D-Link DFE-528TX User manual

DFE-528TX

Fast Ethernet Adapter

for PCI Bus

User’s Guide

Rev.3.00

Table of Contents

Introduction............................................................................................1

Contents of Package .............................................................................2

Technology Basics................................................................................3

About Fast Ethernet ......................................................................................... 3

About Auto-Negotiation.................................................................................... 4

About PCI Bus.................................................................................................. 5

Feature ............................................................................................................. 5

Flow Control ................................................................................................. 5

Networking Basics ................................................................................6

Computer Identification ....................................................................................6

Sharing Files .................................................................................................... 8

Sharing Printers ............................................................................................. 14

Networking with Windows 2000 .........................................................19

Configuring Your Network Settings ............................................................... 19

Configuring your Network Identification.........................................................20

Configuring the IP Address for TCP/IP.......................................................... 23

Sharing Drives................................................................................................ 27

Sharing Folders.............................................................................................. 30

Sharing a Printer ............................................................................................ 33

Troubleshooting ..................................................................................39

Verify Each Computers Identification ........................................................39

Verify Network Adapter Installation ...........................................................39

Verify Cable Connections ..........................................................................41

Understanding Indicators...........................................................................41

Diagnostics and Checking Communications............................................. 41

Running Diagnostics on the Network Adapter ..........................................43

Pinging your DFE-528TX Card..................................................................46

Specifications ......................................................................................48

iii

Introduction

The D-Link DFE-528TX is ideal for the small office or home office environment.

After completing the steps in this manual, you will have the ability to share

information and resources - such as files and printers - and take full advantage of a

"connected" environment for work and play!

The DFE-528TX comes with drivers for the most popular operating systems and can

be integrated into a larger network. However, this Guide is designed to help you

network two computers running Windows 95/98, Windows Me, 2000, XP, 2003,

Vista, 2008 and Win 7 in a peer-to-peer confi

guration. The standards compliant

DFE-528TX gives you the flexibility to expand and customize your Ethernet / Fast

Ethernet network at will.

The Ethernet standard allows you to connect computers and devices at speeds up to

10 Mbps. Fast Ethernet allows speeds up to 100 Mbps. A Dual-Speed 10/100 Mbps

Ethernet / Fast Ethernet network combines both standards allowing computers and

devices of different speeds to communicate with each other. The DFE-528TX is a

Dual-Speed 10/100 Mbps Ethernet / Fast Ethernet network card.

Contents of Package

DFE-528TX Fast Ethernet Adapter

Driver CD

User’s Manual

Quick Install Guide

Package Contents

Technology Basics

About Fast Ethernet

Fast Ethernet is a network technology specified by IEEE Standard 802.3u. It

extends the traditional 10Mbps Ethernet technology to achieve 100Mbps

transmission and reception, while retaining the same CSMA/CD Ethernet protocol.

Thus, while Fast Ethernet provides a tenfold increase in network capacity, it is

wholly compatible with traditional 10Mbps Ethernet network facilities. This

compatibility is the key to easy and efficient upgrades to 100Mbps in your network

areas needing greater bandwidth. Upgrading selected areas to Fast Ethernet does

not require hardware or software changes in network areas where traditional

10Mbps Ethernet is providing good service. For upgrading, Fast Ethernet is the

clear choice in terms of cost-effectiveness, as well as convenience and smoothness

in transition.

Category 5 cabling is required for 100Base-TX Fast Ethernet in order to provide full

duplex operation. Full duplex 100Base-TX operation allows simultaneous

transmission and reception, both at 100Mbps, thus providing service potentially

equal to 200Mbps connection.

To provide compatibility in traditional 10Mbps Ethernet environments (where, for

example, DFE-528TX adapters are installed anticipating upgrade of supporting hub

equipment to Fast Ethernet,) the DFE-528TX also supports traditional 10Mbps

Ethernet operation, in full-duplex as well as half-duplex modes. Selection of the

best operation mode in any given installation is automatically governed by auto-

negotiation.

About Auto-Negotiation

You have probably had the experience of making a dialup connection through a

modem, and have heard the exchanges between your modem and the modem at the

other end of the telephone line. As irritating as those few seconds of noise may be,

they do let you know that your modem and the remote modem are on the job,

preparing for your intended communication with the remote computer.

When the two modems have tested the phone-line quality and settled on the

combination of shared options and parameters which will provide the best data

communication over the connecting phone line, then you are given the “connect”

message which signals the end of the intermodem negotiation and the beginning of

your intended communication with the remote computer.

Auto-negotiation between devices within an Ethernet LAN is similar in concept, but

much briefer. The two devices involved in the auto-negotiation will be the DFE-

528TX Adapter serving your station (installed in your computer), and the hub

through which it is connected to the LAN. The options to be negotiated between

the DFE-528TX and its supporting hub includes Ethernet type (100BASE-TX Fast

Ethernet of 10BASE-T Ethernet) and duplex mode (half-duplex, being one-way-at-

a-time, or full duplex, being simultaneous transmit-and receive.)

Startup communication between the two devices occurs when both devices are

powered up. Once the cable connection and the Network Operating System

software is satisfied, the preparatory process of auto-negotiation between the DFE-

528TX and its supporting hub proceeds automatically. If the hub has auto-

negotiation functionality, it and the DFE-528TX exchange a series of messages,

each device signals its capabilities and listens for corresponding information about

the other. The auto-negotiation process requires only a few milliseconds, and the

two devices select the best communication parameters supported by both.

If the hub does not support auto-negotiation, the (single capability) message will be

recognized by the DFE-528TX auto-negotiation facility, which will switch to those

settings of its own capabilities, which match that of the hub.

Auto-negotiation reoccurs any time the linkage is restored, making the line ready

again for optimal data communications.

About PCI Bus

Your DFE-528TX Adapter delivers outstanding performance by fully exploiting the

advance features of your computer’s PCI bus. DFE-528TX Adapters utilize the Bus

Master Mode of the PCI bus, allowing direct transfers of Ethernet packet content

between computer memory and the adapter’s controller, thus minimizing network

demands on the CPU. The adapter’s controller function provides the additional

benefit of reduced command processing overhead.

The working relationship between a DFE-528TX adapter and main memory,

working in Bus Master mode, is powered by the Bridge/Memory Controller of the

PCI bus. This reduces the CPU role in network operations, thus freeing the CPU to

service other tasks, with resulting improvement in overall computing (multitasking)

performance. At the same time, it produces superior network throughput by

reducing latency (waiting for CPU service) during transmissions and receptions.

Feature

Flow Control

The DFE-528TX implements IEEE 802.3x compliant flow control for full duplex,

which provides traffic management functions for full-duplex operation. Flow

control allows for enhanced full duplex operation with switches. When operating at

full duplex (requiring a direct connection to a switch) and the switch’s data buffer is

about to overflow, a Pause frame will be transmitted to the DFE-528TX. The

ensuing idle time keeps the buffer from overflowing and prevents data from being

lost. This enhancement can improve network throughput, avoid collisions and

prevent lost data, helping the network achieve optimal performance.

Networking Basics

You may have had some ideas about how to use your new network prior to

installing this kit – sharing files, printing from any computer on the network, or

accessing the Internet on multiple computers with one connection. This section will

help you get started on those ideas or even give you some new ones. However, this

section is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to networking, it is just an

outline of a few networking basics.

If you installed your DFE-528TX on computers running Windows 95, you got an

opportunity to give each computer a name during the installation of the network

system software. If you had previously given your Windows 95 computers names or

if you are using Windows 98, you may need to verify that each computer has a

unique name and common workgroup name.

Computer Identification

1. On your Desktop, right-click the icon "Network Neighborhood" and select

"Properties" from the context menu.

Click the "Identification" tab on the top of the dialog box.

2. Type a unique, identifying name for this particular computer in the "Computer

name:" box. This will be the name that other computers on your network will

use to communicate with this computer. Each computer’s name must be unique

on a particular network or confusion will result. (The computer’s name should

be 15 or fewer characters with no spaces.)

3. Type the workgroup name this computer will be a part of in the "Workgroup:"

box. All of the computers on your network should have an identical Workgroup

name.

4. The "Computer Description:" box is optional. You may enter a description that

will help you identify this computer on your network. Then click OK.

5. Repeat this process for each computer on your network to ensure that they all

have a unique "Computer Name" and identical "Workgroup."

Sharing Files

With your computers connected together on a network, you may now open and save

files on another computer. You will be able to specify particular folders or disk

drives to "share" and even password protect them. The steps below will enable you

to share specific files and folders with other computers on your network.

1. On your Desktop, right-click the icon "Network Neighborhood" and select

"Properties" from the context menu.

This dialog box is where you will configure most of your computers network

settings. It is also available through the "Network" icon in the Control Panel.

2. Click the "File and Print Sharing…" button.

3. Select "I want to be able to give others access to my files."

4. Click OK on the "File and Print Sharing" dialog box.

5. Click OK on the "Network" dialog box.

6. Provide the Windows 95/98 installation CD or diskette(s) if prompted or

direct Windows to the proper location of the installation files. Reboot if

prompted.

7. You will now be able to identify a particular folder or disk drive to share. You

may want to share a folder that both you and a colleague/family member need

to access occasionally. Or, maybe you want to share a CD-ROM drive so your

other computer that does not have one can read CD’s. Both of these processes

are the same. Only the disk drives and folders that you specifically identify as

shared will be accessible to other computers on your network.

8. Find the disk drive or folder you want to share with Windows Explorer or the

"My Computer" icon on your desktop.

9. Right-click on the disk drive or folder icon and select "Sharing…"

10. Select "Share As:" to set the parameters for sharing this particular disk drive

or folder.

The "Share Name:" box is used to identify the disk drive or folder you are sharing to

other computers on the network. You can give it any name you wish. However, a

specific identification may help as more resources on your network are shared. The

"Comment:" box is optional. You can use this box to further describe the disk drive

or folder for others on the network.

"Access Type:" allows you to designate how much someone else on the network

can do with this disk drive or folder. "Read-Only" allows others to only look at or

open the files on the disk drive or in the folder. "Full" allows others to read, write,

open, save, copy, move, and delete files on the disk or in the folder. "Depends on

Password" gives other computers access conditional upon the password they

provide.

"Passwords:" allow you to apply a level of security to your shared disk drives and

folders. Another computer (user) will be required to enter the password you

designate here before accessing the disk drive or folder. Two passwords are used to

give two levels of security (or access) to others on the network using the "Depends

on Password" setting. Leaving the "Password" boxes empty gives everyone on the

network access to the disk drive or folder.

11. Navigate to the computer with the shared disk drive or folder (recognized by

the "Computer Name" you provided), double-click. You should now see the

disk drive or folder, double-click. If you specified a password when sharing

this disk drive or folder, you will be prompted for the password.

12. You can access a disk drive or folder shared over the network from most

Windows 95/98 applications. To make this process easier, Windows allows

you to map these disk drives and folders to a drive letter on another computer.

For example, on a computer where you are accessing a shared folder from

another computer, inside Windows Explorer right-click and select "Map

Network Drive…" You will then be able to assign an available drive letter.

Checking "Reconnect at logon" allows Windows to map this network drive

each time you start your computer.

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