Installation and User Guide Gigabit EtherLink™ Server Network Interface Cards (NICs) Gigabit EtherLink Server NIC (3C985B-SX) 1000BASE-SX PCI Fiber NIC (710011, 710012) 10/100/1000BASE-T PCI NIC (3C986-T, 710024, 710025) 1000BASE-LX PCI Fiber NIC (710026) http://www.3com.com/ http://www.3com.
3Com Corporation ■ 5400 Bayfront Plaza ■ Santa Clara, California ■ 95052-8145 Copyright © 2001 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this documentation may be 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.
Contents Preface About This Guide 1 Other Important Documentation 1 Contacting 3Com 1 Online Technical Services 2 World Wide Web Site 2 3Com Knowledgebase Web Services 2 3Com FTP Site 2 3Com Bulletin Board Service 3 Access by Analog Modem 3 Access by Digital Modem 3 3Com Facts Automated Fax Service 3 Support from Your Network Supplier 4 Support from 3Com 4 Returning Products for Repair 7 1 Installing the NIC System Requirements 9 Important Components 10 Safety Precautions 11 Pre-Installation Checklist 11
Contents Verifying NIC Functionality 1000Base-SX NIC 28 Connectors LEDs 28 28 10/100/1000Base-T NIC Connectors LEDs 29 3 28 29 29 Installing DynamicAccess Software About DynamicAccess Software 31 Installing DynamicAccess Software in Windows NT 4.
Preface About This Guide This guide covers the installation of the 3Com Gigabit EtherLink Server network interface card (NIC). For configuration instructions, see the user guide for your operating system located on the Gigabit Ethernet Server NIC CD. This guide describes how to: ■ ■ ■ Physically install the NIC in your system. Connect network cables. Interpret the NIC LEDs. The procedures assume that you are a system or network administrator experienced in installing similar hardware.
Preface Online Technical Services 3Com offers worldwide product support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through the following online systems: ■ World Wide Web site ■ 3Com Knowledgebase Web Services ■ 3Com FTP site ■ 3Com Bulletin Board Service (3Com BBS) ■ 3Com FactsSM Automated Fax Service World Wide Web Site To access the latest networking information on the 3Com Corporation World Wide Web site enter this URL into your Internet browser: http://www.3com.
Contacting 3Com 3Com Bulletin Board Service The 3Com BBS contains patches, software, and drivers for 3Com products. This service is available through analog modem or digital modem (ISDN) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Access by Analog Modem To reach the service by modem, set your modem to 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit.
Preface Support from Your Network Supplier If you require additional assistance, contact your network supplier. Many suppliers are authorized 3Com service partners who are qualified to provide a variety of services, including network planning, installation, hardware maintenance, application training, and support services.
Support from 3Com Here is a list of worldwide technical telephone support numbers: Country (Region) Asia Pacific Rim Australia Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Malaysia New Zealand Pakistan Philippines P.R. of China Singapore S. Korea From anywhere in S.
Preface 6 Country (Region) Telephone Number Latin America Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Mexico Peru Puerto Rico Venezuela AT&T +800 666 5065 0800 13 3266 1230 020 0645 98012 2127 01 800 CARE (01 800 2273) AT&T +800 666 5065 800 666 5065 AT&T +800 666 5065 North America 1-800-527-8677
Returning Products for Repair Returning Products for Repair Before you send a product directly to 3Com for repair, you must first obtain an authorization number. Products sent to 3Com without authorization numbers will be returned to the sender unopened, at the sender’s expense.
1 Installing the NIC Use the procedures in this section to install the NIC and perform initial configuration in most systems. For details about performing these tasks on your particular system, refer to the manuals that were supplied with your system. System Requirements Before installing the NIC, make sure your system meets the requirements listed in the following table: System Requirements Windows NT Hardware ■ Pentium-based computer that meets Windows NT 4.
1 System Installing the NIC Requirements Novell Netware Hardware ■ Pentium-based computer that meets Novell NetWare 4.2 and 5.1 software requirements ■ One open 32-bit or 64-bit PCI slot ■ 128MB RAM (minimum) Operating System ■ Novell NetWare 5.1, with the most recent NetWare 5 Support Pack ■ Novell NetWare 4.2 with the most recent patches and support available from Novell technical support (http://support.novell.
Safety Precautions Safety Precautions CAUTION: The NIC is being installed in a system that operates with voltages that can be lethal. Before you remove the cover of your system, you must observe the following precautions to protect yourself and to prevent damage to the system components. ■ Remove any metallic objects or jewelry from your hands and wrists. ■ Make sure to use only insulated or nonconducting tools. ■ Verify that the system is powered OFF and unplugged before accessing internal components.
1 Installing the NIC NIC Installation To install a 3Com Gigabit Etherlink Server NIC in your system, perform the following procedure. 1 Observe all precautions and pre-installation instructions on page 11. Before installing the NIC, ensure the system power is OFF, and proper electrical grounding procedures have been followed. 2 Remove the system cover, and select any empty PCI slot. If you do not know how to identify a PCI slot, refer to your system documentation.
Connecting the Network Cables Connecting the Network Cables 1000Base-SX Fiber NIC 1 Prepare an appropriate cable. The following table lists cable characteristics required for connecting to 1000Base-SX port: Medium Diameter Frequency Cable Type Operating Range SX 62.5 Microns Shortwave (850 nanometers) Multimode fiber 2 to 275 meters (6.5 to 902 feet) 50 Microns Shortwave (850 nanometers) Multimode fiber 2 to 550 meters (6.5 to 1804 feet) (in compliance with IEEE 802.
1 Installing the NIC 10/100/1000Base-T NIC The NIC has one RJ-45 connector used for attaching the system to an Ethernet copper-wire segment. When automatic link negotiation is disabled, the port can be configured for 10Mbps, 100Mbps, or 1000Mbps signaling and either half-duplex or full-duplex operation. 1 Prepare an appropriate cable. The following table lists the cable characteristics for connecting to 10/100/1000Base-T ports: Port Type Connector Media Maximum Distance 10Base-T RJ-45 Cat.
2 Installing the NIC Software After installing the NIC, the NIC software must be installed and configured. Follow the steps for your operating system. WARNING: If you are using VLANs or teaming, you cannot use 3Com DynamicAccess software. If you have intermediate drivers for any third-party NICs installed, it will cause a conflict with the 3Com DynamicAccess intermediate drivers. Remove those intermediate drivers. Installing the Software in Windows NT 4.
2 Installing the NIC Software 1 Verify that Windows NT is upgraded with Service Pack 4 (or the latest service pack). NOTE: If you attempt to install the NIC driver on a newly installed Windows NT system (without Service Pack 4 or the most recent service pack), the driver will not install. The system will display a message indicating that you must exit the installation and first install Service Pack 4 or later. Note that 3Com has tested and supports Service Pack 6.0a only.
Installing the Software in Windows 2000 NOTE: If other NICs in your system use TCP/IP bindings, the TCP/IP Properties window opens. 12 Perform any necessary TCP/IP configuration and click OK when finished. For help in configuring TCP/IP protocol, consult your Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 documentation. 13 When prompted to restart your computer, click Yes. The system restarts, using the new configuration settings.
2 Installing the NIC Software NOTE: If you acquired the NIC software on floppy disk or from the 3Com website, enter the path to where the driver files reside on your system. 6 In the Driver Files Search Results window, verify that the correct path to the driver software is shown, then click Next. Once installation of the driver software has been completed, you are ready to configure NIC properties.
Modifying Configuration Parameters NOTE: When link negotiation is on, the user-configured link speed and duplex settings are ignored in favor of automatically determined settings. ■ ■ ■ ■ Full Duplex Enabled When link negotiation is unchecked, this parameter sets the duplex mode. You can select either half-duplex or full-duplex operation. ■ When checked, full-duplex signaling is used (default). ■ When unchecked, half-duplex operation is used.
2 Installing the NIC Software Installing the Software in NetWare This section describes how to perform the following tasks: ■ Verify that the required OS support files are installed on the server and the NetWare pre-installation parameters are correctly set. ■ Install the driver software in the Novell NetWare environment. Network administrators can use more than one method to install device drivers on a NetWare server.
Installing the Software in NetWare NOTE: If you are installing NetWare 5.1 for the first time on a server, you install the NIC driver during the OS installation procedure. You then install the NetWare 5.1 support pack after you have successfully installed NetWare 5.1 on the server. To get the latest support pack files, go to the Novell support website at http://support.novell.com.
2 Installing the NIC Software NOTE: Depending on your system configuration, the number of clients being supported, and other requirements, more than 1024 packet receive buffers may be needed for each NIC. For more information, see “Editing the STARTUP.NCF File” in the 3Com Gigabit EtherLink Server NIC User’s Guide for Novell NetWare. 4 Edit the autoexec.ncf file and modify NIC load parameters. The NIC parameters that can be defined in the load statements are described in "NIC Load Parameters" on page 23.
Installing the Software in NetWare NIC Load Parameters Parameter Descriptions slot=n Identifies the slot number for the specific 3Com Gigabit Etherlink Server NIC currently being configured. This parameter is not necessary if only a single NIC is installed. If multiple NICs are installed, you can view the list of slot numbers when loading the driver. frame=type link=n duplex=n Defines the frame type being used by this load instance. Valid types are: ■ Ethernet_802.2 ■ Ethernet_802.
2 Installing the NIC Software NIC Load Parameters (continued) Parameter Descriptions txflow=n If link negotiation has been disabled, you can turn 802.3x transmit flow control on or off. ■ A value of 1 (one), the default, allows the NIC to negotiate 802.3x transmit flow control with the device at the other end of the link. If 802.3x flow control is supported by the other device, transmit pause packets will be respected. ■ A value of 0 (zero) disables transmit flow control.
Installing the Software in NetWare 5 Configure driver parameters, referring to the parameter descriptions below and in the following table. Slot Number: Node Address: Link: auto Duplex: full Speed: 1000 RxFlowControl: allow TxFlowControl: off FDRFiltering: off RecvBuffers: Other: Driver Version: NIC Configuration Parameters Parameter Description Slot Number This field is required for proper configuration. Enter the slot of the specific 3Com Gigabit Etherlink Server NIC currently being configured.
2 Installing the NIC Software NIC Configuration Parameters (continued) Parameter Description Duplex When you disable link negotiation while installing a 1000Base-SX or 10/100/1000Base-T NIC, you can select either half-duplex or full-duplex operation. If you select this field and press , you are prompted to choose between “full” and “half” settings: ■ When “full” is selected, full-duplex signaling is enabled (default). ■ When “half” is selected, half-duplex signaling is used.
Installing the Software in NetWare NIC Configuration Parameters (continued) Parameter Description RecvBuffers To ensure optimum NIC performance, the NIC driver has a default value of 512 packet receive buffers for each NIC installed on the network. NOTE: If performing an initial installation of NetWare 5.1, the install program does not let you allocate the actual number of packet receive buffers needed by the NIC.
2 Installing the NIC Software Verifying NIC Functionality RX DATA TX 1000 BASE-SX 1000Base-SX NIC LINK Connectors The faceplate of the NIC has one 1000Base-SX fiber-optic connector for connecting the NIC to a Gigabit Ethernet segment. LEDs There are two LEDs on the faceplate: one to indicate link status and one for data transfer status.
Verifying NIC Functionality 10 100 1000 DATA 10/100/1000 BASE-T 10/100/1000Base-T NIC Connectors The faceplate on the 10/100/1000Base-T NIC provides an RJ-45 connector for connecting the NIC to another network device. LEDs The faceplate of the 10/100/1000Base-T NIC has four LEDs: one for each port speed option (10Mbps, 100Mbps, and 1Gbps), to indicate which link is active, and one LED for data transfer status.
3 Installing DynamicAccess Software WARNING: If you are using VLANs or teaming, you cannot use 3Com DynamicAccess software. If you have intermediate drivers for any third-party NICs installed, it will cause a conflict with the 3Com DynamicAccess intermediate drivers. Remove those intermediate drivers. About DynamicAccess Software 3Com DynamicAccess technology with advanced server features adds intelligence to the NICs to improve network performance, management, and control.
3 Installing DynamicAccess Software Installing DynamicAccess Software in Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 For Windows NT 4.0, DynamicAccess software requires Service Pack 6.0a or higher. Follow these steps for installing DynamicAccess software for a server NIC in a WIndows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0 computer: 1 Make sure that the NIC and the network driver are installed. 2 Start your Windows system and log in. You must have Network Administrator privileges to install the DynamicAccess software.
A Specifications 1000Base-SX Cable Characteristics Medium Diameter Frequency Cable Type Operating Range SX 62.5 Microns Shortwave (850 nanometers) Multimode fiber 2 to 275 meters (6.5 to 902 feet) 50 Microns Shortwave (850 nanometers) Multimode fiber 2 to 550 meters (6.5 to 1804 feet) (in compliance with IEEE 802.3-1999) 10/100/1000Base-T Cable Characteristics Port Type Connector Media Maximum Distance 10Base-T RJ-45 Cat.
A Specifications Physical Characteristics Dimension Measurement PCI Length x Width 17.27 cm x 10.67 cm (6.8" x 4.2") Power Requirements Specification Measurement PCI operating voltage +5 V ± 5% PCI power consumption 14 Watts 2.
Warranty and Software License Agreement 3Com Corporation Limited Warranty 3Com Gigabit EtherLink Server Network Interface Cards (NICs) HARDWARE 3Com warrants this hardware product to be free from defects in workmanship and materials, under normal use and service, for the following length of time from the date of purchase from 3Com or its authorized reseller: Three (3) years 3Com’s sole obligation under this express warranty shall be, at 3Com’s option and expense, to repair the defective product or part, del
Warranty and Software License Agreement WARRANTIES EXCLUSIVE IF A 3COM PRODUCT DOES NOT OPERATE AS WARRANTED ABOVE, CUSTOMER'S SOLE REMEDY FOR BREACH OF THAT WARRANTY SHALL BE REPAIR, REPLACEMENT, OR REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID, AT 3COM'S OPTION.
Warranty and Software License Agreement FCC Class B Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1 This device may not cause harmful interference, and 2 This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
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