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Place in appropriate high resolution artwork inside the arched mask
MODEL NO. 3CSOHO100-TX
Fast Ethernet Network Interface Card User Guide
Manual Cover 5.375" x 8.5" Portrait . 4/C & 1 PMS Working File
Adjust spine width size according to thickness of manual
Fast Ethernet
Network Interface Card
User Guide
3Com Corporation
P.O. Box 58145
5400 Bayfront Plaza
Santa Clara, CA 95052-8145
MODEL NO.
U.S.A.
3CSOHO100-TX
Part No. 09-1569-000 Printed in the U.S.A.
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Lifetime Limited Warranty ® ® 3Com’s EtherLink , Fast EtherLink, OfficeConnect , ® ® ™ TokenLink , TokenLink Velocity , ATMLink PCI, ™ FDDILink , and Token Ring-in-Fast Ethernet Server network interface cards have a Lifetime Limited Warranty. For further details, please see 3Com’s Limited Warranty statement in this guide. To ensure the very best 3Com service and support, take the time to complete the product registration card.
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Customers in the countries or regions shown below should send the completed registration card to the appropriate address. Customers in other non-U.S. locations should send the registration card to the U.S. address on the front of the card. n Asia n Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Malta 3Com Asia Ltd., Marketing Department 3Com Mediterraneo Srl, Room 2506-07, 25/F. Marketing Department Citibank Tower Via Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1 Citibank Plaza, Central 20093 Colo
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® OfficeConnect Fast Ethernet Network Interface Card User Guide Member of the 3Com OfficeConnect family http://www.3com.com/ Part No. 09-1569-000 Published October 1998
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3Com Corporation n 5400 Bayfront Plaza n Santa Clara, California n 95052-8145 Copyright © 1998, 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this documentation may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative work (such as translation, transformation, or adaptation) without written permission from 3Com Corporation. 3Com Corporation reserves the right to revise this documentation and to make changes in content from time to time without obliga
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CONTENTS ABOUT THIS GUIDE Conventions 9 Year 2000 Compliance 10 1 GETTING STARTED What This Guide Covers 11 What This Chapter Covers 11 Understanding Networking 12 Peer-to-Peer Networks 13 Client/Server Networks 14 Ethernet and Fast Ethernet Networking Protocols 14 Understanding Network Interface Cards 15 About the OfficeConnect NIC 15 Required Hardware 16 Required Cabling 16 Required Software 16 2 INSTALLIN
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Verifying Successful Installation 32 Windows 95 and Windows 98 32 Windows NT 4.0 34 Windows NT 3.51 34 4 TROUBLESHOOTING INSTALLATION PROBLEMS Basic Troubleshooting Tips 35 Interpreting the LEDs 36 Starting the 3Com NIC Diagnostics Program 37 Running the NIC Self-Tests 39 Running the Echo Test 40 Accessing the Help System 43 Viewing Release Notes, Frequently Asked Questions, and KnowledgeBase Topics 44 Accessing 3Com Support
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B TECHNICAL SUPPORT Online Technical Services 61 World Wide Web Site 61 3Com FTP Site 61 3Com Bulletin Board Service 62 Access by Analog Modem 62 Access by Digital Modem 62 3ComFacts Automated Fax Service 63 Support from Your Network Supplier 63 Support from 3Com 63 Returning Products for Repair 65 GLOSSARY INDEX 3COM CORPORATION LIMITED WARRANTY FCC CLASS B STATEMENT FCC DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY 3COM END USER SOFT
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FIGURES 1 Sample Network 12 2 OfficeConnect NIC 15 3 Inserting the NIC 19 4 Connecting the Network Cable to the NIC 20 5 New Hardware Found Dialog Box 24 6 Update Device Driver Wizard 26 7 Add New Hardware Wizard 28 8 Network Settings Window 31 9 Device Manager Screen 33 10 General Screen 38 11 Diagnostics Screen 39 12 Echo Test Responder Screen 41 13 Echo Test Sender Screen 42 14 Echo Test Statistics Scree
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TABLES 1 Notice Icons 9 2 Text Conventions 10 3 Cable Guidelines 17 4 LED Descriptions 36 5 Frequently Asked Questions 48 6 OfficeConnect NIC Configuration Settings 51 7 Unshielded Twisted-pair Cable Categories 58
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ABOUT THIS GUIDE This guide describes how to install, configure, and ® ® troubleshoot the 3Com OfficeConnect Fast Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC). This guide is appropriate for anyone who is familiar with the basic elements of a PC and is interested in connecting a PC to a network. If release notes are shipped with your product and the information there differs from the information in this guide, follow the instructions in the release notes. Most user guides and release notes are
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10 ABOUT THIS GUIDE Table 2 Text Conventions Convention Description Screen displays This typeface represents information as it appears on the screen. The words “enter” When you see the word “enter” in this guide, you must and “type” type something, and then press the Return or Enter key. Do not press the Return or Enter key when an instruction simply says “type.” Keyboard key names If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the key names are linked with a plus sign (+). Example:
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GETTING STARTED 1 ® ® The 3Com OfficeConnect Fast Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC) allows you to connect your personal computer (PC) to an Ethernet (10BASE-T) or Fast Ethernet (100BASE-TX) network. The OfficeConnect NIC is specifically designed for the small office/home office environment. What This Guide Covers This guide provides all the information you need to install the OfficeConnect NIC and connect it to a network. It tells you how to: n Insert the NIC into a PC. n Attach the PC to a
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10–30 VDC 1A MAX – MDI/X 8 1X 12 CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED Understanding Networking A computer network is a group of computers and other associated devices, such as printers, fax machines, and modems, that are connected to one another so they can share resources and information. A network allows you to: n Share resources — You and others on the network can share resources, such as a data file or directory, hard disk drive, printer, scanner, or modem. n Exchange information — You can commun
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Understanding Networking 13 Every network requires special software, called a network operating system (NOS) (such as Windows NT or NetWare), to control the flow of information between users. Each PC that you want to connect as part of the network must have an operating system (such as Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT) that can communicate with the NOS. In a peer-to-peer networking architecture, the operating system that is installed on each PC acts as the NOS. In a client/server ne
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14 CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED Client/Server Networks A client/server network is ideal for organizations that require fast network access for large applications such as multimedia, databases, and video. In a client/server network, all shared applications and files are stored on one central computer known as the server. Network users (client PCs) can store their own files on their own PCs, and then use the server to access shared files and peripherals, such as printers, fax machines, and modems
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TX DATA ACT 10 L N 100 K Understanding Network Interface Cards 15 Understanding Network Interface Cards A network interface card (NIC) is a printed circuit board that plugs into a PC expansion slot in your computer to provide a connection to a network. Once the NIC is installed in your PC, you connect it to the network media (cabling, such as unshielded twisted-pair [UTP]), which in turn connects to all the devices on the network. About the OfficeConnect NIC The OfficeConnect NIC is a 10/100
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16 CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED After the NIC is installed, these LEDs show whether there’s an active connection between the NIC and the network, and the speed at which you’re connected. (See “Interpreting the LEDs” in Chapter 4 for more information.) Required Hardware You can install the OfficeConnect NIC in any IBM-compatible PC with an available PCI expansion slot. Almost all PCs currently on the market have such slots. (See “Inserting the NIC” in Chapter 2 for more information about PC
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INSTALLING THE 2 NETWORK INTERFACE CARD This chapter explains how to install the OfficeConnect NIC in your PC and connect it to an Ethernet or Fast Ethernet network. Preparing for Installation Before you install the OfficeConnect NIC, make sure that you have the following items: n OfficeConnect 10/100 Fast Ethernet NIC n OfficeConnect EtherDisk diskette If any of these items are damaged or missing, contact your shipper or network supplier. You also need an unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable
