31 IntroductionThis chapter describes the following 3Com® 10/100 Mbps PCI network interface card(NIC) models from the 3C990B NIC family.The 3C990B NIC connects your PCI-compliant PC to a 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps Ethernetnetwork. It provides advanced features for high performance and secure transactions.High performance is achieved through an onboard RISC processor; secure transactions areachieved through data encryption.Onboard 3XP ProcessorThe 3C990B NIC represents a new generation of secure, intelligent client NICs with anonboard RISC processor (3XP processor). The 3XP processor is designed to optimizesystem and network performance. The NIC off-loads key networking and security tasksfrom the host PC CPU (central processing unit) to the 3XP processor, even when runningbandwidth-intensive applications such as voice, video, imaging, and Internet and intranetapplications.Data EncryptionThe 3C990B NIC provides Data Encryption Standard (DES) 56-bit encryption and 3DES(3DES 168-bit) encryption. Encryption processing is handled entirely by the 3XP processoron the NIC.The 3XP processor enables true end-to-end network security (IPSec) at the data capacity ofthe connected network cable (wire speed), without sacrificing performance.The 3C990B NIC is shipped with encryption disabled. Once you have installed the NIC,you can upgrade it to the appropriate level of encryption acceleration (DES or 3DES)through the Security Software Utility provided on the 3Com EtherCD. See “Installing andConfiguring Data Encryption Offloads” on page 33 for more information.Product Name/Description Model Number3Com 10/100 Mbps PCI NICwith 3XP processorClient NIC for 3DES (168-bit) andDES (56-bit) encryption3C990B-TX-M3Com 10/100 Mbps PCI Server NICwith 3XP processorServer NIC for 3DES (168-bit) andDES (56-bit) encryption3C990BSVRNOTE: Information in this user guide refers to both client and server 3C990B NICmodels unless specifically indicated.
