Readme for Adaptec DuraLAN NIC Failover Driver
Windows NT 3.51 and Windows NT 4.0.
Last Updated 09/03/98
=====================================================================
The following are the known issues with the Duralink Failover 4.1
driver for Windows NT 3.51 and Windows NT 4.0 Server.
For the latest drivers, see
http://www.adaptec.com/support/overview/networking.html
64 Bit Compatibility & Support
==============================
- Due to the limited availability of 64-bit servers the DuraLAN
network adapters and Microsoft drivers have not been tested
on all 64-bit systems. As other OEM vendors release new
64-bit server platforms, Adaptec will test the DuraLAN &
Duralink products. These driver updates will be released via
our Adaptec WEB site.
Duralink Failover Issues
========================
- The Event Viewer in Windows NT correctly shows events
informing the administrator that a DuraLAN NIC port
is having problems. (e.g. the link goes down). However,
when the port starts functioning properly again, there
is no new Event displayed to tell the administrator
that the port is back to normal. This does not affect
functionality. If you are using the Failover drivers, the
network traffic correctly fails over to the backup port.
- The received packets counter for a non-active backup port in
a failover pair incorrectly reports non-zero values. This
does not cause any functional problems with the failover
capabilities of the adapter.
- During installation of the Duralink Failover drivers, specify
A:\NTFAILOVER\I386\ as the path for the oemsetup.inf file
(when selecting "Have Disk").
- When setting up a Failover pair ensure the correct backup
port by pressing the "Apply" button after configuring each
pair.
- In the configuration window, Failover ports are not in
sequential order.
Server Compatibility Issues
===========================
- HP Netserver LS: One or more DuraLAN ports may fail to
initialize, because the base addresses assigned to the ports
by Windows NT conflict with each other on those systems. It
is necessary to add a /PCILOCK option to the boot.ini file
to resolve the problem on such systems. This problem is
recognized by looking at the Event Log with the Event
Viewer. You will see a log message stating that one of the
ports is not functioning properly. The data window with the
"Words" option selected will have the last 3 words displayed
as "fbad0001" "00000015" "00000015".
A work around for this issue regarding the base address
conflict is as follows:
1. Make c:\boot.ini file writable by typing
"attrib -r -s -h boot.ini"
2. Edit boot.ini using your favorite editor and add /PCILOCK
to the end of the first line that defines the boot
partition.
3. Save modified "boot.ini" file and reboot the system.
- HP Vectra XU6: The driver fails to initialize properly when
using an ANA-62044 NIC on an HP Vectra XU6 system. The
reason is that the system incorrectly assigns the same
Memory Mapped Base Address to three of the four ports.
The /PCILOCK work around (see above) will work provided you
have no SCSI controller in the system. If the system has
a SCSI controller, there is no work around.
- IBM NetFinity 8660 server: When a ANA-62022 is installed on
bus 1 of an IBM NetFinity 8660 server running Windows NT 3.51
the driver fails to initialize properly. This problem is
again because of the system assigning conflicting memory
mapped base addresses to the Ethernet ports on the ANA-62022.
There is no work around for NT 3.51. However, the ANA-62022
works fine in bus 0 on this system and also if NT 4.0 is
installed.
- Compaq Proliant 2500 server: When an ANA-62022 is installed
on bus 1 the server can crash with the message:
"*** Hardware Malfunction
Call your hardware vendor for support
NMI Parity Check / Memory Parity Error
The system has halted"
Also booting up the system with a ANA-62022 in bus 1 slot
gets POST warning message. The ANA-62022 works fine in bus
0 on this system.
- Intel 450GX PCI Host Bridge Chip Incompatibility with
ANA-6x022/6x044:
ANA-6x022/6x044 boards will cause a system hang under heavy
network traffic with Pentium-Pro SMP systems using the Intel
450GX PCI Host Bridge chip (PCI Device ID 0x84C4). This is
due to an incompatibility issue between the Intel bridge and
the DEC bridge on the multiport cards. Single port cards,
ANA-6x011, work fine.
Systems that have been identified by Adaptec internal testing
with the 450GX: (Please refer to Intel's errata list for
details).
* Intel "Alder"
* Dell 6100
* IBM NetFinity 7000
* Compaq Proliant 6000
* Compaq 5000
* HP Netserver LXe
* Compaq Proliant 6500
- Unisys Aquanta DX system hang with ANA-6x022/6x044:
ANA-6x022/6x044 boards will cause a system hang under heavy
network traffic if the default BIOS settings are used.
Problem detected with Unisys Aquanta DX system Phoenix Bios
V4.05U03 DATE 10/1/96
Below documents the BIOS settings to avoid hang problems.
Set the following BIOS settings:
Main -> Memory Cache -> Sustained 3T Write = DISABLED
Advanced -> Advanced Chipset Control ->
Advanced PCI Functions Control ->
PCI Dynamic Bursting = DISABLED
PCI Master 0 WS Write = DISABLED
Quick Frame Generation = DISABLED
Configuration
=============
- GENERAL: To change a NIC to a different PCI slot, remove
the adapter driver using the Network Control Panel. Move
the adapter to the new PCI slot. Then add the adapter in
the Network Control Panel then restart system.
- Failover: While installing the Failover driver, specify
A:\NTFAILOVER\I386 as the path for the oemsetup.inf file
(when selecting "Have Disk")
- During the installation of NT Failover the error message
"LOADBAL.DLL Not Found" may appear several times.
This error message can be ignored.
Miscellaneous
=============
- The FailOver GUI requires a mouse to be used. It does not
fully support keyboard navigation.
- The product version is not available through the GUI. It can
be determined by performing the following steps:
1) Go to the directory that contains the driver. By
default the path is \WINNT\System32\drivers .
2) Bring up the Properties in the Adptsf40.sys file.
3) The product version is located in the version tab
under "Product Version".
- When an installation is cancelled not all of the driver
components are removed. When using the default path of
WINNT\System32, the remaining components can be removed by
deleting drivers\Adptsf40.sys, sfbmon.exe, and Adpt*.dll .
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.