XIRCOM ETHERNET ADAPTERS Software Release Version 2.05 March 27, 2000 ================================================================= Thank you for purchasing your Xircom Ethernet Adapter. The drivers in this software release are compatible with the following Xircom Ethernet Adapters. Some features, such as 100Mbps, auto- negotiation, etc., may not apply to all products: Product Name Model Number ----------------------------------------- RealPort2 Ethernet 100 R2E-100BTX RealPort Ethernet 100 RE-100BTX CreditCard Ethernet 10/100 CE3B-100BTX CreditCard Ethernet 10 CE3-10BT CONTENTS ======== 1) Xircom Ethernet 10Mbps and 100Mbps Characteristics 2) What's New in this Release 3) Release Notes/Known Limitations 4) SNMP Agent 5) Typographical and Content Corrections 6) Xircom Customer Support 1) XIRCOM ETHERNET 10MBPS AND 100MBPS CHARACTERISTICS ================================================== This release of the Xircom Ethernet 10/100 Adapter has the following characteristics: - Full suite of network driver support. - Allows 10Mbps (R2E-100/RE-100/CE3B-100/CE3-10) or 100Mbps (R2E- 100/RE-100/CE3B-100) connection across a wide range of operating systems and networks. - Native 32-bit NDIS3, NDIS4, and NDIS5 driver support for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000 included. - SNMP network management agent is included which allows portable PCs to be managed using SNMP-based network management software. - HotSwap support which makes it easy to replace one card with another while power is on or to gracefully disconnect from the network. Xircom Offers a Full Family of Ethernet/Fast-Ethernet Products -------------------------------------------------------------- R2E-100BTX (100Mbps) Supports 10Base-T and 100Base-TX networks and features integrated RJ45 Ethernet connector RE-100BTX (100Mbps) Supports 10Base-T and 100Base-TX networks and features integrated RJ45 Ethernet connector RE-10BT (10Mbps) Supports 10Base-T networks and features integrated RJ45 Ethernet connector CE3B-100BTX (100Mbps) Supports both 10Base-T and 100Base-TX with a single cable connector CE3-10BT (10Mbps) Supports 10Base-T networks CE3-10BC (10Mbps) Supports 10Base-T, 10Base-2 networks 2) WHAT'S NEW IN THIS RELEASE ========================== - Support for Softex Windows NT 4.0 Card Services has been added. - Improved support for direct connection to switches. This support has been provided by a new keyword, Initialization Delay. - The DOS driver automatic resource scan has been improved. 3) RELEASE NOTES/KNOWN LIMITATIONS =============================== Creating Diskettes ------------------ Installation diskettes (1.44MB) may be created if needed by running MAKEDISK.BAT and following the on-screen instructions. Automatic NDIS Driver Selection ------------------------------- This driver release now supports automatic NDIS version selection for installs under Windows 9X and Windows 2000. For installs under Windows 9X or Windows 2000, direct the install to the root of the CD or of Disk 2 when the drivers are requested. The network property page tab of the CE3 has a new entry "NdisVersion". This entry contains the following: Under Windows 95: AutoSelect, NDIS3 Windows 95OSR2: AutoSelect, NDIS3, NDIS4 Windows 98: AutoSelect, NDIS3, NDIS4, NDIS5 Windows 98SE: AutoSelect, NDIS3, NDIS4, NDIS5 Windows Millenium: "NdisVersion" does not exist and NDIS5 is the Windows 2000: default driver. The Ndis Switcher is not used with Windows Millenium or Windows 2000. AutoSelect (the default) will choose the highest NDIS version supported by the OS. The user can also manually switch between the different supported versions of NDIS by going to NdisVersion in the network properties of the adapter and selecting the desired driver. Only drivers supported by the particular OS will be shown. NDIS switching is not supported in Windows NT 4.0. The NDIS4 driver will be installed by default by pointing to the root of the CD or of Disk 2 if diskettes are created. The NDIS3 driver may be installed by pointing to the \NDIS3 subdirectory. TCP/IP Routing -------------- This release contains a resolution for TCP/IP problems that occur when the same network is accessed via a LAN connection and then subsequently via a remote dial-up connection in Windows 95/98. Typically, when the computer is connected to the network via the LAN, routing tables are constructed that direct packets intended for the network to the LAN interface. If the computer is then used remotely and an attempt is made to connect to the same network via dial-up networking while the network card is inserted, these packets may not be routed to the dial-up interface because the presence of the active LAN interface results in the system continuing to route packets to it instead. In such instances, the simplest solution is to remove the LAN interface from the computer, or to use a network disabled profile. If neither of these solutions is satisfactory, a third option is now available. The drivers included with this release now support a new configuration keyword named "DynamicLinkDetect" to overcome this difficulty. The value of this keyword (ON or OFF) can be set by going to Control Panel/Network/Network of Xircom... /Properties/Advanced. The default value is ON. The activity governed by this keyword operates as follows: ON - The Ethernet interface is always active once the driver initializes the adapter. An Ethernet cable need not be connected to the port at boot time for the network side of the adapter to initialize. If the cable is plugged in later or unplugged and then re-connected, the adapter will dynamically detect the presence of the link and connect to the LAN. This is the setting recommended unless the symptoms described above are encountered. OFF - The driver will only initialize the Ethernet interface if an active connection to the network is present at boot time. If the presence of an active link is not detected, the Ethernet portion of the card will shut down, the OS will "assume" that the interface is not present, and no packets will be routed to it. As a result, the IP routing trouble discussed previously should be eliminated. USING THE CE3/CE3B/RE-100/R2E-100 ADAPTERS IN WINDOWS NT WITH SOFTEX -------------------------------------------------------------------- CARD SERVICES ------------- To install the adapter with Phoenix CardExecutive or Softex, perform the following steps: Caution: Do not insert the Xircom CD-ROM until instructed to do so in step 3. 1. With Windows NT 4.0 running, connect cables and insert the RealPort Ethernet 10/100 into the PC Card slot. The "PCMCIA Card Not Configured" screen will appear. 2. On the "PCMCIA Card Not Configured" screen, select "Install the driver that was provided with the PC Card" and click OK. The "Path Not Found" screen will appear. 3. When the "Path Not Found" screen appears, insert the Xircom CD- ROM and type the path to the \CE3NT directory (for example, D:\CE3NT). Click OK. 4. The Xircom Ethernet 10/100 for Softex - Properties window will display default network and modem settings. Click Continue. 5. The "PCMCIA Configuration Complete" screen will appear. Click OK. Restart the computer by clicking Yes if prompted, or by clicking Start, Shut Down, Restart. USING THE CE3/CE3B/RE-100/R2E-100 ADAPTERS IN WINDOWS 2000 ---------------------------------------------------------- Note: Windows 2000 does not have built-in drivers for the R2E-100, and the update procedure given in steps 1, 2, and 3 below does not need to be followed for the R2E. The R2E may be installed directly from this driver set by pointing to the root of either the CD-ROM or Disk 2 when Windows requests the drivers. The correct driver will automatically be installed. Then continue with step 4 below. Windows 2000 contains built-in drivers for the Xircom RE-100, CE3, and CE3B, as well as many other Xircom Cards. The built-in drivers are functional but lack some features of this release. To update the Windows 2000 driver, do the following: 1. You will need to have the Xircom RE/CE3/CE3B installed and inserted in the laptop to proceed. Go to Start/Settings/Control Panel, double click on Network and Dial-up Connections, and double click on Local Area Connection. Select Properties. 2. Click the Configure button on the top of the Local Area Connection Properties screen, just under the "Connect using:" listing for the Xircom CreditCard Ethernet Adapter 10/100. Next select the Driver tab, and click the Update Driver button. This starts the Upgrade Device Driver Wizard. Click Next. On the next screen select "Search for a suitable driver for my device (recommended)". Click Next. On the Locate Driver Files screen, select "Specify a location", and click Next. Enter the path to the Xircom driver CD, diskette, or directory where you extracted the files. For example, if you were installing from the CD and your CD- ROM drive was drive D, you would enter "D:\". 3. The Wizard will announce that it has a suitable driver already installed, and that it has also found other drivers suitable for this device. Select the "Install one of the other drivers" check box and click Next. You will then see a screen showing both the Microsoft-provided driver and the new Xircom driver (identified as Xircom Ethernet Adapter 10/100 with a path listed to your driver CD or diskette). Pick the Xircom driver, and click Next. 4. You will then be notified that Microsoft has not digitally signed the software and asked if you want to continue the installation. Click Yes. The updated drivers will then be copied to your computer. Click "Finish" and then click "Close". Click "OK" to close the Local Area Connection Properties box. Reboot the machine to utilize the new driver. By following step 1 above, clicking the Configure button, and selecting the Advanced tab, you may now access the new driver settings. Supported Environments ---------------------- With this release, the following environments are supported: -NDIS3 Driver for Microsoft Windows NT (Ver. 3.50, 3.51, 4.0), Windows 95, and Windows 98 (CE3.SYS) -NDIS4 Driver for Microsoft Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0 (CE3N4.SYS) -NDIS5 Driver for Windows 98 and Windows 2000 (CE3N5.SYS) -DOS ODI Driver (CE3ODI.COM) -DOS NDIS2 Driver (CE3NDIS.EXE) -Packet Driver (CE3PD.COM) -NDIS2 Driver for OS/2 (CE3NDIS.OS2) -ODI Driver for OS/2 (CE3ODI.OS2) -NetWare Server Driver (CE3ODI.LAN) -DOS Diagnostic test program (CE3TEST.EXE) Known Limitations ----------------- -To utilize the new NDIS switcher feature in Windows 98 after a driver update, it is necessary to open the Network Option in Control Panel, and click OK. The appropriate NDIS driver will be used upon reboot. -Full-duplex operation is only supported at 10Mbps. Full-duplex is not supported at 100Mbps. The LineMode keyword has no effect on performance at 100Mbps. If the LineSpeed keyword is set to 100Mpbs and the LineMode keyword is set to full-duplex, the LineMode keyword will be ignored. Full-duplex at 10Mbps is only available when the adapter is connected to a full-duplex capable switch or hub. -In order to connect to a 100Base-TX Ethernet network, a Category 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) network cable terminating in a male RJ-45 connector must be connected to a 100Mbps hub or switch. Check with your LAN Administrator if you are not certain of your network speed and infrastructure. -The CE3 and in some cases the CE3B are not capable of negotiating to 10 Mbps Full-Duplex mode. On these adapters, in order to operate in full-duplex mode, the LineSpeed keyword must be set to 10Mbps and the LineMode keyword must be set to Full Duplex. The Cable Type keyword can be set to Auto Detect or 10BT/100BTX. The corresponding port on the attached hub or switch should also be set to 10Mbps full-duplex. -The CableType keyword (CE3-10 only) has precedence over the LineSpeed and LineMode keywords. If CableType is set to 10B2 (Coax), the LineSpeed and LineMode settings will be ignored. The adapter will be configured for 10Mbps, half-duplex. -If the CableType keyword is set to Auto Detect and a LAN cable is not attached to the adapter when the machine boots, the adapter will be configured for Coax, 10Mbps, half-duplex (this situation is applicable to a CE3 with the 10BT LAN cable only). If you need to hot attach a twisted pair cable after the adapter is started, set the CableType keyword to twisted pair (TP). -If a 10BT or 10B2 LAN Cable is attached to a CE3 adapter, the LineSpeed setting will be ignored (i.e., the adapter will operate at 10Mbps even if LineSpeed is set to 100Mbps). -A 10BT LAN Cable, when attached to a 100Mbps only hub, will report link (at the LED) but will fail to operate correctly (i.e., will be unable to transmit and receive data). -It is normal to see the link LED at both the LAN Cable and the hub come on, then off, and then on again as the adapter attempts to establish link. This situation will only occur with the CE3 (with the 10/100 LAN Cable) and early versions of the CE3B. Additionally, this only occurs if the network cable is attached after the host machine is powered-on or the network cable is removed and then reinserted after power-up. -If the network cable is attached after host power-up, the user may see the collision LED on a 10Mbps hub go on for a short period of time. This situation is applicable only to the CE3 (with the 10/100 LAN Cable) and early versions of the CE3B. -If "Link Integrity" is disabled, the LineSpeed and LineMode settings will be ignored (i.e., the adapter will operate at 10Mbps, half-duplex). 4) SNMP AGENT ========== Xircom provides SNMP support for Xircom Ethernet Adapters. To use the agent under Windows 95, follow these instructions: ------------------------------------------------------------- 1. First install the Microsoft SNMP agent: For Win95: Control panel -> Network -> Add -> Service -> either: Microsoft -> SNMP Agent or: Have disk -> WIN95CD\\admin\nettools\snmp 2. Then install the Xircom Extension agent: Control panel -> Network -> Add -> Service -> Have disk -> 3. Insert the Xircom Network Drivers CD-ROM or disk Then select the drive path (i.e., D:\) Select: Xircom SNMP extension agent -> OK To use the agent under Windows NT, follow these instructions: ------------------------------------------------------------- 1. First ensure that the NT network has been installed and configured with: -NWLINK IPX/SPX; -TCP/IP (with SNMP Service); 2. For Windows NT: Main -> Control panel -> Network -> Add Software -> 3. Select "Other" from the Add Network Software menu, click on "continue" 4. Insert the Xircom Network Drivers CD-ROM or diskette and click OK 5. The "Xircom SNMP Mobile Extension Agent" appears in the Select OEM Option window 6. Click OK and complete the installation 7. Reboot 5) TYPOGRAPHICAL AND CONTENT CORRECTIONS ===================================== a) Under the Installation Troubleshooting section in the online documentation, any reference to "CardBus adapter" should be to "adapter". Any reference to "CardBus adapters" should be to "adapters" any reference to "CardBus PC Card slot" should be to "PC Card Slot", and any reference to "CardBus drivers" should be to "drivers". For example, "1. With Windows running, insert the Xircom Ethernet PC Card into the CardBus PC Card slot...." should be "1. With Windows running, insert the Xircom Ethernet PC Card into the PC Card slot...." b) All references to RE-10 in the online documentation do not apply in this release. 6) XIRCOM CUSTOMER SUPPORT ======================= To obtain customer support for your Xircom product, please call or send a facsimile to the appropriate number listed below. XIRCOM CORPORATE North and South America ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xircom, Inc. Sales Support.............. (800) 438-4526 Corporate Headquarters Sales Support.............. (805) 376-9300 2300 Corporate Center Dr. Customer Support..... ..... (805) 376-9200 Thousand Oaks, CA 91320 24-Hr Fax - Corporate...... (805) 376-9311 . 24-Hr Fax - Sales Support.. (805) 376-9220 Shipping Address: 24-Hr Fax - Cust. Support.. (805) 376-9100 2101 Corporate Center Dr. 24-Hr E-mail................ cs@xircom.com Thousand Oaks, CA 91320 24-Hr Internet...... http://www.xircom.com . HOURS (Sales): 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon-Fri . HOURS (Support): 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon-Fri XIRCOM EUROPE Europe, Middle East, and Africa ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xircom Europe N.V. Sales Support.......... +32/(0)3 450.08.11 Veldkant 31 24-Hr Fax.............. +32/(0)3 450.09.90 B-2550 Kontich, Belgium Customer Support Telephone Numbers . Native English........ +32/(0)70 233 307 . Native German......... +32/(0)70 233 850 . Native French......... +32/(0)70 233 851 . Native Dutch.......... +32/(0)70 233 852 . 24-Hr E-mail............ eurots@xircom.com . 24-Hr Internet...... http://www.xircom.com . HOURS (Sales): 9:00 to 17:00, Mon-Thu; . to 16:00, Fri . HOURS (Support): 9:00 to 18:00, Mon-Fri Regional Sales and Marketing Offices ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xircom France SARL Sales Support......... +33/(1) 34 63 09 40 41 bis avenue de l'Europe 24-Hr Fax ............ +33/(1) 34 63 09 41 BP 264 F - 78147 Velizy CEDEX France Xircom Deutschland GmbH Sales Support........ +49/(0)89 607 68 350 Airport Business Center 24-Hr Fax ........... +49/(0)89 607 68 355 Am Soldnermoos 17 85399 Hallbergmoos Germany Xircom Italy SRL Sales Support.......... (+39) 02 3809.3605 Via Giovanni da Udine, 34 24-Hr Fax.............. (+39) 02 3809.3606 20156 Milano Italy Xircom AB Sales Support........ +46/(0) 8 590.332.80 Kanalvagen 10C 24-Hr Fax ........... +46/(0) 8 590.717.81 S - 194 61 Upplands Vasby Sweden Xircom U.K. Ltd. Sales Support........ +44/(0) 1256 332 552 Worting House 24-Hr Fax ........... +44/(0) 1256 332 553 Basingstoke UK - Hampshire RG23 8PY XIRCOM ASIA PACIFIC Asia Pacific ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xircom Asia Pacific (Pte) Ltd Sales Support................ +65 732 5001 1 Kim Seng Promenade #15-01 Customer Support............. +65 732 2245 Great Word City East Tower 24-Hr Fax ................... +65 732 5002 Singapore 237994 24-Hr Internet...... http://www.xircom.com . 24-Hr Email...... http://asiats@xircom.com . HOURS: 9:00 to 17:00, Mon-Fri Regional Sales and Marketing Office ----------------------------------- Xircom Australia Pty Ltd Sales Support............. +61 2 8923 7000 Level 12, 80 Mount Street Customer Support.......... +61 2 8923 7090 North Sydney, NSW 2060 24-Hr Fax................. +61 2 8923 7099 Australia 24-Hr Data Lines - BBS.. +61(02) 9911 7758 . 24-Hr Email...... http://aunzts@xircom.com Xircom Japan Japan ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xircom Japan KK Sales Support............. +81-3-3407-0033 Tohtam Building 2F Customer Support...... +81 (0) 3 3407-1900 3-10-5 Shibuya 24-Hr Fax................. +81-3-3407-0180 Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-0002 24-Hr Internet...... http://www.xircom.com Japan 24-Hr Email.... http://japan_ts@xircom.com . HOURS: 9:00 TO 17:00, Mon-Fri WORLDWIDE ELECTRONIC SUPPORT ------------------------------------------------------------------------- cs@xircom.com...........Email to US Customer Support eurots@xircom.com.......Email to European Customer Support asiats@xircom.com.......Email to Asia/Pacific Customer Support aunzts@xircom.com.......Email to Australian/New Zealand Customer Support japan_ts@xircom.com.....Email to Japan Customer Support sales@xircom.com........Email to Xircom Sales $pip@xircom.com.........Email product ideas to the Xircom Suggestion Box ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for making Xircom a part of your network. Xircom acknowledges all tradenames and trademarks used in this document as the property of their respective owners. GJ/KK 04-110-00 1:16 PM =======end======================================