EtherExpress MC

  The majority of this page is the work of William R. Walsh. All comments not attributed to someone else are his, as well as the image. To see the original, go HERE.

@628B.ADF - Intel EtherExpress(tm) MC Network Adapter

The site that housed these files was HERE, but it's what Intel has classified as "vintage".
E16RPL.EXE  RPL Image Update from 802.3 to 802.2 (BETA Version)
E16CL32.EXE 32-bit ODI Driver for Netware Client 32 [DOS, NetWare*, Win3.1x.] 
E16LAN.EXE NetWare* 3.3 and 3.2 specification server drivers. 
E16WIN95.EXE NDIS 3.1 Win95/98/98 SE Miniport DriverEther Express 16 Driver. 
E16DISK.EXE Diagnostic and configuration. DOS, OS/2, Win NT 3.51/95/98/98SE/WfW
E16NT.EXE Windows NT* 3.51 Miniport Driver Ether Express 16 driver. 
FLSIMG.EXE FLRESTORE and Flash Adapter Images Utility and flash image files README
SOFT.EXE  SoftSet2 DOS configuration and diagnostic utility  README
E16LATE.EXE I/O WfWChannel Reset Utility   README
E16ADF.EXE IBM PS/2 ADF Fixes trouble with NT and RJ45/BNC confusion

Intel EtherExpress MC
Determine MAC Address
Thoughts
ADF Section [from the god-Emperor of Microchannel]



Intel EtherExpress
D1,2 Transmit, Receive, Link, Polarity LEDs
P3 - RJ45 Ethernet
P4 - External AUI Transceiver
T1 - Fil-Mag 23Z91SM
U1 - Ethernet Address (MAC address)
U2 - Intel N82586-10
U4 - Intel N82503
U5 - Valor FL1020-001
U6 - Toshiba TC511664BJ-80
U7 - Intel µPD65062GD-060
U8 - Intel 'Flash' (boot ROM?) 
X1 - 20.000MHz


Determining Your Adapter's Hardware (MAC) Address
Note: This is not yet proven and may very well be wrong.

At the top of the adapter (see "Enet Addrs" text in outline) is printed the text "Ethernet Address". Along with the text there is a set of six numbers and "x" characters with an arrow pointing down to U1's outline. I believe this means that the set of numbers printed on the adapter card is permanent, as the numbers take this form:

         00AA00xxxxxx

I think the "x" digits are to be replaced by the numbers printed on the IC at U1, therefore (in the case of my adapter):

00AA003A4203 (there's an $ after this, but that isn't a valid MAC address character!)



Thoughts
   Chipset-wise this adapter is built around some of the same components as the 3Com 3C523(TP). The 3Com card is a decent performer and can give you close to the best possible results from a 10Mbit Ethernet line. It will do this without totally flooring the CPU.

I would expect that this Intel adapter offers about the same performance. Alfred Arnold did some speed testing on this and a few other MCA Ethernet cards. You can find the results here and it does look like the 3C523 and EtherExpress are close.



ADF Sections AdapterID 628B "Intel EtherExpress(tm) MC Network Adapter"
NOTE: This version [1.01] separates the options for the RJ-45 and BNC connectors into two selections.  The previous version combined these two connectors into one selection, causing a problem accessing the RJ-45 connector with the WindowsNT driver. 

I/O Address Range
   Each EtherExpress requires a range of I/O addresses that doesn't overlap those used by any
 other adapter.  If an an asterisk appears to the right of the field, the range you have selected is being used by another adapter and you will have to choose a different range. If you want a more detailed explanation, refer to 'I/O address' in the index of the Complete Guide to Installing."
     <"x300h - x30Fh">, x310 - x31F, x320 - x32F, x330 - x33F, x340 - x34F, x350 - x35F, x360 - x36F, x370 - x37F, x200 - x20F, x210 - x21F, x220 - x22Fh, x230h - x23Fh, x240h - x24Fh, x250h - x25Fh, x260h - x26Fh, x270h - x27Fh

IRQ
    The EtherExpress adapter needs to be assigned a unique  hardware interrupt request line (IRQ).  Although Micro Channel systems allow devices to share IRQs, network performance would suffer if the network adapter used the same IRQ as another device.  Since the IBM Set Configuration program (SC) does not detect IRQ conflicts, you must make sure you are assigning the EtherExpress adapter to an IRQ no other adapter is using. If the serial port on the motherboard is set to COM1, it uses IRQ 4.  Any other serial port in your system should use IRQ 3. Various other adapters may also use one of the IRQs available to the EtherExpress adapter.  To verify that you have not set your EtherExpress adapter to the same IRQ as another device in  your computer, run the program MCADIAGS, on the EtherExpress diskette.
  <"IRQ 11">, 10, 5, 9, 3, 15, 12, 4

Flash/Boot ROM Address Range
    The Micro Channel EtherExpress adapter has 256k of FLASH RAM on board.  This can provide Boot ROM capabilities, it can be used with optional software for various utility purposes, or it can do both.  To allow the use of the FLASH(tm) RAM, either for utility purposes or as a Boot ROM, an 8k address range must be assigned.  If a selection causes an asterisk (*) to appear, it is conflict another device's memory address and the FLASH/Boot ROM address must be changed."
   <"Flash/Boot ROM Disabled">, D000-D1FF, D200-D3FF, D400-D5FF, D600-D7FF, D800-D9FF, DA00-DBFF, DC00-DDFF, DE00-DFFF, C800-C9FF, CA00-CBFF, CC00-CDFF, CE00-CFFF

Boot ROM Options
   For a Boot ROM to be enabled, you must assign an address range in the FLASH/Boot ROM choice field above.  The EtherExpress adapter Boot ROM feature allows the workstation to be    booted from a 'boot image' stored on the network server. Novell Netware and Microsoft LANMAN are supported.  If you do not intend to boot this workstation from the network, choose 'Boot ROM Disabled'."
    <"Boot ROM Disabled">, Novell Boot ROM, LANMAN Boot ROM

Connector Type
   The EtherExpress board can automatically detect which connector has a cable attached. For most uses choose 'Auto detect.'  If you need to override the auto-detect feature, choose  the connector type you plan to use.
    <BNC>, RJ-45, AUI, Auto detect

Network Driver Information
    Information on installing the drivers for various network operating systems is available in README files on the EtherExpress option diskette.  Boot the system to DOS, put the EtherExpress option diskette in a floppy drive, switch to that drive and run MCADIAGS.  More information on network driver installation is available from our FaxBack(tm) service or on our BBS.  Refer to the EtherExpress manual for more details."
   <"Press F1 for help">

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