3com Fast EtherLink 3C515-TX User manual

http://www.3com.com/

http://www.3com.com/productreg

Fast EtherLink

®

ISA

10/100BASE-TX

Network Interface Card

User Guide

A member of the 3Com

®

Fast EtherLink family

of network interface cards

Part No. 09-0923-001

Published May 1999

3Com Corporation

■

5400 Bayfront Plaza

■

Santa Clara, California

■

95052-8145

reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative work (such as translation,

transformation, or adaptation) without written permission from 3Com Corporation.

3Com Corporation reserves the right to revise this documentation and to make changes in content

from time to time without obligation on the part of 3Com Corporation to provide notiﬁcation of such

revision or change.

3Com Corporation provides this documentation without warranty, term, or condition of any kind,

either implied or expressed, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties, terms or conditions

of merchantability, satisfactory quality, and ﬁtness for a particular purpose. 3Com may make

improvements or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this documentation

at any time.

If there is any software on removable media described in this documentation, it is furnished under a

license agreement included with the product as a separate document, in the hard copy documentation,

or on the removable media in a directory ﬁle named LICENSE.TXT or !LICENSE.TXT. If you are unable to

locate a copy, please contact 3Com and a copy will be provided to you.

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LEGEND

If you are a United States government agency, then this documentation and the software described

herein are provided to you subject to the following:

All technical data and computer software are commercial in nature and developed solely at private

expense. Software is delivered as “Commercial Computer Software” as deﬁned in DFARS 252.227-7014

(June 1995) or as a “commercial item” as deﬁned in FAR 2.101(a) and as such is provided with only such

rights as are provided in 3Com’s standard commercial license for the Software. Technical data is provided

with limited rights only as provided in DFAR 252.227-7015 (Nov 1995) or FAR 52.227-14 (June 1987),

whichever is applicable. You agree not to remove or deface any portion of any legend provided on any

licensed program or documentation contained in, or delivered to you in conjunction with, this User Guide.

Unless otherwise indicated, 3Com registered trademarks are registered in the United States and may or

may not be registered in other countries.

3Com, the 3Com logo, EtherDisk, EtherLink, Parallel Tasking, and TokenLink are registered trademarks

of 3Com Corporation. Dynamic

Access

is a trademarks of 3Com Corporation. 3ComFacts is a service

mark of 3Com Corporation.

Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they

are associated.

Guide written by Jean Anderson. Edited by Michael Brösius. Illustrated by Mary Inden. Produced by

Mary Estrella.

C

ONTENTS

A

BOUT

T

HIS

G

UIDE

How to Use This Guide 1

Conventions 2

1

I

NTRODUCTION

Features 1-1

10/100 Auto Negotiation (NWay) 1-2

Remote NIC Management 1-2

System Requirements 1-2

3C515-TX NIC Operation Tips 1-3

Compaq 386/20e PC 1-3

Compaq DeskPro 433/L PC 1-3

IBM 486 SLC and IBM 386 SLC PCs 1-3

Network Driver Installation Options 1-4

2

I

NSTALLING

THE

NIC

Getting Started 2-1

Installing the NIC 2-2

Connecting to the Network 2-5

3

I

NSTALLING

THE

N

OVELL

N

ET

W

ARE

D

RIVER

Before You Begin 3-1

Installing the Novell NetWare Client Driver 3-2

DOS and Windows 3.x 3-2

OS/2 3-3

Windows for Workgroups 3-5

NetWare Shell Support for Windows for

Workgroups 3-7

Windows 95 3-7

Conﬁrming Installation 3-9

Windows NT 4.0 3-10

Windows NT 3.51 3-11

4

I

NSTALLING

THE

NDIS N

ETWORK

D

RIVER

Before You Begin 4-2

Installing the NDIS 2.01 Driver 4-2

Windows 3.x 4-2

Windows for Workgroups 4-3

Windows 95 4-4

IBM LAN Server 4.0 for DOS and OS/2 4-5

LAN Services v4.0 for DOS 4-5

OS/2 LAN Server 4-6

DEC PATHWORKS, Banyan VINES Client,

Microsoft LAN Manager, or Artisoft LANtastic 4-7

Updating the NDIS 2.01 Driver 4-8

DOS or Windows 3.x Update 4-8

Windows 95 Update 4-8

Installing the NDIS 3.x Driver 4-9

Windows for Workgroups 4-9

Windows 95 4-10

Conﬁrming Installation 4-11

Windows NT 4.0 4-12

Windows NT 3.51 4-13

5

T

ROUBLESHOOTING

Troubleshooting with the NIC LEDs 5-1

Troubleshooting with the Diagnostic Tests 5-2

Running the Diagnostic Tests 5-3

Running the Group 1 Tests 5-3

Running the Group 3 Test 5-4

Testing 10BASE-T NIC Operation 5-4

Testing 100BASE-TX NIC Operation 5-6

Starting the Group 3 Test 5-6

Getting Help If a Test Fails 5-6

Changing the Test Setup 5-8

6

C

HANGING

C

ONFIGURATION

S

ETTINGS

Changing the Settings 6-2

A

S

PECIFICATIONS

NIC Speciﬁcations A-1

Cabling Requirements A-2

RJ-45 Connector Pin Assignments A-2

B

T

ECHNICAL

S

UPPORT

Online Technical Services B-1

World Wide Web Site B-1

3Com FTP Site B-1

3Com Bulletin Board Service B-2

Access by Analog Modem B-2

Access by Digital Modem B-2

3Com Facts Automated Fax Service B-3

Support from Your Network Supplier B-3

Support from 3Com B-3

Returning Products for Repair B-5

I

NDEX

3C

OM

C

ORPORATION

L

IMITED

W

ARRANTY

FCC C

LASS

A V

ERIFICATION

S

TATEMENT

FCC C

LASS

B S

TATEMENT

FCC D

ECLARATION

OF

C

ONFORMITY

3C

OM

E

ND

U

SER

S

OFTWARE

L

ICENSE

A

GREEMENT

P

RODUCT

R

EGISTRATION

F

IGURES

2-1

3C515-TX NIC 2-2

2-2

Removing the Cover 2-3

2-3

Removing the Screw and Backplate 2-4

2-4

Inserting the NIC 2-4

2-5

Connecting the Network Cable to the RJ-45 Connector 2-6

5-1

3C515-TX NIC and LEDs 5-1

6-1

Select an Adapter Screen 6-3

6-2

Changing Adapter Conﬁguration Screen 6-4

A-1

RJ-45 Connector Pin Assignments A-2

T

ABLES

1

Notice Icons 2

2

Text Conventions 2

5-1

LED Descriptions 5-2

5-2

NIC and Diagnostic Program Names 5-5

6-1

Option Settings 6-2

A

BOUT

T

HIS

G

UIDE

This guide describes how to install, conﬁgure,

and troubleshoot the 3Com

®

Fast EtherLink

®

ISA

10/100BASE-TX network interface card (called the

3C515-TX adapter in this guide).

How to Use This Guide

This table shows where to ﬁnd speciﬁc information in

this guide.

If you are looking for... Turn to...

Features and system requirements Chapter 1

Installation and cabling Chapter 2

Procedures for installing the NetWare network driver Chapter 3

Procedures for installing the NDIS network driver Chapter 4

Troubleshooting Chapter 5

Procedures for changing configuration settings Chapter 6

Specifications, connector pin assignments, cable troubleshooting,

and cable requirements

Appendix A

Technical support Appendix B

2

A

BOUT

T

HIS

G

UIDE

Conventions

Table 1 and Table 2 list conventions that are used

throughout this guide.

Table 1

Notice Icons

Icon Notice Type Alerts you to...

Information note Important features or instructions

Caution Risk of personal safety, system damage, or loss

of data

Warning Risk of severe personal injury

Table 2

Text Conventions

Convention Description

Screen displays

This typeface represents information as it appears on the

screen.

The words “enter”

and “type”

When you see the word “enter” in this guide, you must

type something, and then press the Return or Enter key.

Do not press the Return or Enter key when an

instruction simply says “type.”

Menu commands

and

buttons

Menu commands or button names appear in italics.

Example:

From the

Help

menu, select

Contents

.

Words in

italicized

type

Italics emphasize a point or denote new terms at the

place where they are defined in the text.

Words in

bold-face

type

Bold text denotes key features.

1

I

NTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the 3C515-TX NIC features, system

requirements, and network driver installation options.

The 3Com

®

Fast EtherLink

®

ISA 10/100BASE-TX network

interface card (called the 3C515-TX NIC in this guide)

connects your PC to either a 10BASE-T or a 100BASE-TX

network port.

The 3C515-TX NIC uses a single RJ-45 connector,

unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable, and a 16-bit ISA

slot in your PC.

Please read the README.TEXT ﬁle on the supplied

EtherDisk diskette for the latest information about this

product

Features

The 3C515-TX NIC has the following features:

■ Parallel Tasking

®

architecture for high throughput and

low processor utilization

■ 10 or 100 Mbps auto negotiation (NWay)

■ Microsoft Windows 95

and Windows NT support,

which automatically senses the presence of the

3C515-TX NIC and installs the correct network driver

from the 3Com EtherDisk

®

diskette

■ Intelligent Auto Install installation software, which

automatically installs all Novell

NetWare

DOS ODI client

software into your operating system

■ Status LEDs

■ Single shielded RJ-45 connector for both 10 Mbps and

100 Mbps speeds

1-2 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

■ Use of Category 3, 4, or 5 UTP cabling for 10BASE-T

Ethernet networks and Category 5 for 100BASE-TX

Fast Ethernet networks

■ Boot ROM (3C515-TRIROM)

10/100 Auto Negotiation (NWay)

The 3C515-TX NIC automatically runs at the speed

that the connected hub supports, using NWay, an

IEEE 802.3 standard. The 3C515-TX NIC also works

with any other non-NWay 10BASE-T or 100BASE-TX

IEEE-compliant products.

Remote NIC Management

3Com’s Transcend

®

PC Link SmartAgent

®

driver agents,

which need only 6 KB of memory, allow network

management of the 3C515-TX NIC and the PC in which

it is installed. You can get the driver agents from 3Com’s

Transcend PC Link SmartAgent software or from 3Com’s

bulletin board service (BBS). See Appendix B for

information on the BBS.

For more information on Transcend WorkGroup Manager

software, contact your authorized 3Com representative.

System Requirements

The 3C515-TX NIC can be installed in any PC that meets

the following requirements:

■ 80386, 80486, or Pentium PC

■ Available 16-bit ISA slot

■ 640 K of memory (minimum)

Make sure you are running the latest BIOS for your PC.

3C515-TX NIC Operation Tips 1-3

3C515-TX NIC Operation Tips

3Com testing has discovered bus mastering problems on

some PCs. Refer to the README.TXT ﬁle for information

on how to disable bus mastering.

The 3C515-TX NIC was designed for maximum

performance and compatibility in ISA-only machines. For

PCI/ISA hybrid or EISA PCs, use the 3Com 3C905-TX

Fast EtherLink XL PCI NIC or the 3Com 3C597-TX

Fast EtherLink EISA NIC.

Compaq 386/20e PC

3Com has observed during testing that the 3C515-TX

NIC is not detected by the Compaq 386/20e PC.

Compaq DeskPro 433/L PC

The Plug and Play (PnP) range check cannot detect an I/O

conﬂict with the on-board video set to the 0x3C0 I/O

base address. This NIC works with other I/O base

address settings.

IBM 486 SLC and IBM 386 SLC PCs

The 3C515-TX NIC does not run in bus master mode on

these PCs. To disable bus mastering on your PC, refer

to the README.TXT ﬁle.

1-4 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Network Driver Installation Options

You must install the network driver provided on the

EtherDisk diskette that allows the 3C515-TX NIC to work

with the following network operating systems, including:

■ Novell NetWare (16-bit client only)

■ NDIS network operating systems including:

■ Windows 95

■ Windows NT

■ Microsoft Windows for Workgroups

■ OS/2

■ Banyan VINES

■ Microsoft LAN Manager

■ IBM LAN Server

■ Artisoft LANtastic/AI

■ DEC PATHWORKS

The ﬁrst installation step is to install the 3C515-TX NIC in

your PC. Go to Chapter 2 for instructions.

2

INSTALLING THE NIC

This chapter describes how to install the 3C515-TX NIC in

your PC and connect it to the network.

Getting Started

CAUTION: The NIC is packed in an antistatic container

to protect it during shipment. Before you remove the NIC

from the container, touch the metal chassis of your PC to

reduce static electricity on your person. You can maintain

grounding by wearing a wrist strap attached to the

chassis.

Make sure you have these items:

■ 3Com Fast EtherLink ISA 10/100BASE-TX NIC

User Guide

■ 3C515-TX EtherDisk diskette, or EtherCD

Inform your network supplier and package delivery

carrier of any missing or damaged items. If you need

to return the NIC to 3Com, you must pack it in the

original (or equivalent) packing material, or the warranty

will be voided.

2-2 CHAPTER 2: INSTALLING THE NIC

Installing the NIC

To install the 3C515-TX NIC, follow these instructions:

WARNING: The NIC is installed in a PC that operates

with voltages that can be lethal. Before you remove the

cover of your PC, you must observe the following steps to

protect yourself and prevent damage to the system’s

components.

1 Turn off the PC and unplug the unit from its

power source.

2 Remove any jewelry from your hands and wrists.

3 Make sure to use only insulated or nonconducting

tools.

4 Remove the 3C515-TX NIC from its container.

5 Check the 3C515-TX NIC, shown in Figure 2-1, for

any visible signs of damage.

Figure 2-1 3C515-TX NIC

RJ-45 port

LEDs

100

TX

L

N

K

10

ACT

Installing the NIC 2-3

6 After you have unpacked the NIC, complete the

Product Registration Card and return it to 3Com.

Or call 1-800-NET-3Com for immediate registration.

Figure 2-2 Removing the Cover

7 Remove the PC’s cover, as shown in Figure 2-2, and

choose an empty ISA expansion slot.

If you do not know how to identify an ISA slot, ask your

system administrator.

CAUTION: Check the clearance between the NIC and any

adjacent board. If there is contact, move one of the boards.

8 Unscrew the screw holding the expansion slot’s

backplate and remove it, as shown in Figure 2-3.

2-4 CHAPTER 2: INSTALLING THE NIC

Figure 2-3 Removing the Screw and Backplate

9 Insert the 3C515-TX NIC into the empty expansion

slot, as shown in Figure 2-4, and secure it with the

screw you removed earlier.

Figure 2-4 Inserting the NIC

Make sure the board is ﬁrmly seated in the slot.

Mounting

screw

Expansion

slots

Expansion

slot cover

Connecting to the Network 2-5

10 Replace the PC cover and reconnect all previously

connected cables.

These are general instructions that apply to most PCs.

Refer to the manual that accompanied your PC for

detailed instructions on installing boards in your PC.

11 Turn the power to the PC back on.

12 Proceed to the next section, “Connecting to the

Network.”

Connecting to the Network

This section describes how to connect the 3C515-TX NIC

to the network cable.

You must connect the NIC to the network before loading

the network driver.

Make sure that the connector on your cable is wired

appropriately for standard 10BASE-T or 100BASE-TX

NIC cards.

This NIC can use Category 3, 4, or 5 UTP cabling for

10BASE-T networks and Category 5 for 100BASE-TX

Fast Ethernet networks.

Refer to Figure A-1 for RJ-45 connector pin assignments.

1 Connect the network cable to the RJ-45 port on the

3C515-TX NIC, as shown in Figure 2-5.

2-6 CHAPTER 2: INSTALLING THE NIC

Figure 2-5 Connecting the Network Cable to the RJ-45 Connector

2 Connect the other end of the network cable to a

10BASE-T or a 100BASE-TX network port.

3 Check the LEDs, shown in Figure 2-5.

After installation, and before you install the network

driver, the LEDs indicate the following:

■ 10 LNK LED lights green to show 10 Mbps

link integrity.

■ 100 LNK lights green to show 100 Mbps link integrity.

■ ACT LED is OFF until the network driver is installed

and then lights yellow to indicate port trafﬁc for

either speed.

For information on what the LEDs indicate after the

network driver is loaded, see Table 5-1.

The next step is to load the network driver. See Chapter 3

for Novell NetWare driver information and Chapter 4 for

NDIS network driver information.

RJ-45 port

RJ-45

connector

100 LNK LED

10 LNK LED

ACT LED

100

TX

L

N

K

10

ACT

Page is loading ...

3com Fast EtherLink 3C515-TX User manual

3com Fast EtherLink 3C515-TX User manual

Related papers

Other documents