3
1
Introduction
This chapter describes the following 3Com
®
10/100 Mbps PCI network interface card
(NIC) models from the 3C990B NIC family.
The 3C990B NIC connects your PCI-compliant PC to a 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps Ethernet
network. It provides advanced features for high performance and secure transactions.
High performance is achieved through an onboard RISC processor; secure transactions are
achieved through data encryption.
Onboard 3XP Processor
The 3C990B NIC represents a new generation of secure, intelligent client NICs with an
onboard RISC processor (3XP processor). The 3XP processor is designed to optimize
system and network performance. The NIC off-loads key networking and security tasks
from the host PC CPU (central processing unit) to the 3XP processor, even when running
bandwidth-intensive applications such as voice, video, imaging, and Internet and intranet
applications.
Data Encryption
The 3C990B NIC provides Data Encryption Standard (DES) 56-bit encryption and 3DES
(3DES 168-bit) encryption. Encryption processing is handled entirely by the 3XP processor
on the NIC.
The 3XP processor enables true end-to-end network security (IPSec) at the data capacity of
the connected network cable (wire speed), without sacrificing performance.
The 3C990B NIC is shipped with encryption disabled. Once you have installed the NIC,
you can upgrade it to the appropriate level of encryption acceleration (DES or 3DES)
through the Security Software Utility provided on the 3Com
EtherCD
. See “Installing and
Configuring Data Encryption Offloads” on page 33 for more information.
Product Name/Description Model Number
3Com 10/100 Mbps PCI NIC
with 3XP processor
Client NIC for 3DES (168-bit) and
DES (56-bit) encryption
3C990B-TX-M
3Com 10/100 Mbps PCI Server NIC
with 3XP processor
Server NIC for 3DES (168-bit) and
DES (56-bit) encryption
3C990BSVR
NOTE:
Information in this user guide refers to both client and server 3C990B NIC
models unless specifically indicated.