Asante Desktop EN/SC User manual

Asanté Desktop EN/SC
Adapters
User’s Manual
EN/SC Manual Cover Page 1 Wednesday, August 21, 1996 8:17 AM

Asanté Desktop EN/SC
Adapters
User’s Manual
Asanté Technologies, Inc.
821 Fox Lane
San Jose, CA 95131
April 1996
Part Number 06-00261-00

Copyright Notice
Copyright 1996 byAsantéTechnologies,Inc.
Printed in the United States ofAmerica .
All rights reserved.No part of this manual,or any associated artwork,software,product design or design con-
cept,may be copied,reproduced or stored,in whole or in part,in any form or by any means mechanical,
electronic,optical,photocopying,recording or otherwise,including translation to another language or for-
mat,without the express written consent ofAsantéTechnologies,Inc.
Trademarks
AsantéTechnologies,Asanté Desktop EN/SC-10T/TNAdapter,andAsanté Desktop EN/SC-10TAdapter are
trademarks ofAsantéTechnologies,Inc.
Apple,AppleTalk,EtherTalk,AppleShare,and Macintosh are registered trademarks ofApple Computer,Inc.
Ethernet is a registered trademark of the Xerox Corporation,Inc.
All brand names and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
FCC Information
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.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference,in which case,the user at his
own risk and expense will be required to correct the interference in a commercial environment.
Warranty
TheAsanté Desktop EN/SCAdapters have a limited lifetime warranty which applies to the original purchaser
of the product. AsantéTechnologies,Inc.warrants that this product will be free from defects in title,materi-
als and manufacturing workmanship.If theAsanté Desktop EN/SCAdapter is found to be defective,then,as
your sole remedy and as the manufacturer’s only obligation,AsantéTechnologies,Inc.will repair or replace
the product provided that (1) you callAsantéTechnologies,Inc.for a Returned MerchandiseAuthorization
(RMA) number,that (2) you clearly write this RMA number on the outside of the package,and that (3) you
return it,postage prepaid,during the warranty period.This warranty is exclusive and is limited to theAsanté
Desktop EN/SCAdapters.
This limited lifetime warranty shall not apply toAsanté Desktop EN/SCAdapters that have been subjected to
abuse,misuse,abnormal electrical or environmental conditions,or any condition other than what can be
considered normal use.
Note: The warranty card must be filed withAsantéTechnologies,Inc.within 30 days after date of purchase.
Warranty Disclaimers
AsantéTechnologies,Inc.makes no other warranties,express,implied,or otherwise,regarding theAsanté
Desktop EN/SCAdapters, and specifically disclaims any warranty for merchantability or fitness for a particu-
lar purpose.
The exclusion of implied warranties is not permitted in some states and the exclusions specified herein may
not apply to you. This warranty provides you with specific legal rights. There may be other rights that you
have which vary from state to state
.
Limitation of Liability
The liability ofAsantéTechnologies,Inc.arising from this warranty and sale shall be limited to a refund of the
purchase price. In no event shallAsantéTechnologies,Inc.be liable for costs of procurement of substitute
products or services,or for any lost profits,or for any consequential,incidental,direct or indirect damages,
however caused and on any theory of liability,arising from this warranty and sale. These limitations shall
apply notwithstanding any failure of essential purpose of any limited remedy.

Page 1-1
1
Introduction
Introducing the Desktop EN/SC Adapters
Thank you for purchasing an Asanté Desktop EN/SC  SCSI-to-
EthernetAdapter,a device that enables you to connect your desk-
top Macintosh to a 10BaseT or Thin Ethernet network.
There are two models of the Asanté Desktop EN/SCAdapter (see
Figure 1-1):
•
the Desktop EN/SC-10T/TN (with 10T and BNC connectors )
•
the Desktop EN/SC-10T (with a 10T connector only)
Both the Desktop EN/SC Adapters pass Ethernet packets between
a Macintosh computer and an Ethernet network using the Mac-
intosh standard SCSI interface. Each model comes with a DB-25
to DB-25 SCSI cable.
The Asanté EN/SC Adapters are compatible with Apple System
Software 6.0.7 and higher. (Refer toAppendix B for compatibility
information.)
Figure 1-1 Asanté Desktop EN/SCAdapters
Desktop EN/SC
PWR
PWR
PWR
PWR
Desktop EN/SC
Desktop EN/SC-10T/TNAdapter Desktop EN/SC-10TAdapter

Page 1-2
Introduction
Desktop EN/SC Adapter Features
❏
Compliant with the IEEE 802.3 standard for
10Base2 (thin BNC) and 10BaseT (twisted-pair)
Ethernet
❏
Compatible with Apple® System 7,EtherTalk
Phase1™ and Phase 2 ™
❏
Support for AppleShare™,Novell NetWare™,
TCP/IP,and other popular network software
❏
TroubleShooter diagnostic software for testing
and identifying problems
❏
No external power required— power to the
adapter is supplied by the SCSI port via the DB-25
to DB-25 cable
❏
Compact and portable design
❏
Status LEDs display status information — power,
transmit,receive and link integrity
❏
Auto-sensing circuitry for 10Base-T and BNC ports
on the EN/SC-10T/TN model
❏
Fixed SCSI ID at 6
Package Contents
❏
Asanté Desktop EN/SCAdapter
❏
READ ME FIRST sheet
❏
User’s Manual
❏
Warranty / Registration Card

Page 2-1
2
Installation
Installation Overview
This chapter provides instructions for installing the Desktop EN/
SC-10T/TNAdapter and the EN/SC-10T Adapter.
The installation procedure has four parts:
• Preparing for the installation
• Installing the adapter
• Installing theAsanté EtherTalk software
• Accessing network services
Preparing for the installation
Observe the following safety precautions before and during the
installation:
∆ Important!
Before you connect and configure an
Asanté Desktop EN/SCAdapter,turn off the Macintosh
computer and all connected peripherals.
∆
Follow company guidelines and always plug or unplug
devices connected to the SCSI port with the power off!
• Consult your network administrator about the installa-
tion and its effect on the network; other users must be
warned of the possible interruption of network opera-
tions.
Checking the software and hardware
To install an Asanté Desktop EN/SC Adapter, you need the follow-
ing software:
• Apple System Software 6.0.7 or higher
• Asanté EtherTalk Installer

Page 2-2
Installation
Make sure you also have:
• An Ethernet network withAppleTalk-compatible
devices
• The appropriate EN/SC Adapter for your computer
Note : Refer toAppendixA of this manual for a com-
plete listing of all supported Macintosh systems.
SCSI cable provided with the Desktop EN/SC Adapters
One DB-25 to DB-25 SCSI cable is provided with the EN/SC-10T/TN
and EN/SC-10TAdapter (see Figure 2-1).
Figure 2-1 DB-25 to DB-25 SCSI cable
Identifying Ethernet cable requirements
Before you install anAsanté Desktop EN/SCAdapter,you must
know the connection and termination requirements for your
Ethernet cable type. You must also know the IEEE Ethernet length
specifications.(SeeAppendix B for information about Ethernet
length specifications.)
Ethernet
cable Requires Comments
10BaseT Hub and RJ45
connector 10BaseT-compliant
hub required
Thin BNC T-connector and 50-
ohm terminator at each
cable end
Thin Ethernet cable
requires terminator at
each end

Page 2-3
Asanté Desktop EN/SC Adapters User’s Manual
SCSI address on the EN/SC Adapter
The SCSI address on the EN/SC Adapter is fixed at 6 and cannot
be changed.
SCSI termination on the EN/SC Adapter
Since the DB25 SCSI port on the Asanté Desktop EN/SC Adapter
is internally terminated,the adapter must be the only SCSI device
you connect to the Macintosh.However,it may be one of several
devices in a SCSI daisy chain if the following guidelines are
adhered to:
• You must use a
DB-25 to DB-50 SCSI cable — not the
DB-25 to DB-25 SCSI cable included with the adapter —
to add another device to the SCSI chain.
• The Desktop EN/SC Adapter must be placed at the
end
of the SCSI chain.
Installing a Desktop EN/SC Adapter
The EN/SC-10T/TN Adapter has an RJ45 and a BNC port while
the EN/SC-10T Adapter has only the RJ45 port. If you are install-
ing the EN/SC-10T Adapter, disregard the instructions for Thin
Ethernet cabling.
1
Make sure all devices are turned off.
2
Plug one end of the SCSI cable provided into the
adapter’s SCSI port and the other end into the Macin-
tosh computer’s SCSI port (see Figure 2-2).

Page 2-4
Installation
Figure 2-2 Connecting the EN/SC-10T/TN Adapter as a single SCSI device
3
Connect the adapter to the Ethernet cable.Follow
the guidelines below for your cable type:
10BaseT cabling
• Plug the RJ45 connector on one end of the Ether-
net cable into the adapter’s RJ45 jack,and plug the
other end into a 10BaseT network hub.
Thin cabling
• Check with your network administrator before con-
necting the EN/SC Adapter to the network.
• If the Ethernet cable does not have aT-connector or
a BNC barrel connecting two cable segments,
splice the cable with the appropriate BNC hard-
ware.
• Connect the BNC-T connector on the Ethernet
cable to the adapter’s BNC port.
• If the Macintosh is at the end of a network seg-
ment,keep theT-connector and terminator on the
segment cable and connect theT-connector to the
adapter’s BNC port.The connector slips on,twists,
and locks in place.
BNC port
RJ 45 port
Asanté DB-25 to
DB-25 SCSI cable
SCSI port
EN/SC-10T/TN Adapter
Macintosh Classic

Page 2-5
Asanté Desktop EN/SC Adapters User’s Manual
Once you have connected the adapter to the network,you are
ready to install the EtherTalk software.
Installing EtherTalk software
An EtherTalk Installer diskette is included with your Asanté Desk-
top EN/SC Adapter. This diskette contains Asanté’s EtherTalk
driver, AppleTalk and other Apple system extensions. Asanté’s
EtherTalk device driver allows AppleTalk to communicate with
the EN/SC Adapter
.
Two types of software installations
Asanté provides two types of installation— Easy Install and Cus-
tomize
Install . To perform the customize install,you should be
experienced in network administration.
For detailed information about each installation, click the Help
button to display a help screen. The following table explains
which installation to choose
:
Before you install Asanté’s EtherTalk software, disable all exten-
sions and virus detection programs, then restart your Macintosh.
Choose When
Easy Install • You want to install theAppleTalk version that is
on the diskette and the Asanté Ethernet driver.
• Your network does not present any potential
compatibility problems with theAppleTalk ver-
sion on the diskette.
• You want access to EtherTalk Phase 2 network
services.
Customize
Install • Your network has software that may conflict
with the AppleTalk version on the diskette.
• You want to install only specific parts of the
Apple network software or just the Asanté
driver software.Read the Read Me First file for
more information about special situations and
installation options.
• You need to install EtherTalk Phase 1 network
services.

Page 2-6
Installation
1
Read the Read Me First file before you install the
EtherTalk software.It contains information about
your installation and will help you determine if you
need a customized installation.
2
The instructions assume that you normally boot
from your hard disk.
3
Insert theAsanté EtherTalk Installer disk into your
Macintosh computer.
4
Double-click the Installer icon,then click OK
when the Installer banner appears.(Be sure to dou-
ble-click — do not drag the files from the diskette to
the System Folder.)
The following Easy Install dialog box appears:
Figure 2-3 Easy Install dialog box
To perform an Easy Install
1
Click Install to perform an Easy Install .
The Installer program examines your Macintosh com-
puter and installs the EN/SC EtherTalk driver and
AppleTalk as needed.
Asanté EN/SC

Page 2-7
Asanté Desktop EN/SC Adapters User’s Manual
2
Click Restart when the system informs you that the
installation is successful.
To perform a Customize install
To perform a Customize install, you should be an experi-
enced Macintosh user with experience in network adminis-
tration.
1
Open the Read Me First file on the diskette for an
explanation of each installation option.Consult your
network administrator if you do not understand the
file.
2
Click Customize .A dialogue box appears showing
a list of software options.
3
Select the appropriate option.(To select multiple
operations,press Shift
- click .)
4
The system informs you when the installation is
completed.
5
Click Restart when prompted.
Note : If other Macintosh computers on the network
have Asanté EtherTalk drivers, we recommend you
upgrade all drivers to the most recent version.
Accessing network services
To connect to the Ethernet network,you must meet the following
requirements:
• Ethernet network with AppleTalk-compatible devices
• AppleTalk must be active in the Chooser dialog box
• EtherTalk must be active in the Control Panel
Asanté’s EtherTalk driver software enables AppleTalk to interact
with the EN/SC Adapter and to make a connection.

Page 2-8
Installation
1
Open the Network control panel. Three network
icons will appear .
2
Select EtherTalk Alternate
.
3
Close the Network control panel.Your connection
to the Ethernet network remains active until you
switch to LocalTalk,disconnect the cable,or discon-
nect theAsanté EN/SCAdapter.
4
Select Chooser from theApple menu.
5
The Chooser dialog box will appear,displaying all
network drivers available as well as theAppleTalk
Zones.Click once on theAppleTalk icon (and on
AppleTalk Zone if displayed).
6
Select your server or device from the list in the right
side of the window.
7
IfAppleTalk is not active,click the Active button,
close the chooser dialog box,then restart the Macin-
tosh computer.Repeat steps 4 and 5.

3
TroubleShooter Diagnostic
Software
The TroubleShooter diagnostic program is included with the
EtherTalk drivers on the Asanté EtherTalk Installer diskette.The
program runs diagnostic tests on the adapter to help you identify
problems with the adapter. It also provides configuration infor-
mation about the Macintosh computer and the adapter.
Running TroubleShooter Diagnostics
The TroubleShooter diagnostic program reinitializes and reconfig-
ures your Ethernet connection and sends out data through the
Ethernet port. Therefore,before you runTroubleShooter,you must:
• Save all open files and close all active applications
• Log out of any active network services
• Change from EtherTalk to LocalTalk
• Turn off virtual memory with System 7
• Restart yourMacintosh withvirussoftware,extensions
and inits disabled
The following sections provide instructions for these operations.
Changing from EtherTalk to LocalTalk
1
Drag any remote volumes into theTrash.
2
Change from EtherTalk to LocalTalk by clicking the
LocalTalk icon in the network control panel.
3
Disable virus software,extensions and inits.
4
Restart the Macintosh.

Page 3-2
TroubleShooter Diagnostic Software
Starting TroubleShooter Diagnostics
1
Insert the EtherTalk Installer diskette into your com-
puter,then open the diskette’s directory window.
2
Copy theTroubleShooter software to the desktop or
to a folder such as the Net Utils folder.
3
Double-click the TroubleShooter icon to start the
program,then click
OK in theTroubleShooter win-
dow.
4
If you have not changed your EtherTalk connection to
a LocalTalk connection,TroubleShooter warns you to
do so. Click
Exit , make the change from EtherTalk to
LocalTalk (following the instructions on page 1 of this
chapter),then restart the Macintosh.
5
TroubleShooter loads and automatically runs the fol-
lowing three default tests:
• Memory buffer test — writes to and reads from
the packet buffer RAM to verify its addressability
and operation.
• Network interface controller test— writes to and
reads from the controller register to verify its
operation. It also issues a transmit command to
verify the network interface controller’s integrity.
• Ping-Pong test — transmits and receives special
packets to verify communication with other sys-
tems on the network. If the Ping-Pong test fails,
check your connectors and cables.
6
TroubleShooter opens theTroubleShooter window
and displays results from the following tests (see Fig-
ure 3-1):

Page 3-3
Asanté Dekstop EN/SC Adapters User’s Manual
Figure 3-1 TroubleShooter window
Running other TroubleShooter tests
The Loopback and Bandwidth Utilization tests are available in
addition to the three default tests for validating the EN/SC
Adapter.
Running the Loopback test
The Loopback test verifies the operation of the major compo-
nents of the interface circuitry,the adapter,the serial network
interface,and the thin port transceiver by transmitting and
receiving special packets.
When using the Desktop EN/SC-10T/TN Adapter,disconnect the
thin Ethernet cable and attach aT-connector. Terminate each end
of theT-connector with a 50-ohm terminator.
To run the Loopback test,perform the following steps:
1
Click the Loopback Test checkbox to select the test.
2
Click TEST to start the Loopback test.
3 If the first test fails,click REPEAT .
Memory Test Passed
NIC Test Passed
Ping-Pong Test Passed

Page 3-4
TroubleShooter Diagnostic Software
4
If the tests are passed successfully,everything is oper-
ating properly.
If you leave the Macintosh connected to the network during the
Loopback test,the test may fail due to packet collisions. This
does not indicate the equipment is faulty. Repeat the test by
clicking
REPEAT . You need only one successful test to verify
proper product operation.If the Loopback test fails repeatedly,
please contact AsantéTechnical Support (seeAppendix C).
Running the Bandwidth Utilization test
1
Reconnect the Ethernet cable.
2
Click the Bandwidth Utilization checkbox to select
the test.
3
Click the TEST button to start the test.
4
Data representing network activity is collected from
the network during the test.
5
To stop data acquisition,click STOP or press any key
on your keyboard.
6
The performance statistics are displayed in theTrou-
bleShooter dialog box as shown below:
Figure 3-2 Bandwidth UtilizationTest window

Page 3-5
Asanté Dekstop EN/SC Adapters User’s Manual
What the Bandwidth Utilization test displays
The Bandwidth Utilization test takes a“snap shot”of the network.
The test can be used in conjunction with other network analysis
tools to identify network problems. A number of network criteria
are tested and displayed in the window. The criteria are described
briefly below:
• Good packets received — Total number of good
packets (error-free) received from the network by the
adapter. This allows you to evaluate activity on the net-
work. The activity level can be used as a benchmark to
determine changes in network performance.
• Total received — Total number of bytes received
from the network by the adapter. Good Packets
received displays the total number of packets,not the
packet size. Total bytes received is more specific; it
displays the actual byte count.
• Number of reset byte count — This number
increases in increments of (1) after each 10
9
byte
received from the network by the adapter.
• CRC Error — Indicates the number of packets with
CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) errors received from
the network by the adapter.When a packet is trans-
mitted, a mathematical calculation is done on the
header and data and is appended to the end of the
frame. The receiver of the packet performs the same
computation. If the computations are not equal, the
packet is discarded and a CRC error is issued.
• Frame Alignment Error — Indicates the number of
misaligned packets received from the network by the
adapter. An Ethernet frame is misaligned if it does not
end in an 8-bit boundary.

Page 3-6
TroubleShooter Diagnostic Software
• FIFO Overrun Error —This error occurs when FIFO
(First In, First Out) is disabled, causing an overflow
during reception.The reception of the packet is
aborted.
• Frame Lost Error — This error represents the num-
ber of lost frames received from the network by the
adapter.
• Receive Buffer Overwrite Error —Thiserror occurs
when the receive buffer is full because of heavy net-
work traffic.
• Sample Time —The time in seconds from test-start to
test-completion.
• Bandwidth Utilization —Totalbandwidthutilization
of the network. If it is more than 2 percent, it will
affect the FIFO Overrun Error and Frame Lost errors.
If a test fails
If a test fails,TroubleShooter displays an error message in the
main dialog box.The message generally consists of three parts:
• The name of the diagnostic test
• “Failed”
• A possible reason for the failure
Check the connections from your Macintosh to the Ethernet
cable, then repeat the tests.
If the test fails repeatedly,make a note of the error message,quit
the TroubleShooter diagnostics, and contact Asanté Technical
Support (see Appendix C).
Obtaining system configuration information
TroubleShooter provides configuration information about your
Macintosh computer and your Asanté EN/SC Adapter.

Page 3-7
Asanté Dekstop EN/SC Adapters User’s Manual
The File menu provides the configuration information in two sub-
menu items— Get System Information and Get Adapter Informa-
tion.The following information is displayed in the submenus
:
Quitting TroubleShooter Diagnostics and restarting
network services
To quit TroubleShooter, click the QUIT button in the Trouble-
Shooter dialog box or select
Quit from the menu bar.
To restart network services, perform the following steps:
1
ActivateAppleTalk in the Chooser.
2
Select EtherTalk in the Network control panel.
3
Restart the Macintosh computer.
4 Select Chooser , then select a network resource such
asAppleShare or another network service.
Menu Displays
Get System Information
• System software version number
• Machine type
• Memory size
• ROM version number
• InstalledAppleTalk version
Get Adapter Informa-
tion
• Summary of the Ethernet interface
hardware specifications
• Expansion slot used
• Card type
• Card’s 6-byte Ethernet address
• Card’s buffer size
• Asanté driver version:version 5.1
and higher