PC Card NICs: Small Differences

by Jay Adams

Once, portables were a second machine, but with faster processors and wonderful active matrix color monitors, the portable computer is now, for many, the only machine. And users are demanding much more from their network PC Cards.

We tested 19 of them, and those that did well were ones with a complete package of services. 3Com, Farallon, Xircom and Megahertz offered the top cards, all with good performance, good operating system support and good documentation. The 3Com card was the top performer, with an average of 776 Kbps and a maximum rate of 845 Kbps using Novell's Perform3. The Farallon card performed almost as well and featured a unique repeater module that lets you daisy-chain up to seven devices from one 10BASE-T drop.

The Xircom card did well in the performance test and has excellent operating system and driver support. The Megahertz card also scored well with its easy-to-use installation package.

Just below the top performers were Kingston, Thomas Conrad, IBM, Olicom, Cardwell, Silicom and Centennial. At the bottom were GVC, Linksys, New Media, Apex, Boca, TDK and D-Link, some of which had notable qualities, but were usually just repackaged cards with no value added except for low price.

3Com 3C589

When you dominate the Ethernet LAN adapter market like 3Com does, it tends to be pervasive, and the 3C589 is no exception. The 3C589 had the top numbers in both our Perform3 and DOS file copy test. A good selection of drivers for DOS and OS/2 ODI and NDIS 2.0, and a very easy-to-use and reliable configuration and diagno stic utility make this the card to beat. The 3C589 is also one of only a few cards that support Novell 3.12 and 4.1 server drivers. The entire package is first rate-ranging from the manual to technical support to the lifetime warranty.

The 3C589 is ideal for anyone who wants high performance and reliability, but it's not suitable for those who want to run a network analyzer program, since the 3C589's parallel-tasking architecture discards packets at the hardware level, and will never notify the upper-layer protocols of any bad packets. However, this allows the card to be extremely efficient and fast. With a list price of $288, it's not the cheapest, but it's certainly the best.

Farallon Etherwave

The Farallon Etherwave is just the 3Com 3C589 repackaged. It even uses the 3C589.COM driver for Novell ODI. But the Etherwave comes with a unique head unit that has two RJ-45 connectors, which allows the Etherwave to be daisy-chained off an existing 10BASE-T cable. It can support up to six other connected devices. While this can be very beneficial for some, especially for those who need LAN access but can't find a spare drop, the head unit is big, making it cumbersome to carry around. Farallon should have provided an additional 10BASE-T connector for those who don't need the head unit.

Xircom IIps

The Xircom adapter has the distinction of being the only card that supports full duplex mode. Its "look-ahead" technology, which is similar to 3Com's parallel-tasking architecture, made it one of the fastest cards in our Perform3 test. It also has impressive support for various operating systems and driver architectures. Its installation utilities, one for DOS and the other for Windows, make setting up the card easy. The manuals are also very good at providing examples of how to configure the card in various environments. According to the manual, there's a diagnostic program (CE2TEST), but it had not been completed by ship time.

Megahertz LAN-T

The Megahertz LAN-T, based on the SMC chipset, produced average numbers on the Perform3 test, but its setup utility is first rate, and it ships with Cardsoft's Card and Socket Services (CSS) drivers. For now, the card only supports DOS ODI and NDIS and consumes a whopping 29 KB of conventional memory-the largest of the products we tested. This can mean problems for those running CSS and any large DOS program. But good technical support and a five-year warranty make the $215 card a good value.

Cardwell 10B-T/2

Cardwell's 10B-T/2 shipped with Cardmaster's CSS drivers, which support a wide range of PC Card controllers, including Intel and Databook. They also supply direct enablers that will work with a variety of PC Card controllers. Like the 3Com and Farallon offerings, Cardwell advertises NetWare 3.x server drivers, but the drivers were not on the disk or on Cardwell's BBS. The Cardmaster installation was easy, but to our surprise, it was beta software. It's hard to believe that a company would ship beta software with a production item. The 10B-T/2 consumes 27 KB of conventional memory with its card driver and ODI driver, in addition to the CSS drivers. Using direct enablers would eliminate the need for CSS and free up a considerable amount of conventional RAM.

Kingston KNE-PCM/T

The KNE-PCM/T is an OEM of the National Semiconductor card (just as IBM and Thomas Conrad are) and is a good value for $179. Kingston provides both direct enablers and Cardsoft's CSS, which support the Intel and Databook PC Card controllers. The lifetime warranty and technical support access (800 number and over the Internet) are enticing features, but driver support is minimal (only DOS drivers for ODI and NDIS). It includes a good manual and a rather average installation program.

IBM Ethernet II

The IBM Ethernet II was a strong performer, scoring near the top in our Perform3 test. IBM provides direct enablers that support the Intel, Cirrus Logic, and Databook PC Card controllers. The one-year warranty is a big disappointment. The ma nuals are adequate and installation utility average. The Ethernet II supports 10BASE-T networks and has both transmit and receive LEDs on the connector cable that are helpful when troubleshooting.

Thomas Conrad TC5141T

Like IBM and Kingston, the Thomas Conrad TC5141T also uses the National Semiconductor chipset. Its most notable feature is support for remote procedure load (RPL) using the supplied direct enablers (it won't work with CSS) in a DOS environment. Support for both DOS and OS/2 ODI and NDIS software is included. Thomas Conrad's seven-days-a-week, 24-hour support is ideal for large companies with sites in various geographical locations. Performance is average, well below IBM's Ethernet II, but the same as Kingston's KNE-PCM/T.

Silicom Ethernet PCMCIA Adapter

The surprise performer of the bunch, with an average speed of 774 Kbps, Silicom's Ethernet PCMCIA Adapter was just 2 Kbps behind the 3Com 3C589. The Ethernet PCMCIA Adapter also supports DOS ODI, NDIS and packet drivers and OS/2 ODI and NDIS, making it compatible with the majority of the network clients. Its two-year warranty is adequate, as are its DOS installation and diagnostic utilities. Silicom only provides Intel-compatible direct enablers, which could limit its versatility.

Olicom 2220

While only an adequate performer in our benchmarks, the Olicom 2220 is a complete package. It includes both a DOS and Windows-based installation program, a DOS-based diagnostic utility and both 10BASE-T and BNC connectors. Olicom also offers round-the-clock support, as well as an FTP and Internet technical support address. Notably, the 2220 was missing transmit or receive LEDs on the connectors, which are helpful in troubleshooting. At $249, you are not only paying for a competent performer, but good technical support, quality and a three-year warranty.

Centennial EasyLAN

Centennial's EasyLAN, based on the National Semiconductor chipset, provided only average performance in our Perform3 tests with its 16 K B of onboard RAM. Centennial provides both direct enablers and CSS, which support the Intel and Databook PC Card controllers. But only DOS and NDIS 2.0 drivers are provided. The DOS installation was a weak point; it modified the CONFIG.SYS file without notification, or letting you bypass this option. For novices, it could be a source of trouble. Documentation provides good examples on how to configure the card, and Centennial offers a two-year warranty.

GVC NIC-2000BT

As with many of the low-end cards, the GVC NIC-2000BT is really weak on documentation, which can be so critical to the novice or intermediate technician. The supplied DOS installation utility does nothing more than copy files to your hard disk to a predetermined directory and does not allow the option to enter a different target directory. Its 27 KB of DOS memory consumption was also one of the highest. The use of direct enablers would reduce the impact of this. At $239, it's not much of a bargain.

New Media EthernetLAN

A few items stand out in New Media's EthernetLAN: It had the longest 10BASE-T connector cable-about eight feet; and it provides a full copy of Cardsoft's CSS v3.1 software on a separate disk. A wide range of hardware is supported with the CSS, but no direct enablers were provided, making it less flexible. While New Media promises round-the-clock support, we found it was only available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday. The DOS ODI client and a card driver that was loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file consumed 26 KB of precious RAM.

Boca Research BEN1PA

The most significant downfall of the Boca Research BEN1PA adapter is the requirement to call a 900 number that charges $2 per minute for installation and technical support questions. Many of the other vendors provide 800 numbers for technical support, or toll calls. Boca also recommends calling dealers first, since, according to the manual they are "usually the most qualified source of help." That's scary! But for $155, you get what you pay for. Cardware's CSS is included, but you get no direct enablers. NetWare ODI drivers are also included, but for some reason they ship with the old NETX.COM instead of NETX.EXE, which is a superior driver.

Ositech Trumpcard

Ositech's Trumpcard was the only Ethernet/Modem combo we tested. The manuals shipped with the card are good, and it comes with both a DOS and Windows setup utility that's easy to use. The modem is a V.32 (there are V.34 models available) and comes bundled with QuickLink II fax and telecommunications software. The supplied direct enablers support a wide range of hardware, but it only comes with DOS ODI client software, making it extremely limited. At a whopping $549, it was by far the most expensive card, but this can be attributed to its Ethernet/modem capabilities.

Card And Socket Services

by Jay Adams

In order to make PC Card devices function, you must use Card and Socket Services (CSS) or direct enablers. CSS promises the ability to hot swap devices, auto configuration, multiple card management, standby mode and I/O conflict management. The most significant disadvantage is the amount of memory CSS takes. This is where direct enablers come into play. They allow the software to talk directly to the card. Unfortunately, you need a direct enabler that works with your specific card and your specific hardware, and you need to configure the direct enablers separately for all the PC Card devices in your laptop.

CSS is composed of two pieces -- card services and socket services. The drivers for socket services depend on the make of the controller. The most popular controllers are made by Intel, Cirrus Logic, LVSI and Vadem. Socket services knows how many slots are available and when the card is inserted and removed. Card services, on the other hand, is independent of the hardware. Card services takes care of providing information to various client drivers to allow for resource management and configuration, as well as sending error messages.

Jay Adams is a network analyst for a Fortune 1000 energy company in the Bay area in California. He can be reached on CompuServe at 72103,3051.

VENDOR INFORMATION

IIps , $269 (10BASE-T cabling), $329 (10BASE-T and/or 10BASE2). Xircom, 2300 Corporate Center Dr., Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. (800) 874-7875; (805) 376-9300; fax (805) 376-9311. Circle reader service #421.

2220 , $199 and up. Olicom USA, 900 E. Park Blvd., Suite 180, Plano, TX 75074-5465. (800) 265-4266; (214) 423-7560; fax (214) 423-7261. Circle reader service #422.

Apex Data's PCMCIA Ethernet Adapter , $237. Apex Data, 6624 Owens Dr., Pleasanton, CA 94588-3334. (800) 841-2739; (510) 416-5656; fax (510) 416-0909. Circle reader service #423.

BEN1PA , $79. Boca Research, 1377 Clint Moore Rd., Boca Raton, FL 33487. (407) 997-6227; fax (407) 997-0918.Circle reader service #424.

Combo , $279. LinkSys, 16811 A Millikan Ave., Irvine, CA 92714. (800) LINKSYS; (714) 261-1288; fax (714) 261-8868. Circle reader service #425.

EasyLAN , $169. Centennial Technologies, 37 Manning Rd., Suite One, Billerica, MA 01821. (800) 942-0018; (508) 670-0646; fax (508) 670-9025. Circle reader service #426.

Ethernet Card , $349 and up. Silicom Connectivity Solutions, 15311 N.E. 90th St., Redmond, WA 98052-4426. (800) 474-5426; (206)882-7995; fax (206) 882-4775. Circle reader service #427.

3C589 , $288 (Combo with TP, AUI and Coax), $229 (TP). 3Com Corp., 5400 Bayfront Plaza, Santa Clara, CA 95052. (800) NET-3COM; (408) 764-5000; fax (408) 764-5001. Circle reader service #428.

Ethernet II , price unavailable. IBM, P.O. Box 1295, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. (800) IBM-CALL. Circle reader service #429.

EthernetLAN , $160 (10BASE-T), $175 (10BASE2), $185 (10BASE-T/2 Combo). New Media Corp., One Technology, Building A, Irvine, CA 92718. (800) CARDS 4U; (714) 453-0100; fax (714) 453-0114. Circle reader service #430.

10B-T/2 , $179. Cardwell International Corp., 110 Blue Ravine Rd., Suite 156, Folsom, CA 95630-4712. (916) 985-1880; fax (916) 985-1899. Circle reader service #431.

KNE-PCM/T , $179; KNE-PCM/M, $219. Kingston Technology Corp., 17600 Newhope St., Fountain Valley, CA 92708. (800) 835-6575; (714) 435-2600; fax (714) 435-2699. Circle reader service #432.

LAN-T , $215. Megahertz Corp., 605 N. 5600 West, P.O. Box 16020, Salt Lake City, UT 84116. (800) LAPTOPS; (801) 320-7000; fax (801) 320-6010. Circle reader service #433.

NIC-2000BT , $239. GVC Communications, 376 Lafayette Rd., Sparta, NJ 07871. (800) 289-4821; (201) 579-3630; (201) 579-2702. Circle reader service #434.

PCMCIA 2.0 Combo Ethernet Adapter (DE-650CT) , $195. D-Link Systems, 5 Musick, Irvine, CA 92718. (800) 326-1688; (714) 326-1688; fax (714) 455-2521. Circle reader service #435.

PCMCIA Etherwave Adapter , $299. Farallon Computing, 2470 Mariner Square Loop, Alameda, CA 94501. (510) 814-5000; fax (510) 814-5020. Circle reader service #436.

TC5141T , $234. Thomas-Conrad Corp., 1908-R Kramer La., Austin, TX 78758. (800) 332-8683; (512) 836-1935; fax (512) 836-2840. Circle reader service #437.

TDK Ethernet LAN Adapter , $180. TDK Corp. of America, 1600 Feehanville Dr., Mount Prospect, IL 60056. (708) 390-4394; fax (708) 803-6296. Circle reader service #438.

Trumpcard , $549 (14.4-Kbps Modem and Ethernet 10BASE-T); $749 (28.8-Kbps modem and Ethernet 10BASE-T), $100 (MAU attachment). Ositech Communications, 679 Southgate Dr., Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G4S2. (800) 563-2386; (519) 836-8063; fax (519) 836-6156. Circle reader service #439.