 seconds while the switch processes the spanning tree algorithm.

■ Decide which NICs are to be part of each group. Each group must

include at least two NICs.

Adding a Secondary NIC

to a Group

Configuring Groups 35

■ Decide whether you want to use a foreign NIC in one of the groups.

Two foreign NICs (two that are not 3Com EtherLink Server NICs) are allowed in one group per server.

■ Decide which NIC is to be the primary NIC in each group.

■ Decide whether groups are to perform load balancing:

■ Load balancing groups provide failover and share the network load.

■ Resilient server link groups provide failover, but do not share the network

load.

■ To use bidirectional load balancing, you must assign a dedicated IP address for

each load balancing group. This address must be unique (not used elsewhere on the network).

■ Obtain the slot numbers of the NICs. You need these numbers if you are

installing more than one NIC. See Obtaining Slot Numbers on page 27 for instructions.

1 Install the new secondary NIC.

Follow the procedures in Installing and Connecting the NIC on page 7.

Connect the new secondary NIC to the network that is used by the group.

2 Make the following changes to the AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle:

■ Add or verify the LOAD commands for the LAN drivers for all slot-frame

instances.

■ Load the same protocols and frame types on the new secondary NIC.

■ Add the slot number of the new secondary NIC to the LBRSL GROUP

command.

3 Reboot the server.

The sample AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle in Figure 8 shows a group of three NICs. The primary NIC in slot 10001 is bound to two secondary NICs in slot 10002 and slot 10003.

36 CHAPTER 4: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN NETWARE

Figure 8 AUTOEXEC.NCF File for One Group of Three NICs

load se load lbrsl

;Define primary NIC slot-frame instances load 3c980 slot=10001 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=p1_802.2 load 3c980 slot=10001 frame=ethernet_ii name=p1_ii

;Define secondary NIC slot-frame instances load 3c980 slot=10002 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=p2_802.2 load 3c980 slot=10002 frame=ethernet_ii name=p2_ii load 3c980 slot=10003 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=p3_802.2 load 3c980 slot=10003 frame=ethernet_ii name=p3_ii

;Bind protocols to primary NIC bind ipx to p1_802.2 net=FF02 bind ip to p1_ii address=192.1.1.1 mask=ff.ff.ff.00

;Create a group with NIC 10001 primary and NICs 10002 and 1003 secondary lbrsl group lb 10001 10002 10003 ;To create a resilient server link group without load balancing (for ;use with NICs from manufacturers other than 3Com) use the rsl option: ;lbrsl group rsl 10001 10002 10003

Adding a Group

1 Install the NICs.

Follow the procedures in Installing and Connecting the NIC on page 7.

Connect all NICs in the group to the same network.

2 Make the following changes to the AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle:

■ Add or verify the LOAD commands for the LAN drivers for all slot-frame

instances.

■ In each group, load the same protocols and frame types on the primary and

all secondary NICs.

■ On the primary NIC only, bind a protocol to each slot-frame instance.

■ Remove any BIND commands from each secondary NIC.

■ For each group, add an LBRSL GROUP command to group the primary and

secondary NICs together. There can be only one LBRSL GROUP command per group, and it must list the primary and all secondary NICs. Place this command after the LAN driver.

If INETCFG is used, all adapters will have protocol bindings. You will have to unbind all secondary adapters in the AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle.

To specify a load balancing group with resilient server links, use the LB option. To specify a resilient server link group without load balancing, use the RSL option.

For the LBRSL GROUP command syntax, see Server Feature Commands.

Configuring Groups 37

3 Reboot the server.

The sample AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle in Figure 9 shows one group of three NICs and one group of two NICs. The primary NIC in slot 10001 is bound to two secondary NICs in slot 10002 and slot 10003. The primary NIC in slot 10004 is bound to the secondary NIC in slot 10005.

Figure 9 AUTOEXEC.NCF File for Two Groups of NICs

load se load lbrsl

;Define Group 1 primary NIC slot-frame instances load 3c980 slot=10001 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=p1_802.2 load 3c980 slot=10001 frame=ethernet_ii name=p1_ii

;Define Group 1 secondary NIC slot-frame instances load 3c980 slot=10002 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=p2_802.2 load 3c980 slot=10002 frame=ethernet_ii name=p2_ii load 3c980 slot=10003 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=p3_802.2 load 3c980 slot=10003 frame=ethernet_ii name=p3_ii

;Define Group 2 primary NIC slot-frame instances load 3c980 slot=10004 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=p4_802.2 load 3c980 slot=10004 frame=ethernet_ii name=p4_ii

;Define Group 2 secondary NIC slot-frame instances load 3c980 slot=10005 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=p5_802.2 load 3c980 slot=10005 frame=ethernet_ii name=p5_ii

;Bind protocols to primary NICs bind ipx to p1_802.2 net=FF02 bind ip to p1_ii address=192.1.1.1 mask=ff.ff.ff.00 bind ipx to p4_802.2 net=FF04 bind ip to p4_ii address=192.1.2.1 mask=ff.ff.ff.00

;Create Group 1 with NIC 10001 primary ;and NICs 10002 and 10003 secondary lbrsl group lb 10001 10002 10003

;Create Group 2 with NIC 10004 primary ;and NIC 10005 secondary lbrsl group lb 10004 10005

;To create resilient server link groups without load balancing ;use the rsl option: ;lbrsl group rsl 10001 10002 10003 ;lbrsl group rsl 10004 10005

Server Feature

Commands

DynamicAccess server feature commands for NetWare can be used to create sophisticated conﬁgurations of groups and for troubleshooting. You can enter them at the NetWare command line or add them to the appropriate NCF ﬁle. The commands are summarized below.

As shown in the examples, all commands are preceded by the keyword lbrsl.

38 CHAPTER 4: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN NETWARE

group

This command creates groups from speciﬁed slot parameters for primary and secondary NICs.

Syntax lbrsl group lb addr RxIPAddr pri_slot sec_slot [sec_slot ...]

lbrsl group rsl pri_slot sec_slot [sec_slot...]

where:

lb specifies a load balancing group.

rsl specifies a resilient server link group.

RxIPAddr is a dedicated IP address for the load balancing group

pri_slot is the PCI slot number of the primary NIC.

sec_slot is the PCI slot number of a secondary NIC.

Example lbrsl group lb addr 192.1.1.100 10001 10002

lbrsl group rsl 10001 10002

Default None

display status

This command displays information about all groups, or if a primary slot parameter is speciﬁed, about only the speciﬁed group. A separate message is displayed for each loaded frame type. Board numbers are also displayed. Information about the relationship between the board numbers and the frame types is shown in the NetWare 5 Console Monitor. On the Available Options screen, select LAN/WAN drivers for this information.

Syntax lbrsl display status [pri_slot]

where:

pri_slot is the PCI slot number of the primary NIC in the group for which information is to be displayed. If this parameter is not specified, information for all groups is displayed. An example of the type of information displayed follows:

Group NNN (LB group)

Primary board id: Original NNN, Current NNN

Load balancing on incoming IP packets: Enabled; IP Rx Addr: NN.NN.NN.NN

Primary node address: XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

Timeout values in seconds: send NNN, receive NNN, wait NNN, link NNN

Probe Interval: NNN seconds

Slot number NNN (Active), Node Address: XXX:XXX:XXX:XXX:XXX:XXX

Example lbrsl display status 10001

help

This command displays the syntax for the DynamicAccess server features commands.

Syntax lbrsl help

Configuring Groups 39

link timeout

When a group is being created, the software waits the number of seconds speciﬁed by this command for the link/topology check to ﬁnish and then displays timeout information.

Syntax lbrsl link timeout seconds

where:

seconds is the time in seconds.

Example lbrsl link timeout 10

Default 5

probe interval

This command sets the probe packet interval. If no argument is speciﬁed or the speciﬁed argument is invalid, the current value is displayed. Otherwise, the new value is displayed.

Syntax lbrsl probe interval seconds

where seconds is the interval in seconds.

Example lbrsl set probe interval 1

Default 1 second

If the delay is longer than 1 second, NIC or link failures are not recognized as quickly.

receive timeout

This command sets the receive timeout individually for each group and displays a message for each loaded frame type.

Syntax lbrsl receive timeout pri_slot seconds

where:

pri_slot is the PCI slot number of the primary NIC.

seconds is the time in seconds

Example lbrsl receive timeout 10001 1

Default 1 second

retry count

This command sets the number of retries that the software attempts when a probe packet fails to appear at the receive end. After the retries, the software puts the board in Wait mode. If no argument is speciﬁed or the speciﬁed argument is invalid, the current value is displayed. Otherwise, the new value is displayed.

Syntax lbrsl retry count number_of_retries

where:

number_of_retries is any positive integer

Example lbrsl retry count 2

Default 5

40 CHAPTER 4: INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING IN NETWARE

send timeout

This command sets the timeout value, in seconds, that the software waits before retransmitting a probe packet when a send request to the link support layer (LSL) is not acknowledged. A message is displayed for each loaded frame type.

Syntax lbrsl send timeout pri_slot seconds

where:

pri_slot is the PCI slot number of the primary NIC.

seconds is the time in seconds.

Example lbrsl send timeout 1001 10

Default 10

ungroup

This command deletes a group. The LAN driver for the group must not be loaded. The following message appears for all frame types that the NIC supports:

Cleaning up resources for group associated with Primary Slot #xxxx.

Syntax lbrsl ungroup pri_slot

where:

pri_slot is the PCI slot number of the primary NIC.

Example lbrsl ungroup 10001

Default None

wait timeout

This command sets the timeout value, in seconds, that the software waits before marking a NIC that is in wait mode as failed (see retry count). If no argument is speciﬁed or if the speciﬁed argument is invalid, the current value is displayed. Otherwise, the new value is displayed.

Syntax lbrsl wait timeout seconds

where:

seconds is any positive integer.

Example lbrsl wait timeout 2

Default 1

Configuring Groups 41

Troubleshooting a Group

Conﬁguration

Use the troubleshooting tips below to solve problems that may occur in a group conﬁguration.

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

Table 4 Troubleshooting Groups In NetWare

Symptom Tip

More than two non-3Com server NICs have been detected in one or more groups on this server.

You can use only two NICs that are not 3Com server NICs in one 3Com load balancing/RSL group per server. Check the groups and remove all but two of the non-3Com server NICs from the groups.

CONFIGURING THE NIC

Conﬁguration Settings

The table below lists the conﬁguration settings for the NIC.

Before you change the NIC conﬁguration settings, contact the system administrator.

Settings

Option Description

Network Driver Optimization

Specifies how to optimize the network driver for your network by allowing trade-offs between network performance and CPU utilization.

■ Normal balances CPU utilization and network

performance.

■ Minimized CPU Utilization saves CPU resources for

other tasks.

■ Maximized Network Performance is appropriate if no

other applications require extra CPU resources.

Duplex Determines if the NIC transmits data across the network

in both directions simultaneously (full-duplex) or in one direction at a time (half-duplex).

■ Auto Select allows the NIC to connect automatically

at the duplex mode of the connected hub or switch. When you select this setting, the Media Type is set automatically 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 set the NIC Media Type setting manually.

■ Half-Duplex sets the NIC to operate in half-duplex

mode. You must also set the NIC Media Type setting.

Boot PROM Enables or disables the NIC boot ROM. ■ Enabled

Media Type Determines the type of media your network is using.

■ Auto Select allows the NIC to select the Media Type

for you automatically.

■ If you set the NIC Duplex setting to Auto Select, the

Media Type is set automatically to Auto Select.

■ If you set the NIC Duplex setting manually, you must

set the Media Type setting manually.

(Defaults in Bold)

■ Normal

■ Minimized CPU

Utilization

■ Maximized

Network Performance

■ Auto Select

■ Full-Duplex

■ Half-Duplex

■ Disabled

■ Auto Select

■ 10BASE-T

(10Mb/s)

■ 100BASE-TX

(100Mb/s)

44 CHAPTER 5: CONFIGURING THE NIC

Conﬁguration Methods

The NIC can be conﬁgured using any of the methods listed in the table below.

Method Description Requirements

3Com NIC Diagnostics program for Windows

DOS Configuration and Diagnostics Program

DMI 2.0 or 2.0s Configure the NIC remotely using

Windows 2000 Advanced tab

Configure the NIC locally using the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program for Windows:

1 Make sure that the 3Com NIC

diagnostics program is installed.

2 Open the Windows Start menu. 3 Select Programs, and then

3Com NIC Utilities.

4 Click 3Com NIC Doctor.

Configure the NIC locally using the DOS Configuration and Diagnostics Program:

1 Reboot the computer using a

DOS-bootable diskette.

2 Insert the 3Com EtherLink Server

CD in the CD-ROM drive.

3 Enter at the DOS prompt:

d:\3c90xcfg.exe

If you are running Japanese DOS, you must switch to U.S.-mode DOS before running this program.

the 3Com DMI Agent software.

See Installing the 3Com DMI Agent

on page 59 for more information.

Configure the NIC locally as described in Changing Windows 2000 Property

Settings on page 25.

Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000

DOS

3Com DMI Agent and a DMI-compatible browser or a network management application that supports DMI

2.0 or 2.0s

Windows 2000

Conﬁguring the NIC in Windows

Before you conﬁgure the NIC, make sure that:

■ The NIC is installed in the computer and is connected to the network.

■ The network driver is installed.

■ The 3Com NIC Diagnostics program is installed.

To change the NIC general conﬁguration settings, such as network driver optimization, duplex mode, and media type:

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. 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 computer has more than one NIC installed, open the Network Interface

Card (NIC) list box and select the NIC to be conﬁgured.

Configuring the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) 45

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.

Conﬁguring the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA)

This section explains how to conﬁgure the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) boot ROM (through Port A on the dual port NIC) to boot from the network. For details on using, conﬁguring, and troubleshooting the MBA boot ROM, see the Managed PC Boot Agent User Guide, located with the MBA software on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD.

The default NIC boot ROM setting is Disabled. This setting must be enabled to boot from the network.

To enable or disable the NIC boot ROM setting:

1 Make sure that the NIC is installed and is connected to the network and that the

NIC 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.

5 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 to disable the boot ROM.

Booting From the Network

8 Click OK to save the setting and exit the program.

The boot process for the MBA boot ROM varies depending on the type of computer you have (BBS BIOS-compatible or non-BBS BIOS-compatible).

If the computer was purchased recently, it may be BBS (BIOS Boot Speciﬁcation) BIOS-compatible. The BBS determines how the system BIOS identiﬁes boot devices in a computer (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.

46 CHAPTER 5: CONFIGURING THE NIC

Refer to your computer documentation if you do not know which type of computer you have.

Follow the appropriate instructions to enable a BBS BIOS-compatible computer to boot from the network using the MBA boot ROM:

BBS BIOS-Compatible Computers

Non-BBS BIOS-Compatible Computers

1 Make sure that the NIC boot ROM setting is Enabled. See

Configuring the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) on page 45.

2 Set the MBA manually as the first boot device in the computer

BIOS. Refer to the computer documentation for instructions on accessing and configuring the BIOS.

3 Reboot the computer. The MBA attempts to boot from the

network using the default boot method PXE.

4 To change the default method or any other MBA configurations,

press Ctrl+Alt+B 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 order (for example, the local hard drive).

To cancel the network boot, press Esc anytime during the network boot process.

1 Make sure that the NIC boot ROM setting is Enabled. See

Configuring the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) on page 45.

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 Ctrl+Alt+B when the following message appears:

Disabling the 3Com Logo

Initializing MBA. Press Ctrl+Alt+B to configure...

For more information on using, conﬁguring, and troubleshooting the MBA boot ROM, see the Managed PC Boot Agent User Guide, located with the MBA software on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD.

To disable the 3Com logo that appears during startup:

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.

5 On the General screen, clear the Show Bitmap on Startup check box.

6 Exit the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program.

TROUBLESHOOTING THE NIC

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

Interpreting the LEDs Diagnostic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are located below the cable connector(s)

on each NIC. The LEDs operate as follows:

LED State Meaning

10 LNK (link) On If drivers are installed, the 10BASE-T connection is active.

If drivers are not installed, the NIC is receiving power.

Off Something is preventing the connection between the NIC and

Blinking The cable polarity is reversed. Try a different network cable or

100 LNK (link) On If drivers are installed, the 100BASE-TX connection is active.

Off Something is preventing the connection between the NIC and

Blinking The cable polarity is reversed. Try a different network cable or

10/100 LNK (model 3C982-TXM only)

ACT (activity) Blinking Network traffic is present.

On If drivers are installed, the 10/100BASE-T connection is active.

Off Something is preventing the connection between the NIC and

Blinking The cable polarity is reversed. Try a different network cable or

Steady Heavy network traffic is present.

Off No network traffic is present.

the hub or switch.

contact the system administrator.

If drivers are not installed, the NIC is receiving power.

the hub or switch.

contact the system administrator.

If drivers are not installed, the NIC is receiving power.

the hub or switch.

contact the system administrator.

If a LNK LED indicates a problem, check the following:

■ Ensure that the network hub or switch and the cable connecting to the NIC

comply with the speciﬁcations appropriate for the network connection.

■ Ensure that the hub or switch is powered on.

48 CHAPTER 6: TROUBLESHOOTING THE NIC

Viewing the NIC LEDs in

the Diagnostics Program

Accessing the 3Com Knowledgebase

Accessing the 3Com NIC Help System

To view the LEDs in the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program:

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 and displays following LEDs:

Link—lights if there is a valid connection between the NIC and the network. Transmit—lights if the NIC is transmitting information. Receive—lights if the NIC is receiving information.

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

To access the 3Com NIC Help system:

Accessing Other Information

1 Make sure that the NIC, its driver, and the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program are

installed.

2 Open the Windows Start menu.

3 Select Programs, and then 3Com NIC Utilities.

4 Select 3Com NIC Doctor Help.

The main Help screen appears.

5 Click Help Topics to display a list of Help topics or click Find to search for a Help

topic.

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.

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.

5 Click the Support tab.

The Support screen appears.

Troubleshooting the Network Connection 49

6 Click Support Databases to display customer support databases about the NIC in

three categories:

Release notes—Display tips about installing and using the NIC. Frequently asked questions—Display common questions asked by customers

and answered by 3Com support experts.

Knowledgebase topics—Display NIC compatibility topics.

Troubleshooting the Network Connection

If you encounter problems using the NIC or connecting to the network, check the table below for troubleshooting tips.

WARNING: Before inserting or removing the NIC from the computer, turn the computer power off and unplug the power cord.

Tip Description

Check the NIC installation

Check the network connection

Check the computer BIOS

Run the NIC diagnostic tests

Check the 3Com support databases

Download the latest NIC driver

Make sure that the NIC is installed correctly in a PCI slot. Check for specific hardware problems, such as broken traces or loose or broken solder connections.

Inspect all cables and connections. Make sure that the cable complies with the cable requirements described under Preparing the NIC and the

Computer on page 8.

Make sure that you are running the latest BIOS for the computer. If the BIOS has not been upgraded in the previous 12 months, contact the computer manufacturer to obtain the current version of the BIOS software.

Run the NIC and Network Tests, as described in Running NIC Diagnostics in

Windows on page 53.

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 Returning Products

for Repair on page 66.

■ See Accessing the 3Com Knowledgebase on page 48.

■ See Accessing the 3Com NIC Help System on page 48.

■ See Accessing Other Information on page 48.

The 3Com Software Library is your internet source for software, drivers, and INF files for all 3Com products. Go to http://support.3com.com/software.

Troubleshooting Remote Wake-Up

If the computer does not boot in response to a Remote Wake-Up event, perform these troubleshooting steps:

1 Make sure that the computer meets the requirements listed in Remote Wake-Up

(Single Port Models Only) on page 5.

2 Make sure that you are using the latest driver for the NIC.

This driver is shipped with the NIC on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD. It can also be downloaded from the 3Com Software Library. Go to

http://support.3com.com/software.

3 Perform the Remote Wake-Up Test.

See Viewing Network Statistics on page 54 for instructions.

50 CHAPTER 6: TROUBLESHOOTING THE NIC

4 Check the computer BIOS.

■ Boot the computer and enter the BIOS.

■ Locate the Wake-Up on LAN event setting.

■ Verify that the setting is enabled.

5 Check the Remote Wake-Up cable connection.

If the computer complies with PCI 2.2, the Remote Wake-Up cable is not required. Remote Wake-Up is enabled automatically through the PCI bus.

■ Turn off the power to the computer and remove the computer cover.

■ Make sure that the Remote Wake-Up cable is plugged in to the RWU

■ Replace the Remote Wake-Up cable with a known functioning Remote

6 If the previous steps have failed, install a known functioning Remote Wake-Up NIC

in the computer.

If you do not know how to enter the BIOS, consult the computer documentation or contact the computer vendor.

connector on the NIC and in to the appropriate connector on the computer motherboard. Unplug and reinsert the cable if necessary.

Wake-Up cable and perform the Remote Wake-Up Test again.

Removing the Network Driver

Windows NT To remove the network driver:

If Remote Wake-Up works with the known functioning NIC installed, contact the computer vendor for a replacement NIC. If Remote Wake-Up does not work with this NIC installed, there may be a problem with the computer motherboard. Contact the computer manufacturer.

To remove the network driver from the computer, follow the steps for your operating system.

WARNING: If the NIC is part of a group, you must ﬁrst remove the NIC from the group before you remove the network driver. See Removing a NIC from a Group on page 24 for instructions.

1 Double-click the My Computer icon, then the Control Panel icon, and then the

Network icon.

The Network screen appears.

2 Click the Adapters tab.

3 Highlight the name of the NIC in the Network Adapters box, and then click

Remove.

4 Click Yes to conﬁrm the removal.

5 Click Close to close the Network screen.

You are prompted to restart the computer.

If you are physically removing the NIC from the computer, click No. Do not restart the computer until you remove the NIC from the computer.

If you are reinstalling the NIC software, click Yes to restart the computer.

Removing Server Features 51

Windows 2000 The Windows 2000 system does not allow you to uninstall the network driver

from the Network and Dial-up Connections window. To remove the network driver:

1 Right-click the My Computer icon, then select Properties from the menu. 2 Select the Hardware tab, then click Device Manager. 3 Double-click Network Adapters. 4 Right-click on the name of a NIC and select Uninstall from the menu. 5 Click OK to conﬁrm device removal. 6 Exit the Device Manager.

The Windows 2000 system does not allow you to uninstall the DynamicAccess technology miniport using the Device Manager. To remove DynamicAccess technology server features in Windows 2000, see Removing Server Features on

page 51.

NetWare To remove the network driver:

1 Enter this command at the prompt:

Removing Server Features

Windows NT and

Windows 2000

NetWare 4.2: load install

NetWare 5.x: load nwconfig

2 In the Installation Options screen, select Driver options. 3 In the Driver Options screen, select Conﬁgure network drivers.

The Selected Network Drivers screen appears, listing all previously saved drivers in the system.

4 From the list of drivers, select 3C980. 5 In the Additional Driver Actions screen, select Deselect a selected driver and press

Enter.

6 Follow the prompts to remove the driver.

Follow the steps for your operating system.

WARNING: If the NIC is part of a group, you must ﬁrst remove the NIC from the group before you remove server features. See Removing a NIC from a Group on page 24 for instructions.

To remove DynamicAccess technology server features:

1 From the Start menu, select Settings/Control Panel. 2 Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. 3 Click the Install/Uninstall tab. 4 In the Install/Uninstall tab, select DynamicAccess Server Software. 5 Click Add/Remove. 6 Follow the prompts to remove the software and reboot the server.

52 CHAPTER 6: TROUBLESHOOTING THE NIC

NetWare To remove DynamicAccess technology server features:

1 Enter this command at the prompt:

NetWare 4.2: load install

NetWare 5.x: load nwconfig

2 In the Installation Options screen, select Product options.

3 In the Other Installation Actions screen, select View/Conﬁgure/Remove installed

products.

The Currently Installed Products screen appears, listing software products that are installed in the system.

4 From the list of products, select 3Com DynamicAccess Server Features and press

Del.

5 Select Yes to remove the software.

Removing 3Com NIC Diagnostics

Windows NT and

Windows 2000

Follow the steps for your operating system.

To remove 3Com NIC Diagnostics:

1 From the Start menu, select Settings/Control Panel.

2 Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.

3 Click the Install/Uninstall tab.

4 In the Install/Uninstall tab, select 3Com NIC Diagnostics.

5 Click Add/Remove.

6 Follow the prompts to remove the software and reboot the server.

RUNNING NIC DIAGNOSTICS IN

Overview The 3Com NIC Diagnostics program for Windows contains tests that can check

INDOWS

the status of the following items:

■ NIC

■ Network

■ Network statistics

To run NIC diagnostics tests on a computer running DOS or NetWare, use the 3Com Conﬁguration and Diagnostics program for DOS (3C90XCFG.EXE) located on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD.

To start the diagnostics program:

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 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.

Running the NIC Test Run the NIC Test to check the physical components, connectors, and circuitry on

the NIC.

1 On the Diagnostics screen, click Run NIC Test.

The NIC Test screen appears.

2 Click Perform NIC Test.

While 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.

54 CHAPTER 7: RUNNING NIC DIAGNOSTICS IN WINDOWS

Running the Network Test

Viewing Network Statistics

Run the Network Test to check the NIC connectivity to the network.

1 On the Diagnostics screen, click Run Network Test.

The Network Connectivity Test screen appears.

2 Click Start.

If the test passes, the NIC connection to the network is functioning correctly.

If the test fails:

Make sure that the NIC is properly connected to the network cable.

Make sure that the hub or switch to which the NIC is connected is powered on.

Make sure that the cable complies with the proper length and rating speciﬁcations for the network.

3 Click Close.

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.

Using the 3Com Icon in the Windows System Tray

Enabling the Icon To show the 3Com icon in the Windows system tray:

3 Select Programs, and then 3Com NIC Utilities.

4 Click 3Com NIC Doctor.

The 3Com NIC Diagnostics General screen appears.

5 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.

6 Click OK to exit the diagnostics program. To go to another diagnostics screen, click

the associated tab.

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 link speed of the NIC and number of frames sent and received.

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.

Using the 3Com Icon in the Windows System Tray 55

4 Click 3Com NIC Doctor.

The 3Com NIC Diagnostics General screen appears.

5 On the 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.

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.

Link Speed—The speed (10 Mbps or 100 Mbps) at which the NIC is connected to the network.

INSTALLING A 3COM NIC WHILE

Windows Fresh Installation

Windows NT For instructions, see the Readme ﬁle in the WINNT directory on the 3Com

Windows 2000 During the Windows 2000 installation, the Hardware Wizard detects installed

NSTALLING THE NOS

Follow these instructions to install 3Com software while you are installing the network operating system. (This procedure is often called “performing a fresh installation.”)

For installation requirements, see Installation Requirements on page 7.

To display the Help system during the driver installation, click Help on any 3Com window.

EtherLink Server CD.

NICs and installs drivers it ﬁnds for them from the Windows 2000 CD. If you want to install the latest software from the 3Com EtherLink Server CD after you ﬁnish installing Windows 2000, restart the server and follow the instructions for Windows 2000 in Updating Software in Windows on page 16.

NetWare Fresh Installation

Requirements See Installation Requirements on page 7 and Software Installation Requirements

Installation Instructions These instructions are for installing from the 3Com EtherLink Server NIC CD. If you

These instructions apply to NetWare versions 4.2 and 5.x.

on page 27.

download 3Com software from the Web and make installation diskettes to use for the installation, the steps are slightly different (you do not need to remove and replace the NetWare CD).

1 Install the NIC hardware and connect it to the network. 2 Start the installation and proceed as usual until you reach the Device Types screen. 3 In the Device Types screen:

Locate the Network Boards ﬁeld, and notice that there are no NICs listed. From the Options menu, select Modify.

4 In the next screen, select Network Boards and press Enter. 5 Press Ins (Add a Board). 6 Press Ins (Add Unlisted Driver). 7 Remove the NetWare CD from the CD-ROM drive.

58 APPENDIX A: INSTALLING A 3COM NIC WHILE INSTALLING THE NOS

8 Insert the 3Com EtherLink Server CD in the CD-ROM drive.

9 Press F3. 10 Enter the location of the driver on the 3Com CD. For example:

D:\nwserver

11 In the Driver Summary screen, select 3C980.LAN and press Enter.

Edit parameters as necessary.

12 From the Additional Driver Options menu, select Return to Driver Summary. 13 Remove the 3Com CD from the CD-ROM drive. 14 Insert the NetWare CD in the CD-ROM drive. 15 From the Options menu, select Continue.

The installation continues.

In NetWare 5.x, the Conﬁgure Server Properties windows appear. Locate the Network Boards list in the Protocols window. The installed NICs are listed in this window. Select each installed NIC and conﬁgure its protocols. Proceed with the installation, and reboot when you are prompted to do so.

16 When the installation is ﬁnished, edit the STARTUP.NCF ﬁle.

Specify receive buffers for each installed NIC. (For more details on receive buffers, see Software Installation Requirements on page 27.)

INSTALLING THE 3COM DMI AGENT

Overview The 3Com DMI Agent allows any DMI-compatible browser or network

management application that supports DMI 2.0 to remotely manage and conﬁgure advanced features of an EtherLink PCI NIC. You can obtain basic NIC information, including:

■ Node address

■ MAC address

■ Driver version

Additionally, depending on the features of your NIC, the 3Com DMI Agent allows you to view and conﬁgure advanced NIC features, including:

■ Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) software

■ Remote Wake-Up events

■ Workgroup keep-alive packet

■ Remote system alerts (including heartbeat)

Each computer that contains an EtherLink NIC and the 3Com DMI Agent generates a Management Information Format (MIF) ﬁle that contains information about the computer and the NIC. DMI applications use the information from the MIF to manage the computer and the NIC.

The content of the MIF is based on the capabilities of the NIC driver found in the computer. 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 irrelevant information for the NIC.

For detailed information on the 3Com DMI Agent, including a description of each MIF that is supported by the 3Com DMI Agent, see the 3Com DMI Agent User Guide included with the 3Com DMI Agent software on the 3Com EtherLink Server CD.

For more information on DMI, go to:

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

60 APPENDIX B: INSTALLING THE 3COM DMI AGENT

System Requirements This section lists the computer and network management requirements for

installing and using the 3Com DMI Agent.

Computer Requirements ■ DMI Service Provider 2.0 or greater (such as

Network Management Requirements

Smart Technologies Service Provider 2.0)

■ NDIS 3, 4, or 5 driver

■ Windows NT 4.0 with the latest Service Pack, or Windows

2000

Your network management station requires a DMI-compatible browser or a network management application that supports DMI 2.0, such as:

■ Hewlett Packard TopTools

■ Tivoli Management Suite

■ Dell OpenManage

■ Compaq Insight Manager Management Station

■ Intel LANDesk Client Manager

Installation Instructions

This section describes how to install the 3Com DMI Agent on a computer running Windows NT 4.0.

Before installing the DMI Agent, log on to the computer with an account that has system administration privileges.

To install the 3Com DMI Agent:

1 Make sure that the computer meets the requirements listed earlier in System

Requirements.

2 Make sure that the NIC is installed in the computer and is connected to the

network.

3 Insert the 3Com EtherLink Server CD in the CD-ROM drive.

4 From the Welcome screen, click NIC Software.

5 Click Install 3COM DMI Agent now.

6 Follow the prompts to install the software.

7 Restart the computer when prompted.

To verify successful installation, use a DMI-compatible browser or a network management application that supports DMI 2.0 or 2.0s to verify that the 3Com NIC is present. See the 3Com DMI Agent User Guide or contact your system administrator for instructions.

SPECIFICATIONS

Standards Conformance

IEEE 802.3 10BASE-T

IEEE 802.3u 100BASE-TX auto-negotiation

N-Way 10/100 auto-negotiation

IEEE 802.3x full duplex auto-negotiation and flow control

IEEE 802.1p/Q

IEEE 802.1Q VLAN Tagging

Microsoft PC97

Microsoft PC98

Microsoft PC99

Microsoft Server Design Guide 2.0

PCI 2.2

DMI 2.x

ACPI 1.0

Wired for Management 1.1a, 2.0

Pre-OS boot protocol support (PXE, BootP/DHCP, NCP, RPL)

Hardware

Bus interface PCI Local Bus Specification, Revision 2.2

32-bit or 64-bit bus master

PCI master Supports bus master scatter-gather DMAs, MAC-level multicast

Dimensions 3C980X

Power requirement +5 V ±5% @ 650 mA maximum

LEDs Indicate link polarity, integrity, and activity for 10BASE-T and

filtering

Height: 7.62 cm (3.00 in)

Length: 12.07 cm (4.75 in)

3C982-TXM

Height: 8.51 cm (3.35 in)

Length: 16.76 cm (6.6 in)

100BASE-TX operations

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

62 APPENDIX C: SPECIFICATIONS

Environment

Operating temperature

Storage temperature –22˚ to 194˚F (–30˚ to 90˚C)

Operating humidity 10 to 90% noncondensing

Storage humidity 10 to 90% noncondensing

Altitude –984 ft to 9,840 ft (–300 to 3,000 m)

32˚ to 158˚F (0˚ to 70˚C)

Connector and Cabling Requirements

Connector RJ-45

10BASE-T cable Category 3, 4, or 5 UTP

100BASE-TX cable. Category 5 UTP

Compliance Cable, quality, distance, and connector must comply with

Maximum UTP cable distance 100 meters (330 feet)

EIA/TIA 568 Commercial Building Wiring Standard and the Technical Services Bulletin TSB38 standards

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

3Com provides 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 very latest, 3Com recommends that you access the 3Com Corporation Web site.

Online Technical Services

World Wide Web Site Access the latest networking information on the 3Com Corporation Web site by

3Com FTP Site Download drivers, patches, software, and MIBs across the Internet from the 3Com

3Com offers worldwide product support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through the following online systems:

■ World Wide Web site

■ 3Com FTP site

entering the URL into your Internet browser:

http://www.3com.com/

This service provides access to online support information such as technical documentation and software library, as well as support options ranging from technical education to maintenance and professional services.

public FTP site. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

To connect to the 3Com FTP site, enter the following information into your FTP client:

■ Hostname: ftp.3com.com (or 192.156.136.12)

■ Username: anonymous

■ Password: <your Internet e-mail address>

Support from Your Network Supplier

A user name and password are not needed with Web browser software such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.

If additional assistance is required, 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.

64 APPENDIX D: TECHNICAL SUPPORT

When you contact your network supplier for assistance, have the following information ready:

■ Product model name, part number, and serial number

■ A list of system hardware and software, including revision levels

■ Diagnostic error messages

■ 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 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, please call the 3Com technical telephone support phone number at the location nearest you.

When you contact 3Com for assistance, have the following information ready:

■ Product model name, part number, and serial number

■ A list of system hardware and software, including revision levels

■ Diagnostic error messages

■ Details about recent conﬁguration changes, if applicable

Below is a list of worldwide technical telephone support numbers:

Country Telephone Number Asia Paciﬁc Rim

Australia Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Malaysia New Zealand Pakistan Philippines P.R. of China Singapore S. Korea From anywhere in S. Korea: From Seoul: Taiwan, R.O.C. Thailand

Europe

From anywhere in Europe, call:

1 800 678 515 800 933 486 61 2 9937 5085 001 800 61 009 03 5783 1270 1800 801 777 0800 446 398 61 2 9937 5085 1235 61 266 2602 10800 61 00137 or 021 6350 1590 800 6161 463

82 2 3455 6455 00798 611 2230 0080 611 261 001 800 611 2000

+31 (0)30 6029900 phone +31 (0)30 6029999 fax

Support from 3Com 65

Country Telephone Number

From the following European countries, you may use the toll-free numbers:

Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Hungary Ireland Israel Italy Luxembourg Middle East Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland U.K.

06 607468 0800 71429 800 17309 0800 113153 0800 917959 0800 1821 502 00800 12813 1 800 553117 177 3103794 1678 79489 34 2080 8318 971 4319 533 0800 0227788 800 11376 0800 3111206 0800 83 1416 971 4319 533 900 983125 020 795482 0800 55 3072 0800 966197

Latin America

Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Mexico Peru Puerto Rico Venezuela

North America 1-800-527-8677

0810 222 3COM 0800 13 3266 AT&T +800 778 5573 AT&T +800 778 5573 52 5 133 3380 AT&T +800 778 5573 AT&T +800 778 5573 AT&T +800 778 5573

Returning Products for Repair

Before you send a product directly to 3Com for repair, you must ﬁrst obtain a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number. Products sent to 3Com without RMA numbers will be returned to the sender unopened, at the sender’s expense.

To obtain an RMA number, call or fax:

Country Telephone Number Fax Number

Asia, Pacific Rim 65 543 6500 65 543 6348

Europe, South Africa, and Middle East

From the following European countries, you may call the toll-free numbers; select option 2 and then option 2:

Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Hungary Ireland Israel Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland U.K.

Latin America 1 408 326 2927 1 408 326 3355

U.S.A. and Canada 1-800-527-8677 1 408 326 7120

+ 44 1442 435860 + 44 1442 435718

06 607468 0800 71429 800 17309 0800 113153 0800 917959 0800 1821502 00800 12813 1800553117 177 3103794 1678 79489 0800 0227788 800 11376 00800 3111206 0800 831416 971 4319533 900 983125 020 795482 0800 55 3072 0800 966197

INDEX

Numbers

10 LNK LED

troubleshooting with

10/100 LNK LED

troubleshooting with

100 LNK LED

troubleshooting with

100BASE-TX

cable requirements link LED 47

10BASE-T

cable requirements link LED 47

3Com DMI Agent

computer requirements installing 60 network management

requirements

overview 59

3Com icon, in Windows system tray

removing

showing 54 3Com logo, disabling 46 3Com NIC Diagnostics program

starting 3Com NIC help system 48 3Com URL 63

802.1p Support property 18

44, 53, 54

accessing Help 48 ACT (activity) LED

troubleshooting with activity on the network, verifying 54, 55 adding NICs to a group

NetWare 35, 36

Windows 21 administration with DynamicAccess

software 23 Alert Type 15 alerts, remote system

overview 6

requirements 6 altitude speciﬁcations 62 AUTOEXEC.NCF ﬁle, samples 31, 36, 37

bidirectional load balancing 3, 17, 35

deﬁned 2

groups 2 BIOS 8

boot ROM, MBA

booting from network default setting 43 enabling or disabling 45 overview 5

bus interface speciﬁcations 61

cabling

requirements speciﬁcations, RJ-45 port 8 troubleshooting 49

unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) 8 carrier sense lost, viewing 54 Check Level 32 collisions, viewing 54 commands for Netware server features

display status

group 38

help 38

link timeout 39

probe interval 39

receive timeout 39

retry count 39

send timeout 40

ungroup 40

wait tmo 40 computer requirements 7 Conﬁguration and Diagnostics Program,

DOS

44, 53

conﬁguration guidelines for VLANs 18 conﬁguration parameters

NetWare

changing Check Level 32 Log Message Level 32 Node Address 32 Receive Checksum 32 Sampling Window Size 32 SHD Conﬁguration 32 Slot Number 32 Transmit Checksum 32 Transmit/Receive Error

Windows

Alert Type Error Tolerance 15 Sampling Ratio 15 Sampling Window 15 Self Check Level 15 SHD messages 16

conﬁguring

Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA)

NIC 44

VLANs 18, 22

Threshold

connector requirements 62 CRC errors, viewing 54 creating a group

NetWare Windows 20

creating a VLAN, Windows 22

30, 36

dedicated IP address 21, 22 deleting or editing a VLAN,

Windows

Desktop Management Interface (DMI)

diagnostics

disabling load balancing for a group,

Windows

diskettes

display status command 38 displaying

DMI 44 DMI (Desktop Management Interface)

DOS

driver

driver installation requirements

computer requirements installation 60 network management

requirements

overview 6, 59

DOS

44, 53

programs

3Com NIC Doctor DOS Conﬁguration and

Diagnostics Program

tests, running 53

creating obtaining 12

group properties, Windows NIC properties, Windows 24

computer requirements installation 60 network management

requirements

overview 6, 59

diagnostics

installation

NetWare Windows 2000 14 Windows NT 13

removing 50

NetWare 51 Windows 2000 51 Windows NT 50

NetWare Windows 13, 57

44, 53

27, 57

44, 53

68 INDEX

duplex mode

conﬁguring

default setting 43

DynamicAccess LAN agent

trafﬁc prioritization

DynamicAccess server features

NetWare

commands

conﬁguration guidelines 34 overview 2 removing 51, 52 Windows

adding NICs to a group

changing the primary NIC 24

creating a group 20

creating a VLAN 22

deleting or editing a VLAN 24

removing a NIC from a group 24

window, deﬁned 19 Windows 2000

accessing the program

Windows NT

starting the program

DynamicAccess Software Setup

window

editing

NIC properties, Windows

or deleting a VLAN, Windows 24

efﬁcient multicast control,

conﬁguring

EIA/TIA 568 standards 62 Error Tolerance 15 excessive collisions, viewing 54

failover 3

about 3 from gigabit to EtherLink 10/100 PCI

NIC

18, 24

foreign NIC

deﬁned

in NetWare groups 35 in Windows groups 18

frame alignment errors, viewing 54 frames, sent and received, viewing 55 frequently asked questions 49 fresh install

NetWare 57 Windows 2000 57 Windows NT 57

full-duplex 43

group command 38 groups 2

adding NICs to

NetWare

Windows 21 adding, NetWare 36

conﬁguring during NetWare driver

installation

displaying properties of,

Windows

removing NICs from, Windows 24 Windows

creating

disabling load balancing for 23

half-duplex 43 hardware

installation

speciﬁcations 61

heartbeat packets (remote system

alerts)

2, 6

help command, NetWare server

features

Help system, accessing 13, 48 Host ID 21 hot plug NIC installation 5 humidity

operating

storage 62

icon, 3Com 54 IEEE 802.1p Support property 18 installation

3Com DMI Agent connecting to the network 11 diskettes

creating obtaining 12

driver

NetWare Windows 2000 14, 17

Windows NT 13 during NetWare NOS installation 57 during Windows 2000 NOS

installation

during Windows NT NOS

installation

fresh install

NetWare 57

Windows 2000 57

Windows NT 57 hardware 9 NetWare, verifying 31 overview 7 requirements, hardware and

software

server features

NetWare verifying 16 Windows, verifying 16

IP address

changing

dedicated 21, 22

7, 11

keep-alive packet, workgroup 6 Knowledgebase topics

accessing through diagnostics

program

accessing through Web site 48

LAN connections, relating to miniport

connections

late collisions, viewing 54 LEDs

description

troubleshooting 47

viewing in diagnostics program 48 Link LED, viewing 48 link speed, viewing 55 link timeout command 39 Load Balance/RSL window 19 load balancing

bidirectional

3, 17, 35

dedicated IP address 21, 22 disabling, Windows 23 groups

adding NICs to, Windows

adding, NetWare 36

conﬁguring during NetWare

driver installation

creating, Windows 20

maintaining, NetWare 34

maintaining, Windows 17

removing NICs from,

Windows

transmit 3, 17 troubleshooting, NetWare 41 troubleshooting, Windows 25

Log Message Level 32 logo, 3Com, disabling 46

MAC address 9, 32, 33

location on NIC 27

maintaining server features

NetWare 34 Windows 17

Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) software

conﬁguring 45 network booting 45 overview 5

Management Information Format

(MIF)

MBA boot ROM 2, 5 media type

conﬁguring default setting 43

memory requirements 7

NetWare packet receive buffer

sizes MIBs 63 Microsoft Task Ofﬂoad support 18 MIF (Management Information

Format)

miniport connections, relating to LAN

connections

multicast control, conﬁguring 23 multiple collisions, viewing 54 multiple NICs in NetWare 27

NetWare

adding a group adding NICs to a group 35 conﬁguration parameters 32 conﬁguring server features 30 correlating slot numbers and physical

NICs

driver

installation, NetWare

driver installation requirements 27,

DynamicAccess server feature

commands maintaining server features 34 packet receive buffer sizes 27 removing NIC software 51 server features installation 30 slots for multiple NICs 27 system requirements 27, 57 verifying driver installation and

conﬁguration

network

activity, verifying booting 45 connecting to 11 connection

testing

troubleshooting 49 statistics, viewing 54 test, running 54

network driver optimization

conﬁguring default setting 43 description 43 removing the driver 50

Network ID 21 network interface speciﬁcations 61 network supplier support 63 NIC

conﬁguration parameters

NetWare installation program diagnostic tests 53 features 2 foreign

deﬁned 5

in NetWare groups 35

in Windows groups 18 groups 2 physical dimensions 61 power requirement 61 primary 2 properties

displaying, Windows

editing, Windows 24

54, 55

secondary 2 software, removing 50 test, running 53 virtual 2

Node Address 32

ofﬂoad support 18 online Help 48 online Knowledgebase 48 online technical services 63 operating humidity 62 operating temperature 62

packet receive buffers, NetWare 27 packets, viewing 54, 55 PCI master speciﬁcations 61 PCI slot, identifying 9 power requirement 61 primary NIC 2, 24

binding protocol, NetWare 30

changing, Windows 24 probe interval command 39 properties

group, displaying, Windows

NIC

displaying, Windows

editing, Windows 24

property settings, changing in Windows

2000

Receive Checksum 32 Receive LED, viewing 48 receive overruns, viewing 54 receive timeout command 39 received frames, viewing 55 release notes, accessing 49 remote system alerts (heartbeat

packets)

Remote Wake-Up

removing

requirements

2, 6

overview

requirements 5

troubleshooting 49

NIC from a group, Windows

NIC software 50

server features

NetWare

Windows NT 51, 52

3Com DMI Agent

cabling 62

computer 7

connector 62

driver installation

NetWare 27, 57

Windows 13, 57 hardware and software 7, 11 memory 7 Remote Wake-Up 5

resilient server links (RSLs) 2 retry count command 39 returning products for repair 66 ROM, MBA boot 2, 5 RWU 5

safety precautions 7 Sampling Ratio 15 Sampling Window 15 Sampling Window Size 32 secondary NICs 2, 24 Self Check Level 15 self-healing drivers (SHDs) 2, 3 send timeout command 40 sent frames, viewing 55 server features 2

conﬁguring

NetWare Windows NT 17

installing

NetWare

maintaining

NetWare Windows 17

removing 51, 52

SHD

Error messages Inform messages 16 parameters

NetWare Windows 15

Warning messages 16 single collisions, viewing 54 Slot Number 32 slots

for multiple NICs

NetWare

obtaining numbers, NetWare 27 software

removing

updating, Windows 16 spanning tree 18, 34 speciﬁcations

cabling, RJ-45 port

hardware 61 speed, link, viewing 55 SQE errors, viewing 54 standards conformance

speciﬁcations statistics, network, viewing 54 storage humidity 62 storage temperature 62 support databases, accessing 48 system requirements

NetWare Windows 13, 57

17, 30, 34

27, 57

70 INDEX

TCP/IP conﬁguration

NetWare Windows NT 14

technical support

3Com URL network suppliers 63 product repair 66

temperature

operating storage 62

test

Network

NIC 53 timeout 39 trafﬁc prioritization

conﬁguring

overview 2 Transmit Checksum 32 transmit deferrals, viewing 54 Transmit LED, viewing 48 transmit load balancing 3, 17 transmit underruns, viewing 54 Transmit/Receive Error Threshold 32 troubleshooting

cable

group conﬁguration 41

LEDs 47

load balancing, NetWare 41

load balancing, Windows 25

MBA boot ROM 45

network connection 49

Remote Wake-Up 49

Windows 2000 property settings 25

ungroup command 40 uninstalling software

DynamicAccess server features

NetWare

Windows 2000 52

Windows NT 51, 52 uninstalling the NIC 50 unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable 8 updating

network driver, Windows

NIC diagnostic program,

Windows

URL 63

verifying

driver installation

NetWare

Windows 16 virtual NIC 2 VLANs 2

802.1p Support property 18 Windows 17

conﬁguration guidelines 18

creating 22

deleting or editing 24

ID numbers, legal ranges 22

number allowed in a server 18

window, deﬁned 19

wait tmo command 40 warranty 71 Windows

adding NICs to a group changing the primary NIC 24 creating a group 20 creating a VLAN 22 driver installation requirements 13,

maintaining server features 17 SHD conﬁguration parameters 15 system requirements 13, 57 verifying driver installation 16

Windows 2000

802.1p Support property changing property settings 25 driver installation 14, 17 miniport and LAN connections,

identifying

removing NIC software 51 verifying installation 16

Windows NT

driver installation help, driver installation 13, 57 removing

NIC software

verifying installation 16 Windows system tray, 3Com icon 54 workgroup keep-alive packet 6 World Wide Web (WWW) 63

3Com Corporation LIMITED WARRANTY

This warranty applies to Customers located in the United States, Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, U.K, and other English language countries, and countries for which a translation into the local language is not provided.

EtherLink Server 10/100 PCI Network Interface Card

HARDWARE 3Com warrants to the end user (“Customer”) that this hardware product to be free from defects in workmanship and

materials, under normal use and service, for the following length of time from the date of purchase from 3Com or its authorized reseller:

Lifetime

Spare Parts and Spares Kits90 days

3Com’s sole obligation under this express warranty shall be, at 3Com’s option and expense, to repair the defective product or part, deliver to Customer an equivalent product or part to replace the defective item, or if neither of the two foregoing options is reasonably available, 3Com may, in its sole discretion, refund to Customer the purchase price paid for the defective product. All products that are replaced will become the property of 3Com. Replacement products may be new or reconditioned. 3Com warrants any replaced or repaired product or part for ninety (90) days from shipment, or the remainder of the initial warranty period, whichever is longer.

SOFTWARE 3Com warrants to Customer that each software program licensed from it will perform in substantial conformance to its

program specifications, for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase from 3Com or its authorized reseller. 3Com warrants the media containing software against failure during the warranty period. No updates are provided. 3Com's sole obligation under this express warranty shall be, at 3Com's option and expense, to refund the purchase price paid by Customer for any defective software product, or to replace any defective media with software which substantially conforms to applicable 3Com published specifications. Customer assumes responsibility for the selection of the appropriate applications program and associated reference materials. 3Com makes no warranty or representation that its software products will meet Customer’s requirements or work in combination with any hardware or applications software products provided by third parties, that the operation of the software products will be uninterrupted or error free, or that all defects in the software products will be corrected. For any third party products listed in the 3Com software product documentation or specifications as being compatible, 3Com will make reasonable efforts to provide compatibility, except where the non-compatibility is caused by a “bug” or defect in the third party's product or from use of the software product not in accordance with 3Com’s published specifications or user manual.

THIS 3COM PRODUCT MAY INCLUDE OR BE BUNDLED WITH THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE. THE USE OF WHICH IS GOVERNED BY A SEPARATE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT. THIS 3COM WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY TO SUCH THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE. FOR THE APPLICABLE WARRANTY, PLEASE REFER TO THE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT GOVERNING THE USE OF SUCH SOFTWARE.

YEAR 2000 WARRANTY In addition to the Hardware Warranty and Software Warranty stated above, 3Com warrants that each product sold or licensed

to Customer on and after January 1, 1998 that is date sensitive will continue performing properly with regard to such date data on and after January 1, 2000, provided that all other products used by Customer in connection or combination with the 3Com product, including hardware, software, and firmware, accurately exchange date data with the 3Com product, with the exception of those products identified at 3Com’s Web site, http://www.3com.com/products/yr2000.html, as not meeting this standard. If it appears that any product that is stated to meet this standard does not perform properly with regard to such date data on and after January 1, 2000, and Customer notifies 3Com before the later of April 1, 2000, or ninety (90) days after purchase of the product from 3Com or its authorized reseller, 3Com shall, at its option and expense, provide a software update which would effect the proper performance of such product, repair such product, deliver to Customer an equivalent product to replace such product, or if none of the foregoing is feasible, refund to Customer the purchase price paid for such product.

Any software update or replaced or repaired product will carry a Year 2000 Warranty for ninety (90) days after purchase or until April 1, 2000, whichever is later.

OBTAINING WARRANTY S

ERVICE

Customer must contact a 3Com Corporate Service Center or an Authorized 3Com Service Center within the applicable warranty period to obtain warranty service authorization. Dated proof of purchase from 3Com or its authorized reseller may be required. Products returned to 3Com's Corporate Service Center must be pre-authorized by 3Com with a Return Material Authorization (RMA) number or User Service Order (USO) number marked on the outside of the package, and sent prepaid and packaged appropriately for safe shipment, and it is recommended that they be insured or sent by a method that provides for tracking of the package. Responsibility for loss or damage does not transfer to 3Com until the returned item is received by 3Com. The repaired or replaced item will be shipped to Customer, at 3Com's expense, not later than thirty (30) days after 3Com receives the defective product.

3Com shall not be responsible for any software, firmware, information, or memory data of Customer contained in, stored on, or integrated with any products returned to 3Com for repair, whether under warranty or not.

Dead- or Defective-on-Arrival. In the event a product completely fails to function or exhibits a defect in materials or workmanship within the first forty-eight (48) hours of installation but no later than thirty (30) days after the date of purchase, and this is verified by 3Com, it will be considered dead- or defective-on-arrival (DOA) and a replacement shall be provided by advance replacement. The replacement product will normally be shipped not later than three (3) business days after 3Com’s verification of the DOA product, but may be delayed due to export or import procedures. The shipment of advance replacement products is subject to local legal requirements and may not be available in all locations. When an advance replacement is provided and Customer fails to return the original product to 3Com within fifteen (15) days after shipment of the replacement, 3Com will charge Customer for the replacement product, at list price.

INCLUDED SERVICES Telephone Support, with coverage for basic troubleshooting only, will be provided for lifetime of the product, on a

commercially reasonable efforts basis. Telephone support is available from 3Com only if Customer purchased this product directly from 3Com, or if Customer’s reseller is unable to provide telephone support. Please refer to the Technical Support appendix in the user guide for telephone numbers.

3Com’s Web and Bulletin Board Service are available at no charge, and provide software and firmware upgrades, a bug list, and technical information about 3Com products.

WARRANTIES EXCLUSIVE IF A 3COM PRODUCT DOES NOT OPERATE AS WARRANTED ABOVE, CUSTOMER'S SOLE REMEDY FOR BREACH OF THAT

WARRANTY SHALL BE REPAIR, REPLACEMENT, OR REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID, AT 3COM'S OPTION. TO THE FULL EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, THE FOREGOING WARRANTIES AND REMEDIES ARE EXCLUSIVE AND ARE IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, TERMS, OR CONDITIONS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, EITHER IN FACT OR BY OPERATION OF LAW, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WARRANTIES, TERMS, OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, CORRESPONDENCE WITH DESCRIPTION, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, ALL OF WHICH ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. 3COM NEITHER ASSUMES NOR AUTHORIZES ANY OTHER PERSON TO ASSUME FOR IT ANY OTHER LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE, INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE OR USE OF ITS PRODUCTS.

3COM SHALL NOT BE LIABLE UNDER THIS WARRANTY IF ITS TESTING AND EXAMINATION DISCLOSE THAT THE ALLEGED DEFECT OR MALFUNCTION IN THE PRODUCT DOES NOT EXIST OR WAS CAUSED BY CUSTOMER'S OR ANY THIRD PERSON'S MISUSE, NEGLECT, IMPROPER INSTALLATION OR TESTING, UNAUTHORIZED ATTEMPTS TO OPEN, REPAIR OR MODIFY THE PRODUCT, OR ANY OTHER CAUSE BEYOND THE RANGE OF THE INTENDED USE, OR BY ACCIDENT, FIRE, LIGHTNING, POWER CUTS OR OUTAGES, OTHER HAZARDS, OR ACTS OF GOD.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY TO THE FULL EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, 3COM ALSO EXCLUDES FOR ITSELF AND ITS SUPPLIERS ANY LIABILITY, WHETHER

BASED IN CONTRACT OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), FOR INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR FOR LOSS OF REVENUE OR PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF INFORMATION OR DATA, OR OTHER FINANCIAL LOSS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE, INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE, USE, PERFORMANCE, FAILURE, OR INTERRUPTION OF ITS PRODUCTS, EVEN IF 3COM OR ITS AUTHORIZED RESELLER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, AND LIMITS ITS LIABILITY TO REPAIR, REPLACEMENT, OR REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID, AT 3COM'S OPTION. THIS DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES WILL NOT BE AFFECTED IF ANY REMEDY PROVIDED HEREIN SHALL FAIL OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.

DISCLAIMER Some countries, states, or provinces do not allow the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or the limitation of incidental

or consequential damages for certain products supplied to consumers, or the limitation of liability for personal injury, so the above limitations and exclusions may be limited in their application to you. When the implied warranties are not allowed to be excluded in their entirety, they will be limited to the duration of the applicable written warranty. This warranty gives you specific legal rights which may vary depending on local law.

GOVERNING LAW This Limited Warranty shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, U.S.A. excluding its conflicts of laws principles

and excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.

3Com Corporation

5400 Bayfront Plaza P.O. Box 58145 Santa Clara, CA 95052-8145 (408) 326-5000

REGULATORY INFORMATION

FCC CLASS B STATEMENT This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1 This device may not cause harmful interference, and 2 This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. WARNING: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part

15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

■ Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

■ Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

■ Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from the one which the receiver is connected to.

■ Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

The user may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal Communications Commission helpful:

The Interference Handbook

This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.

Tested to comply with the FCC Standards for home and office use. NOTE: In order to maintain compliance with the limits of a Class B digital device, 3Com requires that you use quality interface

cables when connecting to this device. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by 3Com could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment. Refer to the manual for specifications on cabling types.

FCC DECLARATION OF C

ONFORMITY

We declare under our sole responsibility that the

Description Model Number

3Com EtherLink Server 10/100 PCI NIC

3Com EtherLink 10/100 PCI Dual Port Server NIC

to which this declaration relates, is in conformity with the following standards or other normative documents:

■ ANSI C63.4-1992 Methods of Measurement

■ Federal Communications Commission 47 CFR Part 15, subpart B

15.107 (e) Class B Conducted Limits

15.109 (g) Class B Radiated Emissions Limits

Responsible Party: 3Com Corporation, 5400 Bayfront Plaza, P.O. Box 58145, Santa Clara, CA 95052-8145 (408) 326-5000

3C980-TXM 3C980B-TXM 3C980C-TXM

3C982-TXM

INDUSTRY CANADA CLASS B E

MISSION COMPLIANCE

TATEMENT

AVIS DE CONFORMITÉ À LA R

ÉGLEMENTATION

D’INDUSTRIE CANADA

VCCI CLASS B STATEMENT

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conform à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

This is a Class B product based on the standard of the Voluntary Control Council for Interference from Information Technology Equipment (VCCI). If this is used near a radio or television receiver in a domestic environment, it may cause radio interference. Install and use the equipment according to the instruction manual.

3COM END USER SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT

IMPORTANT: Read Before Using This Product

YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE INSTALLING AND USING, THE USE OF WHICH IS LICENSED BY 3COM CORPORATION (“3COM”) TO ITS CUSTOMERS FOR THEIR USE ONLY AS SET FORTH BELOW. INSTALLING OR USING ANY PART OF THE SOFTWARE INDICATES THAT YOU ACCEPT THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT INSTALL OR USE THE SOFTWARE. YOU SHOULD RETURN THE ENTIRE PRODUCT WITH THE SOFTWARE UNUSED TO THE SUPPLIER WHERE YOU OBTAINED IT.

LICENSE 3Com grants you a nonexclusive, nontransferable (except as specified herein) license to use the accompanying software

ASSIGNMENT; NO REVERSE E

NGINEERING

program(s) in executable form (the “Software”) and accompanying documentation (the “Documentation”), subject to the terms and restrictions set forth in this Agreement. You are not permitted to lease, rent, distribute or sublicense (except as specified herein) the Software or Documentation or to use the Software or Documentation in a time-sharing arrangement or in any other unauthorized manner. Further, no license is granted to you in the human readable code of the Software (source code). Except as provided below, this Agreement does not grant you any rights to patents, copyrights, trade secrets, trademarks, or any other rights with respect to the Software or Documentation.

Subject to the restrictions set forth herein, the Software is licensed to be used on any workstation or any network server owned by or leased to you, for your internal use, provided that the Software is used only in connection with a 3Com adapter. You may reproduce and provide one (1) copy of the Software and Documentation for each such workstation or network server on which the Software is used as permitted hereunder. Otherwise, the Software and Documentation may be copied only as essential for backup or archive purposes in support of your use of the Software as permitted hereunder. Each copy of the Software and Documentation must contain 3Com’s and its licensors’ proprietary rights and copyright notices in the same form as on the original. You agree not to remove or deface any portion of any legend provided on any licensed program or documentation delivered to you under this Agreement.

You may transfer the Software, Documentation and the licenses granted herein to another party in the same country in which you obtained the Software and Documentation if the other party agrees in writing to accept and be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement. If you transfer all copies of the Software and Documentation to the party or you must destroy any copies not transferred. Except as set forth above, you may not assign or transfer your rights under this Agreement.

Modification, reverse engineering, reverse compiling, or disassembly of the Software is expressly prohibited. However, if you are a European Community (“EC”) resident, information necessary to achieve interoperability of the Software with other programs within the meaning of the EC Directive on the Legal Protection of Computer Programs is available to you from 3Com upon written request.

EXPORT RESTRICTIONS You agree that you will not export or re-export the Software, Documentation or other technical data received hereunder (or

any copies thereof) (collectively “Technical Data”) or any products utilizing the Technical Data in violation of any applicable laws or regulations of the United States or the country in which you obtained them or where you reside. In addition, the

Technical Data covered by this Agreement may contain data encryption code which is unlawful to export or transfer from the United States or Canada without an approved US Department of Commerce export license and/or appropriate foreign export or import license. You are responsible for obtaining any licenses to export, re-export or import

the Technical Data. In addition to the above, Technical Data may not be used, exported or re-exported (i) into or to a national or resident of any country to which the U.S. has embargoed goods; or (ii) to any one on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Commerce Department’s Table of Denial Orders.

TRADE SECRETS; TITLE You acknowledge and agree that the structure, sequence and organization of the Software are the valuable trade secrets of

3Com and its suppliers. You agree to hold such trade secrets in confidence. You further acknowledge and agree that ownership of, and title to, the Software and Documentation and all subsequent copies thereof regardless of the form or media are held by 3Com and its suppliers.

UNITED STATES G

OVERNMENT LEGENDS

The Software, Documentation and any other technical data provided hereunder is commercial in nature and developed solely at private expense. The 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 this Agreement, which is 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.

TERM AND TERMINATION This Agreement and license will expire fifty (50) years from the date that you install the Software and Documentation, if it is not

terminated earlier. You may terminate it at any time by destroying the Software and Documentation together with all copies and merged portions in any form. It will also terminate immediately if you fail to comply with any term or condition of this Agreement. Upon such termination you agree to destroy the Software and Documentation, together with all copies and merged portions in any form.

LIMITED WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

All warranties and limitations of liability applicable to the Software are as stated on the Limited Warranty Card or in the product manual, whether in paper or electronic form, accompanying the Software. Such warranties and limitations of liability are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference.

GOVERNING LAW This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, U.S.A. excluding its conflicts of laws principles and

excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.

SEVERABILITY In the event any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and

enforceability of any of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired and a valid, legal and enforceable provision of similar intent and economic impact shall be substituted therefor.

ENTIRE AGREEMENT This Agreement sets forth the entire understanding and agreement between you and 3Com and supersedes all prior

agreements, whether written or oral, with respect to the Software and Documentation, and may be amended only in a writing signed by both parties.

Should you have any questions concerning this Agreement or if you desire to contact 3Com for any reason, please contact the 3Com subsidiary serving your country, or write: 3Com Corporation, Customer Support Information, 5400 Bayfront Plaza, Santa Clara, CA 95052

3Com is a registered trademark of 3Com Corporation.

3Com Corporation

5400 Bayfront Plaza, P.O. Box 58145 Santa Clara, CA 95052-8145 (408) 326-5000

PRODUCT REGISTRATION

To ensure the very best service and support, register your 3Com product now. International Customers: Visit http://www.3com.com/productreg to register. U.S. Customers: Complete and mail the attached registration card, or visit http://www.3com.com/productreg to register.

3Com 3C980-TXM, 3C980B-TXM, 3C980C-TXM, 3C982-TXM User guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Overview

Advanced Server Features

Self-Healing Drivers Self-healing drivers (SHDs) work together with RSLs to maintain the network

Failover In addition to load balancing, RSLs provide failover fault tolerance between a

VLANs A VLAN is a group of location-independent and topology-independent devices

Hot Plug NIC Installation

Remote Wake-Up (Single Port Models Only)

Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) Software

Desktop Management Interface (DMI) 2.0

Remote System Alerts The NIC can be conﬁgured to continuously transmit a packet to an alert target

Safety Precautions Observe the following safety precautions:

Installation Requirements

Preparing the NIC and the Computer

Installing and Connecting the NIC

Installing Software 11

Software Installation Requirements

Getting Help To display the Help system during the software installation, click Help on any

Installing in Windows 2000

Windows NT

Windows 2000

Verifying Successful Installation

Windows NT

Windows 2000

Updating Software in Windows

Windows NT

Windows 2000

DynamicAccess Server Features

Windows NT

Windows 2000

Creating a Group

Adding NICs to a Group

Changing an IP Address If another device is using the dedicated IP address of a bidirectional load balancing

Creating a VLAN

Software Installation Requirements

Obtaining Slot Numbers The NetWare driver installation program requires you to enter a PCI slot number

Copy the Driver

Specify the Slot Number You need not specify the slot number if you are installing only one NIC.

Load the Driver

Set Up Another NIC

Install Server Features Two drivers are associated with DynamicAccess technology server features under

Adding a Group

group

display status

help

link timeout

probe interval

receive timeout

retry count

send timeout

ungroup

wait timeout

CONFIGURING THE NIC

Configuring the Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) 45

Booting From the Network

Disabling the 3Com Logo

TROUBLESHOOTING THE NIC

Interpreting the LEDs Diagnostic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are located below the cable connector(s)

Accessing the 3Com Knowledgebase

Accessing the 3Com NIC Help System

Accessing Other Information

Troubleshooting the Network Connection

Troubleshooting Remote Wake-Up

Removing the Network Driver

Windows NT To remove the network driver:

NetWare To remove the network driver:

Removing Server Features

Windows 2000

NetWare To remove DynamicAccess technology server features:

Removing 3Com NIC Diagnostics

Overview The 3Com NIC Diagnostics program for Windows contains tests that can check

Running the NIC Test Run the NIC Test to check the physical components, connectors, and circuitry on

Running the Network Test

Viewing Network Statistics

Using the 3Com Icon in the Windows System Tray

Enabling the Icon To show the 3Com icon in the Windows system tray:

Windows Fresh Installation