Introduct To Artisoft (LANtastic) Hardware Training Module From 3/23/1996

Introduction to Artisoft Hardware

Module HDW01 03/23/96

ARTISOFT CORPORATE MISSION To be a leading developer and marketer of network solutions to workgroups, small businesses, and remote network users. MISSION To establish channel franchises through sales execution, support, and technical services on a global basis. CUSTOMER SUPPORT DEPARTMENT MISSION To Serve customers... Better than yesterday Better than our competitors Better than our customers expect. EDUCATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT MISSION To provide Artisoft Technical Support and Sales associates with the best training and best information tools in the industry.

Prepared by Curt Langley

PLEASE NOTE: This is a training document. It is not intended for use as a troubleshooting reference. Product features and concerns can and often do change without notice. Please refer to source documents or Folios for the most current product information.

©1996 ARTISOFT, INC. All rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any means without the written permission of ARTISOFT, INC.

Introduction to Artisoft Hardware Overview Over the years, Artisoft has manufactured several network hardware products for use on LANtastic networks and Ethernet networks in general. Although Artisoft no longer manufactures any hardware itself, it is still necessary for support personnel to familiarize themselves with all Artisoft hardware products, both discontinued and current. This module will present an overview of each primary hardware product that Artisoft has sold over the years. The following information will be covered: • • • •

A description of each product. Any default settings and specifications for each product. Basic configuration and troubleshooting tips. Current status of each product - discontinued, out of warranty, current product, ETC.

Performance Objectives This module is intended to be a basic overview of the Artisoft product line, not a comprehensive installation, configuration or troubleshooting guide. Only major networking products will be covered. A few minor hardware add-on kits or accessory kits will also be covered. Graphics of some, but not all of the hardware will be used to help you identify a product. When you have completed this module, you should be able to do/understand the following: • •

Describe and discuss each major hardware product produced by Artisoft. Describe the default settings and configuration of each product.

Hardware/Software Requirements There are no specific hardware requirements for this module, but it will be helpful if you can have any samples of the covered hardware handy for reference. If you are taking this module in the Artisoft training lab, you can obtain sample hardware from the training staff.

Network Adapter Basics Almost every kind of device that connects to a machine’s bus, including all network adapters, must use an IRQ to communicate with the CPU and a IOBASE to communicate with its associated driver program. IRQ (Interrupt Request) - when a adapter card wants to do something, such as send data to the machine, it generates an interrupt. This causes the CPU to stop what it is Module HDW01 03/23/96 Introduction to Artisoft Hardware

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doing, service the call based on what interrupt number was used, then return to what it was doing before it was interrupted. For example, if a network adapter signals the CPU with an interrupt, the CPU will check its Interrupt Vector Table to see what number interrupt was used to call it. That table will point it to the program in memory that the adapter is calling. In this case, that would be a low level network driver. Each adapter in a machine must have a unique IRQ number. IOBASE (IO Port Address) - once an adapter has issued an interrupt to the CPU telling it that it has data to give, it must have a way to actually deliver that data. The CPU and the adapter need a place in memory to act as a “mailbox”. This mailbox can pick up and deliver actual data in both directions. The mailbox is called the IOBASE. This memory address is usually 8,16 or 20 bits in length. For example, if the adapter has data for the network, it can place two bytes (16 bits) of data into that location in memory, then signal the CPU with an interrupt that it has something for it to do. The CPU will check the Interrupt Vector table and jump to the location in memory to execute the low level adapter driver code. The driver will look in the appropriate location in memory, the IOBASE, and retrieve the data. If the network has something to send, the process is reversed. RAMBASE - this is an area of upper memory used by an adapter for storing information. The size will vary. This memory provides a buffer that the adapter uses to both store information and pass information back and forth to its device driver, much like using the IOBASE. Adapters using a rambase will usually deliver faster performance than adapters using only an IOBASE, but this performance gain is primarily on sequential accesses only.

Bus Types Bus type refers to the slot specification on a particular motherboard. There are currently five main bus types: • • • • •

ISA (Industry Standard Architecture). EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture). MCA (Micro Channel Architecture). VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) Local Bus. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect).

The bus slots of each type are shaped and pinned differently, requiring a different type of adapter. Adapters for one bus type are not compatible with adapters of another with one exception, you can use an ISA adapter in an EISA slot. This is the only exception. Artisoft has manufactured ISA and MCA adapters only.

The Artisoft Adapter Line This section will cover each network adapter ever manufactured and sold by Artisoft. It will start with the 2MBPS line of products, then conclude with the Ethernet line.

2MBPS General Information The 2MBPS (Million Bits Per Second) line adapters were the first network adapters manufactured by Artisoft and are proprietary. That means no other company has ever Module HDW01 03/23/96 Introduction to Artisoft Hardware

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designed or manufactured this exact type of adapter. There are no specifications available to the public, as there is with Ethernet. This technology has a throughput rated at two million bits per second. As with any transmission medium, the actual data throughput will be lower, approximately 1.5 megabits per second.

General Cable Specifications The 2MBPS platform uses a dual, shielded, twisted pair cable. That is four wires twisted into two pairs. The connectors at each end of the cable, and on the adapter, are DB9 (9-pin) type connectors. Each adapter has one male and one female DB9 connector.

2MBPS CABLE TYPE

Dual, Shielded, Twisted Pair

DB9 Terminator

2MBPS Cable with DB9 Connectors

The adapters are cabled together by connecting the male DB9 on one adapter with the female DB9 on another adapter. Any open DB9 connectors must be terminated.

Supported Cables Only the following cables are supported with the 2MBPS line of adapters. No other type should even be considered.

Cable Type Artisoft cable AT&T grade dual twisted pair telephone cable Belden 9729 and Plenum 89729 cable

Maximum Length per Segment 1500 feet 300 feet 1000 feet

# of Nodes per Segment 32 32 32

2MBPS Driver Programs A noticeable difference between the 2MBPS adapters and the Ethernet adapters is the driver programs loaded for LANtastic. Normally LANtastic, using an Ethernet adapter, would load four programs in a specific order. This next table demonstrates the load order assuming an Artisoft NodeRunner adapter.

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LANtastic Network Program Load Order (Ethernet) Program Name NR.EXE AILANBIO.EXE REDIR.EXE SERVER.EXE

Purpose Adapter driver for the NodeRunner adapter Transport Protocol, Artisoft NetBIOS Client software Server software

The 2MBPS platform, being proprietary to Artisoft, does things a little differently. It combines the adapter driver and transport protocol into a single program called LANBIOS. The driver for each 2MBPS adapter is listed in the next table. 2MBPS Drivers Program Name LANBIOS.EXE LANBIOS2.EXE LANBIOS3.EXE

Adapter O2MBPS E2MBPS A2MBPS

This results in only three programs being loaded on a LANtastic machine. This next table shows this load order assuming an A2MBPS adapter. LANtastic Network Program Load Order (2MBPS) Program Name LANBIOS3.EXE REDIR.EXE SERVER.EXE

Purpose Adapter driver and transport protocol for the A2MBPS adapter Client software Server software

Sometimes a user will not be able to properly describe an adapter to support personnel on the phone. This presents the person trying to support LANtastic with the task of determining which Artisoft, or other brand, of adapter the customer is using. For Artisoft adapters, one way to identify the adapter is to see which driver is loading in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or STARTNET.BAT files. If it is a LANBIOS driver, then you should immediately know that they are using a 2MBPS adapter. Depending on the version running (LANBIOS, LANBIOS2, or LANBIOS3), you should be able to identify the specific adapter. Of course, the user could be loading the incorrect driver for the adapter. If that is the case, you may have to resort to other means of identifying the card, such as describing the connectors or opening the machine up to get the specific model number of the card.

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O2MBPS Adapters Description An 8-bit, ISA, two megabit per second adapter, proprietary to Artisoft. This is referred to as the Original 2MBPS adapter.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status This product is no longer manufactured.

Features •

Certified FCC Class B and approved by the FCC for home use.

Applications Can still be used in a basic LANtastic network, but only on a DOS/Windows platform.

Specifications • • • • • • •

Cable -- Dual shielded, twisted pair cable with DB9 connectors. IRQ's -- 2, 3, 4, 5 IObase -- None Boot Prom -- None Rambase -- 32k Default is D800. Range is C000 - FFFF. DMA -- None Novell Compatible -- No

Drivers • • • •

LANtastic -- LANBIOS.EXE OS/2 -- None NDIS -- None Windows 95 - None

Usage Notes • • • • •

The adapter does not use an IOBASE. The adapter can only access the lower IRQs. The IRQ and rambase are set by jumpers on the board. This adapter’s compatibility with faster machines, such as Pentiums, is questionable. One way to identify the adapter and distinguish it from the other 2MBPS models is its BLUE color.

Troubleshooting Rambase conflicts are possible with this adapter. You need to exclude the rambase with EMM386 in the CONFIG.SYS file. If running Windows, also use the EMMEXCLUDE statement in the SYSTEM.INI file to exclude the rambase.

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E2MBPS Adapters Description An 8-bit, ISA, two megabit per second adapter, proprietary to Artisoft. This is referred to as the Enhanced 2MBPS adapter.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status This product is no longer manufactured.

Features • • • •

Software configurable IRQ and IOBASE. Certified FCC Class B and approved by the FCC for home use. Uses an on board coprocessor to perform many functions, relieving the CPU from the task. This usually results in faster network performance. 32k of onboard RAM to speed processing.

Applications Can still be used in a basic LANtastic network, but only on a DOS/Windows platform.

Specifications • • • • • • •

Cable -- Dual shielded, twisted pair cable using DB9 connectors. IRQ's -- 2, 3 (default), 4, 5,6,7,10,15 IObase -- 220,240,260,280 (default), 2A0,320,340,360 Boot Prom -- Optional Daughterboard Rambase -- 32k Default is D800. Range is A000 - FFFF. DMA -- None Novell Compatible -- No

Drivers • • • •

LANtastic -- LANBIOS2.EXE OS/2 -- None NDIS -- None Windows 95 - None

Usage Notes • • • • •

This is an 8-bit adapter, but it has the extra connectors to access IRQs 10 and 15. This adapter’s compatibility with faster machines, such as Pentiums, is questionable. One way to identify this adapter and distinguish it from other 2MBPS models is by its light green color and the fact that is has only four dip switches on it. The A2MBPS has eight and the O2MBPS has none. The IRQ and IOBASE are changed from the default using command line switches. The rambase is set by four dip switches on the board. If changed from the default, you must specify the new rambase on the command line loading the driver.

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•

An example of loading the LANBIOS2 driver with non-default settings would be: LANBIOS2

•

iobase=320

irq=10

rambase=c800

The LANBIOS2 driver comes with a command line switch called /AUTO. If you load the driver with this switch, then the driver will attempt to select its own IRQ and IOBASE. It will usually find one that is free, but not always. This switch does not select a rambase. Assuming a non-default rambase is used, the command line to load the driver with the AUTO switch would be: LANBIOS2 auto rambase=c800 verbose The main reason to use this switch is when you are not sure which IRQ or IOBASE to set the card to. If you load the driver with the AUTO switch, and the adapter and network appear to function normally, then it is a fairly safe bet that the selected settings are safe to use. You then need to hard code the settings on the LANBIOS2 load line and remove the AUTO switch. To see which settings the AUTO switch selected, load the driver with the VERBOSE switch and be sure to pause the screen after the driver loads successfully. The information displayed on the screen will show you which IRQ and IOBASE were selected. LANtastic (tm) NETBIOS V2.22 - (C) Copyright 1992 ARTISOFT Inc. Command line Node address Interrupt request Maximum number of names Default number of sessions Default number of NCBs Local interrupt stack ---- LANtastic

•

auto verbose 00006EA00001 Adapter number 10 RAM base 16 Number of buffers 32 System timeout 32 I/O base address DISABLED Bytes of memory used NETBIOS installed ----

0 D800 8 10 280 1712

This E2MBPS adapter has the ability to add remote booting or additional ram to the adapter. This is accomplished using a add on board called the E2MBPS Daughterboard. This board plugs into to E2MBPS adapter with an additional socket. You can add a single remote boot chip or a 32k ram chip to this board. The board contains dip switches for setting a rombase if remote booting.

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The E2MBPS Daughterboard Front View

Inserting the Daughterboard

Troubleshooting • •

Rambase conflicts are possible with this adapter. You need to exclude the rambase with EMM386 in the CONFIG.SYS file. If running Windows, also use the EMMEXCLUDE statement in the SYSTEM.INI file to exclude the rambase. You do not want to leave the AUTO switch on the LANBIOS2 driver. This may seem like an easy way to load the driver without worrying about the settings, but it will usually result in problems. LANBIOS2 will not accurately detect all available IRQs or IOBASES, and there is no guarantee that it will detect the same settings every time it boots. This can lead to inconsistencies in making or keeping a network connection. It can also result in the driver loading most of the time, but not all of the time.

A2MBPS Adapters Description An 8-bit, ISA, two megabit per second adapter, proprietary to Artisoft. This is referred to as the Advanced 2MBPS adapter.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status This product is no longer manufactured.

Features • • • •

Software configurable IRQ and IOBASE. Certified FCC Class B and approved by the FCC for home use. Uses an on board coprocessor to perform many functions, relieving the CPU from the task. This usually results in faster network performance. 8k of onboard RAM to speed processing.

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Applications Can still be used in a basic LANtastic network, but only on a DOS/Windows platform.

Specifications • • • • • • •

Cable -- Dual shielded, twisted pair cable using DB9 connectors. IRQ's -- 2, 3 (default), 4, 5,6,7,10,15 IObase -- 220 through 3E0h, 280 (default) Boot Prom -- Optional Daughterboard Rambase -- 8k Default is D800. Range is A000 - E000. DMA -- None Novell Compatible -- No

Drivers • • • •

LANtastic -- LANBIOS3.EXE OS/2 -- None NDIS -- None Windows 95 - None

Usage Notes • • • • • • • •

This is an 8-bit adapter, but it has the extra connectors to access IRQs 10 and 15. This adapter’s compatibility with faster machines, such as Pentiums, is questionable. One way to identify this adapter and distinguish it from other 2MBPS models is its dark green color and use of eight dip switches. The E2MBPS has four and the O2MBPS has none. The IRQ and IOBASE are changed from the default using command line switches. The rambase is set by four dip switches on the board. If changed from the default, you must specify the new rambase on the command line loading the driver. The A2MBPS adapter features a socket that can be used for a remote boot ROM or 32k ram chip. The boot rombase is set by dip switches 5-8. The rambase on the A2MBPS adapter is set by dip switches 1-4. An example of loading the LANBIOS3 driver with non-default settings would be: LANBIOS3

•

iobase=320

irq=10

rambase=c800

The LANBIOS3 driver comes with a command line switch called /AUTO. If you load the driver with this switch, then the driver will attempt to select its own IRQ and IOBASE. It will usually find one that is free, but not always. This switch does not select a rambase. Assuming a non-default rambase is used, the command line to load the driver would look like this: LANBIOS3 auto rambase=c800 verbose The main reason to use this switch is when you are not sure which IRQ or IOBASE to set the card to. If you load the driver with the AUTO switch, and the adapter and network appear to function normally, then it is a fairly safe

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bet that the selected settings are safe to use. You then need to hard code the settings on the LANBIOS3 load line and remove the AUTO switch. To see which settings the AUTO switch selected, load the driver with the VERBOSE switch and be sure to pause the screen after the driver loads successfully. The information displayed on the screen will show you which IRQ and IOBASE were selected. LANtastic (tm) NETBIOS V2.06 - (C) Copyright 1992 ARTISOFT Inc. Command line Node address Interrupt request Maximum number of names Default number of sessions Default number of NCBs (UDUU) Local interrupt stack Bytes of memory used ---- LANtastic

auto verbose 00006EA00001 10 16 32 32

Adapter number RAM base Number of buffers System timeout I/O base address

0 D800 8 10 280

DISABLED Shared memory mode 3616 NETBIOS installed ----

8K

Troubleshooting • •

•

Rambase conflicts are possible with this adapter. You need to exclude the rambase with EMM386 in the CONFIG.SYS file. If running Windows, also use the EMMEXCLUDE statement in the SYSTEM.INI file to exclude the rambase. You do not want to leave the AUTO switch on the LANBIOS3 driver. This may seem like an easy way to load the driver without worrying about the setting, but it will usually result in problems. LANBIOS3 will not accurately detect all available IRQs or IOBASES, and there is no guarantee that it will detect the same settings every time it boots. This can lead to inconsistencies in making or keeping a network connection. It can also result in the driver loading most of the time, but not all of the time. LANBIOS3, version 2.05, is known to have problems maintaining a connection. Make sure the user has LANBIOS3 2.06 or higher. This can be obtained from the BBS in a self extracting zip file called LANBIOS.EXE.

The A2MBPS Adapter Jumpers for RAMbase or ROMBase Address

Optional Boot ROM or RAM Upgrade

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Face Plate View

DB15 Male Connector DB15 Female Connector

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The 2MBPS Hub Description A 12 port hub designed specifically for connecting network segments using Artisoft 2MBPS adapters.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status This product is no longer manufactured.

Features • • •

Can be used to extend the cable length of a 2MBPS network. Can connect up to six 2MBPS networks and 120 nodes. Certified FCC Class B and approved by the FCC for home use.

Applications Can only be used with LANtastic networks running Artisoft 2MBPS adapters.

Specifications •

Cable -- uses the cable specified for all 2MBPS adapters. Connects to hub with special DB9 to RJ-11 adapter using a flat extension cable supplied by Artisoft.

Usage Notes • • • •

Using a special DB9 to RJ-11 connector, you can run a cable from the 2MBPS adapter to the RJ-11 port on the hub. The hub uses a “harmonica” with a 50 pin connector for its RJ-11 connections. The extension cable used to connect the DB9-RJ11 adapter cannot exceed 6 inches in length. You cannot mix cable types on this hub, even specified cable types.

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2MBPS Hub

Standard 2MBPS Cable

Harmonica With RJ11 Ports DB9 to RJ11 Adapter

2MBPS Hub

Extension Cable

Simply LANtastic Adapters Description An 8-bit ethernet adapter specially designed for simplicity of installation.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status This product is no longer manufactured.

Features • • •

Software configurable. Uses mini-coax cabling with popular hi-fi connectors and no terminating resistors. Certified FCC Class B and approved by the FCC for home use.

Applications Ideal for small office/ home office networks where performance is not as important as ease of use.

Specifications • • • • • •

Cable -- Instead of coax or UTP, the card uses mini coax cable. (RG174A/U) with 3.5mm mini jack connectors, eliminating the need for Tconnectors. Maximum cable length is 200 feet. IRQ's -- 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 15 IObase -- 300, 320, 340, 360 Boot Prom -- None Rambase -- None

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• •

DMA -- None Novell Compatible -- No

Drivers • • • •

LANtastic -- NR.EXE OS/2 -- AEXNDIS.OS2 NDIS -- AEXNDIS.DOS Windows 95 - None

Usage Notes • • •

•

Simply cards are self-terminating, eliminating the need for terminating resistors. The cards on either end of the network must have only cable inserted. A length of RG174A/U cable can be connected to regular RG58A/U coax using a special connector supplied by Artisoft. Only one of these connectors is permitted in a segment. The maximum segment length remains 200'. Two lengths of RG174A/U cable can be linked together using a 1/8-inch (3.5mm) Mini Jack Coupler available at any electronics supply store. The Radio Shack part number is 274-1555 but be careful. This is a stereo coupler and may not make a good connection to mono cable. The card does not have a Novell setting.

Troubleshooting •

IObase conflicts can usually be resolved by using NRMOVE to temporarily shift the card's IObase then running NRSETUP.

The Simply Ethernet Adapter

Mini-jack Connectors

Simply Parallel Adapter Description A parallel port ethernet adapter.

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Current Status This product is no longer manufactured.

Features • • • • • •

Eliminates need to open computer and insert network adapter. Completes the "too simple to screw up" notion of Simply LANtastic. Works with standard, bi-directional, and enhanced parallel ports. Printer connects to adapter and print jobs are passed through. Connects to machine via proprietary cable. Connects to network via the same RG174/U cable with 3.5mm mini jacks that are used by the Simply adapters.

Applications The same as the Simply ethernet adapter, except that with this adapter even a complete neophyte should be able to install a network.

Specifications • • • • • • •

Cable -- Uses mini coax cable (RG174/U) with 3.5mm mini jack connectors. Self terminating. Maximum cable length is 200 feet. IRQ's -- 5, 7 IObase -- Determined by LPT port Boot Prom -- None Rambase -- None DMA -- None Novell Compatible -- No

Drivers • • • •

LANtastic -- NRP.EXE OS/2 -- None NDIS -- None Windows 95 - none

Usage Notes •

Same cabling caveats as regular Simply installation.

Troubleshooting Some printers have a low pickup threshold for signals coming down the cable. These may not print if connected to the Parallel Adapter. Refer to Folios or Oprah for the proposed fix for this problem.

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The Simply Parallel Adapter SIDE VIEW

Parallel Port Connection

Printer

Power Supply

Cable

AE Series (AE-1/T, AE-2 and AE-3) Adapters Description A 16-bit ISA ethernet card.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status This product is no longer manufactured.

Features • • • •

Hardware register-level compatible with the NE2000. Jumper configurable. 16K on-board RAM for buffering network traffic. Expandable to 64K. Certified FCC Class B and approved by the FCC for home use.

Applications Can be used in any network as a standard Ethernet card.

Specifications • • • • • • •

Cable -- Thin or thick ethernet or UTP (AE-1/T is UTP only, AE-3 supports all three) IRQ -- 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 15 [w1] IObase -- 300, 320, 340, 360 [w4] Boot Prom -- Yes [w6] Rambase -- None DMA -- None Novell compatible -- Yes [w5]

Drivers •

LANtastic -- AEX.EXE (defaults to IRQ15) or AE2.EXE (defaults to IRQ3)

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• • •

NDIS -- AEXNDIS.DOS NDIS for OS/2 -- AEXNDIS.OS2 Windows 95 - use AE series driver supplied by Microsoft.

Usage Notes • • •

AE2 adapters are workhorses with few operating problems. Earlier revisions (B and C) use an older NIC controller chip. Revision E and F use the same National Semiconductor NIC controller used by the NE2000. A 32K memory upgrade is available to help relieve traffic bottleneck on a resource-choked server.

Troubleshooting Has non-standard bus timing jumper [w8] that resolves most timing problems.

AE Series Adapters Boot ROM Sockets

RJ45 (UTP) DB15 (Thicknet) BNC (Coax)

AE2

AE1-T

RAM Upgrade Sockets

W8 (Non Stanbard Bus) Jumper

RJ45 (UTP)

RJ45 (UTP) DB15 (Thicknet)

DB15 (Thicknet)

BNC (Coax)

AE3

AE2-T

NodeRunner 2000 and NodeRunner 2000SI Adapters Description • • •

16-bit ISA ethernet cards. The NR2000 is designed for use in a LANtastic network version 5.0 or earlier. The NR2000SI is designed for use in third-party networks or with LANtastic version 6.0. SI cards can be identified by a red or yellow sticker on the outside of the metal mounting bracket. Standard NR2000 cards have a white sticker.

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Current Status These products are no longer manufactured.

Features • • • •

Uses ALICE chip, an Application Specific Integrated Circuitry (ASIC) technology chip that speeds up processing and simplifies board design. Software configurable using NRCONFIG for NR2000 cards and NRSETUP for either NR2000SI or NR2000 cards. Autosensing for 8-bit mode when inserted in 8-bit slot. Certified FCC Class B and approved by the FCC for home use.

Applications • • • •

Works in any ethernet network: LANtastic, NetWare, or otherwise. Works in both ISA and EISA machines. The NR2000A and NR2000SI/A have an option for adding an additional 32K of SRAM for buffering network traffic. The NR2000 series is compatible with LANtastic 4.0 and above.

Specifications • • • • • • •

Cable -- thin or thick ethernet or UTP (NR2000/T is UTP only, NR2000A supports all three) IRQ -- 2. 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 15 IObase -- 300, 320, 340, 360 Boot Prom -- Yes Rambase -- None DMA -- None Novell compatible -- Yes

Drivers • • • •

LANtastic -- NODERUN.EXE (for NR2000) and NR.EXE (for NR2000SI) NDIS -- AEXNDIS.DOS NDIS for OS/2 -- AEXNDIS.OS2 Windows 95 - Use the NE2000 compatible driver supplied by Microsoft.

Usage Notes • • • •

•

Customers get upset when they purchase an SI card then find out it will not work in a standard NOS 5.0 network. Make sure a user purchasing an SI card has NOS 6.0 or 5.0AI. NRSETUP contains a diagnostic option for troubleshooting a bad card. It also features an automatic configuration option that helps ferret out an available IObase and IRQ combination. Use the 32K RAM upgrade on A series cards if LANcheck reveals a number of resource exhausts after a short period of network operation. Backward Compatibility - Drivers for using an NR2000 in a NOS 4.1 network can be found on the driver disk in a directory labeled V4.10. There you'll find a file named V410.EXE. This is a self-extracting executable. Run it in a blank subdirectory on the machine's hard drive to extract the 4.1 version of NODERUN.EXE and AILANBIO.EXE. Users with 4.0 networks will need to download AEX_41.EXE from the Artifacts BBS. This is a self-extracting executable that will yield the 4.1 version of the AEX driver. This and the 4.1 AILANBIO must be copied to every machine with an AE2 card in the network.

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Troubleshooting • • •

IObase conflicts can usually be resolved by using NRMOVE to temporarily shift the card's IObase then running NRSETUP. Most timing problems can be resolved by running NRSETUP and setting IOCS16 timing to EARLY. The on-board EEPROM can sometimes become corrupted when running NRCONFIG. If moving the IObase does not relieve the problem, the card generally has to be replaced.

Model Types The NodeRunner series comes in the following models: • • • • • • • •

NodeRunner 2000/C - Coax connector only. NodeRunner 2000/C (SI) - Coax connector only. NodeRunner 2000/T - UTP connector only. NodeRunner 2000/T (SI) - UTP connector only. NodeRunner 2000/A - Coax, UTP and AUI connectors. NodeRunner 2000/A (SI) - Coax, UTP and AUI connectors. NodeRunner 2000/MC - MicroChannel, Coax and UTP connectors only. NodeRunner 2000/MC (SI) - MicroChannel, Coax and UTP connectors only

The NodeRunner 2000/C SI Boot ROM

BNC Coax Connector

The NodeRunner 2000/A Expansion RAM Socket

Peer Hub Connection

RJ45 UTP DB15 Thicknet BNC Coax

Boot ROM

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NodeRunner Pro (UTP and Combo) Description • •

16-bit ISA ethernet cards. Co-developed with Intel.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status These products are currently manufactured.

Features • • • •

Software configurable using the NPROSET program. Autosensing for 8-bit mode when inserted in 8-bit slot. Certified FCC Class B and approved by the FCC for home use. Automatic configuration.

Applications • • • • • •

Works in any ethernet network such as LANtastic, NetWare, Windows NT, ETC. Works in both ISA and EISA machines. Plug-and-Play compatible. Concurrent Processing feature improves performance in some situations. Autosensing of cable type (NodeRunner Pro Combo). 32k of onboard RAM to speed processing.

Specifications • • • • • • •

Cable Coax or UTP (NodeRunner Pro Combo) UTP only( NodeRunner Pro UTP) IRQ -- 2. 3, 4, 5 (default), 7,9, 10, 11, 12 IObase -- 16 bit block between 200 and 390, 300 (default) Boot Prom -- Yes, but not supported for LANtastic at this time. Rambase -- None DMA -- None Novell compatible -- No

Drivers • • • • • • • •

LANtastic -- NPRO.EXE NDIS -- EPRO.DOS NDIS for OS/2 -- EPRO.OS2 Windows 95 - Use the Intel PRO/10 driver supplied by Microsoft. Novell Client - EPROODI.COM Novell Server - EPRO.LAN Windows NT - EPRONT.SYS UNIX (Packet Driver) - EPROPKT.COM

Usage Notes •

NPROSET features a self diagnostic ability to test each adapter locally.

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• •

NPROSET features a network communication test for testing connection with another NodeRunner Pro adapter on the same network. The Concurrent Processing feature is only used if the adapter driver is written to use it. The native LANtastic driver, NPRO.EXE, is not written to use Concurrent Processing.

Troubleshooting •

• • •

When using the adapter with a Plug-and-Play operating system, such as Windows 95, you must choose the correct driver. If PnP is enabled on the adapter, Windows 95 should detect and load the correct driver for you, the Intel EtherExpress PRO/10 [PnP Enabled]. If PnP is not enabled, be sure to use the Intel EtherExpress PRO/10 driver. The adapter features an 8-bit setting that acts like the non standard bus timing setting found on other Artisoft adapters. On some machines, it may be necessary to disable the PnP setting for the adapter, primarily on non PnP computers. In some instances where the drivers will not load or the adapter will not communicate on the network, you should try disabling Concurrent Processing.

Artisoft MicroChannel Adapters The MicroChannel bus standard was created by IBM for use in its PS2 model machines. The bus slots and pinouts for a MicroChannel adapter are different from ISA. The two standards are not compatible. All MicroChannel adapters use the same types of settings that an Ethernet adapter uses. Settings such as the IOBASE, IRQ, rambase and connector type are set by software. All MicroChannel adapters use a program from the IBM Reference Disk to configure these settings. This disk is supplied with the IBM machine, not by Artisoft or any other adapter manufacturer. What each manufacturer supplies is a ADF (Adapter Description File) to be used by the Reference Disk. These files always end in an *.ADF extension. They should be located on the driver disk supplied with the adapter. When the Reference program is run, it will request the driver disk from the adapter manufacturer. Once the disk is inserted, the ADF file will be read. This file contains the information that the Reference disk needs to configure this specific adapter, such as available IRQs or Connector type.

Description • •

16-bit, MicroChannel adapters for use in MicroChannel machines only. Models were manufactured for the AE series, A2MBPS and NodeRunner series.

Warranty 5 years from date of purchase.

Current Status All MicroChannel adapters are no longer manufactured.

Features • •

16K of on board RAM in AE2/MC, upgradable to 64K. 32k of on board RAM in the NodeRunner/MC, upgradable to 64k.

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•

32k of on board RAM in the A2MBPS/MC.

Applications •

All models are intended for use in LANtastic networks only. You can mix MicroChannel and Ethernet adapters on the same network.

Specifications • • • •

• • •

Cable -- 2MBPS uses specified cable for that platform. O2MBPS, E2MBPS and A2MBPS models were available. The AE and NodeRunner series come in thin/thick or UTP models. IRQ AE and NodeRunner - 3 (default), 4, 5,9 2MBPS - 3 (default), 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 IObase (All Models) - 300, 320, 340, 360,1000 (default),2020,8020 Boot Prom AE and NodeRunner adapters - Yes A2MBPS adapters - Yes O2MBPS and E2MBPS adapters - None Rambase -- (2MBPS only) - 32k block from C0000 to BFFF, DFFFF (default) DMA -- None Novell compatible -- No

Drivers •

• • •

LANtastic AEX.EXE for the AE series. NR.EXE for the NodeRunner series. LANBIOS3.EXE for the A2MBPS adapter. NDIS AEXNDIS.DOS for the AE and NodeRunner adapters. None for the 2MBPS adapter. NDIS for OS/2 AEXNDIS.OS2 for the AE and NodeRunner adapters. None for the 2MBPS adapters. Windows 95 - None for any of the adapters.

ADF Files • •

@6343.ADF - 2MBPS adapters. @67B0.ADF for AE and NodeRunner adapters.

Usage Notes •

•

When you boot the machine from the Reference Disk, the program will detect if you have any new hardware or allow you to configure existing hardware. The Automatic configuration method should usually be used. The system will determine what settings to use for you. You should only do a Manual configuration when Automatic does not seem to work properly. If a user does not have the ADF file needed for their Artisoft adapter, they can download it from the Artisoft BBS. The ADF files for all Artisoft MicroChannel models are contained in a self extracting Zip file called ADF.EXE.

MicroChannel adapters can be identified by their smaller, shorter gold contacts or the blue plastic handles they have to make removing and inserting them easier. The

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following example of a MicroChannel adapter will give you an idea of how they should look.

The AE2 MicroChannel Adapter

DB15 Thicknet BNC Coax

RAM Upgrade Sockets

Boot ROM Socket

Boot PROMs Description A boot PROM makes it possible for a machine without a floppy or hard drive to boot up and attach to the network server.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status This product is no longer manufactured.

Features • • •

A workstation equipped with a boot PROM has just enough smarts to boot up and look for a server. It expects to find a "boot image" on the server that contains the files that would otherwise be found on a bootable floppy. When the workstation finds this boot image, it completes the boot sequence and attaches to the server. From this point on, the workstation accesses server resources just as it would if it had booted from a normal device.

Applications • • • •

Remote booting adds a measure of security because a user can't copy information from the server onto a floppy. This is handy when you don't want a temp worker walking off with a copy of your customer list. Remote booting is also ideal for adverse environments where the internals of a floppy could get fouled. Remote booting is handy for network administrators who need control over the logon scripts and don't want users swapping floppies or hacking their own logon sequences. Remote booting is not necessarily lower in cost than using a floppy. The PROM chips cost about as much as a floppy drive. There's no moving parts to wear out, though.

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Remote Booting with Artisoft Adapters Artisoft adapters use two methods for remote booting: • •

Old Style -- The card driver (AEX or NR or NODERUN) and the NetBIOS driver (AILANBIO) are coded onto the PROM. The chip uses these as the transport protocol to load the remaining drivers from the boot image. FFRPL (find/found remote program load) -- The chip sets up a 360K RAMdrive on the workstation, designates it as drive A, then makes a low level connection to a bootstrap loader on the server. The bootstrap loader shovels the boot image into the RAMdrive, then the workstation boots off the RAMdrive as if it were a regular floppy drive.

Deciding which method to use depends on what style of remote boot ROM is compatible with the adapter model and whether the user has more than 360K of files to put in the image. The next table describes each Ethernet adapter and its accociated boot ROM chips. Adapter

Boot ROM

Comments

AE-2 rev B&C AE-2 rev E

Part #153 (NOS 4.1) Part #853 (NOS 5.0+) Part #153 (NOS 4.1) Part #853 (NOS 5.0+) Part #176 (all NOS) Part #882T (all NOS) Part #882T (NOS 5.0+)

Old Style only, chip not programmable. FFRPL only, chip not programmable. Old Sly only, chip not programmable. FFRPL only, chip not programmable. FFRPL only, 16K chip not big enough to hold Old Style. Old Style or FFRPL, 32K programmable chip, needs GAL. Old Style or FFRPL, 32k programmable chip, discard GAL if already mounted to board.

AE-2 rev F NR2000 and NR2000SI

Troubleshooting A common problem with boot ROM chips is inserting them correctly. If they are inserted backwards, or one of the pins on the chip does not make proper contact with the socket, then the chip will not function. There is a notch on the boot ROM chip and a corresponding notch on the boot ROM socket. You need to line them up to insure proper insertion. The chip must be carefully seated, insuring that all of the pins on the chip insert into a hole on the socket. Sometimes, it is possible for one pin to bend into the socket, without getting into the hole. The chip may look like it is seated properly, but is not. The usual way to check for this is to remove the chip, then carefully straighten the pin, then reinsert the chip. The following graphic demonstrates the proper insertion orientation.

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Inserting a Boot ROM Chip Notch

Chip

Socket

T-Runner I (8 and 12 Port Ethernet Hubs) Description •

Free-standing dynamic 10baseT concentrators. Concentrators are also called hubs. The names are used interchangeably. Also known as the T-Runner I series.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status Both products are no longer manufactured.

Features • • • • •

The T-Runner 8 has eight RJ-45 ports. The T-Runner 12 has 12 RJ-45 ports. Each port is equipped with a green Link Light and an amber Activity light. Both units are compatible with all Artisoft 10BaseT ethernet cards. Both units come with a 10Base2 (thinnet) BNC connector. The units come with a separate 120V power supply. The cases are suitable for stacking or wall mounting.

Applications • •

Small to medium-sized 10baseT installations where no filtering or routing is desired. The thinnet port gives the hubs a significant advantage because up to 30 units can be daisy-chained together without using any of the RJ-45 ports on each unit and special cabling.

About 10BaseT 10BaseT uses two pairs of tiny wires that are twisted together and covered with insulation. They are often referred to as UTP for Unshielded Twisted Pairs. One pair is used for transmitting, the other pair for receiving. The wires are attached to an RJ-45 jack that looks similar to a phone jack. •

This style of ethernet is inherently more noisy and the cards must be designed to compensate for this extra interference.

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•

Hubs can be connected together using the UTP cable but not with standard straight-through wiring. This would connect the transmit pair to the transmitter in the hub instead of the receiver. A special crossover cable is used to connect hubs.

10BaseT installations tend to be more complex than coax to justify the extra cost of the concentrator and the hassle of the extra cables. A typical installation might have one or more concentrators in a stuffing room with four-conductor UTP run from each port to a lay-down board (or patch panel) where large bundles of cables pick off the appropriate pairs and route them through the walls to RJ-45 jacks. Another piece of UTP connects the wall jack to the plug on the adapter card. As you can imagine, there is plenty of room for cable screwups in this kind of installation. The advantage is that a single segment can fail without taking down the rest of the network.

Usage Notes •

•

Passive hubs pass on every signal they receive. They do not discriminate as to packet type, source, or destination. They do not amplify. A dynamic hub such as the T-Runner series hubs boosts the signal a bit. However, they do not reduce network traffic or extend the length of a network beyond normal ethernet specifications. Ethernet specs limit the number of hubs between any two communicating stations to a maximum of four. This makes the thinnet capability of these units even more attractive.

Troubleshooting •

•

An open wire should be indicated by a loss of the link light. Because of the number of connections between the computer and the hub, it's often the case that the link light will be on but there is too much impedance to pass a clear signal. Signals to a shorted wire will be cut by a jabber circuit in the hub before it can bring down the other nodes. If this feature fails, every single link light and activity light might energize. In this case, kill the power by pulling the power jack, remove all cables, and reenergize the unit. If it appears to be functional, reinsert the segment jacks one at a time until the failing segment causes the symptom again.

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The T-Runner 8 Hub Front View

Rear View

T-Runner II (8 and 16 Port Ethernet Hubs) Description •

Free-standing dynamic 10baseT concentrators. Concentrators are also called hubs. The names are used interchangeably. Also known as the T-Runner II series. These are the successors to the T-Runner I series. They have a different look, but the same essential functionality.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status Both products currently manufactured.

Features • • • • • •

The T-Runner II Hub 8 has eight RJ-45 ports. The T-Runner II Hub 16 has 16 RJ-45 ports. Each port is equipped with a green Link Light and an amber Activity light. Both units are compatible with all Artisoft 10BaseT ethernet cards. Both units come with a 10Base2 (thinnet) BNC connector. Both units come with a AUI (thicknet) connector. The units come with a separate 120V power supply. The cases are suitable for wall mounting.

Applications • •

Small to medium-sized 10baseT installations where no filtering or routing is desired. The thinnet port gives the hubs a significant advantage because up to 30 units can be daisy-chained together without using any of the RJ-45 ports on each unit and special cabling.

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•

The AUI (thicknet) port allows you to daisy chain up to four hubs together, which allows you to use thicknet cable lengths (up to 500 meters) between them.

About 10BaseT 10BaseT uses two pairs of tiny wires that are twisted together and covered with insulation. They are often referred to as UTP for Unshielded Twisted Pairs. One pair is used for transmitting, the other pair for receiving. The wires are attached to an RJ-45 jack that looks similar to a phone jack. • •

This style of ethernet is inherently more noisy and the cards must be designed to compensate for this extra interference. Hubs can be connected together using the UTP cable but not with standard straight-through wiring. This would connect the transmit pair to the transmitter in the hub instead of the receiver. A special crossover cable is used to connect hubs.

10BaseT installations tend to be more complex than coax to justify the extra cost of the concentrator and the hassle of the extra cables. A typical installation might have one or more concentrators in a stuffing room with four-conductor UTP run from each port to a lay-down board (or patch panel) where large bundles of cables pick off the appropriate pairs and route them through the walls to RJ-45 jacks. Another piece of UTP connects the wall jack to the plug on the adapter card. As you can imagine, there is plenty of room for cable screwups in this kind of installation. The advantage is that a single segment can fail without taking down the rest of the network.

Usage Notes •

•

Passive hubs pass on every signal they receive. They do not discriminate as to packet type, source, or destination. They do not amplify. A dynamic hub such as the T-Runner series hubs boosts the signal a bit. However, they do not reduce network traffic or extend the length of a network beyond normal ethernet specifications. Ethernet specs limit the number of hubs between any two communicating stations to a maximum of four. This makes the thinnet capability of these units even more attractive.

Troubleshooting •

•

An open wire should be indicated by a loss of the link light. Because of the number of connections between the computer and the hub, it's often the case that the link light will be on but there is too much impedance to pass a clear signal. Signals to a shorted wire will be cut by a jabber circuit in the hub before it can bring down the other nodes. If this feature fails, every single link light and activity light might energize. In this case, kill the power by pulling the power jack, remove all cables, and reenergize the unit. If it appears to be functional, reinsert the segment jacks one at a time until the failing segment causes the symptom again.

The Artisoft Peer Hub Description A dynamic 10BaseT hub designed to be inserted in a computer. Module HDW01 03/23/96 Introduction to Artisoft Hardware

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Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status This product is no longer manufactured. .

Features • •

• •

Looks like an 8-bit ethernet adapter but there are no ethernet processing or transceiver circuits on it. It merely passes signals. Five external RJ-45 ports and two internal ports. The external ports are compatible with all ethernet adapters using UTP connections, including the full line of Artisoft ethernet adapters. The two internal ports can be connected to other Artisoft AE/T series and NR2000/T series adapters mounted in the same computer. If an internal connection is wired to an AE-3 or NR2000A adapter, it provides a port to a thinnet or 10base5 installation. Up to four Peer Hubs can be put in one machine, providing connectivity for up to 20 external stations plus the internal adapters.

Applications • • •

Small 10baseT installations where the host computer(s) has a free slot. Low-cost alternative to a free-standing hub. Particularly attractive for LANtastic networks because of the internal connectivity options.

Usage Notes •

The Peer Hub has two operating modes, hardware and software, set by a jumper on the card. Hardware-only mode -- the hub uses the host computer purely as a power supply. In this configuration the hub requires no IObase. Software Mode -- a program called PH-SETUP.EXE is loaded when the computer boots. The software has the following features: 1. 2. 3.

• •

Alarms at failure of a port. Displays port status including wire reversals and transmission problems. Maintains log of port usage.

In the software mode, the hub must communicate to the computer, which requires an IObase. The default is 2F0h but can be changed with DIP switches. If multiple hubs are put in one machine, they must each be configured with a unique IObase. Each hub comes from the factory with a unique name so there shouldn't be any confusion running the software.

Troubleshooting • •

The only problems generally are caused by users who try to use the software settings with the card in hardware mode, or vice-versa. Troubleshooting procedures for port failures are the same as for the T-Runner hubs.

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The Artisoft Peer Hub

Connections to other Peer Hubs or Artisoft Adapters 5 RJ45 UTP Ports

The Artisoft Central Station I and II Description A free-standing unit for connecting printers, modems, and laptops into a LANtastic network without the need for another computer.

Warranty Five years from date of purchase.

Current Status These products are no longer manufactured.

Features • • • • • •

Eliminates the need to tie up a workstation with print jobs. Has an on-board microprocessor capable of simultaneously handling highspeed modems, serial printers, parallel printers, and a laptop. Connects to network via thinnet or UTP. Special software is available for using the Central Station in a Novell network. Uses the same stackable housing as an T-Runner hubs. 12 volt, 1 amp, unregulated power supply.

Applications • • •

Remote Access to a LANtastic or Novell network. (See discussion next page about Remote Access vs. Remote Control.) Allows connecting a laptop to a network without the need for purchasing another network adapter. Gives greater flexibility in locating a workgroup printer.

Specifications • • • •

2 standard DB-9 bi-directional serial ports. 1 DB-9 AUX serial port capable of XON/XOFF protocol (Central Station II only). 1 DB-25 parallel port designator for parallel printing connections. 1 DB-25 parallel port that can accommodate a laptop or another parallel printer (Central Station II only).

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•

32K PEROM for storing settings. NOTE: This PEROM will be damaged if the incorrect software is used to program it. See Troubleshooting section for details.

Drivers • • • • • •

LANtastic (Laptop to Ethernet) - CSPPORT.EXE LANtastic (Print Server) - CSPRINT.EXE LANtastic (Dial Up) - MPORT.EXE Novell (Laptop to Ethernet) - CSWS.COM Novell (Print Server) - None (not needed) Novell (Dial Up) - NDUWS.COM

Usage Notes • • •

Any modems attached to the Central Station cannot be shared by the network or used for the purposes of dialing out. A modem connected to the Central Station can only be used for a single remote dial in session. The Central Station is not compatible with LANtastic for Windows 95 machine. The Central Station will not support a 28.8 modem.

The Central Station ships with software for programming the PEROM and drivers for the interfacing machines. This software falls into the following categories: •

•

Laptop-to-Ethernet (LTE) -- allows a laptop (or any DOS-based PC with a parallel port) to connect to the network through the Central Station without the need for a separate network adapter. The speed of the connection is limited by the maximum speed of the PC's parallel port (115Kbps) but this limitation is shared by all parallel port adapters. Lantastic Printer Server (LPS) -- allows a parallel or serial printer connected to the Central Station to despool print jobs from another server or servers on the network. This makes it possible to centralize the printers in a workgroup without tying up a computer in that location. Printing throughput is a bit slower than a direct connection to the server because the job must despool over the network. Print jobs tend to be much slower than 10Mbps, though, so there is not usually a big performance penalty. Setup at the server can be confusing because the software that intercepts the print job and sends it on to the network must be loaded before the regular network drivers.

•

Lantastic Dialup (LDU) - allows a remote machine running LANtastic to connect to the network with a modem without giving up the use of one of the local machines. This kind of "remote access" is not the "remote control" touted by products like Carbon Copy and PC Anywhere. The difference is important. REMOTE ACCESS gives a user direct connection to the network through a modem at the remote machine and a modem connected to the Central Station. It is as if they had an ethernet adapter in their machine with a very, very, very long cable. Advantages: All the local machines can still be used for their normal functions. There is no need for special software other than a NOS license at the remote machine.

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The Central Station has the necessary buffered UARTs (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitters) for supporting high-speed communications. Normal network security is used for guarding access to files. Disadvantages: Incurs a serious performance penalty because all data must be transferred via modem. Where Ethernet speeds rarely fall below 5Mbps even in high traffic conditions, the fastest modem connection supported by the Central Station is 14.4 Kbps. The data transfer rate can be as much as quadrupled with special compression algorithms, but these are all but ineffective when dealing with files like executables that are already compact. For this reason, users are encouraged strongly not to run programs across the phone line. The program should be run locally and only data passed along. Also, because of the limited throughput, delivering graphics to the remote workstation is virtually impossible. The Central Station will support running Windows on the remote machine in Standard mode, but actually loading long graphics files across the wire is all but out of the question. REMOTE CONTROL gives a user control of the machine attached to a modem. Everything the local displays locally is also displayed remotely, and every keystroke and mouse movement made at the remote machine is echoed locally. Advantages: Speed. Images are virtualized so that only absolutely necessary information is passed over the modem. Data transfer is kept local on the ethernet so the user has the sensation of actually being at the machine.

Disadvantages: No one else can use the machine while it is being controlled remotely. The smoothness of the remote display isn't quite as nice as the vendors would like you to believe. Most remote control programs will not operate satisfactorily on a machine that is acting as a server. This is especially true for dedicated servers where the performance parameters have all been adjusted to favor network traffic. The programs are not expensive, but in general they cost more than a node of LANtastic. For the most part, if a user is considering the purchase of an Central Station purely for remote dialup, and security is not an issue, they would probably be better off buying a cheap 386 pizza box machine with no keyboard or monitor, outfitting it with an Artisoft network adapter and a single license of LANtastic, cabling it into the network, and putting it in a closet somewhere.

Troubleshooting The unit itself is reliable but the complexity of connecting modems with different DTE rates, initialization strings, and uncertain parentage, not to mention the vagaries of Module HDW01 03/23/96 Introduction to Artisoft Hardware

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telephone line connections in general, high-speed telecommunications in particular, and various hardware and software incompatibilities at the despool servers and laptop all combine to make the troubleshooting of Central Station problems a black art indeed. If there are problems communicating via modem: • • • •

Make sure the modems are set for hardware flow control and that the initialization strings are correct. The vendor can supply these strings. A few are kept in Folios but the list does not cover every possible model of modem. If the user has Windows loaded, ensure it is in Standard mode. Make sure the user is not trying to dial out or in through a digital PBX. Force the units to a lower DTE and DCE rate.

If there are problems printing: • • •

Make sure CSPRINT is loading before the network drivers and has the correct parameters on the driver line. Make sure the printer works by connecting it with the existing cable to the parallel port of a vanilla machine. If the printer is a serial printer, make sure the user has a serial printer cable and not a null modem cable. Make sure the despooling resource is set for INT14.

If there are problems making connection from a laptop: • • • •

The unit comes with a cable for the LTE connection. This is the only approved cable for LTE. Others, no matter how much they look or ring out like the supplied cable, will not be supported. New cables can be ordered. Vanilla the machine and handload CSPORT and the remaining network drivers. If the user has Windows loaded, ensure it is in Standard mode. Use DEBUG to verify that the parallel port is using the standard IObase. Change the CSPORT line if necessary.

There have been three revisions of StationWare: • • •

Version 2.0 for use in LANtastic 4.1 networks Version 2.1 for use in LANtastic 5.0 networks Version 3.0, a feature enhancement for use in LANtastic 5.0 and 6.0 networks.

Once the PEROM of a Central Station has been updated with the new software, it cannot be taken back to the older settings. Attempting to do so will permanently damage the unit and is not covered by warranty. NOTE The manual makes several statements concerning the "upgradability" of the hardware on board the Central Station II, specifically regarding additional memory and new features. There are no memory upgrades available and the unit cannot use regular DRAM in any packaging. There are no new features other than the enhancements in version 3.0. To review, the Central Station is a multi-connectivity product designed to perform three functions on a LANtastic or NetWare network: Module HDW01 03/23/96 Introduction to Artisoft Hardware

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• • •

Remote Dial Up - Dialing into the network from a remote node using a modem. Laptop Connection - Connect a laptop or desktop computer to the network through the parallel port. Print Server - Connect printers directly to the Central Station and share them on the network.

The Central Station has these ports available for connecting printers: • •

Central Station I - LPT1, COM1, COM2 Central Station II - LPT1, COM1, COM2, AUX , PC

In terms of printing, the Central Station I and Central Station II have a few differences: • • •

The Central Station I CANNOT use the AUX and PC ports for printing. The Central Station I can use StationWare versions 2.x and 3.x. The Central Station II can ONLY use StationWare 3.0 software. The Artisoft Central Station Activity Lights

Front View

Power Outlet

UTP Connector

AUX Port

Rear View

BNC Connector

LPT1 Port

COM1 Port

COM2 Port

PC Port (2nd Parallef Port)

The LANtastic Sounding Board (Voice Adapter) Artisoft manufactured a sound board that was used primarily for recording and playing back voice mail on the LANtastic network. Originally marketed as the Voice Adapter, it later became known as the Sounding Board. It could also be used to voice “chat” on a LANtastic network. An additional handset from Artisoft was required to record and listen to messages. You could use this board to record and playback the voice error messages introduced in LANtastic 5.0. It was marketed as part of the short lived Artisoft Net Media package and the ArtiScribe transcription program before being discontinued. In a Windows environment, this adapter was capable of recording sound in the MULAW format used by Artisoft, or the Windows WAVE format. You could also embed sound into OLE objects. Module HDW01 03/23/96 Introduction to Artisoft Hardware

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Description An 8-bit ISA adapter for recording and playing back sound on a LANtastic network. A MicroChannel version was also manufactured.

Warranty 5 years from date of purchase

Features • • • • • • •

External handset for recording and listening to messages. PCM play and record abilities under Windows. Full duplex operation (record/play). Dual line in and line out connectors, allowing use of external components such as a CD-ROM. Record and play Windows WAVE files or Artisoft MULAW files. Embed objects into OLE supported applications. Certified FCC Class B and approved by the FCC for home use.

Current status This product is no longer manufactured.

Applications • • • •

The board can be used to record voice messages for use with the LANtastic Mail feature. Two machines with this adapter and a handset can carry on a phone conversation using the voice chat feature of LANtastic. Voice error messages can be recorded and played back in LANtastic versions 5.0 or higher. Multi-media presentations can be created by embedding sound into OLE compliant applications.

Specifications • • • •

DMA channel 1 - J1 DMA channel 3 - J2 Handset - standard female modular jack (M4P4C) Digital/Audio conversion using 8-bit sound

Drivers • •

SOUNDBD.EXE - for playing and recording messages in DOS or Windows. SOUNDBD.DRV for using the Windows features of the adapter.

Usage Notes •

• •

Both DMA channels must be enabled to support full duplex (two way) communication, such as voice chat. If only one channel is active, you can record a message, or play an existing message back, but you cannot voice chat. You can convert files between MULAW and WAVE. This adapter IS NOT Sound Blaster compatible.

Troubleshooting •

DMA conflicts are possible, so you must check to make sure that DMA 1 and 3 are available.

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•

If voice chat does not work, check to see that both DMA channels are enabled.

The Artisoft Sounding Board (Voice Adapter) DMA Jumpers

Handset Jack RCA In RCA Out

END OF TRAINING MODULE

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