PCI Serial Expansion card problem

[KeyserSoze1877]

I have two identical IBM eServers, I don't know the model number,forgot. Anyhow, I installed a PCI serial expansion card in both. 2 Extra slots to become COM 3 and COM4, I installed wo more of the same cards in two test boxes which are Dells. The hardware I dont think is relevant to the problem.

On all the servers except one IBM, they work. On the other the cards instal fine, check out, but when the program tries to communicae to COM 3 or 4, it locks. On the other servers, the exact same program on the exact same brand cards no problem. Works perfectly. I removed one of the working cards, installed it into the problimatic IBM, into a different PCI slot than the other card and I get the same exact behavior. I take the old card put it into another machine and works fine.

What's the deal? Is there a BIOS setting for extra COMs? A dying machine? What? The rest of the SCSI cards, harware are all working fine on this box. I have spent two days trying to resolve this problem, its quite urgent. Now, I have to build a new box to replace the old one.

Any input would be nice.

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Keyser Soze
"Vote Pedro.

 

[edfair]

COMs are normally on ISA slots anyway so that isn't where the problems lie. More likely a difference in how the PCI slots are set up in CMOS.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[Sympology]

Remove the Card, Enter windows and see if Com3 and 4 still exisit. If they do, delete, reboot and see if they reappear. If not, reinstall the card and try again.

I've seen this occasionally happen on HP servers. I think it down to the BIOS assigning 1 address range and windows another, so in fact 1 & 3, 2& 4 are the same.

Stu..



Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004

 

[micker377]

On my ECS board, I had to re-assign the add-in board to port 7 and port 8. (and printer to LPT3)

 

[KeyserSoze1877]

Been there done that, re assigned to COM 5 and 6, then back to 3 and 4, same deal. Its a prod box so I am rotating it out so I can really go to town on it and find out the issue.

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Keyser Soze
"Vote Pedro.

 

[felixc]

Have a look at the BIOS screen messages if these COM ports have an interrupt assigned, and if these interrupts are shared or not with other peripherals. Compare with the settings on your working machines.