DynamicAccess Technology

Q&A

DynamicAccess LAN software Q&A

DynamicAccess Desktop Management Interface Q&A

Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) Q&A

DynamicAccess LAN software

Q: How are the various software components integrated in DynamicAccess LAN software?

A: DynamicAccess software is a single piece of software, or "advanced network driver", will integrate Traffic Prioritization, dRMON, and Efficient Multicast Control support. There are several important advantages to this new architecture. First of all, all of the various DynamicAccess software components will now share common resources, so the overhead placed on the end system in minimized. Furthermore, through this integration, the various components are in a position to share data and help tune each others' performance. Also, this unified architecture allows for a common installation that can be executed from a remote location.

This new architecture will also allow for future DynamicAccess LAN software features to be easily added.

Q: What NICs will be supported in DynamicAccess LAN software? What OSs and NOSs?

A: All 3Com Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet NICs will be supported on Windows 9X and NT3.51/4.0 desktops and servers [note: GMRP Efficient Multicast support will also be available for any NDIS-compliant NIC]. In general, the DynamicAccess software will operate in any network.

Q: How can DynamicAccess LAN software be configured?

A: Several options are available to configure the software. The primary configuration will be done centrally by the network manager. The network manager will be able to disable any local control to insure that their centralized policies are maintained.

Q: If a customer has a mixed NIC or OS environment, can they get value from DynamicAccess software?

A: In general, the greater the number of end systems with DynamicAccess software, the better the support. However, even if there are desktops or servers that cannot be currently supported by DynamicAccess software, considerable benefits can still be obtained from those end systems that do have DynamicAccess software. All DynamicAccess software features have been designed to work with the assumption that they may be deployed in a multi-vendor NIC environment, and all features will adjust accordingly if a target system does not have DynamicAccess software installed.

DynamicAccess Desktop Management Interface

Q: I am using Dell Open Manage Client 4.3. I upgraded from Dell Open Manage Client 4.2 and the agent does not act properly. How can I fix this?

A: Stop all DMI programs including Open Manage and 3Com DMI Agent. On an NT PC, 3Com DMI Agent is a service and can be stopped through the Service Control Manager in the Control Panel. On a Win9X PC:

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to open the Close Program window.
2. Select the 3CDMINIC.EXE.
3. Click End Task.
4. Go to the windows system directory.
5. Rename the following files to a different name:
   
   WCDMI.DLL,
   WDIMUTIL.DLL,
   WCDMIDCE.DLL
   
   provided that Open Manage Adminstrator 4.3 is installed and no other application is using these DLLs
   
   
6. Reboot the PC.
7. Rerun Open Manage and 3Com Network Interface Card should appear as a manageable DMI component

Q: I am using Windows 3.51. Can I use all the Desktop Management Interface alerts?

A: No. Win 3.51 only supports the basic features outlined in the user guide.

Q: Which DMI browsers work with 3Com's DMI agent?

A: The following DMI browsers have been tested with the 3Com DMI agent:

• HP Top Tools
• Intel Landesk
• Computer Associates
• Tivoli
• Smart Technologies
• Dell Open Image
• Compag Insight

Q: Is the 3Com DMI agent compliant with the DMI 1.0 specification?

A: No. The 3Com DMI agent is only compliant with DMI 2.0 specifications.

Q: The 3Com DMI agent no longer works after I removed all the network adapters from the Network Control Panel.

A: To view the 3Com DMI agent again, the following must be done:

1. uninstall 3Com DMI Agent in the Add/Remove Control Panel applet
2. reboot system as instructed
3. install 3Com DMI Agent again

• Win9x
• only happen when ALL NIC drivers are removed (including dial-up adapter)

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