The Compaq NIC Management Agents display all logical Compaq Network Interface Controllers (NICs) that are configured on the system you are viewing. The following items can appear in the NIC section of the navigation frame:
The Virtual NIC is the TCP/IP Loopback interface. It is provided by Operating System to allow a computer to send packets to itself. A packet is the fundamental unit of transmission on the physical network.
Select the Virtual NIC to view detailed Interface Information.
A single NIC is composed of one physical adapter. Select a single NIC from the list to view more information about that NIC. The information displayed may vary depending on the type of NIC. For example, Ethernet Statistics display for Ethernet adapters.
The following types of information are available depending on the type of NIC:
A team of NICs is composed of two or more physical adapters that present a single, logical interface on the network. Select a NIC team from the navigation frame to view detailed information about that team. The Logical Adapter Information displays by default. You can also select one of the physical adapters in the team to display additional information about that adapter.
There are four kinds of NIC teams:
Compaq Redundant NIC Pair
The logical adapter has two physical adapters associated with it. One physical adapter is active, and the other is a hot standby. If the active physical adapter fails, the other one takes over.
Compaq Network Fault Tolerance Team
The logical adapter has two or more physical adapters associated with it. One physical adapter is active on the network, and the other physical adapters are hot standbys.
Compaq Adaptive Load Balancing Team
The logical adapter has more than one physical adapter associated with it. One physical adapter transmits and receives data, while the others only transmit. If the receiving adapter fails, one of the other adapters assumes this role.
Cisco Fast EtherChannel Team
The logical adapter has more than one physical adapter associated with it. All physical adapters can receive and transmit data. This requires a switch that cooperates with the adapters. If any adapter fails, the load is spread among the remaining adapters.
The following types of information are available for a selected NIC team:
NOTE: This information may vary depending on the type of NIC team selected.
The following Logical Adapter Information is available for all NIC teams:
Description displays a description of the NIC Team (Compaq Redundant NIC Pair, Compaq Network Fault Tolerance team, Compaq Adaptive Load Balancing team, or Cisco Fast EtherChannel Team).
Status displays the overall status of the NIC team.
OK (green)
Degraded (yellow)
Failed (red)
Unknown (blue)
Group Type displays the group type of the NIC team (Redundant Pair, Network Fault Tolerance, Adaptive Load Balancing, or Fast EtherChannel).
Switchover Mode displays the method used to determine when traffic switches from one adapter to another. There are three types of Switchover Modes:
Manual - Indicates the logical adapter has more than one physical adapter associated with it. Network traffic will only switch from the active adapter to the standby adapter under user control. This Switchover Mode is only available for Compaq Network Fault Tolerance Teams.
Switch On Fail - Indicates the logical adapter has more than one physical adapter associated with it. If the active adapter fails, network traffic automatically switches to a standby adapter. The standby adapter remains active until some action (manual switch or system restart) restores the primary adapter to active. This is the default Switchover Mode for all team types and is the only available Switchover Mode for Compaq Adaptive Load Balancing Teams and Cisco Fast EtherChannel Teams.
Preferred Primary - Indicates the logical adapter has more than one physical adapter associated with it. If the active adapter fails, network traffic automatically switches to a standby adapter. If the original primary adapter recovers from the failure, it automatically becomes active again. This Switchover Mode is only available for Compaq Network Fault Tolerance Teams.
Physical (MAC) Address displays the physical address presented on the network by the logical team.
The following information displays about NIC controllers.
Model displays the NIC controller model, such as Compaq NetFlex-2 Controller. Use this information for identification purposes.
Status displays three valid states:
OK - The controller is operating normally.
Failed - The controller has failed and is no longer operating.
Unknown - You may need to upgrade your driver software and/or NIC Agent. The NIC Agent cannot determine the status of the controller.
Slot displays the physical location of the NIC. For example, if this value is 3, then the NIC is located in slot 3 of your computer. Use this information for identification purposes.
The NIC interface slot value is Embedded if the NIC is integrated onto the system board. If the slot is unknown, or if the NIC is an ISA card, the slot value is N/A.
Port number is 1 for a single-headed NIC, or the port number for a multiple-headed NIC.
Duplex displays the current state of the Full Duplex Ethernet Support. Compaq NICs support the Full Duplex Ethernet if they are attached to a device that also supports Full Duplex.
The following duplex values are possible:
NA - The NIC Agent cannot determine the current state of the Full Duplex Ethernet Support. You may need to upgrade your software.
Not Supported - Either the hardware does not support duplex, or the NIC Agent cannot determine the current state of the Full Duplex Ethernet Support for this NIC.
Half - The NIC is currently running in half duplex mode.
Full - The NIC is currently running in full duplex mode.
Base I/O Address specifies the starting address of the I/O port used to communicate with this device. Use this information for identification purposes. This I/O port address cannot be used by any other device.
IRQ displays the hardware interrupt that this NIC uses to communicate with the device driver. Use this information for reference purposes.
Base Memory Address displays
the base memory address used by this NIC. If this device does not use
system memory, or if this information is unavailable, this item is
N/A. Use this information for
identification purposes.
DMA Channel displays the number of the DMA channel used for this NIC. If this device does not use a DMA channel, or if this information is unavailable, this item is N/A. Use this information for identification purposes.
Physical (MAC) Address displays the physical address presented on the network by the physical adapter.
This section displays the following information:
IP Address displays the IP address of the logical interface.
Type displays the type of interface, such as Ethernet or Token Ring. The type is distinguished according to the physical link protocol immediately below the network layer in the protocol stack.
NetWare is equivalent to the Frame Type. Not all frame types can be used with all protocols. Additionally, the device and client must use the same frame type to communicate. If you receive the "File server not found" message, ensure that your frame type is the same for the server and the client.
Windows NT is equivalent to the Media Type. If you are having difficulty communicating with other stations or devices on the network, ensure that the media type is the same as other stations on the network.
Interface Status displays one of the following states:
Up - Indicates that the interface is ready to pass packets.
Down - Indicates that the interface is not ready to pass packets. Looking at the error counts (especially Ring Open Status, found on the Token Ring Status window) may help you determine if a problem has occurred. The software may not be configured properly.
Testing - Indicates that the interface is in test mode. In this mode, no operational packets can be passed.
Max Packet Size displays the maximum allowable packet size in bytes. Use this information to compare with other stations. In general, if you are using a high data transfer application, a higher Max Packet Size provides better performance.
If this item is 0, it cannot be obtained from the hardware or support software.
Last Status Change displays the time at which the interface entered its current operational state. Use this item to determine the length of time the interface has remained in its current state. If the time at which the interface entered its current operational state is unknown, N/A displays in this field.
Physical (MAC) Address displays the physical address presented on the network by the physical adapter. This physical address resource cannot be used by any other device. The address is usually burned onto the board, and can be used to map into network analyzer tools.
Speed displays the nominal rate of speed of the NIC in megabits per second. For example, Token Ring speeds are typically 4 or 16 Mb/s. Ethernet speed is typically 10 or 100 Mb/s. If this item is 0, the speed may be 0, or this item cannot be obtained from the hardware or support software.
Use this information to help you determine the configuration of the NIC. If you see an error in the Ring Open Status, found on the Token Ring Status window, you may want to check the configured speed. It is possible that you have set the NIC at the wrong speed if you see Beaconing or Ring Failed under Ring Open Status. For example, there is a conflict if the NIC is configured at 4 megabits per second and the Token Ring is set at 16 megabits per second.
Receive Statistics
Bytes displays the number of bytes received.
Total packets displays the total number of received packets.
Unicast packets displays the number of received packets that have a single destination.
Non-unicast packets displays the number of received packets that have multiple destinations.
Discarded packets displays the number of received packets that are discarded.
Error packets displays the number of received packets that have errors.
Unknown protocols displays the number of received packets that have unknown protocols.
Transmit Statistics
Bytes displays the number of bytes transmitted.
Total packets displays the total number of transmitted packets.
Unicast packets displays the number of transmitted packets that have a single destination.
Non-unicast packets displays the number of transmitted packets that have multiple destinations.
Discarded packets displays the number of transmitted packets that are discarded.
Error packets displays the number of transmitted packets that have errors.
Queue length displays the number of packets in the transmit queue.
Information about Receive Errors and Transmit Errors is displayed in this window. Information that cannot be obtained from the hardware or support software is indicated by N/A.
Total Errors displays the number of Ethernet errors received on this interface. The count includes alignment errors, FCS errors, frames that were too long, and MAC receive errors. This value is for total errors received on the interface. Since you may have multiple interfaces on one NIC, this value may not represent the total number of errors received by the NIC.
If the item is 0, the total errors received may be 0, or this item cannot be obtained from the hardware or support software.
Alignment Errors displays the number of alignment errors that have occurred for this interface since the network interface supporting software was loaded. The alignment of a frame is checked by the receiver after the packet has failed the Cyclical Redundancy Check (CRC). Misaligned packets do not end on an 8-bit boundary. All packets contain a set number of bytes and must end after a defined number of bytes. Packets that do not end on a byte boundary fail the alignment check.
FCS Errors lists the number of FCS (Frame Check Sequence) errors that have occurred for this interface since the network interface supporting software was loaded. The FCS field contains a 4-byte Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) value. The transmitting station calculates the CRC while sending the packet. The CRC value is placed in the FCS field. The receiving station calculates the CRC while receiving the packet and matches the resulting value against the contents of the FCS field. If the numbers do not match, an FCS error has occurred.
Track and resolve these errors. The two primary causes of FCS errors are cabling and component problems.
If you receive FCS Errors, check to see whether you have Alignment errors or Late Collision errors. Cabling problems, such as shorts or noise caused by electromagnetic interference, are most likely to blame for CRC/Alignment errors. Improper cabling (not following cable specifications) is the most likely cause for late collisions.
Frame Too Long displays the number of times a receiving station found an oversized frame for this interface since the network interface supporting software was loaded. To avoid processing corrupt packets, the receiving station checks several packet characteristics, including the frame size. If a frame is larger than 1518 bytes (including the FCS field), it is considered oversized. If the network is experiencing oversized frames, perform the following steps:
Ensure you have the latest revision of the LAN driver. Oversized frames may be caused by a faulty LAN driver.
Check your routers. If a router connects two dissimilar network types and does not enforce the proper frame size restrictions on either side, it may transmit illegal-length frames. Check with the router manufacturer.
Use a network analyzer to find the NIC responsible for sending illegal-length frames. Examine the 48-bit source address in the frame header; this will pinpoint the responsible NIC.
MAC Received Errors increments each time an error occurs for this interface that does not fall into any of the other error categories shown on the screen. For example, this item increments if a frame that is too short is detected. If you see an excessive number of these errors, use a network analyzer to check for short frame errors. The NIC may need to be replaced.
Total Errors displays the total number of Ethernet errors generated from this interface. This count includes carrier sense errors, late collisions, excessive collisions, MAC transmit errors, multiple collision frames, single collision frames, and deferred transmits. This value is for total errors transmitted on the interface. Since you may have multiple interfaces on one NIC, this value may not represent the total number of errors transmitted by the NIC.
If the item is 0, the total errors transmitted may be 0 or this item cannot be obtained from the hardware or support software.
Carrier Sense Errors displays the number of frames transmitted with carrier sense errors for this interface since the network interface supporting software was loaded. The carrier sense signal is an ongoing activity of a data station that detects whether another station is transmitting. Carrier sense errors are detected when a station transmits a frame and does not detect its own signal on the wire.
Late Collisions displays the number of late collisions that have occurred for this interface since the network interface supporting software was loaded. Late collisions may be a symptom of cabling problems. A late collision is one that occurred 64 bytes or more into the packet.
Late collisions may be an indication that a segment is longer than allowed by the wiring specifications. For example, if you are using 10Base-2 wiring, also known as Thinnet, the maximum segment length is 185 meters.
A station will believe it has control of the cable segment if it has already transmitted 64 bytes. If another node at the far end of the segment has not yet seen the packet, and transmits, this packet will collide with the first transmission after the first 64 bytes have been sent.
Ensure that your segment length does not exceed the maximum length allowed.
Because the location of cabling problems can be very difficult to detect on an Ethernet network, shorten an Ethernet segment (remove portions of the network to isolate problems) until the problems are no longer seen, and then expand the network until the problem recurs.
Excessive Collisions displays the number of Excessive Collisions that have occurred for this interface since the network interface supporting software was loaded. A station may attempt to transmit up to 16 times before it must abort the attempt. Once the abort occurs, this counter increments.
If you see an increase in deferred transmissions as well as excessive collisions, your network is extremely busy and this segment of the LAN is overcrowded. Reduce the traffic by reorganizing your LAN or adding a NIC to the device. For example, if you have 100 stations on one Ethernet bus, you may want to break it into two Ethernet buses by adding a NIC to your device. In this way you can balance the load by putting 50 stations on one bus and 50 on the other. If there are a few isolated stations creating the traffic, put those stations on a separate bus.
Faulty components may be the cause of excessive collisions.
MAC Transmit Errors increments each time an error occurs for this interface that does not fall into any of the other error categories shown on the screen. An excessive number of MAC Transmit errors may indicate a problem with the NIC. Check the cabling or replace the NIC.
Multiple Collision Frames displays the number of multiple collisions that have occurred for this interface since the network interface supporting software was loaded. Multiple collisions are frames involved in more than one collision before being successfully transmitted. These errors mean that the network is experiencing moderate to heavy traffic. If multiple collisions become more frequent, the count for excessive collisions escalates.
Single Collision Frames displays the number of single collisions that have occurred for this interface since the network interface supporting software was loaded. Single collisions are frames that are involved in a single collision and then are transmitted successfully. These errors show that the network has light to moderate traffic. If single collisions become more frequent, the count for multiple collisions escalates.
Deferred Transmits displays the number of frames that were deferred before transmission because the medium was busy. These are deferred transmissions for this interface since the network interface supporting software was loaded. Frames involved in collisions are not counted, but frames that wait before transmission are counted.
Deferred transmissions occur when the network is extremely busy. High counts of multiple collisions and excessive collisions also occur.
Deferred transmissions indicate that this segment of the LAN is overcrowded. Reduce the traffic by reorganizing the LAN. For example, if you have 100 stations on one Ethernet bus, break the bus into two Ethernet buses by adding a NIC to your device. This balances the load by putting 50 stations on one bus and 50 on the other. If a few isolated stations create the traffic, put them on a separate bus.
The following Token Ring Statistics are displayed in this window. Information that cannot be obtained from the hardware or support software is indicated by N/A.
Lost Frame Errors indicates that a sending station was unable to complete the transmission because the frame that was sent never returned to the originator. When a station sends a frame, that frame normally returns after completing the circuit. If the frame does not return intact, this error will increment.
These errors may occur if another station inserts itself into a ring or removes itself from the ring, interrupting the clock cycle. Large noise spikes, such as lightning, could also cause these errors.
If you see excessive Lost Frame errors, there may be a problem with the Multi-Access Unit (MAU) or hub. Use a network analyzer to isolate the problem area.
Internal Errors indicate that the NIC has detected a problem with itself. Run the diagnostics from the NIC manufacturer to verify that a problem exists. You may need to replace the NIC.
Receive Congestion increments when a station receives a frame, but cannot copy the data for some reason. The station may not have enough buffer space to copy the data.
Excessive traffic to a specific station may cause Receive Congestion Errors. If certain stations continue to experience Receive Congestion Errors, check the network design. It is also possible that the software on the PC is not running efficiently enough to handle interrupts from the network.
Token Errors are reported by the active monitor for one of the following reasons:
The active monitor detects that a frame has gone around the ring more than once, either because the sender removed itself from the ring before stripping the frame, or because there are two active monitors present on the network. The active monitor will purge the network and clear the condition in either case.
A station reserved a token at a high priority and then removed itself from the network. The active monitor will detect the token traversing the ring more than once as it searches for the station that requested the high priority. The active monitor will purge the ring.
The active monitor detects that no token or frame is received for 10 milliseconds. When several stations insert or remove themselves from the ring at the same time the counter will escalate rapidly. This condition could occur when the power is off temporarily and then returned. In this example, several stations would try to insert themselves onto the ring at the same time, disrupting the signal. If this condition appears to occur for no known reason, however, check your Multi-Access Unit (MAU). Use a network analyzer to isolate the problem area.
The active monitor detected a token that was returned to it containing a token violation. In this case, you will also see line errors along the ring. The active monitor will purge the ring, but also check for the following:
Failing cable - Packet data traveling through shorted or damaged cabling may become corrupt before reaching the destination station and cause line errors and token errors.
Segment not grounded properly - Improper grounding of a segment may allow ground-induced noise to corrupt data flow and cause line errors and token errors.
Noisy cable - Interference or noise produced by motors or other devices can distort the signals and cause CRC/Alignment errors, which will increment the line error count and may cause token errors.
If you cannot find the problem after checking the above conditions, use a network analyzer to isolate the station corrupting the frame. The analyzer should indicate which station is causing the problem and let you know if the NIC should be replaced.
Frame Copy Errors occurs when a NIC receives a frame that is destined exclusively for itself, but the NIC detects that a station upstream has set the address recognize bit and copied the frame. This means that you have two NICs with the same network physical address, and you must change one of the addresses. Each NIC must have a unique network physical address.
Transmit Beacons increments when there is a break on the Token Ring or you have a defective NIC on the ring. If you see even one transmit beacon, investigate the problem immediately.
The break is detected by the station immediately downstream of the break when that station stops receiving tokens or frames. This station then sends a series of beacon frames around the ring to notify the ring that a break has occurred immediately upstream.
A network analyzer will help to pinpoint the station that is sending the beacon frames and identify which station is directly upstream of the station sending the beacon.
Abort Transmit Errors increments when a station transmits an abort delimiter while transmitting.
An aborted transmit occurs if the NIC is unable to complete the transmission of a frame that it has already started onto the network. For example, if the NIC was unable to access its packet buffer memory fast enough to keep pace with sending the data stream onto the wire, the NIC will abort the transmit. When a NIC aborts the transmit, it places a special bits sequence on the wire known as an abort delimiter, which signals to other stations on the Token Ring that the packet data is invalid.
Many NICs do not support aborting transmits, preferring instead to shut down with a fatal error and remove the NIC from the ring. Those NICs that support aborting transmits will report this error.
If this error is reported, run the diagnostics from the NIC manufacturer to see if there is a problem.
Removes increments when the manager station issues a "Remove station from the ring" command. See your network administrator to determine why the station was removed from the ring.
Soft Errors increments when the NIC detects recoverable errors. These errors are typically reported when nodes enter and exit the Token Ring. These are considered normal, nonfatal errors. The NIC will correct the error, but the error will be reported to the LAN management station and counted. Check other error counts to determine if a serious error has occurred.
Recoveries increments any time the active monitor changes from one station to another. The active monitor changes when the current active monitor removes itself from the network or has detected a problem with itself. If this item increments excessively, check the other error counts to see if a problem exists.
Hard Errors usually happen in conjunction with transmitted beacons. It increments each time a station receives or sends a beacon, thus occurring numerous times when a beacon is being transmitted.
If the Transmit Beacons count is incrementing as well, then this interface is sending beacons on the network. If Transmit Beacons is not incrementing, then this interface is not transmitting beacons, but detecting beacons being sent.
A network analyzer will help to pinpoint the station that is sending the beacon frames and identify which station is directly upstream of the station sending the beacon.
Perform the following steps:
Check the station immediately upstream from the station that is sending the beacon. Swap out the transceiver, transceiver cable, and transceiver attachment point, one at a time. If you find a faulty component, replace it.
Check the receiver on the station that sent out the beacon frames to ensure that it is capable of receiving frames. If the receiver is not working properly, the NIC may have erroneously assumed that there were no frames or tokens. Run diagnostics from the NIC manufacturer to help you pinpoint the problem.
Check the cabling for breaks or disruptions.
Your Multi-Access Unit (MAU) or hub may be at fault. Use the diagnostics from the MAU manufacturer to determine if a problem exists.
Lobe Faults are caused when the network is in test mode and finds a problem with one of the lobe wires running from the Multi-Access Unit (MAU) to each station. The network enters test mode under two conditions:
When a station powers on and attempts to insert itself onto the network, the test on the lobe wire will begin. If the test fails, a lobe wire fault occurs.
If hard errors occur, the NIC will enter test mode. If the self-test fails, a lobe wire fault will occur.
If a Lobe Wire Fault occurs, check for the following:
Failing cable - Make sure that your lobe wire is working and intact.
Failing repeater, transceiver, or controller card - Repeaters, transceivers, and controller cards can disrupt the network signal, transmit erroneous signals on the wire, or ignore incoming packets. Perform the following steps:
If your NIC is continuously transmitting, it will cause erroneous signals or "jabber." Replace a jabbering receiver to ensure proper network performance.
Swap out the transceiver, transceiver cable, and transceiver attachment point, one at a time. If you find a faulty component, replace it.
Your Multi-Access Unit (MAU) or hub may be at fault. Use the diagnostics from the MAU manufacturer to determine if a problem exists.
Line Errors increments each time a station detects a line error. Each station either repeats or copies a frame and checks the frame for validation. If the data in the frame is corrupted, each station that detects the corrupted frame increments its own line error count.
Signal Loss usually happens in conjunction with other errors, such as burst errors, token errors, line errors, and transmitted beacons. This error indicates that the station temporarily or permanently lost the clock signal on the Token Ring. Check other error conditions to determine if a serious error has occurred.
Burst Errors increments every time the adapter detects the absence of clock transitions. Burst errors occur in Token Ring networks when the signal is momentarily disrupted. Each time a station inserts itself into the ring or removes itself from the ring, a burst error may occur.
If you detect that one station has an abnormally high burst error count compared to other stations, you may need to replace the NIC. For example, if most stations average 2 burst errors per day, and one station shows 27, that station may have a faulty NIC. The station that is directly downstream of the device causing the problem usually detects the burst error. Use the Upstream Address of the station detecting Burst Errors to determine the faulty NIC.
If excessive burst errors continue to occur on the ring, you may need to replace the Multi-Access Unit (MAU) or hub. Use a network analyzer to isolate the problem area.
Frequency Errors occur when a station detects that the active monitor is not working in the proper frequency. Ring Recovery will occur and another active monitor will be chosen.
The active monitor generates a clock signal, which it passes to each standby monitor. The standby monitor compares this signal to its own reference clock. If the signal is not within the proper frequency boundaries, a frequency error occurs.
NOTE: Not all stations will report this error because not all NIC manufacturers support this feature. A frequency error is not common. If there is a problem with the active monitor, other errors usually occur that help you determine the station that is at fault.
If you see frequency errors, use a network analyzer to determine which station was the active monitor causing the problem. Remember when you use your analyzer that the station with the problem is not the current active monitor the active monitor experiencing the problem was replaced when the problem was detected.
AC Errors are also referred to as Address Recognized Indication/Frame Copied Indicator (ARI/FCI) errors. This error occurs when a station detects that an upstream station did not correctly set the bits on a frame.
If an AC error occurs, perform the following steps during your next planned maintenance:
Ensure that the NIC is compliant with the protocol in use. The NIC that did not set the bit (the station directly upstream of the station that reported the problem) is not participating in the low level protocol and may not be completely compliant with 802.5 protocol.
Replace the NIC to see if the problem still occurs.
Single Station increments when the interface senses that it is the only station on the ring. This will happen if the interface is the first one up on a ring, or if there is a hardware problem. Check for the following:
Your Multi-Access Unit (MAU) or hub may be at fault. Use the diagnostics from the MAU manufacturer to determine if a problem exists.
Check the cable between the NIC and the MAU. Replace the cable if necessary.
Run the diagnostics from the NIC manufacturer to determine if there is a problem with the NIC. Replace the NIC if necessary.