Frequently Asked Questions - 3Com XL PCI User Manual

Frequently Asked Questions

Table 4-2 describes some common questions and answers
about the 3C905B-TX NIC.
Table 4-2 Frequently Asked Questions
Question
Which PCI slot is best for my
PCI NIC?
Do I have to configure the
3C905B-TX NIC?
What interrupts should I avoid?
Are my Fast EtherLink XL network
drivers Microsoft-certified?
Are my Fast EtherLink XL Bus
Master ODI drivers
Novell-certified?
(continued)
Frequently Asked Questions
Answer
3Com PCI NICs are designed to work in any bus
mastering PCI slot, preferably slot 1. Avoid any
PCI slot next to an ISA slot. This is often a shared
slot and does not support bus mastering.The
NICs perform best in those slots that support bus
mastering data transfers. Refer to your PC
manual for information on which slots support
bus mastering data transfers.
PCI is a self-configuring bus architecture. Most of
the time you only need to install the board in your
PC; PCI does the rest. However, on some PCI
computers, you may be required to configure the
computer's BIOS manually after installing your PCI
NIC. Refer to the owner's guide for your PC.
You should avoid using any interrupts used by
ISA/EISA boards that do not properly support
shared interrupts (level-triggered).
If you do not know or are unsure whether other
devices or adapters in your PC support shared
interrupts, then avoid using them.
Avoid using the same interrupt as your local hard
drive (normally IRQ 14 for IDE drives and IRQ 11
for most SCSI host adapters), since not all hard
drives support shared interrupts at this time.
Avoid using 9 because it cascades with 2.
For Novell NetWare servers, avoid using IRQ 7 or
15. These IRQs only support nonshared devices
and may cause problems if they are shared
between two devices.
Yes, the Fast EtherLink XL network drivers are
Microsoft-certified.
Yes, the Fast EtherLink XL ODI drivers are
Novell-certified.
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