ASUS 3C90x 10 Mbps and 10/100 Mbps PCI NIC Family Network Driver

ASUS 3C90x 10 Mbps and 10/100 Mbps PCI NIC Family Driver. Asus A7N8X Deluxe - nVidia nForce2 onboard:3Com (R) Corporation

3C90x 10 Mbps and 10/100 Mbps PCI NIC Family

Release Notes and Frequently Asked Questions

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The EtherCD version 5.4 CD supports 3Com 10 Mbps

and 10/100 Mbps PCI bus-mastering network interface

cards (NICs) with a common driver set. Key product

features include:

- Parallel Tasking II (R) architecture for high performance

- Bus mastering for low CPU utilization and optimal overall

system performance

- Automatic selection of media type and link speed for

10/100 Mbps NICs

- Full duplex enabled for switched 10/100 Mbps environments

- Broad driver support, including NetWare, NDIS 2.01,

NDIS 3.0, NDIS 4.0, NDIS 5.0, and others

- SNMP manageability

- Lifetime limited warranty

Release Notes and Frequently Asked Questions

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This file contains release notes and answers to some frequently

asked questions to help you obtain maximum performance from

your 3Com NIC. This information is updated regularly on the

3Com World Wide Web site (www.3Com.com).

Release Notes

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>>>DynamicAccess LAN agent and

Windows Millennium Edition (Me)

DynamicAccess LAN agent software is not supported

on PCs running Windows Me. If you tried installing

DynanmicAccess LAN agent on a Windows Me PC,

you may lose network connectivity. To resolve this,

remove the DynamicAccess LAN agent software:

1. Open the Add/Remove Programs icon in the

Windows Control Panel.

2. Select the DynamicAccess Software entry, and

then click Remove.

3. Reboot the PC when prompted.

>>> Installing ODI 32 LAN driver supporting multiple

3C905B or 3905C NICs

If you are using the ODI 32 LAN driver in a system with

more than one 3C905B or 3C905C NIC installed and you

are using Novell server revision 5.1, you need to upgrade

the Novell 5.1 server to either Service Pack 1 or Novell 5.1

International versions. If this upgrade is not done and you

unload the ODI 32 LAN driver, the server will abend.

>>> Warm booting with the DOS-based drivers running

3Com has found that some older systems do not reset the

PCI Bus when the <CTRL>+<ALT>+<DEL> key combination

(a "warm boot") is used to restart the PC. If the system

does not reset the PCI Bus when a warm boot occurs, the

3Com NIC remains in a running state that can cause problems

if there is any network activity before the driver is reloaded.

This problem can be avoided by pressing the PC's reset

button (if your PC has one) or by turning the PC completely off

before restarting.

>>> DOS diagnostics incompatibility with 3C905B NIC in

Plug and Play PCI computers

During testing, 3Com encountered incompatibilities with the

3C905B&C NIC family and the some PCs when loading the

3Com DOS Configuration and Diagnostics program. This

happens when the PnP OS option is enabled in the BIOS

settings. When the computer is booted, configuration

resources are not assigned to the NIC. 3Com recommends

that you change the PnP OS setting to disabled, save that

configuration, reboot the computer to DOS, then run the

3Com DOS Configuration and Diagnostic program.

>>> Network Test using a crossover cable

The Network Test in the 3Com Diagnostics program for

Windows verifies the NIC's ability to transmit and receive

data while on the network. There are two ways to perform

the test:

--Connect two PCs to the same network (using a hub

or switch).

--Connect two PCs directly to each other using a

crossover cable.

Connecting Two PCs to the Same Network

-----------------------------------------------

1. Connect one PC (the echo server) and another PC

(the echo client) together through a hub or a switch

that generates a constant link beat.

2. Set each NICs' Media Type and Duplex settings

to AutoSelect.

3. Run the test.

Connecting Two PCs Using a Crossover Cable

-----------------------------------------------

1. Connect the two PCs together using a crossover cable.

2. Manually set the Media Type to 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps

and the Duplex mode to full or half duplex.

3. Run the test.

>>> Error: " Invalid PCI Interrupt Level, Probable Hardware

Incompatibility while executing DOS diagnostics"

3Com has observed that some PCs may display the above

error message when the 3Com DOS Configuration and

Diagnostics program is launched. To avoid this problem,

the "Plug & Play O/S " option should be disabled in the

system BIOS. Consult your PC's documentation for the

proper steps to disable this option.

>>> DOS Configuration and Diagnostics program unable

to recognize 3C90x NICs in Windows NT 3.51,

Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.

3Com has observed that the 3Com DOS Configuration and

Diagnostics program does not recognize 3C90x NICs when

running under a DOS window using Windows NT 3.51,

Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000. To avoid this problem,

boot your PC with a DOS-bootable diskette and then launch

the program.

>>> When running the 3Com DOS Configuration and

Diagnostics program on a NIC with an MBA boot ROM

installed, the N-WAY Auto Select option sometimes

disappears from the list.

Re-run the diagnostics program without rebooting. This

restores all available settings. This situation was observed

intermittently on multiple machines but does not have any

impact on the performance of the NIC.

>>> When running the 3Com DOS Configuration and

Diagnostics program, the diagnostic tests take the NIC

off-line and force the link to 10 Mbps Half Duplex.

Running the Group1 test forces a link renegotiation and the

correct speed is set. Link renegotiation can also be forced by

disconnecting and reconnecting the cables. These change of

states can be observed with the NIC link (LNK) LED and the

switch port status.

This scenario was observed only when the NIC was set to

NWAY - Auto and connected to a LinkSwitch 3000 port that was

also set to auto negotiate. This situation does not have any

impact on the performance of the NIC.

>>> Error when running the 3Com DOS Configuration and

Diagnostics program from a DOS window under Windows 98

To avoid possible errors, 3Com suggests booting from a

DOS-bootable diskette when running the DOS diagnostics

program. Alternatively, the DOS diagnostics program can be

run by rebooting your PC in "Safe Mode - Command Prompt Only".

>>> 3C90x-COMBO NICs require a reboot to reestablish

network connectivity when switching between ports on the

NIC

When changing from one port to another on a

3C90x-COMBO NIC, you must reboot your PC to establish

a network connection. This includes any change from AUI

or BNC to TP, TP to BNC or AUI, and any changes between

BNC and AUI.

>>> Intermittent LED behavior on 3C905B NICs

3Com has observed that your PC must be power cycled after

you have changed speed settings from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps.

The reboot allows the LEDs to indicate the correct speed settings.

>>> Client 32 installations in Windows 98

3Com does not recommend using the ODI LAN driver for

Client 32 installations under Windows 98. The Windows NDIS

driver should be used instead.

>>> Changing media type or duplex mode in the 3Com

NIC Diagnostics program for Windows using the NDIS 3

driver in Windows 95 (Retail)

When you change the media type or duplex mode using

the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program for Windows, you must

exit the diagnostics program and reboot the PC for the

changes to take effect.

>>> DynamicAccess control panel icon is disabled after

removing the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program

If you remove the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program on a

PC running Windows 98 or Windows 95 (OSR2) with the

DynamicAccess LAN agent installed, the DynamicAccess

control panel icon will be disabled. Remove and reinstall

the DynamicAccess LAN agent to fix the problem.

>>> Installing the DynamicAccess LAN agent in a

Windows 95 PC that does not have a NIC installed

Do not install the DynamicAccess LAN agent on a PC that

does not have a NIC installed. Doing so results in the

following error message:

"3Com Dynamic Access Software did not install successfully.

From the start button run DAW95RMV.EXE..."

Do not run the DAW95RMV.EXE program. See the DynamicAccess

Software User Guide, located with the DynamicAccess LAN agent

software on the EtherCD, for instructions on how to remove the

DynamicAccess LAN agent.

>>> Windows 95 and Windows 98 installation notes

This information applies to Windows 95 and Windows 98

operating systems.

When installing a 3Com NIC under Windows 95/98, the operating

system automatically detects the presence of the NIC and asks for

the diskette containing the driver software for the NIC (diskette

1). 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 NIC is installed

is recorded in the System Registry.

Later, when you install the driver software using the Network icon

in the Windows Control Panel, the operating system assumes

that you are installing another instance of a NIC, not installing

software for the already recorded instance. This results in

two instances of the NIC being recorded in the System Registry.

The 3Com NIC does not operate correctly under these

circumstances.

To fix this problem, open the System icon in the Windows Control

Panel. In the Device Manager, under Network adapters, the two

instances of the 3Com NIC are shown. Remove the one that is

marked as disabled, and restart your computer. The entry for the

remaining NIC in the same dialog box should show that the NIC

is operating correctly.

>>> Windows NT 4.0 installation notes

This information applies to Windows NT 4.0 operating systems.

The oldest Windows NT 4.0 service pack that can be used with

EtherCD 5.4 is Service Pack (SP) 4. Some components require even

more recent service packs. Consult the help files for those

components.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

-------------------------------------------------

NOTE: Specific FAQs for Remote Wake-Up are in the

WAKEFAQ.TXT file located in the HELP directory on the

EtherCD (or EtherDisk diskette 2).

Q: How do I remove the software that comes with my

3Com NIC if I have a compatibility problem?

A: You may remove the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program

from your system at any time by running the uninstaller

in the Windows Add/Remove Programs Control Panel.

If you remove all of the 3Com NICs from the Control

Panel, the uninstall program runs automatically.

Q: Which PCI slot is best for my 3Com 10/100 PCI NIC?

A: 3Com PCI NICs are designed to work in PCI slots that

support bus-mastering data transfers. Refer to your

PC manual for information on which slots support

bus-mastering data transfers.

Q: Which PCI slot(s) are "bus mastering" in my PCI machine?

A: Generally, if you have three PCI slots in a machine, one slot

is designated as a "slave-only" slot (that is, it does not

support bus-mastering data transfers). Slots are not always

marked clearlyto distinguish between slave-only and

bus-mastering slots. 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.

Q. Does my PCI NIC support shared interrupts?

A. The drivers for the 3Com NICs support shared interrupts.

However, because there is no industry-standard way to

support shared interrupts, other NICs may support them

differently, or not at all. If you have another PCI NIC 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.

3Com has found that OS/2 version 1.3 does not support

shared interrupts, but it is only a problem if you are using

the OS/2 NDIS 2.01 driver in LAN Manager version 2.2.

3Com has also found some problems with sharing

interrupts under Windows 95. More details are available

in the "Release Notes" section earlier in this document.

If this is a problem, try using the 3Com DOS Configuration

and Diagnostic program to give each NIC a different IRQ,

and change the BIOS on your system to match.

Q: What interrupts should I avoid using with my 3Com NIC?

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 devices supports shared interrupts, then

avoid using them. In addition, try to avoid using the

same interrupt as your local hard drive (normally

IRQ 14 for IDE drives and IRQ 11 for most SCSI

host controllers), because 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 nonshared devices and

may cause problems if they are shared between two

devices.

Q: Are the 3Com ODI drivers Novell-certified?

A: Yes, 3Com's ODI drivers are Novell tested and

approved.

Q: How do I update my 3C90x drivers in Windows?

A: Obtain the latest drivers from the 3Com Web site

(www.3com.com). You can update the drivers using

the Update NIC Drivers option on the EtherCD. See

the user guide (UsrGuide.PDF) for instructions.

3Com Technical Support

-----------------------------------

Refer to the 3Com 10/100 PCI NICs user guide

(UsrGuide.PDF) for technical support information.

This information is also available in the

\HELP\SUPPORT.TXT file on the EtherCD

(or EtherDisk diskette 2).

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3Com, EtherDisk, and DynamicAccess are registered trademarks

of 3Com Corporation.

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