NETGEAR GA311 - Gigabit PCI Adapter User manual

Version v1.0
October 2003
NETGEAR, Inc.
4500 Great America Parkway
Santa Clara, CA 95054 USA
User Manual for the
NETGEAR 10/100/1000
Mbps Gigabit Ethernet
Adapter GA311

ii
Technical Support
Please refer to the support information card that shipped with your product. By registering your
product at www.netgear.com/register, we can provide you with faster expert technical support and
timely notices of product and software upgrades.
NETGEAR, INC. Support Information
Phone: 1-888-NETGEAR, for US & Canada only. For other countries, see your Support
information card.
E-mail: [e-mail]
Web site: www.netgear.com
Statement of Conditions
In the interest of improving internal design, operational function, and/or reliability, NETGEAR reserves the right to
make changes to the products described in this document without notice.
NETGEAR does not assume any liability that may occur due to the use or application of the product(s) or circuit
layout(s) described herein.
©2003 NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, The Gear Guy and Everybody's Connecting are
trademarks or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or
other countries. Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
holders. Information is subject to change without notice. All rights reserved.
October 2003
Certificate of the Manufacturer/Importer
It is hereby certified that the Model GA311 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter has been suppressed in accordance with the
conditions set out in the BMPT- AmtsblVfg 243/1991 and Vfg 46/1992. The operation of some equipment (for example,
test transmitters) in accordance with the regulations may, however, be subject to certain restrictions. Please refer to the
notes in the operating instructions.
Federal Office for Telecommunications Approvals has been notified of the placing of this equipment on the market and
has been granted the right to test the series for compliance with the regulations.
VCCI Statement
This equipment is in the Class B category (information equipment to be used in a residential area or an adjacent area
thereto) and conforms to the standards set by the Voluntary Control Council for Interference by Data Processing
Equipment and Electronic Office Machines aimed at preventing radio interference in such residential areas. When used
near a radio or TV receiver, it may become the cause of radio interference. Read instructions for correct handling.

Contents iii
Contents
Chapter 1
About This Manual
Audience, Conventions, Scope ......................................................................................1-1
How to Use this Manual ..................................................................................................1-2
How to Print this Manual .................................................................................................1-3
Chapter 2
Introduction
About the NETGEAR 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Adapter GA311 ...................2-1
Key Features and Related NETGEAR Products ............................................................2-2
What’s in the Box? ..........................................................................................................2-3
Hardware Description .....................................................................................................2-5
Chapter 3
Basic Setup
What You Need Before You Begin ..................................................................................3-1
Verifying System Requirements ...............................................................................3-1
Preparing to Install Your GA311 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter .............................................3-2
Selecting the Network Cable ....................................................................................3-2
Installation Order ......................................................................................................3-3
Basic Installation Instructions .........................................................................................3-3
For Windows XP, 2000, Me, and 98SE Users ..........................................................3-4
For Windows NT 4.0 Users Installing a GA311 ........................................................3-7
Moving the GA311 to a Different Slot in Windows XP, 2000, Me, or 98SE ...................3-10
Moving the GA311 to a Different Slot in Windows NT 4.0 ............................................3-10
Updating the Driver Software in Windows NT 4.0 ........................................................3-11
Determining the GA311 Connection Status ..................................................................3-11
Viewing the Physical Connection Indicators ..........................................................3-12
Installing the GA311 Smart Wizard Utility ..............................................................3-13
Chapter 4
Configuration and Troubleshooting
Understanding the Configuration Options ......................................................................4-1
Configuring Optional Adapter Properties ........................................................................4-2

iv Contents
Basic Troubleshooting Tips .............................................................................................4-4
Checking the Port LEDs ...........................................................................................4-4
Using a Troubleshooting Checklist ...........................................................................4-5
Appendix A
Technical Specifications
Appendix B
Manual Driver Installation
Basic Installation Instructions ........................................................................................ B-1
For Windows XP Users Installing a GA311 ............................................................. B-2
For Windows 2000 & 98SE/Me Users Installing a GA311 ...................................... B-4
For Windows NT 4.0 Users Installing a GA311 ....................................................... B-7
Glossary
List of Glossary Terms ...................................................................................................C-1
Index

User Manual for the NETGEAR 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Adapter GA311
About This Manual 1-1
Chapter 1
About This Manual
Thank you for purchasing the NETGEAR 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Adapter GA311.
Audience, Conventions, Scope
This reference manual assumes that the reader has basic-to-intermediate computer and Internet
skills.
This guide uses the following typographical conventions:
This manual is written for the GA311 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter according to these specifications:
Table 1. Typographical conventions
italics Emphasis, books, CDs, URL names
bold times roman User input
courier font Screen text, file and server names, extensions, commands, IP addresses
Note: This format is used to highlight information of importance or special interest.
Table 1-1. Manual Specifications
Product Version NETGEAR 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Adapter GA311
Manual Publication Date October 2003
Note: Product updates are available on the NETGEAR, Inc. Web site at http://
www.netgear.com/support/main.asp. Documentation updates are available on the
NETGEAR, Inc. Web site at http://www.netgear.com/docs.

User Manual for the NETGEAR 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Adapter GA311
1-2 About This Manual
How to Use this Manual
The HTML version of this manual includes these features.
Figure 1 -1: HTML version of this manual
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User Manual for the NETGEAR 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Adapter GA311
About This Manual 1-3
How to Print this Manual
To print this manual you can choose one of the following several options, according to your needs.
•Printing a “How To” Sequence of Steps in the HTML View. Use the Print button on the
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User Manual for the NETGEAR 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Adapter GA311
1-4 About This Manual

User Manual for the NETGEAR 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Adapter GA311
Introduction 2-1
Chapter 2
Introduction
This chapter introduces the features, package contents, and appearance of the NETGEAR 10/100/
1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Adapter GA311.
About the NETGEAR 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet
Adapter GA311
Congratulations on your purchase of the NETGEAR® GA311 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter. Designed
especially for high-performance systems, such as servers and high-end workstations, it offers 2
gigabits per second (Gbps) of aggregate bandwidth and optimized performance while minimizing
network overhead on the host system. This guide describes the installation and use of the GA311
for operation with a Microsoft® Windows® XP, Windows® 2000, Windows® Me, Windows®
98SE 2nd edition, or Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 5 or above) system.
It connects your PCI-compliant workstation to a Gigabit Ethernet network, incorporating a new
technology that transfers data at a rate of 1 Gbps or 1000 megabits per second (Mbps) over
standard Category 5 cables. Performance is optimized and network overhead on the host system is
minimized with the use of the GA311 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.
The GA311 has demonstrated interoperability with all major Gigabit Ethernet equipment on the
market that is compliant with IEEE 802.3ab standards and should work with most non-compliant
Gigabit Ethernet products. In addition, because the GA311 uses standard Ethernet frame and
Media Access Control (MAC) formats, it provides full compatibility with Fast Ethernet network
equipment through network switches from a variety of vendors, including NETGEAR®.
The GA311 is 802.1Q/1p-compliant for frame priority tagging. The IEEE 802.1Q standard defines
the operation of Virtual LAN (VLAN) Bridges that permit the definition, operation and
administration of Virtual LAN topologies within a Bridged LAN infrastructure. Using the GA311
with 802.1p-compliant switches or routers offers a range of traffic prioritization of Layer 2 frames,
providing a higher Quality of Service on high-speed local area networks.

User Manual for the NETGEAR 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Adapter GA311
2-2 Introduction
Key Features and Related NETGEAR Products
The key features of the GA311 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter are:
• Flexible 10/100/1000 Mbps capability
• Includes proven Gigabit controller technology
• Full-duplex operation (2,000 Mbps: 1,000 Mbps each way) with DMA (Direct Memory
Access) Gigabit Ethernet interface (IEEE 802.3ab)
• RJ-45 connector for Category 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable
• Interoperability with existing Fast Ethernet equipment compliance with the following
standards and protocols:
• IEEE 802.3ab Gigabit Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3u Fast Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3 Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3u Auto Negotiation for auto-selectable 10/100/1000 Mbps line speed
• IEEE 802.1Q VLAN
• Standard Ethernet frame size (up to 1500 bytes), optional Jumbo frame size (7500 bytes)
• 33/66 MHz, 32/64-bit PCI bus master (Local Bus Revision 2.2 compliant) with adaptive DMA
channels
• Software driver support for Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows 98SE, and
Windows NT 4.0
• Universal dual-voltage signaling (3.3 V and 5 V)