This soft copy for use by IBM employees only.
Appendix A. Sources of Drivers and Information
One of the challenges that LAN administrators face is ensuring that the adapters they want to use are supported and then finding the latest level of device drivers for these adapters. Another problem they face is trying to find information about known software bugs and their corresponding fixes. This appendix is included to help readers solve these problems.
For a general source of information and support for IBM PC servers, go to the
World Wide Web (WWW) at the following Universal Resource Locators (URLs):
http://www.pc.ibm.com/servers
http://www.pc.ibm.com/techlink/tcsrvsp1.html
The latter URL is part of IBM TechConnect program. Refer to Appendix B, ªIBM TechConnect Programº on page 151 for more information.
A.1 Compatibility Information
IBM does extensive testing on each new system before it is introduced to ensure that it is compatible with the wide variety of IBM and
http://www.pc.ibm.com/compat/compat.html
This site has a wealth of valuable information. It contains the following:
•A comprehensive listing of products that have been tested for compatibility with these servers and a technical description of each server.
•Compatibility reports and information about network and workstation operating systems, showing detailed information on hardware configurations, adapters, device drivers, and code levels used in the testing.
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Direct access to device drivers, flash BIOS updates, and other server code.
An overview of how IBM conducts compatibility and certification tests.
This is an excellent source of information to ensure your hardware and software are supported by IBM servers. It is updated regularly with the latest NOS certifications and driver updates.
Microsoft also has a hardware compatibility list, which lists all hardware from many vendors that has been tested to be compatible with NT 4.0. Drivers can also be found here. The HCL can be found at either of two URLs:
http://www.microsoft.com/BackOffice/ntserver/hcl/hclintro.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/hwtest/hsearchn4.idc
A.2 Device Drivers
The IBM PC Company Home Page has a very good file repository containing drivers and BIOS updates, as well as other documentation and drivers, including the new ServeRAID software:
http://www.pc.ibm.com/servers/#files
Copyright IBM Corp. 1997 | 147 |
