Ethernet Network Peripheral Problem If devices such as modems, printers, or fax boards are connected to an Ethernet station node or a file server, they are not actually considered network peripherals because they do not contain their own NICs. If the peripheral you are troubleshooting does not contain its own internal NIC, troubleshoot the device by linking to the appropriate procedure from the main symptom list . For example, suppose that a modem or printer is connected to an Ethernet station node or file server, and the Ethernet station node or file server contains the NIC. In this case, you would vector to either the modem or printer problem symptom. If the device does contain its own internal NIC, the procedures on this page are applicable. A network peripheral failure symptom usually is different from that of a standard Ethernet station node. Both a network peripheral and a standard Ethernet station node contain a NIC, however, and access the segment through the Ethernet rules. Because of this, they both can be assumed to have the same logical network area of fault components, which is the respective network peripheral's segment area, specifically, the network peripheral, the NIC, the segment cable and the repeater or wiring hub port. Some network peripherals access the Ethernet network with NIC and hardware/software components, others just use NIC hardware with firmware contained within PROM chips. Both configurations allow the assigned network peripheral to access the segment through standard network access and they both operate according to the Ethernet CSMA/CD operating-mode principles. Did you arrive at this page because of NIC failure indications from running a protocol analysis session? Did you arrive at this page because you identified a failure symptom that appears to be directly related to a problem with a specific network peripheral? These procedures are generic as to the network peripheral manufacturer. For some of the troubleshooting steps mentioned in this flow guide, you should also refer to the network-peripheral manufacturer's documentation for any special predefined methods for checking network-peripheral configuration and for network-peripheral testing. November 15, 1996 Print This Page E-mail this URL