3Com (R) Corporation
                   3Com EtherLink Server CD for
               the 3C985B-SX Gigabit EtherLink Server NIC
                         Technical Notes


Frequently Asked Questions and Technical Notes
----------------------------------------------
This file contains technical notes to help you obtain maximum 
performance from your 3Com Gigabit EtherLink Server NICs.  


Technical Notes
===============
       This technical note documents additions to the Gigabit
       EtherLink Server Network Interface Cards User Guide. 
       An online version of the User Guide is contained 
       in the root directory of the 3Com EtherLink Server 
       CD in the file USRGUIDE.PDF. Last minute corrections 
       (if any) to the User Guide are contained within the 
       printed Release Notes found in the product package. 
       These technical notes document other known issues with 
       server hardware and with the SCO Unix network 
       operating systems.  If you need a copy of the Adobe 
       Acrobat Reader for viewing the User Guide, obtain it 
       from the Adobe Systems Incorporated web site:
       http://www.adobe.com/


Ping Timeout with VLANs
==========================

When VLANs are enabled, pings between the server and 
some clients may time out.  Applications are not affected.

IPX Protocol Issue
==================

If two NICs in the same group are using different external network
numbers, the IPX service will cause the server to hang at boot time.
Use the following procedure to work around this issue:

1.  Boot the system in single user mode.
2.  Start netcfg.
3.  Select ipx/spx.
4.  Select modify.
5.  Select global ipx/spx configuration.
6.  Select auto discovery -off.
7.  Select IPX start at boot - off.
8.  Exit netcfg.
9.  Boot the system in multiuser mode.


_____________________________________________________________________


Troubleshooting Installation Problems
=====================================
            3Com has found that some PCI computers require additional
            configuration steps in order to install a PCI NIC.  3Com
            recommends these steps:

            1.  Determine whether you have the latest BIOS version for
                your computer.  Contact your computer's manufacturer
                to make sure you are using the latest BIOS.  

            2.  Make sure the BIOS is set up correctly.  In some PCI
                computers, you may need to enable the PCI slot using
                the BIOS Setup program.  This is especially common in
                PCI computers with a Phoenix BIOS.

                After installing the NIC, turn on the computer and
                enter the Setup program during system initialization
                (usually by pressing [F1], [F2], or [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[S]).
                The correct key to press is usually shown on the
                screen. Once in the Setup program, find the entry for
                PCI slots (it may be in the main menu, or sometimes in
                advanced system configuration) and set these
                parameters to:

                BIOS System          Setting
                Parameter

                PCI Slot Number      Slot where the 3Com PCI NIC is
                                     installed 
                Master               ENABLED
                Slave                ENABLED
                Latency Timer        40
                Interrupt            Choose any one of several
                                     available interrupts that
                                     Setup provides.
                Edge or Level        Level Triggered Interrupt

                NOTE: The exact wording of each of the parameters will
                      vary from computer to computer. Save the
                      changes, exit the Setup program, and continue
                      with the installation.


        Performance on Some Early Pentium Pro Models
        --------------------------------------------
        During testing, 3Com has observed that some early Pentium Pro
        models using Intel's (54x?) PCI chip sets do not fully support
        the full bandwidth throughput of the PCI bus.  Symptoms can
        include an abnormal number of dropped packets or performance
        below what the wire can support.  This problem can sometimes
        be fixed by getting a more recent BIOS from your system
        vendor. Contact your vendor to see if such an upgrade is
        available.


General Support Questions
--------------------------

        The most accurate and up-to-date support information can
        be obtained from 3Com's World Wide Web site
        (http://www.3Com.com).


3Com, EtherLink, and EtherDisk are registered trademarks of
3Com Corporation.


                  (%VER README.TXT - Release Notes v1.0a)