The <%= strMarketingName %> system integrates an Intel® 82566DC Gigabit Ethernet controller supporting speeds of 10/100/1000 Mbps. The system board uses an industry-standard RJ-45 connector with two integrated LED indicators capable of three different colors.
LED
Status
Description
Activity
yellow
The LAN controller is receiving or transmitting data.
Link
Green
A good connection exists between a 10-Mbps network and the computer.
Orange
A good connection exists between a 100-Mbps network and the computer.
Yellow
A good connection exists between a 1-GB (1000-Mbps) network and the computer.
Off (no light)
The computer is not detecting a physical connection to the network.
Verify the cable you are using is CAT-5 or better (including CAT-5e or CAT-6). To do so, inspect each length of cable and make sure it has CAT-5 or CAT-V written on it.
Also, make sure the network cabling and connections are not damaged.
Inspect both ends of each length of network cable for damage.
Inspect each connector (both in switches, routers, hubs, and wall jacks) for damage.
Finally, have any pairs of cables have been split
for telephony, fax, or other communication uses.
Diagnostic Software
Factory installations include the Intel PROSet diagnostic, a Windows-based diagnostic software. This software tests the integrated LOM as well as its connection to the network. More information about the software can be found on the
"Intel PROSet"
page of this online documentation.
Wiring Requirements
CAT-5 cabling is made up of four pairs of twisted wire for a total of eight wires. Although this cable type has been recommended for some time, 100 Mbps transfers only use four of the eight wires in the cable for data transfer.
To save money while maintaining 100 Mbps network speeds, you may have installed network cable with only the required four
wires. These cables may look like CAT-5 but only have one or two of the four pairs of wire. (Some cable modem companies provide this kind
of cable to their users as it is cheaper.) You may have installed CAT-5 cable but use the "extra" wires for something other than networking. For example,
you may have used four wires for network functions, two wires for fax transfers, and two wires for telephone.
All eight wires of a CAT-5 cable are required for a Gigabit adapter to transfer data at 1000 Mbps.
When using non-CAT–5 cable, the adapter can only connect at a maximum of 100 Mbps speeds.
All eight wires of the CAT-5 cable are required for a Gigabit adapter to send and receive packets at Gigabit speeds. This means
the your site must be wired with CAT-5 or better network cabling and all eight wires in the cable must be dedicated
to networking functions.
If you attach the system to the network using non-CAT–5 cable (anything with fewer than four twisted wire pairs), the
integrated adapter cannot operate at Gigabit transfer rates. At most, the NIC can only connect at 100 Mbps transfer
speeds. Others may only attach at 10 Mbps due to longer cable length. This possible scenario is important to note since you
may incorrectly interpret it as a NIC failure.
Connection speed is also determined by the link speed settings of the integrated LOM and any Gigabit network hardware. The table below
outlines connection results when using CAT-5 and non-CAT–5 cables.
Gigabit Adapter Connection Speeds
Integrated NIC Link Speed Setting
Gigabit Network Switch Speed Setting
Connection Result
CAT-5 cable
Auto detect
Auto detect
Good connection at 1000 Mbps
Hard set for 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps
Hard set for 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps
Good connection at hard-set speed
Non-CAT–5 cable*
Auto detect
Auto detect
Driver fails to link
Hard set for 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps
Hard set for 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps
Good connection at hard-set speed
*CAT-5 cabling whose wires are dedicated for multiple purposes performs
the same as non-CAT–5 cables. **When using hard-set speed settings, both the NIC and the switch must use the same speed
and duplex settings.
There is no option to hard set a 1000 Mbps link speed on the integrated NIC.
Preboot Execution Environment
As mentioned above, System Setup offers three configuration options for the integrated NIC. The NIC can be on, off,
or on with PXE. The on and off settings are simple enough, but what is PXE?
PXE stands for Preboot Execution Environment. This technology allows the computer to boot to a network server.
You may do this for a few
reasons. Most commonly, you'd boot a computer to the network to pull down a drive image to their local drive or, in some cases, to run
your OS from across the network.
Enabling the PXE feature adds a new entry, Integrated NIC, in all boot device menus.
You may also know this technology as Managed Boot Agent (MBA). The two terms refer to the same technology.
