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Networking Connectivity
Intel® Desktop Adapters
Troubleshooting notes from tech support

Be Sure You Use The Recent Updates Of Our Drivers/Software!

Driver/Software Version/date on SW Rel3.0 Version/date of file on online services
SOFTSET2 4.10 11/12/95 same
NOVELL/ODI:
EPROODI.COM 3.02 11/10/95
EPROODI.SYS 3.00 10/23/95 same
IPX.COM 3.03 07/31/95 same
EPRO.LAN 3.01 11/30/95 same
EPRO311.LAN 3.01 11/30/95 same
MICROSOFT/NDIS:
EPRO.DOS 3.01 11/03/95 same
EPRO.OS2 3.01 11/03/95 same
EPRO.VXD 3.01 11/03/95 same
EPRONT.SYS 3.00 11/03/95 same
EPRO.386 3.00 11/03/95 same
PACKET DRIVER:
EPROPKT.COM 3.00 11/03/95 same

What Is Concurrent Processing

Concurrent Processing is a new feature that dramatically enhances network performance. It allows the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter to begin transmitting a frame onto the wire before that frame is completely copied into local memory (early transmission). Similarly, when a frame is received from the wire, the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter begins copying it to host memory before it is entirely received into local memory (early reception). This minimizes delays associated with transmitting and receiving frames. For more details, refer to document 6298

Following is an explanation of why concurrent processing might not be implemented by some drivers.

Early transmits will be disabled at initialization time for the following reasons:

  1. If the CPU is below a 386 (8088/8086 or 286).

  2. If the card is in a 8 bit slot or forced to 8 bit by SOFTSET2.

  3. If Concurrent Processing is disabled in SOFTSET2.

  4. The "No ETX" parameter is set in the NET.CFG file.

  5. If the initial speed test determines that the driver can not copy send data over the ethernet wire (very likely in an ISA/PCI system).
Early receives will be disabled at initialization time for the following reasons:
  1. If the CPU is below a 386 (8088/8086 or 286).
  2. If the card is in a 8 bit slot or forced to 8 bit by SOFTSET2.

  3. If the "Concurrent Processing" is disabled in SOFTSET2.

  4. The "No ERX" parameter is set in the NET.CFG file.

What Does Flash Do?

Intel Flash adapters provide the following benefits:
  • Centralized driver update. LAN administrators can keep client PCs up to date by automatically downloading new drivers and network utilities from a Novell NetWare* file server to any node on the network. This eliminates the need to run from PC to PC with disk in hand.

  • Pre-boot virus protection. A patented pre-boot anti-virus technology guards against thousands of harmful computer viruses. The Flash adapters automatically scan their host PCs prior to boot-up, detecting and removing boot sector and file viruses. You can install the virus protection by running SETUPFVP.BAT from the FlashWorks software diskette.

  • On-board workstation configuration history. Intel® Flash adapters help troubleshoot all sorts of workstation problems. On-board Flash memory securely stores a record of the last five hardware inventory and software configuration changes (AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, NET.CFG and SHELL.CFG); so if a system worked yesterday and doesn't work today, EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapters on a Novell* NetWare* network with Flash can help figure out why.

  • The Flash chip can also function as Remote boot ROM for Novell NetWare*, Microsoft* LAN Manager, and IBM* LAN Server making a separate boot ROM unnecessary, saving you time and money.

  • One step installation. Intel® combines its pioneering switchless and jumperless hardware with exclusive software technology to save you installation time. In a Novell* environment, Intel's exclusive software can automatically configure a board and download and install drivers from a Novell* NetWare* server.

Problems Running Softset2

If you experience problems running SOFTSET2, review the following suggestions:
  • If you receive an "unprogrammed EEprom" or "SOFTSET2 cannot detect an EtherExpress PRO card" message, you may have an I/O address conflict with the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter and another adapter in your workstation. Try to configure the EtherExpress in a different machine, remove the conflicting adapters, or replace the defective EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter.

  • Run SOFTSET2 on a machine booted without drivers, memory managers, or TSRs loaded. To do this, rename the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS

    files, or if you are using DOS 6.0 or later, you can press the F5 function key when the message "Starting MS-DOS..."appears on your screen. Then run SOFTSET2.

  • Edit the workstation's Advanced CMOS Setup. If the Wait State is 0, set it to 1, and DISABLE the following: Shadow RAM, Shadow ROM, Shadow Onboard Video BIOS, Shadow System BIOS, Internal or External cache. Bear in mind that different CMOS setups may refer to these options differently. Be sure to record what changes you make. If the workstation has a turbo switch, set it to the opposite speed that you normally use.

  • Remove conflicting boards from the PC. The EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter default setting is I/O address 300 and IRQ 5. Each board in the PC must have a unique I/O address and IRQ. If another adapter in the workstation is at the same I/O address as the EtherExpress PRO/10 board, remove that conflicting adapter, run SOFTSET2, change the I/O address on the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter, and return the other board(s) to the PC.

  • SOFTSET2 can reliably detect most IRQs used in a computer. The best way to avoid IRQ conflicts is to load the device drivers for all other adapters before running SOFTSET2 (sound card, faxmodem, cd-rom controller, etc.). If you still have problems with the computer after installing the adapter, make sure no other device uses the same IRQ as your EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter.

  • Configure the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter in a different PC. To do this, place the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 board in another PC. Boot the PC without drivers, memory managers, or TSRs loaded and run SOFTSET2 to change the I/O address and/or IRQ on the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 board. These settings are stored in an EEprom on the EtherExpress PRO/10 adapter. Then, return the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 board to the original workstation.

  • SOFTSET2 is a DOS program; you cannot run it under OS/2, Windows*, or Windows NT*. You could corrupt the EEprom on the EtherExpress PRO/10 board by running SOFTSET2 on an OS/2 machine, even if you run SOFTSET2 in the DOS compatibility box. Boot the machine with a DOS disk or setup the EtherExpress board in a DOS workstation, configure it, then move it to the OS/2 workstation.

  • Network drivers should not be loaded when running SOFTSET2 if you need to make changes to the EtherExpress PRO/10. If the network drivers are loaded, you will only be able to view the current configuration.

Softset2 V3.50 Error Message: "Etherexpress Pro/10 Eeprom Is Not Programmed Correctly"

Symptom:

SoftSet2 v3.50 error message: "EtherExpress PRO/10 EEprom is not programmed correctly"

Description:

Using SoftSet2 v3.50 or below will generate this error message when used

on the updated PRO/10+ adapter. The PRO/10+ adapters use a new Ethernet vendor ID number (00A0C9). Earlier versions of SoftSet2 could only read adapters that had the original Intel® Ethernet address (00AA00).

Solution:

Use SoftSet2 v4.10 that is available on SW Release v3.0 that came with the adapter, or is available from Intel's electronic services. Be sure both SOFTSET2.EXE and ISS2.EXE are dated 11-12-95 or later. If ISS2 is not updated, the error message will still be generated. You can verify if you have the PRO/10+ adapter by looking at the backside of the adapter for the Ethernet address label. The first six digits are 00A0C9.

Softset2 Diagnostics

The SOFTSET2 diagnostics is helpful in testing your EtherExpress board and network. The EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter must pass diagnostics before it will work with your network software. You can run the diagnostics by selecting Test Adapter from the SOFTSET2 main menu

Adapter Diagnostics:

Boot clean (rename the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS ), run SOFTSET2, select "Test Adapter". If this test fails, this usually indicates an I/O address or interrupt conflict. Try setting the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter to a different I/O address, different interrupt, or force the adapter into 8 bit mode.

Network Diagnostics:

Select two PCs on the network that are both using EtherExpress adapters. For the first PC: Boot clean, run SOFTSET2, select "Test Adapter", then select "Set up as responder". For the second PC: boot clean, run SOFTSET2, select "Test Adapter", then select "Continuos network test". Run this test in continuous mode. The first PC will act as the responder, receiving packets sent to it from the second PC. If the network responder test fails, this strongly indicates a problem with the network setup: cabling, I/O or IRQ conflicts, t-connectors, terminators, transceivers, and possibly the concentrator or hub.

Softset2 /Restoreeprom Parameters

If you want to restore the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter factory settings you can use SOFTSET2 with the /RESTOREEPROM switch. For Example:

SOFTSET2 /RESTOREEPROM WITH SOFTSET2 v3.12 or ABOVE

Here is a list of the valid codes to choose from for the adapter you have:
Code Adapter
3 RJ45, BNC, and AUI non-flash
2 RJ45, and BNC, non-flash
1 RJ45 non-flash
RJ45, BNC, and AUI with flash
2F RJ45 and BNC with flash
1F RJ45 with flash

Softset2 Reports That All I/O Addresses Or Interrupts Are Being UseD

This problem occurs when the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter is in a workstation with a noisy ISA bus, or in a workstation where the ISA bus speed is higher than 8 Mhz. Try the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 in another slot. Try slowing the ISA bus speed down to 8 Mhz through CMOS setup on your workstation. Try forcing the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter into 8 bit mode by running SOFTSET2, select Change Adapter Configuration, and change Force 8 bit Operation to YES. If all of these suggestions fail, try running SOFTSET2 /restoreeprom with the correct product code to reset the EEprom on the EtherExpress PRO/10 back to factory defaults.

Also, see section in this document titled "EtherExpress™ PRO/10 reports that it is in an 8 bit slot or will only run in 8 bit mode."

Using The Etherexpress™ Pro/10 With Windows Nt 3.5

The original EtherExpress™ PRO/10 diskette, SW Release v1.0c, does not have a Windows NT* 3.5 driver on it. Obtain the updated PRO/10 disk, SW Release v3.0. The name of the archive file to download for this driver update is E10DISK.EXE, available through Intel's online services.

When installing the updated driver, you must use the "OTHER ADAPTER" option. Using the "UPDATE" button will not update the OEMSETUP.INF information needed for proper installation. We recommend using one of the following I/O addresses for the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 when you using Windows NT : I/O address 310h, 330h, or 350h. If you are using Windows NT* or NT Advanced Server (NTAS) v3.1 you do not need this update, but we recommend you use the updated driver in this release if you experience any problems.

Windows* For Workgroups Hangs Or Fails To Initialize

If you are experiencing a problem where the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 fails to initialize after a warm boot [Ctrl-Alt-Del] of the workstation, or if you exit from Windows for Workgroups and the workstation hangs when trying to re-enter Windows for Workgroups, you need an updated driver. The latest driver is contained in the file E10DISK.EXE available from Intel's online services. After downloading this archive and extracting it, copy the new driver [EPRO.386] into your Windows System directory overwriting the older driver.

For detailed information on Windows for Workgroups Installation Notes for Intel's® EtherExpress™ PRO/10 LAN Adapter, refer to document 6339.

EtherExpress™ PRO/10 AND OS/2 V3.0 [WARP]

There are no updated drivers required to use the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter with OS/2 v3.0 [WARP]. However, if you are using the NetWare* Requester you need to have version 2.11 or later of the NetWare Requester.

EtherExpress™ Pro/10 adapter not found before DOS Loads

This error occurs when the Flash Chip address [D000-D3FFh] on the EtherExpres™s PRO/10 adapter conflicts with another adapter ROM, or if

the BIOS in the workstation is using the same address as the Flash Chip for Shadow RAM. This error can also occur if the Flash Chip Address is enabled and there is no Flash Chip installed on the EtherExpress™ PRO/10.

You can solve this problem by moving the Flash Chip address to a location that the workstation is not using for shadowing, or a location that does not conflict with another adapters ROM address. If you are not using the Flash Chip or do not have the Flash Chip installed, you can solve this problem by disabling the Flash Chip address using SOFTSET2.EXE. Also, try moving the adapter to one of the following I/O addresses: 310h, 330h, or 350h.

Unable To Connect With EPRO.DOS

There is a driver update [EPRO.DOS] that is necessary to use with the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 when the workstation is unable to connect or loses connection while Concurrent Processing is enabled on the EtherExpress PRO/10 adapter using the NDIS driver. The name of the archive file to download for this update is E10DISK.EXE, SW Release v3.0 of the PRO/10. This driver update also addresses the following:

Workstation running Banyan Vines cannot connect with concurrent processing enabled. Be sure to upgrade to April 1994 NDISBAN.COM. If the 1993 version is used, you may experience connections dropping.

Unable to connect or connection loss using IBM PC LAN Support Program (LSP). LSP is used with applications such as Rumba and IBM LAN Server.

Problem loading Intel® SatisFAXtion faxmodem CASMGR.SYS while EPRO.DOS is loaded.

Archive file E10DISK.EXE is available through Intel's online services.

Workstation Will Not Boot From Floppy

If the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter has been configured for ODI Remote boot through SOFTSET2.EXE or FLASHSET, the workstation will not boot from the floppy. There is a Flash Image Update for the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter that will solve this problem. The name of the archive file to download for this update is FLSIMG.EXE.

If you are not using Novell* NetWare's* Remote Boot on this workstation, you can solve this by taking the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 card out of this workstation and place it in a workstation that has a hard drive. After booting from your hard disk, run SOFTSET2.EXE, select Change Adapter Configuration, and change Remote Boot Program from NetWare ODI to None. Then move the EtherExpress PRO/10 adapter back to the original workstation.

If you do not have a workstation with a hard drive, you can remove the Flash chip from the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter and the machine will boot normally from floppy. After booting, run SOFTSET2.EXE, select Change Adapter Configuration, and change Remote Boot Program from NetWare ODI to None. After disabling Remote Boot, you can reinsert the Flash chip.

For detailed information on Novell* NetWare™ Remote Boot Installation Notes for Intel's EtherExpress™ PRO/10 LAN Adapter, order document 6349.

EtherExpress™ Pro/10 Reports Adapter Is In An 8 Bit Slot Or Will Only Run In 8Bit Mode

The EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter is designed to run in a standard IBM AT 8mhz ISA bus. This problem occurs on workstations when there is an ISA bus timing problem caused by an ISA bus running faster than 8mhz, or noise on the ISA bus caused by other adapters or poorly designed motherboards. The EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter will run in 8 bit mode to compensate for ISA bus timing issues or noise on the ISA bus. If you don't force the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 into 8-bit mode when this problem occurs, you may get an error message when the driver loads warning you that the adapter is running in an 8-bit slot. When the adapter runs in 8 bit mode, the interrupts your EtherExpress™ PRO/10 are limited to Interrupts 2, 3 or 5.

If the problem is caused by noise on the ISA bus, you can try to isolate the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter by placing it into another slot away from the other installed adapters.

If the problem is caused by a timing issue, you can edit the workstation's Advanced CMOS Setup to try and slow down the ISA bus speed to 8mhz or change other bus timing related settings. Different CMOS setups may refer to these options differently and the exact wording of the parameters varies with different computers. Be sure to record what changes you make. Here is a list of possible settings to change in CMOS:

AT Bus Clock Speed to CLK/6 (or higher)instead of the default CLK/4 AT Bus Wait State to 1 (or higher) instead of the default 0 REFRESH RATE=SLOW instead of the default FAST. HIDDEN REFRESH RATE=DISABLED instead of the default ENABLED

Also, try disabling any of the following: Shadow RAM, Shadow ROM, Shadow Onboard Video BIOS, Shadow System BIOS, Internal cache, and External cache.

Warning: Changing your CMOS settings could prevent your machine from booting or cause other problems. Be very careful to record the changes you make in case you need to return to those setting. Most motherboards have default settings for CMOS - verify how to return to the motherboard defaults before making any changes in CMOS.

If You Are Having Other Problems With The Etherexpress Pro/10 Adapter

  • USE THE LATEST DRIVERS!!!! See the chart in the first section of this document to verify version numbers.

  • Has the EtherExpress PRO/10 adapter ever worked? If it worked before, what has changed?

  • Try the EtherExpress PRO/10 adapter in another workstation.

  • Try a different network cable or hub connection. Often if one network board works but another doesn't, there's an intermittent problem with the wiring or connectors.

  • Set the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 to 8-bit mode. To do this, run SOFTSET2 and select "Change Adapter Configuration". Change FORCE 8-bit operation to Yes. This sets the adapter into 8 bit mode to compensate for ISA bus timing issues or noise on the ISA bus.

Note: Workstations that have a PCI/ISA bus combination will not work properly if the card is set to 8 bit mode. Do not use Force 8-bit operation option in SOFTSET2 as a troubleshooting technique in these machines.
  • Change the I/O address of the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter (try two or three different addresses). Run SOFTSET2 and select "Change Adapter Configuration". Highlight the I/O address setting and press enter, then choose a different address.

  • Change the IRQ of the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter (try two or three different IRQs). To do this, run SOFTSET2 and select "Change Adapter Configuration" Highlight the IRQ number, then press enter and choose a different IRQ.

  • Try disabling Concurrent processing. Run SOFTSET2, select "Change Adapter Configuration" select "Advanced Options Menu", and change Concurrent processing to Disabled.

  • Try putting the EtherExpress PRO/10 adapter into a different slot.

  • Try a different driver if possible (e.g. ODI instead of IPX).

  • If the computer has a turbo switch, set it to the opposite speed that you normally use.

  • Reseat the EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter (remove it from the slot and re-insert it).

  • Boot your machine without drivers, memory managers, or TSRs loaded, remove other add-in boards from the PC, and try to log into the network.

Softset2 3.12 Reports "Lan Adapter Not Found"

Symptom:

SoftSet2 3.12 reports "Lan Adapter not found"

Description:

With version 3.12 of SoftSet2, if the Plug and Play (PnP) BIOS of a computer or the configuration manager, fails to assign resources to the PRO/10, SoftSet2 reports a message "LAN adapter not found". SoftSet2 knows an PRO/10 is there, but it has to rely on the PnP BIOS or Configuration Manager to configure the adapter. The resource not often configured is the IRQ. The 5 IRQ's available to the PRO/10 are either in use by another device, or designated for ISA/Legacy adapters.

Solution:

Either modify the machine's setup to change the IRQ to Plug and Play enable, or turn off Plug and Play on the PRO/10 (using a different machine). Or, get version 4.10 of SoftSet2 from Intel's online services.

On a PnP BIOS machine without a Configuration Manager (CM), if the PnP BIOS did not assign any resource to our adapter (when our I/O, PnP and active registers to 0), then SoftSet2 will notify the user of this error condition and suggest to verify the computers PnP settings or turn off PnP on the adapter. SoftSet2 will proceed to assign a conflict free I/O port and proceed with SoftSet2's main menu so the user can turn off PnP if desired.

On a system with a PnP CM, if SoftSet2 finds that any one of the PRO/10 adapters installed has active bit set to 0 and a CM is loaded, SoftSet2 will display an error message notifying the user of this condition. It will refer them to use the ICU or computer setup to resolve the problem, then SoftSet2 will exit.

Using EMM386.EXE OR QEMM

The EtherExpress™ PRO/10 adapter uses an upper memory block address for the Flash Chip. The default address for the Flash Chip is D000-D3FFh and it must be excluded from your memory manager if you are using the Flash Chip. The Flash Chip address can be moved to another address using SOFTSET2.

If you are not using the Flash Chip you can disable the Flash Chip address through SOFTSET2. If the Flash Chip address is disabled, you do not need to exclude the Flash Chip address in your memory manager.

Flash Virus Protect Hangs The Workstation

The FlashVirusProtect opening banner appears to start to scan the hard drive and then the system locks up in a workstation using Phoenix BIOS 4.0x. There is an updated Flash VirusProtect image (DEFAULT.FLS) that will solve this problem contained in version 1.62c of FlashWorks. The name of the archive file to download for this update is FLSWKS.EXE.

Archive file FLSWKS.EXE is available through Intel's online services.

After downloading the updated image (DEFAULT.FLS dated 10/30/95), copy the image to your virus directory (c:\vprotect.pc ) and run FVPCFG.EXE. Select the file DEFAULT.FLS dated 10/30/95, then configure the anti-virus options to the desired settings and select F10 to save the configuration. You will then be prompted to download the configuration into flash memory - select YES

EPODI.EXE

Abstract:

EtherExpress™ PRO/10 ISA LAN Adapter NetWare* DOS ODI Client Driver EPROODI.COM v 3.02. Updated error message when Plug and Play (PnP) doesn't configure adapter resource.

SOFT.EXE

Abstract:

SOFTSET2.EXE v4.10 for the Intel® EtherExpress 16 and PRO/10+ ISA LAN adapters. SoftSet2 replaces SoftSet for the EtherExpress 16. Updates to v4.10 include support of the new PRO/10+ ISA Adapter. If an earlier version of SoftSet2 is run on the PRO/10+, they will cause the error message "EtherExpress PRO/10 EEprom is not programmed correctly". Read the enclosed SOFT.TXT file for more information.

E10DISK.EXE

Abstract:

EtherExpress™ PRO/10+ ISA LAN adapter drivers: Software Release #3.0 of the Intel EtherExpress PRO/10 ISA LAN adapter. Includes SoftSet2 v4.10 and certified Microsoft* and NetWare* software drivers. These drivers support all PRO/10 ISA adapters (product codes PCLA82xx and PCLA82xxA). This disk will be shipping with PCLA82xxB product in March 1996

EPDEMO.EXE

Graphic marketing demo for EtherExpress PRO adapters.

LDXPRS.EXE

This archive contains LANDesk* Express software v2.60.

CATALOG OF INSTALLATION DOCUMENTS

Document 0120 is a catalog that lists installation instructions and configurations for EtherExpress adapters. You can find document 0120 and the installation documents through Intel's online Services.

This applies to:
EtherExpress™ PRO/10 and PRO/10+ ISA adapters
EtherExpress™ PRO/10 PCI Adapter
EtherExpress™ PRO/10+ PCI Adapter



Solution ID: CS-010530
Date Created: 15-Apr-2004
Last Modified: 17-Jul-2011
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