Novell Documentation: Novell Internet Access Server 4.1

Remote Access Cabling

If problems occur with RS-232-C straight-through and null modem cables used to connect the adapter port or remote PC to a modem, use the information in Table 36 to select a cable type that connects properly to the computer and device you are using.

Table 36. Cable Type Capability

Cable Type	Capabilities
25-pin-to-25-pin straight-through modem cable	Connects an IBM PC or compatible computer to a straight-through standard DCE modem such as a dial-up modem, leased modem, line modem, or multiplexer.
9-pin-to-25-pin straight-through modem cable	Connects an IBM AT or compatible computer to a straight-through standard DCE modem such as a dial-up modem, leased modem, line modem, or multiplexer. You can use a 9-pin-to-25-pin cable because it converts the IBM AT's DB-9 connector to a DB-25 connector. (The male DB-25 connector of a 9-pin-to-25-pin cable is equivalent to an IBM PC or XT* serial port.)
25-pin-to-25-pin null modem	Connects an IBM PC or compatible computer directly to a standard DTE such as a communications server.
9-pin-to-25-pin null modem	Connects an IBM AT or compatible computer directly to a standard DTE device such as a communications server.

Common Problems

This section discusses various symptoms of common problems and their potential solutions.

WAN Board Loads, but It Has a Status of Down.

Ensure the board switch is set to the type of interface to which you are trying to connect. Some WAN boards can toggle between V.35 and RS-232.

Communications Adapters Installed on the Server Will Not Load or Initialize.

Each communications adapter installed on the server might not use a unique I/O port address. Ensure that each adapter uses a unique I/O port address. When you install the communications adapters used with the remote access feature, make sure you do not configure them to use the RAM allocated for your video adapter or any other adapters. For example, with WNIM+ adapters, the typical configuration is I/O port hexadecimal address 0280 for the first adapter, 0290 for the second adapter, 02A0 for the third adapter, and 02B0 for the fourth adapter. If you install other third-party communications adapters, configure them according to their documented instructions and avoid configuring them with addresses used by other adapters in the PC. If you configure COM ports on the server for asynchronous communications, ensure that the driver program for the COM ports, AIOCOMX.NLM, does not assign addresses used by other hardware devices.

COM Ports Do Not Function or a Message Indicating They Are Not Available Is Displayed.

The IRQ values used by the I/O driver program conflict with the IRQ values used by other hardware devices in the server. Ensure that the IRQ values do not conflict. When you load the I/O driver program for the COM ports, AIOCOMX.NLM, you can specify the IRQ value used by the driver with the LOAD command. If you do not specify an IRQ value with the LOAD command for AIOCOMX.NLM, the driver assigns an IRQ value of 4 to the first port and interrupt 3 to the second port. If you are using COM2, ensure that your LAN adapter is not configured to use interrupt 3. Table 37 shows standard configurations used by hardware drivers.

Table 37. Standard Configurations Used by Hardware Drivers

Device	IRQ Number	I/O Port Address	Memory Address	DMA
COM1	4	3F8-3FF	---	---
COM2	3	2F8-2FF	---	---
COM3	---	3E8-3EF	---	---
COM4	---	2E8-2EF	---	---
LPT1	7	378-37F	---	---
LPT2	5	278-27F	---	---
AT diskette controller	14	1F0-1F8	---	---
Diskette controller	6	3F0-3F7	---	---
SCSI adapter	2, 3, 5	340-343	D0000-D7FFF	1, 3
Game I/O	---	200-20F	---	---
Hard disk controller (PC and XT)	---	B60-32F	---	---
MDA and printer adapter	---	3B0-3BF	---	---
VGA	---	3BA-3DA	---	---
EGA	---	3C0-3CF	---	---
CGA	---	3D0-3DF	---	---

If LPT3 is used, then use the values shown in Table 38.

Table 38. LPT Values

Device	IRQ Number	I/O Port Address	Memory Address	DMA
LPT1	7	3BC-3BE	---	---
LPT2	5	378-37A	---	---
LPT3	---	278-27A	---	---

Modem or Communications Adapters Take Too Long to Initialize.

Ensure that you are using Novell-certified communications adapters and that your drivers are up-to-date. Contact the manufacturer for an updated list of certified communications adapters.

The Modem Type of Your Modem Is Not Displayed in Remote Access as a Supported Modem Type.

Select a similar modem or Hayes* compatible. Hayes compatible works with most modems and is useful for troubleshooting.

You can also check the latest NWCMOD.EXE file at the WWW location
http://support.novell.com to see if your modem has been recently added. Choose the search feature and enter NWCMOD.EXE for access to scripts. Novell updates NWCMOD.EXE periodically. Otherwise, use the modem script editing tool WMDMMGR.EXE in SYS:SYSTEM\UTILS to write your own modem scripts.