DIAG for Windows NT
===================

                                               LSS 5.0(0), August 1996
                                               -----------------------

Introduction
============

DIAG_NT is the  latest  version  of  the  Madge  Ringnode  Diagnostics 
program.  It uses Madge FastMAC technology and tests the functionality 
of  Madge  ringnodes  in  computers  running  the Windows NT operating 
system.

DIAG_NT contains 2 test  suites:  the  standard  test  suite  and  the 
connection  test  suite.   It  also  displays the configuration of the 
ringnodes in your computer.  The test  parameters  may  be  configured 
while running DIAG_NT, or by using command line parameters.

The standard test suite checks that your ringnode can send and receive 
frames  over  the  ring  without  loss  or corruption.  It checks in a 
practical way that  your  adapter  is  correctly  configured  in  your 
computer and that its network connection is functioning correctly.

The  connection  test sets up a connection between 2 computers running 
DIAG_NT, and checks that they can send frames to  each  other  without 
loss or corruption.


Installing DIAG_NT
==================

DIAG_NT consists of the following 3 files:

        DSETUP.EXE      a program to install DIAG_NT

        DIAG_NT.EXE     the DIAG_NT main program

        DIAG_NT.SYS     a device driver for Windows NT, used by the
                        DIAG_NT main program to control Madge
                        ringnodes

To  install  DIAG_NT,  run DSETUP and follow the instructions.  DSETUP 
installs the DIAG_NT files, then creates a program group and  icon  to 
allow you to run DIAG_NT.


Running DIAG_NT
===============

To run DIAG_NT without any command line parameters, choose the DIAG_NT 
icon  created  by the DSETUP program (double-click the icon, or select 
the icon, then choose Open from the Program Manager's File menu).

To run DIAG_NT with command line parameters,  open  a  Command  Prompt 
window,  CD  to  the directory in which DSETUP installed DIAG_NT, then 
type the following at the command prompt:

        DIAG_NT [parameter=value ...]

All command line parameters are also changeable  from  within  DIAG_NT 
(see  "The  Test Configuration dialog").  The following parameters and 
values are permitted:

        IO=0xnnnn       Test the adapter at IO location 0xnnnn  (a hex
                        number).  The default behaviour is to look for
                        all adapters in the computer.

                                Example:  IO=0x1A20

        IRQ=n           Configure the  adapter to use  IRQ number n if
                        possible.  Check that the adapter is using IRQ
                        number n if not.

                        For some card types, an IRQ number need not be
                        given, because DIAG_NT can determine which IRQ
                        the card is using,  or  decides which  IRQ  to
                        use.  For other card types,  DIAG_NT cannot do
                        this, and an IRQ number must be specified.

        DMA=n           Configure the adapter to use  DMA channel n if
                        possible.  Check that the adapter is using DMA
                        channel n if not.

                        For some card types, a DMA channel need not be
                        given, because DIAG_NT can determine which DMA
                        channel the adapter is using, or decides which
                        DMA channel to use.   For other adapter types,
                        DIAG_NT cannot do this, and a DMA channel must
                        be specified.

        XFERMODE=mode   Use data transfer mode mode if possible.  mode
                        must be one of the following:

                            mode
                            ----
                            PIO
                            DMA
                            MMIO (Intel platforms only)

                        If XFERMODE is not specified then DIAG_NT will
                        choose a default  data  transfer mode suitable
                        for the card being tested.

        SPEED=n         Use ring speed n Mbps if possible.   n must be
                        4 or 16.

        LOOPBACK=n      The number of  frames  sent in  loopback  mode
                        during the standard  test suite.   The default
                        is 200.   Specify  LOOPBACK=SOAK  to  run this
                        test until it fails or is interrupted.

        INSERT=n        The  number  of  frames  sent in  insert  mode
                        during the standard test suite.   The  default
                        is 4000.  Specify INSERT=SOAK to run this test
                        until it fails or is interrupted.

        SINGLESTATION=yes/no    If SINGLESTATION is yes  then  DIAG_NT
                        will check,  when  it  opens  the  adapter  in
                        insert mode during the  standard  test  suite,
                        that it is not the only station on the ring. 
                        If it is, then the test will fail.  This is to
                        allow  you  to  check  that  the  adapter  has
                        inserted into the  ring properly,  and has not
                        been wrapped out at the  hub.   The default is
                        no.

        FRAMETYPE=frametype     The type of frame  to send  during the
                        transmission tests in the standard test suite.
                        frametype must be one of the following:

                            frametype
                            ---------
                            STD_FRAMES      512 byte frames
                            MAX4_FRAMES     Maximum size for 4 Mbps
                            MAX16_FRAMES    Maximum size for 16 Mbps
                            TINY_FRAMES     minimum size frames
                            INCR_FRAMES     16, 32, 48 ... max size
                            JITTER_FRAMES   network stress frames

                        The default is 512 byte frames.

        LOSTFRAMERATE=n
        LOSTFRAMETHRESHOLD=n    DIAG_NT  will  report  an  adapter  as
                        faulty if there  are  too  many frames lost or
                        corrupted  during a  transmission test.   "Too
                        many" means that the proportion of frames lost
                        or corrupted exceeds 1 in LOSTFRAMERATE.  Even
                        a working  adapter  might lose a few frames on
                        an  active  network  (because  of  other nodes
                        inserting and deinserting).  DIAG_NT therefore
                        allows LOSTFRAMETHRESHOLD frames to be lost or
                        corrupted without  the  test  failing.   So an
                        adapter will fail the transmission test if and
                        only  if the  proportion  of  frames  lost  or
                        corrupted exceeds  1 in LOSTFRAMERATE  and the
                        number  of  frames lost  or  corrupted exceeds
                        LOSTFRAMETHRESHOLD.  The  default  values  are
                        LOSTFRAMERATE=200 and LOSTFRAMETHRESHOLD=5. On
                        a very quiet network, suitable values might be
                        1000000 and 0,  so that even a single  lost or
                        corrupted frame  in a million  would  cause  a
                        failure.

The standard test suite
=======================

This consists of the following sequence of tests:

        Open in loopback mode

        Transmit loopback frames  (tests the adapter's ring  interface
                circuitry and the lobe cable connection up to the MAU)

        Close the adapter

        Open in insert mode

        Transmit frames over the ring  (tests the adapter's connection
                to the ring)

        Close the adapter


The connection test suite
=========================

This consists of the following sequence of tests:

        Open in insert mode

        Look for other computers running the connection test

        Establish a connection with one of them

        Exchange frames with the other computer

        Close the adapter


Navigating around DIAG_NT
=========================

When DIAG_NT is run, it searches for adapter cards  in  the  computer, 
then displays a brief description of those it has found, and waits for 
the user to select from the main menu what action to take next.


The main menu
-------------

The main menu consists of the following:

        (a) select a card               - allows the user to select a
                                          particular card from the
                                          list of those found.

        (b) test card                   - tests the selected card (see
                                          "Testing a card").

        (c) display card configuration  - displays the configuration
                                          of the selected card (see
                                          "The Card Configuration
                                          dialog").

        (d) configure test              - allows the user to change
                                          various test parameters or
                                          card selection and
                                          configuration parameters
                                          (see "The Test Configuration
                                          dialog").

        (e) search for adapters         - searches for adapter cards,
                                          in the same way as when
                                          DIAG_NT was first run.

        (f) connection test             - runs the connection test on
                                          the selected card (see 
                                          "Testing a card").

        (g) quit                        - quit from DIAG_NT.


Testing a card / the test menu
------------------------------

Selecting  "test  card"  from  the  main menu starts the standard test 
suite.  (If DIAG_NT thinks that testing the card is dangerous, because 
it might delete your network connections or  crash  your  computer, it 
warns you and allows you to back out.)

The standard test suite tests the adapter card by connecting it to the 
ring,  in loopback and insert modes, then transmitting some frames and 
checking that they are received properly.

DIAG_NT  displays  the  tests  being  performed  and  how   they   are 
progressing.   It  also  displays  various configuration items as they 
become available.

The user may hit F6 during testing to  pause  the  tests  (hitting  F6 
again  causes testing to resume).  Or, the user may hit Esc to abandon 
the tests.  If DIAG_NT is in the middle  of  some  action  then  there 
might be a short pause before it notices that a key has been hit.

The tests will continue until one of the following happens:

        All the tests in the test suite complete successfully.

        A test fails (the reason for failure is displayed).

        The user hits Esc to stop testing.

The test menu is then displayed.  This consists of the following:

        (a) back to main menu           - go back to the main menu.

        (b) test card again             - tests the card again,
                                          starting with the first test
                                          in the test suite.

        (c) display card configuration  - displays the configuration
                                          of the card (see "The Card
                                          Configuration dialog").

        (d) configure test              - allows the user to change
                                          various test parameters or
                                          card selection and
                                          configuration parameters
                                          (see "The Test Configuration
                                          dialog").


The Card Configuration dialog
-----------------------------

This displays the configuration of the selected card.  The information 
shown depends on the card type.

Hit any key to end this dialog.


The Test Configuration dialog
-----------------------------

The  test  configuration  dialog  allows you to change any of the test 
parameters or card selection and configuration parameters from  within 
DIAG_NT.   These  are  the same parameters as may be configured on the 
command line.  See "DIAG_NT command line options" for a description of 
these parameters and their values.   The  following  table  shows  the 
relation  between  the names and values of the command line parameters 
and the way they appear in the Test Configuration dialog:

        on command line         in Test Configuration dialog
        ---------------         ----------------------------
        IO                      IO location
        IRQ                     Interrupt
        DMA                     DMA channel
        XFERMODE                Transfer mode
        SPEED                   Ring speed
        LOOPBACK                Frames sent in loopback mode
        INSERT                  Frames sent in insert mode
        SINGLESTATION           Fail if only node on the ring
        FRAMETYPE               Type of test frame to use
                STD_FRAMES              512 byte frames
                MAX4_FRAMES             Maximum size for 4 Mbps
                MAX16_FRAMES            Maximum size for 16 Mbps
                TINY_FRAMES             minimum size frames
                INCR_FRAMES             16, 32, 48 ... max size
                JITTER_FRAMES           network stress frames
        LOSTFRAMERATE           Maximum permitted lost frame rate
        LOSTFRAMETHRESHOLD      Lost frame threshold

To change the value of one of these parameters by using the Test
Configuration dialog:

        Select "(b) select an item" from the Test Configuration menu.

        Use the up and down arrows to select the item, then hit Enter.

        The current value is displayed.  Hit one of the following:

                F4      to leave it unchanged

                F5      to use the default value

                F6      to change the value.  Depending on the item
                        being changed, you should type in a numerical
                        value or select a value from a menu.  For the
                        numbers of frames sent in the transmission
                        tests, you may hit F5 to make the test send
                        frames until it fails or is interrupted.

When you have set up all the parameters as required, select "(a) done" 
from the Test Configuration menu to end this dialog.


The connection test
-------------------

Selecting "connection test" from the main menu starts  the  connection 
test  suite.   This tries to set up a connection with another computer 
running the  connection  test  suite,  and  tests  the  connection  by 
exchanging data frames.  The other computer can be running DIAG_NT, or 
other versions of the Madge Ringnode Diagnostics program running under 
different operating systems.

The  tests  proceed  in  a  similar  way to those in the standard test 
suite: the user may hit F6 or Esc to pause or abandon the tests.

During  the  "Listen  for  connection"  test,  DIAG_NT  displays   the 
identities  of  the  other  machines  that  it  has  found running the 
connection test suite.  The user should  select  one  of  these  other 
machines  by using the up and down arrows and then hitting Enter (this 
should be done at just one of the machines that will take part in  the 
connection).   DIAG_NT moves on to the "Establish connection" test and 
then the following tests.

When the connection test suite finishes or is  interrupted,  the  test 
menu  is  displayed,  as  for the standard test suite.  See "Testing a 
card / the test menu" for further details.


Implementation notes
====================

This release of DIAG_NT has the following limitations:

        The connection test will not work across a source routing
        bridge.

        You should not try to run DIAG_NT more than once at the same
        time.  Any attempt to do so might crash your machine.

        You should not attempt to control the MadgeDiag device from
        the Devices applet in the Control Panel.  Any attempt to do
        so might crash your machine.

        Only administrators may run DIAG_NT.

        DIAG_NT does not run on multi-processor machines.

Some or all of these limitations might be removed in  future  releases 
of DIAG_NT.


                      ***** end of DIAG_NT.TXT *****
