HP Compaq NC3123 Fastethernet NIC 10/100 Base-T PCI WOL REF

The Compaq NC3123 NIC uses a PCI v2.1/v2.2 bus architecture with the Intel 82559 chipset. The NIC supports emerging standards for system manageability and power management, such as ACPI and PC98. The Compaq NC3123 NIC has one RJ-45 port and auto-negotiates 10 or 100 Mb/s, depending on the speed of the device to which it is connected. Performance is further ensured with a 6 KB buffer memory which makes for low CPU utilization at high throughputs.

The NC3123 features a robust plug and play capability for conflict-free auto configuration. Auto-sensing capabilities enable the NC3123 to automatically negotiate between 10 and 100 Mbps to achieve the highest common speed on the network. Compaq's SmartStart configuration utility includes setup support for the NC3123 so the NIC can be configured easily in server environments.

The Wake on LAN feature lets designers build NICs that can ?listen to�? network activity even when the computer is turned off. WOL NICs have a special low-power standby mode that is active when the rest of the computer is without power. The NIC will respond to a special ?wake-up�? packet sent by another computer or network device. Typically this wake-up packet causes the NIC to signal the computer to power up. For the Wake on LAN (WOL) feature to work correctly, the NC3123 NIC must be connected to a continuous power source. This allows the NIC to listen to the network even when the computer is turned off.

Along with Wake on LAN, the NC3123 also provides standard SNMP MIB support and can be remotely monitored with Compaq Network Management Software (CNMS), Compaq Insight Manager, or any SNMP-compliant management software. Supports DMI 2.0 (Desktop Management Interface) for inventory control and asset management. Supports Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM)

The PCI Hot Plug capability enables PCI networking controllers to be replaced or added to a server without taking the system down.

Network Fault Tolerance (NFT) is a simple, effective, and fail-safe approach to increase the reliability of server connections. NFT gives you the ability to set up link recovery to the server NIC in case of a cable, port, or NIC failure. By assigning two Compaq NICs as a team, NFT enables you to maintain uninterrupted network performance. During normal operation, the backup will have transmit disabled. If the link to the primary NIC fails, the link to the backup NIC automatically takes over.

Adaptive Load Balancing (ALB) creates a team of NICs to increase a server's transmission throughput. ALF works with any 100Base-TX or Gigabit switch. With ALB, as NICs are added to the server, you can group them in teams to provide a single virtual NIC with increased transmission bandwidth. For example, an ALB team containing four Compaq Fast Ethernet NICs configured for full-duplex operation can provide an aggregate, maximum transmit rate of 400 Mb/s and a 100 Mb/s receive rate. In this example, total bandwidth is 500 Mb/s. To use ALB, you must install at least two Compaq NICs in the server and link these to the same network hub/switch.