3COM XLPCI User Manual

EtherLink® XL PCI 1 0 Mbps
Network Interface Cards
User Guide

Member of the 3Com EtherLink XL family of
network interface cards

http://www.3com.com/

Part No. 09-1139-001
Published June 1998

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

Copyright © 1998, 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this documentation may be
reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative work (such as translation,
transformation, or adaptation) without written permission from 3Com Corporation.

3Com Corporation reserves the right to revise this documentation and to make changes in content
from time to time without obligation on the part of 3Com Corporation to provide notification of such
revision or change.

3Com Corporation provides this documentation without warranty, term, or condition of any kind,
either implied or expressed, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties, terms or conditions
of merchantability, satisfactory quality, and fitness for a particular purpose. 3Com may make
improvements or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this documentation
at any time.

If there is any software on removable media described in this documentation, it is furnished under a
license agreement included with the product as a separate document, in the hard copy documentation,
or on the removable media in a directory file named LICENSE.TXT or !LICENSE.TXT. If you are unable to
locate a copy, please contact 3Com and a copy will be provided to you.

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LEGEND

If you are a United States government agency, then this documentation and the software described
herein are provided to you subject to the following:

All technical data and computer software are commercial in nature and developed solely at private
expense. Software is delivered as “Commercial Computer Software” as defined in DFARS 252.227-7014
(June 1995) or as a “commercial item” as defined in FAR 2.101(a) and as such is provided with only such
rights as are provided in 3Com’s standard commercial license for the Software. Technical data is pr ovided
with limited rights only as provided in DFAR 252.227-7015 (Nov 1995) or FAR 52.227-14 (June 1987),
whichever is applicable. You agr ee not to remove or deface any portion of any legend provided on any
licensed program or documentation contained in, or delivered to you in conjunction with, this User Guide.

Unless otherwise indicated, 3Com registered trademarks are registered in the United States and may or
may not be registered in other countries.

3Com, the 3Com logo, Dynamic
trademarks of 3Com Corporation. AutoLink and PACE are trademarks of 3Com Corporation.
3ComFacts is a service mark of 3Com Corporation.

Anixter is a trademark of Anixter Bros., Inc. Artisoft and LANtastic are trademarks of Artisoft, Inc.
Banyan and VINES are trademarks of Banyan Systems, Incorporated. CompuServe is a registered
trademark of CompuServe, Inc. Alpha, DEC, and PATHWORKS are trademarks of Digital Equipment
Corporation. OS/2 is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Microsoft,
Windows, and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. Novell and NetWare are trademarks
of Novell, Inc. SCO is a trademark of The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.

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

Guide written by Nick Franks. Edited by Nancy Kurahashi. Illustrated by Mary Inden. Produced by
Georgi Felix.

Access

, EtherDisk, EtherLink, and SmartAgent are registered

ii

ONTENTS

C

A

BOUT THIS GUIDE

Finding Specific Information in This Guide 1
Conventions 2

1

I

NSTALLING THE NETWORK INTERFACE CARD

Preparing for Installation 1-2
Inserting the NIC 1-3
Connecting to the Network 1-5

RJ-45 Port 1-5
BNC Port 1-6
AUI Port 1-7

Interpreting the Link LED 1-8

2

I

NSTALLING THE NETWORK DRIVER

Windows 95 2-1

Windows 95 Build 950 2-2
Windows 95 OSR2 2-4
Confirming Installation 2-6

Windows NT 2-6

Windows NT 4.0 2-7
Windows NT 3.51 2-8

Novell NetWare Client Driver 2-10

Running AutoLink Software 2-10

Novell NetWare Server Driver 2-11

NetWare 3.12 2-11
NetWare 4.10 and 4.11 2-12
Multiple NICs 2-12

Supported Network Drivers 2-14

3

T

ROUBLESHOOTING INSTALLATION PROBLEMS

Running Diagnostic Programs 3-1

iii

3Com DOS Diagnostic Program 3-2
3Com NIC Diagnostics Program 3-2

Running NIC Tests 3-2

Running the Echo Test 3-4
3Com Support Services 3-7
Accessing the Help System 3-8
Release Notes, Frequently Asked Questions,

and KnowledgeBase Topics 3-8

Removing NIC Software 3-9

Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 3-9
Windows NT 3.51 3-9

Frequently Asked Questions 3-10

4

C

HANGING CONFIGURATION SETTINGS

Using the DOS Configuration Program 4-2
Running the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program 4-2

Displaying Configuration Settings 4-2
Changing Configuration Settings 4-4

Enabling PACE Support 4-5

A

S

PECIFICATIONS AND CABLING REQUIREMENTS

Specifications A-1
Cabling Requirements A-1

Twisted-Pair Cable A-2
10BASE-T Operation A-2
10BASE-T Specifications A-3

RJ-45 Connector Pin Assignments A-3

B

C

ONFIGURING ADVANCED

Operational Settings B-1

FIFO Packet Threshold B-1
Concurrent UDP Streams B-1
Low-Priority Ratio B-2
Natural Packet Interval B-2

Option Descriptions B-2

Disable Switch Packet Prioritization B-2
Disable Receive Packet Buffering B-3

Changing Operational Settings B-3

iv

PACE O

PTIONS

Changing Ranges and Protocols B-4

C

T

ROUBLESHOOTING NETWORK CONNECTION PROBLEMS

Eliminating Potential Causes of Problems C-1
Troubleshooting Hubs with Crossover Cable C-2

D

T

ECHNICAL SUPPORT

Support from Your Network Supplier D-1
Online Technical Services D-1

World Wide Web Site D-2
3Com Bulletin Board Service D-2

Access by Analog Modem D-2
Access by Digital Modem D-3

3ComFacts Automated Fax Service D-3

I

NDEX

3COM C

FCC C

FCC D

ORPORATION LIMITED WARRANTY

LASS

B S

ECLARATION OF CONFORMITY

3COM END U

TATEMENT

SER SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT

v

IGURES

F

1-1

3C900B Network Interface Cards 1-1

1-2

Installing the 3C900B NIC 1-4

1-3

Connecting to the RJ-45 Port on the 3C900B NIC 1-5

1-4

Connecting to the BNC Port on the 3C900B-COMBO NIC 1-6

1-5

Connecting to the AUI Port on the 3C900B-COMBO NIC 1-7

2-1

Selected NIC Screen of the Configuration and
Diagnostic Program 2-13

3-1

3Com NIC Diagnostics General Screen 3-3

3-2

Diagnostics Screen 3-4

3-3

Echo Test Responder Screen 3-5

3-4

Echo Test Sender Screen 3-6

3-5

Echo Test Statistics Screen 3-6

3-6

3Com NIC Diagnostics Support Screen 3-7

4-1

3Com NIC Diagnostics General Screen 4-3

4-2

NIC Details Screen 4-3

4-3

3Com NIC Diagnostics Properties Screen 4-4

4-4

3Com DynamicAccess Setup Screen 4-5

A-1

RJ-45 Connector Pin Assignments A-3

B-1

Advanced PACE Options Screen B-3

C-1

Straight-through and Crossover Cable Pinouts C-2

vii

ABLES

T

1

Notice Icons 2

2

Text Conventions 2

1-1

3C900B NIC Models 1-2

1-2

LED Interpretation 1-8

2-1

Network Driver Text File Names 2-14

3-1

Frequently Asked Questions 3-10

4-1

Option Settings 4-1

A-1

Unshielded Twisted-pair Cable Categories A-2

viii

BOUT THIS

A

About This Guide provides an overview of this guide,
describes guide conventions, and tells you where to look
for specific information.

This guide describes how to install, configure, and
troubleshoot 3Com® EtherLink® XL PCI 10 Mbps (3C900B)
network interface cards (NICs).

If a release note is shipped with this product, and
the information in the release note differs from the
information in this guide, follow the instructions in the
release note.

This guide is for network administrators and users who are
familiar with PCs and Ethernet networks.

G

UIDE

Finding Specific Information in This Guide

This table shows the location of specific information in
this guide.

If you are looking for Turn to

NIC installation and cabling information Chapter 1
Network driver installation instructions Chapter 2
Information about troubleshooting installation problems Chapter 3
Information about changing NIC configuration settings Chapter 4
Specifications, cable requirements, and RJ-45 pin assignments Appendix A
Information about advanced PACE™ options Appendix B
Information about crossover cables and troubleshooting techniques Appendix C
Technical support Appendix D

2 ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Conventions

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

Table 1 Notice Icons

Icon Notice Type Description

Information note Important features or instructions

Caution Information to alert you to potential damage to a

Warning Information to alert you to potential personal injury

Table 2 Text Conventions

Convention Description

Screen displays This typeface represents information as it appears on

The words “enter”
and “type”

Keyboard key names If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the

Menu commands
and buttons

Words in
italicized type

Words in
bold-face type

program, system, or device

the screen.
When you see the word “enter” in this guide, you must

type something, and then press the Return or Enter key.
Do not press the Return or Enter key when an instruction
simply says “type.”

key names are linked with a plus sign (+). Example:

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del

Menu commands or button names appear in italics.
Example:

From the Help menu, select Contents.

Italics emphasize a point or denote new terms at the place
where they are defined in the text.

Bold text denotes key features.

INSTALLING THE

1

NETWORK INTERFACE CARD

This chapter describes the 3Com® EtherLink® XL PCI
10 Mbps 3C900B network interface cards (NICs).
Procedures are provided for installing the NIC hardware
and software and connecting each version of the NIC
to an Ethernet network.

Figure 1-1 shows the two versions of the 3C900B NIC.
These NICs connect your PC to a 10 Mbps Ethernet
network using up to three different types of media.

LED
RJ-45 port

AUI port

LED

BNC port

3C900B-COMBO3C900B-TPO

Figure 1-1 3C900B Network Interface Cards

Table 1-1 shows the cable, connector, transceiver,
and maximum network segments for the various
3C900B NIC models.

1-2 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING THE NETWORK INTERFACE CARD

Table 1-1 3C900B NIC Models

NIC Model Cable Connector Transceiver

3C900B-TPO Category 3, 4,

or 5 unshielded
twisted-pair
(10BASE-T)

3C900B-COMBO Category 3, 4,

or 5 unshielded
twisted-pair
(10BASE-T)

10BASE5 thick
Ethernet coaxial

10BASE2 thin
Ethernet coaxial

RJ-45 On-board 328 ft/100 m

RJ-45 On-board 328 ft/100 m

15-pin AUI External 1640 ft/500 m

BNC On-board 1000 ft/305 m

Preparing for Installation

Before you install the 3C900B NIC, verify that you have all
of the components. If any of these items are damaged or
missing, contact your shipper or network supplier.

■ EtherLink XL PCI NIC (3C900B)

■ EtherLink XL PCI Network Interface Cards User Guide

(this guide)

■ 3Com 3C900B EtherDisk diskettes 1 and 2

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

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

the network at your site. Y ou must use the same kind of
network cable. The NIC that you install in your PC must
have a port that matches the connector on the network
cable that you use.

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

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

Maximum
Network
Segment

Inserting the NIC

The following instructions apply to installing the 3C900B
NIC in most PCs. If these instructions are not appropriate
for your PC, refer to the documentation that accompanied
your PC.

CAUTION: Each NIC is packed in antistatic packaging to
protect it during shipment. Before handling the NIC, touch
the bare metal case of your PC. While you are handling the
NIC, wear a wrist strap grounded to the PC chassis.

Remove all jewelry from your hands and wrists and use
only insulated or nonconducting tools.

Follow these steps to install the NIC in your PC:

1 Turn the power off, and remove the power cord from

the PC.

2 Unscrew the cover screws and remove the cover.

On some PCs, it may be necessary to remove all cables
before the cover can be removed.

3 Locate an available bus-mastering PCI slot and

remove the screw from the corresponding backplate
(Figure 1-2). Save the screw.

Early PCI PCs that have more than one PCI slot typically have
only one bus-mastering PCI slot. In this case, the correct PCI
slot to use is usually the one closest to the power supply in
the PC. However , you should consult your PC documentation
to verify this. In newer PCI systems, all PCI slots are
bus-mastering slots.

Many PCs have both ISA and PCI slots. Make sure that
you install the NIC only in a bus-mastering PCI slot. See
Figure 1-2. PCI slots are usually white, and they are shorter
than ISA slots.

Inserting the NIC 1-3

1-4 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING THE NETWORK INTERFACE CARD

PCI slot

Backplate screw

3C900B NIC

Figure 1-2 Installing the 3C900B NIC

4 Remove and discard the backplate.
5 Ensure that the shape and length of the edge

connector on the NIC match the slot that you intend
to use (Figure 1-2).

6 Carefully insert the NIC into the slot. Press firmly with

steady pressure to ensure that the NIC is fully seated
in the slot.

When the NIC is correctly inserted in the slot, the NIC
backplate is flush with the PC backplane.

7 Secure the NIC with the backplate screw.
8 Replace the PC cover. Reinsert and tighten the

cover screws.

9 Reconnect all power and peripheral cables.

Connecting to the Network

This section describes how to connect the 3C900B NIC
to an Ethernet network using an RJ-45, BNC, or AUI port.
Each 3C900B NIC provides different network ports, as
shown in Figure 1-1. Follow the procedure for the network
port on the NIC that you install.

When you first install the NIC and power on the PC, the
LED on the NIC backplate lights, but the link is not active.
To enable the link, you must load the network drivers. See
“Interpreting the Link LED” at the end of this chapter for
more information.

RJ-45 Port

Follow these steps to connect the RJ-45 port on the
3C900B-TPO and COMBO NICs to the network:

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

cable into the RJ-45 port on the NIC backplate. See
Figure 1-3.

Connecting to the Network 1-5

RJ-45 port

RJ-45
connector

Figure 1-3 Connecting to the RJ-45 Port on the 3C900B NIC

2 Connect the other end of the network cable to an

active network port.

Go to “Interpreting the Link LED” later in this chapter.

1-6 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING THE NETWORK INTERFACE CARD

BNC Port

Follow these steps to connect the BNC port on the
COMBO NIC to the network:

1 Connect the BNC connector on the thin Ethernet

coaxial cable to the BNC port on the NIC. See
Figure 1-4.

BNC connector

BNC port

Figure 1-4 Connecting to the BNC Port on the 3C900B-COMBO NIC

2 Connect the other end of the network cable to

another PC or a 50-ohm terminator.

If your PC is the last physical device in the network daisy
chain, you must connect a 50-ohm terminator to the other
end of the BNC T-connector.

The next step is to install the network driver. Go to the
next chapter.

AUI Port

Connecting to the Network 1-7

Follow these steps to connect the AUI port (Figure 1-5) on
the 3C900B COMBO NIC to the network:

1 Locate the 15-pin AUI port on the NIC and move the

slide latch down to the open position.

AUI port

AUI connector

Figure 1-5 Connecting to the AUI Port on the 3C900B-COMBO NIC

2 Connect the thick Ethernet coaxial cable to the AUI

port on the NIC.

This connector attaches in only one way. Orient the AUI
connector to match the AUI port on the NIC.

3 Move the slide latch up to the closed position to lock

the AUI connector in place.

4 Connect the other end of the network cable to an

external transceiver.

The next step is to install the network driver. Go to the
next chapter.

1-8 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING THE NETWORK INTERFACE CARD

Interpreting the Link LED

The 3C900B NICs have one light-emitting diode (LED).
When the LED is on (but before the driver is loaded), the
LED indicates that the NIC is receiving power.

Other than indicating that the NIC is receiving power, the
LED serves no other purpose for either an AUI or a BNC
media connection. Table 1-2 explains the LED states for
3C900B NICs.

Table 1-2 LED Interpretation

LED
State

On

Off

Blinking

Meaning RJ-45 AUI BNC

If drivers are installed, the
connection is active.

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

Something is preventing the
connection between the NIC
and the hub.

The cable polarity is reversed.
Try a different network cable or
contact your MIS representative.

Yes N/A N/A

Yes Yes Yes

Yes N/A N/A

Yes N/A N/A

Connector

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

1 Ensure that your network hub and the network cable

connecting to your 3C900B NIC comply with the
10BASE-T specifications.

2 Ensure that the hub is powered on.

You have completed the hardware installation.
The next step is to install the network driver. Go to the

next chapter.

INSTALLING THE

2

This chapter describes how to install the network driver
that allows the 3C900B NIC to transmit and receive data
over an Ethernet network.

To obtain the latest shipping version of a network driver, go
to the 3Com World Wide Web site:

http://www.3com.com/

Before attempting to install a network driver, ask your
network administrator which driver to install.

Go to the appropriate section in this chapter for the
procedure describing how to install the driver for the
network used at your site.

Windows 95

This section describes how to install the 32-bit
protected-mode driver in a PC running Microsoft
Windows 95. This driver can be used in both Microsoft
and NetWare environments, and it supports dRMON and
PACE™ technology.

Do not use the AutoLink software to install the network
driver under Windows 95. To install the network driver
under Windows 95, you need the Windows 95 installation
files. These files may be on a CD or standard diskettes, or
they may have been copied to your hard disk when
Windows 95 was installed on your system.

The version of Windows 95 installed on your PC
determines which of the following driver installation
procedures to use.

NETWORK DRIVER

2-2 CHAPTER 2: INSTALLING THE NETWORK DRIVER

Follow these steps to determine the Windows 95 version
installed on your PC:

1 Right-click the My Computer icon and click Properties.

The System Properties window is displayed.

2 Check the version number on the General screen,

under System:

■ If 4.00.950 is displayed, follow the procedure for

Windows 95 Build 950.

■ If 4.00.950B is displayed, follow the procedure for

Windows 95 OSR2.

Windows 95 Build 950

Follow these steps to install the network driver in a PC
running the Build 950 version of Windows 95:

1 Install the NIC, connect to the network, and turn the

power on.

Windows 95 detects the NIC and displays the
New Hardware Found dialog box, prompting you for
the driver you want to install for your new hardware.

2 Select Driver from disk provided by hardware

manufacturer, and then click OK.

The Install from Disk dialog box is displayed.

3 Insert EtherDisk diskette 2 in drive A and enter the

path to drive A if it is not already displayed.

4 Click OK.

■ If this is the first time that networking is being installed

on your PC, the Identification tab of the Network
window is displayed. Go to step 5.

■ If networking has already been installed, you are

prompted for the Windows 95 CD. In this case, go
to step 7.

5 In the specified fields of the Identification tab

screen, enter:

■ The name of your computer

Give your PC a unique name of up to 15 characters.
Spaces are not allowed; however, you can use hyphens.

Windows 95 2-3

■ Your workgroup name

A workgroup (for example, your department name)
is composed of the PCs you usually communicate
with and the workgroup’s shared resources
(for example, printers).

If you use peer-group networking, the workgroup
name is your peer group. Peers can see each other
when they look in the Network Neighborhood.

For information on peer-to-peer networking, see
the W95NDIS.TXT file in the HELP directory on
EtherDisk diskette 1.

■ A description of your computer

Filling in this field is optional. The information that you
enter in this field is visible to others when they view
your computer on the network. The description should
help others to know the function or use of your PC.

6 Click Close.

Files are copied and you are prompted for the
Windows 95 CD.

7 Click OK.

The Copying Files dialog box is displayed.

8 Remove EtherDisk diskette 2 from drive A.
9 If not already displayed, enter the path to the

CD-ROM drive, insert the Windows 95 CD in the
CD-ROM drive, and click OK.

Files are copied, and you are then prompted to restart
your computer.

10 Click Yes.

Windows prompts you to enter your name and
network password.

11 Enter your user name and password, and then

click OK.

To confirm successful installation, go to “Confirming
Installation” later in this chapter.

2-4 CHAPTER 2: INSTALLING THE NETWORK DRIVER

Windows 95 OSR2

Follow these steps to install the network driver in a PC
running the OSR2 version of Windows 95:

1 Install the NIC, connect to the network, and turn the

power on.

Windows 95 detects the NIC. The Update Device Driver
Wizard starts and prompts you for a diskette or CD.

2 Insert EtherDisk diskette 2 in drive A and click Next.

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

3 Click Finish.

The Insert Disk dialog box prompts you for
EtherDisk diskette 2.

4 Click OK.

The Copying Files dialog box is displayed.

5 If not already displayed, enter the path to drive A.
6 Click OK.

■ If this is the first time that networking is being installed

on your PC, the Identification tab of the Network
window is displayed. Go to step 7.

■ If networking has already been installed, you are

prompted for the Windows 95 CD. In this case, go
to step 9.

7 In the specified fields of the Identification tab

screen, enter:

■ The name of your computer

Give your PC a unique name of up to 15 characters.
Spaces are not allowed; however, you can use hyphens.

■ Your workgroup name

A workgroup (for example, your department name)
is composed of the PCs you usually communicate
with and the workgroup’s shared resources
(for example, printers).

Windows 95 2-5

If you use peer-gr oup networking, the workgroup name
is your peer group. Peers can see each other when they
look in the Network Neighborhood.

For information on peer-to-peer networking, see
the W95NDIS.TXT file in the HELP directory on
EtherDisk diskette 1.

■ A description of your computer

Filling in this field is optional. The information that you
enter in this field is visible to others when they view
your computer on the network. The description should
help others to know the function or use of your PC.

8 Click Close.

Once the installation files are copied to your hard disk,
Windows prompts you for the Windows 95 CD.

9 Click OK.

10 Remove EtherDisk diskette 2 from drive A and

click OK.

The Copying Files dialog box is displayed.

11 If not already displayed, enter the path to the

CD-ROM drive, insert the Windows 95 CD in the
CD-ROM drive, and click OK.

Windows 95 prompts you to reboot.

12 Click Yes.

Windows prompts you for your user name and password.

13 Enter your user name and password, and then

click OK.

To confirm successful installation, go to the next section.