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FAQ: Digi Async Products under Windows NT Frequently Asked Questions
Digi Asynchronous Products and Windows NT
  1. How do I tell what version of the NT driver I am currently loading?
  2. What driver should I install for my intelligent asynchronous Digi product?
  3. How can I tell if myDigi driver has loaded?
  4. The event viewer error message: "Wait confirmation failed" means?
  5. The event viewer error message: "BIOS image failed to load" means?
  6. The event viewer error message: "While validating that COMx was really a serial port, the contents of the divisor latch register was identical to the interrupt enable and the receive registers. The device is assumed not to be a serial port and will be deleted" means?
  7. The event viewer error message: "User configuration for parameter ntx*Line1Concentrator1Port1 must have PortAddress." "User configuration for parameter Serial0 must have PortAddress." means?
  8. The event viewer error message: "Source ntx* could not be found. It contains the following insertion string(s): ntx*" means?
  9. RAS Port Status waivers between Hardware Failure, Line Non-Operational and Normal, Waiting for Call.
  10. Remote Access Service is not yielding expected throughput.
  11. What type of modem pooling software is available for NT?
  12. What are the installation instructions for the PC/X and MC/X under Windows NT?
  13. What options are available for testing the ports under Windows NT?
  14. I'm writing my own application and I am not able to access any ports above COM9.
  15. How do you install printers on the Digi ports?
  16. The Modem Xem is not being auto detected by RAS (Windows NT 3.51).
  17. The following error appears in the event viewer: "No mapping between account names and security ID's".
  18. What are the best steps for upgrading from NT 3.51 to NT 4.0?
  19. Where can the source code for TTY be found?
  20. After upgrading to Service Pack 5 for NT 3.51 the Digi ports do not function
  21. System freezes when Digi PCI driver attempts to load
  22. Where could I find sample source code for programming assistance?
  23. Modem em ports are not working properly with Lotus Notes
  24. When installing the Acceleport Xr PCI, the following error appears in the event viewer: "No PCI board is present"
  25. In Performance Monitor, when monitoring the TAPISRV process, CPU utilization approaches 100%
  26. Trouble with disconnections with Lotus Notes at speeds above 19.2KBps
  27. Problems with slow throughput or transmission errors on Digi ports
  28. How do I enable RTS Toggle within the Digi driver?
  29. Intermittent problems with Remote Access and Digi ports
  30. How do I export my registry to a text file to send to support for troubleshooting?
  31. Faxes sent with Zetafax software result in garbage transmissions
  32. How do I save my devices and system summary to a text file to send to support for troubleshooting?

  1. How do I tell what version of the NT driver I am currently loading?
  2. Select File Manager (NT 3.51) or Windows Explorer (NT 4.0). In the following path: <WINNT>/System32/Drivers, select the DIGIFEP5.* file. Highlight this file and click on "File", "Properties". A description will be displayed which includes the version number.

  3. What driver should I install for my intelligent asynchronous Digi product?

  4. The drivers that ship with Microsoft Windows NT 3.51, and NT 4.0 are no longer the most current Digi drivers for NT. The current released driver is version 2.4.0, and may be downloaded the ftp site. The downloadable filename is 4000821T.exe
  5. How can I tell if myDigi driver has loaded?

  6. First, verify that there are no event viewer errors in the system log that reference "Digi".
    By looking under Control Panel, Ports, you should see all of the Digi ports listed there. Do NOT make any changes to the settings in Control Panel, Ports. The Digi driver does not refer to these settings - baud rate, flow control, etc should be configured within your application.
    Do NOT add the Digi ports to Control Panel, Ports. If they do not display after installing the driver under Control Panel, Network the Digi driver has not loaded properly. Remove the driver, reboot and try reinstalling.
  7. The event viewer error message: "Wait confirmation failed" means?
  8. Check the dip switch settings on the board. Typically this error message indicates that the dip switch settings on the board do not match the I/O address chosen in the driver configuration.

    Verify that the correct driver has been installed for the Digi product. An incorrect driver will also cause this error message.

    Verify that the I/O address chosen does not conflict with any other devices in the system.

  9. The event viewer error message: "BIOS image failed to load" means?
  10. Verify that the memory address chosen does not conflict with any other devices in the system.

    If the system is an ISA machine, verify that shadowing has been disabled in the CMOS setup for the memory range the Digi board is being installed in.

    If the system is an EISA machine, verify that the board has been configured in the system's EISA configuration utility, and that the settings chosen in the ECU match the settings chosen when the driver was configured.  Be sure that a Digi supplied EISA configuration file was used.

    If the system is a MCA machine, verify that the board has been configured with the reference diskette for the system, and that the settings chosen match the settings chosen when the driver was configured.

    If there are no known memory conflicts, and shadowing has been disabled, run the DOS diagnostic for the Digi product to verify the hardware.

  11. The following event viewer error message : "While validating that COMx was really a serial port, the contents of the divisor latch register was identical to the interrupt enable and the receive registers. The device is assumed not to be a serial port and will be deleted" means?
  12. Most likely conflicting non-intelligent port(s) have been configured. This usually occurs when changes are made in Control Panel, Ports. The conflict must be removed either by changing the names of the Digi ports to avoid the conflict or by removing the conflicting serial port configuration(s).

      To remove these error messages, follow these steps:
    1. Start the registry editor by typing "start regedt32" from the command prompt.
    2. Select the following: HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE on Local Machine, System, CurrentControlSet, Services, Serial, Parameters. Typically, no keys should be listed beneath Parameters. Check the values of any keys listed to locate the conflicting serial port(s).
    3. Delete any conflicting keys under Parameters. Highlight the serial port key and press "Delete". Repeat for each conflicting serial port configuration. Reboot the system and check the event viewer to verify that the error messages do not reoccur. The errors may reappear later if any operations are attempted in Control Panel, Ports.
    CAUTION: Any mistakes made in editing the registry may have disasterous results requiring you to boot to a different Control Set or to reload Windows NT.
  13. The following event viewer error message(s) : "User configuration for parameter ntx*Line1Concentrator1Port1 must have PortAddress." "User configuration for parameter Serial0 must have PortAddress." means?
  14. These errors are a result of a bug in the Control Panel, Ports applet. The problem has been reported to Microsoft. To remove these error messages, follow these steps:

    1. Start the Registry Editor by typing "start regedt32" at a command prompt.
    2. Select the following: HKey_Local_Machine on Local Machine, System, CurrentControlSet, Services, Serial, Parameters. Typically, no keys should be listed beneath Parameters. Check the values of any keys listed to locate the conflicting serial port(s).
    3. Delete any conflicting keys under Parameters. Highlight the serial port key and press "Delete". Repeat for each conflicting serial port configuration. Reboot the system and check the event viewer to verify that the error messages do not reoccur. The errors may reappear later if any operations are attempted in Control Panel, Ports.
    CAUTION: Any mistakes made in editing the registry may have disasterous results requiring you to boot to a different Control Set or to reload Windows NT.
  15. The following event viewer error message: "Source ntx* could not be found. It contains the following insertion string(s): ntx*" means?
  16. The Digi driver is not configured properly. Follow these steps to correct the problem:

    1. Go into Control Panel, Network.
    2. Highlight the Digi adapter and click on "Remove".
    3. Choose "OK".
    4. Choose "Do Not Restart Now".
    5. Go into File Manager, choose the <WINNT path>/System32 path. Delete the dgconfig.* file(s).
    6. Restart your system and reinstall the Digi driver.
  17. RAS Port Status waivers between Hardware Failure, Line Non-Operational and Normal, Waiting for Call.

  18. This error can result from one of several different causes:

    1. Using 8 pin RJ45 cabling instead of 10 pin cabling. 10 pin RJ45 cabling is required for Remote Access Service.

    2. The modem.inf file which shipped with NT 3.51 is not current or not correct. Check with the modem manufacturer to obtain a more current version of the modem.inf file. If you are using the unimodem with NT 4.0, be sure that your modem type is supported by unimodem. Verify this with your modem manufacturer. If the modem is not supported by unimodem, refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base document Q150808 on how to disable unimodem.

    3. Not selecting the correct modem type in RAS.

    4. With US Robotics Sportster modems, the dip switches on the modem are not set correctly for use with RAS. Switches 3, 7, and 8 should be down - different from factory default.

    5. The registry may have the wrong information. To see if this is the case: Start the Registry editor by typing "start regedt32" at a command prompt. From the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree, go to the following key: \System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Asyncmac\Parameters\ports

    This entry may be set to a value that is less than the number of incoming ports available. If NetBEUI is not loaded, this entry is not updated properly. If this is the case, first install NetBEUI, then reinstall the Digi driver, and then reinstall RAS. Simply editing the port value in the registry is not suggested and will not correct the problem (refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base document Q138226).

    6. The Digi hardware could be defective.

    7. The system may be running out of resources. If this is the case, disable some or all of the ports for outgoing calls and make them incoming lines only. For each outgoing connection/protocol pair, a Control Block is required. This uses an amount of memory equal to: (Number of ports)*(Protocols per port)*sizeof(Control Block) However, DialIn ports have just one Control Block for 256 connections.

  19. Remote Access Service is not yielding expected throughput.
  20. For Windows NT 3.51:

    Edit the modem.inf and serial.ini files to indicate the desired baud rate by following these steps:

    In the modem.inf file, which can be found in the following subdirectory: <NTpath>/system32/RAS/modem.inf in the section corresponding to your modem type, the specified parameters can be changed to match your desired baud rate:

    Example:

    US Robotics Sportster 28800 VFC] <-your modem type

    CALLBACKTIME=10

    DEFAULTOFF=compression

    MAXCARRIERBPS=115200 <- choose baud rate

    MAXCONNECTBPS=115200 <- choose baud rate

    <speaker_on>=M1

    <speaker_off>=M0

    <hwflowcontrol_on>=&H1&R2

    <hwflowcontrol_off>=&H0&R1

    <compression_on>=&K1

    <compression_off>=&K0

    .

    .

    .

    Also, in the serial.ini file, which can be found in the following subdirectory: <NTpath>/system32/RAS/serial.ini within each section corresponding to each port on the Digi board, the specified parameters can be changed to match your desired baud rate.

    Example:

    [COM2]

    DEVICETYPE=Modem

    DEVICENAME=US Robotics Sportster 28800 VFC

    MAXCONNECTBPS=115200 <- choose baud rate

    MAXCARRIERBPS=115200 <- choose baud rate

    USAGE=ClientAndServer

    DEFAULTOFF=compression

    CLIENT_DEFAULTOFF=Compression

    INITIALBPS=115200 <- choose baud rate

    .

    .

    .

    For Windows NT 4.0:

    If you are using the unimodem with NT 4.0, go into Control Panel, Modems, highlight the modem and click on Properties. Change the Maximum Speed to the desired baud rate.

  21. What type of modem pooling software is available for NT?

  22. Modem Pooling Applications are listed below:

    1. SAPS

      Supported by SpartaCom
      Supports modem pooling on Windows, Windows NT, and OS/2 Servers
      SpartaCom USA

      1951 Airport Road
      Atlanta, GA 30341
      770-946-9149
      FAX 770-946-5194
      Compuserve 70613,457

      SpartaCom Sales Europe B.V.
      Parelgris 48 STE 211 2718 NV Zoetermeer
      The Netherlands
      31 79 614 140
      FAX 31 79 619 990
      Compuserve 100265,1625
      Email Spartacom@IB.COM

      The SAPS Windows 95 client and server software is downloadable from www.tspco.com.

    2. WINport/FAXport

      Supported by LANSource
      Supports modem & faxmodem pooling on WindowsNT, Novell, and OS/2 servers.

      LANSource
      221 Dufferin Street STE 310A
      Toronto, Canada M6K 3J2
      800-677-2727, 416-535-3555
      FAX 416-535-6225
      Email sales@lansource.com

  23. What are the installation instructions for the PC/X and MC/X under Windows NT?

  24.  

    The installation instructions are found in the pcx_nt.txt document. This document may be downloaded from the ftp site. The downloadable filename is pcx_nt.txt

  25. What options are available for testing the ports under Windows NT?

  26.  

    For Windows NT 3.51, COM1 through COM9, use the Terminal program located in the Accessories folder. Choose Settings, Communications, and select the port you have connected the modem to. Configure the communications settings to match the modem and choose "OK". A blinking cursor will appear. Type "AT" and hit return. The letters "AT" should be echoed back to the console as well as an "OK". This will show that data was sent to the modem and a response was received back from the modem. If you have a Digi loopback connector on the port, the characters that you type within the terminal session should be echoed back to the console. This will show that data is being both transmitted and received on the port.

    For Windows NT 3.51 or NT 4.0, COM1 through COM256, use Digi's TTY program. This program is available on the ftp site. Choose Settings, and select the port you have connected the modem to. Configure the communications settings to match the modem and choose "OK". Then choose Action, Connect. A blinking cursor will appear. Type "AT" and hit return. The letters "AT" should be echoed back to the console as well as an "OK". This will show that data was sent to the modem and a response was received back from the modem. If you have a Digi loopback connector on the port, the characters that you type within the terminal session should be echoed back to the console. This will show that data is being both transmitted and received on the port.

    NOTE: It is possible to start two instances of TERMINAL or TTY and test the ports by connecting them with a standard "NULL MODEM" cable. Set each to the same baud rate, parity, and stop bits. Try typing some characters in the active window. If you see characters appearing in the opposite window, then the ports are communicating.

  27. I'm writing my own application and I am not able to access any ports above COM9.
  28. In Windows NT, the ports above COM9 must be addressed with the following naming convention: \\.\COM#. For example, COM10 should be addressed as \\.\COM10. You may also address COM1-9 with the same naming convention. Windows NT will recognize either name.

  29. How do you install printers on the Digi ports?
  30. Verify that you are using a null modem cable between the Digi port and the printer.

    For Windows NT 3.51:

    To set up the Digi ports for printing, go into Print Manager. If you have not already created a printer, select "Create Printer". Fill in the required information for the new printer (printer name, driver).

      1. For the "Print to :" option, select "Other", then select "Local port".

      2. Type in the Digi port name followed by a colon (for example, COM5:). This will bring up the Ports applet.

      3. Select the port you have just configured from the list displayed, and choose "Settings". Set the baud rate to 9600, data bits to 8, parity to none and stop bits to 1.

      4. Select "OK" and then "Close".

    Repeat these steps for any additional printers you need to add. For printers that have already been created, select "Properties" for that printer, and then follow the above instructions. Once you have configured all the ports you will be using for printing, you must restart NT. You may notice that the ports you have configured do not show up under the "Print to:" list. These will not display until after you restart NT.

    Once you have restarted NT, go back to Print Manager, and select "Properties" for each printer. Go to the "Print to:" option, and select the Digi port from the list displayed.

    For Windows NT 4.0:

    To set up the Digi ports for printing, go into Control Panel, Printers. If you have not already added a printer, select "Add Printer". Select My Computer and then Next. On the Add Printer Wizard screen, check the LPT1: box (this will be temporary until the Digi ports are added). Click Next. Select the required information for the new printer (printer name, driver). At this point, do not print a test page. Select Finish. An icon for this printer will now appear in the Control Panel, Printers window.

    1. Highlight the printer you will be configuring on the Digi port and select "File", "Properties". Select the "Ports" tab, then select "Add Port".

    2. Highlight Local Port and then select "New Port". Type in the Digi port name followed by a colon (for example, COM5:) and click "OK". This will bring up the Ports applet.

    3. Select the port you have just configured from the list displayed, and choose "Settings". Set the baud rate to 9600, data bits to 8, parity to none and stop bits to 1.

    4. Select "OK", "Close" and then "Close". You will notice that the port you have configured does not appear in the "Print to:" list. These will not display until after you restart NT.

    5. Restart Windows NT

    6. Once you have restarted NT, go back to Control Panel, Printers, and select "Properties" for the printer. Go to the "Ports" tab, and select the Digi port from the list displayed.

    Repeat these steps for any additional printers you need to add.

  31. The Modem Xem is not being auto detected by RAS (Windows NT 3.51).
  32. When the Modem Xem driver is installed, the modem.inf entry for this modem type should be written to the existing modem.inf file. However, if RAS is not already installed when the Modem Xem is installed, there is no existing modem.inf file to write to. In this case, once RAS is installed, before adding the Modem Xem ports to RAS, you must first go back into Control Panel, Network, and configure the Modem Xem driver. Once you have viewed the configuration, click on "OK" to exit the Network settings applet. During the rebinding process, the modem.inf entry for the Modem Xem product will be written to the modem.inf file in the /system32/ras directory. Once that is complete, restart NT, and reconfigure RAS. The Modem Xem should now display as a modem option and the modems should now be autodetected by RAS.

  33. The following error appears in the event viewer: "No mapping between account names and security ID's".
  34. This error message indicates that you have either physically removed your PCI adapter from the system while the driver was still installed, or changed slots without removing the driver. Removing and reinstalling the Digi driver should resolve this problem.

  35. What are the best steps for upgrading from NT 3.51 to NT 4.0?
  36. If you have Digi ports configured in Remote Access Service, you will want to upgrade by following these steps:

    • Upgrade the NT operating system from 3.51 to 4.0.
    • Remove the Digi driver
    • Reinstall the latest released Digi driver available on our web site
    This way your RAS port configuration is maintained.
  37. Where can the source code for TTY be found?
  38. It is a standard sample in the Microsoft SDK and can be found at drive:\mstools\samples\win32\comm.

  39. After upgrading to Service Pack 5 for NT 3.51 the Digi ports do not function
  40. Service Pack 5 for Windows NT 3.51 downgrades the Digi driver without prompting the user. You will need to remove the Digi driver, reboot, and reinstall the latest released Digi driver for your product.

  41. System freezes when Digi PCI driver attempts to load
  42. When installing the driver for a Digi PCI adapter, if the system freezes or blue screens on bootup, the problem may be related to a known Microsoft problem described in Microsoft Knowledge Base Q148501 (this is true for both Windows NT 3.51 and 4.0). If this is the case, there are two possible workarounds for this problem. First, you may edit the boot.ini file. This is a read-only file located in the root directory of the drive you have NT installed on (this only applies to Intel based platforms). Change the attributes of the file from read-only, and then edit the file. Add the /PCILOCK parameter to the end of the line that lists the description you select when you boot Windows NT. Microsoft recommends that for either NT 3.51 or NT 4.0 that you have the latest Service Pack installed for your version of NT prior to using this parameter. If this does not resolve the problem, you may try the following:

    To edit the registry for Digi PCI adapter installation in a system with multiple PCI cards:

    Start the registry from the command prompt by typing "start regedt32"

    Go to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on Local Machine/System/CurrentControlSet/Services

    Select the dgapci# key (not the dgapci key). Select Parameters beneath that key.

    To the right hand side, the following value should be listed:

    MemoryMappedBaseAddress REG_DWORD 0x0

    Change MemoryMappedBaseAddress to one of the following values:

    ff800000, ff400000, ff000000, fec00000, fe800000, fe400000, fe000000, fdc00000, fd800000, fd400000, fd000000, fcc00000, fc800000, fc400000, fc000000, fbc00000, fb800000, fb400000

    Once you have made the change in the registry, go to a command prompt, and type "net stop dgapci" and then type "net start dgapci". If the service starts without error, then most likely the memory address that you have chosen will work. At this point, you will need to restart your system for the ports to initialize. If the dgapci service will not start, try another memory address.

    If you have more than one Digi PCI adapter, you will need to use a different value for MemoryMappedBaseAddress for each one.

    One way to determine a value for MemoryMappedBaseAddress would be to run the UD-PCI diagnostic utility in DOS, and use the memory address that the diagnostic utility assigns as the value added to the registry for MemoryMappedBaseAddress.

    Another way to determine a value for MemoryMappedBaseAddress would be to use WINMSD to see what type of resources are being given out, and then pick something which is guaranteed not to conflict. For example, if all of the NT resources are assigned in the F0000000 - FFFFFFFF range, you should try to set the MemoryMappedBaseAddress at E8000000.

    NOTE: If you add another PCI card after going through this process, the problem may occur again. If it does, repeat this process.

  43. Where could I find sample source code for programming assistance?
  44. Microsoft has standard sample code available in the Microsoft SDK, and can be found at drive:\mstools\samples\win32\comm.

    Also, there is a good article titled "Serial Communications in Win32" on the Microsoft website which includes sample code. It can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/win32dev/base/serial.htm

  45. Modem em ports are not working properly with Lotus Notes
  46. Lotus has developed a special MDM file for use with Notes and the Modem em product. This file is downloadable from our ftp site. The downloadable filename is DG8em336.mdm.

  47. When installing the Acceleport Xr PCI, the following error appears in the event viewer: "No PCI board is present"
  48. This error message indicates that either you have an Acceleport Xr PCI RS232 product and have selected the RS422 adapter, or you have an Acceleport Xr PCI RS422 product and have selected the RS232 adapter. If this is not the case, run the DOS based diagnostics for this product to verify the hardware.

  49. In Performance Monitor, when monitoring the TAPISRV process, CPU utilization approaches 100%
  50. To correct this problem, go into Control Panel, Network. Highlight the Digi adapter and select Properties. Change the Close Timeout settings in the Ports Properties of the driver from its default of 25msec to 0msec. Make this change for each port. Reboot the system for this change to take effect.

  51. Trouble with disconnections with Lotus Notes at speeds above 19.2KBps
  52. Verify that hardware flow control is enabled.
    Verify that you have selected the correct MDM file for your modem type.
    If both of the above have been verified and you are still having trouble, please contact Digi Tech Support

  53. Problems with slow throughput or transmission errors on Digi ports
  54. Go into Control Panel, Network. Highlight the Digi Adapter and select Properties. For each port on the board, select Properties and clear the checkbox labeled "Complete Writes When Transmit Complete". Reboot the system for the changes to take effect.

  55. How do I enable RTS Toggle within the Digi driver?
  56. Currently the FEP for the Windows NT Digi driver does not support RTS Toggle.

  57. Intermittent problems with Remote Access and Digi ports
  58. Be sure that the only ports that are configured in RAS are ports that have modems physically attached. If any ports are configured in RAS that do not have modems attached, remove them and reboot the system.

  59. How do I export my registry to a text file to send to support for troubleshooting?
  60. To export a copy of your registry to a file, first go to a command prompt. Type "start regedt32". This will bring up a series of windows. Highlight "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE". Select "Registry", "Save Subtree As". This will bring up a window allow you to select a file name. Save the file as file type "Text files" and then forward it along with your case number to support@digi.com.

  61. Faxes sent with Zetafax software result in garbage transmissions
  62. Edit the /zfax/system/z-db/setup.ini file. Change the "SendInit:" line in this file to enable XON/XOFF handshaking. The parameter required to enable XON/XOFF handshaking depends on the modem type. For the Digi Modem em product, the "SendInit:" line should be changed to "SendInit: AT \Q1". For other modem types, consult your modem’s documentation for the correct parameters.
     

  63. How do I save my devices and system summary to a text file to send to support for troubleshooting?

  64. First, go into Control Panel, Printers, and Add a new Printer.  Select My Computer and then
    click Next.  From the list of Available Ports displayed, select "FILE:" and click Next.   From the list of Manufacturers, select "Generic".  From the new list of printers displayed, select "Generic/Text Only" and click Next.   Select this as your default printer and
    click Next.  It is not necessary to share this printer (click next).  It is not necessary to print a test page (click "No" and finish).  A new printer icon for this printer will be displayed.

    Now, go to Programs, Administrative Tools, Windows NT Diagnostics. Select "Print".  Under "Scope", select "All Tabs".  Under "Detail Level", select "Complete".
    Under "Destination", select "Default Printer".  A window will display allowing you to select a name for this file.  Forward this file along with your case number to
    support@digi.com.

    After this is complete, go back to Control Panel, Printers and reassign your normal default printer.
     

Last updated February 10, 1998


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