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1996-07-10
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LANtastic (tm) LANCHECK Program Documentation
------------------------------------------
(C) Copyright 1990 ARTISOFT Inc.
Once the NETBIOS has been installed, you can be sure that
the adapter is functioning. You cannot, however, be assured
that the adapter can communicate with the network.
There may be several reasons why an adapter is not
communicating with the rest of the network. The most
obvious cause is that the cabling is faulty or not connected
correctly. Another reason may be that there has been a
hardware failure on the adapter in the circuitry that is
responsible for communication on the network.
The distribution floppy disk that comes with your LANtastic
Starter Kit contains a LAN diagnostic program (LANCHECK)
which may be used to make sure that all adapter cards are
functioning and connected together on the network. The
LANCHECK program appears as LANCHECK.EXE on the distribution
diskette.
To run the program type:
LANCHECK a-unique-name [/MONO]
where a-unique-name is a unique name (up to 16 characters)
that you wish your PC to be known by on the network. This
name will be displayed on each computer running LANCHECK and
allows you to monitor which computers are actively running
LANCHECK.
It is recommended that you bring up all your network nodes
simultaneously to ensure that they are evaluated for
performance during the same period. LANCHECK evaluates
each node's performance from when it is first brought up on
the network, not just from the time LANCHECK is executed.
LANCHECK will test six adapter cards per computer (adapters
0 through 5) and can display a maximum of 1000 nodes. You
can run LANCHECK any time after bringing up the NETBIOS, even
after other LAN software is running.
The most important test for the adapters is whether they all
appear on the screen when LANCHECK is run. If an adapter is
not listed on the LANCHECK screen, it is probably not
communicating with the rest of the network.
The optional switch /MONO forces the screen to run
the LANCHECK program in monochrome (2 color) mode.
Testing a Network Adapter
After the NETBIOS software has been installed, type the
following commands:
LANCHECK a-unique-name
For example,
LANCHECK JOAN
or
LANCHECK BOB
would be typical unique names.
After an initialization message and a short pause (Note: the
pause will be longer if you have multiple adapter cards
attached), the LANCHECK screen will appear as shown:
LANtastic (tm) LANCHECK Version 3.01 (C) Copyright 1990 Artisoft Inc.
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ A# NAME NODE NUMBER MINUTES RUNNING STATUS ERROR INDEX ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ 0 BOB 00006EA00029 9 (local) 2% ║
║ 0 JOAN 00006EA00045 9 active 2% ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ║
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║ ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ║
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╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Enter - Select Entry, Esc - Exit Lancheck, Space - Update Screen, F1 - Help
At any time while the LANCHECK program is running you may
press the F1 key to receive more information about the
fields presented in the screen. You can make the help
window double in size by pressing the letter Z on the
keyboard. Pressing Z a second time will change the help
screen back to its original size. Use the arrow keys to
scroll the text up and down, or use the PgUp or PgDn keys
to move the text up or down a page.
The screen updates itself every ten seconds, or when you
press the SPACE BAR.
"A#" tells you which adapter you are receiving information
on . The first adapter is numbered "0," the second "1" and
so on. Up to six adapters per computer may be tested.
"NAME" refers to the unique node name you specified with
the LANCHECK command. Check to make sure that all the
adapter cards you are running LANCHECK on are listed in this
table. If any are missing, you may have a cabling problem
or a faulty adapter.
"NODE NUMBER" denotes the unique network number assigned to
the adapter. "Minutes Running" shows how long the adapter
has been running since you installed the NETBIOS software. The
"Status" field tells you whether the adapter being tested
is active or inactive, and which adapters are "local,"
(located on your computer). If an adapter that is supposed
to be active lists as inactive, there may be a problem with
the adapter or the cabling to that adapter. If you see an
adapter with a status that keeps switching between "Active"
and "Inactive" there is probably an intermittent problem
with the cabling.
The Field "ERROR INDEX" presents you with a statistic to
help you deduce the relative performance of each adapter in
the sending and receiving of network data. The values given
in the example above should not be considered an average or
ideal value for the adapters you are evaluating. Look
instead for adapters that have ERROR INDEX values that are
either much higher or lower than the other adapters in your
network. An adapter with a much higher ERROR INDEX might have a
cabling problem or other hardware problem. Low values might
indicate the node is able to receive data correctly, but is
not properly transmitting data to the rest of the network.
This will increase the other nodes' ERROR INDEX scores
because they will be receiving bad transmissions from the
faulty adapter.
To further evaluate the efficiency of a network node, use
the arrow keys to move the highlight bar to the desired node
and press ENTER. This window will appear:
LANtastic (tm) LANCHECK Version 3.01 (C) Copyright 1990 Artisoft Inc.
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ A# ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ INDEX║
╠═════║ Adapter Status of: JOAN ║══════╣
║ 0 ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║
║ 0 ║ Adapter Number: 0 ║ ║
║ ║ Node Number: 00006EA00045 ║ ║
║ ║ Software Version: 2.10 ║ ║
║ ║════════════════════════════════╤═════════════════════════════║ ║
║ ║ TRAFFIC AND ERROR STATISTICS │ ADAPTER RESOURCE STATISTICS ║ ║
║ ║────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────║ ║
║ ║ Minutes Running: 9 │ NCBs Available: 26 ║ ║
║ ║ CRC Errors: 222 │ NCBs Allocated: 32 ║ ║
║ ║ Alignment Errors: 320 │ Max NCBs Possible: 128 ║ ║
║ ║ Collisions: 9 │ Active Sessions: 4 ║ ║
║ ║ Bad Transmissions: 65 │ Sessions Allocated: 32 ║ ║
║ ║ Good Transmissions: 3928 │ Sessions Possible: 128 ║ ║
║ ║ Good Receives: 23103 │ Max Packet Size: 2461 ║ ║
║ ║ Retransmissions: 65 │ Number of Names: 8 ║ ║
║ ║ Resource Exhaust: 838 │ ║ ║
║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ ║
║ ║ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Esc - Exit Status Window, Space - Update Data, F1 - Help
The information at the top of the window tells you the name
of the node, adapter number and node number being tested as
well as the version of the LANCHECK software you are using.
The bottom left portion of the screen provides you with
"Traffic and Error Statistics" which may help you diagnose
a hardware problem with you network. To the right of this
are the "Adapter Resource Statistics" which provide
information concerning your NETBIOS configuration.
Once again, do not assume that the values presented in the
example above are the same values that you should see. What
you should look for instead are values that are out of the
average range for the rest of your adapters.
Traffic and Error Statistics
The field "Minutes Running" refers to the length of time
since the NETBIOS was run.
Cyclical Redundancy Check (CRC) errors occur when a packet
of data arrives at a node in a corrupt form. Before a
computer sends a packet, it mathematically evaluates the
contents of the packet and places this information in it.
The receiving node performs the same calculation on the data
as it receives it then matches it against the results of the
sending node's evaluation. If the results don't match, the
receiving node asks the sending node to retransmit the
packet.
A high value in the "CRC" field could indicate that an
adapter is not correctly transmitting data. It might also
indicate faulty cabling or electrical noise is corrupting
the data in transit.
Alignment errors occur when bits of data arrive out of the
8-bit group they were sent in. These bits must then be
regrouped into their original bytes by the receiving node.
While this does not usually degrade network performance, a
high value in this field could indicate cabling or hardware
problems.
Network collisions occur when two or more nodes attempt to
access the network simultaneously. A high value here will
usually indicate a busy network. In rare cases, however, a
malfunctioning adapter will continuously transmit noise
resulting a higher number of collisions.
The fields, "Good Transmissions" and "Bad Transmissions"
provide you with statistics for successful and unsuccessful
transmissions. Busier networks will have more unsuccessful
transmissions than networks with less frequent use. A high
number of Bad transmissions could indicate a faulty adapter.
"Retransmissions" occur after unsuccessful transmissions.
Once again, look for values that are significantly higher
than the rest of the nodes.
A low value for "Good Receives" could indicate that an
adapter is not receiving network data well. In such cases,
it is best to test this node with only a few other adapters
and make sure this low value is not a result of poor
transmissions from an adjoining network node.
When a node exhausts its supply of buffers, it can no longer
receive data from the network. The field "Resource Exhaust"
keeps count of each time this happens. If your node is
continually running out of buffers, it may be advisable to
set your buffers higher to better accommodate your network
traffic.
If you suspect that there is a hardware problem and an
adapter has a higher than average value in one or more of
the above categories, remove the node from the network and
see how network performance changes. If performance goes up
dramatically the adapter could be at fault.
Adapter Resource Statistics
The values given in this field can help you evaluate how
well your software configuration meets your network needs.
For example, if you don't have enough Network Control Blocks
(NCBs), to process data and commands in and out of the
adapter, network performance will suffer, or some network
software will not run.
If the field "NCBs Available" has a value less than eight
you should consider raising the number of NCBs allowed for
this adapter. You can set this with the NETBIOS command
line switches. A good way to estimate the number of NCBs you
need is to take the number of log ins you will need and add
eight.
The "Max NCBs Allocated" field informs you how many are
allocated in the NETBIOS command line. The maximum
number of NCBs available depends on the NETBIOS.
A session is created any time a connection between two nodes
is made or attempted to be made. If the number given in the
"Active Sessions" seems out of proportion with what you
feel it should be, check your software to make sure it is
configured for the proper number of sessions. The maximum
number of sessions available depends on the NETBIOS.
"Max Packet Size" refers to the largest size data packet
that this adapter can either send or receive. The Maximum
size of a data packet depends on the size of the buffers set
for the adapter.
The field "Number of Names" refers to the number of network
names currently being used. An adapter with a much larger
value than the other adapters may be running a program that
is erroneously creating a large number of names.
To check a second node, press Esc to exit to the previous
window then select the node you want to test and press
ENTER.
You can also check the adapter status of any network node by
pressing Ins while in the first LANCHECK window. A screen
will appear asking you for the name of the node you want to
test. Type in the name exactly as it used by the node in
question, then press ENTER. Normally you will use all
capital letters. The "Adapter Status" window for the
desired node will appear. Repeat this process for each
adapter you want to evaluate. To exit the LANCHECK program
from the main window, press the Esc key.