AT/LANTIC NE2000 Network card AUTOSET Configuration Software.
AUTOSET Configuration Software - An Outline
The following document describes the general operation and features of the configuration software
developed for use with AT/LANTIC_ adapter cards.The description is split into several sections
which describe in turn the features of each section of the software.
Initialisation - When first initiated the code does a search to see which boards are installed and
displays a list of the boards detected on the right hand portion of the display.The code also detects
which interrupts are already allocated by the system and which are free to be used with an adapter
card.Warning messages are displayed in each of the following circumstances, an interrupt is
allocated to more than one of the boards detected, an interrupt is allocated to a board and is taken by
the system, a high interrupt is required by a board however that board is in an eight bit slot.
Note - I/O mode boards that have been accessed before the software is initiated may not be
detected.Any ethernet driver code that is initiated before the configuration s/w should be removed or
a manual search carried out to configure these boards.
'Fully Automated Enable' Menu - This option detects a free address and interrupt and enables a
reserved mode board to these.If no board appears then an error message is
displayed and the menu exited.If the board is enabled correctly then the user is prompted to enter
the mode required, I/O Port mode is default.A search for a cable connection follows this, if TPI or
Thin ethernet cabling is correctly installed then the correct cable type is selected otherwise a menu
prompting the user to enter the cable type required is displayed.Finally a menu displaying the
options selected is displayed to the user.On exiting this menu the menu of detected boards should be
updated.
'Enable Configuration from Reserved Mode' Menu - This option allows the user to define the
configuration they require a reserved mode board to appear with.The items that appear in this menu
are discussed in the section 'Configurable Parameters'.An error shall be displayed if a board fails to
be enabled correctly.If the board enables correctly then the boards detected menu is updated after
this menu is exited.
'Change Enabled Board Configuration' - This option allows the user to change the configuration
of a board that is already installed.The user is first prompted to enter the base address of the board
to be altered.A check is then carried out to see if there is a board at this address if not an error
message is displayed and the option exited,if the board detected is non configurable then again an
error message is displayed and the option exited.This method allows the choice of boards that were
not detected when the software was first initiated.The present configuration of the board is displayed
on the left with an arrow pointing to the new user selected configuration.The items that can be
selected in this menu are discussed in the following section.If the user alters a boards configuration
then the boards detected menu is updated.
Configurable Parameters - In general these options are selected by highlighting the item required
using the arrow keys and scrolling through its available options using the enter key.
(a) Base Address - Only addresses that are free are allowed to be selected by the user, i.e
addresses not used by any of the boards detected and that contain no other adapter or peripheral.
(b) Interrupt - Only interrupts not used by any of the detected boards or by the system are allowed
to be selected.Also if the board in question is in an eight bit slot then only 'low' interrupts are
selectable.
(c) Novell Configuration Option - This is only applicable in I/O port mode and allows the
standard selection of options available for an Novell NE2000 board.Any of the options that include
an invalid I/O port address or interrupt are not selectable.
(d) Boot Prom - This option allows a boot prom to be disabled or enabled, if it is to be enabled
then the size of PROM and its address are requested.It must be noted that the s/w cannot tell if a
PROM was already installed on an enabled board as this information is not accessable.
(e) Advanced Configuration - This option should only be selected by an experienced user of the
AT/LANTIC_ chip and only then after they have read the AT/LANTIC_ data sheet section on the
configuration registers.
(f) Update Registers and save to eeprom - this option shall place the new configuration into the
board and also save it so that the next time the board is powered up it shall contain this new
configuration.
(g) Update registers to new configuration - this option places the new configuration in to the board
however the next time the board is powered up the old configuration shall be reinstated.
The following part of the discussion deals with options which become available after the
'Diagnostic's' menu is selected.
'Board Initialisation and diagnostics' - When initiated this option checks to see if a configurable
board is present if it is then the configuration paramaters are read from it, if a non configurable
board is present then a warning message is displayed and the previously selected configuration
parameters are used.If no board is present an error message is displayed and the routine exited.The
option then initialises the board for correct operation.A portion of the buffer memory is written to
and read from with a data comparison carried out to check its operation.The selected cable type is
checked to see if it is connected correctly and the interrupt is then checked to be operational.If this
test is completed successfully then the following network tests can be carried out otherwise they are
not accessable.
'Network Diagnostics' - This option requires the use of two stations one called a slave and one a
master.This address of this station (the master) is displayed and the user is prompted to enter the
address of the slave station.Once this is carried out and the slave station has started the test this
station should enter the test.A packet is 'bounced' between the two stations.If any corruption occurs
or a packet is 'lost' then an error message is displayed.This test should complete with the 'Network
Test Passed' message.Remember that both the slave and master have to pass the test to show that the
adapter is working correctly, although the only station under test is this one.
'Set Up As A Slave Station' - This option should be run on a board already known to be fully
operational.A menu similar to the master menu is displayed and the user is prompted to enter the
address of the master station.The slave station should always enter the test before the master station.
'Show packets on the network' - This option shall show any packet that is on the network.