1
I
NTRODUCTION
The 3Com
â
Fast EtherLink
â
Parallel Tasking
â
10/100BASE-T
EISA adapter (3C597-TX) is a 32-bit adapter for use in personal
computers with an Extended Industry Standard Architecture
(EISA) computer bus.
In this guide the adapter is referred to as the Fast EtherLink
EISA adapter. It operates whether or not bus mastering is
enabled.
This adapter is a dual-speed adapter connected to an Ethernet
network with a single RJ-45 connector over unshielded
twisted-pair (UTP) cable. The adapter automatically senses the
speed of the hub to which it is connected and switches to
either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps.
■
When the adapter is connected to a hub that supports
10BASE-T Ethernet (10 Mbps), it switches to a network
speed of 10 Mbps.
■
When the adapter is connected to a hub that supports
100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps), it switches to a
network speed of 100 Mbps.
Adapter Features
The Fast EtherLink EISA adapter provides the following
features:
■
Parallel Tasking architecture with bus mastering for high
throughput and low processor utilization
■
Automatic sensing of 10 or 100 Mbps network operation
■
Automatic adapter recognition for computers running the
Windows
â
95 network operating system
■
Single-slot, 32-bit half-card