3COM Remote Network Adapter User Manual
®
Fast EtherLink®adapters:
Ensuring an easy migration path to
high-speed networking
Guide to 3Com
Desktop, Portable,
and Remote Network
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
outstanding price/performance
for Token Ring
TokenLink III PC Cards:
Featuring excellent price/performance and ease of use for the
notebook
FDDILink
affordable performance and fault
tolerance for PCI and EISA servers
adapters: Featuring
™
adapters: Providing
Adapters
For Fast Ethernet, Ethernet, Token Ring,
FDDI, ATM, and ISDN Connectivity
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.
W HY CHOOSE 3COM NETWORK ADAPTERS?
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-percent compatibility with IBM®drivers
and applications; the TokenLink
Velocity adapter is the high-performance 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-bystep 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
®
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.
SECOND-GENERATION ADAPTER
THIRD-GENERATION ADAPTER
WITH
PARALLEL TASKING
Start to Finish:
Parallel Tasking
is Faster
Parallel Tasking, a unique 3Comdeveloped architecture, can more
than double data throughput speed.
®
3
F AST ETHERLINK ADAPTERS
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.
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.
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!)
■
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.
■
Support for Windows 95 and
plug-and-play PCs. Fast EtherLink
adapters automatically support
plug-and-play PCs, and provide
seamless Windows 95 support.
4
H OW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT FAST ETHERLINK ADAPTERS
WIRING TYPE BUS TYPE ADVANTAGES 3COM ADAPTER
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.
FAST ETHERLINK ADAPTER SUPPORT
Fast EtherLink
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* ▼
PCI 3C595-TX
EISA 3C597-TX
▼
Fast EtherLink
PCI 3C595-TX
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* ▼
EISA 3C597-TX
▼ board supportedtin development ❍ client only
■
available in TriROM and BootWare Plus only
*Drivers for this product are available on the EtherDisk
are available from independent software vendors.
The product names above are the trademarks of their respective companies.
®
diskette shipped with each Fast EtherLink adapter or 5-pack; other product drivers
5
E THERLINK III ADAPTERS
The EtherLink III Parallel Tasking Family:
The world’s most popular Ethernet adapters.
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.
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,
Banyan VINES.
®
™
and
■
32-bit bus mastering. High-
performance 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-
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...