MANUAL.TXT April 1996
NE4200 PCMCIA Ethernet Card
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CONTENTS
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1) Introduction
2) General Description
2.1) Summary of Features
3) Requirements
4) Minimum Skill Level
5) Installation
5.1) Unpack and Inspect
5.2) Hardware Installation
5.3) Software Installation
5.4) Directory Structure
6) PCMCIA Overview
6.1) General Concepts
6.1.1) PCMCIA Card Types
6.2) Socket and Card Services
6.2.1) NE4200 Compatibility
6.2.2) Driver Loading Guidleines
7) Using DCD16
7.1) Partial Compatibility List
8) Copyrights, Trademarks, and Disclaimers
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1 INTRODUCTION
--------------
Thank you for purchasing the Microdyne NE4200 PCMCIA Ethernet card.
The diskette has network driver support for the NE4200 PCMCIA
Ethernet card. There is a format change from the previous version of
the driver disk involving file compression. All README's have been
reformatted, and an easy Install program is included.
The driver disk uses ARJ compression. Files are automatically
decompressed by the running the included Install program.
Compression provides for better driver management and the inclusion
of more drivers.
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2 GENERAL DESCRIPTION
---------------------
The NE4200 is a credit card size Ethernet adapter that connects a
notebook PC to an IEEE 802.3 standard Ethernet network. In order
to connect this card to the network, the notebook PC must be
equipped with a PCMCIA (PC Memory Card International Association)
2.0, Type II or Type III slot.
The credit card size adapter is 85.5 mm by 54 mm, and is
5mm thick. It houses all the essential network processing
hardware and has a 68-pin I/O interface with the notebook PC.
It is switchless and is installed by a simply plugging it into
the PC's PCMCIA slot.
The NE4200 comes with a base unit and a media coupler. The media
coupler has two interfaces, one for the thin coaxial cable (BNC
connector), the other for the unshielded twisted-pair cable
(RJ-45 connector). The media coupler is attached to the
base unit through the 15-pin connector.
The base unit contains the Ethernet controller, flash memory for
configuration storage and RAM data buffer, and plugs into
the notebook's PCMCIA slot. The media coupler contains built-in
transceivers, network interface, a 15-pin connector, and network
connectors. The media coupler connects to the network media.
2.1 Summary of Features
-----------------------
The following summarizes the features of the NE4200:
- Complies with IEEE 802.3 10BASE2 and 10BASE-T Ethernet standards
- Complies with PCMCIA Release 2 and JEIDA 4.x standards
- Compatible with PCMCIA Type II and Type III slots
- Built-in 32Kb RAM data buffer
- Plug and Play, switchless installation
- Minimal power consumption
- Media coupler supports both thin coaxial and 10BASE-T UTP cables
- Auto-detection of connected network media
- Software support for OS/2 LAN Server v2.x, Novell NetWare v3.x,
4.x, Microsoft LAN Manager v2.1, DEC PathWorks v4.0, SCO Unix,
AT&T Unix, Microsoft NT 3.1, 3.5 and 3.51, Microsoft Windows
3.11, Microsoft Windows 95, FTP TCP/IP, NetBIOS,and TCP/IP
- The NE4200 will also run all drivers written for NE-2000 adapters
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3 REQUIREMENTS
--------------
- PCMCIA compatible Laptop
- PCMCIA chipset that is PCIC compatible (Intel, Cirrus, Vadem, and
VLSI) or Databook compatible.
- Compatible network operating system
- NE4200
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4 MINIMUM SKILL LEVEL
---------------------
- Knowledge of basic DOS commands
- Knowledge of editing text files
- Knowledge of DOS basic file structure (CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT)
- Knowledge of the network driver configuration being used
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5 INSTALLATION
--------------
Installation of the NE4200 is straightforward. If you already have
Card Services and Socket Services enabled on your computer,
installation and connection to the network should take several
minutes. If you are unsure whether you have PCMCIA services
enabled, or wish to learn more about PCMCIA concepts, please read
Section 6 of this document.
5.1 Unpack and Inspect
----------------------
Open your NE4200 package and carefully remove all items. Your
package should contain the following items:
- One base unit
- One media coupler
- One 3.5" software driver disk
If you are missing an item or the product is damaged, please contact
the dealer from whom you made the purchase.
5.1.1 Find PCMCIA Slot
----------------------
Check to see if your notebook PC has a PCMCIA Type II or Type III
slot. The PCMCIA slot has a 68-pin connector. Note that your NE4200
is Type II and can only be used with a Type II or Type III slot. If
your notebook PC has multiple PCMCIA Type II or Type III slots, any
of these slots may be used to connect the NE4200.
5.2 Hardware Installation
-------------------------
Note: The notebook PC's PCMCIA slot allows for "hot swap" of
PCMCIA cards. You may therefore insert or remove your
NE4200 from the slot anytime, even while your notebook's
power is On.
System resources such as IRQ and I/O address are automatically set
by the system. You do not need to perform any hardware
configuration.
Follow this procedure to install the NE4200:
1. If your notebook has only one PCMCIA slot, and another
PCMCIA card has already been inserted in this slot,
carefully remove it from the slot.
If your notebook has multiple PCMCIA slots, you may use any
available PCMCIA slot for the NE4200.
2. With the base unit's 68-pin connector facing the PCMCIA
slot and its "NE4200" label facing up, slide the base unit
all the way into the PCMCIA slot.
3. Plug the media coupler to the base unit's 15-pin connector.
4. Connect the network cable to the media coupler as follows:
Note: The NE4200 automatically detects the media type connected
to the media coupler. Reload the MAC driver if you change media
types after the MAC driver has been loaded. Only one network
cable can be connected to the media coupler at any one time.
a. If your network cable is thin coaxial, connect the
cable to the BNC connector of the media coupler via a
T-connector. If there is an open end on the
T-connector, terminate it with 50-ohm terminator.
b. If your network cable is 10BASE-T unshielded twisted-
pair (UTP), connect one end of this cable to the RJ-45
connector of the media coupler, and the other end of
this cable to a 10BASE-T hub.
5. Observe the LED light labeled TX/On on the media
coupler. If the notebook's power is On, and the NE4200 has
been enabled by the notebook's Socket and Card Services
software, this LED should turn On and remain static green.
Note that it may take a few moments for the Socket and Card
Services to enable the NE4200, so you may not see the LED
indication immediately after inserting it in the slot.
If the LED remains Off indefinitely, check to ensure that the
NE4200 is completely inserted in the slot. Eject it, then gently
push the card all the way in the slot.
5.2.1 Diagnostic LED Lights
---------------------------
The media coupler has three LED lights. These lights are used
for diagnostics and indicate the following:
- TX/ON (green).
ON: This LED should be continuously On once the PCMCIA card
(base unit) is plugged into the slot, the power of the PC is
on, and the NE4200 is enabled by the Socket/Card Services.
TX:(Transmission) when this LED blinks, data transmission is
occurring.
- LN/RX (green)
LN: If you are using the UTP cable connection, this indicator will
turn on when a successful link is established between the port and
the connected node.
RX: (Reception) When this LED blinks, data reception is occurring.
- COL (yellow)
This indicator blinks when there is data collision on the cable
segment connected to the port. A collision occurs when computers on
the network transmit data at the same time. The condition is
automatically resolved by the conflicting stations.
5.3 Software Installation
-------------------------
An Installation program is provided for easy setup. The installation
program will configure PCMCIA drivers, install the appropriate
network drivers for popular network operating systems, and run
diagnostics on the NE4200.
Before running the Install program, please make a backup copy of
your driver diskette. Then simply run INSTALL.EXE program in the
root directory of the driver disk (ie. A:\INSTALL<Enter>).
Install will copy selected driver(s) to the destination directory.
The NE4200 driver diskette employ's ARJ file compression to
minimize the number of diskettes you have to manage. The NE4200
Install.exe program decompresses some or all of the drivers and
diagnostic program. The decompressed files are copied to the
hard drive.
Note: A full driver installation will take approximately 2 Megabytes
of disk space. The NetWare Install option will take approximately
200K of disk space, as will the Diagnostics. Please make sure that
there space available before starting Install.
The decompressed file directory structure is organized by Network
Operating System. Each directory contains one or more relevant
README files to assist you with MAC driver installation.
Each NOS manufacturer provides a network driver and protocol
installation program. The NE4200 includes the necessary
installation scripts (e.g., .NIF, .INF, .LDI, .INS, etc) to
support these installation programs. The README files provided
with the NE4200 outline program use and provide supplemental
information.
5.4 Driver Directory Structure
------------------------------
The network drivers on this disk are organized in the following
structure after using the option to decompress all drivers. The
default directory will be C:\ALL_DRV. Other options will result in
different directory structures.
AT&TUNIX <DIR>
LANTASTI <DIR>
MSLANMAN DOS <DIR>
MSLANMAN OS2 <DIR>
NBIOS <DIR>
NDIS <DIR>
NETWARE <DIR>
NT31 <DIR>
NT35 <DIR>
NT351 <DIR>
PCNFS <DIR>
PKTDRV <DIR>
SCOUNIX <DIR>
SETUP <DIR>
WFW311 <DIR>
WIN95 <DIR>
Each directory contains a README.TXT file which provides detailed
installation instructions for drivers in that directory:
All drivers will automatically detect the Hardware information
including I/O base address and IRQ. The network media connector
type will also be automatically detected during driver
initialization.
The driver disk before decompression is as follows:
NIC
FILES1 ARJ
FILES2 ARJ
NEC ARJ
ARJ EXE
DCD16 EXE
INSTALL EXE
INSTALL BAT
ICARD INI
DMCU EXE
LICENCE TXT
README W95
README 1ST
MANUAL TXT
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6 PCMCIA OVERVIEW
-----------------
6.1 General Concepts
--------------------
With the proliferation of notebook and hand-held computers, the
search for smaller, lighter and more portable tools for
information processing has resulted with many innovative
developments. One of these innovations is the PCMCIA card. A
PCMCIA card (also called the PC card) is a credit card size
adapter that follows the specifications and standard set by the
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA).
PCMCIA cards include a wide variety of products, ranging from
modems to RAM, to Flash memory, to EEPROM and LAN adapters.
6.1.1 PCMCIA Type I, Type II, and Type III
------------------------------------------
The PCMCIA standard refers to the physical requirements,
electrical specifications and software architecture of the PCMCIA
card. It defines three types of cards. Type I cards confine mostly
to memory enhancements, such as memory cards. Type II and III cards
include memory enhancements and I/O functions such as modem and
LAN communication. Type I, II, and III cards have identical length
and width, use the same 68-pin edge connector for attachment to
the PC host, but differ in thickness. Type II is slightly thicker
than Type I card. The Type III card is twice as thick as the Type II
card.
The NE4200 base unit has Type II dimensions, and must be plugged
to a Type II or Type III PCMCIA slot. If your computer is equipped
only with a Type I PCMCIA slot, do not plug the NE4200 base unit
into the slot. Look for the label on your PCMCIA slot to find out if
it is for Type I, Type II, or III. Note that the label of the NE4200
must face upward before you can plug the card in the slot. If the
slot is not labeled, and the card cannot be plugged in, the slot
might well be for Type I. DO NOT FORCE THE CARD INTO A SLOT!
6.2 Socket Services and Card Services
-------------------------------------
The key elements of the PCMCIA software architecture are
Socket Services and the Card Services. Socket Services is
the hardware-dependent software that controls the physical PCMCIA
slots/sockets controller hardware. They are the BIOS-level software
interface that provides a way to access the PCMCIA slots of a
computer. Socket Services identify how many slots are in your
computer and detect the insertion or removal of a PCMCIA card
when the computer is powered on. Socket Services are part of the
PCMCIA 2.0 specification and interfaces with Card Services.
Card Services are hardware-independent and are the software
management interface that automatically allocates the system
resources, such as memory and IRQ, once Socket Services detect
that a PCMCIA card has been inserted in a slot. Card Services
also release these resources when the PCMCIA card is removed. In
addition, Card Services provide an interface to higher level
software to load needed hardware drivers.
Some vendors sub-divide Card Services to Card Services and Client
Driver. Their function assignments are as follows: Card Service
allows "hot swap" of PCMCIA cards, manages their competition for
system resources and manages the PCMCIA card resources. Client
Driver communicates with PCMCIA-aware device drivers (such as the
NE4200 MAC-layer driver programs), registers with Card Services
and initializes the PCMCIA card upon its insertion in the slot.
Generally, a Client Driver is only necessary for PCMCIA cards
such as network adapters, which may require certain unique
hardware resource parameters such as I/O port address and IRQ
numbers.
Phoenix's PCM+: Phoenix, a Socket Services and Card Services
provider, sub-divides its Card Services to include a Client
Driver program PCMSCD.EXE, which can be used with the NE4200.
SystemSoft's CardSoft Socket Services and Card Services also
subdivides its Card Services to include Client Driver programs
CIC.EXE and CARDID.EXE, which can be used with the NE4200.
DataBook's CardTalk Card Services are called "Resources Manager"
Client Driver program DCD16.EXE is used to let a MAC-layer driver
program communicate with the Resource Manager.
Some early versions of notebook and handheld computers are
equipped with PCMCIA slots, but no Socket Services or Card
Services. PCMCIA card vendors, therefore, must provide a means to
directly control the PCMCIA slot controller hardware of the
computer and allocate system resources.
Later versions of notebook and handheld computers with PCMCIA
slots usually incorporate Socket Services and Card Services in
the form of either device driver programs or built-in function in
the computer system's BIOS.
6.2.1 NE4200 Compatibility With Older and Newer PCs
--------------------------------------------------
The NE4200 is designed to work with computer systems that come
with Socket Services and Card Services, as well as those of
earlier designs that do not have these Services. The NE4200
Client Driver program, DCD16.EXE, is actually more than a Client
Driver; it also provides lower-level functions that allows
notebooks without Socket Services and Card Services to recognize
the hardware inside the PCMCIA slot and to allocate system
resources, such as I/O port's address and IRQ line.
The current version of DCD16.EXE (see Section 7) enables the
following PCMCIA controllers:
Intel 82365SL controller
Intel 82365SL-compatible controllers
Toshiba ICCNT controller
DataBook TCIC-2/N controller
6.2.2 Driver Loading Guidelines
-------------------------------
The following provides only a guideline to loading the Socket
Services, Card Services and the Client Driver (where required).
For the exact procedures, refer to the documents concerning the
PCMCIA software of your system.
(1) For computers incorporating Socket Services and Card Services
in the BIOS:
1. Insert the PCMCIA card in a slot.
2. Load in a Client Driver program (DCD16.EXE or the
Socket/Card Services provider's).
3. Load a MAC-layer driver program for your network operating
System.
(2) For computers that provide Socket Services and Card Services
in the form of device drivers (e.g. IBM notebooks with
Socket/Card Services):
1. Specify the device drivers in the CONFIG.SYS file.
2. Insert the PCMCIA card in a slot.
3. Boot up the notebook to enable the system to read
the content of CONFIG.SYS.
4. Load in a Client Driver program (Microdyne's or the
Socket/Card Services provider's).
5. Load a MAC-layer driver program for your network operating
system.
(3) For computers that do not have Socket Services and Card
Services:
1. Insert the PCMCIA card in a slot.
2. Execute the DCD16.EXE program. This program allows you
specify parameters for system resource allocation (I/O
port address, IRQ, etc.) See Section 7 for further information
on DCD16.
3. Load a MAC-layer driver program for your network operating
system. Complete instructions on how to use the Client
Driver program DCD16.EXE are provided on your PCMCIA
card's disk. Refer to Section 7 for further details.
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7 Using DCD16
--------------
DCD16.EXE is an integration version of the open adapter utility.
DCD16.EXE supports Intel 82365SL, Toshiba T3300SL's ICCNT, Databook
TCIC-2/N, Socket Services v1.01, v2.0, v2.01, v2.10 and Card
Services v2.0, v2.01, v2.10. DCD16 is located in the SETUP
directory after running Install. DCD16 has an autodetection
algorithm for Card Services, Socket Services, and Adapters.
Please refer to the README.TXT file in the SETUP directory for
specific information on using DCD16.EXE with a variety of Services.
7.1 Partial Compatibility List
------------------------------
PCM+ Card Services.(v2.00, v2.01, v2.10)
PCM+ Socket Services.(v2.00, v2.01, v2.10)
Systemsoft Card Services.(v2.00, v2.01, v2.10)
Systemsoft Socket Services.(v2.00, v2.01, v2.10)
Award on Zenith SystemsLite machine.(same as Ventura)
Ventura Micro Card Services (v2.00, v2.01, v2.10) on Zenith
SystemsLite.
Ventura Micro Socket Services.(v2.00, v2.01, v2.10)
AMI Socket Services.(v1.01)
IBM Socket Services (v1.01, v2.0) on IBM ThinkPad 720.
IBM Socket Services v1.01 on IBM ThinkPad 710.
IBM Card Services v2.0 on IBM ThinkPad 720.
Databook CardTalk Socket Services. (v1.01)
Intel PCIC adapter.
Toshiba ICCNT adapter.
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8 COPYRIGHTS, TRADEMARKS, AND DISCLAIMERS
-----------------------------------------
All references to MS, Windows, Win95, Windows 95, Windows NT, WinNT
are rights reserved by Microsoft Corporation
All references to Nvl., ODI, Netware, NW, IPX, IPXODI, and LSL are
rights reserved by Novell Corporation
Further rights are reserved to their respective corporations
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.