Multitech ISI4608 User Manual

Model Number ISI4608

User Guide

User Guide

P/N S0000111, Revision E

Model #ISI4608

This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior
expressed written permission from Multi-Tech Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2001 by Multi-Tech Systems, Inc.

Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., makes no representation or warranties with respect to the
contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or
fitness for any particular purpose. Furthermore, Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., reserves the
right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the content hereof
without obligation of Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., to notify any person or organization of such
revisions or changes.

Record of Revision
Revision Description
A Manual released. All pages at Revision A.

(3/9/98)
B Manual revised. Minor editorial changes. All pages at Revision B.
(6/5/98)
C Manual revised. Updated I/O Addresses. All pages at Rev. C.
(9/21/98)
D Manual revised to reflect universal driver and use in non­(8/28/00) Windows OSs. All pages at Rev. D.
E Added/revised info on safety, MTS Patents, and installations
(6/15/01) under Windows 2000, WIndows Me, Novell Netware, Linux, and

SCO.

TRADEMARKS

Trademarks of Multi-Tech Systems, Inc. are as follows:
Multi-Tech, MultiExpress, and the Multi-Tech logo: Multi-Tech Systems, Inc.
UNIX: X/Open Co. Ltd.
MS-DOS and Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000: Microsoft Corporation
SCO: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. Pentium: Intel Corporation
PC-DOS: International Business Machines Corporation
Novell, NetWare, NetWare Connect and UNIXWare: Novell Corporation
Xenix:Xerox Corporation

Multi-Tech Systems, Inc.

2205 Woodale Drive

Mounds View, Minnesota 55112 U.S.A.

[phone] or [phone]

U. S. FAX [phone]

Technical Support [phone]

Internet Address: http://www.multitech.com

Contents

Chapter 1 - Introduction and Description .............5

Introduction to the IntelligentSerialInterface ........................................6

Product Description ...........................................................................7

How to Use This Manual .................................................................... 7

ISI4608 Applications ........................................................................... 8

Technical Specifications .....................................................................8

Chapter 2 - Installation .........................................11

Safety Warnings ..............................................................................12

ISI4608 Installation ...........................................................................12

Determining Current System Settings ..............................................12

Hardware Installation Procedure.......................................................13

Chapter 3 - Driver Installation ............................ 17

Introduction ......................................................................................18

Installing ISI4608 Software for Windows 2000 .................................. 18

Installing ISI Management Software (Win2000 server OSs only) ......27

Remove ISI4608 Driver (Windows 2000) ...........................................28

ISI4608 Software Installation Procedure for Windows NT 3.51/4.0 ... 29

Removing ISI4608 Card and Driver in Windows NT 3.51/4.0 .............32

Installing ISI4608 Software for Windows 95/98 ................................. 33

Removing the ISI4608 Driver (Windows 95/98) ................................. 39

NetWare Driver Installation...............................................................40

Configuring Ports for NetWare Connect ..................................... 40

Removing the Driver (Novell) ...................................................... 41

SCO Open Server 5 Driver Installation ..............................................41

To install from CD-ROM: ............................................................ 42

To format a floppy disk for SCO5: .............................................. 42

To untar the driver file and copy files onto floppy disk: ............... 43

To install driver from floppy disk ................................................. 44

MultiTech Installation Script.......................................................45

Activating Ports in SCO Open Server 5 ..................................... 48

Removing the Driver (SCO Open Server 5) ................................. 49

Linux Driver for Multi-Tech ISI Server Cards ......................................49

LINUX: Pre-Installation Issues ................................................... 49

LINUX: Copying the driver from the media ..................................49

LINUX: Copying and untarring the driver from CD-ROM .............. 50

iii

LINUX: Copying and untarring the driver from a floppy ................51

Steps for copying the driver from a floppy: ................................. 51

LINUX: Driver installation and loading ......................................... 51

LINUX: Setting the baud rate ..................................................... 52

LINUX: Verifying the ports .......................................................... 53

LINUX: TTY Devices Created by the Drivers: ..............................53

LINUX -- Dial-in configuration: .................................................... 54

LINUX -- PPP setup: ..................................................................54

Removing the ISI Driver (Linux) .................................................. 55

Chap 4: Warranty, Service & Tech Support ..... 57

Limited Warranty ............................................................................. 58

Addendum for North American Products .................................... 58

Addendum for International Products ......................................... 59

Out of Warranty Repair Cost Charts ................................................ 59

Upgrades and Product Support via Internet ...................................... 60

Technical Support ............................................................................ 60

Recording ISI4608 Information..........................................................60

Software User License Agreement ................................................... 61

On-Line Warranty Registration .........................................................63

About the Internet ............................................................................ 63

Appendices ............................................................. 65

Appendix A - Base I/O Address Switch Settings ..............................66

Appendix B - ISI4608 Testing Utilities .............................................. 69

Appendix C - Crossover Cable Wiring Diagrams .............................. 73

Appendix D—Regulatory Information................................................ 77

Index........................................................................ 79

iv

Patent Information

This device is covered by one or more of the following patents: 6,031,867;
6,012,113; 6,009,082; 5,905,794; 5,864,560; 5,815,567; 5,815,503; 5,812,534;
5,809,068; 5,790,532; 5,764,628; 5,764,627; 5,754,589; D394,250; 5,724,356;
5,673,268; 5,673,257; 5,644,594; 5,628,030; 5,619,508; 5,617,423; 5,600,649;
5,592,586; 5,577,041; 5,574,725; D374,222; 5,559,793; 5,546,448; 5,546,395;
5,535,204; 5,500,859; 5,471,470; 5,463,616; 5,453,986; 5,452,289; 5,450,425;
D361,764; D355,658; D355,653; D353,598; D353,144; 5,355,365; 5,309,562;
5,301,274. Other Patents Pending

Chapter 1 - Introduction and Description

6

ISI4608 Owner's Manual

Introduction to the IntelligentSerialInterface

The new IntelligentSerialInterface card, model ISI4608, is a

hardware solution for adding fast serial ports to communication

servers and async hosts that have 16-bit ISA-bus architecture. Fast

serial ports are essential to communication servers, which pool

modems and other communication devices for users on a LAN, and

to asynchronous hosts that provide user access through serial ports.

The ISI4608 ships with a NetWare® Loadable Module (aioisix.nlm) for

NetWare Connect communication servers, and drivers for each of the

following multiuser operating systems: Windows® 2000/Me/98/95/NT,

SCO® Open Server 5.0® and Linux.

The IntelligentSerialInterface card(s) can be combined to support

asynchronous serial devices (local or dial-up). The ports can be

used to connect basic terminals with or without multiple pages of

memory to multiplexer channels and asynchronous modems. When

multiple page terminals are used in an Open Server 5.0 environment,

a utility called

"Multi_View"

allows you to have multiple sessions.
Each ISI4608 port can support as many screens as there are
physical pages of memory on the terminal. If you have SCO Open
Server 5.0 System V/386 Version 4.0 or later, there is an extended
feature supplement (

EFS

) "rolled into" the operating system which
now officially supports data rates up to 33,600 bps; also included is a
text-driven configuration facility so the system administrator can
create the appropriate modem dialer without having to purchase a
"C-Language" programming environment or knowing how to write a
dialer program in "C". In a Windows NT environment, a built-in
"autodetect" utility enables the detection of Multi-Tech modems and
sets the proper initialization strings. When the ISI4608 is used in
Windows 2000, the ISI Management Software can be used to control
modem ports and monitor data traffic on the server.

This manual contains product specification, installation instructions,
and technical support information which will assist you in the
installation process. Basic PC skills are assumed. Therefore, we
have not included step-by-step instructions for such basic operations
as logging in and file editing, etc.

7

Chapter 1 - Introduction and Description

Product Description

The ISI4608 is a multiport serial port expansion card which adds data
buffering on each port for enhanced serial port performance. The
ISI4608 features an on-board microprocessor to coordinate the
communications activity of your local and remote terminals. Using an
ISI4608 to provide additional serial connections enables your
system's processor to perform more efficiently. This is because the
ISI4608 handles all of the byte-by-byte interrupts generated by
asynchronous terminals and stores the data in buffers. The
processor works together with 256K bytes of RAM to allocate
resources dynamically to the most active port. The ISI then generates
one interrupt for an entire block of information and transfers the block
to the system's microprocessor.

The ISI4608 has one 78-pin (DB78S) connector which interfaces with
an eight-port fan-out, or “

octopus

”, cable (supplied with the card),
providing eight additional serial ports. It is a "3/4 size" add-on card
which supports a high-speed interface up to 115.2K bps. The
ISI4608 features one bank of 8 DIP-Switches for I/O address
selection and one jumper block for IRQ selection.

How to Use This Manual

This manual presents installation procedures for the ISI4608 card
and for its software drivers. It contains information about technical
support and warranty coverage, as well as appendices for wiring and
regulatory matters. Hardware configuration and installation
procedures are described in Chapter 2. Installing the ISI460x-PCI
card also involves linking a driver to the operating system. This
information is presented in Chapter 3. An explanation of the
Multi_View utility, used in the UNIX environment is available in
Chapter 3 as well.

Most of the steps listed in the driver installation section instruct you to
"press Enter". This is a reference to the key commonly known as the
"Enter", "carriage-return", or simply "Return" key. Also, take the time
to notice the difference between the letter "O" and the number "0."
Both the letter and the number are used throughout this manual.

8

ISI4608 Owner's Manual

ISI4608 Applications

The most common application for the ISI4608 is where a powerful
microcomputer is being used as a server or host, but lacks enough
connectivity to accommodate the desired number of users. For this
application, the ISI4608 is the ideal solution. The ISI4608 provides
eight additional serial ports with every card installed, with potentially
four additional cards installed per system -- for a total of thirty-two
serial ports per system.

Technical Specifications

Computer Requirements

• 386, 486, or Pentium

®

- based PC or compatible with ISA Bus

Architecture

• Microsoft Windows 2000/Me/NT/98/95, SCO Open Server

(version 5.0), Novell Netware, Linux (kernel 2.0, 2.2, or 2.4)

• At least one CD-ROM drive (a floppy drive may be used if drivers

are downloaded from MultiTech web site)

• 800 blocks of hard disk space for UNIX; 150 Kbytes for Windows

2000; 100 Kbytes for Windows NT; 150 Kbytes for Windows 95/
98/Me; 50 Kbytes for Novell

Physical/Electrical/Environmental

• Dimensions: 9.17" x 4.2" x .06"

23.3 cm x 10.67 cm x .15 cm

• Baud Rates: 300 bps to 460 Kbps per port

• Bus Type: ISA

• Connectors: DB78S

• Cabling: Eight port fan-out cable. DB78M (male)

interface to card, eight DB25 (male) connectors
for serial devices

• Serial Interface Eight RS232C or RS232D ports

• Temperature: 32° to 120°F (0° to 50°C)

• Power: 1.5 amps @ +5v DC

9

Chapter 1 - Introduction and Description

• Base I/O: One 16-byte address space per card.
Address: Valid options range from 100h to 3F0h (DIP-

switch setting; see Appendix A)

• Interrupt Valid options include 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, &
Request (IRQ) 15 (Jumper setting)
One IRQ per
card.

• Warranty: Two years

Manufactured in Mounds View, MN, U.S.A.

10

ISI4608 Owner's Manual

Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation

12

ISI4608 Owner's Manual

Safety Warnings Telecom

1. Never install telephone wiring during a lightning storm.

2. Never install telephone jacks in wet locations unless the jack is
specifically designed for wet locations.

3. This product is to be used with UL and

CUL

listed computers.

4. Never touch uninsulated telephone wires or terminals unless the
telephone line has been disconnected at the network interface.

5. Use caution when installing or modifying telephone lines.

6. Avoid using a telephone (other than a cordless type) during an
electrical storm. There may be a remote risk of electrical shock
from lightning.

7. Do not use the telephone to report a gas leak in the vicinity of the
leak.

8. To reduce the risk of fire, use only No. 26 AWG or larger
Telecommunication line Cord.

ISI4608 Hardware Installation

This chapter provides you with the procedures to install the Multi­Tech ISI4608 card(s) in your ISA or EISA bus personal computer (or
compatible with 16 bit ISA slot).

Hardware installation involves:

1)Opening your PC.

2)Setting card configuration (determining I/O address DIP-Switch
setting and IRQ jumper setting).

3)Installing the card into the PC.

Determining Current System Settings

When you install a device in your computer, the processor must have
a means of routing information to and from the device and the device
must have a means of gaining the processor's attention. These are
called Input/Output (

I/O

) addresses and Interrupt Requests

(IRQs

),
respectively. The ISI4608 card requires 16 I/O addresses and one
IRQ value which are not used by any other device in your system.

13

Chapter 2 - Installation

When selecting a unique base I/O address, be sure that the next
address is also unused. To determine your ISI's current settings, see
Appendix A.

If you are certain that these settings are not already in use, continue
with the hardware configuration and installation. You can install up to
four ISI4608 cards into your system. Each card is shipped with its
IRQ set at level 10 and a base I/O address of 210 hex. Check your
system’s device settings to see if these values can be used. If the
defaults are already in use, select a unique IRQ and I/O address
combination for each card you install, and record those values for
use in the hardware and software installation sections that follow.

Table 2-1

Recommended Base I/O Address and IRQ Values

ISI4608 Card Base I/O Address IRQ

Initial 8 -port board 210h 10
First 8-port upgrade 220h 11
Second 8-port upgrade 230h 12
Third 8-port upgrade 240h 15

Note: If you choose IRQ 3 or 4, you may have to disable a COM device
from your BIOS setup. Also, most 386 or higher compatible
computers will not be able to assign IRQ2 to the ISI card because
IRQ2 is reserved for slave interrupt control.

Hardware Installation Procedure

This procedure describes how to install the ISI4608 card(s) in your
PC-ISA bus computer. The installation procedure include setting the I/
O address switch block and the IRQ jumper. This section may be
skipped if the defaults: I/O Address 210 Hex and IRQ 10 are the
values you have selected. However, if you are installing multiple
cards, see step 4a to learn how to configure your card(s).

Step Procedure

1 Make sure your computer and any peripheral equipment

connected to it are turned off. Failure to do so may damage
both your ISI card(s) and your PC. The ISI4608 may be
installed in a PC-AT, 386, 486, or Pentium equivalent ISA­bus computer.

14

ISI4608 Owner's Manual

Step Procedure

2 Remove the cover of your computer as instructed in your

computer’s documentation.

3 Locate the unused slot(s) which you will be using for your

ISI4608 card(s), and remove the slot cover(s) per the
instructions in your computer’s documentation.

4 Check the settings of the I/O address switch and the IRQ

jumper to ensure that they are set properly for your
installation.

Figure 2-1. ISI4608 Board Components

4a The default setting for the ISI4608’s base I/O address is 210

hex. The default value for the IRQ jumper is IRQ 10. Choose
the IRQ value by covering the appropriate pins with the
shorting plug (supplied). Reference the diagram shown
above, if needed. If your system requires a different setting
or if you are installing multiple cards, refer to Appendix A for
a table of valid address settings.

Note: If you are installing the ISI4608 as a second card in a

MultiComRN

Gateway

(remote node gateway) the suggested

I/O address is 220 hex/IRQ11.

Record any changes you make to these settings and keep
them handy for the software installation section in Chapter 3.

15

Chapter 2 - Installation

Step Procedure

5 Install the ISI4608 card(s) into the selected expansion slot(s)

in the same manner as any other add-on card, as instructed
in your computer’s documentation.

6 Fasten the retaining bracket to the computer chassis and

replace the cover.

7 Attach the octopus cable to the DB78S female connector on

the ISI4608 card at the back of your computer. The RS232
ports provided by the octopus cable are for connection to
modems, multiplexers or other devices. If the other device is
a local terminal port, then a crossover cable is required (not
included) between the octopus cable and the terminal port.
See Appendix C for schematic of a crossover cable.

Note: Any cables connected to the computer must be
shielded to reduce interference.

Figure 2-2. Octopus Cable

16

ISI4608 Owner's Manual

Step Procedure

8 Turn power on to the computer and refer to the manual that

was provided with the software you will be using with the
ISI4608 in order to perform software installation procedures.

Note: If the ISI4608 card is being used as an expansion card
(Remote Node--model #RNI08) for the
MultiComRN

Gateway

, then you must reconfigure the
gateway software, using the RASCON.EXE program. You
will need to add the card's settings to the Board Information
entry and assign access rights to each user under the User
Information entry. See Chapter Three of the
MultiComRN

Gateway

Owner's manual for server
configuration.

Chapter 3 - Driver Installation

18

ISI4608 Owner's Manual

Introduction

This chapter describes software/driver installation for the ISI cards
when used in Windows 2000, Windows NT4, Windows NT3.51,
Windows 95/98/Me, Novell, Linux, and SCO Open Server 5. We also
describe installation of MultiTech’s Management Software for use
with ISI cards under Windows 2000.

The process of installing a device driver consists of a modification to
your system. For this reason, only the "

super user

" (system

administrator) is allowed to perform the installation. If you cannot
login as the root, you must find the person in your organization who
has this authorization (i.e., password). To begin the driver
installation, login as root. Then go to the section of this chapter that
deals with the operating system you are using.

Installing ISI4608 Software for Windows
2000

1. Turn off the PC.

2. The ISI4608 card must already be installed in an ISA expansion slot in
the PC. If it is not, follow the PC manufacturer's instructions
concerning installation of expansion cards. Observe standard
precautions regarding electro-static discharge (ESD) when handling
the ISI4608 board (the board should be kept in its shipping bag until
used). During installation, handle the ISI4608 circuit card by its
edges and keep one hand in contact with the PC chassis. Set the
Base I/O Address and the Interrupt Request (IRQ) values per the
table below:

Recommended Base I/O Address and IRQ Values

ISI4608 Base I/O Address IRQ

Initial 8 port board 210h 10
First 8 port upgrade 220h 11
Second 8 port upgrade 230h 12
Third 8 port upgrade 240h 15

19

Chapter 3 - Driver Installation

The I/O Address DIP Switch and the IRQ Jumper Block are at the

top middle of the ISI4608 circuit board and on the component side.

3. Turn on the PC and start Windows 2000.

4. Insert the ISI driver CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive in the computer
(in cases where the driver files have been downloaded from the
MultiTech web site and copied onto diskette, insert the diskette into
the floppy drive now).

5. Go to Start | Settings | Control Panel | Add/Remove Hardware.

Click Next.

20

ISI4608 Owner's Manual

6. At the Choose a Hardware Task screen, select "Add/Troubleshoot a

device."

Click Next.

7. At the Choose a Hardware Device screen, select "Add a new device."

Click Next.

21

Chapter 3 - Driver Installation

8. At the Find New Hardware screen, select "No, I want to select the
hardware from a list."

Click Next.

9. At the Hardware Type screen, select "Multi-port serial adapters."

Click Next.

22

ISI4608 Owner's Manual

10. At the Select a Device Driver screen, click on Have Disk.

11. At the Install from Disk screen, enter the pathof the driver files (i.e.,

the file directory location, in most cases on CD-ROM).

Click OK.

23

Chapter 3 - Driver Installation

12. In the Models list, highlight "Multi-Tech ISI4608-ISA 8 Port Serial
Card."

A comment screen appears indicating that the Base I/O Address and
IRQ must be specified for the ISI4608 card.

Click OK.

24

ISI4608 Owner's Manual

13. The Add New Hardware Wizard Properties screen appears.

A. In the Resource Settings field, select "Input/Output Range" and

click on Change Setting. The Edit Input/Output Range screen
appears.

Select the value that matches the Base I/O Address value that you
have already set on the ISI4608 board in Step 2. Click OK.