3Com (R) Corporation
3Com EtherLink Server CD for
the 3C980B Fast EtherLink Server NIC
Technical Notes and Frequently Asked Questions
The Fast EtherLink Server NIC Features:
- Parallel Tasking (R) architecture for highest performance
- Bus mastering for low CPU utilization and optimal overall system
performance
- Ease of installation and Auto Select Media Type and Link Speed
- Driver support for NetWare 4.x & 5.0, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0,
and SCO Unix
- Lifetime warranty
- Full duplex enabled for switched 10/100 Mbps environments
Frequently Asked Questions and Technical Notes
----------------------------------------------
This file contains technical notes and answers to some frequently
asked questions to help you obtain maximum performance from your
3Com Fast EtherLink Server NICs. This information is updated
regularly on 3Com BBS (bulletin board service), and 3Com's World
Wide Web site (http://www.3Com.com).
Technical Notes
===============
This technical note documents additions to the Fast
EtherLink Server Network Interface Cards User Guide,
part number 09-1104-001. An online version of The
User Guide is contained in the root directory of the
3Com EtherLink Server CD the file USRGUIDE.PDF. Last
minute corrections (if any) to the User Guide are
contained within the printed Release Notes found in
the product package. These technical notes document
other known issues with server hardware and with the
Microsoft Windows NT, Novell NetWare, and SCO Unix
network operating systems. If you need a copy of the
Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing the User Guide, obtain
it from the Adobe Systems Incorporated web site:
http://www.adobe.com/
Software Compatibility
======================
The 3C980B-TX server NIC version 1.2 software is
fully compatible with 3C980-TX server NIC hardware.
Upgrading from the Previous Driver Release
==========================================
It is strongly recommended that you install the
3C980B-TX server NIC and version 1.2 software on a
server where no earlier-version Fast EtherLink
Server NICs and drivers are installed. Installing
the software on an existing 3C980-TX configuration
will invalidate the resilient server links and VLAN
tagging that was defined previously.
Performance Considerations
==========================
Load Balancing performs better with a Switch
--------------------------------------------
When using load balancing, performance may
be impacted if all the NICs in a load balancing
group are connected to a single hub (or the
equivalent). The best performance is realized
when all the NICs are connected to a switch.
A separate PCI bus for each NIC may increase Load
Balancing performance
-------------------------------------------------
Because of bus contention, increased performance may
be realized when each NIC is placed on a separate
PCI bus.
Windows NT Issues
=================
Avoiding Multiprocessor System Failure with Windows NT 4.0
Service Pack 4
----------------------------------------------------------
To avoid system failure on multiprocessor machines running
Service Pack 4, you must install a Microsoft TCP/IP hotfix
patch and reboot the server before installing DynamicAccess
Software for Servers.
If you install DynamicAccess Software for Servers and then
upgrade to Service Pack 4, install the patch before you
reboot the system.
Obtaining the Patch
A link to the patch is available at the following 3Com
web site:
http://www.3com.com/dynamicaccess/hotfixes
Recovering from Failure
If your system fails because you did not install the patch,
you can recover by disabling multiprocessor support
temporarily and then installing the patch. Procedures for
doing this on different types of servers follow.
Servers with NTFS on the Boot Partition
You must remove all but one of the processors.
1. Physically remove all but one of the processors on
the server and reboot from the remaining processor.
2. Obtain and install the patch.
3. Replace the processors and reboot the server.
Servers With FAT16 on the Boot Partition
Edit the BOOT.INI file to specify booting from one
processor.
1. Boot with a DOS system disk.
2. At the DOS prompt, change directory to the NT boot
directory.
3. In the NT boot directory, enter the following
commands:
Attrib -r -s -h boot.ini
Edit Boot.ini
You may want to save a copy of the original BOOT.INI
file so you can revert to it after you install the
patch.
4. In the BOOT.INI file, locate this line:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT40.RTL=
"Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00"
5. Add the /onecpu command, which enables you to boot
from one CPU, to the end of the line:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT40.RTL=
"Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00" /onecpu
6. Save the file and reboot the server.
7. Obtain and install the patch.
8. Remove the /onecpu command from the BOOT.INI file
(or revert to the original file) and reboot the
server.
Installing the Driver During Windows NT 4.0 Installation
--------------------------------------------------------
When you install the 3C980B-TX server NIC driver during a
fresh installation of the Windows NT 4.0 system and specify
TCP/IP, the Windows NT installation program reports that it
cannot find and load the TELNET.EXE file.
Use this workaround:
1. Follow the usual procedure to install the Windows NT 4.0
software. During step 2 of the NT server setup program
(Installing Windows NT Networking), follow the usual
procedure to install the 3C980B-TX server NIC driver. While
the 3Com EtherLink Server CD is in the drive, and after you
specify whether to use a DHCP server, an error message
reports that an error has occurred copying the TELNET.EXE
file.
2. In the error message dialog box, click Cancel.
The system copies files from the 3Com EtherLink Server CD
and then prompts you to insert the Windows NT Server CD.
-->>Do not click Try Again or Skip File. <<--
If you click Try Again, the installation stalls. To recover,
remove the NT Server CD from the drive, reinsert it, wait
for the system to recognize it, and then click Cancel.
If you click Skip File, results are unpredictable, and you
may need to redo the network setup part of the Windows NT
installation.
3. Continue the Windows NT software installation.
4. After the installation is finished, verify that the
TELNET.EXE file is in the System32 directory.
Reinstalling the Driver
-----------------------
If you delete the driver from the server, you must
reboot the server before you reinstall the driver.
Failure to do so results in the loss of protocol
bindings.
Windows NT 4.0 TCP/IP Performance in Compaq Servers
---------------------------------------------------
On Compaq ProLiant 1200, 1600, 3000, and 5500 servers,
which use the RCC PCI chip set, the NIC performance is
slow during file transfer under Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
with TCP/IP at 100 Mbps. Other protocols show no
significant performance problems. Compaq is investigating
the root cause of the problem. Meanwhile, you can use the
memory write invalidate configuration utility (MWICFG) to
address your immediate needs. The utility disables the
MWI NIC register.
Downloading the MWICFG Utility
You can download the MWIFIX.EXE compressed file, which
contains the MWICFG utility and a readme file, from the
3Com public FTP site as follows:
1. To connect to the 3Com FTP site, enter the following
information into your FTP client:
Hostname: ftp.3com.com (or 192.156.136.12)
Username: anonymous
Password: <your Internet e-mail address>
A user name and password are not needed with Web browser
software such as Netscape Navigator and Internet
Explorer.
2. After you are connected, enter these commands to
download the MWIFIX.EXE compressed file:
cd \pub\nic\3c90x
bin
get mwifix.exe
3. To expand the compressed file, enter:
mwifix
Using the MWICFG Utility
To disable the MWI register:
1. Boot the system under DOS.
2. Change to the directory where you placed the MWICFG
utility.
3. At the DOS prompt, enter this command to run the
MWICFG.EXE utility:
MWICFG
4. Follow the prompts.
5. When the utility has finished running, restart the
system. To reenable the register, run the utility
with the /e option:
MWICFG /e
Adding Protocols when DynamicAccess Software for Servers
is installed
--------------------------------------------------------
When you add a protocol to the system for the first time
after DynamicAccess Software for Servers is installed,
individual NICs may be listed in addition to the NIC
groups with which they are associated. After adding a
protocol for the first time with DynamicAccess Software
for Servers installed, it is recommended that you remove
and reinstall DynamicAccess Software for Servers. In
the case of TCP/IP, you should remove DynamicAccess
Software for Servers, assign each NIC an IP Address, and
then reinstall DynamicAccess Software for Servers.
Windows NT Diagnostic
---------------------
The 3COMNICDIAG program provided for Windows NT, operates
with many 3Com NIC types. Some Information contained
within the diagnostic is irrelevant for the 3C980B NIC.
For example, ignore any reference to PACE information.
Hardware Considerations
=======================
Auto-Negotiation using older 3C980 NIC
--------------------------------------
3Com recommends that both ends of the server network
connection be forced to full duplex mode when using a
3C980 NIC with ASIC revision 00. The ASIC revision can
be viewed using the diagnostic utility. Poorer
performance than expected is the symptom of this older
3C980 NIC and it appears most often after failback
has occurred with network connections set for
Auto-Negotiation.
Auto-Negotiation using Alteon AceSwitch 100
-------------------------------------------
This switch selects a half-duplex setting instead of the
better performing full-duplex when performing NWay
Auto-Negotiation.
Spurious Hardware Interrupts on the Compaq Proliant 5000
--------------------------------------------------------
When running a server on the Compaq Proliant 5000 lot of
Spurious interrupts warning messages may appear. 3Com has
found that these warnings have no effect on normal
operation and should be ignored. 3Com has noticed that
these warnings also happen with NICs from other
manufacturing companies.
Tyan 16 Dual Pro with Matrox Video Card, PVR,
and Windows NT 4.0
---------------------------------------------
NIC not detected by 3Com DOS Diagnostic Program
Neither the 3Com DOS diagnostic program nor Windows NT 4.0
server/workstation recognizes the NIC in the following
configuration:
* Tyan motherboard 16 with 200 MHz dual Pentium processors
and 5 PCI slots
* Award BIOS 4.5
* Windows NT 4.0
* Matrox Video 2 Mb RAM (PCI)
* Digital Perception video recorder (PCI) used for video
editing
Action: Move the 3C980B-TX Server NIC to slot 2, the
Digital Perception video card to slot 3, and the Matrox
video card to slot 4.
Micron Millennia M55HI
----------------------
Unable to run DOS diagnostic program
When attempting to run the DOS diagnostic program for the
3C980B-TX Server NIC on a Micron Millennia M55HI with
Stealth 3D video, the following error appears:
"!!! Error!!! Incorrect configuration is set by the BIOS.
Get an updated BIOS from the PC manufacturer or try to
install the adapter in another slot."
The user cannot proceed any further with diagnostics.
The error appears when the NIC is installed in slots 1, 2,
and 3, but not 4.
Action: Install the NIC in slot 4. If slot 4 is not available,
disable the plug and play option in the Advanced area of the
BIOS. This eliminates the error in all four slots.
Cisco Catalyst 5000
-------------------
CRC and alignment errors when connecting to a Cisco Catalyst
5000 Alignment, CRC, and runt errors may occur when the
3C980B-TX Server NIC is connected to the Cisco Catalyst 5000
switch.
Action: Do one of the following:
* Force the port speed of the switch to AUTO and set the NIC
for NWay auto-negotiation (IEEE 802.3u).
* Force the ports on the switch and the attached NICs to the
same settings (SPEED = 100 and DUPLEX= Full duplex).
Once the speed setting is forced on an NWay device, NWay
auto-negotiation is disabled. When an NWay device is
connected to a link partner that does not support or is
not set for NWay, it uses a feature called Parallel
Detection to determine the appropriate media type
(10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX) but defaults to half-duplex transfer
mode. When the NIC is in Nway mode and the switch is forced
to 100 Mbps with full-duplex operation, the NIC will
negotiate to 100 Mbps but fall back to half-duplex because
of the limitation explained above. Consequently, network
errors result from the mismatch in the transfer mode
settings.
Performance Hint for the Fast EtherLink Server NICs on
HP NetServers
------------------------------------------------------
During testing of HP NetServers and the Fast EtherLink Server
NIC, 3Com has observed that the performance can be maximized
by customizing the NetServer's BIOS. Within the BIOS of the
NetServer, access the Advanced Chipset Setup and set the DRAM
Buffer Write to 0 and the Snoop Ahead to 1.
NOTE: This was tested on an HP NetServer 466 LF and a 466 LC,
but could apply to other models of the NetServer
family.
Compaq Prolinea 575 Computer Notification
-----------------------------------------
3Com has observed issues with a particular system BIOS
revision for the Compaq Prolinea 575 computer. If the
system BIOS version is dated 7/26/95, it should be updated
to a later revision. The Compaq Prolinea 575 Configuration
and Diagnostics utility should be used to verify the
revision date of the system BIOS (system ROM). Consult the
manual for the Compaq Prolinea for instructions on
verifying and updating the system ROM version and on
obtaining updated system ROM software, or contact Compaq
for assistance.
Windows NT and S3 Video Driver
-------------------------------
Windows NT 4.0 may freeze during start-up when S3 video
drivers, PCI memory-mapped I/O devices, and the 3C980B-TX
Server NIC are installed on the secondary PCI bus.
The problem was observed on the Dell OptiPlex GXPro 6/180
using the 3C980B-TX Server NIC under Windows NT 4.0 with
Service Pack 3 installed.
Action: Try any or all of the following:
* Update the video driver for the S3 Trio64V+
(765DRV - version 2.00.18).
* Install the 3C980B-TX Server NIC on the primary PCI bus.
* Uninstall Service Pack 3.
The S3 driver included with Service Pack 3 for Windows NT
makes several writes to unclaimed memory space in the PCI
bridge chip, causing Windows NT to become unstable and
freeze.
NetServer LS2 5/166 and 3C980B NICs running Windows NT4.0
with Service Pack 3
--------------------------------------------------------
When the 3C980B-TX Server NIC is installed in the secondary
PCI bus, the machine may hang intermittently. Symptoms
include a locked-up mouse pointer, steady hourglass, or
the inability to launch a program. This problem has not
been observed on other models of the NetServer line. 3Com
is currently working with HP to resolve this issue.
Action: Install the 3C980B-TX Server NIC on the primary
PCI bus.
Using a SNI machine with the 82440LX chip set running
Netware 4.1, causes the server to abend with a stack
overflow error.
-----------------------------------------------------
If the SNI machine, with the 440LX chip set, is running
Netware with an Adaptec SCSI card and the 3C980B NIC
installed and a stack overflow occurs, please contact
Adaptec or SNI for an updated SCSI driver for the
machine.
DOS diagnostics incompatibility with 3C980B and
Gateway E-3000
-----------------------------------------------
During testing 3Com encountered incompatibilities with our
3C980B NIC and the Gateway E-3000 series PC when loading our
DOS diagnostics program. 3Com suggests using our Windows based
diagnostics if you encounter this problem. The Windows
diagnostics have been shown to work without error.
Novell NetWare Issues
=====================
Refer to the README.TXT file in the NWSERVER subdirectory.
Windows 95 & 98 support
=======================
3Com does not support the operation of the 3C980b-TX
Server NIC with Microsoft Windows 95 nor 98.
_____________________________________________________________________
Troubleshooting Installation Problems
=====================================
3Com has found that some PCI computers require additional
configuration steps in order to install a PCI NIC. 3Com
recommends these steps:
1. Determine whether you have the latest BIOS version for
your computer. Contact your computer's manufacturer
to make sure you are using the latest BIOS. Here are
the phone numbers for some PCI system manufacturers:
Company Phone Notes/Web site
ALR* (800) 257-1230 www.alr.com
AST* (800) 727-1278 www.ast.com
AT&T* (800) 531-2222 www.ncr.com
Compaq* (800) 652-6672 www.compaq.com
(800) 345-1518
NOTE: Compaq DeskPRO XL should have a BIOS dated Oct.
1994 or later for best performance.
Dell* (800) 626-4308 www.dell.com/
(800) 624-9896
Digital (800) 354-9000 www.dec.com/
Equipment*
Gateway* (800) 846-2070 www.gateway2000.com/
(800) 846-2301
Hewlett- (800) 322-HPPC www.hp.com
Packard* (800) 752-0900
IBM* (800) IBM-3333 www.pcco.ibm.com/
Micron* (800) 438-3343 www.micron.com
Packard (800) 733-4411 www.packardbell.com/
Bell*
Unisys* (800) 328-0440 http://www.marketplace
.unisys.com/aquanta/
Zenith* (800) 227-3360 www.zds.com
ZEOS* (800) 554-7172 www.micronpc.com/support
(800) 228-5390 /file_lib/zeosbbs
/zeosbbs.html
In addition, here are the phone numbers and on-line
addresses of several popular OEM motherboard
manufacturers:
Company Phone On-line address
Intel* (503) 264-7999 www.intel.com
Micronics (510) 651-6837 www.isdnnow.com
/micronics/support/
ASUS (408) 956-9084 http://asustek.asus
.com.tw
* Third-party trademarks and copyrights are the
property of their respective owners.
2. Make sure the BIOS is set up correctly. In some PCI
computers, you may need to enable the PCI slot using
the BIOS Setup program. This is especially common in
PCI computers with a Phoenix BIOS.
After installing the NIC, turn on the computer and
enter the Setup program during system initialization
(usually by pressing [F1], [F2], or [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[S]).
The correct key to press is usually shown on the
screen. Once in the Setup program, find the entry for
PCI slots (it may be in the main menu, or sometimes in
advanced system configuration) and set these
parameters to:
BIOS System Setting
Parameter
PCI Slot Number Slot where the 3Com PCI NIC is
installed (1-3)
Master ENABLED
Slave ENABLED
Latency Timer 40
Interrupt Choose any one of several
available interrupts that
Setup provides.
Edge or Level Level Triggered Interrupt
NOTE: The exact wording of each of the parameters will
vary from computer to computer. Save the
changes, exit the Setup program, and continue
with the installation.
Performance on Some Early Pentium Pro Models
--------------------------------------------
During testing, 3Com has observed that some early Pentium Pro
models using Intel's (54x?) PCI chip sets do not fully support
the full bandwidth throughput of the PCI bus. Symptoms can
include an abnormal number of dropped packets or performance
below what the wire can support. This problem can sometimes
be fixed by getting a more recent BIOS from your system
vendor. Contact your vendor to see if such an upgrade is
available.
General Support Questions
--------------------------
The most accurate and up-to-date support information can
be obtained from 3Com's World Wide Web site
(http://www.3Com.com).
3Com, EtherLink, and EtherDisk are registered trademarks of
3Com Corporation.
(%VER README.TXT - Release Notes v1.1g)
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.