SPIDERLAN Frequently Asked Questions
Manuals, Data Sheets, and Press Releases can be found in the
MPL Documentation area of this homepage.
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Question #349: |
Can this PC/104-Plus card also be used in a system with a PC/104 (ISA part) only stack?
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| Answer: |
No. As this card is based on one (or more) PCI interface chips, the use of a PC/104-Plus capable host system is mandatory. The main purpose to the provided PC/104 connector is to pass-through the ISA signals to allow the installation of additional PC/104 cards.
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Question #300: |
I try to use a SPIDERLAN-2 and another PC104+ card, but either one half of the SPIDERLAN-2, the PC104+ card or both do not work correctly. |
| Answer: |
The SPIDERLAN-2 implements two completely separated PCI devices on a single PC104+ card. So two consecutive slot numbers need to be reserved for the SPIDERLAN-2 to work properly. Please check chapter 3.2 "Switch Settings" of the "SPIDERLAN User's Manual" for more information.
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Question #303: |
Can I use only the switch functionality of the SPIDERLAN to build a "standalone" 4-port or 8-port switch? |
| Answer: |
No, the SPIDERLAN is NOT designed for this purpose. The SPIDERLAN is a PC104+ peripheral card offering basically 1 or 2 ethernet controllers. For more information, please check this MPL FAQ entry (Question #254) or the block diagrams in chapter 4 of the "SPIDERLAN User's Manual".
Instead MPL offers the SPIMS4 module as standalone 4-port ethernet switch. Note that this module needs an external power supply of 3.3V.
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Question #269: |
Does my operating system support the SPIDERLAN? |
| Answer: |
If your OS has drivers for the PCnetTM-FAST III Ethernet Controller, it will work with the SPIDERLAN. |
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Question #253: |
How many SPIDERLAN boards can I use? |
| Answer: |
The PC/104-Plus bus can handle up to 3 bus master devices. The SPIDERLAN-2 implements 2 bus master devices however, so you are limited to one SPIDERLAN-2 and one SPIDERLAN-1 or tree SPIDERLAN-1 if no other PCI bus master devices are used. |
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Question #254: |
What is so special on the SPIDERLAN? |
| Answer: |
The SPIDERLAN-1 variants consist of a PCnet FAST Ethernet
controller and a 5-port switch built onto the same PC/104-Plus card. The
Ethernet controller is connected internally with the port 0 of the switch, so
you have 4 ports left for external connectors.
Instead of buying two SPIDERLAN-1, you can buy one SPIDERLAN-2 version. You
will get two ethernet controllers, each of them connected to his own 5-port
switch resulting in 2 x 4 externally available ports.
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