----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3Com 3C79x FDDILink PCI System Diagnostic ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This file describes the operation of the system diagnostic for the 3Com 3C79x FDDILink PCI. The controller is equipped with onboard diagnostics that execute automatically each time power is applied to the controller. The system diagnostic verifies the proper installation of the controller, and provides additional information in the event of a suspected hardware failure. This file is long, and contains information useful to have in hand during the test process. You may wish to print a hard copy of this text for reference. Section 1 SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC REQUIREMENTS ----------------------------------------- The system diagnostic is an interactive application that runs under MS-DOS V4.01 or greater. It is located on the DOS-format Distribution Diskette (Disk 1) that accompanies the controller. The system on which it is to be run, must meet the following requirements: - Be an PCI-compatible machine with 640K of memory or greater. - Have a functioning keyboard and monitor. - Be running MS-DOS 4.01 or greater. - Have the MS-DOS standard driver ANSI.SYS loaded in CONFIG.SYS. - Have the 3Com 3C79x FDDILink PCI already installed. Section 2 SUGGESTED PREPARATIONS _________________________________ While not necessary, the following preparations simplify the testing process: 1. Create a bootable MS-DOS diskette. Consult the "MS-DOS User's Guide" under the FORMAT command for details on how to do this. 2. Copy the ANSI.SYS file to that diskette. You should find ANSI.SYS in the \DOS subdirectory of your C: drive. 3. On that diskette, create a file CONFIG.SYS which contains the single line: DEVICE=A:\ANSI.SYS Use this diskette to boot the system when the system diagnostic is to be run. This boot diskette loads the minimum system configuration necessary to run the system diagnostic. This eliminates the possibility of other device drivers (which may have been loaded during the normal boot process) from interfering with the operation of the system diagnostic. Section 3 RUNNING THE SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC ________________________________________ To run the system diagnostic, perform the following: 1. Boot the system with MS-DOS. You may wish to use a boot diskette dedicated to this task. Refer to Section 2, SUGGESTED PREPARATIONS, for details on how to do this. 2. Ensure that no network drivers are loaded. 3. Place the 3Com 3C79x FDDILink PCI DOS-format Distribution Diskette (Disk 1) into the disk drive. 4. Issue the following command: A:\DIAG\3C79XCFG.EXE This command invokes the system diagnostic. When the system diagnostic completes loading and initializing, the screen displays an options menu. To select the options, use the up and down arrow keys on the keyboard. On the screen, an arrow to the left of the list of options indicates the currently selected option. To execute the current option, press ENTER. During initialization, the system diagnostic probes the installed devices. If it cannot locate a 3Com 3C79x FDDILink PCI, the screen displays a message indicating that the controller could not be located. If the controller is properly inserted in the system, and the system diagnostic cannot locate the controller, there is a failure that is preventing the hardware identification from being read by the system diagnostic. Take the following corrective actions: - Verify that the controller is correctly seated in the PCI bus expansion slot. The connectors on PCI options are very finely pitched, and can easily fail to make proper contact. - Verify that the controller is correctly configured by the PCI BIOS. Consult your user's guide and the A:\CONFIG\README.TXT file for more details on configuring your controller. Section 3 SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC MENU OPTIONS _________________________________________ The following list describes the menu options: - Run Default Test Sequence This function runs a series of diagnostics on the controller, and reports status. The tests are described below, and may be run individually (as necessary). The tests that make up the default sequence are: - Bus Controller Chip Test - DMA Controller Chip Test - Buffer RAM Tests - Internal Loopback Tests The External Loopback Test is not part of the default sequence, because some care must be used in running it. See the description of the External Loopback Test later in these notes for details. The tests indicate pass or fail status by displaying PASSED or FAILED on the monitor. Should the system hang, or otherwise become inoperable as the result of running the system diagnostic, try the following corrective actions before calling for support. - Reconfigure the controller with a different IRQ level setting, if possible. - If you did not boot from a dedicated boot disk as described in Section 2, SUGGESTED PREPARATIONS, do so now and rerun the system diagnostic. If all the "Default Tests" pass, run the External Loopback Test to complete the device verification. - Bus Controller Chip Test This test verifies the proper operation of the Bus Controller Chip. A failure during this test indicates that the module may not be addressed properly by the system. - DMA Controller Chip Test This test verifies the proper operation of the DMA Controller Chip. A failure during this test indicates that the module cannot properly receive or transmit data. - Buffer RAM Tests These tests verify the integrity of the Buffer RAM on the controller. A failure during either of these tests indicates that the RAM cannot reliably store data. - Internal Loopback Tests This test group verifies the controller's ability to send and receive an FDDI frame by way of an internal loopback path. The frame does not go onto the fiber network. A failure during any of these tests indicates that the controller cannot reliably receive or transmit data. - External Loopback Test This test verifies the controller's ability to send and receive an FDDI frame over the network. The test frame that is transmitted is actually sent out over the network. In order for this test to run, the controller must either be connected to a functioning FDDI-compliant concentrator or have a loopback connector installed. In general, you may run this test on a live FDDI network, and have little impact on network performance. A malfunctioning controller may disrupt the normal operation of the FDDI network causing other users of the network ring to experience an interruption of network service. A successful completion of this test indicates that the controller hardware is installed correctly, and that it can be used to send and receive data on the network. A failure in this test indicates one or more of the following faults: - If the Internal Loopback Tests pass, and the External Loopback Test fails, the network cable may be attached incorrectly at either the controller or concentrator. Check the connections and rerun the test. Verify the proper functioning of the concentrator. If necessary, replace the network cable. - If any Internal Loopback Test fails, the External Loopback Test also fails. In this circumstance, the failure is most likely a controller hardware fault or a configuration problem. Reconfigure the controller with a different IRQ level. Consult your user's guide for details on how to perform this task. - Display Adapter Address Use this function to display the physical address of the controller. If this operation fails, the screen displays an error message instead of the controller address. - Display Revisions This function displays the hardware and firmware revision information for the controller. If this operation fails, the screen displays an error message instead of the revision information. - Test Options Choosing this option activates the Test Options menu. There are three options on this submenu: 1. Set Pass Count The pass count determines the number of times a test, or group of tests, will be run. The default pass count is 1. You can set the pass count to any positive number from 0 to 4294967295. If you set the pass count to 0, the test or test group loops infinitely. You can terminate any test run of more than one pass by pressing the key. If you are looping on a single test, the loop terminates at the end of the current run of that test. If you are looping on a group of tests, such as the internal loopback tests, the sequence terminates after the last test in the group runs. The current pass count displays at the top of all menus. 2. Set "Continue on Error" This option controls the behavior of diagnostic runs of more than one pass. If "Continue on Error" is selected, the current diagnostic sequence continues, even if a test fails, until the current pass count is exhausted. If the pass count is 0, the sequence continues until the operator presses the key. 3. Set "Halt on Error" This option, like the Set "Continue on Error" Option, controls the behavior of diagnostic runs of more than one pass. If "Halt on Error" is selected, the current sequence stops upon detecting the first failure. By default, the system diagnostic "Halts on Error". At the top of each menu, the screen displays the current option, "Halt on Error" or "Continue on Error". ***TRADEMARKS*** Microsoft, MS, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.