Installation of Network Interface Card NIC
This work will take place in A150 - see noticeboard for
group arrangements
These Installation Notes are divided into hyperlinked sections:
Apparatus
Method
Physical Insertion
of Card
Software Instsallation
NIC settings
Connection of PCs
Testing the Network
Laboratory Report
Marking Scheme
Network Interface Card Type: ISA, NE2000
Candidate PC: Pentium 120 or similar
4-port Dual Speed Hub 10/100 Mbps
Floppy disk containing drivers
Category 5 UTP cables
1. On your bench you will find 2 PCs. The one that has a 17" monitor is connected to the University network. DO NOT DISMANTLE THIS MACHINE.
2. The lower specification (older machine) has a 14" or 15" monitor, does not have a CD drive and some have white metal bars across the top of their case. If you are in doubt as to which machine to work on – ASK your tutor or demonstrator.
3. If the PC is turned on, shut it down via Start, Shut Down, Shut Down the Computer.
4. When the machine has turned itself off, turn off the power supply at the bench socket and remove the power cable from the back of the PC.
5. Rotate the PC so that the back is facing you. Remove the screws that hold the cover in place. This will involve the use of a special screwdriver that can be borrowed from a lab technician.
6. Open the case of the smaller PC on your desk by sliding the case to the rear a few centimetres and then lifting the case. This PC has had its network card and associated software removed.
7. Inside the PC to the left is the power supply. On the right at the rear are two rows of expansion slots. There are black (ISA) and white (PCI) plastic slots affixed to the motherboard for insertion of cards.
8. The NIC that you will install is an ISA card so it fits in a BLACK slot. PCI and ISA slots are shaped differently, so it is impossible to fit a card into the incorrect type of slot.
Make sure that you are wearing an earth strap while handling the NIC or damage to the card's circuitry could take place due static charges having built up on your body. If no earth strap is available, you should touch a piece of earthed equipment (such as the chassis of a PC or a water pipe) to discharge any static charge that has built up on your body before handling the NIC.
NOTE: Just a few volts of static charge, that you are unlikely to be able to feel, is sufficient to puncture the thin insulation layers within a CMOS semiconductor and thus render the card useless.
The NIC is an ISA card, therefore it will only fit into the ISA (black) expansion slots on the motherboard of the PC.
1. Examine the card to discover the manufacturer and model, you will need these later. Look for the MAC hardware address which is often on a sticker on the card. Make a note of this too.
2. Insert the card into a free slot with the contacts facing downwards and the metal plate on the card to the rear of the PC. Use GENTLE pressure and a rocking motion to ensure that the card fits fully into the slot.
3. When you have done this, the cut-out on the metal plate on the card should align with a machined thread on the body of the PC. Insert a screw and tighten with a philips screwdriver. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN. It is sufficient to turn until final resistance is felt. Any further tightening will strip the thread from the screw.
4. Replace the case of the PC and secure with screws. Replace the power cable for the PC and turn it back on once more.
5. When the menu for Operating System appears, select Windows Workstation NT Version 4
6. You will be invited to log in. Use the login name Administrator but leave the password field blank.
7. Check the box labelled Workstation only.
8. Select Advanced and in the From field, select ME-A150-ENGn (where n is the number of the machine you are working on). This name is marked clearly on the front of the PC.
9. Select OK to login. The PC should now boot properly, but will not be connected to any other PC yet.
1. Now that you have inserted the NIC, you need to install a set of instructions (drivers) to allow it to function properly. A floppy disk has been provided for this purpose.
2. To install the software you need to open Network within Control Panel (Start, Settings, Control Panel).
3. NT calls the NIC an adapter. Select Adapters tab within Network and click Add.
4. The Operating System will now present a list of supported NICs. Either select the card you have just installed from the list or insert the floppy disk into the A drive and click Have Disk then type a:\winnt\. This will install the appropriate drivers.
Use the following settings to configure your NIC
Now that the NIC is correctly configured, you will need to connect the PC to the network to test the card.
1. Plug a power supply for the 4-port Dual Speed Hub into a mains socket and plug the low voltage supply into the hub. No further configuration should be necessary for this device. Turn the mains supply on.
2. Plug the BLUE Cat 5 UTP cable into the RJ 45 socket (looks similar to a telephone socket) on the NIC and connect the other end into the 4-port switched hub (blue box with LEDs).
3. If you have finished your configuration, you may assist other groups to configure their cards.
In DOS (or from the Command prompt) you can use three networking utilities to help evaluate your network. These are called ping and traceroute and ipconfig.
1. At the command prompt, type ping and you will be given the options available for that command. Make a note of these.
2. At the command prompt, type tracert and you will be given the options available for that command. Make a note of these.
3. At the command prompt, type ipconfig /? and you will be given the options available for that command. Make a note of these.
4. Ping one of the PCs that another group has networked.
5. ping me-a150-xxxx (press Enter)
6. How long did it take to receive the reply?
7. How much data did you send to the other machine?
8. What is the other machine’s IP address? (of the form 193.60.61.xxx)
9. Can other PCs be seen in Network Neighbourhood? If so, name them.
10. Now use tracert to discover how many machines your request has to pass through to reach the destination. The output from this application gives you three timed attempts accompanying each machine’s name that the request passed through. Record your output.
11. Using ipconfig /all, discover the IP address of your PC and the Ethernet adapter’s hardware address.
12. Using Windows NT Explorer, create a new folder on your newly networked PC and other-click the folder icon in NT Explorer. Select Sharing and check the box marked Shared as then name the folder sharedfolderX (where X is the suffix to the machine name marked on the case of the PC). When you have done this, click OK. Now create a file within sharedfolderX that you can share. A text file will be sufficient.
13. When others have completed the installation procedure,
you will be able to see their sharedfolderX. There are two ways of achieving
this:
You are required provide a formal report of this laboratory work. For this work, you should try to provide plain-English descriptions that are free from technical jargon. Marks will be awarded for well-labelled diagrams where appropriate – see marking scheme below.
It may be that you encountered a problem during the installation of the NIC. Even if you did not manage to complete the lab work due to some technical problem, you will NOT lose marks if you identify the problem that you encountered and then detail the steps that you took to identify and rectify the problem.
1. Write an account of the procedures that you followed to install the NIC including any safety procedures followed.
2. Detail the results of your investigations into the network that you built, explaining the functions provided by ping, traceroute and ipconfig and explain the results that you obtained.
3. Detail the steps that you took to share a folder across the network. What use could this facility offer?
4. This should be followed by a discussion of NICs that answers the following questions (use whole sentences, not one or two word answers):
5. You will need to research the following questions:
This piece of work along with the other practical work is worth 15% of the total marks for this unit. If you do not finish this work in the time allowed, you may finish the work in your own time.
This report must be included in your log book when you
hand it in at the end of the term. Please do not hand in work in plastic
see-through pockets.
| Report contents | 30% |
| Network evaluation | 30% |
| Responses to NIC investigation | 30% |
| References and referencing | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Page updated by MM Clements
15:30 31/01/2001