3Com (R) Corporation
EtherDisk (R) Diskette for the
3C90X Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL Bus Master NIC Family
Release Notes and Frequently Asked Questions
The EtherDisk XL diskettes support 3Com's family of bus mastering PCI
network NICs with a common driver set. Products included in this
family are the Fast EtherLink XL 10/100BASE-TX and EtherLink XL PCI TPO/
COMBO NICs. 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 (TM), and Auto Select Media Type for
EtherLink XL Bus Master NICs and Auto Select Link Speed for Fast
EtherLink XL NICs
- 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 NICs. 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
-------------
Potential problem when sharing interrupts under Windows 95
----------------------------------------------------------
If you install two or more PCI NICs (one of them being
EtherLink XL) in your Windows 95 system using the same interrupt,
your system may exhibit strange behavior. 3Com has found that
sharing the interrupt can cause a blue screen errors or continuous
system reboots, that are caused by disabling or enabling your NIC
by using the Device Manager or the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program.
This problem has been found on multiple different systems and with
other manufacturer's PCI network cards. The solution is to stop
sharing the interrupt between the NICs and assign a different PCI
interrupt number to each of the NICs. Changing the PCI interrupt
assigned to a NIC is a function of the BIOS or a utility provided
by the PC Manufacturer. For more details refer to the
documentation provided with your computer or consult with the
manufacturer.
Windows NT 4.0 Incompatibility with Miniport Drivers
----------------------------------------------------
3Com has observed occasional system shutdowns on some
multiprocessor servers (servers with more than one CPU)
that use Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 running miniport drivers,
including the 3Com 3C90X.SYS miniport driver. This situation
is not unique to the 3C90X.SYS miniport driver and may occur
with other miniport architecture drivers used with Windows NT 4.0.
A new SRV.SYS driver from Microsoft fixes this problem. This
driver is included in the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack #1,
and can be downloaded from the Microsoft web site.
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 should not be worried about and have no effect on normal
operation. 3Com has noticed that these warnings also happen with
NICs from other manufacturing companies.
Stopping the driver in a Windows NT System
-------------------------------------------
3Com has found that if you stop the driver while there are no
protocols installed in your system it will crash with a blue
screen error. When this error occurs the system is dead and must
be rebooted. Microsoft has admitted that there is a problem in
Windows NT and will be fixed in Service Pack 2.0, which is not
available yet. To avoid this problem simply keep at least one
protocol loaded and Windows NT will not let you stop the driver.
Performance Hint for the Fast EtherLink XL NICs on HP NetServers
----------------------------------------------------------------
During testing of HP NetServers and the Fast EtherLink XL 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.
Warm Booting with the DOS based Drivers Running
-----------------------------------------------
3Com has found that some systems do not reset the PCI Bus when the
<CTRL><ALT><DEL> key combination is used to restart the computer.
If the system does not reset the PCI Bus when a "warm boot" occurs
the 3C90X Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL Bus Master NIC Family stay
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 reset button if your system has one or by turning
the system completely off before restarting.
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.
Unable to Use Network Connections After Running Diagnostics
-----------------------------------------------------------
When using the Etherlink XL 3C900-Combo NIC, 3Com has found that
running the diagnostic test contained in the Windows based 3Com
NIC Diagnostics may cause you to lose your network connections
and make it unable to create any new connections. This can be
corrected by rebooting the system.
Installation Issues in OS/2 Warp
------------------------------------------
3Com has noticed that during the install of early releases of
OS/2 Warp 3.0 that the LAPS might incorrectly install the 3C90X NIC.
If this does occur, the user will see the following message when
the machine is rebooted:
LT00042: The EL90XIO2_nif MAC was not able to bind.
Return code = 0x22
PR00025: An error occurred when the program tried to bind
LANDD to EL90XIO2_nif
To work around this issue, edit the PROTOCOL.INI file and locate the following section:
[EL90XIO2_nif]
Next, change the line
DriverName = EL9X$ to DriverName = EL90X$
NOTE: This problem only occurs to earlier release of OS/2 Warp 3.0 and not later releases.
3Com PCI NIC Installation Hints
-----------------------------------
Installing a PCI NIC in a PCI slot
--------------------------------------
1. Put the NIC in the computer. Refer to your computer
documentation.
2. Start the computer. In most cases, the PCI computer will
automatically configure the NIC. If this does not
happen, you may need to configure the computer to work
with the NIC. 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 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/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 /compaq.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 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.
3Com Diagnostic and Configuration Program Runs in DOS Mode Only
--------------------------------------------------------------
If you are running Windows 95 or windows NT, please use
3NICDIAG.exe, which is installed in your SYSTEM directory from
the EtherDisk 2 diskette when you install the NIC.
Echo Exchange Test Does Not Support Crossover Cable
---------------------------------------------------
Because the Echo Exchange test verifies the NIC'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 NIC 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
NIC is usually trouble-free. However, in some situations,
adding one or more of these NICs 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 NIC(s) and
other PCI devices.
When a resource conflict occurs, one of the following procedures
should provide a workaround.
Swap Slots
----------
If the conflict is with another plug-in PCI device, then
swapping the PCI slots of the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL
NIC 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
NICs, then swapping the PCI slots of the two NICs 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 NICs, 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 NICs 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 NIC
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 NIC (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 NIC, 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 NIC driver to load first, instead of the
EtherLink III PCI NIC 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 keyword 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 NIC under
Windows 95, the operating system automatically detects the presence
of the NIC and asks for the diskette containing the driver
software for the NIC (the EtherDisk 1 diskette). 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
applet in the 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 a NIC being recorded in the System Registry.
The Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL NIC 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 NICs, the two
instances of the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL NIC are shown.
Remove the one that is marked disabled, and restart your computer.
The remaining entry for the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL NIC
in the same dialog box should show that the NIC is operating
correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
--------------------------
Q: How do I stop the 3Com tray icon from appearing in my system tray?
A: You can stop the 3Com tray icon from appearing by double clicking
on the icon to start the diagnostic program. On the main page of
the 3Com NIC Diagnostics program there is a check box titled
"Enable Tray Control". Click on the check box to remove the check
mark and stop the 3Com tray icon from appearing upon reboot. If
for some reason this does not stop the 3Com tray icon from appearing
on reboot you can right click on the icon choose Disable 3Com TaskBar
Icon and then delete the file COMSMD.EXE from your system directory.
Your NIC will not be harmed in any way by deleting that file.
Q: How do I remove the software that comes with my Fast EtherLink
XL/EtherLink XL NIC from my system if I have a compatibility problem.
A: 3Com has developed a uninstall program for uninstalling the software
that comes with the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL NIC. You may
remove the 3Com Nic Diagnostics Program from your system at any time
by running the uninstaller in the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel.
(Windows NT 3.5/3.51 users will have to run the program UN3C90X.EXE
in the system32 directory). This will remove the diagnostics program
and the 3Com tray Icon. If you remove all the Fast EtherLink
XL/EtherLink XL NICs from the control panel the uninstall program will
be run automatically.
Q: Do I have to configure my 3Com PCI NIC 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
NIC. If you need to configure your system manually, refer to
the owner's guide for your computer. 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 NIC?
A: 3Com PCI NICs are designed to work in any PCI slot, including
"slave-only" slots. The NICs 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 NIC compliant with PCI
Spec 2.1?
A: Yes. 3Com's Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL NICs comply with 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 earlier in this
document.
Q: Which interrupt should I use with my 3Com PCI NIC?
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 NIC'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
NICs can use the same PCI interrupt (except as noted below).
Q. Does my PCI NIC support shared interrupts?
A. The drivers for the Fast EtherLink XL/EtherLink XL Bus Master
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 NIC), either contact the manufacturer for a shared
interrupt driver or try running the system setup program to assign
it a different interrupt. We have 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 note section
earlier in this document. If this is a problem, try using the DOS
configuration utility to give each NIC a different IRQ, and change
the BIOS on your system to match.
Q: What interrupt should I avoid using with my 3Com PCI 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 NIC 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
NICs), 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 nonshared devices and
may cause problems if they are shared between two devices.
Q: Is my 3Com PCI NIC a 3.3 V or 5 V NIC?
A: The 3Com NIC currently being shipped is a 5 V NIC. It will
not fit in a 3.3 V slot.
Q: My 3Com PCI NIC 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. Unless you
are running a version of DOS earlier than version 6.0. In that
case you will have to update your version of DOS to version 6.22
or higher to fix the problem. NOTE: if you have a version of DOS
higher than 6.22, you will not need to update EMM386.EXE.
Q: The NIC 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 1 diskette. This program will update EMM386 if the
update is needed. Unless you are running a version of DOS
earlier than version 6.0. In that case you will have to update
your version of DOS to version 6.22 or higher to fix the problem.
Q: Two EtherLink XL NICs 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 Buffer is not large enough
for the 3C90X NIC. 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 ACERPOWER BIOS (BIOS version V2.0 486/DX2 66 MHz) PCI system
incorrectly indicates (through PCI information) that there is a ROM
on the PCI NIC. 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.
Q: When I attempt to run the DOS configuration utility for the 3C905-XL
and 3C595-TX NIC, 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 NIC in another slot."
A: This error occurs in the Micron Millenia (M55HI) computer with BIOS
version 3, and only in slots 1, 2, and 3. The solution is to
install the NIC in slot 4, or if slot 4 is unavailable, disable
Plug and Play in your system's BIOS. This eliminates the error
in all four slots.
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 1 diskette.
3Com, EtherLink, and EtherDisk are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation.
(%VER README.TXT - Release Notes v1.0q)