3Com XLPCI manual Inserting the NIC

Inserting the NIC 1-3

Inserting the NIC

The following instructions apply to installing the 3C900B NIC in most PCs. If these instructions are not appropriate for your PC, refer to the documentation that accompanied your PC.

CAUTION: Each NIC is packed in antistatic packaging to protect it during shipment. Before handling the NIC, touch the bare metal case of your PC. While you are handling the NIC, wear a wrist strap grounded to the PC chassis.

Remove all jewelry from your hands and wrists and use only insulated or nonconducting tools.

Follow these steps to install the NIC in your PC:

1Turn the power off, and remove the power cord from the PC.

2Unscrew the cover screws and remove the cover.

On some PCs, it may be necessary to remove all cables before the cover can be removed.

3Locate an available bus-mastering PCI slot and remove the screw from the corresponding backplate (Figure 1-2). Save the screw.

Early PCI PCs that have more than one PCI slot typically have only one bus-mastering PCI slot. In this case, the correct PCI slot to use is usually the one closest to the power supply in the PC. However, you should consult your PC documentation to verify this. In newer PCI systems, all PCI slots are bus-mastering slots.

Many PCs have both ISA and PCI slots. Make sure that you install the NIC only in a bus-mastering PCI slot. See Figure 1-2. PCI slots are usually white, and they are shorter than ISA slots.