3.4 Configuring Boards

Configuring, or reconfiguring, a board involves choosing a driver for the board, assigning a name to the board, and configuring the board parameters.

When you select and configure a LAN board, you are actually configuring one or more physical interfaces that correspond to individual connections over which packets are routed. Configuring a board causes the driver associated with the board to load each time you initialize the router.

Most drivers that are compatible with NetWare® software have a driver description file that defines the hardware parameters necessary for the driver to operate with the board you select. This file, sometimes called the .ldi file, also specifies the valid range of values for each parameter. If a driver has a .ldi file, the parameters associated with that driver are presented in the Board Configuration menu; you simply choose a value for each parameter. If a driver has no ldi file, you must enter the required values in the Board Parameters field.

You can configure a board by using Novell Remote Manager or INETCFG.

3.4.1 Using Novell Remote Manager to Configure a New Board

  1. Log in to Novell Remote Manager, then click Configure TCPIP > Start TCP/IP Configuration.

    The TCP/IP Configuration menu window is displayed.

  2. Click Configure Boards to display the List of Configured Boards window.

    Figure 3-3 List of Configured Boards Window

    The List of Configured Boards window helps you configure new boards and change properties of preconfigured boards.

    You can enable or disable the status of a board.

    If you are doing a new configuration, no existing boards is shown. Otherwise, boards that have already been configured are shown.

  3. Click Add to display the Select a Driver window.

    Figure 3-4 Select a Driver Window

  4. Scroll through the list of available drivers and select the driver that corresponds to the type of new LAN board you are installing in your system. If the driver you need is not in the list, you need to manually copy the required driver from a diskette to the sys:\system or \nwserver\drivers directory.

    To add a driver to the list of available drivers, insert the diskette containing the driver in one of the disk drives, enter the complete path and filename of the driver at the server console (for example, a:\newdrv\driver). The driver and its description file, if any, are copied into the sys:/system or /nwserver/drivers directory.

  5. Click any driver_name under Driver to display the New Board Configuration board_name window.

    You can enter the following information in this window:

    • Board Name: Name you assign to the board

    • Driver: Name of the driver associated with the board

    • Int: Interrupt request level (IRQ) used by the board

    • IOAddr: Base input/output port address for the board

    • memAddr: Base memory address used by the board

    • Slot: Number of the slot where the board is installed

    • Status: Status of the board, which is Enabled by default

    • Comment: Any comments that you enter about the board or its configuration

    NOTE:Not every board-driver configuration requires all this information; the number of parameters displayed is specific to each board.

  6. Use the online help to enter the required details that are specific to each board.

  7. Click Save > Back to save your changes and return to the List of Configured Boards window.

    The List of Configured Boards window now shows the board you just configured. Note that the board status is Enabled; you can toggle between Enabled and Disabled. To ensure that the board is loaded, continue with the next step.

  8. Click Save to save your changes and return to the TCP/IP Configuration Menu window.

  9. After a data-link protocol has been associated with the board, click Reinitialize System or restart the router to make the changes take effect.

    If there are any conflicts with the hardware parameters of other boards, one or more messages describe them. You must determine whether the conflicts are acceptable or whether they interfere with the operation of the router and, if necessary, resolve them.

    LAN boards with a single network interface need no further configuration; however, an enabled driver is not loaded unless a protocol is bound to it.

You can also use Novell Remote Manager to modify or delete an existing board.

Modifying Existing Board's Configuration

  1. Log in to Novell Remote Manager, then click Configure TCPIP > Start TCP/IP Configuration > Configure Boards.

  2. In the List of Configured Boards window, click any board_name under Board Name.

    The Board Modification [board_name] window is displayed.

    Figure 3-5 Board Modification [board_name] Window

  3. Change the required parameters. The Board Name cannot be modified.

  4. Click Save > Save to save your changes and return to the TCPIP Configuration Menu window.

  5. If you want these changes to take effect immediately, click Reinitialize Options.

Deleting a Board

  1. Log in to Novell Remote Manager, then click Configure TCPIP > Start TCP/IP Configuration > Configure Boards > board_name under Board Name.

    The Board Modification [board_name] window is displayed.

  2. Click Delete. The system displays the following message:

    BINDs to interfaces on this board will also be deleted. Proceed?

  3. Click OK to delete the board.

3.4.2 Using INETCFG to Configure a Board

  1. At the server console, enter INETCFG, then click Boards.

    The Internetworking Console interface is displayed. For the next set of operations, you need to select options

  2. (Conditional) If you are configuring a new board:

    1. Press the Insert key to display the list of available drivers.

    2. Scroll through the list of available drivers and select the driver that corresponds to the type of new LAN board you are installing in your system. If the driver you need is not in the list, refer to Adding a New Board Driver or NLM File to Your System.

  3. (Conditional) If you are changing an existing board configuration:

    1. Select that board.

    2. Press Enter to see the configured parameters of the board.

    3. Change the required parameters. (The name cannot be changed.)

      The Configured Boards screen is displayed.

      If you are doing a new configuration, no existing boards are shown. Otherwise, boards that have already been configured are shown.

      The Configured Boards screen displays a list of configured boards with some or all of the following information:

      • Board Name: Name you assign to the board.

      • Driver: Name of the driver associated with the board.

      • Int: Interrupt request level (IRQ) used by the board.

      • IOAddr: Base input/output port address for the board.

      • MemAddr: Base memory address used by the board.

      • Slot: Number of the slot where the board is installed.

      • Status: Status of the board, which is Enabled by default.

      • Comment: Any comments that you enter about the board or its configuration.

      Not every board-driver configuration requires all this information; in fact, some configurations require other link-specific parameters that are not shown in the Configured Boards screen. These parameters are displayed in the Board Configuration menu, as described in the following steps.If the board driver has a .ldi file, the parameters you need to configure for the board are displayed as separate fields in the menu.If the board driver has no .ldi file, only the Board Name, Board Parameters, and Comment fields are provided as a means for entering the parameters manually.

  4. Specify the board parameters by doing one of the following:

    • If the driver selected has a description file, the parameters are listed as separate fields. You must select each field one at a time and select the appropriate value for the parameter from the displayed list.

      HINT:Use the context-sensitive help text if you need an explanation of any parameter. Select the parameter and press F1 to display the help text. Press Esc to exit the help screen. When in doubt, accept the default values.

    • If the driver selected does not have a description file, the Board Configuration Without A Driver Description File menu is displayed. You must type the parameters in the Board Parameters vfield; use the following as an example:

      PORT=300 INT=3

      These parameters are appended to the LOAD driver line.

  5. Press Esc to return to the Configured Boards screen; save your changes when prompted.

    The Configured Boards screen now shows the board you just configured. The board status is Enabled; you can use the Tab key to toggle between Enabled and Disabled. To ensure that the board is loaded, continue with Step 6.

  6. Press Esc to return to the Internetworking Configuration menu; save your changes when prompted.

  7. After a data-link protocol has been associated with the board, select Reinitialize System or restart the router to make the changes take effect.

    If there are any conflicts with the hardware parameters of other boards, one or more messages describe them. You must determine whether the conflicts are acceptable or whether they interfere with the operation of the router and, if necessary, resolve them.

    LAN boards with a single network interface need no further configuration; however, an enabled driver is not loaded unless a protocol is bound to it.

You can also use INETCFG to add a board driver, or to enable or disable a board.

Adding a New Board Driver or NLM File to Your System

  1. Load INETCFG, then click Boards.

  2. Press Insert to display the list of available drivers.

  3. Press Insert again.

    All the available Novell certified drivers appear on the screen.

  4. Select the driver, then press Enter.You can also use this screen for copying drivers and NLM files from a diskette to the sys:\system directory.To add a driver to the list of available drivers, insert the diskette containing the driver in one of the disk drives, specify the complete path and filename of the driver (for example, a:\newdrv\driver) and then press Enter. The driver and its description file are copied into the sys:system directory. (The file extension is not required.)

  5. Configure the new board as described in Using INETCFG to Configure a Board.

Enabling or Disabling a Board

  1. Load INETCFG, then click Boards.

  2. Select the board you want to enable or disable and press the Tab key.

    The screen displays the board’s new status (Enabled or Disabled).

    IMPORTANT:If you disable a board that uses an AIO or CAPI driver and you reinitialize the system, then all other boards that use the same driver are also disabled. If this happens, you must restart the server to reload all instances of the driver that were loaded for another product in autoexec.ncf (without INETCFG). However, the board loaded in autoexec.ncf remains inoperable until you restart the server or until you enter the LOAD command at the console and reinitialize the system. To avoid this problem, use INETCFG to load both drivers.

  3. Press Esc to return to the Internetworking Configuration menu.

Deleting a Board

  1. Load INETCFG, then click Boards

  2. Select the board you want to delete and press the Delete key.

    A message is displayed indicating that deleting the board also deletes all existing binds to the board’s interfaces.

  3. When prompted, select Yes to delete the board.

    The board is removed from the list of configured boards.

  4. Press Esc to return to the Internetworking Configuration menu.

  5. Reinitialize system for the changes to take place.