Buying Additional Network Boards

To expand your network, you have to buy additional network boards. Since Invisible Software cannot supply any more network boards, you will have to buy network boards from another company.

If you're running Windows 95/98, you can use any Ethernet board supported by Windows.

If you're running DOS or Windows 3.X, we recommend the following types of network boards:

• For ISA bus: Get an NE-2000 compatible board.

• For PCI bus, at 10 Mbps: Get a board based on one of the DEC controller chips (21040, 21041, or 21140), if you can find one. Otherwise, get a board based on the Realtek 8029 controller chip.

• For PCI bus, at 100 Mbps: Get a board based on the DEC 21140 controller chip.

• For PCMCIA, get an NE-2000 compatible PCMCIA adapter.

(Note: If you get a board based on the Realtek 8029 controller chip, be sure to read the two articles on the 8029 in our Support FAQ section.)

(Note: If you get a new board based on the DEC 21140 controller chip, and you are using an older version of Invisible LAN for DOS and Windows 3.X, you may need to install updated hardware drivers. The updated drivers are available in our Utilities and Patches section, under "Hardware Patch Programs".)

(Note: We know that the DEC 21140 is discontinued, and so 21140-based boards are almost impossible to find. Sorry, but this is the only 100 Mbps board that the DOS and Windows 3.X version of Invisible LAN ever supported.)

Ethernet boards are readily available from many different vendors. We suggest that you contact a computer products reseller in your area to purchase additional boards. Or, you can consult our reseller list for a list of resellers who are familiar with Invisible LAN.

To use your new boards, you will need to get the adapter-independent version of the Invisible LAN software. The necessary software is available for downloading from this web site, free of charge, in our Software Products section. If you're running DOS or Windows 3.X, download "Adapter Independent Invisible LAN for DOS and Windows 3.X". If you're running Windows 95, download "Invisible LAN for Windows 95". In either case, instructions are included on the download page.

Our adapter-independent software actually supports many other types of network boards. However, we have found that the types of network boards listed above tend to be the most compatible and economical.

Invisible Software does not recommend or endorse any particular manufacturer or vendor of network boards.

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