MaxTech NX-32PCI User manual

Part#MAN108Rev.1.0 NX32PCI/D
NX-32PCI
U SER ' S G UIDE
High Performance
32-Bit PCI Bus
Ethernet Adapter
With support for BNC and
RJ45 connectors

1
Section One - Introduction
MaxTech’sNX-32PCISeriesnetworkadaptersare
high performance, full duplex 32-bit adapters con-
forming to IEEE 802.3 standards for use on 10
MbpsEthernetnetworks.Theadapters are compli-
ant with PCI Local Bus Specification Revision 2.0
providing 32-bit data transfer for maximized data
throughput and optimized CPU utilization. LED
status indicators are provided for monitoring or
troubleshooting network activities.
Two cable connectors (RJ45, BNC) on the cards
provideflexibilityinattaching to Ethernet networks.
The cards automatically detect the media type
used.Alsoincludedaredriverssupportingallpopu-
lar network operating systems.
Section Two - Installation
This section will provide step by step instructions on
how to install your new MaxTech network adapter.
Installation of this network adapter consists of A)
hardware installation, B) card configuration and C)
network driver installation.
Contents
Section One - Introduction................................. 1
Section Two - Installation .................................. 1
Section Three - Driver Installation ..................... 8
Section Four - Using the Remote Boot ROM .. 10
Section Five - Troubleshooting .........................11
Section Six - Cable Information....................... 12
Section Seven - Specifications ........................ 12
Section Eight - Technical Support ................... 13
Section Nine - Notices ..................................... 13

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2.1 Unpacking Your Network Adapter
Your package should contain the following items:
Adapter Card BNC T-connector
Driver disk User's Guide
The back plate of the card has
the following features (See Fig-
ure 2-1):
• 2 network cable connectors:
RJ45 Connector for
10BASE-T networks
BNC Connector for
10BASE-2 networks
• 2 LED indicators with the fol-
lowing functions:
LINK (green) - Link Status.
The card is success-
fully connected to a
10Base-Tnetwork.Not
used with BNC con-
nections.
ACT (green) - Network ac-
tivity. Indicates when
the card is receiving
network data.
2.2 Hardware Installation
Installation of this adapter card requires opening
and manipulating your PC. Exercise caution at all
times when working with AC powered and static-
sensitive equipment. Turn off and unplug your PC
before installation. Discharge any static electricity
from your body by touching any metal surface.
Note: If you are also installing the optional boot
ROM, refer to Section 2.2.1 for detailed ROM
installation instructions before beginning adapter
installation.
Figure2-1
BNC
ACT
LINK
RJ-45

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1. Turn off your computer and all peripherals.
2. Make a note of the power cord and other
cables connected to your computer and
disconnect them.
3. Remove your computer’s cover (refer to
your computer’s owner manual).
4. Select an available PCI expansion slot, and
then remove the slot cover.
5. Touch the computer chassis before remov-
ing the adapter from its anti-static bag. This
willdischargeanystaticelectricity from your
body.
6. Carefully install the adapter by firmly press-
ing the card into the slot you have chosen,
applying even pressure until the adapter is
completely seated in the slot.
7. Fasten the retaining bracket with the screw
from the slot cover. Make sure the adapter
is properly aligned. Store the slot cover for
future use.
8. Replace the computer cover and reconnect
the power cord and all cables.
9. Attach the network cable to your adapter.
Proceed to Section 2.3.
2.2.1 Boot ROM Installation (optional)
An empty ROM socket is provided on the adapter
toaccept an optional RemoteBootROM (available
from your dealer). The Boot ROM allows the PC to
load the Operating System over the network for
diskless applications.
1. Insert the Boot ROM into the socket. Make
surethatthenotchontheROMmatchesthe
one on the socket (refer to Figure 2-2).
2. Be certain to enable your adapter's boot
ROM by setting the Boot ROM Size param-
eter to “16 Kilobytes” when running the
SETUP.EXE program after the card has
been installed (Refer to Section 2.4.2). Re-

4
turn to Section 2.2 to continue installa-
tion.
2.3 PCI Adapter Configuration
The steps used to configure your adapter depend
on whether your computer system supports the
Plug and Play (PnP) 1.0a specification. You most
likely have a Plug and Play 1.0a compliant system
if it was purchased after June 1994 or if the BIOS
is dated after June 1994.
If your system is PnP compliant, either in BIOS or
ifyou are runningWindows 95, goto Section 2.3.1.
If you have a non-Plug and Play system, proceed
to Section 2.3.2 for detailed information on how to
configure your adapter.
2.3.1 Configuration in Plug and Play systems
On systems with Plug and Play motherboards the
cardwillbeconfiguredautomaticallybythesystem's
BIOS during boot-up. The BIOS automatically
assigns the I/O base address and IRQ to the card
for proper operation. Continue to Section 2.4.
2.3.2 Configuration in Non-Plug and Play Sys-
tems
Early generation PCI bus PCs require that the PCI
adapter card be configured using the BIOS setup
program. Setup options include: A) enabling the
specific slot in which the adapter is installed, B) the
selection of Bus Master mode, and C) selection of
Align ROM
and socket
notches
Figure 2-2 Boot ROM alignment

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the IRQ.
Theprocedures to perform PCIcard setup on early
generation PCI bus PCs and the related terms to
describe each procedure vary depending on which
BIOSyourcomputeruses.Refertoyourcomputer's
manual for specific information on configuring PCI
slots.Asanexample,generallyanearlygeneration
Phoenix BIOS has a “Device Select” field where
you should input the number of the slot (printed on
thePCmotherboardnexttothePCIslot)intowhich
the card was inserted. The field that reads “Enable
Device” should be set to “Enabled.” In addition, set
the “Enable Master” field to “Enabled”. Set the IRQ
for the adapter's slot to one which is unused by
other devices in the system.
Your BIOS may also require setting the IRQ trig-
gering method. There are three types of settings to
chose from:
•Level/Auto - This is usually the default.
Choosing this option leaves the assigned
IRQ free for other use if the installed card
does not use it.
•Level/Forced - If you are not able to get the
PCI card to work properly, choose this op-
tion. This will assign the specified IRQ per-
manently to the card.
•Edge/Auto - Some PCI boards support this
option. Do not use it.
Continue with the installation by proceeding to
Section 2.4.
2.4 Running the Set Up Utility
After the adapter is configured, run the setup/
diagnostic utility SETUP.EXE found on the driver
diskette to: A) view the adapter configuration, B)
set optional configuration parameters, and C) per-
formadapterdiagnostics.Do not run SETUP.EXE
with network drivers loaded. Refer to the file
README.TXT in the root directory for detailed

6
information.
To run SETUP.EXE, insert the driver diskette into
a disk drive.
From the DOS prompt, change to that drive by
typing A: (or B:) and pressing Enter.
Type \SETUP at the DOS prompt and press Enter.
This will start the program.
2.4.1 View Current Configuration
Select View Current Configuration to see the
current adapter settings. This option will show the
settings for:
• Ethernet Address
• Medium Type
• Full Duplex
• I/O Base
• Interrupt
• Boot ROM Size
2.4.2 Set Up New Configuration
The Set Up New Configuration option allows you
to change settings on the adapter. Your PC's BIOS
should have automatically allocated the neces-
sary I/O base address, interrupt, and Boot ROM
address (if needed) to the adapter. SETUP will not
allow you to change any resources which are
allocated by the BIOS. It does allow the user to
change the following settings:
•Medium Type
•Full-Duplex Function
•Boot ROM Size
Medium Type has four options: A) 10 BASE-T,
TP/CX Auto-Detect for 10Base-T (RJ-45) or
10Base-2(BNC)networks(automaticallydetected),
B) 10 BASE-T Link Test Disabled for twisted pair
networks, C) 10 BASE-5 for 10Base-5 (this selec-
tion cannot be used with this card), and D) 10
BASE-2 for coaxial networks.

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TheFull-DuplexFunctionshouldbeenabledonly
if the server you are attached to and all intercon-
necting devices (e.g. switching hubs) support this
mode.
Boot ROM Size should only be set if a Boot ROM
is present on the card. Enabling this setting allows
remote booting from the server. Refer to Section
2.2.1 for more information on installing the Boot
ROM.
2.4.3 Testing The Adapter
Setup provides the following testing options under
Run Diagnostics:
• Run EEPROM Test
• Run Diagnostic On Board
• Run Diagnostic On Network
Note: Do not run SETUP with network drivers
loaded.
The Run EEPROM Test option performs read/
write tests on the adapter's on-board EEPROM
registers and reports the results.
The Run Diagnostic On Board option runs sev-
eral tests and the results are indicated by either
PASS or FAIL counts. Make sure that the network
cable is attached (and properly terminated if using
a BNC connection) to the adapter when using this
option. If any test has a fail count, press the
spacebar for help on the reason for the failure and
possible solutions.
The following tests are performed in the Run
Diagnostic On Board option:
1. Board Reset: Confirms the adapter will
reset.
2. I/O Registers: Checks I/O accessibility.
3. Loopback Test:Checkstheadapter'scon-
troller.
4. CableConnection:Testsforacorrectcable
connection.

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5. RAM Test: Checks on-board RAM.
The Run Diagnostics on Network option allows
the user to test the network cable connection
between two cards. One card is setup as a Re-
sponder and a second card is setup as an Initia-
tor. The Initiator and Responder will exchange
packets and display the number of transmit and
receive packets that have passed or failed. Note:
A Responder can only recognize one Initiator at a
time.
2.5 Configuration Files
Two options are available in SETUP.EXE to easily
configure many cards to the same settings. Note:
The Save Configuration to File and Load Con-
figuration from File only involve the param-
eters in the Setup New Configuration option of
the main menu. These setup parameters can be
saved to disk to be later loaded on other machines
to configure other cards.
Section Three - Driver Installation
The network operating system (i.e. Novell, Win-
dows 95, Windows NT, LAN Manager, etc.) that
you are using requires a driver to access the
network adapter card. Drivers for popular network
operating systems are included on the installation
disketteinseparatesubdirectories.RunHELP.EXE
to view information on each network driver.
Most network operating systems provide a setup/
installation program to configure your computer for
use on the network. These programs copy the
appropriate driver directly from the adapter's driver
diskette. Section 3.1 gives an example of this using
Windows 95.
Important Note:
If you are using an upper memory manager, your

9
32-bit (PCI) adapter can only function with 32-bit
versions of the EMM386.EXE memory manager
program (version 4.49 or later). You can verify its
version by entering EMM386 at the DOS prompt.
Do not specify the “highscan” option with the
EMM386.EXE statement in your CONFIG.SYS file
or your system will hang.
If you run MEMMAKER and select Custom Setup,
do not specify “Aggressively scan upper memory,”
or it will automatically insert the HIGHSCAN flag
into the EMM386 command line. This parameter
cannotberemovedonceitisinstalled.Doingsowill
cause the extended memory manager to malfunc-
tion.
3.1 Windows 95 Driver Installation
Note: Windows 95 identifies most add-on cards
based on the chipset used. The MaxTech Ethernet
adapters use the Realtek Ethernet chipset and will
be identified as such.
WhenWindows95starts forthefirsttimeaftercard
installation,itdetectstheadapterasa“PCIEthernet
Controller” card. If Windows displays the New
Hardware Found dialog box, proceed to Section
3.1.1. If Windows displays the Update Device
Driver Wizard, proceed to Section 3.1.2.
3.1.1 Windows 95 Release 4.00.950
Under New Hardware Found, when asked to
“Selectwhichdriveryou wanttoinstallforyournew
hardware,” click on “Driver from disk provided by
hardware manufacturer.” Click “OK.”
The Install From Disk dialog box now instructs
you to “Insert the manufacturer's installation disk
into the drive selected, and then click OK.” Insert
theadapter'sdriverdisketteand typeA:\WIN95 (or
B:\WIN95 if inserted in drive B) in the “Copy
manufacturer's files from:” box. Click “OK.”
The Select Device dialog box presents the selec-