11 IntroductionThis guide describes how to install and configure the 3Com ® Gigabit Server NICs inWindows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Novell NetWare, Linux, UNIX, and, Solarisoperating system environments.Contents 3Com Gigabit Server NICKeep the NIC in its package until ready for installation. 3Com Installation CD with Gigabit Server driver software and online user guide. Quick start guide.Inform your network supplier of any missing or damaged items. If you need to return theNIC, you must use the original (or equivalent) packaging.Advanced Server Features OverviewThe Advanced Server Features program is an intermediate software driver for Windows2000 Server operating systems (Server, Advanced Server, and Datacenter Server),Windows NT Server operating systems (Server and Enterprise Server), NetWare, and Linux.The Advanced Server Features provide load balancing, failover, and VLAN configuration.These features are provided by creating teams (virtual NICs) that consist of multiple NICs.A team can consist of one to eight NICs, and each NIC can be designated primary orstandby. All primary NICs in a team will participate in load balancing operations bysending and receiving a portion of the total traffic. Standby NICs will take over in theevent that all primary NICs have lost their links. VLANs can be added to a team to allowmultiple VLANs with different VLAN IDs. A virtual NIC is created for each VLAN added.Load balancing and failover features will work with any third-party NIC. VLANs work with3Com, Broadcom, Alteon, and Intel NICs.NOTE: Standby can be used only in load balance mode (see “Load Balance”below).
