Transcript Class Power Points for Chapter #3

Course ILT
Network adapters
Unit objectives
 Discuss network adapter configuration
 Troubleshoot network adapter
problems
Course ILT
Topic A
 Topic A: Network adapter configuration
 Topic B: Troubleshooting network
adapter problems
Course ILT
Network adapter configuration
 A network adapter provides a
communication channel between
your computer’s motherboard and the
network
 Understanding proper network adapter
configuration is essential for
configuring and supporting computers
on a network
Course ILT
A sample NIC
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Network adapter selection criteria
 Network adapter cards provide the
hardware interface for the data link
protocols
 The factors that need to be considered
before the purchase and installation of
these hardware components
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Data link protocol
System bus
Free slots
Cabling
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Network adapter settings
 Conflicts during physical installation
of a new adapter can be located by
checking settings for
–
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IRQ
I/O address
DMA
ROM address
 (see Device Manager/View/Resources
by Connection or by Type)
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MAC address
 Is your computer’s or more accurately
your NIC’s unique hardware identifier
 Is a hexadecimal number assigned to
each NIC during the manufacturing
process
 A sample MAC address
– 00-A0-00-E2-8F-FA
– (The first six hex numbers are assigned to a
manufacturer; each maker of NICs gets a
series of numbers. Each manufacturer then
numbers each NIC uniquely with the next 6.)
Course ILT
A MAC address
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MAC Address and Device ID
Assignment Authorities
IEEE web site: http://standards.ieee.org/regauth/oui/index.shtml
Public OUI and company_id Assignments Announcement
These listings are updated daily.
The three-octet OUI can be used to generate Universal LAN MAC
addresses and Protocol Identifiers per ANSI/IEEE Std 802 for use
in Local and Metropolitan Area Network applications.
If your firm manufactures or plans to manufacture products using
ISO/IEC 8802 standards, you should apply to IEEE for your firm's
OUI. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. has
been designated by the ISO Council to act as the registration
authority for the implementation of International Standards in the
ISO/IEC 8802 series. This is the one world-wide source of registered
OUIs. For further details contact:
–
–
IEEE Registration Authority
IEEE Standards Department
445 Hoes Lane
Piscataway NJ 08854
Phone: (732) 465-6481
Fax: (732) 562-1571
Email: IEEE Registration Authority (below)
http://standards.ieee.org/regauth/oui/index.shtml
Course ILT
Boot PROMs
 Are add-on items to a network
adapter that helps a computer to boot
entirely from a network server
 Can be used to configure networked
computers in a harsh environment,
such as a factory floor, where hard or
floppy drives will tend to fail
Course ILT
Activity A-1
Discussing the properties of a network
adapter
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Jumper/switch configuration
 Depending on the manufacturer and
model of the NIC, you might have to
set switches or jumpers on the card
to set the IRQ and I/O address
– (very unusual on modern NICs)
 Always check the documentation that
was shipped with the NIC to determine
the proper jumper or switch settings
Course ILT
Software configuration
 Another way that a NIC can be
configured is through the use of an
installation disk provided by the
manufacturer
 - (This is the normal way to configure a NIC. If
you lose the disk, go to the manufacturer’s
web site and download another copy of the
configuration utility.)
 This software package will not only help
you to set the resource settings, but also
provide you diagnostic programs for your
network adapter
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Plug and Play (PnP)
 The Plug and Play standard automatically
configures the network adapter for use
 There are three components necessary for
Plug and Play
– Plug and Play BIOS - all modern (BIOSs
support PnP)
– Plug and Play expansion boards (must be
able to communicate with the BIOS, re: PnP
commands, resource assignments, etc.)
– Plug and Play operating system (all
modern OSs support PnP (back to Windows
95 and NT 4.0).
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Activity A-2
Discussing network adapter configuration
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Communicating with other computers
 For communicating with other computers in a
small LAN, installing the NetBEUI protocol
might be sufficient
 In addition, you should enable the Microsoft
Client for Windows and enable file and
printer sharing. (A Windows computer must run the Client for
Microsoft Networks to remotely access files, printers and other
shared network resources.)
 You’ll also need to make sure that the
computer’s name is correct based on a naming
scheme for all computers in the network.
 For a small network that doesn’t use Windows
domains, you’ll have to configure each
computer to belong to a workgroup.
Course ILT
Activity A-3
Configuring basic networking components
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The role of network adapter drivers
 A separate network adapter card driver
provides easier management, greater
flexibility, and better support
 The two common implementations of the
model that uses a separate network
adapter card driver
– Network Device Interface Specification
(NDIS) – (Microsoft)
– Open Datalink Interface (ODI) - (Novell)
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Monolithic protocols
NDIS and ODI
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 Similarities
– Both are layered models
– Both support the same protocols
 Differences
– Each has a different set of specifications
for compliance so that drivers for one will
not work with the other
 Though they use the same protocols,
different protocol files are needed due
to differences in the interfaces
Course ILT

NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification) is a Windows
specification for how communication protocol programs
(such as TCP/IP) and network device drivers should
contact each other. NDIS specifies interfaces for:

The program that sends and receives data by constructing or
extracting it from the formatted units called frames (and
sometimes packets or datagrams). This program, usually called
a protocol stack, is layering and generally corresponds to layers
3 and 4 (the Network Addressing and Transport layers) of the
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model.
Examples are TCP/IP and IPX/SPX, i.e. Internetwork Packet
Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange

The program, usually called a device driver, that interacts
directly with the network interface card (NIC) or other adapter
hardware, which sends or receives the data on the
communications line in the form of electronic signals. The driver
program and the NIC interact at the Media Access Control
(MAC address) sublayer of layer-2 level of OSI, which is
called Data-Link Control. (Putting the signal on the line is the
layer-1 or the Physical layer of OSI.) Examples of MAC drivers
are those for Ethernet, Fiber Distributed-Data Interface (FDDI
– pronounced “fiddi”, and Token Ring.
Course ILT

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A program called the Protocol Manager that assists the
protocol stack program and the MAC driver program by telling
each of them the computer location of the other when the 1.
operating system is started or, in some cases, 2. when a new
device is added to the computer. This is called bind. A system file
called PROTOCOL.INI (see next slide) identifies which protocol
stacks use which MAC drivers and where each is located. A
protocol stack can be bound to more than one MAC driver where
a computer is connected to multiple networks. And a single MAC
driver can be bound to more than one protocol stack in a
computer.
NDIS was developed by Microsoft and 3Com. Using NDIS,
software developers can create protocol stacks that work with the
MAC driver for any hardware manufacturer's communications
adapter. By the same token, any adapter maker can write a MAC
driver software that can communicate with any protocol stack
program.
A similar interface, called Open Data-Link Interface (ODI), is
provided by Novell for its NetWare LAN operating system.
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Protocol.ini Locations
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Activity A-4
Discussing NDIS and ODI
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Topic B
 Topic A: Network adapter configuration
 Topic B: Troubleshooting network
adapter problems
Troubleshooting network adapter problems
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 Troubleshooting tips
– Almost all NICs have status lights that
can assist you in determining the root of
a problem
– Prior to opening up the case of the
computer, rule out user mistakes, such
as mistyping a password or username
– After determining the problem with the
NIC, log onto the network and transfer
a file to make sure that everything is
functioning normally
Course ILT
Activity B-1
Discussing general troubleshooting tips
Course ILT
MAC address conflicts
 Two NICs with the same MAC address
cannot be used on the same network
 If two computers on a network have
the same MAC address, only one will
be able to participate on the network
at any time
– (Bear in mind that a conflict of this sort is nearly impossible. A
network adapter is given its address by its manufacturer. A
MAC address is a 48-bit number, or 12 hex digits. Each
manufacturer is give a range of addresses by ARIN (American
Registry of Internet Numbers) under IEEE guidelines, each 24bits, or 6 hex digits long – or ½ the total length of a MAC
address, to use in creating unique MAC addresses. The second
half of the MAC address is assigned by each manufacturer
(3Com, Intel, etc.). Any duplicates therefore must both come
from the same company, and the companies have a strong
incentive not to create any duplicates – reputation, liability, etc.
Course ILT
Diagnostic software
 Regardless of the manufacturer, the
network adapter is shipped with some
sort of diagnostic software (usually a
CD with some kind of executable diagnostic
programs.)
 Diagnostics can prove invaluable
when troubleshooting problems with
NICs.
– You will notice a lot of “loopback” tests in
these kinds of diagnostics.
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Diagnostic software (cont)
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Diagnostic hardware
 Diagnostic hardware assists you in
determining where a problem will be
found
 One type of diagnostic hardware that
is most frequently used is an external
loopback plug
– The purpose of using an external
loopback plug is to help the NIC to send
and receive on a closed loop
Course ILT
Activity B-2
Identifying network adapter problems
Course ILT
Unit summary
 Discussed network adapter
configuration
 Discussed troubleshooting network
adapter problems