How do i get them to speak at 100Mbps

[birdy]

Guys help,

I have just acquired 2 3com 10/100 nic card and fitted them to my systems connected by a crossover cable. I have both systems running w2k and win98. When i open the properties for my network it shows me that i have connected to the network at 10Mbps. How do i get it to run 100Mbps?

I did have it running 100 when both systems were running w2k but now they only do 10 even when both are w2k. I have no trouble transfering files across and both computers see each other in network neighbourhood no probs, I just want 100Mbps as transfering 400mb sound files across from one to the other is a real nightmare at 10.

System as sig.

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1st system

Coppermine 600E @ 828mhz (138mhz FSB). Globalwin HSF (the hooge one with the air duct set to blow cold air in)Abit Bx6r2.128mb Winbond pc133, USR Message Modem external, SB Live!, Maxtor Diamond Max 30GB!!@ 7200rpm, Promise UDMA66, G400 @ max settings,Hitachi GD5000 DVD (region locked, what a bitch)3Com 10/100 PCI NIC. Win98/w2k Dual boot. All wrapped up in Songcheer Super wide with loads of fans and 2 PSUs. Belinea 10 30 40 17" monitor, FPS100 sound system, Cyborg 2000 joystick, Genius Netmouse Pro and generic keyboard.


8 Port hub

2nd system

Celly 333 @ 500mhz, Abit BF6 @100mhz, 128mb pc100, 10GB fujitsu HDD, Adaptec 2940 SCSI card, Plextor 40 speed SCSI CD, Yamaha 8x4x24 SCSI CDRW, pioneer dvd104s, hollywood plus dvd card, All In Wonder pro 4MB, Voodoo 2 12MB, SB16 pro, diamond sp56i modem,3Com 10/100 PCI NIC, 15in Dell Monitor, epson 460 stylus printer, genius vivid pro 2 scanner. Generic keyboard, 3d program pad, A4 cordless mouse, unnamed super midi tower ATX

[Guyver]

Did you say "Crossover cable" - as in direct link NIC->Cable->NIC?

I'm surprised you ever got it to work that way. If memory serves me correctly, most X-Over cables (actually straight-through) do not support 100Mbit.

Invest a little money in a small switch (HUB will do in a pinch) and you will see your speed increase.

One thing you could try, it may or may not work, would be to go into the advanced card properties, and switch from auto-detect to fixed 100Mbps - I wouldn't try Full-Duplex however.

Hope this helps.

Guyver

[dZeus]

If you use a CAT-5 crossover cable, and you set all the nic properties to autosense, it should negotiate at 100Mbps.

I have a similar setup:
one win2k machine connected to a linux machine, both drivers set to auto-negotiate, and a cat-5 crossover cable. Both use a 3c905c-tx nic.

This setup operates at 100Mbps full-duplex.
Don't use a hub, between you don't need it, and most hubs don't do full-duplex.

[Helevitia]

dZeus is right, if you want 100Mbps/Full Duplex, do not use a hub. The cross-over shoud work fine as long as it is catagory 5 cable. In your network properties for your nic card, it should have a setting for 100Mbps and full duplex(if supported). If you can't find it, then you may nee to download a utility from 3com that will allow you to do this. Also, do yourself a favor and don't use 'autonegotiation'. Manually set you speed/duplex which should ensure a trouble free connection.

Dave

[DentyCracker]

Dave is correct

[SteveC]

And DentyCracker is correct

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Cheers,
Steve

"Life is what we make of it, yet most of us just fake"

[MegaManX4]

And Steve is correct that Dentycracker is correct

[dZeus]

To make a endless loop:
MegaManX4 is correct

btw.: with switches you should _always_ use auto-sense. If you use a crossover, you don't need it. But I use auto-sense and it works fine :-)

[Helevitia]

Actually, DentyCracker is more correct then I am

dZeus, NO! NO! Do not use auto-sense! The spec for "Auto-negotiation" has changed several times over the past couple of years and therefore people run into problems all of the time. Problems you will see are errors such as alignment errors, FCS errors, dropped packets, slow throughput, TCP errors in apps such as FTP, etc...

btw-Autonegotiation is different than auto-sensing where the former being superior over the ladder. Most devices will defualt to 10/half if it can't detect the other side. Therefore if you have one side set to 100/full adn the other side can't detect it, then you will have a speed/duplex mismatch. One last thing and I'll shut up. If one side is manually set adn the other side is set for autoengotiation, it will not work and is not a supported configuration.

Dave

[dZeus]

That's what I meant :-)

We have switches on our campus network, and if you manually set your NIC to 100Mb/fulkl duplex, the switch won't be able to detect it, and will default to 10Mb/half duplex, and cause LOT's of troubles... that's wthy I learned always to use auto-sense/negotiation or whatever it is called, otherwise you get way much troubles.

[Guyver]

Okay, I guess it's up to me to defend my statements.

#1 - A homebuilt x-over cable will not always stand up to the challenge of 100Mbps. If it's a commercial grade, then it may. I've not had the experience with a commercial x-over cable.

#2 - Since he didn't specify HD/FD, a small hub would work at HD/100Mbps. Hence that's why I said it would do in a pinch.

#3 - I suggested a switch for expandability, and wider availability of regular CAT5 patch cables. A small 4-port 10/100 HD/FD switch isn't that expensive anymore.

----

Will an x-over cable work? It can sometimes, and not others.

Will it be more likely to work when forcing 100Mbps/FD instead of auto-negotiation? Most definitely.

Would I run it that way? It's not worth the hassle in my opinion. Hence the presence of an 8-port 10/100 HD/FD switch in my home network.

So - to summarize - Everybody's correct in what they said, it just depends on the point of view you are looking from.

Guyver

[merchant2112]

dZeus is right too.

[birdy]

guys,

thanks for all the replies, if i were 2 foot taller i would have a blue clue what you are talking about, but i'm not so i don't :-)

A question or two, to be answered as if talking to a small child please.

I have checked the cable and it is definitly a cat 5 crossover.

Sometimes it will connect at 100 on both pcs each running w2k but most of the time i get one system running 100 and the other running 10.

Where can i set the card to autodetect or autoneg? I have explored every setting within the network components menu and i can't find anything adjustable apart from bus masterin and full duplex.

What protocol/services should i have installed?

Is their a config file i can hack to set my settings more directly?

Is there life on mars?

England Vs Germany any bets?

I used to have a different NIC that was 10mbps only in both machines, would any of the drivers from that be effecting my new cards?

help me please.

------------------
1st system

Coppermine 600E @ 828mhz (138mhz FSB). Globalwin HSF (the hooge one with the air duct set to blow cold air in)Abit Bx6r2.128mb Winbond pc133, USR Message Modem external, SB Live!, Maxtor Diamond Max 30GB!!@ 7200rpm, Promise UDMA66, G400 @ max settings,Hitachi GD5000 DVD (region locked, what a bitch)3Com 10/100 PCI NIC. Win98/w2k Dual boot. All wrapped up in Songcheer Super wide with loads of fans and 2 PSUs. Belinea 10 30 40 17" monitor, FPS100 sound system, Cyborg 2000 joystick, Genius Netmouse Pro and generic keyboard.


8 Port hub

2nd system

Celly 333 @ 500mhz, Abit BF6 @100mhz, 128mb pc100, 10GB fujitsu HDD, Adaptec 2940 SCSI card, Plextor 40 speed SCSI CD, Yamaha 8x4x24 SCSI CDRW, pioneer dvd104s, hollywood plus dvd card, All In Wonder pro 4MB, Voodoo 2 12MB, SB16 pro, diamond sp56i modem,3Com 10/100 PCI NIC, 15in Dell Monitor, epson 460 stylus printer, genius vivid pro 2 scanner. Generic keyboard, 3d program pad, A4 cordless mouse, unnamed super midi tower ATX

[birdy]

Anyone?

[breezer]

What 3com card have you got? (3c518 - 3c905b)

I've had problems with some makes of 3com card, they are set to run at 100 full-duplex butt actually operate at 10 half-duplex. No matter what I try they won't always run at top speed.
I was told by the guys who installed out cat5 that this is a problem with the 3com cards and their ain't a lot you can do about it.

I've stoped using 3com now and use Intel 100b cards instead.

(I predict that the England Captain will score in the second half with England winning 1-0, but our fans(?) will score 2 own goals and we will be coming home even though we finish second in the group, and Germany taking the place that england surrendered)

Breezer