DEQNA ETHERNET User's Guide

This document is the "DEQNA ETHERNET User's Guide," published by Digital Equipment Corporation in August 1984. It serves as a comprehensive manual for the DEQNA (M7504 module), a Q-Bus Network Adapter designed to connect Digital's LSI-11 processor family to an Ethernet local area network.

The guide covers:

• Ethernet Overview: Explaining the Ethernet architecture, layers, packet format, and network characteristics (10 Mbits/s data rate, coaxial cable, CSMA/CD).
• DEQNA Description and Operation: Detailing the DEQNA's features, functional areas (e.g., Q-Bus DMA Transfer Controller, Ethernet Protocol Processor), its communication with the host via port registers and Buffer Descriptor Lists (BDLs), initialization processes, various loopback modes for testing, and data transmit/receive sequences.
• Installation: Providing procedures for unpacking, pre-installation verification (system requirements, power, bus latency), and physical installation and initial testing of the module.
• Service and Diagnostics: Describing the maintenance philosophy (Field Replaceable Units) and a suite of diagnostic programs, including the Extended Primary Bootstrap, Citizenship Test (CQ), Field Functional Test (ZQNA), and the Network Interconnect Exerciser (NIE), for fault isolation and operational verification.
• Programming: Offering detailed information for software developers on programming the DEQNA, including control and status transfers via registers and DMA transfers using BDLs.

Essentially, this document provides all necessary information for users to install, operate, program, troubleshoot, and maintain the DEQNA Ethernet adapter in a Digital Q-Bus system.