Xsight and EtherCard Plus - problems

Tom Yager tyager at maxx.UUCP
Fri Apr 13 10:02:52 AEST 1990


In article <1990Apr11.140748.28316 at uwasa.fi>, hv at uwasa.fi (Harri Valkama LAKE) writes:
> I have had troubles with Xsight and EtherCard
> plus. I have installed Xsight and Locus (controlled
> release) TCPIP for DOS v2.0 but I don't get telnet
> connection to my Unix host. I have tried everything
> I can. Card works alright with NCSA Telnet but not
> with this Locus Telnet. When I try to connect it
> answers 'Trying...' but after a little while it
> responds 'Timed out' and stops. Addresses are right,
> I've tried also different IRQs. It is evident that
> my COM2 uses same IRQ as EtherCard (that is 3) but
> I have also tried 5 and 7. Same results.
> 
> Help, anybody?
> 
> -- 
> 		Harri Valkama (hv at uwasa.fi, hv at funic.funet.fi)
> 		       University of Vaasa, Finland 
If I cover things you've already tried, forgive me.

I work constantly with the Ethercard on PCs under both UNIX and DOS. They can
be ornery little beasts, but work well once you get them configured.

When considering how to configure the card, don't forget its on-board RAM. This
is software-programmable to a specified region, and you need to make sure it's
set to stay out of the way of disk controller and video board ROMs, external
CPU cache, or other devices that take up space in the map. I've had good luck
with addresses between D000 (or D0000, depending on your software) and E000.
Most of my troubles with the WD8003E have come from munging this address.

Make sure your system's bus doesn't run higher than 8MHz, and that the WD8003E
wait-state jumper isn't on the 6MHz setting.

Since you did manage to get the board to communicate with NCSA telnet, it
seems unlikely to be a board problem. It may be that NCSA is more forgiving
of bad connections--check your cable and terminators. I've seen thin Ethernets
go flaky for being run too close to video connectors, monitors and printers. 

Watch out for other RAM-resident DOS toys which may interfere with Xview or
Locus' TCP/IP for DOS. Clean everything out of config.sys but the Locus/WD
driver (if any), and work from there. If you run a strange OEM flavor of DOS,
or a version that's either too old (<3.x?) or too new (>=4.0?) to run Xview,
try booting from someone's "real" DOS floppy, then loading TCP and Xview.

Lastly, you should know that it is worth the effort. I haven't worked with
Locus (yet), but I am well pleased with similar products from GSS and
Hummingbird Communications that run under FTP Software's PC/TCP.

Good luck!
(ty)

-- 
+--Tom Yager, Technical Editor, BYTE----Reviewer, UNIX World---------------+
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