[comp.dcom.lans] A Mac and a PC on an Ethernet - Why does one work and not the other?

crosson@cam.nist.gov (Bob Crosson) (10/31/89)

I have a friend who has a 3Com thinwire Ethernet.  His 3Com server is
at one end of the wire.  A secretary's machine is near the middle
of the wire.  A third connection is beyond the secretary's machine 
when viewed from the server.  All connections to the wire are through
transceiver cables and single transceivers.

The secretary's machine works fine.  When my friend connects a Compaq
386 with a 3C503 Ethernet interface and 3Com software into the
transceiver cable at the third location, everything works fine.
When he plugs a Mac II with a 3Com Ethernet interface and software
into the same transceiver cable, it doesn't work.  It fails immediately
when he tries to use the network.

When he puts a BNC-T and two 50 ohm terminators on the transceiver
in place of the thin wire, the Mac says everything is okay, but,
of course, no connections can be made.  The Mac interface is configured
for a transceiver cable connection.

Why do two 3Com interfaces, when plugged into the same transceiver cable
and transceiver, operate differently?  The only thing I can think of
is that perhaps the power supplied to the transceiver from each of the
interfaces is different, causing the transceiver to work differently.
The transceiver and cable are from Cabletron and are probably Ethernet
Version 2/IEEE 802.3 compatible.

Can anyone suggest something to try?  My friend is trying to contact
3Com right now.

Thanks for your assistance.  E-mail can be sent to 

Bob Crosson
crosson@cam.nist.gov

tom@wcc.oz (Tom Evans) (11/10/89)

In article <1525@intercon.com>, amanda@intercon.com writes:
 
> One thing I've noticed about a lot of Mac Ethernet adapters (from more
> than one manufacturer) is that, oddly enough, the thick vs. thin jumper (or
> switch) is labeled backwards.

How do they select between Thick and Thin with only ONE jumper? I have
seen it done on a very old box with lots of ECL glue (but that costs).

Don't tell me they leave the unpowered Thinwire transceiver (and
terminator resistors) across the AUI connector (shock! horror! :-)!

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Tom Evans  tom@wcc.oz.au	|
Webster Computer Corp P/L	| "The concept of my
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kr@apollo.HP.COM (Keith Alan Rodwell) (11/14/89)

	Actually, the 3 COM 3c505 has only one jumper (actually, it is
a block jumper, convering several sets of pins).  So, it is possible to
change from Thick to Thin by moving only one jumper.

In article <448@wcc.oz>, tom@wcc.oz (Tom Evans) writes:
> In article <1525@intercon.com>, amanda@intercon.com writes:
>  
> > One thing I've noticed about a lot of Mac Ethernet adapters (from more
> > than one manufacturer) is that, oddly enough, the thick vs. thin jumper (or
> > switch) is labeled backwards.
> 
> How do they select between Thick and Thin with only ONE jumper? I have
> seen it done on a very old box with lots of ECL glue (but that costs).
> 
> Don't tell me they leave the unpowered Thinwire transceiver (and
> terminator resistors) across the AUI connector (shock! horror! :-)!
>


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``This theory which is mine, is mine'' -- Ann Elk (Monty Python)
Keith Alan Rodwell
Apollo/HP Customer Support
(508)-256-6600 X8415