Frequently Asked Questions - IBM EtherLink XL User Manual

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PPENDIX

Frequently Asked Questions

Table B-2 describes some common questions and answers
about the 3C905B-TX adapter.
Table B-2 Frequently Asked Questions
Question
Which PCI slot is best for my
PCI adapter?
Do I have to configure the
3C905B-TX adapter?
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)
B: T S
ECHNICAL UPPORT
Answer
3Com PCI adapters 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 adapters 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 adapter. 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.