Unconnected Token Ring Adapter Won't Initialize

This article was previously published under Q149437

When you set up Windows NT in a token ring environment, the token ring card fails to bind if the card is not currently on a ring or if a hardware loopback adapter is not installed. This is indicated by Event Log errors about dependency services relating to the adapter card's failure to start.

For a token ring card to initialize properly, it must either have connectivity to a Multiple Access Unit (MAU), a Control Access Unit (CAU), or a Lobe Attachment Module (LAM); or it must have a simulated connection, such as a hardware loopback adapter, installed. Make sure the computer on which you want to install Windows NT either is connected to a correctly functioning ring or has a hardware loopback adapter installed.

The components of a correctly functioning ring are interrelated as follows. CAU and LAM components can replace a MAU. The CAU adds power and port monitoring capability to any connected LAMs. The LAM looks like a MAU but has 20 connections instead of 8. The ring-in and ring-out connections on the CAU extend the connectivity of token ring networks. You can intermix MAUs with CAUs and LAMs but you cannot provide any monitoring capability to the MAU ports. One CAU can support up to four LAMs for a total of 80 connections.