3Com (R) Corporation
EtherDisk (R) Diskette for
The 3C90X Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL Bus Master Adapter Family
Release Notes and Frequently Asked Questions
This EtherDisk XL diskette supports 3Com's family of bus mastering PCI
network adapters with a common driver set. Products included in this
family are the Fast EtherLink XL10/100BASE-TX and EtherLink XL PCI TPO/
Combo adapters. Key product features include:
- Parallel Tasking (R) architecture for highest performance
- Bus mastering for low CPU utilization and optimal overall system
performance
- Ease of installation with AutoLink, and Auto Select Media Type for
EtherLink XL Bus Master adapters and Auto Select Link Speed for Fast
EtherLink XL adapters
- Broad driver support, including NetWare, NDIS 2.01, NDIS 3.0, and others
- SNMP manageability
- Lifetime warranty
- Full duplex enabled for switched 10/100 Mbps environments
Frequently Asked Questions and Release Notes
--------------------------------------------
This file contains the release notes and answers to some frequently asked
questions about the PCI environment to help you obtain maximum performance
from your 3Com Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL Bus Master adapters. This
information is updated regularly on 3Com's CompuServe forum (3ComForum),
3Com BBS (bulletin board service), and 3Com's World Wide Web site
(http://www.3Com.com).
Release Notes
-------------
Performance Hint for the Fast EtherLink XL on HP NetServers
-----------------------------------------------------------
During testing of HP NetServers and the Fast EtherLink XL adapter,
3Com has observed that the performance could 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 a 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 revision and on obtaining
updated system ROM software, or contact Compaq for assistance.
3Com PCI Adapter Installation Hints
-----------------------------------
Installing a PCI adapter in a PCI slot
--------------------------------------
1. Put the adapter in the computer. Refer to your computer
documentation.
2. Start the computer. In most cases, the PCI computer will
automatically configure the adapter. If this does not
happen, you may need to configure the computer to work
with the adapter. See the next section for further
details.
Troubleshooting Installation Problems
-------------------------------------
3Com has found that some PCI computers require additional
configuration steps in order to install a PCI adapter. 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/service/support
/support.hml
Ambra* (800) 465-2227 Not available
AST* (800) 727-1278 www.ast.com/americas/files.html
AT&T* (800) 543-9935 www.ncr.com/support/pc/pcdesc
(800) 531-2222 /machines.html
Compaq* (800) 652-6672 www.compaq.com/support/files
(800) 345-1518 /rompaq.html
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/cposupport
Packard* (800) 752-0900 /cpoindex.html
IBM* (800) IBM-3333 www.pcco.ibm.com/
Micron* (800) 438-3343 www.mei.micron.com/services/bbs
/techbbs.htm
Packard (800) 733-4411 www.packardbell.com/gfx/support
Bell* /support.html
Unisys* (800) 328-0440 www.pc.unisys.com/
Zenith* (800) 227-3360 www.zds.com/htdocs/zds/htm
/files.htm
ZEOS* (800) 554-7172 www.mei.micron.com/Services
(800) 228-5390 /zeosbbs.htm
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 ftp://ftp.intel.com\pub\bios
Micronics (510) 651-6837 www.micronics.com/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 adapter, 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 adapter 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.
3Com Diagnostic and Configuation Program Runs in DOS Mode Only
--------------------------------------------------------------
If you are running Windows 95, please exit to DOS mode before
running the 3Com Diagnostic and Configuration program.
The Echo Exchange Test Does Not Support Crossover Cable
-------------------------------------------------------
Because the Echo Exchange test verifies the adapter's ability to
transmit and receive data while on the network, both the echo
server and the echo client must be connected to a network. An
EtherLink XL adapter uses link beats to determine whether it is
connected to a network when the 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, or
100BASE-T4 Media Type is selected. A constant link beat is
needed for the Echo Exchange test when the 10BASE-T, , 100BASE-TX,
or 100BASE-T4 Media Type is selected. Before starting the Echo
Exchange test, connect the echo server and the echo client
together through a hub or a switch that generates a constant link
beat. Using crossover cable to connect the echo server and the
echo client directly does not work.
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.
Resource Conflicts in Intel-Based Computers Running Windows NT
--------------------------------------------------------------
This information applies to Intel (x86)-based computers running one
of the following operating systems:
1. Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5 and 3.51
2. Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5 and 3.51
On these computers, adding an EtherLink XL or Fast EtherLink XL
adapter is usually trouble-free. However, in some situations,
adding one or more of these adapters can cause a PCI resource
conflict. When the resource conflict occurs, the system stops
responding (hangs), or one or more of the PCI devices fail to
operate.
These resource conflicts occur because the Windows NT Hardware
Abstraction Layer sometimes assigns overlapping I/O port
addresses for the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL adapter(s) and
other PCI devices.
When a resource conflict occurs, one of the following procedures
should provide a work-around.
Swap Slots
----------
If the conflict is with another plug-in PCI device, then
swapping the PCI slots of the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL
adapter and the conflicting device may resolve the problem.
Swapping the slots may cause the system BIOS to swap the I/O
port addresses assigned to the two devices, which will
eliminate the conflict that occurs later when Windows NT
boots.
Swap Slot Numbers in the Registry
---------------------------------
If the conflict is between two Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL
adapters, then swapping the PCI slots of the two adapters does
not resolve the problem. In this case, you must edit the
System Registry using the Registry Editor. The Registry Editor
can be found in the \WINNT35\SYSTEM32\REGEDT32.EXE file.
In the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
tree of the Registry are keys for the two Fast EtherLink XL/
EtherLink XL adapters, EL90X1 and EL90X2. In the Parameters
subkey of each of these keys are two values, Slot and
SlotNumber, which are the same. Swap the slot values for
EL90X1 with the slot values for EL90X2. Make sure to swap both
the Slot and the SlotNumber values.
Changing these values causes the driver to register and
activate the two adapters in a different order, which
eliminates the conflict.
Change the Load Order of Drivers
--------------------------------
If neither of the above procedures works, change the load order
of the drivers for the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL adapter
and the conflicting device. In the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\
CurrentControlSet\Services tree of the Registry Editor, you
should find the driver keys for the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink
XL adapter (EL90X) and the conflicting device. For the key
that comes first in the tree, add a value with the name
DependOnService and a string value that is the key of the
driver for the other device.
For example, if the conflict is between an EtherLink XL and an
EtherLink III PCI adapter, then the two driver keys are EL90X
and EL59X. EL59X is first in the tree, so you would add the
"DependOnService: EL90X" value to the EL59X key. This forces
the EtherLink XL adapter driver to load first, instead of the
EtherLink III PCI adapter driver.
Running the DOS ODI Driver with a Non-Novell Protocol in DOS
------------------------------------------------------------
Please add the keyword NO_PIPELINE to your NET.CFG file when
running the DOS ODI driver with a non-Novell protocol in a DOS
environment. To add the keywork NO_PIPELINE to your NET.CFG file,
proceed as follows:
1. Access the C:\NWCLIENT directory and open the NET.CFG file.
Type:
EDIT NET.CFG [Enter]
2. Scroll through the file to the LINK DRIVER 3C90X section and
locate the following line:
LINK DRIVER 3C90X
3. Add NO_PIPELINE after LINK DRIVER 3C90X. Your file should
now look like this:
LINK DRIVER 3C90X
NO_PIPELINE
Windows 95 Installation Notes
-----------------------------
This information applies to the Windows 95 operating system.
When installing an EtherLink XL or Fast EtherLink XL adapter under
Windows 95, the operating system automatically detects the presence
of the adapter and asks for the diskette containing the driver
software for the adapter (the EtherDisk). At this point, you can
choose to cancel the installation of driver software and install it
later. Even though the driver installation has been canceled, the
fact that the adapter is installed is recorded in the system
registry.
Later, when you install the driver software using the Network
applet in the Control Panel, the operating system assumes that you
are installing another instance of an adapter, not installing
software for the already recorded instance. This results in two
instances of an adapter being recorded in the System Registry.
The Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL will not operate correctly
under these circumstances.
To fix this problem, open the System applet in the Control Panel.
In the Device Manager dialog box, under Network Adapters, the two
instances of the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL adapter are shown.
Remove the one that is marked disabled, and restart your computer.
The remaining entry for the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL adapter
in the same dialog box should show that the adapter is operating
correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
--------------------------
Q: Do I have to configure my 3Com PCI adapter for my computer?
A: PCI is a self-configuring bus architecture. Most of the time you
will only need to install the board in your system; PCI then does
the rest. However, on some PCI computers (mostly with combination
PCI/ISA or PCI/EISA buses in the same machine), you may be required
to configure the computer's BIOS manually after installing your PCI
adapter. If you need to configure your system manually, refer to
the owner's guide for your computer. In addition, see the hints at
the end of this document. 3Com testing has shown, for example,
that the AST Premmia GX P90 seems to require you to run the EISA
configuration utility once you install the board to make sure that
the I/O base address of the device does not conflict with other
devices in the system.
Q: Which PCI slot is best for my 3Com PCI adapter?
A: 3Com PCI adapters are designed to work in any PCI slot, including
"slave-only" slots. The adapters perform best in those slots that
support bus mastering data transfers. Refer to your owner's manual
for information on which slots support bus mastering data transfers.
Q: Is your Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL adapter compliant to PCI
spec 2.1?
A: Yes. 3Com's Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL adapters are compliant
with the PCI Spec 2.1. For further details, please see the product
data sheet.
Q: Which PCI slot(s) are "bus mastering" in my PCI machine?
A: Generally, if you have three PCI slots in a system, one slot will
be designated as a "slave-only" slot (that is, it does not support
bus mastering data transfers). Slots are not always marked clearly
to distinguish between slave-only and bus mastering slots. It is
best to refer to your owner's manual or contact your computer
manufacturer for this information. Also, make sure that you have
the latest version of your system's BIOS. Phone numbers for
leading PCI system manufacturers are included at the end of this
document.
Q: Which interrupt should I use with my 3Com PCI adapter?
A: Unless your system is a PCI-ISA/EISA combination computer that
requires manual configuration, you should not have to worry about
setting interrupts. However, if your computer is not self-
configuring, you will need to set your PCI adapter's interrupts
manually. To do this, you may need to set a jumper on your
motherboard or set the interrupt in the system's BIOS. In either
case, you will need to assign the PCI interrupt (INTA) to any
available interrupt not being used by an ISA or EISA add-in board
already in your computer. Keep in mind that the interrupt
configuration on your computer's motherboard and in your BIOS must
match. Since PCI supports shared interrupts, multiple 3Com PCI
adapters can use the same PCI interrupt (except as noted below).
Q. Does my PCI adapter support shared interrupts?
A. The drivers for the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL Bus Master
adapters support shared interrupts. However, because there is no
industry-standard way to support shared interrupts, other adapters
may support them differently, or not at all. If you have another
PCI adapter that does not support shared interrupts (for example,
a SCSI host adapter), either contact the manufacturer for a shared
interrupt driver or try running the system setup program to assign
it a different interrupt.
Q: What interrupt should I avoid using with my 3Com PCI adapter?
A: You should avoid using any interrupts used by ISA/EISA boards that
do not properly support shared interrupts (level-triggered). If
you do not know or are unsure whether your adapter supports shared
interrupts, then avoid using them. In addition, try to avoid
using the same interrupt as that of your local hard drive
(normally IRQ 14 for IDE drives and IRQ 11 for most SCSI host
adapters), since not all hard drives support shared interrupts at
this time. For Novell NetWare servers, you should also avoid
using IRQ 7 or 15. These IRQs only support non-shared devices and
may cause problems if they are shared between two devices.
Q: Is my 3Com PCI adapter a 3.3 V or 5 V adapter?
A: The 3Com adapter currently being shipped is a 5 V adapter. It will
not fit in a 3.3 V slot.
Q: My 3Com PCI adapter driver will not load when EMM386.EXE is loaded.
Why?
A: Microsoft's EMM386.EXE versions 4.48 and earlier may conflict with
some PCI systems ROM BIOS. If you are using EMM386 version 4.48
or earlier, make sure you run A:\MSUPDATE\MSUPDATE.EXE, which will
replace your current EMM386 with an updated version.
Q: The adapter works fine in DOS, but I can't execute programs loaded
over the net when Windows is running. What's wrong?
A: If the EMM386.EXE memory manager is not loaded by your CONFIG.SYS
file, Windows loads an equivalent driver when Windows is started.
The problem is that the EMM386 Windows emulator that ships with
Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 is not compatible with
PCI computers. To solve this problem, put the following statement
in your CONFIG.SYS file:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
immediately following the line
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
Make sure you are running version 4.49 or newer. If you are not
sure which version of EMM386 you have, run EMM386UP.BAT on the
EtherDisk diskette. This program will update EMM386 if the update
is needed.
Q: Two Etherlink XL adapters cannot be loaded in my Netware 3.11
server? When the second one loads, it generates the message,
"Attempt to reinitialize re-entrant module FAILED. Lan Driver
<name> is not loaded".
A: The default Netware 3.11 Packet Receive Buffers is not large enough
for the 3c90x adapter. Set the Minimum Packet Receive Buffer to 50
or more to resolve the problem. Consult Novell documentation for
detailed instructions.
Q: My ACERPOWER system indicates that I have a ROM installed, but one
is not present. Why?
A: The BIOS ACERPOWER (BIOS version V2.0 486/DX2 66 MHz) PCI system
incorrectly indicates (via the PCI information) that there is a ROM
on the PCI adapter. Contact ACER to get an updated BIOS to correct
this problem.
Q: Are my Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL Bus Master ODI drivers Novell
certified?
A: Yes. 3Com's Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL Bus Master ODI drivers
are Novell tested and approved.
3Com Technical Support
----------------------
Please refer to your PCI user guide for technical support information.
In addition, this information is also available in the
\HELP\SUPPORT.TXT file on the EtherDisk diskette.
3Com, EtherLink, and EtherDisk are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation.
(%VER README.TXT - Release Notes v1.0h)
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.