3Com (R) Corporation
3Com EtherLink Server CD for
the 3C980C EtherLink Server NIC
Technical Notes and Frequently Asked Questions
The 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,
Microsoft Windows 2000, and SCO Unix
- Lifetime warranty
- Full duplex enabled for switched 10/100 Mbps environments
- DynamicAccess server features (load balancing, failover, VLANs)
- Hot plug NIC installation
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 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
EtherLink Server Network Interface Cards User Guide.
Online versions of the user guide in PDF and HTML
formats are located in the root directory of the
3Com EtherLink Server CD. Last minute corrections
(if any) to the user guide located in the printed
Release Notes found in the product package.
These technical notes document other known issues with
server hardware and with the Windows NT, Windows 2000,
NetWare, and SCO Unix network operating systems. If
you need a copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing
PDF format user guide, obtain it from the Adobe Systems
Incorporated web site:
http://www.adobe.com/
Software Compatibility
======================
The 3C980C-TX server NIC version 2.0 software is
fully compatible with 3C980B-TX server NIC hardware.
Upgrading from the Previous Driver Release
==========================================
It is strongly recommended that you install the
3C980C-TX server NIC and version 2.0 software on a
server where no earlier-version 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 in version 1.03.
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.
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 3C980C-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
3C980C-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
3C980C-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 EtherLink Server NICs on
HP NetServers
------------------------------------------------------
During testing of HP NetServers and the 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.
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 3C980C NIC
installed and a stack overflow occurs, please contact
Adaptec or SNI for an updated SCSI driver for the
machine.
DOS diagnostics incompatibility with 3C980C and
Gateway E-3000
-----------------------------------------------
During testing 3Com encountered incompatibilities with our
3C980C 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.
Installation of multiple 3C980Cs
--------------------------------
Since each 3C980C BootROM will take up 16K Upper Memory, if
you are installing multiple NICs in a system, you should disable
the BootROM option via DOS or Win Diagnostics.
Window NT and Windows 2000 Issues
=================================
Refer to the README.TXT file in the WINNT subdirectory.
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 3C980C-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, DynamicAccess, EtherLink, and EtherDisk are registered trademarks of
3Com Corporation.
(%VER 2.0d)
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.