Configuring A Card - Mitsubishi Electric Apricot LS Owner's Handbook Manual

S Y S T E M E X P A N S I O N
Configuring the card
Part of the installation procedure for many expansion cards involves
setting up or configuring the card so it works correctly in the
system. To configure, you assign values to various settings on the
card, which enable the card to communicate with the computer. The
chosen settings MUST be registered in the BIOS. See appendix C,
'System BIOS and set-up' and the section 'ISA Legacy resources'.
Many cards require that you specify at least two of the following:
• Interrupt request level (IRQ)
• Direct memory access (DMA) channel
• Base input/output (I/O) port address
• Base memory address
The settings used by the card must be different to existing hardware
in the computer. The settings must not conflict with other cards or
a component on the motherboard.
Some settings are done by jumpers and/or switches on the card and
are best completed before installation, others are configured by
running installation software after the card has been fitted inside the
computer. Some cards use a mixture of both methods.
The documentation accompanying the card should tell you what is
required. Remember to check any diskettes supplied with the card
for README or other help files, before you start. If you are in any
doubt consult the supplier or manufacturer.
Cards often come with pre-configured or default settings. It is best
to rely on these settings as much as possible, and change them only
if they conflict with other devices.
ISA Interrupt request level (IRQ)
The interrupt request level or IRQ (the two terms are used
interchangeably) is the line over which the expansion card sends a
signal to get the attention of, or interrupt, the processor. Many of
these are reserved for components on the computer's motherboard.
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