StarTech.com PCI232INTE Manual

Intelligent 3.3 volt/5 volt High Speed
Serial PCI Card
PCI232INTE
INTEBOX8 Instruction Guide
The Professionals’ Source For Hard-to-Find Computer Parts
INTELLIGENT SSERIAL
CARD
* Actual product may vary from photo

FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to
radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

1
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Driver Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
SCO Unix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

2
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing a high-speed intelligent serial card and/or RS232 connector
box from StarTech.com. Designed to reduce the load on the CPU and improve system
performance, the PCI232INTE intelligent card uses a high speed RISC style processor to
manage data flow between the main CPU and external serial devices. Just connect the
card to one of our INTEBOX8 RS232 connector boxes to add 8 high speed serial ports to
your system.
Features
•PCI232INTE and INTEBOX8 combine to provide you with 8 high-speed serial ports
•Intelligent card uses a high-speed RISC style processor to manage the data flow
between the main CPU and external serial devices
•Reduces the load on the CPU and considerably improves the whole system
performance
•Works with both 3.3 Volt and 5 Volt server slots (PCI232INTE)
•Can provide up to 64 serial ports using eight INTEBOX8 external connector boxes
•Compatible with major OS platforms, including Windows, Linux (Slackware or
Redhat), and UNIX
Before You Begin
To ensure a quick and easy device installation, please read through this section carefully
before attempting to install the device.
Requirements
•Acomputer running Windows XP/2000/NT, Linux (Slackware or Redhat), or UNIX
SCO Open Server
•An open 3.3 or 5V PCI slot
Note: You must use the PCI232INTE card with at least one StarTech.com INTEBOX8
RS232 connector box. You can not plug a serial device directly into the card itself.
Contents
PCI232INTE INTEBOX8
•1x PCI232INTE intelligent serial card • 1 x INTEBOX8 connector box
•1x 37-pin serial cable
•Driver disk(s) for Windows, Linux, and Unix

3
Installation
Note: In one system, you can install two intelligent serial cards. Each card can support
up to eight INTEBOX8 connectors boxes, for a total of up to 64 devices per card or 128
serial devices per system.
Installing the Card
1. Make sure that your system is unplugged and you are grounded.
2. Remove the cover of your system (see your computer's user manual for details, if
necessary) and gently turn your computer onto its side.
3. Locate an empty PCI slot (usually white in color) and remove the metal plate that
covers the rear bracket. You may need a Phillips screwdriver to perform this step.
Hang on to the screw! You will need it to secure the card later.
4. Gently insert the card into the empty slot, making sure it is firmly seated.
5. Secure the card in place using the screw you removed in Step 3 and put your
computer case back on.
6. Plug the female end of the 37-pin serial cable into the port on the card. Plug the male
end into the female port on your external connector box.
7. If you are using multiple connector boxes, plug the two boxes directly together
using their 37-pin connectors. You can have up to eight connector boxes per card.
8. Turn the computer on.

4
Driver Installation
Note: Depending on your operating system and the configuration of your system, the
instructions below may not be identical to what you see on your screen.
Windows
Windows XP/2000
Once you turn your computer on after installing the card, Windows will automatically
detect the new hardware. Follow the onscreen prompts and direct Windows to the
Win2000 folder on the driver disk (Windows 2000 and Windows XP use the same driver).
Notes:
•To change the COM port number: Windows will automatically assign the card a
COM port number. If you need to specify another port number, you can use the setup
utility included with the driver. Go to: Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device
Manager/Multi-Port Serial Adapter/Setup. From here you will be able to set the
target value.
•To install two PCI232INTE cards in the same system: You can differentiate between
the two cards by using the jumper (located near the end of the card). The card with
the jumper ON will have the lower COM number. The card with the jumper OFF will
have the higher COM number.
•Using Hyperterm to confirm installation: If there are problems accessing the COM
port, Hyperterm will reply with an “open fail” message.
•When Hyperterm is working properly but RAS is not: You may need to remove the
“Modem” device and add it back in again. You can not use the Modem device before
installing the driver. You need to create a new Modem device that will be used by the
new COM port.

5
Windows NT
Before you begin, make sure that no other version of this driver exists on your system.
Remove any older versions of the driver before installing the new versions.
1. From your Control Panel, choose Network.
2. Choose Add Adapter (do NOT choose Add Software).
3. Insert your driver disk into the disk drive. Choose “Other: Requires disk from
manufacturer.”
4. Direct Windows to the NT4 folder on the driver disk.
5. Follow any onscreen prompts to complete the driver installation.
Notes:
•By default, the TTY port is assigned “COM3”: You can specify the starting COM
number during the installation procedure.
•You must reboot after installing the driver: After you reboot, the LED on the
external connector box will be turned on. You can now use the serial ports on the
external connector box.
•To install two PCI232INTE cards in the same system: You must differentiate
between the two cards by using the jumper (located near the end of the card). The
card with the jumper ON will have the lower COM number. The card with the
jumper OFF will have the higher COM number.
•Using Hyperterm to confirm installation: If there are problems accessing the COM
port, Hyperterm will reply with an “open fail” message.
•When Hyperterm is working properly but RAS is not: You may need to remove the
“Modem” device and add it back in again. You can not use the Modem device before
installing the driver. You need to create a new Modem device that will be used by the
new COM port.

6
SCO UNIX
Under SCO UNIX, the card is considered an extra peripheral device. Therefore, a new
device driver must be linked with the kernel to build a new kernel system. The card and
external connector boxes will work after the new kernel system is restarted.
Under IBM PC/AT X86 (or compatible) or SCO Openserver 5.0.x, the Link Kit packages
should be installed completely.
If you experience boot problems, you may have a low voltage level. Either use only one
PCI232INTE in your system, reduce the number of INTEBOX8 boxes connected to your
cards, or use a higher wattage power supply.
There are two methods for installing the drivers:
Using /etc/custom
1. Log in as a super-user.
Login: root
Password:
# /etc/custom
Note: This command assumes that you have the 3.5” driver diskette in Drive A. If your
Drive A is not a 3.5” disk drive, check for a “custom” command that will set the correct
command line.
2. Choose “Add a Supported Product” and select “Install one or more packages.”
3. When prompted for how many cards to install, enter 1 or 2.
4. When asked to create a new kernel, choose Yes.
5. When you see a message that the UNIX Kernel has been rebuilt, you have finished
the installation. Reboot your computer.
Using the tar command
1. Log in as a super-user:
Login: root
Password:
# cd /
2. Extract all the files on the diskette using the tar command
tar xvf /dev/fd0135ds18
Note: This command assumes that you have the 3.5” driver diskette in Drive A. If your
Drive A is not a 3.5” disk drive, check for a “tar” command that will set the correct
command line.
2. Type:
# cd /etc/IOP3927

7
3. Type:
# ./build
4. When asked to Install or Remove the Input/Output Processor, choose to Install it.
5. Choose “Add a Supported Product” and select “Install one or more packages.”
6. When prompted for how many cards to install, enter 1 or 2.
7. When asked to create a new kernel, choose Yes.
8. When you see a message that the UNIX Kernel has been rebuilt, you have finished
the installation. Reboot your computer.
After rebooting the kernel
The following message will be displayed:
PCIIOP: unit=0 type= IOP3927F bus=0 dev=0 fun=0 map= 0xF4000000
.
.
.
.
Downloading IOP3927 card(s).......
PCIIOP: unit= 0 type= IOP3927F ports= 8(P641)
Where:
“unit” denotes the installation card number in the system
“type” denotes the card’s type
“map” denotes the mapping address and memory space of dual port RAM, this
should be assigned by the PCI bus
“ports” denotes the number of ports (this will be eight times the number of
INTEBOX8 boxes that are connected to the card)
When the above message appears and the LEDs on each INTEBOX is lit, the card has
been installed successfully and is ready for use.
Note: If you get a message about the “map=” or “ports=” being incorrect or there is no
message, try the following steps:
•Shut down and restart your system. If problems persist, you may need to re-execute
the software installation procedure.
•If the system does not boot successfully, check the voltage level. If your voltage level
is too low to support your system, reduce the number of PCI232INTE cards or
INTEBOX8 boxes connected to your system.
•Make sure that the card is inserted firmly in the PCI slot and that the cable is firmly
seated.

8
Serial Port Device Definitions
Card Definitions
Note: Card 1 is the card with the jumper ON.
External Box Definitions
Note: The box nearest the card is Box 1.
I/O Port Number Definition
For example, tty74e is a Non-Modem device plugged into port E on box 4 connected to
card number 2. The device names tty63A is a Modem device plugged into port A on box
3 that is connected to card number 1.
Card Number Device Name
1tty6??
2tty7??
Box Number Device Name
1tty?1?
2tty?2?
3tty?3?
4tty?4?
5tty?5?
6tty?6?
7tty?7?
8tty?8?
Port Number Device Name Device Name
(non Modem) (Modem)
Atty??a tty??A
Btty??b tty??B
Ctty??c tty??C
Dtty??d tty??D
Etty??e tty??E
Ftty??f tty??F
Gtty??g tty??G
Htty??h tty??H