User manual

AT-1700
4
Your network software also requires some additional software, a
special “interpreter”, which allows your network software to talk
to the particular network adapter card you have installed in your
PC. This interpreter software is called a driver, and a different
driver is required for each network software/network adapter
card combination. ATI has supplied you with drivers for most
common network software. These drivers are on the
CardAssistant diskette, and are selected and installed by the
SETUP17
software on that diskette.
Configuration
One more set of conditions must be satisfied before your adapter
card can use your network; the network adapter card must know
where, within your PC, it is. In the same sense your house uses
an address, a unique house number, and a unique phone number
to interface with the outside world, so does your network
adapter card use unique numbers to describe its logical location
inside your PC.
Only when your network software knows the unique numbers
that describe your adapter card’s location can communications
begin. The numbers will be, literally, one or two addresses and
an interrupt request number (an IRQ). It’s not really necessary
to understand what these numbers mean; it’s only necessary to
verify that they’re unique within your PC. ATI has supplied you
with software to help you define these numbers and establish
their uniqueness.
613-10434-00.bk Page 4 Monday, March 18, 1996 2:53 PM