Introduction; Pci Technology - 3Com 3C905-TX User Manual

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NTRODUCTION
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The 3Com Fast EtherLink Parallel Tasking 10/100BASE-T
PCI adapter (the Fast EtherLink PCI or 3C595 adapter) is a
32-bit adapter for use in personal computers with a
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) computer bus. It
operates whether or not bus mastering is enabled.
This adapter is a dual-speed adapter connected to an
Ethernet network with a single connection over unshielded
twisted-pair (UTP) cable. The adapter automatically senses
and switches to either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps. The speed is
determined by the kind of hub to which the adapter is
connected:
When the adapter is connected to a hub that supports
10BASE-T Ethernet (10 Mbps), it switches to a network
speed of 10 Mbps.
When the adapter is connected to a hub that supports
100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps), it switches to a
network speed of 100 Mbps.

PCI Technology

The PCI local bus is a high-performance bus that provides a
processor-independent data path between the CPU in a PC
and high-speed peripherals. This interconnect mechanism is
designed specifically to accommodate multiple
high-performance peripheral devices that support
networking and disk subsystems, graphics, full-motion video,
and multimedia.
The PCI specification defines two types of PCI devices: a
target and a master. A target is a device that accepts
commands and responds to the requests of a master.