3Com Fast EtherLink XL PCI Combo (3C905b) NIC; A Dependable, Reliable Stalwart

In the world of modern computer networking the Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) Local Area Networking (LAN) topology is relatively new, despite the fact that the original specification were released by Xerox in 1976. It has was not until the early to mid 1990’s however, that Ethernet Network Interface Card’s (NIC) began to replace IBM’s Token Ring topology as the standard in corporate LAN environments.

Now Token Ring (8/16 Megabytes per second {Mbps}) is fast disappearing, supplanted by much faster Ethernet (Ethernet rated at10 Mbps, Fast Ethernet rated at 100 Mbps, & Gigabit Ethernet 1000 rated at Mbps) NIC’s. In the beginning Ethernet NIC’s like Token Ring cards connected to the LAN via coaxial cabling. However coaxial cabling has been replaced in most LAN’s with Registered Jack-45 (RJ-45) cabling, an eight-wire connection that is much easier to manage and offers higher transfer speeds. As a result most Ethernet NIC’s offer only RJ-45 ports, but some 10/100 Mbps cards offer both. Such is the case with the 3Com Fast EtherLink XL PCI Combo (3C905b) NIC.

Since the beginning of the Ethernet revolution 3Com has been at the forefront of the technology, providing reliable NIC’s for the desktop and server environment. The Fast EtherLink XL PCI Combo (3C905b) is no exception. 3Com Fast Ethernet NICs automatically operate at 10Mbps when connected to a hub or switch supporting 10BASE-T Ethernet and at 100 Mbps when connected to a hub or switch supporting 100BASE-TX/T4 Fast Ethernet. The fast Ethernet desktop NICs use a single RJ-45 connector, and an available PCI (2.0 or 2.1) slot in your PC.

The Product

Product Description from the Manufacture: The EtherLink 10/100 Mbps family of desktop network interface cards (NICs) delivers fast, reliable performance, easy installation and configuration, and more. 3Com leads the world market in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet access solutions. And with 3Com NICs you get a smooth migration to high-speed networking along with unprecedented network functionality. 3Com's solution includes EtherLink 10/100 Mbps network interface cards (NICs) which deliver the highest performance, reliability, and compatibility available todayԵCom EtherLink 10/100 Mbps NICs also feature Parallel Tasking technology. By simultaneously performing multiple processing tasks, Parallel Tasking technology brings the fastest transfer speeds to your PC systems. And Parallel Tasking II technology boosts the performance of PCI connections, optimizing the design features inherent to the PCI bus. 3Com EtherLink 10/100 Mbps NICs provide a total workgroup solution with high-speed connections for PCI, ISA, and EISA PCs…

Installation & Use

The Fast EtherLink XL PCI Combo (3C905b) will install in any open PCI (version 1.1 – 2.0) slot in your computer or server machine. Since the card is plug-n-play under the Windows 2000/XP environment it will automatically assign itself an open IRQ. However under other Operating System (OS)/Network Operating System (NOS) environments, 3Com provides a complete install program called Etherlink best run before the primary OS starts. The 3Com Fast EtherLink XL PCI Combo (3C905b) supports Microsoft DOS, Banyan VINES, IBM OS/2, SCO OpenServer, Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 or later, Windows 2000 (all versions) Novell NetWare 3.11 or later, Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later.

3Com provides an easy to use install program for the above mentioned OS’s and, or NOS’s that make configuring the card a painless endeavor. The primary purpose of the configuration program is to assign an IRQ and link speed (10 Mbps, or 100 Mbps, or Auto-sensing) to the card. Once configured, OS specific drivers for the Fast EtherLink XL PCI Combo (3C905b) can be installed, and the card configured further for your environment.

On the back of the card are connectors for coaxial cable (BNC), AUI and RJ-45 cable; Note: both BNC and RJ-45 cannot be connected at once. LED for link, link speed, and transmit (TX)/ receive (RX), are also located on the back of the card. Once a power connector cord is connected to the computer is which it is installed, and a cable is connected, either coaxial or RJ-45, the link light should illuminate.

I use the Fast EtherLink XL PCI Combo (3C905b) almost exclusively at home in my small network and at work in the workstations of our much larger network. I like the seamless installation in both DOS (with use with Ghost; DOS drivers load from a single 1.44Mb floppy) and Windows 2000/XP environments.

If set to auto-sensing and used in conjunction with an auto-sensing hub or switch, the Fast EtherLink XL PCI Combo (3C905b) will automatically transmit and receive at either 10 or 100Mbps; i.e. 10/100. But you cannot always count on the hub or switch utilizing the auto-sense technology; it is much better I have found to set the card at one link speed or another.

Over the last five years I have installed or configured literally hundreds of Fast EtherLink XL PCI Combo (3C905b) and never experienced a failure; these cards work and work well. These cards have been discontinued by 3Com, but are still available all over the Internet for as little as $9.95; at that price they are a bargain.

If you are searching for a low cost, reliable, versatile, plug-n-play, easy to configure, PCI NIC from a company whose very name is now inseparable with networking, look no future then the Fast EtherLink XL PCI Combo (3C905b).

Features:

• Connectors support legacy coaxial and UTP cabling
• Link auto-negotiation transparently configures 10 or 100 Mbps
• Standards-compliant, including PC99, WfM, ACPI, and DMI
• Parallel Tasking® II performance accelerates PCI-bus throughput
• 3Com® EtherCD® CD-ROM simplifies setup and troubleshooting
• Other pre-OS and boot features are available; see Options

Product Specifications

• Media: 10BASE2/10BASE5/10BASE-T/100BASE-TX
• Connectors: BNC/AUI/RJ-45
• Bus: 32-bit PCI
• Operating distances: 10BASE2 up to 185 m (607 ft); 10BASE5 up to 500 m (1,639 ft); 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX up to 100 m (328 ft)
• Drivers: NetWare 3.x/4.x/5 Server, Requestor for OS/2, ODI Client, Packet Driver; VINES; Windows Me/2000/9x/NT
• Managed by: Any SNMP management, including 3Com Transcend® Network Supervisor, 3Com DynamicAccess® boot services, and 3Com DynamicAccess managed PC boot agent.
• Interface Type: PCI
• Cabling Type: Ethernet 10Base-T, Ethernet 10Base-2, Ethernet 100Base-TX, Ethernet AUI
• Data Link Protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet
• Data Transfer Rate: 10/100
• Compliant Standards: IEEE 802.2, IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3U, IEEE 802.3i