
               3Com (R) Corporation
           EtherDisk (R) Diskette for the
       3C90x EtherLink 10/100 PCI NIC Family
     Remote Wake-Up Frequently Asked Questions

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Q:  How can I tell if my NIC supports Remote Wake-Up?

A:  There are two methods to check if your NIC supports Remote Wake-Up.
    The first method, which is the easiest if your NIC is currently 
    installed in a PC, involves running the NIC diagnostics utility (in 
    DOS or Windows):

    DOS:
    1) Execute 3C90XCFG.EXE from a clean DOS boot.
    2) Click on View NIC information.
    3) If the entry for the 'Remote wake-up connector' is 'YES', then
       the NIC supports Remote Wake-Up.

    Windows:
    1) Open the Windows Start menu, select Programs, 3Com NIC Utilities,
       and then click 3Com NIC Doctor.
    2) On the General screen, click NIC Details.
    3) If the entry for the 'Remote wake-up connector' is 'YES', then
       the NIC supports Remote Wake-Up.

    The second method involves physically looking at the NIC.
    1)  Turn off the power to the PC and remove its cover.
    2)  Locate the AUX power cable.  This power cable is the one that
        connects the NIC to the PC motherboard.  The connector on the NIC is
        located to the right of the Boot PROM socket (with the bracket
        positioned facing left).


Q:  Is my 3Com Remote Wake-Up NIC supported in a PC that is not
    capable of Remote Wake-Up?

A:  Yes. The NIC can be used in any PC that meets the system
    requirements outlined in the user guide.  The Remote Wake-Up
    capability of the NIC can only be utilized in PC's that are 
    specifically designed for this function.

Q:  Which PCs support Remote Wake-Up?  Which ones do not?

A:  Remote Wake-Up is supported in PCs that have the following items:
    1.  3-pin header on the PC motherboard for Remote Wake-Up
    2.  Power supply that provides auxiliary power
    3.  BIOS that supports Remote Wake-Up

    When all three are items present, the Remote Wake-Up functionality of 
    the NIC should work. Presently, only certain Pentium-based PCs 
    possess this feature.  No 486-based PCs support Remote Wake-Up. 
    For further information, contact your PC manufacturer or vendor to
    determine if your PC supports Remote Wake-Up.

Q:  Is there anything in the BIOS that I can check to see if Remote Wake-Up
    is enabled?

A:  Typically, the BIOS contains user-configurable settings for waking
    up the PC on PME or LAN signals.  This might be under the Power or
    Boot category of the BIOS.  If you are experiencing difficulties
    locating this, refer to your PC's reference manual or contact
    your PC vendor for specific instructions on accessing the BIOS.

Q:  What type of software is compatible for waking up my 3Com 
    Remote Wake-Up NIC?

A:  The 3Com Remote Wake-Up NIC is compatible with software that conforms 
    to AMD's specification for the Magic Packet wake-up packet.  Examples 
    are:  Intel LanDesk Manager, Tivoli TME 10, Microsoft SMS, HP Openview 
    Top Tool, Computer Associates' UniCenter, and McAfee.

Q:  What is a Magic Packet?

A:  A Magic Packet is a valid Ethernet packet that contains a
    synchronization stream immediately followed by 16 repetitions of
    the destination MAC address.  The synchronization stream is a 6-byte
    field of F's.  The Magic Packet is not protocol-specific.  It can
    be IP, IPX, and so on, as long as it contains the synchronization 
    stream and the 16 repetitions.  The Magic Packet can be routed to wake up 
    a remote PC.  Since it is a valid Ethernet address, the Remote Wake-Up 
    NIC can accept broadcast or multicast packets as long as the NIC's MAC 
    address follows the above format.

Q:  What if I want to disable the Remote Wake-Up function?

A:  You can disable Remote Wake-Up by accessing the Configuration screen of the 
    3Com NIC Diagnostic program for Windows. (Open the Windows Start menu, 
    select Programs, 3Com NIC Utilities, and then click 3Com NIC Doctor.)  It
    can also be disabled by editing the system registry. 

Q:  What operating systems support Remote Wake-Up?

A:  Currently, Remote Wake-Up is supported in Microsoft Windows 95 (OSR2) and 
    Windows NT 4.0 only.

Q:  How do I suspend my PC for Remote Wake-Up?

A:  This process varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. If the PC
    has its own power sustain mode, you can perform a shut down of the
    PC and it will shut down into a suspend mode.  This low-power
    consumption suspend mode will wake up once a Remote Wake-Up event is
    detected by the NIC.

Q:  What are the pin assignments for the Remote Wake-Up connector
    on the NIC?

A:  There are 3 pins located on the connector. With the dovetail key slot 
    at the bottom, pin 1 is located on the right:

    Pin 1.....+5V Standby power
    Pin 2.....ground
    Pin 3.....PME signal


Q:  When I install the Remote Wake-Up NIC, the installation process 
    does not prompt for any files and the Remote Wake-Up functionality 
    does not work.  What's wrong?

A:  Problems may arise if you install a new NIC in a PC which has
    Windows 95 (OSR2) installed.  During the installation of the new NIC,
    the Windows NIC installation process uses the old W95EL90X.INF file that
    shipped with the system, and it will not copy the new drivers. Moreover, 
    no warning messages appear on the screen. Thus, with a Remote Wake-Up NIC,
    the failure to copy new drivers to the operating system results in the 
    Remote Wake-Up function being disabled.  To correct this problem, locate 
    the old W95EL90X.INF, EL90X.DOS, EL90X.VXD files located in the 
    C:\Windows\Options\Cabs directory and either rename them or delete them. 
    Currently, the Gateway 2000 E-3000 is the only PC that 3Com has experienced
    this issue.

Q:  When my Windows 95 (OSR2) PC wakes up from a suspend mode, I
    lose my NetWare drive mappings. How can I correct this?

A:  Once the PC goes into a suspend mode, the Remote Wake-Up NIC no longer
    transmits packets out onto the wire.  This becomes an issue for
    NetWare since it drops the drive mapping when it no longer
    receives a packet from the station. This is a NetWare-related issue
    and the current work around is to reboot the PC to reestablish the 
    NetWare drive mappings.

Q:  What is ACPI?

A:  Advanced Configuration and Power Interface.  It is a specification
    developed by Intel, Microsoft, and Toshiba Corporation that allows more
    advanced power management features through the operating system to
    the hardware interfaces.

Q: Why doesn't the Remote Wake-Up feature work through the BNC or AUI port
   on a 3C905B-COMBO NIC?

A: Both the AUI and BNC ports on a 3C905B-COMBO NIC require 12V power
   to operate properly. When a PC is shutdown and put in the D3cold state,
   (bus power removed, only AUX power available), the required 12V is not 
   available to the NIC. If the PC is put into a suspend D3hot state,
   (bus remains powered with 12V), then the 3C905B-COMBO NIC will support
   Remote Wake-Up. Refer to your PC documentation or contact your PC manufacturer
   to determine if your PC supports the D3hot state during suspend mode.


                     (%VER WAKEFAQ.TXT - Release Notes v4.0.4)

