Installing Network Adapter Cards

Installing Network Adapter Cards

The details of how to install a network adapter card might depend on the card, the operating system, or the hardware platform, but the steps are basically the same. To install a network adapter card, you must follow these steps:

1.	Physically plug the card into the expansion slot, configuring jumpers and DIP switches as required.
2.	Install the network adapter card driver.
3.	Configure the operating system so that the network adapter card won’t conflict with other devices (see the next section).
4.	Bind the network adapter to the required protocols (see Chapter 5, “Transport Protocols,” for more information).
5.	Attach the network cable to the card.

Depending on the hardware operating system, some of these steps might happen automatically when you plug a card into the slot and start your system. Windows NT is not really plug-and-play capable, so when you install a network adapter card after the operating system is in place, you might have to spend some time with steps 2-4.

To install a network adapter card driver in Windows NT, follow these steps:

1.	Click the Start button and choose Settings/Control Panel. Double-click the Control Panel Network application. In the Control Panel Network application, choose the Adapters tab (see Figure 10.2).
2.	In the Adapters tab (refer to Figure 10.2), click the Add button to invoke the Select Network Adapter dialog box (see Figure 10.3). Choose the adapter model from the list or click the Have Disk button to install a driver that isn’t listed. Windows NT asks for the location of the Windows NT installation CD-ROM. Make sure the adapter is compatible with your version of Windows NT. To do so, check the Windows NT Hardware Compatibility list or consult the manufacturer.
3.	Windows NT will attempt to detect the adapter and then might prompt you for additional information (see the section titled “Configuring Network Adapter Cards” later in this chapter).
4.	When the installation is complete, shut down Windows NT and Restart.
5.	Use the Network application’s Bindings tab to check and set protocol bindings for the new adapter (see Chapter 5).

Before you buy a network adapter card, you must make sure it has the correct data-bus architecture for your PC and the correct connector type for your transmission medium.

Almost all PCs use one of four basic data-bus architectures: ISA, EISA, PCI, and Micro Channel. (Refer to the note on data-bus architectures earlier in this chapter.) These architectures are not necessarily compatible—for example, a Micro Channel card won’t work on an EISA system and, in fact, won’t even fit in the slot—so when you buy a card for an expansion slot, be ready to tell the vendor what type of data-bus architecture you have on your system.

The data-bus architecture is generally independent of the processor type. Two Pentium machines from different vendors might have different (and incompatible) data-bus architectures.

Chapter 3, “Transmission Media,” discussed some basic LAN network cabling types. The network adapter is responsible for transmitting in accordance with the specifications of the transmission medium. The adapter card also must supply a connector that is compatible with the cabling system. (See Chapter 3 for more information on Ethernet and token-ring cabling and connectors.) Some boards offer connectors for more than one cabling type, in which case you must configure jumpers or DIP switches to set the active type.

Jumpers are small connectors that bridge across predetermined terminal points on the card itself to hardwire the card for certain user-defined settings, such as the IRQ setting. DIP (dual inline package) switches are small switches (usually in groups) that, like jumpers, can configure the card for user-defined settings.