StarTech.com PCI4S9503V Manual

3.3 Volt/5 Volt Buffered High Speed Serial
PCI Card
PCI4S9503V
PCI8S9503V Instruction Guide
The Professionals’ Source For Hard-to-Find Computer Parts
SERIAL 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
DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SCO OpenServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing a 3.3 volt/5 volt buffered high-speed serial card from
StarTech.com. Compatible with both 3.3 or 5 volt motherboards, this card adds either
four (PCI4S9503V) or eight (PCI8S950V) high-speed RS-232 ports to your system. The
card uses a 16-Byte buffer in both the receive and transmit channels simultaneously,
reducing the number of CPU interrupts and improving system performance.
Features
•Adds high speed RS-232 serial ports to your computer
•Works with both 3.3 volt and 5 volt server slots
•Complies with Universal 32 bit PCI bus and PCI Bus Version 2.2 specifications
•Compatible with most major OS platforms including Windows, Linux and UNIX
•Provides transfer rates of up to 115 KBytes/sec
•Uses only one IRQ assigned by the PCI BIOS
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/Me/98/95, DOS, Linux or SCO Open
Server
•An open 3.3 or 5V PCI slot
Contents
•1x serial card
•1x serial cable with DB9 connectors
•Driver disks for Windows, Linux, and Unix
Note: Depending on the driver version, you may also see this referred to as the P584 or
the PCIPORT on the driver disk.

3
Installation
Note: In one system, you can install two of these serial cards. 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 be card number 1. The card with the jumper OFF will be card
number 2. Install the cards one at a time, starting with the card you want to be
designated number 1.
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 colour) 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 37-pin end of the serial cable into the port on the card.
7. 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.
•Each serial card needs an open IRQ for Plug and Play function.
Windows NT
Before you begin the installation, make sure you are logged in as a user with
administrative privileges.
1. Start the Control Panel applet by double-clicking on its icon in the Program Managers
main group.
2. Double-click the Network icon to bring up the Network Control Panel applet.
3. Select Add Adapter. A list of possible adapters will be displayed. Select “Other:
Requires disk from manufacturer.”
4. When prompted for the path, specify the location of the driver for the card you
installed. Depending on your version of the driver disk, the drivers may be found in
the P584/NT4 folder.
5. Follow the onscreen prompts to complete installation. Make sure that the COM port
number does not conflict with any other devices in your system.
6. Use the “Binding” function to make more serial ports available. If you do not perform
a binding function, you may not have an extra COM port available in your next boot
procedure.
Notes:
•When installing two cards in the same system, the card with the jumper ON will be
assigned the lower COM port number. The card with the jumper OFF will have the
higher COM port number.

5
Windows Me/98/95
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 Win95
folder on the driver disk (Windows Me, 98, and 95 use the same driver).
Notes:
•After you install the driver, you may get another message saying that new hardware
has been found. You do not need to install the driver again.
•Each serial card needs an open IRQ for Plug and Play function.
•In Windows 98, you need to assign the card to COM 5 or higher, because COM 3/4
has been reserved for a legacy COM port.

6
DOS
When installing multiple cards in DOS, it is important to install the card designated card
Number 1 (with the jumper ON) first.
1. Change your active directory to the target directory:
ex: c:\RAYON
2. Insert the driver disk into the disk drive and copy the DOS files from the driver
diskette:
ex: xcopy /s/e/v a:\DOS\*.*
3. Run the driver installation command:
ex: c:\rayon\pciport
4. The cards will now be installed in your system. Each card will show the card number
in the system (for the application to specify the target card and target port), the card
model, the card jumper setting (for card number 1 or 2), the IRQ assigned, and the
COM port number for the card.
You may see the following error messages:
•PCIPORT already installed. This means the driver has already been installed.
•Please check the “JP1”. This means that both cards in the system have their jumpers
ON.
•PCIPORT not in system. There is no card in the PCI slot.
Notes:
•The driver function call description can be found on the DOS driver diskette. There is
also a DEMO program for the user to meet their target application program.

7
LINUX
1. Login as super-user (SU) or root.
2. Change your directory to root and copy the driver diskette to the system:
# cd /
# tar xvf /dev/fd0
3. Change the directory to /etc/pciport and run the Install command:
# cd /etc/pciport
# ./Install
4. Follow the prompts to perform the following:
• Choose your Linux kernel version
• Rebuild your system
• Exit and reboot with new settings
The device name will be /dev/tty8[1--2] [a--h]
Card Definitions
Note: Card 1 is the card with the jumper ON.
I/O Port Number Definitions
For example, the device named /dev/tty82b is the device plugged into port B on card
Number 2.
Notes:
•The above installation procedure installs a module type driver. If you can not install
the driver successfully, you may need to use a kernel type driver. You will need to
enter the Build directory and run Install again. In kernel type drivers, you may need
to have the full source file for the Linux system to be re-compiled.
•Each serial card needs an open IRQ for Plug and Play function.
Card Number Device Name
1tty81?
2tty82?
Port Number Device Name
Atty8?a
Btty8?b
Ctty8?c
Dtty8?d
Etty8?e
Ftty8?f
Gtty8?g
Htty8?h

8
SCO OpenServer
1. Log in as a super-user (SU) or root.
2. Extract all the files on the diskette using the tar command:
# cd /
# tar xvf /dev/fd0135ds18
3. Change the directory to /etc/pciport and run the Build command:
# cd /etc/pciport
# ./build
4. Reboot your system.
The device name will be /dev/tty8[1--2] [a--h]
Card Definitions
Note: Card 1 is the card with the jumper ON.
I/O Port Number Definitions
For example, the device named /dev/tty82b is the device plugged into port B on card
Number 2.
Notes:
•The resources for the card are assigned by the PCI BIOS. If your environment has
changed, you may need to run the Build command again to remove the old driver
and reinstall it again.
•Each serial card needs an open IRQ in order to function properly.
Card Number Device Name
1tty81?
2tty82?
Port Number Device Name
Atty8?a
Btty8?b
Ctty8?c
Dtty8?d
Etty8?e
Ftty8?f
Gtty8?g
Htty8?h

9
Technical Specifications
Connectors DB 37-pin (female)
Expansion Cable 37-pin (male) & 9-pin (male)
Serial Interface RS-232
Bus Interface 32-bit universal PCI
OS Compatibility Windows 95/98/Me/2000/NT/XP, Linux, and UNIX
(SCO Open Server)
Data Transfer Rate Up to 115.2 KBps
Power Consumption 5V @ 290mA, +12V @ 50mA & -12V @ 50mA
Data Signals RS-232: F.G., TXD, RXD, RTS, CTS, DSR, DTR, DCD, RI &
signal ground
Supported Slot Type 3.3V and 5V server slots

10
Technical Support
The following technical resources are available for this StarTech.com product:
On-line help:
We are constantly adding new information to the Tech Support section of our web site. To
access this page, click the Tech Support link on our homepage, www.startech.com. In the
tech support section there are a number of options that can provide assistance with this
product.
Knowledge Base - This tool allows you to search for answers to common issues using
key words that describe the product and your issue.
FAQ - This tool provides quick answers to the top questions asked by our customers.
Downloads - This selection takes you to our driver download page where you can
find the latest drivers for this product.
Call StarTech.com tech support for help:
USA/Canada: 1-519-455-4931
UK/Ireland/Europe: 00-800-7827-8324
Support hours: Monday to Friday 9:00AM to 5:00PM EST (except holidays)
Warranty Information
This product is backed by a lifetime warranty. In addition, StarTech.com warrants its
products against defects in materials and workmanship for the periods noted,
following the initial date of purchase. During this period, the products may be
returned for repair, or replacement with equivalent products at our discretion. The
warranty covers parts and labor costs only. StarTech.com does not warrant its products
from defects or damages arising from misuse, abuse, alteration, or normal wear and
tear.
Limitation of Liability
In no event shall the liability of StarTech.com Ltd. and StarTech.com USA LLP (or their
officers, directors, employees or agents) for any damages (whether direct or indirect,
special, punitive incidental, consequential, or otherwise), loss of profits, loss of business,
or any pecuniary loss, arising out of or related to the use of the product exceed the actual
price paid for the product.
Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential
damages. If such laws apply, the limitations or exclusions contained in this statement
may not apply to you.

Revised: January 7, 2004