®
Fast EtherLink® adapters:
Ensuring an easy migration path to
high-speed networking
EtherLink III adapters:
Delivering superior performance
and value to the desktop
EtherLink III PC Cards: Providing
superior performance and flexibility
for the notebook
TokenLink® III and TokenLink
Velocity™ adapters: Featuring
outstanding price/performance
for Token Ring
TokenLink III PC Cards:
Featuring excellent price/performance and ease of use for the notebook
FDDILink™ adapters: Providing affordable performance and fault tolerance for PCI and EISA servers
ATMLink™ adapters: Offering high performance and a smooth migration to ATM networking
3Com Impact™ ISDN digital
modems and adapters: Providing high-speed remote network access
Adapter support: Fast adapter support anytime, from anywhere.
Guide to 3Com Desktop, Portable, and Remote Network Adapters
For Fast Ethernet, Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, ATM, and ISDN Connectivity
W H Y C H O O S E 3 C O M N E T W O R K A D A P T E R S ?
Because 3Com can meet all your needs for personal computer connectivity with a complete range of high-performance, reliable adapter products: world-renowned desktop adapters; high-performance PC Cards; and high-speed ISDN digital modems and adapters.
Desktop Products— Performance and Value
Whether you manage a large and complex network or a few dynamic workgroups, 3Com has the right solution for your network. Choose industry-leading adapters offering the best price/performance, manageability, ease of use, and reliability for Fast Ethernet, Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, and ATM networks.
3Com EtherLink® III adapters, the world’s most popular Ethernet cards, are unbeatable for performance
and value. 3Com’s exclusive
Parallel Tasking® technology supports Fast EtherLink 10/100 adapters and EtherLink III adapters, ramping up your network’s performance while driving down its costs.
TokenLink® III adapters and TokenLink Velocity™ PCI adapters are your best price/performance solution for Token Ring. TokenLink III adapters build value by guaranteeing 100-per- cent compatibility with IBM® drivers and applications; the TokenLink Velocity adapter is the high-perfor- mance choice for your PCI computers.
FDDILink™ adapters bring fault tolerance and increased bandwidth to your PCI and EISA servers as well as highperformance workstations. Count
on FDDILink adapters to transfer a large amount of data with low CPU utilization.
3Com ATMLink™ adapters offer you a smooth transition from your legacy system to high-performance ATM. The adapters support LAN Emulation, allowing you to scale up to ATM incrementally without interrupting your network’s activity. Plus, you get complete end-to-end 155 Mbps connectivity, from the desktop to the backbone.
Portable Products— Performance and Flexibility
When you are on the road or working at a remote site, you can count on 3Com for connectivity. 3Com EtherLink III and TokenLink III
PC Cards ensure you fast and easy network connections, giving you the performance from your notebook that you have on your desktop. With 3Com PC Cards, you have the convenience and flexibility of fast, easy installation and use, along with guaranteed compatibility with leading notebook computers.
The EtherLink III LAN PC Card is a credit card-size package that delivers full Parallel Tasking performance that outpaces competitors’ cards by up to 46 percent. It installs automatically through Windows® 95’s plug-and-play feature; for PCs running DOS or Windows 3.1, 3Com’s AutoLink™ software automatically configures the card.
The EtherLink III LAN+Modem PC Card is the fastest Ethernet PC card you can buy combined with the fastest 28.8 Kbps modem. In addition to highspeed access, the modem’s leadingedge 16-bit technology gives you maximum modem performance and connection reliability. Intelligent diagnostics in 3Com’s unique AutoIQ™ eliminate notebook installation problems, giving you hassle-free installation.
The 3Com TokenLink III PC Card adapter has all of the great features of TokenLink III adapters—fast and convenient setup, great manageability, full IBM compatibility, and proven reliability. Plus, this credit card-sized adapter easily beats the competition for hasslefree installation and ease of use.
Remote Access Products— High-Speed Network Access
When you want to surf the Net, telecommute, or connect after hours to your company’s network, let 3Com Impact™ ISDN external digital modems and ISA adapters bring you easy and fast access.
The 3Com Impact ISDN external digital modem, using Multilink PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol), gives you a lightening-fast transfer rate of up to 128 Kbps—four times faster than today’s fastest analog modems. This easy-to-use modem provides simultaneous fax, voice, and data capability, with the added convenience of an analog voice port. Plus, its step-by- step installation software gets you online quickly—so you are ready to browse the Web or access your corporate LAN, without waiting.
The 3Com Impact ISDN ISA adapter provides a direct interface to your PC’s internal bus. And with Multilink PPP, it gives you the highest possible transmission speed for remote LAN access—128 Kbps. From your remote site, you have the high-speed network access you need to quickly transfer large data files and e-mail messages. This ISDN ISA adapter emulates an Ethernet adapter to give you full compatibility with corporate LANs, and is the industry’s easiest to install.
Why buy 3Com adapters?
Because 3Com gives you complete connectivity solutions unsurpassed for performance, value, quality, manageability, and reliability.
2
How Parallel Tasking
Maximizes Performance in
Ethernet Environments
For premium performance, without a price premium, choose an adapter based on 3Com’s patented Parallel Tasking architecture.
All Fast EtherLink and EtherLink III adapters include Parallel Tasking, the third generation in Ethernet adapter technology. 3Com’s exclusive Parallel Tasking technology incorporates several innovations that improve your network’s data throughput.
First it overlaps, or pipelines, processing tasks to speed data transmission and reception. For example, a Fast EtherLink or EtherLink III adapter begins writing the first portion of a data frame onto the wire before it has completed reading it from PC memory.
Secondly, Parallel Tasking continually adjusts the timing of interrupts to
eliminate the lag that slows down other adapters. Thirdly, Fast EtherLink and EtherLink III adapters automatically tune and optimize themselves for their operating environments, resulting in maximum performance within any system configuration.
By standardizing on Fast EtherLink and EtherLink III adapters, you can deliver dramatic performance advantages to network users throughout your organization. Implement Parallel Tasking architecture on PCs with ISA, PCI, EISA, MCA, or PC Card buses. Improve throughput on virtually any Fast Ethernet or Ethernet network— whether it is running a NetWare,® Windows, or UNIX® operating system, whether it is connected by thin coax or twisted-pair cabling. Wherever you want peak performance for an affordable price, plug in a Fast EtherLink or EtherLink III adapter.
Parallel Tasking architecture is implemented on all Fast EtherLink
SE C O N D -GE N E R AT I O N AD A P T E R
TOP SPEED IN
FAST ETHERNET
AND ETHERNET
ENVIRONMENTS
and EtherLink III adapters as a single ASIC. By reducing the number of adapter components, 3Com’s ASIC design delivers higher-performance adapters with greater reliability, lower prices, and unmatched value.
Fast EtherLink and EtherLink III adapters consistently outperform other vendors’ Ethernet adapters, as shown in independent tests conducted by LANQuest Labs and PC Magazine, as well as other thirdparty benchmarks. For a copy of Parallel Tasking test results, call 1-800-NET-3Com in the United States, or your local 3Com office or reseller.
TH I R D -GE N E R AT I O N AD A P T E R W I T H PA R A L L E L TA S K I N G
Start to Finish: Parallel Tasking is Faster
Parallel Tasking, a unique 3Comdeveloped architecture, can more than double data throughput speed.
®
3
F A S T E T H E R L I N K A D A P T E R S
Dual-speed Fast EtherLink PCI and EISA adapters deliver maximum network performance to your highperformance PCs and servers. They also ensure a smooth migration to high-speed networking.
By employing 3Com’s Parallel Tasking architecture,
Fast EtherLink 10/100 adapters let you run at the fastest data
throughput rates in both 10BASE-T and 100BASE-T environments. You can move from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps simply by moving the adapter cable connection to a 100BASE-T hub port. The adapter auto-senses the hub-port speed and reconfigures with no hardware or software changes.
3Com Fast EtherLink 10/100 adapters set the industry standard for performance. With 3Com’s exclusive Parallel Tasking technology, you can get maximum speeds at both
10 Mbps and 100 Mbps.
Fast EtherLink 10/100 Family: Providing superior performance and an easy migration path to highspeed networking.
Turn to Fast EtherLink adapters when you’re looking for:
■Superior performance. By completing separate tasks in parallel—and transferring data with maximum efficiency—3Com’s Parallel Tasking architecture provides superior performance at both 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps.
■Easy migration. Fully compatible with 10BASE-T equipment, the Fast EtherLink adapter maintains the IEEE 802.3 protocol. Install the adapter once, and it auto-senses the hub speed to automatically operate with all major 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX hub types—switched or shared.
■Guaranteed compatibility. The Fast EtherLink PCI adapter is guaranteed compatible with PCI-compliant PCs (or your money back!)
■Support for Windows 95 and plug-and-play PCs. Fast EtherLink adapters automatically support plug-and-play PCs, and provide seamless Windows 95 support.
■Easy installation and management. Use 3Com’s AutoLink auto-installation software to complete a NetWare client installation in less than three minutes. To simplify day-to-day operation, Fast EtherLink adapters provide SNMP and DMI manageability as well as LEDs that show link integrity, activity, and speed of operation.
■High reliability. State-of-the-art design and ASIC hardware integration have earned 3Com adapters a worldwide reputation for top quality. Fast EtherLink adapters are also backed by a lifetime warranty.
■Best value. Only the
Ethernet leader can offer the industry’s top performance and extensive functionality at such an attractive price.
4
H O W T O C H O O S E T H E R I G H T FA S T E T H E R L I N K A D A P T E R S
W I R I N G T Y P E |
B U S T Y P E |
A D V A N T A G E S |
3 C O M A D A P T E R |
10BASE-T: Category 3,4 |
PCI |
Fastest data throughput rates in both |
Fast EtherLink PCI |
or 5 UTP on two pairs up |
(All PCI-bus PCs) |
10BASE-T and 100BASE-T environments. |
3C595-TX |
to 328 ft/100m |
EISA |
Fastest data throughput rates in both |
Fast EtherLink EISA |
|
|||
|
(All EISA-bus PCs) |
10BASE-T and 100BASE-T environments. |
3C597-TX |
100BASE-TX: Category 5 |
PCI |
Fastest data throughput rates in both |
Fast EtherLink PCI |
UTP on two pairs up to |
(All PCI-bus PCs) |
10BASE-T and 100BASE-T environments. |
3C595-TX |
328 ft/100m |
EISA |
Fastest data throughput rates in both |
Fast EtherLink EISA |
|
|||
|
(All EISA-bus PCs) |
10BASE-T and 100BASE-T environments. |
3C597-TX |
Save on Quantity Orders
Fast EtherLink EISA adapters available in 5-packs; Fast EtherLink PCI adapters available in 5-, 20-, and 60-packs.
FA S T E T H E R L I N K A D A P T E R S U P P O R T
|
EtherLink |
- |
|
EtherLink |
-TX |
||||||
|
|
|
-TX |
TX |
|
|
|
|
TX |
||
|
|
3C595 |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|||
Fast |
|
|
|
Fast |
|
3C595 |
|
|
|||
|
|
3C597 |
|
|
|
3C597 |
|||||
PCI |
|
|
|
|
PCI |
|
|
|
|
||
|
EISA |
|
|
|
|
EISA |
|
|
|
||
3Com |
TriROM (BootP, RPL, Netware, RomShield) |
▼ |
3Com |
NFS with DPA* |
▼ |
3Com |
OSI/ES with DPA* |
▼ |
3Com |
TCP with DPA* |
▼ |
Artisoft |
LANtastic* |
▼ |
AT&T |
LAN Manager* |
▼ |
Banyan |
VINES* |
|
Beame & Whiteside |
BW-TCP, BW-NPS* |
▼ |
BSDi |
BSD/OS |
▼ |
Century Software |
Tiny Term* |
▼ |
Crynwr/Clarkson |
Packet Driver* |
▼ |
DCA/Tiara |
10Net* |
▼ |
DEC |
Pathworks* |
▼ |
Essex Systems |
TCP/2* |
▼ |
Frontier Tech |
FTAM, x.25, x.400, TCP* |
▼ |
FTP Software |
PC/TCP* |
▼ |
Hayes |
LANstep* |
▼ |
IBM |
OS/2 LAN Server* |
▼ |
James River Group |
ICE.TCP* |
▼ |
Lanworks |
TriROM (BootP, RPL, Netware, RomShield) |
▼ |
Linux |
Linux 1.2 |
▼ |
Locus Computing |
PC Interface, PC Xsight* |
▼ |
McAfee |
RomShield Anti-Virus |
■ |
MicroPort |
UNIX System VR4 |
▼ |
Microsoft |
LAN Manager* |
▼ |
Microsoft |
Windows for Workgroups* |
▼ |
Microsoft |
Windows NT* |
▼ |
Microsoft |
Windows NT for Power PC |
▼ |
Microsoft |
Windows 95 |
▼ |
NetManage |
Chameleon, IPX/link, Newt* |
▼ |
Network Research Corp. |
Fusion* |
▼ |
Novell |
LAN Workplace DOS* |
▼ |
Novell |
NetWare 386 3.x Server* (2.x ,3.x, 4.x) |
▼ |
Novell |
NetWare ODI Client* (2.x ,3.x, 4.x) |
▼ |
Novell |
NetWare 4.0x Server* |
▼ |
Novell |
Netware Requester for OS/2 |
▼ |
Novell |
UnixWare |
▼ |
Pacer |
PacerLink* |
▼ |
Performance Tech |
Power Lan* |
▼ |
Polygon |
poly-COM, poly-LINK* |
▼ |
Polygon |
poly-NET, poly-STAR* |
▼ |
Santa Cruz Operation |
LAN Manager for UNIX |
▼ |
Santa Cruz Operation |
NFS, Open Desktop, OSI |
▼ |
Santa Cruz Operation |
TCP/IP for UNIX |
▼ |
SunSelect |
PC-NFS* |
▼ |
Sun |
SunSoft Interactive 386/xi SRV3 |
▼ |
Sun |
SunSoft Solaris 2.0 for X.86 |
▼ |
Touch Communications |
OSI* |
▼ |
University of Illinois |
NCSA Telnet* |
▼ |
University of Illinois |
PCbridge, PCroute* |
▼ |
Walker, Richer & Quinn |
Reflections* |
▼ |
The Wollongong Group |
Pathway Access* |
▼ |
▼ board supported |
in development client only |
|
|
■ available in TriROM and BootWare Plus only |
|
||
*Drivers for this product are available on the EtherDisk® diskette shipped with each Fast EtherLink adapter or 5-pack; other product drivers |
|
||
are available from independent software vendors. |
|
||
5 |
|||
The product names above are the trademarks of their respective companies. |
|||
|
|||
E T H E R L I N K I I I A D A P T E R S
3Com EtherLink III Parallel Tasking adapters deliver outstanding value, reliability, and compatibility, as well as the fastest throughput of any network interface card available today.
EtherLink III Parallel Tasking adapters set the standard for data transfer speeds by simultaneously performing multiple processing tasks. With an EtherLink III adapter in your PC or notebook, you get the fastest data throughput, regardless of the PC bus type used.
3Com offers EtherLink III models for ISA, MCA, EISA, PCI, and PC Card buses.
You’ll want to have EtherLink III adapters if you’re looking for:
■ Superior performance.
EtherLink III Parallel Tasking adapters consistently outperform competing adapters, in all major environments including NetWare, Windows 95, Windows NT,™ and Banyan VINES.®
The EtherLink III Parallel Tasking Family: The world’s most popular Ethernet adapters.
■32-bit bus mastering. Highperformance EtherLink III PCI and EISA adapters provide 32-bit bus mastering, giving you a wide data path, fast transfers, and low CPU utilization. With Parallel Tasking, they also provide the fastest data throughput. This makes them ideal for both servers and multitasking clients.
■Speed and safety for portables.
The EtherLink III PC Card and LAN+Modem PC Card (the PC Card with a 28.8 Kbps modem) pack the fastest performance into a credit card-sized package. And you’re safe wherever you go—they are guaranteed compatible with a wide range of notebooks with and without Card Services, are simple to install, and conserve power and time between battery charges.
■Unsurpassed ease-of-use.
3Com’s AutoLink auto-installation software automates installation and configuration tasks for DOS and Windows 3.1. For NetWare LANs, a single menu choice completes the installation, including the down-
The EtherLink III family
of network adapters delivers the superior performance of Parallel Tasking architecture to PCs with ISA, PCI, MCA, EISA, and PC Card buses. The adapters support twisted pair and coaxial Ethernet connections.
loading of NetWare Universal client files from the server.
■Support for Windows 95 and plug-and-play PCs. EtherLink III adapters automatically support plug-and-play PCs, and provide seamless Windows 95 support.
■Extensive compatibility.
EtherLink III adapters are the world’s most popular cards. You can count on the fullest range of Ethernet software support in the industry.
■Proven reliability. For
optimal reliability, all EtherLink III components are integrated into one ASIC. Furthermore, 3Com backs all EtherLink III adapters with a lifetime warranty.
■ Superior manageability.
Driver-integrated SmartAgent® intelligent agents provide powerful SNMP and DMI manageability using 3Com’s Transcend® WorkGroup Manager or Enterprise Manager for Windows applications.
6
Loading...