Installation manual

3
Chapter 2
Installation
The Network Adapter Card
The network adapter card may be considered to be a two-sided
device with one side talking to your computer and the other side
talking to the network. A special interpreter called the driver
allows your network to communicate with your computer. The
network adapter card uses an address, an interrupt request
number (an IRQ), and a direct memory access (DMA) channel
number to describe its logical location inside your PC. The
adapter card will work if:
❑ The adapter card has unique address(es), IRQ, and DMA
channel
❑ You have network software installed
❑ You have a driver installed for your particular network
software/network adapter card combination
❑ Your adapter card is properly connected to the network
The Plug and Play Difference
In a Plug and Play computer, the computer and the adapter card
work out the assignment of addresses, IRQs, and DMA channels
so that each accessory device has the unique resources that it
needs. Plug and Play capability is supplied by Windows 95, the
system BIOS, or third-party software such as Intel Plug and
Play Configuration Manager. To use this feature, check your
computer hardware and software manuals and make sure your