3Com EtherLink III EtherDisk 4.3 Release Notes This version of EtherDisk provides the following enhancements: 1. Plug and Play: The newest version (3C509B) of the EtherLink III product family is fully Plug and Play compatible. The DOS Netware client driver (3C5X9.COM), DOS NDIS 2.01 driver (ELNK3.DOS), and configuration and diagnostic program (3C5X9CFG.EXE) now support Plug 'n Play operation with a DOS configuration manager and the computer BIOS. If the 3C509B is used with a Plug 'n Play computer BIOS and/or the DOS Plug and Play configuration utility then, during system boot, Plug and Play will automatically set the adapter parameters to a suitable configuration for the PC. No manual configuration of the adapter's base I/O address or interrupt is needed. 2. The Microsoft Windows '95 driver has been added. You can use either the driver that ships with Windows '95 or the driver from this diskette. The driver is located in the NDIS\WIN95 subdirectory, and the import file is located in the root of the disk. 3. An OEMSETUP.INF installation file has been added to support installtion of the Microsoft Windows NT 3.5 driver. The import file and driver are located in the NDIS\WINNT35 subdirectory on this diskette. This driver supports both Windows NT 3.5 and Windows NT 3.51. If you already have an existing Windows 3.5 installation, the driver can be updated by either using the install utility or copying the ELNK3.SYS driver from the diskette to your hard disk. 3. An improved AutoLink automatic client installation technology now provides Novell's Universal Client architecture through the use of VLMs (Virtual Loadable Modules). This is Novell's newest client technology that supports NetWare 2.x, 3.x, 4.x network operating systems. 4. The drivers on this diskette support auto select media using the 3C509B EtherLink III adapter. When the driver starts, it will determine what media is being used to connect the adapter to the network. This feature and the Plug and Play feature eliminate the need to manually configure the adapter. The drivers that support auto select media include all NDIS 2.01, NDIS 3, and NetWare ODI drivers. 5. The EtherLink III product family is Desktop Management Interface (DMI) ready. DMI is based on the efforts of the Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF), whose goal is to develop a standard technology and common Application Programming Interface (API) that accesses and manages desktop systems, components, and peripherals. Products which are DMI ready are prepared for the forthcoming DMTF compliant management applications and systems incorporating the DMI Desktop Management interfaces. 6. Installing an EtherLink III ISA adapter (3C509B) in certain computers may result in neither the diagnostic and configuration program nor the driver being able find the adapter. The problem is your computer's BIOS is issuing a series of I/O instructions that causes the 3C509B to think it's going to be activated as a Plug 'N Play (PnP) device. Unfortunately, the adapter waits for the PnP series to complete and ignores the "classic" or "legacy" method for discovering an EtherLink III ISA adapter. The fix for this problem is very simple; follow the steps below: 1 - Boot a minimal DOS setup, making sure that no EtherLink III drivers are loaded. 2 - Put this EtherDisk in the diskette drive and type A: at the DOS prompt. 3 - Enter PNPDSABL at the DOS prompt. The configuration and diagnostic program will execute twice. The first time it executes, the configuration and diagnostic program "kicks" the EtherLink III out of its PnP wait. During the second execution, it disables Plug 'n Play. The final message displayed will be: "The 3C5X9 adapter, adapter number 1, was successfully configured" 4 - Finally, remove the EtherDisk from the diskette drive, and turn the computer power off, then on. 3Com, EtherLink, and EtherDisk are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. %VER INSTALL.TXT - EtherDisk release notes V4.3b