Ascend Archive
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Re: (ASCEND) Experience with NetWarp128 and NetWarpPro?

> From: Steve Brown > Date: Wednesday, June 18, 1997 12:32 PM
> 
> I find it somewhat implausible that the Netwarp 128 would not work with
NT
> 4.0 (Workstation or Server).  Why would Ascend release this product
without
> first certifying its operation with the fastest-growing operating system
on
> the market?  Or does Ascend believe all small-office or SOHO users of NT
> will be buying Pipelines?

Apparently so.  We have a few of the NW cards and have "invested" way
too much time trying to make them work.  Here are the known problems
(i.e. - problems known to Ascend) that we have encountered:

 - card/driver conflicts with SoundBlaster cards or SoundBlaster
chips on motherboards, there is apparently a fixed W95 and NT driver
on Ascend's web site, but you have to wonder about someone who
knowingly (I assume) releases an ISA card with known (presumably?)
conflicts with what might be the most common "option" in a PC.

 - if the card/driver is told to use an IRQ above 10 (at least one
version defaults to IRQ 15), it's a crap shoot whether the card or
system will boot.

 - current NT driver/card can get in to a mode where it consumes all
available cpu cycles.

The Ascend support folks have been very helpful, and very professional
but I get the sense that they are pretty fed up with the problems 
these cards have caused.

Our experience is the same as Dick Bailey's.  Ascend have offered
to buy back the cards which is commendable.  Had we know ahead of time,
we probably would have bought Pipelines (and enet cards for systems
w/o them), but I may have a harder time pushing through a PO for more
Ascend equipment.

> ***************************************************************
> At 06:03 PM 6/18/97 -0400, Dick Bailey wrote:
> >I have tried repeatedly to get a Netwarp128 to work with my NT
Workstation
> >4.0.  - No luck.  Finally in dismay I called Ascend support, the tech
was
> >very helpful, but stated that the Netwarp128 wouldn't work with NT and
> >offered to buy it back if I was unable to return it to the vendor.  He
did
> >say they were working on new drivers and might have something available
> >within 3-4 weeks.  

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