File - NI5210DG.HLP Revision - AA Created - 6/2/87 by Larry Ching Description - Help file for the NI5210 Diagnostic. The file is formatted with help screens for each menu, marked by %n, where n is the menu number. The diagnostic opens the file at the user request, then skips down to the help screen associated with the menu currently displayed. %1 About the Main Menu The Main Menu allows you to control the diagnostic. From it, you can instruct the diagnostic to perform a quick test of the NI5210 card(s) in your system, or you can select other test menus (when you want to run specific tests). In addition, you can change various NI5210 and diagnostic parameters, display an error log, review diagnostic procedures, or exit the diagnostic and return to DOS. To make a selection, enter the appropriate letter (A-F, or X) at the cursor. Each selection is described below. Note: MICOM-Interlan recommends that you choose A--the Run All Test option for a quick and easy verification of the card(s). Before you run any test, however, make sure that the settings displayed in the PARAMETERS area of the Main Menu match those used by the NI5210 card(s) in your system. If not, choose D--the Change Parameters menu--and specify the correct settings. A. Run All Tests--Runs a series of tests on each card installed to verify the configuration parameters and the connection to the network. If this test fails, the diagnostic identifies the card that failed and stops the process so you can test that card. To identify the failure, you should then run the tests listed under the Internal Tests and the Network Tests menus. B. Internal Tests--Displays the Internal Tests menu. The four Internal Tests exercise the selected card without causing traffic on your network. They verify that the card is installed and functioning properly. C. Network Tests--Displays the Network Tests menu. The Network Tests verify that the station is correctly attached to the network and indicates the general health of the network. These tests should be run only after the card has passed all of the Internal Tests. D. Change Parameters--Displays the Change Parameters menu. From it, you can change all (or just some) of the settings shown in the PARAMETERS area of your screen. You should, for example, check that the interrupt line and memory size settings match those used by your board. You should also notify the diagnostic when you have more than one board installed, and when you want to test only board #1 or board #2. After you change the parameters, you can save the new settings to disk (or restore the previous parameters) with the Save/Recall All Parameters option. E. Display Error Log--Displays the current contents of the error log on your screen. If error logging is disabled, (the error log file is initially set to "NUL"), the diagnostic sends you an appropriate message. To enable or disable error logging, go to the Change Parameters menu. F. Help--Gives you this Help screen. X. Exit Diagnostic--Exits the diagnostic and returns control to DOS. %2 About the Internal Tests As indicated by the Internal Tests menu, you can run four Internal Tests: the Network Address PROM Test, the Buffer RAM test, the 82586 Internal Test, and the Internal Loopback Test. The Internal Tests exercise the selected card without causing traffic on your network. They verify the correct installation and function of the NI5210 card before allowing it onto the network, where it might interfere with other stations. Each test is described below. If you want to change the card under test, go to the Change Parameters menu. A. Network Address PROM Test--Reads the card's unique network address from the PROM and checks 2 test bytes stored with the address. If these 2 bytes are correct, the address is assumed to be correct. If this test fails, check that the card's jumpers are positioned to enable the correct address, and that the correct address appears in the PARAMETERS area of your screen. B. Buffer RAM Test--Performs a pattern and data-equals-address check on buffer memory. If this test fails, check that the card's jumpers are positioned for the correct memory base address and memory configuration. After that, make sure that the correct memory address and configuration settings appear in the PARAMETERS area of the screen. C. 82586 Internal Test--Initializes the NI5210 82586 network controller for Ethernet operation and causes the controller to execute a self-test command. If this test fails but the Network Address PROM test passes, check that the card's jumpers are positioned for the correct interrupt line and memory configuration settings. After that, make sure the correct interrupt line and memory configuration settings appear in the PARAMETERS area of your screen. D. Internal Loopback Test--Initializes the NI5210 82586 network controller for Ethernet operation with internal loopback enabled. The 82586 can then transmit and receive, but the transmit output is connected to the receive input of the 82586 (i.e., no data is passed on to the network). The test then transmits short frames and checks that they are received correctly. D. Help--Displays this Help screen. X. Exit to Main Menu--Returns you to the Main Menu. %3 About the Network Tests The Network Tests verify that the card under test is correctly attached to the network and indicates the general health of the network. These tests should be run ONLY after the card has passed all of the Internal Tests. The tests are described below. If you want to change the card under test, go to the Change Parameters menu. A. Transmit Test--Transmits frames to a target station. After you enter the network address of the target, (this can be any address, including Broadcast), and the number of bytes in a packet, the test transmits the test packet until you stop it. If this test fails but all Internal Tests pass, check that the network type jumpers are set correctly, and that all network connections are secure. B. Receive Test--Configures the NI5210 82586 network controller to receive packets from the network. Packets are counted, checked for errors, and displayed on the screen. Note: If you use the Receive Test in conjunction with the Transmit Test, be aware that the relevant counts will not match because the Transmit Test can send faster than the Receive Test can receive. C. Echo Test--Performs a network echo test. The NI5210 transmits XNS/ITP echo request packets and waits for a reply from an echo server. The net- work address of the echo server and the number of echoed packets is dis- played on the screen. This test provides a data integrity check on the network interface. D. Echo Server--Enables the NI5210 to be an XNS/ITP echo server for another NI5210 card running Echo Test. The number of packets echoed by the server is displayed on the screen. E. Help--Displays this Help screen. X. Exit to Main Menu--Returns you to the Main Menu. %4 About the Change Parameters Menu The Change Parameters menu allows you to change and/or verify the parameter settings shown in the PARAMETERS area of your screen. You should, for example, make sure that the settings displayed match those used by the NI5210 cards(s) in your system. You should also make sure that the diagnostic parameters are correct (e.g., that you specify 2 when you have two cards installed). To change all parameters, enter E at the cursor. If you want to change a particular parameter, enter the appropriate letter at the cursor and a new screen gives you information about changing that parameter. Each parameter is described below. Note: Unless you use the Save/Recall Parameters option to save the parameters to disk, any parameters you change remain in effect only until you exit the program. A. Change Test Repetitions--Lets you specify the number of times a test is to be executed. If this parameter is set to zero, the tests will run until you stop them. You can specify up to 99 test repetitions. B. Change Max Error Count--Allows you to set the number of errors (O to 99) to be logged to the error logging device. When the number of errors reported by a test exceeds this number, the errors are no longer logged, although the test continues to run. (This prevents a test from filling a disk with error messages during an overnight test.) C. Change Error Logging Device--Allows you to select a device that will receive error messages from running tests. Enter any valid DOS device or filename at the prompt. For example, NUL (the default) specifies no error logging, PRN specifies the printer, and LOG.ERR specifies a DOS file. If the logging device is the disk, you can display the error log using option E on the Main Menu. D. Change Network Address--Allows you to set the network address for the cards in your system. Although the diagnostic normally uses the default network address in the PROM on the card, this option lets you override the default and set your own network addresses. E. Change All Parameters--Prompts you for all the required parameter settings in sequence. F. Help--Displays this Help screen. G. Change Number of Cards--Allows you to tell the diagnostic how many NI5210 cards are installed in your system. The default is 1. H. Change Card Under Test-Allows you to select which NI5210 card you want to test. The PARAMETERS area of the screen always shows the parameter settings for the card under test. I. Change I/O Address--Allows you to set the I/O address for the cards in your system. Use a range of 200 to 3FC (hex). J. Change Interrupt Channel--Allows you to specify the interrupt line used by the NI5210 cards in your system. If you have two cards installed, be sure they use different interrupt lines. K. Change Memory Configuration--Allows you to set the memory base address and memory size for the cards in your system. The memory base address can be in the range of C0000 to EC000 (hex). The memory size can be either 8K or 16K. L. Save/Recall All Parameters--Allows you to save the current parameter settings to disk, or load the previous parameter settings. The parameters will be saved in a file called NI5210DG.FMT. X. Exit to Main Menu--Returns you to the Main Menu.