Dell 2100/180 Personal Computer User`s guide

Dell® PowerEdge® 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems
USER’S GUIDE
®
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
 1996
Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, and PowerEdge are registered trademarks and DellWare is a registered service mark of Dell
Computer Corporation; Intel, Pentium, and LANDesk are registered trademarks and Intel386, Intel486, IntelDX2, and IntelDX4 are trademarks
of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, MS-DOS, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; Novell and NetWare are registered
trademarks of Novell, Inc.; IBM and OS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation; ASPI is a registered trademark
of Adaptec, Inc.; UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Novell, Inc.; VESA is a
registered trademark and VL-Bus is a trademark of Video Electronics Standards Association.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products.
Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
November 1996
P/N 85001
Safety Instructions
When Using Your Computer System
As you use your computer system, observe the following
safety guidelines:
•
To help avoid damaging your computer, be sure the
voltage selection switch on the power supply is set to
match the alternating current (AC) power available
at your location:
— 115 volts (V)/60 hertz (Hz) in most of North and
South America and some Far Eastern countries
such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan
•
Do not push any objects into the openings of your
computer. Doing so can cause fire or electric shock
by shorting out interior components.
•
Keep your computer away from radiators and heat
sources. Also, do not block cooling vents. Avoid
placing loose papers underneath your computer; do
not place your computer in a closed-in wall unit or
on a bed, sofa, or rug.
Ergonomic Computing Habits
— 230 V/50 Hz in most of Europe, the Middle
East, and the Far East
Also be sure your monitor and attached peripherals
are electrically rated to operate with the AC power
available in your location.
•
•
•
•
To help prevent electric shock, plug the computer
and peripheral power cables into properly grounded
power sources. These cables are equipped with
3-prong plugs to ensure proper grounding. Do not
use adapter plugs or remove the grounding prong
from a cable. If you must use an extension cable, use
a 3-wire cable with properly grounded plugs.
To help protect your computer system from sudden,
transient increases and decreases in electrical power,
use a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or uninterruptible power supply.
Be sure nothing rests on your computer system’s
cables and that the cables are not located where they
can be stepped on or tripped over.
WARNING: Improper or prolonged keyboard use
may result in injury.
For comfort and efficiency, observe the following ergonomic guidelines when setting up and using your
computer system:
•
Position your system so that the monitor and keyboard are directly in front of you as you work.
Special shelves are available (from Dell and other
sources) to help you correctly position your
keyboard.
•
Set the monitor at a comfortable viewing distance
(usually 510 to 610 millimeters [20 to 24 inches]
from your eyes).
•
Make sure the monitor screen is at eye level or
slightly lower when you are sitting in front of the
monitor.
•
Adjust the tilt of the monitor, its contrast and brightness settings, and the lighting around you (such as
overhead lights, desk lamps, and the curtains or
blinds on nearby windows) to minimize reflections
and glare on the monitor screen.
•
Use a chair that provides good lower back support.
Do not spill food or liquids on your computer. If the
computer gets wet, consult your Diagnostics and
Troubleshooting Guide.
iii
•
Keep your forearms horizontal with your wrists in a
neutral, comfortable position while using the keyboard or mouse.
•
Always leave space to rest your hands while using
the keyboard or mouse.
•
•
Let your upper arms hang naturally at your sides.
Sit erect, with your feet resting on the floor and your
thighs level.
•
When sitting, make sure the weight of your legs is on
your feet and not on the front of your chair seat.
Adjust your chair’s height or use a footrest, if necessary, to maintain proper posture.
•
Vary your work activities. Try to organize your work
so that you do not have to type for more than a
minute or so at a time without stopping. When you
stop typing, try to do things that use both hands.
monitor screen at eye level
wrists relaxed and flat
monitor and keyboard
positioned directly in
front of user
arms at desk level
feet flat on the floor
iv
When Working Inside Your Computer
Before you remove the computer cover, perform the following steps in the sequence indicated:
1.
Turn off your computer and any peripherals.
2.
Disconnect your computer and peripherals from
their power sources. Also disconnect any telephone or telecommunications lines from the
computer.
3.
Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge
Static electricity can harm delicate components inside
your computer. To prevent static damage, discharge static
electricity from your body before you touch any of your
computer’s electronic components, such as the microprocessor. You can do so by touching an unpainted metal
surface on the computer chassis.
Doing so reduces the potential for personal injury or
shock.
As you continue to work inside the computer, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to remove any
static charge your body may have accumulated.
Touch an unpainted metal surface at the back of
the computer chassis (such as the power supply)
before touching anything inside your computer.
In addition to the preceding precautions, you can also
take the following steps to prevent damage from electrostatic discharge (ESD):
While you work, periodically touch an unpainted
metal surface on the computer chassis to dissipate
any static electricity that might harm internal
components.
•
When unpacking a static-sensitive component from
its shipping carton, do not remove the component’s
antistatic packing material until you are ready to
install the component in your computer. Just before
unwrapping the antistatic packaging, be sure to discharge static electricity from your body.
•
When transporting a sensitive component, first place
it in an antistatic container or packaging.
•
Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area.
If possible, use antistatic floor pads and workbench
pads.
In addition, take note of these safety guidelines when
appropriate:
•
•
Do not attempt to service the computer system yourself, except as explained in this guide and elsewhere
in Dell documentation. Always follow installation
and servicing instructions closely.
When removing a component from the system board
or disconnecting a peripheral device from the computer, wait 5 seconds after turning off the system
before removing the component or disconnecting the
device to avoid possible damage to the system board.
•
When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector
or on its strain-relief loop, not on the cable itself. As
you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned
to avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before
you connect a cable, make sure both connectors are
correctly oriented and aligned.
•
Handle components and cards with care. Don’t touch
the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by
its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a
component such as a microprocessor chip by its
edges, not by its pins.
The following caution appears throughout this document
to remind you of these precautions:
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of
this guide.
v
vi
Preface
About This Guide
This guide is intended for anyone who uses the Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 or 2100/200 computer systems. The
guide can be used by both first-time and experienced
computer users who want to learn about the features and
operation of the systems or who want to upgrade their
computers. The chapters and appendixes are summarized
as follows:
•
Everyone should read Chapter 1, “Introduction,” for
an overview of the system features, a description of
the controls and indicators on the front panel, and a
general discussion of connecting external devices to
the back panel of the computer.
Also, when you change the memory size, or change
settings for one of the built-in devices you must run
this utility.
•
Chapter 6, “Working Inside Your Computer,” Chapter 7, “Installing System Board Options,” Chapter 8,
“Installing Drives in the External Bays,” and Chapter 9, “Installing Drives in the Internal Bays,” are
intended for users who want to install or remove
options inside the computer, such as dual in-line
memory modules (DIMMs), expansion cards, or
drives.
•
Appendix A, “Technical Specifications,” and
Appendix B, “Hardware Configuration Features,”
are intended primarily as reference material for users
interested in learning more about the details of the
system. Users who add internal options may need to
refer to Appendix B to change jumper settings.
•
Users who want to use the utilities, the diagnostics, the
online documentation, or install drivers for their operating system should read Chapter 2.
•
Everyone should read the first few sections of Chapter 3, “Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers,” to
find out which small computer system interface
(SCSI) device drivers (if any) are required for a particular system configuration. Users who need to
install and configure particular SCSI device drivers
should then read the appropriate section for their
operating system.
•
Appendix C, “Maintaining the System,” describes
preventive maintenance procedures that you should
perform regularly to keep your computer system in
top operating condition.
•
Appendix D, “Regulatory Notices,” is for users who
are interested in which regulatory agencies have
tested and approved the Dell PowerEdge 2100/180
and 2100/200 systems.
Everyone should read the first several sections of
Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program,” to
familiarize themselves with this important program.
Only users who want to make configuration changes
to their system or who want to use the password features need to read the rest of Chapter 4.
•
Appendix E, “Warranties and Return Policy,”
describes the warranties for Dell PowerEdge 2100/
180 and 2100/200 systems and the “Total Satisfaction” Return Policy.
•
Appendix F, “Beep Codes and System Messages,”
describes the beep codes and system messages that
the system can generate when problems occur. The
information in this appendix replaces the information in Chapter 3, “Messages and Codes,” in the
Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide.
•
•
Everyone should read Chapter 5, “Using the EISA
Configuration Utility” whenever an Extended Industry-Standard Architecture (EISA) or IndustryStandard Architecture (ISA) expansion card is
added, removed, or repositioned in the computer.
vii
•
The Glossary provides definitions of terms, acronyms, and abbreviations used in this guide.
Warranty and Return Policy
Information
Dell Computer Corporation (“Dell”) manufactures its
hardware products from parts and components that are
new or equivalent to new in accordance with industrystandard practices. For information about the Dell
warranty for your system, see Appendix E, “Warranties
and Return Policy.”
Other Documents You May Need
In addition to this User’s Guide, the following documentation is included with your system:
•
•
The Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide
includes troubleshooting procedures and instructions
for using the diskette-based diagnostics to test your
computer system.
The Intel LANDesk Server Manager Suite, which
includes a CD-ROM containing the server manager
software, plus the following documents: LANDesk
Server Manager Setup Guide, LANDesk Server
Manager User’s Guide, LANDesk Server Control
Installation and User’s Guide, LANDesk Server
Monitor Module Installation and User’s Guide.
You may also have one or more of the following
documents.
NOTE: Documentation updates are sometimes included
with your system to describe changes to your system or
software. Always read these updates before consulting any
other documentation because the updates often contain the
latest information.
viii
•
Operating system documentation is included if you
ordered your operating system software from Dell.
This documentation describes how to install (if necessary), configure, and use your operating system
software.
•
Documentation is included with any options you
purchase separately from your system. This documentation includes information that you need to
configure and install these options in your Dell computer. Installation instructions for the options are
also included in this guide.
•
Technical information files—sometimes called
“readme” files—may be installed on your hard-disk
drive to provide last-minute updates about technical
changes to your system or advanced technical reference material intended for experienced users or
technicians.
Notational Conventions
The following subsections list notational conventions
used in this document.
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
Throughout this guide, there may be blocks of text
printed in bold type within boxes or in italic type. These
blocks are warnings, cautions, and notes, and they are
used as follows:
WARNING: A WARNING indicates the potential
for bodily harm and tells you how to avoid the
problem.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells
you how to avoid the problem.
Typographical Conventions
The following list defines (where appropriate) and illustrates typographical conventions used as visual cues for
specific elements of text throughout this document:
lowercase bold; variable parameters (those for which
you substitute a value) are displayed in lowercase
italics; constant parameters are displayed in lowercase bold. The brackets indicate items that are
optional.
•
Example: del [drive:] [path]filename [/p]
Keycaps, the labeling that appears on the keys on a
keyboard, are enclosed in angle brackets.
•
Example: <Enter>
•
Key combinations are series of keys to be pressed
simultaneously (unless otherwise indicated) to perform a single function.
•
•
Example:
•
Example: “Use the format command to. . . .”
Screen text is text that appears on the screen of your
monitor or display. It can be a system message, for
example, or it can be text that you are instructed to
type as part of a command (referred to as a command
line). Screen text is presented in the Courier
font.
In contrast, commands presented in the Courier
font are intended to be typed as part of an instruction.
Example: The following message appears on your
screen:
Example: “Type format a: to format the diskette in
drive A.”
No boot device available
Example: <Ctrl><Alt><Del>
•
Command lines consist of a command and may
include one or more of the command’s possible
parameters. Command lines are presented in the
Courier font.
Commands presented in lowercase bold are for reference purposes only and are not intended to be typed
at that particular point in the discussion.
Filenames and directory names are presented in lowercase bold.
Example: “Type md c:\dos, and then press
<Enter>.”
•
Example: autoexec.bat and c:\windows
Variables are symbols for which you substitute a
value. They are presented in italics.
Syntax lines consist of a command and all its possible parameters. Commands are displayed in
Example: DIMMn (where n represents the DIMM
number)
ix
x
Chapter 1
Introduction
D
ell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 systems
are high-speed, upgradable server systems designed
®
®
Pentium Pro microprocessor features Dynamic
Execution, which combines three processing
techniques:
around the Intel® Pentium® Pro family of microprocessors. The PowerEdge 2100 systems provide both
Extended Industry-Standard Architecture (EISA) and
high-performance Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
expansion slots to allow for future expansion of your system.
— Multiple branch prediction—the processor
anticipates jumps in the instruction flow and
where the next instruction can be found in
memory.
This chapter describes the major hardware and software
features of the computer, provides information about the
indicators and controls on the computer’s front panel, and
discusses connecting external devices to the computer.
— Data flow analysis—the processor determines
which instructions are ready for processing and
which are waiting for results from other instructions. The processor then schedules instruction
execution to minimize idle time.
— Speculative execution—the processor executes
instructions according to the optimized schedule
for maximum processor performance and
efficiency.
System Features
The PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 systems offer
the following major features:
•
A Pentium Pro microprocessor with an internal operating frequency of 180 megahertz (MHz) in the
PowerEdge 2100/180 and 200 MHz in the PowerEdge
2100/200. The external bus speeds of the PowerEdge
2100/180 and PowerEdge 2100/200 are 60 MHz and
66 MHz (respectively).
NOTE: The microprocessor module is installed in a
zero insertion force (ZIF) socket on the system
board, allowing you to upgrade to a faster, more
powerful microprocessor as your processing needs
increase.
The Pentium Pro microprocessor module includes
separate processor and cache memory chips
(256 kilobytes [KB]) in a single module. The
•
Cache memory (internal to the Pentium Pro module)
that provides 256 KB of static random-access memory (SRAM). Cache memory enhances the speed of
many microprocessor operations by storing the most
recently accessed contents of system memory.
•
A minimum of 16 megabytes (MB) of system memory, upgradable to a maximum of 512 MB by
installing combinations of 16-, 32-, and 128-MB
buffered, extended data output (EDO), dual in-line
memory modules (DIMMs) in the four DIMM sockets on the system board.
The buffered 72-bit wide EDO DIMMs installed in
PowerEdge 2100 systems support error correction
code (ECC) to check for and correct memory errors.
ECC is performed by the memory controller in the
system chip set.
Introduction
1-11
•
•
Integrated system board support for the Upgrade
Server Management Card which provides improved
local and remote server management.
The system board includes the following built-in
features:
•
A PS/2-style keyboard port and a PS/2-compatible
mouse port.
•
Three EISA and three PCI expansion-card connectors, located on the system board. A separate
expansion-card slot is available for each EISA and
PCI expansion-card connector; there are no shared
expansion slots.
Standard PowerEdge 2100 systems include a diskette
drive and a SCSI CD-ROM drive installed in the externally accessible bays and at least one SCSI hard-disk
drive installed in the internal bays.
•
An integrated video graphics array (VGA)compatible video subsystem with an ATI mach64
(264VT) PCI video controller connected to the PCI
local bus. The standard video subsystem includes
1 MB of video memory. Maximum resolutions (noninterlaced) are 640 x 480 pixels (16.7 million colors)
and 800 x 600 pixels (65,536 colors). Maximum resolution (interlaced) is 1024 x 768 pixels (256
colors).
•
•
•
A basic input/output system (BIOS) that resides in
flash memory on the EISA bus and can be upgraded
by diskette if required.
The following software is included with your Dell computer system:
•
Video drivers for displaying many popular application programs in high-resolution modes. For more
information on these drivers, see Chapter 2, “Using
the Dell Server Assistant CD.”
•
An integrated National Semiconductor PC87336
super input/output (I/O) controller that controls the
bidirectional parallel port, two serial ports, and the
diskette drive in the externally accessible front bay.
The super I/O controller resides on the EISA bus.
SCSI device drivers that allow your operating system to communicate with devices attached to the
built-in SCSI subsystem. For more information on
these drivers, see Chapter 3, “Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers.”
•
The parallel port can be set to operate in the following
modes via the Parallel Mode category in the System
Setup program: output-only (AT-compatible), bidirectional (Personal System/2 [PS/2]-compatible), or
extended capabilities port (ECP).
The System Setup program for quickly viewing and
changing the system configuration information for
your computer. For more information on this program, see Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup
Program.”
•
An integrated Adaptec AIC-7880 ultra (fast-20)
wide, small computer system interface (SCSI) controller. The built-in SCSI controller supports up to
two externally accessible SCSI devices in the top
bays and up to three SCSI hard-disk drives in the
internal bays. The SCSI interface connects to supported devices via a 68-conductor cable. The
integrated SCSI controller resides on the PCI local
bus for optimum performance.
The EISA Configuration Utility, which allows you to
configure installed EISA expansion cards through
software rather than by hand. (You must also run the
EISA Configuration Utility when installing or
removing Industry-Standard Architecture [ISA]
cards.) For more information, see Chapter 5, “Using
the EISA Configuration Utility.”
•
Enhanced security features available through either
the System Setup program or the EISA Configuration Utility include a user password and a supervisor
password.
•
Diagnostics for evaluating your computer’s components and devices. For information on using the
diagnostics, see Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server
Assistant CD” or see the chapter titled “Running the
Diskette-Based Diagnostics” in your Diagnostics and
Troubleshooting Guide.
Integrated server management circuitry that monitors
operation of the system fan as well as critical system
voltages and temperatures. The integrated server management circuitry works in conjunction with the Intel
LANDesk® Server Manager suite. See the Preface
earlier in this guide for a list of documents that
describe installation and use of the LANDesk Server
Manager suite.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Supported Operating Systems
drive access
indicators
Dell supports the following network operating systems
for use on PowerEdge 2100 systems:
•
•
Microsoft® Windows NT® Server 3.51 and 4.x
power button
Novell® NetWare® 3.12, 4.x (and later versions)
power indicator
(inside power button)
Operating system software is not included with
PowerEdge 2100 systems. If you purchase the operating system software from Dell, installation
instructions are included on the CD-ROM with the
operating system software.
drive access
indicator
NOTE: Installation services and support for other operating systems are available through Dell Plus. Contact
Dell for more information.
Front Panel
The following controls and indicators are located on the
computer’s front panel (see Figure 1-1):
•
The power button on the front panel controls the alternating current (AC) input power to the system’s power
supply.
•
The green power indicator in the center of the power
button lights when the power supply is turned on and the
system is receiving direct current (DC) power.
•
When any SCSI device is being accessed, the drive
access indicator on the front panel lights.
•
The reset button on the front panel saves wear and tear on
system components by allowing you to reboot (restart)
the computer without turning the power off and then on
again. For more information about using the reset button,
see “Reset Button” in Chapter 4.
NOTE: The power button and the reset button are
recessed into the computer’s front panel to prevent
accidentally turning off or resetting the computer
and losing valuable data.
reset button
Figure 1-1. Front Panel
Connecting External Devices
You can connect various external devices, such as a
mouse and printer, to the I/O ports and connectors on the
computer’s back panel. The system BIOS detects the
presence of external devices when you boot or reboot
your system. When connecting external devices to your
computer, follow these guidelines:
•
Check the documentation that accompanied the
device for specific installation and configuration
instructions.
For example, most devices must be connected to a
particular I/O port or connector to operate properly.
Also, external devices like a mouse or printer usually
require you to load software files called device drivers
into memory before they will work. These software drivers help the computer recognize an external device and
direct its operation. Device drivers of this type are normally included with your operating system software.
Introduction
1-13
•
Always attach external devices while your computer is
turned off. Then turn on any external devices before turning on the computer unless the documentation for the
device specifies otherwise. (If the computer does not
seem to recognize the device, try turning on the computer
before turning on the device.)
For information about enabling, disabling, or configuring
I/O ports and connectors, see Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program,” or Chapter 5, “Using the EISA
Configuration Utility.” For detailed descriptions and
illustrations of each port and connector on the I/O panel,
see “I/O Ports and Connectors” in Appendix B.
key
Preventing Unauthorized Access
Inside the Computer
To prevent unauthorized access to the inside of the computer, you can replace one of the screws that secure the
cover to the chassis with a special keylock screw that is
included with the system. A key, provided with the system, is required to install or remove the special keylock
screw, thus preventing anyone without access to the tool
from removing the computer cover (see Figure 1-2).
keylock
screw
Figure 1-2. Security Keylock
Getting Help
If at any time you don’t understand a procedure described
in this guide, or if your system does not perform as
expected, Dell provides a number of tools to help you.
For more information on these help tools, see the chapter
titled “Getting Help” in your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Chapter 2
Using the Dell Server Assistant CD
T
his chapter describes the bootable Dell Server Assistant CD and tells you how to use the utilities, diagnostics,
documentation, drivers, and other items included on the
CD. This chapter also describes how to install the video
drivers for supported operating systems and how to use
the asset tag utility provided on the CD.
Booting the CD
The system must be running to insert the CD. To boot
the CD, insert it into the PowerEdge 2100 system’s
CD-ROM drive and press the reset button. When the system boots, the CD main menu appears.
If the CD does not boot, check the following:
•
•
In the System Setup program, the Onboard SCSI category must be set to Scanned and the Boot Sequence
category must be set to A: then C: (see Chapter 4,
“Using the System Setup Program”).
In the SCSISelect Utility, the Bios Support for Bootable CD-ROM category must be set to Enabled (see
Chapter 3, “Installing and Configuring SCSI
Drivers”).
Choose Language
•
•
•
•
Deutsch
English
Espanol
Francais
Configure the System
•
Run EISA Configuration Utility
Run System Utilities
•
Run System Diagnostics
Use Online Manuals
•
Use the System User’s Guide
Create Diskettes
•
•
Create Blank Formatted Diskette
Create Utility Diskettes
— Create EISA Configuration Utility Diskette
— Create System Utility Diskette
•
Create Operating System Support Diskettes
— Create Windows NT Server 3.51 Diskettes
– Create Driver Diskette
CD Main Menu
The main menu of the CD includes the following categories, each of which has one or more options. The
subsections that follow describe the options within each
main menu category. The main menu on your CD may
contain additional options.
— Create Netware 4.x Diskettes
– Create Driver Diskette
– Create Adaptec EZ-SCSI Diskette
— Create Netware 3.12 Diskettes
– Create Driver Diskette
—
Create Adaptec EZ-SCSI Diskette
Using the Dell Server Assistant CD
2-15
Choose Language
When the system boots, you are given the option of
choosing one of the following languages for the menus,
help screens, messages, and online documentation:
•
•
•
•
German
English
Spanish
French
After you choose a language, the main menu appears in
the chosen language.
Configure the System
The options within the Configure the System category
are used for configuring your system. The following subsections describe the options available in this category.
Run EISA Configuration Utility
This option allows you to run the EISA Configuration
Utility directly from the CD to ensure that the system is
properly configured for the remaining configuration
steps. See Chapter 5, “Using the EISA Configuration
Utility,” for instructions on running the EISA Configuration Utility.
In addition to being able to run the EISA Configuration
Utility directly from the CD, you can create a diskette (or
diskettes) and run the EISA Configuration Utility from
the diskette(s).
Run System Utilities
The options within the Run System Utilities category
allow you to run the system diagnostics and any other
utilities available on your CD. The following subsection
describes the option available in this category.
Run System Diagnostics
on creating the necessary diskette. The system hardware
diagnostics are described in the Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide.
Use Online Manuals
The Use Online Manuals category includes all available
online manuals. Selecting one of the online manuals
launches the Adobe Acrobat viewer (included on the CD)
and allows you to view or print the online manual in the
language that you selected earlier.
NOTE: You can also copy the portable document format
(PDF) files from the CD and use them under your native
operating system.
The following subsections describe the options available
in this category.
Use the System User’s Guide
This option allows you to view or print the system User’s
Guide.
Create Diskettes
The Create Diskettes category allows you to create diskettes of system utilities and operating system-specific
drivers as well as blank formatted diskettes. The following subsections describe the options available in this
category.
Create Blank Formatted Diskette
This option allows you to create blank formatted
diskettes.
Create Utility Diskettes
This option allows you to create bootable utility diskettes
for running the EISA Configuration Utility and the asset
tag utility. The following subsections describe the choices
available with this option.
This option allows you to run the system hardware
diagnostics directly from the CD. Before running the
diagnostics from the CD, you should make a blank formatted diskette and insert it in the diskette drive so the
diagnostics programs can record critical messages and
information as they execute. See “Create Blank Formatted Diskette” found later in this chapter for instructions
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Create EISA Configuration Utility Diskette
Create Windows NT Server 3.51 Diskettes
This option allows you to create a bootable EISA Configuration Utility diskette (or diskettes). Dell recommends
running the EISA Configuration Utility from a diskette
so you can copy your configuration information to the
diskette any time you change system configuration
parameters.
This option allows you to create a driver diskette for use
with Windows NT Server 3.51.
Create System Utility Diskette
This option allows you to copy the asset tag utility from
the CD to a bootable diskette. For instructions on running
the asset tag utility, see “Asset Tag Utility” found later in
this chapter.
Create Driver Diskette
This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
video, SCSI, and NIC drivers for the Windows NT Server 3.51 operating system.
NOTE: Be sure to use the SCSI Driver diskettes created
from the Dell Server Assistant CD rather than the SCSI
drivers provided with the operating system.
Create NetWare 4.x Diskettes
Create Operating System Support
Diskettes
This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
the software drivers for a specific operating system. You
can create a diskette of drivers for one of the following
supported operating systems:
•
•
•
Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
Novell NetWare 4.x (and 4.1 SMP)
Novell NetWare 3.12
Drivers available on the CD include:
•
•
•
Video drivers
This option allows you to create a driver diskette and an
Adaptec EZ-SCSI configuration utility diskette for use
with the Novell NetWare 4.x operating system. The following subsections describe the choices available with
this option.
Create Driver Diskette
This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
SCSI and NIC drivers for the Novell NetWare 4.x operating system.
NOTE: Be sure to use the SCSI Driver diskettes created
from the Dell Server Assistant CD rather than the SCSI
drivers provided with the operating system.
Small computer system interface (SCSI) drivers
Network interface controller (NIC) drivers
NOTE: The Novell NetWare operating system does
not use video drivers, so they are not included when
you create a diskette of drivers for NetWare.
The following subsections describe the options available
in this category.
Create Adaptec EZ-SCSI Diskette
This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
the configuration utility for Adaptec SCSI controllers.
The configuration utility works with the optional
Adaptec AHA-2940UW and the built-in Adaptec 78xx
series SCSI controllers when used with the Novell NetWare 4.x operating system.
Create NetWare 3.12 Diskettes
This option allows you to create a driver diskette and an
Adaptec EZ-SCSI configuration utility diskette for use
with the Novell NetWare 3.12 operating system. The following subsections describe the choices available with
this option.
Using the Dell Server Assistant CD
2-17
Create Driver Diskette
4.
This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
SCSI and NIC drivers for the Novell NetWare 3.12 operating system.
Select Change from the display options; then
select Other.
5.
When prompted for the correct path, type
a:\ATI and press <Enter>.
NOTE: Be sure to use the SCSI Driver diskettes created
from the Dell Server Assistant CD rather than the SCSI
drivers provided with the operating system.
Create Adaptec EZ-SCSI Diskette
This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
the configuration utility for Adaptec SCSI controllers.
The configuration utility works with the optional
Adaptec AHA-2940UW and the built-in Adaptec 78xx
series SCSI controllers when used with the Novell NetWare 3.12 operating system.
Video Drivers
You will need to install the video drivers for the operating
system you install on your PowerEdge 2100 system,
unless they were installed by Dell. Use the following procedure to install the video drivers for Windows NT.
NetWare provides a textual interface and does not require
video drivers.
Installing Video Drivers for
Windows NT 3.51
See “Create Operating System Support Diskettes” found
earlier in this chapter for instructions on making a diskette of software drivers for Windows NT 3.51. After you
make the diskette of drivers, use the following procedure
to install the video drivers:
1.
Insert the diskette of drivers into the diskette
drive on your system.
2.
Run the Windows NT Display program located in
the Control Panel in the Main group.
3.
Select Change Display Type.
2-18
If the diskette is not in drive A, change the drive letter designation as appropriate.
After the system reads the diskette, it displays the
ATI Graphics Accelerators option.
6.
Select the ATI Graphics Accelerators option;
then click Install.
Confirm your choice when prompted to do so, and
all appropriate files will be copied to the hard-disk
drive.
7.
Restart Windows NT.
The system will start up using the ATI mach64 drivers in 640 x 480 mode and display an application that
allows you to choose a resolution.
The maximum resolutions supported by the built-in
ATI mach 64 video controller with 1 MB of video
memory are 640 x 480 pixels (16.7 million colors)
and 800 x 600 pixels (65,536 colors) (noninterlaced); and 1024 x 768 pixels (256 colors)
(interlaced).
NOTE: If you select a resolution that is not supported by the ATI mach64 (264VT) video controller
with 1 MB of memory, the operating system will substitute 640 x 480 in 256 colors.
Asset Tag Utility
The Asset Tag utility allows you to enter an asset tag
number for your computer. The default System Setup
screens (see Figure 4-1, for example) do not show the
asset tag number unless you enter one using this utility.
NOTE: The Asset Tag utility works only on systems running MS-DOS ®.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Using the Asset Tag Utility
Use the following procedure to create a system utility
diskette and boot the system:
1.
If you have not already done so, create a bootable
system utility diskette from the CD.
2.
Insert the diskette in drive A, and reboot the
system.
After you boot the system with the system utility diskette, you can use the Asset Tag utility to enter an
asset tag number that you or your organization
assign to the computer. You can also use the Asset
Tag utility to reenter the computer’s service tag number if that becomes necessary.
You can view the asset tag number using the System
Setup program as described in Chapter 4, “Using the
System Setup Program.”
Assigning and Deleting an Asset Tag
Number
An asset tag number can have up to ten characters; any
combination of characters, excluding spaces, is valid. To
assign or change an asset tag number, type asset and a
space followed by the new number; then press <Enter>.
For example, type the following command line and press
<Enter>:
asset 1234567890
When prompted to verify the asset tag number, type y
and press <Enter>. The system then displays the new or
modified asset tag number and the service tag number.
To delete the asset tag number without assigning a new
one, type asset /d and press <Enter>.
Table 2-1 lists the command line options you can use
with the Asset Tag utility. To use one of these options,
type asset and a space followed by the option.
.
Table 2-1. Asset Tag Command-Line Options
Asset Tag Option
Description
/d
Deletes the asset tag
number
/?
Displays the Asset Tag
utility help screen
Using the Dell Server Assistant CD
2-19
2-20
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Chapter 3
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
T
his chapter describes how to install and configure the
Dell small computer system interface (SCSI) device driv-
The readme.txt File
ers included with your Dell PowerEdge 2100 computer
system. These device drivers are designed to work with the
Adaptec AIC-7880 Ultra/Wide SCSI controller chip on the
system board.
The readme.txt file that is included with your SCSI
device drivers (in the \scsi directory on the CD) provides
updates to the information in this chapter.
Both the built-in AIC-7880 and the optional
AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card are all part of the
Adaptec 78xx series of SCSI controllers, and use the 78xx
series of SCSI drivers Dell provides. The Adaptec SCSI
basic input/output system (BIOS), which is stored in your
computer system’s flash memory or on the optional
AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card, links these SCSI
device drivers to the built-in AIC-7880 or the optional
AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card.
For instructions on installing SCSI hardware devices such
as hard-disk drives, tape drives, or CD-ROM drives, see
Chapter 8, “Installing Drives in the External Bays,” and
Chapter 9, “Installing Drives in the Internal Bays.” For
information on SCSI configuration guidelines (SCSI identification [ID] numbers and termination requirements), see
“SCSI Configuration Guidelines” in Chapter 9.
After the SCSI devices you plan to use are installed, you
may need to install and configure one or more SCSI device
drivers so that your SCSI devices can communicate with
your operating system.
SCSI device drivers are provided for the following operating systems:
•
•
Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
Novell NetWare 3.12 and 4.x
See Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server Assistant CD,” for
instructions on creating a diskette of drivers for your
operating system. For instructions on configuring the
SCSI device drivers, see the appropriate sections in this
chapter.
Use the editor included with your operating system to
view or print the readme.txt file or any other readme
file.
The SCSISelect Utility
The BIOS for the built-in Adaptec AIC-7880 controller
includes the menu-driven SCSISelect configuration utility, which allows you to change SCSI controller settings
without opening the computer. SCSISelect also contains
SCSI disk utilities that let you low-level format or verify
the disk media of your SCSI hard-disk drives.
SCSISelect Default Settings
Default settings for the optional Adaptec AHA-2940UW
SCSI controller and the built-in AIC-7880 SCSI controller are shown in Table 3-1. These default settings are
appropriate for most Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) systems. Run SCSISelect only if you need to
change any of the default settings.
NOTE: The term host adapter is used throughout this
chapter to refer to the built-in AIC-7880 SCSI controller
or the optional AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card.
For situations in which you might want or need to change
the settings, see the descriptions of each setting in the following subsections. To change any of the default settings
or to format or verify a disk, see “Starting the SCSISelect
Utility” found later in this chapter.
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
3-21
Table 3-1. Default SCSI Controller Settings
Setting
Default
SCSI Bus Interface Definitions:
Host Adapter SCSI ID
7
SCSI Parity Checking
Enabled
Host Adapter SCSI Termination
Low On/High
On
Boot Device Options:
Boot Target ID
0
Boot LUN Number
0
Basic Host Adapter Settings
The basic host adapter settings are the SCSISelect settings most likely to require modification.
•
Host Adapter SCSI ID. This option sets the host
adapter’s SCSI ID. The default setting is SCSI ID 7,
which allows the host adapter to support narrow
SCSI devices in addition to wide SCSI devices. Dell
recommends that you leave the host adapter set to
SCSI ID 7.
•
SCSI Parity Checking. This option determines
whether the host adapter verifies the accuracy of data
transfer on the SCSI bus. The default setting is
Enabled. You should disable SCSI Parity Checking
if any SCSI device connected to the host adapter
does not support SCSI parity; otherwise, leave it
enabled. Most SCSI devices support SCSI parity. If
you are unsure if a device supports SCSI parity, consult the documentation for the device.
•
Host Adapter SCSI Termination. This option sets termination on the host adapter. The default setting for
all Adaptec 78xx series host adapters is Low On/
High On. Dell recommends that you leave this
option set to the default.
SCSI Device/Configuration:
Initiate Sync Negotiation
Yes (Enabled)
Maximum Sync Transfer Rate
40 Mb/sec
Enable Disconnection
Yes (Enabled)
Initiate Wide Negotiation
Yes (Enabled)
Send Start Unit Command
Yes (Enabled)
Advanced Host Adapter:
Boot Device Settings
Host Adapter BIOS
Enabled
Support Removable Disks Under
BIOS as Fixed Disks
Boot Only
Extended BIOS Translation for
DOS Drivers > 1 GB
Enabled
Display <Ctrl><a> Message
During BIOS Initialization
Enabled
Multiple LUN Support
Disabled
BIOS Support for Bootable
CD-ROM
Enabled
BIOS Support for INT 13
Extensions
Enabled
Support for Ultra SCSI Speed
Enabled
The boot device settings allow you to specify the device
from which to boot your computer.
•
Boot Target ID. This option specifies the SCSI ID of
the device from which you wish to boot your system.
The default setting is SCSI ID 0. The SCSI ID
selected here must correspond to the ID configured
on the boot device.
•
Boot LUN Number. If your boot device has multiple
logical unit numbers (LUNs) and Multiple LUN
Support is enabled (see “Advanced Host Adapter
Settings” found later in this section), this option
allows you to specify a particular LUN from which
to boot on your boot device. The default setting is
LUN 0.
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym
used in this table, see the Glossary.
3-22
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
SCSI Device Settings
The SCSI device settings allow you to configure certain
parameters for each device on the SCSI bus. To configure
a specific device, you must know the SCSI ID assigned to
that device. If you are not sure of the SCSI ID, see
“Using the SCSI Disk Utilities” found later in this
section.
•
SCSI device is connected to the host adapter, set
Enable Disconnection to No to achieve slightly better performance.
•
Initiate Sync Negotiation. This option determines
whether the host adapter initiates synchronous data
transfer negotiation (sync negotiation) between itself
and the device. The default setting is Yes.
NOTE: Some 8-bit SCSI devices may have trouble
handling wide negotiation, which may result in
erratic behavior or a hang condition. For these
devices, set Initiate Wide Negotiation to No.
The host adapter always responds to sync negotiation if the SCSI device initiates it. If neither the host
adapter nor the SCSI device initiates sync negotiation, data is transferred asynchronously.
When this option is set to Yes, the host adapter
attempts 16-bit transfer. When this option is set to
No, 8-bit data transfer is used unless the SCSI device
itself requests wide negotiation. The effective transfer rate is doubled when 16-bit data transfer is used
because the data path for wide SCSI is twice the size
of normal 8-bit SCSI.
Normally, you should leave the Initiate Sync Negotiation setting enabled, because most SCSI devices
support sync negotiation and because it allows for
faster data transfer.
•
NOTE: Some older SCSI-1 devices do not support
sync negotiation. This may cause your computer to
operate erratically or hang if Initiate Sync Negotiation is set to Yes. Set Initiate Sync Negotiation to No
for these devices.
•
Enable Disconnection. This option (sometimes
called disconnect/reconnect) determines whether the
host adapter allows the SCSI device to disconnect
from the SCSI bus. Enabling disconnection allows
the host adapter to perform other operations on the
SCSI bus while the SCSI device is temporarily disconnected. The default setting is Yes.
Leave Enable Disconnection set to Yes if two or
more SCSI devices are connected to the host adapter.
This optimizes SCSI bus performance. If only one
Send Start Unit Command. This option determines
whether the start unit command is sent to the SCSI
device at boot. The default setting is Yes.
Setting this option to Yes reduces the load on your
computer’s power supply by allowing the host
adapter to start SCSI devices one at a time when you
boot your computer. When this option is set to No,
the devices are allowed to start at the same time.
Most devices require you to set a jumper before they
can respond to this command.
Maximum Sync Transfer Rate. This option sets the
maximum synchronous data transfer rate that the
host adapter supports. The host adapter supports
rates up to the maximum of 40 megabytes per second
(MB/sec). The default setting is 40 MB/sec (the
maximum).
If the host adapter is set to not negotiate for synchronous data transfer, the maximum synchronous
transfer rate is the maximum rate that the host
adapter accepts from the device during negotiation.
(This is standard SCSI protocol.)
•
Initiate Wide Negotiation. This option determines
whether the host adapter attempts 16-bit data transfer
instead of 8-bit data transfer. The default setting is
Yes.
NOTE: For many devices, if Send Start Unit Command is set to Yes, the boot time will vary depending
on how long it takes each drive to start.
Advanced Host Adapter Settings
The advanced host adapter settings should not be
changed unless absolutely necessary. Dell sets these values and changing them may cause conflicts with the
SCSI devices.
•
Host Adapter BIOS. This option enables or disables
the host adapter BIOS. The default setting is
Enabled.
NOTE: Several SCSISelect options are not valid
unless the host adapter BIOS is enabled.
If you are booting from a SCSI hard-disk drive connected to the host adapter, the BIOS must be enabled.
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
3-23
large as 8 GB under the MS-DOS operating system
with a maximum partition size of 2 GB.
You should disable the host adapter BIOS if the
peripherals on the SCSI bus (for example, CD-ROM
drives) are all controlled by device drivers and do not
need the BIOS.
•
Extended BIOS translation is used only with
MS-DOS 5.0 or later. It is not necessary to enable
this if you are using another operating system such
as Novell NetWare.
Support Removable Disks Under BIOS as Fixed
Disks. This option controls which removable-media
drives are supported by the host adapter BIOS. The
default setting is Boot Only. The following choices
are available.
CAUTION: If a removable-media SCSI device is
controlled by the host adapter BIOS, do not
remove the media while the drive is on or you may
lose data. If you want to be able to remove media
while the drive is on, install your removablemedia device driver and set this option to
Disabled.
When you partition a hard-disk drive larger than
1 GB, use the MS-DOS fdisk utility as you normally
would. Because the cylinder size increases to 8 MB
under extended translation, the partition size you
choose must be a multiple of 8 MB. If you request a
size that is not a multiple of 8 MB, fdisk rounds up
to the nearest whole multiple of 8 MB.
•
Display <Ctrl><a> Message During BIOS Initialization. This option determines whether the Press
<Ctrl><a> for SCSISelect (TM) Utility! message appears on your screen during system
start-up. The default setting is Enabled. If this setting
is disabled, you can still run the SCSISelect utility by
pressing <Ctrl><a> after the host adapter BIOS banner appears.
•
— Disabled. No removable-media drives are
treated as hard-disk drives. In this situation,
software drivers are needed because the drives
are not controlled by the BIOS.
Multiple LUN Support. This option determines
whether your system supports booting from a SCSI
device that has multiple LUNs. The default setting is
Disabled. Enable this option if your boot device has
multiple LUNs.
•
Extended BIOS Translation for DOS Drives > 1 GB.
This option determines whether extended translation
is available for SCSI hard-disk drives with capacities
greater than 1 gigabyte (GB). The default setting is
Enabled.
BIOS Support for Bootable CD-ROM. This option
determines whether the host adapter BIOS provides
support for booting from a CD-ROM drive. The
default setting is Enabled.
•
BIOS Support for INT 13 Extensions. This option
determines whether the host adapter BIOS supports
disks with more than 1024 cylinders. The default setting is Enabled.
•
Support for ULTRA SCSI Speed. This option determines whether the host adapter supports the fast
transfer rates (20.0 to 40.0 megabits per second
[Mbps]). The default setting is Enabled.
— Boot Only. Only the removable-media drive
designated as the boot device is treated as a
hard-disk drive.
— All Disks. All removable-media drives supported by the BIOS are treated as hard-disk
drives.
•
CAUTION: Back up your hard-disk drive
before you change the translation scheme. All
data is erased when you change from one
translation scheme to another.
The standard translation scheme for SCSI host
adapters provides a maximum accessible capacity of
1 GB. To support hard-disk drives larger than 1 GB,
the 78xx series host adapters include an extended
translation scheme that supports hard-disk drives as
3-24
Starting the SCSISelect Utility
You can start the SCSISelect utility by pressing
<Ctrl><a> when the following prompt appears briefly at
boot time:
Press <Ctrl><a> for SCSISelect (TM)
Utility!
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Using SCSISelect Menus
key to reboot the computer. Any changes you made in
SCSISelect take effect after the computer boots. (You can
select No at the prompt if you are not ready to exit
SCSISelect.)
SCSISelect uses menus to list options you can select. To
select an option, use the up- and down-arrow keys to
move the cursor to the option; then press <Enter>.
Installation for Microsoft Win-
The first menu displays the Configure/View Host
Adapter Settings and SCSI Disk Utilities options.
In some cases, selecting an option displays another menu.
You can return to the previous menu at any time by pressing <Esc>. To restore the original SCSISelect default
values, press <F6>.
dows NT
Read this section to find out about Windows NT operating system installation, including:
•
Installing and/or updating the SCSI drivers for the
Windows NT operating system
•
•
•
Removing a host adapter
Using the SCSI Disk Utilities
To access the SCSI disk utilities, select the SCSI Disk
Utilities option from the menu that appears when you
start SCSISelect. Once the option is selected, SCSISelect
immediately scans the SCSI bus (to determine the
devices installed) and displays a list of all SCSI IDs and
the devices assigned to each ID.
When you select a specific ID and device, a small menu
appears, displaying the Format Disk and Verify Disk
Media options.
•
Format Disk. This option runs a utility that allows
you to perform a low-level format on a hard-disk
drive. Most SCSI disk drives are formatted at the
factory and do not need to be formatted again. The
Adaptec Format Disk utility is compatible with the
vast majority of SCSI disk drives.
.
CAUTION: The Format Disk option destroys
all data on the hard-disk drive.
•
Verify Disk Media. This option runs a utility that
allows you to scan the media of a hard-disk drive for
defects. If the utility finds bad blocks on the media, it
prompts you to reassign them; if you select Yes,
those blocks are no longer used. You can press
<Esc> at any time to exit the utility.
Exiting SCSISelect
To exit SCSISelect, press <Esc> until a message prompts
you to exit. (If you changed any 78xx series host adapter
settings, you are prompted to save the changes before you
exit.) At the prompt, select Yes to exit, and then press any
Swapping a host adapter
Restoring a configuration if Windows NT fails to
boot
Installation Overview
This section provides the information needed to install
and use the Dell SCSI drivers for the 78xx series of SCSI
controllers with the Windows NT operating system.
The Windows NT 3.51 driver diskette you create for the
Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51 operating system
contains the files needed for driver installation. The \scsi
subdirectory on the diskette contains the following files
to be used with Windows NT 3.51:
•
aic78xx.sys — Adaptec’s 78xx Family driver for
Windows NT
•
oemsetup.inf — A file used by Windows NT Setup
for driver installation
•
readme.txt — A text file describing the Adaptec
78xx driver for Windows NT
If you are performing a first-time Windows NT
installation, see the following subsection, “Installing
Windows NT 3.51 and the Driver,” to begin driver
installation. If Windows NT is already installed in your
system, see “Using Windows NT to Install or Update the
Driver” found later in this section.
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
3-25
Installing Windows NT 3.51 and the
Driver
This section describes how to install the aic78xx.sys
driver at the same time you install Windows NT 3.51. If
Windows NT 3.51 is already installed and you wish to
install or update the aic78xx.sys driver, see “Using Windows NT to Install or Update the Driver,” found later in
this section.
displays none. Type
SCSI controllers.
7.
NOTE: An older version of the aic78xx.sys driver is
included in the Windows NT installation diskettes (or on
the CD-ROM). To avoid loading the older driver during
Windows NT installation, use the following procedure to
install the new driver included on the driver diskette you
create from the Dell Server Assistant CD.
1.
If you choose to install Windows NT from a diskette drive, locate the Windows NT Disk 1 for
Floppy Installation diskette. Make a backup copy
of this diskette.
If you are installing from a CD-ROM drive, locate
the Windows NT Setup Disk 1 for CD-ROM Installation diskette. Make a backup copy of this diskette.
Expand the list of additional SCSI controllers,
select Other, and press <Enter>.
The Other option is at the end of a long list of SCSI
controllers and is highlighted.
8.
Performing a Windows NT 3.51 Installation
Follow these instructions only if you are installing
Windows NT 3.51 for the first time. You can install
Windows NT 3.51 from a diskette drive or from a
CD-ROM drive; whichever you choose, make sure the
hardware installation is completed prior to following
these steps.
to configure additional
Insert into drive A the Windows NT 3.51 driver
diskette you created, enter the following path to
the installation files, and then click OK.
a:\scsi
9.
The screen displays the adapter drivers supported on the diskette. The Adaptec
AHA-2940UW/AIC-78xx (PCI) NT 3.51 driver is
highlighted by default; press <Enter> to select
this driver.
10. If you want to add other SCSI controllers (not
part of the Adaptec 78xx series), do so at this time
by repeating steps 7 though 9 for each additional
adapter, inserting the appropriate diskette
provided by the hardware manufacturer. Because
all Adaptec 78xx series SCSI controllers use the
same driver, you configure all Adaptec SCSI controllers at the same time.
11. Press <Enter> to continue with the Windows NT
operating system setup. Follow the instructions
on the screen and in the Windows NT installation
documentation.
Performing a Windows NT 4.0 Installation
2.
Put the backup diskette into drive A, and turn on
your system. When prompted, insert the Windows
NT Setup Disk 2 diskette.
3.
From the Welcome to Setup screen, press
<Enter> to set up Windows NT.
4.
When prompted for the setup method, select
Custom.
Using Windows NT to Install or Update
the Driver
5.
Press <Enter> to continue.
This section describes how to install or update the
aic78xx.sys driver if Windows NT 3.51 is already
installed. If you are installing Windows NT 3.51 for the
first time, see “Installing Windows NT 3.51 and the
Driver” found earlier in this section.
Insert the Windows NT Setup Disk 3 diskette when
prompted to do so.
6.
After a period of time, Windows NT Setup
displays all recognized SCSI controllers. If no
SCSI controllers are found, Windows NT Setup
3-26
The Windows NT 4.0 operating system has SCSI drivers
for the Adaptec 78xx series of SCSI controllers integrated
into the operating system. When you load the operating
system software, the drivers are automatically loaded.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Installing or Updating the Driver With Windows NT 3.51
Follow these instructions only if Windows NT 3.51 is
already installed:
1.
2.
Select and start the Windows NT Setup program.
(Its icon is usually found in the Main program
group.) There is a brief pause while Windows NT
Setup scans your hardware configuration.
Select the Options pull-down menu, and then
select Add/Remove SCSI Adapters. The SCSI
Adapter setup program displays a list of all host
adapters currently installed.
If you are installing the driver for the first time, skip
to step 5.
If you are updating the driver, continue to step 3.
3.
Before you can update the driver, you must first
remove the existing driver. Select the host adapter
you want to remove (for example, the Adaptec
AIC-78xx SCSI controller), and click Remove.
When the Windows NT Setup program asks you
for confirmation, click OK.
Because SCSI device drivers are loaded during system start-up and because they may be needed to load
Windows NT itself, the following warning message
may appear:
Removing SCSI Adapters may prevent
Windows NT from starting correctly.
4.
When you are sure you are removing the correct
host adapter driver, click OK.
5.
Click Add to add another host adapter type to the
list. A list of additional SCSI adapters appears.
6.
Expand the list of additional SCSI adapters;
select Other and press <Enter>.
7.
Insert the Windows NT 3.51 driver diskette you
created into drive A, enter the following path to
the installation files, and then click OK.
a:\scsi
8.
The screen displays the adapter drivers supported on the diskette. The Adaptec
AHA-2940UW/AIC-78xx (PCI) NT 3.51 driver is
highlighted by default; click OK. The driver is
added to the list of SCSI adapters.
9.
Select Adaptec AHA-2940UW/AIC-78xx (PCI)
NT 3.51 from the list of SCSI adapters, and click
Install.
At this point, Windows NT Setup checks to see if the
specified driver (aic78xx.sys) has already been copied to the hard-disk drive.
10. If the following message appears, click New to
replace the existing driver and go to step 12.
The driver(s) for this SCSI Adapter are
already on the system. Do you want to
use the currently installed driver(s)
or install new one(s).
If the following message appears, continue to
step 11:
Please <Enter> the full path to the
Windows NT SCSI Adapter files.
11. Change the path to the directory with the desired
device driver (for example, a:\scsi); then click
Continue.
The device driver is copied to your hard-disk drive
and the Windows NT configuration is updated so
that the new device driver loads when Windows NT
reboots.
12. When the installation is complete, Windows NT
Setup again displays a list of currently installed
host adapter types. Verify that the new host
adapter appears on the list; the string should look
similar to:
Adaptec AHA-2940UW/AIC-78xx (PCI) NT
v3.5x
13. If you want to add other host adapters (that are
not part of the Adaptec 78xx series), do so at this
time by repeating steps 6 through 8 for each additional adapter, inserting the appropriate diskette
provided by the hardware manufacturer. Because
all Adaptec 78xx series host adapters use the
same driver, you configure all Adaptec host
adapters at the same time.
14. Click Close to exit the SCSI adapters portion of
Windows NT Setup, and then close the program.
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
3-27
15. When you see the following message, click OK to
exit:
5.
Return to step 3 if you want to remove driver support for other types of host adapters, or click
Close to exit the SCSI adapters portion of Windows NT Setup.
6.
Close the Windows NT Setup program. When the
following message appears, click OK to exit:
The changes you have made will not take
effect until the computer is restarted.
If this message does not appear, no changes have
been made to the Windows NT system
configuration.
The changes you have made will not take
effect until the computer is restarted.
16. Restart your computer and Windows NT. Some
drive letter assignments may have changed from
the previous configuration.
Removing a Host Adapter
Removing a PCI expansion-card SCSI controller is as
simple as physically removing it from its slot when your
computer is shut down. Windows NT boots and functions
properly in this configuration, but a warning message is
generated every time you boot Windows NT.
If this message does not appear, no changes have been
made to the Windows NT system configuration.
7.
Restart your computer.
NOTE: The Windows NT Setup program does not delete
the device driver from your hard-disk drive; it only
updates Windows NT software configuration information
so that the device driver is no longer loaded during system start-up.
Swapping a Host Adapter
CAUTION: If you have removed a host adapter
but still have other host adapters of the same type
installed in your computer, do not use Windows NT
Setup to remove the device driver.
To eliminate the warning message, you must update the
Windows NT software configuration as follows:
1.
Select and start the Windows NT Setup program.
There is a brief pause while Windows NT Setup
scans your hardware configuration.
2.
Select the Options pull-down menu, and then
select Add/Remove SCSI Adapters. The SCSI
Adapter setup program displays a list of all host
adapters currently installed.
3.
Select the host adapter you want to remove, and
click Remove. When the Windows NT Setup program asks you for confirmation, click OK.
Because SCSI device drivers are loaded during system start-up and because they may be needed to load
Windows NT itself, a screen may appear warning
you that Windows NT may not start if you remove
the SCSI adapter.
4.
When you are sure you are removing the correct
host adapter type, click OK.
3-28
The procedure for swapping one type of host adapter for
another is similar to the procedure for adding a host
adapter, except that you make all software configuration
changes while Windows NT is running, before you make
the hardware changes.
1.
Install the driver for the new host adapter by following the steps in “Installing or Updating the
Driver With Windows NT 3.51” found earlier in
this section.
It is not essential to remove the device driver for the
host adapter you are replacing. Windows NT dynamically detects the absence or presence of host adapter
hardware, and no problems should arise if you leave
the existing device driver installed. You can remove
the device driver later, after you have successfully
rebooted Windows NT. However, if you leave the
driver in, the system alerts you with an error message about the extra device driver every time you
boot. See “Removing a Host Adapter” found earlier
in this section.
2.
Once the new device driver is installed, shut down
Windows NT and replace the existing host
adapter.
3.
Restart your computer and Windows NT. Some
drive letter assignments may have changed from
the previous configuration.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Troubleshooting for Windows NT
Installation Overview
The boot manager for Windows NT contains recovery
logic to allow you to return to the last known good
configuration. If you have changed your host adapter
configuration and Windows NT no longer boots, follow
these steps to recover:
This section provides the information needed to install
and use the Dell SCSI drivers for NetWare 3.12 and 4.x.
The Dell SCSI drivers for NetWare support the optional
Adaptec AHA-2940UW and all Adaptec 78xx series
SCSI controllers.
1.
Undo any hardware changes you have made to
the computer since it was last operational.
2.
Reboot the computer. Watch the display carefully
during start-up. If the following message appears,
press the <Spacebar> and follow the instructions
on the screen to continue booting with the last
known good configuration:
Before you begin installation of the SCSI drivers for
Novell NetWare, you must create a diskette of drivers for
the version of NetWare you are using (3.12 or 4.x) and a
diskette that contains the Adaptec EZ-SCSI utility. Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server Assistant CD,” provides
instructions for creating these diskettes.
Press spacebar NOW to invoke the Last
Known Good menu
3.
Once your computer is operational again, check
all of the hardware and software configuration
changes you want to make. Look specifically for
conflicts with parts of the existing system configuration that are not being changed.
If you cannot determine the source of the error, contact
Dell for assistance. See Chapter 8, “Getting Help,” in the
Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide for instructions
on contacting Dell for technical assistance.
NOTE: Be sure to use the SCSI Driver diskettes created
from the Dell Server Assistant CD rather than the SCSI
drivers provided with the operating system.
The Dell SCSI drivers for NetWare are fully NetWaretested and approved. The NetWare \scsi subdirectory on
the NetWare 3.12 drivers diskette you create contains
files to be used with NetWare 3.12. The \scsi subdirectory
on the NetWare 4.x drivers diskette you create contains
files to be used with NetWare 4.x. The following files
appear in the \scsi subdirectories on both NetWare driver
diskettes:
•
readme.txt — An American Standard Code for
Information Interchange (ASCII) text file describing
Adaptec’s drivers for NetWare
Installation for Novell NetWare
•
aic7870.dsk — Adaptec’s 78xx Family driver for
NetWare
Read this section to find out about the NetWare operating
system installation, including:
•
aspitran.dsk — Adaptec’s ASPI® transport layer
driver for NetWare
•
•
•
Installing the EZ-SCSI utility
•
aspicd.dsk — Adaptec’s device driver for a
CD-ROM drive
•
Using command line options that can be specified
when the driver is loaded
•
Automatic driver loading using startup.ncf and
autoexec.ncf
•
Booting a NetWare server from a SCSI drive, formatting media, and using removable media
•
Error messages generated during initialization
Calculating the slot number
Installing and/or updating the Dell SCSI driver for
NetWare
In addition, the \scsi subdirectory on your NetWare 4.x
drivers diskette contains the following files:
•
aic7870.ddi — A driver definition information file
to provide setup information to NetWare during
installation; NetWare can then prompt you with
parameters to be configured for the device driver
during the installation process.
•
•
aspicd.ddi — A device driver definition file.
aspitran.ddi — A device driver definition file.
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
3-29
To begin driver installation, first load the EZ-SCSI utility
as described in the following subsection “Installing
EZ-SCSI,” and then calculate the slot number as
described in “Calculating the Slot Number” found later in
this section. Then if you are performing a first-time NetWare installation, see “Installing NetWare and the
Driver” found later in this section. If NetWare is already
installed in your system, see “Using NetWare to Update
or Install the Driver” found later in this section.
NOTE: Your system must have a complete version of
MS-DOS (version 6.2x) installed before you can complete the Novell NetWare installation.
Installing EZ-SCSI
The Adaptec EZ-SCSI utility automatically configures the
computer to use an Adaptec SCSI host adapter and the
devices connected to it. The Adaptec EZ-SCSI utility also
copies applications and device drivers to the computer’s
hard-disk drive. The configuration and installation process
is explained with a series of screens. In most cases, the
computer and SCSI devices are configured to take full
advantage of all the performance benefits of SCSI when
you accept the default values suggested by these screens.
Follow these steps to install the Adaptec EZ-SCSI utility:
1.
If you have not already done so, create an
Adaptec EZ-SCSI diskette for the version of NetWare you are using.
Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server Assistant CD,”
provides instructions for creating this diskette.
2.
Insert your Adaptec EZ-SCSI diskette into
drive A.
3.
Type dosinst and press <Enter>. A message
appears while the EZ-SCSI utility loads into
memory.
4.
When the first EZ-SCSI screen appears, read the
text carefully.
You can press <F1> on any screen for additional
help. (Press <Esc> to exit a Help screen.)
5.
Press <Enter> to continue with the installation.
3-30
6.
Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
Press <Enter> at every screen to accept the
EZ-SCSI default values.
If you accept all the default values, the EZ-SCSI utility copies the files from the diskette to the c:\scsi
directory. (The EZ-SCSI utility creates this directory
if the directory does not already exist.) The EZ-SCSI
utility also adds command lines to your computer’s
configuration files (autoexec.bat and/or config.sys)
that will load the required device drivers into memory when you boot your computer.
Press <Esc> to continue after the EZ-SCSI utility
enters changes to your system configuration files.
If you want to copy the files to a different directory
or control the changes to your configuration files,
follow the instructions on the screen. Press <F1> on
any screen to see more information.
NOTE: If the EZ-SCSI utility is unable to locate the
mscdex.exe file in the c:\dos directory, it will prompt
for a pathname to access this file. (Without this file,
the utility cannot access the computer’s CD-ROM
drive.)
When the message (Adaptec EZ-SCSI has
been successfully installed…)appears
on the screen, press <Enter> or <Esc> to exit the EZSCSI utility, and remove the Adaptec EZ-SCSI diskette from the drive. Then reboot your computer by
pressing <Ctrl><Alt><Del>.
Calculating the Slot Number
The slot number is used to uniquely identify each
Adaptec 78xx Family host adapter installed in your system. To properly load the driver for each Adaptec 78xx
host adapter, you will need to calculate the slot number in
order to include it as part of the load command line.
NOTE: The Novell NetWare operating system will automatically calculate the slot number for you if you are
installing only one expansion card. If you are installing
multiple expansion cards, use the following procedure to
calculate the slot number.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
In order to calculate the slot number, you must first
obtain the bus:device xx:xxh values identified when running the SCSISelect utility for your host adapter. This
calculation is done manually, as described in the following steps:
Follow these steps only if you are installing or upgrading
NetWare 4.x for the first time:
1.
Make backup copies of all Novell diskettes, and
use those backup copies as your working
diskettes.
Run the SCSISelect utility for your host adapter.
2.
Boot MS-DOS on your computer.
See “The SCSISelect Utility” found earlier in this
chapter for general instructions.
3.
Change to the directory where the installation
files are found. For a CD-ROM, the subdirectory
is similar to d:\netware4.0\english\.
4.
Type install and press <Enter>.
5.
Select Install New Netware V4.x if you are installing NetWare 4.x for the first time, or Upgrade
Netware V3.1x or V4.x if you are upgrading to
NetWare 4.x.
6.
Follow the instructions in the NetWare User’s
Guide for partitioning, creating a server name,
and checking the internetwork packet exchange
(IPX) network number.
7.
When a screen appears asking you to select a disk
driver, press <Insert>.
8.
Insert the NetWare 4.x driver diskette that you
created earlier into the diskette drive.
1.
Make sure your system is properly set up and
configured.
2.
3.
Performing a NetWare 4.x Installation
The first screen of the SCSISelect utility displays
the bus:device xx:xxh numbers in the upper righthand corner. Write down these numbers exactly
as they appear.
The bus variable refers to the PCI bus on the system.
The default for bus is 0. Usually only one PCI bus is
supplied with a system; however, systems may contain more than one PCI bus. The device variable
refers to the physical slot number on the PCI bus.
The device number is in hexadecimal; you must convert it to a decimal number.
NOTE: The device slot number identified through
SCSISelect is not the same as the slot number needed
to load the driver through the load command line.
Use the following formula to calculate the slot
number:
If you have not already created this diskette, refer to
Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server Assistant CD,” for
instructions.
slot number = (bus * 100) + device + 16
For example, if the bus:device number is 0:06h (that
is, 0:6), then the slot number is 22 (22 = [0 * 100] +
6 + 16).
Installing NetWare and the Driver
This subsection describes how to install the aic7870.dsk
driver at the same time you install NetWare 3.12 or 4.x. If
NetWare 3.12 or 4.x is already installed and you wish to
install or update the aic7870.dsk driver, see “Using NetWare to Install or Update the Driver” found later in this
section.
9.
Press <F3>, and specify the path to the
aic7870.dsk driver for NetWare (for example,
a:\scsi).
10. Select the aic7870.dsk driver and press <Enter>.
NOTE: Specific help text for each driver appears in
the middle of the screen as you scroll down the list.
The Loaded Drivers window below the list of available drivers displays the names of drivers that are
loaded and operational. For a new installation, this
list is initially empty. For a selective installation, the
list shows the diskette drivers already running.
11. Specify the server directory (usually, c:\nwserver)
and press <Enter>. The installation program copies the necessary files to this directory.
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
3-31
12. When the screen displays Loading driver
aic7870.dsk, Please Wait, switch to the
System Console screen.
2.
Boot MS-DOS on your computer.
3.
Change to the directory where the installation
files are found. For a CD-ROM, the subdirectory
is similar to d:\netware.312\english\.
4.
Type install and press <Enter>.
Press <Alt><Esc> to switch screens.
13. The driver prompts you for the slot number.
Enter the slot number you calculated for your
host adapter, and press <Enter>. (See “Calculating the Slot Number” found earlier in this
section.) You are automatically switched back to
continue with the installation.
Follow the procedures in your NetWare documentation for installing a new server or upgrading to a
newer NetWare version.
5.
14. When you have correctly entered the slot number,
press <F10> to load the driver.
15. If you are using multiple host adapters in your
server, you must load the driver again for each
host adapter.
The correct syntax statement to load the Adaptec
Family 78xx driver follows:
NOTE: If your system has multiple host adapters,
each host adapter must have its own SCSI bus, and
its hardware must be configured properly for use
with multiple adapters. See the instructions in the
host adapter’s User’s Guide.
:load [pathname] aic7870.dsk [options] slot=x
Command line options are not case sensitive. Placing commas between command line options is
optional. See “Using the load Command Line
Options” found later in this section for optional
values.
Refer to the NetWare User’s Guide for information
on installing other NetWare Loadable Modules
(NLMs). If an error message appears when you
attempt to load the driver, see “Troubleshooting for
NetWare” found later in this section.
16. Select Continue the Installation to create disk
partitions and system volumes, and to specify volume names following the procedures listed in the
NetWare User’s Guide.
17. To load the driver automatically at server startup, make sure the startup.ncf file includes the load
command line and correct slot number for your
host adapter. See “Using startup.ncf and
autoexec.ncf” found later in this section.
Performing a NetWare 3.12 Installation
Follow these instructions only if you are installing NetWare 3.12 for the first time:
1.
Make backup copies of all Novell diskettes, and
use those backup copies as your working
diskettes.
3-32
At the NetWare prompt, use the load command to
install the driver from the NetWare 3.12 driver
diskette you created earlier. You will also need the
slot number described in “Calculating the Slot
Number” found earlier in this section.
NOTE: The aspitran.dsk module must reside in the
same path as the aic7870.dsk driver because NetWare attempts to load the aspitran.dsk file
automatically.
6.
Load the driver for the first installed host
adapter. If you have additional host adapters, you
must load the driver again separately for each
host adapter.
NetWare determines whether loading the driver
causes any conflicts between the host adapter and
other installed adapters. If there is a possibility of
conflict, the driver is not loaded.
NOTE: To load the driver automatically at server
start-up, copy the driver to the server’s start-up
directory and modify the startup.ncf file. See the
following section, “Using NetWare to Install or
Update the Driver,” and “Using startup.ncf and
autoexec.ncf” found later in this section for more
information.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Using NetWare to Install or Update the
Driver
3.
This section describes how to update or install the
aic7870.dsk driver if NetWare 3.12 or 4.x is already
installed. If you are installing NetWare 3.12 or 4.x for the
first time, see “Installing NetWare and the Driver” found
earlier in this section.
The correct syntax to load the Adaptec 78xx driver
follows:
:load [pathname] aic7870.dsk [options] slot=x
The instructions for updating or installing the driver are
similar for both NetWare 3.12 and 4.x. Procedures that
are specific to a particular NetWare version are noted.
1.
Make a backup copy of the old driver (if it exists)
before installing the new driver.
2.
Copy the aic7870.dsk driver and aspitran.dsk module from the NetWare 3.12 or 4.x driver diskette
you created into the server’s start-up directory
(usually, c:\nwserver) on your hard-disk drive.
Doing so overwrites any existing version of the
drivers in the directory.
NOTE: For both NetWare 3.12 and 4.x, the
aic7870.dsk and aspitran.dsk files are located in
the scsi subdirectory on the diskette.
If necessary, modify the load command line in the
startup.ncf file so that the proper path to the
driver and the correct slot number are specified.
See “Using startup.ncf and autoexec.ncf” found
later in this section.
Command line options are not case sensitive. Placing
commas between command line options is optional.
See the next section, “Using the load Command Line
Options,” for optional values. To calculate the slot
number for each host adapter, see “Calculating the
Slot Number” found earlier in this section.
4.
Load the driver for the first installed host
adapter. If you have additional host adapters, you
must load the driver separately for each host
adapter.
Using the load Command Line Options
You can specify several command line options when the
Table 3-2. load Command Line Options
Option
Values
Default
Description
slot=
10-41,
100-141, and
so forth
None
Defines host adapter device location. If none is given, you
are prompted to specify one.
verbose=
y
n
Causes driver to display host adapter configuration
information at load time.
removable=
on, off
on
Enables support for removable media. By default,
removable media is supported. You may want to disable
removable disk support in order to load an ASPI
removable disk module.
fixed_disk=
on, off
on
Enables support for hard-disk drives. By default, harddisk drives are supported. You may want to disable fixed
disk support in order to load an ASPI fixed disk module.
*
On the AIC-7880 and optional AHA-2940UW, these values become FFFF.
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary.
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
3-33
Table 3-2. load Command Line Options (continued)
Option
Values
Default
Description
dev_enable=
00-FF*
FF
Allows you to enable the driver’s registration of SCSI
devices on a per-target basis. This enable bit mask is
entered in hexadecimal format. (See the following
subsection, “Bit Mask Options.”)
lun_enable=
00-FF*
01
Enables scanning for specific LUNs on all targets. (See
the following subsection, “Bit Mask Options,” for details
on creating bit masks.) For example, a value of 7 causes
the driver to scan for LUNs 0, 1, and 2 on all targets. The
default value of 01 causes the driver to scan LUN 0 only.
tag_disable
0-FF*
00
Disables tagged queuing for specific targets. This disable
bit mask is entered in hexadecimal format. (See the
following subsection, “Bit Mask Options.”)
io_combine
0-255
16
Specifies the maximum number of segments in a scatter/
gather list.
max_sectors
0-255
64
Specifies the maximum number of sectors in a single
scatter/gather segment.
max_tags
0-255
8
Specifies the maximum number of tagged commands.
max_nontags
0-255
2
Specifies the maximum number of nontagged commands.
read_after_write
0, 1, 2
2
Specifies the default verify mode: 0 = No verify on writes,
1 = Software verify, 2 = Hardware verify.
instrumentation
0, 1
0
If 1 is entered, the instrumentation option is enabled. The
driver maintains internal instrumentation data for use by
I/O management applications. Instrumentation can also be
enabled by the I/O management application, so inclusion
of this option is not necessary.
*
On the AIC-7880 and optional AHA-2940UW, these values become FFFF.
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary.
3-34
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Bit Mask Options
Use this example to aid in calculating bit-mask option
hexadecimal values. Each SCSI device is enabled by a
“1” in its corresponding bit position. As illustrated in Figure 3-1, dev_enable=05 enables driver registration of the
devices at SCSI IDs 0 and 2.
bit position
SCSI ID
0, 2
15141312
0 0 0 0
111098
0 000
7654
0000
3210
0101
converted
binary-to-hex
= 05h
To automatically load the aic7870.dsk at server start-up,
the startup.ncf must contain a load command line that
specifies the location of the driver on the hard-disk drive,
any available options (see “Using the load Command
Line Options” found earlier in this section), and the slot
number (see “Calculating the Slot Number” found earlier
in this section).
NOTE: To load the driver from your hard-disk drive, the
aic7870.dsk driver and aspitran.dsk module must be
copied from your NetWare 3.12 or 4.x driver diskette to a
directory on your hard-disk drive (usually, the server's
start-up directory [for example, c:\nwserver]).
The syntax to load the aic7870.dsk driver is:
0
0
0
5
Figure 3-1. Bit Position
Sample load Command
The following command is a sample load command with
no option switches (loaded from drive A):
load a:\scsi\aic7870
load [pathname] aic7870 [options] slot=x
For example, the command line to load the driver from
the c:\nwserver directory, with the verbose= option on,
and a slot number of 16 follows:
load c:\nwserver\aic7870 verbose=y slot=16
NOTE: For each Adaptec 78xx host adapter installed, a
separate load command line must be included in the
startup.ncf file. The slot number (slot=) identifies the
specific adapter.
Slot values that already have another registered device do
not appear on the screen. Only the slots available for use
by the host adapter appear when this command is entered.
If an error message appears as you attempt to load the
driver, refer to “Troubleshooting for NetWare” found
later in this section.
To modify the startup.ncf file, follow these steps:
The following command is a sample command loading
the aic7870.dsk driver with command line options
(loaded from drive A):
1.
Type install at the NetWare prompt, and press
<Enter>.
2.
Select the appropriate menu choice that allows
you to edit the startup.ncf file.
3.
Make the necessary changes. When you are finished, press <F10>.
load a:\scsi\aic7870 verbose=y slot=22
Using SCSI Devices
Using startup.ncf and autoexec.ncf
The following sections provide procedures and tips on
the following topics:
The startup.ncf and autoexec.ncf files contain a set of
commands that are executed at server start-up. The
startup.ncf file contains commands to load the disk drivers. Once startup.ncf loads disk drivers, control is
passed to the autoexec.ncf file to complete the boot process. For additional information on the startup.ncf and
autoexec.ncf files, refer to your NetWare documentation.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Booting from a SCSI device
Formatting media
Using removable media
Using NetWare-tested and -approved drives
Using the NetWare tape backup utility
Using a CD-ROM drive with NetWare
Optimizing performance
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
3-35
Booting From a SCSI Device
Formatting Media
Follow these steps to set your system to boot from a SCSI
device:
NetWare’s install.nlm program lets you optionally format a hard-disk drive for use with NetWare. If you are
using SCSI drives, it allows you to low-level format
several SCSI drives simultaneously. The NetWare format
procedure is not the same as using fdisk or format under
MS-DOS.
1.
For an Adaptec 78xx host adapter, use the
SCSISelect utility to configure your preferred
boot device by setting the Boot Target ID option.
2.
Use the MS-DOS fdisk utility to create a small
MS-DOS partition. (Follow Novell’s recommendation for size.) MS-DOS must be loaded on
sector 0 (zero) of the boot drive.
3.
Format the drive using the MS-DOS format command (for example, format c: /s). Boot the
system from this drive.
4.
Copy the files shown in Table 3-3 to the root
directory.
Table 3-3. Files Necessary to Set Up
Booting From a SCSI Device
Diskette
Directory
Files
NetWare System-1
diskette
Root
server.exe
install.nlm
NetWare 4.x driver
diskette (created
from CD)
\scsi
readme.txt
aic7870.dsk
aspitran.dsk
aic7870.ddi
NetWare 3.12
driver diskette
(created from CD)
\scsi
readme.txt
aic7870.dsk
aspitran.dsk
5.
Reboot your server and execute the server.exe file.
NetWare should start-up at this point.
6.
Enter your file server name and internal IPX
number.
3-36
CAUTION: You should not use NetWare to format
a hard-disk drive that contains partitions for other
operating systems, because that information may
be destroyed.
NOTE: When you select a hard-disk drive to format, the
Install program prompts you to enter an interleave value
from 1 to 9. You may also enter an interleave value of 0
(zero). When formatting SCSI hard-disk drives or removable drives on the Adaptec 78xx host adapter SCSI bus,
Dell recommends that you use an interleave value of 0.
This 0 interleave value instructs the hard-disk drive to
use its optimal interleave value. This option was unavailable in NetWare 3.0.
Using Removable Media
The aic7870.dsk driver module fully supports removable-media disk drives, including magneto-optical drives.
Removable media is treated as a standard SCSI hard-disk
drive, with some exceptions:
•
The driver only recognizes and registers media with
512 bytes/sector.
•
NetWare allows you to mount or dismount the media
and lock or unlock the media.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
These removable media options are supported by NetWare’s monitor.nlm program.
Lock Status
1.
Load monitor.nlm to display the various options.
If your removable-media device supports the lock/unlock
feature, you can lock the media (menu option 6). The
media must be in the Not Locked state before you can
eject it.
2.
Select Disk Information. All system hard-disk
drives appear.
Verify Status
3.
Select the removable-media device. Drive status
items appear as shown in Table 3-4.
Follow these steps to set up the removable media:
Menu Options
Default Value
The Read After Write Verify option (menu option 2) is set
to Hardware Level by default. This option cannot be
specified in the startup.ncf or autoexec.ncf files. However, the default can be set on the command line. See
“Using the load Command Line Options” found earlier in
this section.
Volume Segments on
Drive1
(select for list)
The available options are defined as shown in Table 3-5.
Table 3-4. Drive Status Items
Table 3-5. Read After Write Verify Options
Hardware Level
Option Setting
Function
Drive Light Status1
Not supported
Disabled
Driver Operating Status1
Active
All writes to SCSI disk drives are
executed with the SCSI Write
command (0Ah or 2Ah).
Removable Drive Mount
Status2
Mounted
Hardware Level
Removable Drive Lock
Status2
Not Locked
All writes to SCSI disk drives are
executed with the SCSI Write and
Verify command (2Eh) or (if this
command is not supported by the
drive) with the SCSI Write
command (0Ah or 2Ah), followed
by the SCSI Verify command
(2Fh).
Software Level
Not supported.
Read After Write
Verify1
1
Valid for both removable and nonremovable types
of SCSI drives.
2
Valid for removable media only.
Mount Status
Mounting causes a drive to come online as a NetWare
storage device. Dismounted drives are inactive and cannot be accessed.
Before you eject your current media, you should first dismount it (menu option 5). When the media status is
dismounted, you can eject the media. However, NetWare
does not allow you to dismount media if it is locked.
To insert your new media, wait for the drive to spin up,
and then select the Removable Drive Mount Status
option.
Using NetWare-Tested and -Approved
Drives
In order for a drive and host adapter to be fully certified
as NetWare “Yes, Tested and Approved,” they must both
pass a qualification process that takes place before you
see the product. The goals of NetWare testing are to simplify installation and provide the highest quality disk
subsystem.
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
3-37
Adaptec 78xx Family host adapters and their drivers are
fully NetWare-tested and -approved. This means that you
can purchase a NetWare drive (certified as “Yes, Tested
and Approved”) from a vendor, connect it to your computer system or host adapter, partition it, and create a
volume without any compatibility concerns.
Adaptec’s aic7870.dsk driver module is flexible enough
to allow you to connect NetWare-tested and -approved
SCSI drives as well as standard SCSI drives to a single
host adapter. The driver registers each hard-disk drive
accordingly.
Drive registration is a user-transparent process; no user
interaction is required. You can tell that the drive has
been detected as NetWare-tested and -approved if the
message NetWare Yes Tested and Approved is
included in the drive description string that appears when
you run monitor.nlm (disk options).
Using the NetWare Tape Backup Utility
Included with NetWare is a server-based tape backup
utility called sbackup.nlm. This allows backup of server
disk drives to a server tape drive. The sbackup.nlm utility supports Adaptec host adapters.
1.
Load the SCSI adapter driver.
The syntax to load the aic7870.dsk driver is:
load [pathname] aic7870 [options] slot=x
The ASPI layer (aspitran.dsk) is automatically
loaded.
2.
Refer to the Novell NetWare documentation for
additional instructions on loading the server
backup software. Refer to the NetWare Server
Backup User’s Guide to load the tsa and sbackup
modules.
Setting Up a CD-ROM Drive With NetWare 3.12 or 4.x
To use a CD-ROM drive with NetWare 3.12 or 4.x, follow these instructions:
1.
2.
Load aspicd.dsk by entering the following command line:
:load [pathname] aspicd.dsk
NOTE: If aspicd.dsk does not work, unload it and
load it again. The first load initializes the host
adapter; unloading and reloading allows the initialization to complete.
3.
Load cdrom.nlm as follows:
:load [pathname] cdrom.nlm
4.
Enter the following line at the prompt, and then
note the number and name of the CD that
appears:
:cd device list
5.
Enter the number and volume name of the CD at
the command line:
:cd mount [number] [name]
The CD-ROM is now ready to be accessed as a
volume.
Optimizing Performance
The Adaptec 78xx SCSI bus master firmware increases the
SCSI performance of the Adaptec 78xx Family host adapters under multitasking environments. The firmware uses a
paging mechanism to handle up to 255 simultaneous SCSI
commands. The sequencer can simultaneously manage up
to 32 tagged, or 2 nontagged, SCSI commands for each
SCSI device, up to a limit of 255 SCSI commands. The
firmware can queue as many commands as the operating
system is able to send to the host adapter. To set this feature, enter the following command:
max_tags=n
In general, a low number for the max_tags option gives
better sequential performance. This value varies with the
level of random disk accesses and drive characteristics.
NOTE: A large value for max_tags can cause starvation
problems with some drives.
Load aic7870.dsk by entering the following command line:
:load [pathname] aic7870.dsk slot=x
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Troubleshooting for NetWare
Any error that occurs while the driver is initializing prevents it from loading. If an error does occur, the driver
causes the computer to beep and then display a numbered
error message:
003 Invalid command line option entered >
option
An invalid option was entered on the command line. The
invalid option that was entered is also displayed.
xxx message
004 Invalid command line, please enter
correctly
The xxx indicates the error code, and message is a
descriptive line describing the error. The error codes are
divided into three categories:
The driver was unable to understand the command line
options you entered. Be sure you have entered these
options correctly.
000-099 Non–host-adapter specific
100-299 Host-adapter specific
300-999 Reserved
Specific error codes appear only if you have installed the
host adapters and drivers that generate them.
Non–Host-Adapter Specific
000 Failed ParseDriverParameters call
A call to NetWare’s ParseDriverParameters routine has
failed for some unknown reason. The command line contains errors, or you pressed <Esc> at the port or slot
prompt.
001 Unable to reserve hardware, possible
conflict
The driver failed in its attempt to reserve the host
adapter’s hardware settings (that is, direct memory access
[DMA] and interrupt request [IRQ] settings). Another
card in your system may be causing a conflict with the
host adapter.
002 NetWare rejected card Failed AddDiskSystem call
The driver failed in its attempt to register the host adapter
with NetWare. The file server may not have enough
memory.
Host-Adapter Specific
200 No host adapter found for this driver
to register
No Adaptec 78xx host adapter was found in your computer for the driver to register. Be sure the host adapter is
properly configured and properly seated in the slot.
203 Invalid ‘device’ setting
You have entered an invalid slot setting on the command
line. You can only enter slot numbers for valid host
adapters. If you load without the slot option, you will be
prompted to enter a valid value.
204 Invalid ‘verbose’ setting, use ‘y’
You can only enter y for this option (verbose = y).
205 Invalid ‘removable’ setting, use ‘off’
You can only enter off for this option (removable =
off).
206 Invalid ‘fixed_disk’ setting, use ‘off’
You can only enter off for this option (fixed_disk =
off).
208 SCSI present but not enabled/configured
for PCI
A host adapter is present, but its bus or device entry has
not been enabled.
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
3-39
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Chapter 4
Using the System Setup Program
E
ach time you turn on your computer system or press
the reset button, the system compares the hardware
installed in the system to the hardware listed in the system configuration information stored in nonvolatile
random-access memory (NVRAM) on the system board.
If the system detects a discrepancy between the two, it
generates error messages that identify the incorrect configuration settings. The system then prompts you to enter
the System Setup program to correct the setting.
You can use the System Setup program as follows:
•
To change the system configuration information
after you add, change, or remove any hardware in
your system
•
To set or change user-selectable options—for example, the time or date on your system
CAUTION: Whenever you make changes to the
System Setup program or add, reposition, or
remove Extended Industry-Standard Architecture (EISA) or Industry-Standard Architecture
(ISA) expansion cards, add or remove memory, or
change settings for built-in devices, you must run
the EISA Configuration Utility, make any necessary changes, and save the system configuration
information. Failure to do so may cause resource
conflicts between Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) devices (such as PCI expansion
cards, the built-in video controller, or the built-in
small computer system interface [SCSI] host
adapter). See “Configuring EISA, ISA, and PCI
Expansion Cards” in Chapter 5 for more information about how PCI devices are configured based
on settings in the EISA Configuration Utility.
When you save changes and exit the System Setup program, the system automatically reboots causing any
changes to take effect immediately.
After you set up your system, run the System Setup
program to familiarize yourself with your system configuration information and optional settings. Dell recommends
that you print out the System Setup screens or write down
the information for future reference.
Before you use the System Setup program, you need to
know the kind of diskette drive(s) installed in your computer. (The standard diskette drive is a 1.44-megabyte
(MB) 3.5-inch drive).
System Setup Screens
The System Setup screens display the current setup and
configuration information and optional settings for your
system. Information on the System Setup screens is organized in five boxed areas:
•
Title Box
The box at the top of each screen lists the system
name, and the revision number of the basic input/
output system (BIOS) as detected by the system.
•
Configuration Options and System Data
The box on the left side of each screen lists categories that define the installed hardware in your
system.
Fields beside the categories contain options or
values.
System data that is not user-selectable is displayed in
the lower part of the Main menu screen.
Using the System Setup Program
4-41
•
Table 4-1. System Setup Keys (continued)
Help
The box on the upper-right side of each screen displays help information for the category whose field
is currently highlighted.
•
Keys
Key Functions
The area at the bottom of each screen lists the keys
and their specific functions, which are also listed in
Table 4-1.
Table 4-1. System Setup Keys
Keys
Action
or
Displays the general help window.
Action
Increments the value of the field.
or
or
Sets default configuration values for the current menu.
Loads the default System Setup
values for all menus.
Sets previous configuration values for the current menu.
Displays the Exit menu unless
you are in a submenu. If you are
in a submenu, pressing the
<Esc> key displays the parent
menu.
or
or
Moves the cursor to the next
menu in each direction.
Moves the cursor up or down.
Moves to the next field.
Moves to the previous field.
4-42
or
Moves the cursor to the top or
bottom of the window.
or
Decrements the value of the
field.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Executes the selected command.
Refreshes the screen.
Entering the System Setup
Program
NOTE: To ensure an orderly system shutdown, consult
the documentation that accompanied your operating
system.
You can enter the System Setup program by pressing the
<F2> key when prompted while the computer is starting
up.
You can also enter the System Setup program by
responding to certain error messages. (See “Responding
to Error Messages” at the end of this chapter.)
If you wait too long, your operating system begins to load
into memory. In this case, let the system complete the load
operation; then restart the system and try again.
The following sections describe the System Setup categories in the Main, Advanced, Security, and Exit menus.
configuration options and system data
title box
help
key functions
Figure 4-1. Main Menu of the System Setup Program
Using the System Setup Program
4-43
Main Menu Categories
To access the Main menu (see Figure 4-1), use the arrow
keys to highlight Main. This section explains in detail
each of the System Setup categories in the Main menu
and the Boot Sequence submenu.
Time
Time resets the time on the computer’s internal clock.
Time is kept in a 24-hour format (hours:minutes:
seconds). To change the time, use the plus and minus keys. If
you prefer, you can type numbers in each of the appropriate
fields.
NOTE: If your system is connected to a network, the Time
category may reflect the time maintained by the network
server, depending upon how the network is configured. In this
case, changing the Time category on your system has no effect.
Date
Date resets the date on the computer’s internal calendar.
Your system automatically displays the day of the week
corresponding to the settings in the three fields that follow (month, day-of-the-month, and year).
To change the date, use the plus and minus keys to increase
and decrease the numbers. If you prefer, you can type
numbers in the day-of-the-month fields.
NOTE: If your system is connected to a network, the Date
category may reflect the date maintained by the network
server, depending upon how the network is configured. In this
case, changing the Date category on your system has no
effect.
Diskette Drive A and Diskette Drive B
Diskette Drive A and Diskette Drive B identify the type
of diskette drives installed in the drive cage.
The options for both categories are:
•
•
•
•
•
360 KB, 5.25 Inch
1.2 MB, 5.25 Inch
720 KB, 3.5 Inch
1.44 MB, 3.5 Inch (default for diskette A)
Not Installed (default for diskette B)
4-44
Fast Video BIOS
Fast Video BIOS offers the options of shadowing and/or
caching the video BIOS for improved performance.
For the built-in video controller chip, the Fast Video
BIOS category offers the following options:
•
•
•
On and Cached (The Default)
On
Off
If you choose the On option, your system boots and
immediately copies the video BIOS code from the flash
memory chip into write-protected memory locations in
faster random-access memory (RAM). This process is
known as shadowing. If you choose On and Cached (the
default), your system boots and not only shadows the
video BIOS code, but also allows it to be cached. Caching saves time for the microprocessor(s) by holding
available the most recently accessed data and instructions
in an intermediate storage area of static RAM (SRAM),
which is faster than system RAM. Shadowing and caching let the system manipulate video display data more
quickly and easily, improving video performance.
Memory Cache
Memory Cache can be set to Enabled (the default) or Disabled.
Cache memory decreases the average memory cycle time
to boost system performance. You may want to set Cache
to Off to aid in troubleshooting software problems.
Boot Sequence
The Boot Sequence category can be set to A: then C: (the
default), C: then A:, or C: Only.
The term boot refers to the system’s start-up procedure.
When turned on, the system “bootstraps” itself into an operational state by loading into memory a small program which
in turn loads the necessary operating system. Boot Sequence
tells the system where to look for the files that it needs to
load.
Selecting A: then C: causes the system to try booting from
drive A first. If it finds a diskette that is not bootable in the
drive or finds a problem with the drive itself, the system displays an error message. If it does not find a diskette in the
drive, the system then tries to boot from the hard-disk drive
(drive C).
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Selecting C: Only causes the system to boot only from the
hard-disk drive, even if there is a bootable diskette in drive A.
You might select the C: Only option to prevent an unauthorized person from accessing the system by booting from a
diskette.
configuration options and system data
Boot Options Submenu Categories
To access the Boot Options submenu (see Figure 4-2),
highlight the Boot Sequence category in the Main menu
and press <Enter>.
title box
help
key functions
Figure 4-2. Boot Options Submenu
Using the System Setup Program
4-45
Setup Prompt
Setting this category to Enabled (the default) causes the
message Press <F2> to enter Setup to appear
while the system is starting up.
POST Errors
Setting this category to Enabled (the default) causes the
message Press <F1> to resume, <F2> to enter
Setup to appear and the system to pause if an error
occurs while the system is starting up.
Diskette Drive Check
Setting this category to Enabled (the default) causes the
system to seek diskette drives during system start-up.
Setting this category to Disabled speeds system start-up
time.
Reset Button
Setting this category to Enabled (the default) will reset
the system when the reset button is pushed.
Num Lock
This category controls the state of Num Lock at system
boot. When Num Lock is set to On, the rightmost bank of
keys on your keyboard provides the mathematical and
numeric functions shown at the top of each key. When
the Num Lock mode is turned off, these keys provide cursor-control functions according to the labels on the
bottom of each key.
Speaker
Use this category to set the built-in speaker On (the
default) or Off.
Microprocessor
Identifies the type of microprocessor installed in the
computer. This category has no user-selectable options.
The default value for the Base Memory category is
640 KB, which includes 1 kilobyte (KB) reserved for system
use.
The value given in the Base Memory category is in kilobytes rather than megabytes. To convert kilobytes to
megabytes, divide the kilobyte total by 1024.
Extended Memory
Extended Memory (which has no user-selectable options)
indicates the amount of system memory available as
extended memory.
The value given in the Extended Memory category is in
megabytes.
Level 2 Cache
Displays the amount of integrated level-2 cache memory
in the microprocessor module. This category has no userselectable options.
Video Memory
Displays the amount of video memory installed in the
built-in video subsystem. This category has no userselectable options.
Service Tag
Service Tag displays the system’s five-character service
tag number, which Dell programmed into NVRAM during the manufacturing process. Reference this number
during technical assistance or service calls. The service
tag number is also accessed by certain Dell support software, including the diagnostics software.
Asset Tag
Asset Tag displays the asset tag number stored in the
computer’s NVRAM. An asset tag number can have up
to 10 alphanumeric characters. See “Asset Tag Utility” in
Chapter 2 for information on loading the asset tag utility.
Base Memory
Base Memory displays the amount of memory available
to MS-DOS programs that do not use extended or
expanded memory. This category has no user-selectable
options.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Advanced Menu Categories
To access the Advanced menu (see Figure 4-3), use the
arrow keys to highlight Advanced. This section explains
in detail each of the System Setup categories in the
Advanced menu.
The Advanced menu allows you to set the COM and LPT
addresses, set the LPT mode, enable or disable the
on-board diskette controller, enable the PS/2 mouse, and
enable or disable the built-in SCSI controller. The
Advanced menu also lets you control the PCI scan
sequence. The PCI scan sequence determines which type
of PCI device is scanned first: built-in PCI drives or PCI
devices installed in PCI expansion slots.
configuration options and system data
title box
help
key functions
Figure 4-3. Advanced Menu of the System Setup Program
Using the System Setup Program
4-47
Serial Port 1
Parallel Mode
Use this category to select a unique address and interrupt
request for the listed COM ports. The options are as
follows:
This category allows you to select from the following
options: Output Only (AT-compatible) (the default), Bidirectional (Personal System/2 [PS/2]-compatible), and
ECP (extended capabilities port).
•
•
•
•
Disabled
3F8, IRQ4 (the default)
3E8, IRQ4
Auto
Diskette Controller
Selecting Enabled (the default) enables the on-board diskette drive controller.
The Auto option selects the next available combination.
Onboard SCSI
Serial Port 2
Use this category to select a unique address and interrupt
request for the listed COM ports. The options are as
follows:
•
•
•
•
Disabled
2F8, IRQ3 (the default)
2E8, IRQ3
Auto
The Auto option selects the next available combination.
Parallel Port
Use this category to select a unique address and interrupt
request for the listed LPT ports. The options are as
follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Selecting the Enabled (the default) option enables the onboard PCI SCSI controller and scans the associated
ROM. In order for the system to boot from a drive
attached to the on-board SCSI controller, the drive must
be enabled. Selecting Disabled causes the BIOS to mask
the presence of a device.
Disabled
378, IRQ5
3BC, IRQ7
278, IRQ5
PCI Scan Sequence
This category determines the order in which PCI devices
are scanned by the system, and it allows you to select the
built-in SCSI controller or an optional PCI expansion
card SCSI controller as the boot device. The options are:
•
•
Embedded Devices First (the default)
Slot Devices First
PS/2 Mouse
Setting PS/2 Mouse to Enabled (the default) allows an
installed PS/2 mouse to function. Disabling PS/2 Mouse
frees interrupt request (IRQ) 12, but it also prevents any
installed PS/2 mouse from functioning.
378, IRQ7 (the default)
Auto
The Auto option selects the next available combination.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Security Menu Categories
To access the Security menu (see Figure 4-4), use the
arrow keys to highlight Security. This section explains in
detail each of the System Setup categories in the Security
menu.
configuration options and system data
title box
help
key functions
Figure 4-4. Security Menu of the System Setup Program
Using the System Setup Program
4-49
Supervisor Password Is
Set User Password
This category displays whether the supervisor password
is disabled or enabled. When Enabled is displayed, the
supervisor password has already been set and is required
in order to have full access (see Table 4-2) to the System
Setup program. The default is Disabled.
NOTE: You cannot set the user password until a supervisor password is set.
User Password Is
NOTE: Read “Using the User Password Feature” later
in this chapter for detailed instructions on assigning a
user password and using, deleting, or changing an
existing user password. See “Disabling a Forgotten
Password” found later in this chapter for information on
disabling a forgotten user password.
This category displays whether the user password is disabled or enabled. When Enabled is displayed, the user
password has already been set and is required at start up.
Unlike the supervisor password, the user password does
not allow you full access (see Table 4-2) to the System
Setup program. The default is Disabled.
Set Supervisor Password
The Set Supervisor Password category lets you restrict
access to your computer’s System Setup program in the
same way that you restrict access to your system with the
user password feature.
NOTE: Read “Using the Supervisor Password Feature”
later in this chapter for detailed instructions on assigning
a supervisor password and using, deleting, or changing
an existing supervisor password. See “Disabling a Forgotten Password” found later in this chapter for information
on disabling a forgotten supervisor password.
The Set User Password category lets you restrict access
to your system by setting a user password that is required
when the Password On Boot category is set to Enabled.
Password on Boot
The Password On Boot category allows you to require a
supervisor password during the boot-up process when the
category is set to Enabled. The default is Disabled.
Diskette Access
The Supervisor setting restricts access of diskette drives
to the supervisor only. The User setting (the default)
allows access to the supervisor and the user.
System Backup Reminder
This category lets you display a message during start-up
at selected intervals to remind you to back up the system.
The options are as follows:
•
•
•
•
4-50
Disabled (default)
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Virus Check Reminder
This category lets you display a message during start-up
at selected intervals to remind you to check your system
for viruses. The options are as follows:
•
•
•
Disabled (default)
•
Monthly
Exit Menu Categories
To access the Exit menu (see Figure 4-5), use the arrow
keys to highlight Exit. The following section explains in
detail each of the System Setup categories in the Exit
Daily
Weekly
configuration options and system data
title box
help
key functions
Figure 4-5. Exit Menu of the System Setup Program
Using the System Setup Program
4-51
Save Changes & Exit
When you choose this option, the BIOS stores the
changes you have made in a complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor (CMOS), exits the System Setup program, and reboots the system. When your system reboots,
the BIOS configures the system according to the selections stored in CMOS.
Exit Without Saving Changes
Exits the System Setup program without saving any of
the changes you have made.
Get Default Values
Loads the default values for each menu in the System
Setup program.
Load Previous Values
Loads the values previously stored in CMOS for each
menu.
Save Changes
Stores your changes in CMOS but does not exit the System Setup program.
Using the Password Features
CAUTION: The password features provide a
basic level of security for the data on your system.
However, they are not foolproof. If your data
requires more security, it is your responsibility to
obtain and use additional forms of protection,
such as data encryption programs.
Using the Supervisor Password Feature
Your Dell system is shipped to you with the supervisor
password set to Disabled, which allows you to enter the
System Setup program and assign a password. When the
Supervisor Password Is category is set to Enabled, the
computer system prompts you for the supervisor password
whenever you enter the System Setup program. If system
4-52
security is a concern, you should operate your system with
supervisor password protection.
You can assign a supervisor password, as described in the
next subsection, “Assigning a Supervisor Password,”
whenever you use the System Setup program. Once a
supervisor password is assigned, only those who know
the password have full use of the System Setup program.
To delete or change an existing supervisor password, you
must know the supervisor password (see “Deleting or
Changing an Existing Supervisor Password” found later
in this section).
NOTE: You can also assign, delete, or change a supervisor
password through the EISA Configuration Utility. See
“Assigning a Supervisor Password” and “Deleting or
Changing an Existing Supervisor Password” in Chapter 5.
If you assign and then forget a supervisor password, you
need your computer key to get inside the computer, where you
can change a jumper setting to disable the supervisor password
feature (see “Disabling a Forgotten Password” found later in
this section). Note that you erase the user password at the same
time.
NOTE: The system allows you three attempts to enter a
password. After three failed attempts, the keyboard locks
up and you must reboot the system before you can try
entering a password again.
Assigning a Supervisor Password
A supervisor password can be assigned only when the
Supervisor Password Is category is set to Disabled.
Press <Enter> to display a dialog box in which you can
enter the password. You can use up to seven alphanumeric characters in a password, and the password is not
case sensitive (meaning that there is no difference
between uppercase and lowercase characters).
NOTE: The supervisor password can be the same as the
user password. However, a user password cannot be set
until a supervisor password has been set.
After you verify the password, the Supervisor Password
Is setting changes to Enabled. The next time you attempt to
enter the System Setup program, the system prompts you for
the supervisor password.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Keep the following tips in mind when setting your password:
•
You can use up to seven alphanumeric characters in
your password (passwords are not case sensitive).
•
As you press each character key (or the <Spacebar>
for a blank space), a placeholder appears in the field.
•
To erase a character when entering your password,
press the <Backspace> key or the left-arrow key.
NOTES: The password assignment operation recognizes
keys by their location on the keyboard, without distinguishing between lowercase and uppercase characters.
For example, if you have an M in your password, the system
recognizes either M or m as correct.
Certain key combinations are not valid. If you enter one
of these combinations, a beep sounds.
To exit the field without assigning a supervisor password,
press the up-arrow or down-arrow key to move the highlight
to another field, or press the <Esc> key at any time before
setting a new password.
Using Your Supervisor Password to
Secure Your System
Each time you turn on your system, reboot the system, or
press the reset button, the following prompt appears on the
screen (if the Password On Boot category is set to Enabled).
Enter password:
After you enter the correct supervisor password and press
<Enter>, your system boots and you can use the keyboard to
operate your system as usual.
If a wrong or incomplete password is entered, the following message appears on the screen:
Warning, Invalid password.
Press <Enter> to continue
Enter the password again. If an incorrect or incomplete
supervisor password is entered again, the same message
appears on the screen.
The third time an incorrect or incomplete password is
entered, the keyboard locks up and displays the following
message:
SYSTEM DISABLED
You must reboot the system before you can attempt to
enter a password again.
Operating With a Supervisor Password
Enabled
If Supervisor Password Is is set to Enabled, you must
enter the correct supervisor password before you can
modify any System Setup categories (other than the
Time, Date, Num Lock, and Speaker categories).
Deleting or Changing an Existing Supervisor Password
To disable the supervisor password, press <Enter> to display the Set Password dialog box, and then press <Enter>
two more times.
When the Supervisor Password Is category displays Disabled,
you can assign a supervisor password or operate the system
with no password assigned.
To change an existing supervisor password, first enter the
System Setup program and disable the current password.
Then, with the Supervisor Password Is category set to
Disabled, assign a new supervisor password as described in
“Assigning a Supervisor Password” earlier in this section.
Using the User Password Feature
Your Dell system is shipped to you with the user password feature set to Disabled. After you assign a user
password, set the User Password Is category to Enabled,
and set the Password On Boot category to Enabled, the
computer system prompts you for the user password at
system start-up. If system security is a concern, you should
operate your system with user password protection.
You can assign a user password, as described in the next
subsection, “Assigning a User Password,” whenever you
use the System Setup program. Once you assign a user
password, only those who know the password have full
use of the system.
NOTE: You can also assign, delete, or change a user
password through the EISA Configuration Utility. See
“Assigning or Changing a User Password” and “Deleting an Existing User Password” in Chapter 5.
To disable the user password, press <Enter> to display
the Set Password dialog box, and then press <Enter> two
more times.
If you assign and then forget a user password, you must
remove the cover of the computer (which may require
Using the System Setup Program
4-53
unlocking the computer’s keylock) and change a jumper setting to temporarily disable the user password feature (see
“Disabling a Forgotten Password” found later in this section).
Note that you erase the supervisor password at the same
time.
CAUTION: If you leave your system running and
unattended, anyone can access the data stored in
your system even with a user password assigned.
To protect your system while it is running, you
must use additional forms of protection, such as
screensaver software protected by a password.
CAUTION: With the password features disabled,
your system operates as if it did not contain password features. If you leave your system running
and unattended without having a system and/or
supervisor password assigned or with the password features disabled, anyone can assign a
system and/or supervisor password that will be
unknown to you.
NOTE: The system allows you three attempts to enter a
password. After three failed attempts, the keyboard locks
up and you must reboot the system before you can try
entering a password again.
Keep the following tips in mind when setting your
password:
•
You can use up to seven alphanumeric characters in
your password (passwords are not case sensitive).
•
As you press each character key (or the <Spacebar>
for a blank space), a placeholder appears in the field.
•
To erase a character when entering your password,
press the <Backspace> key or the left-arrow key.
NOTES: The password assignment operation recognizes
keys by their location on the keyboard, without distinguishing between lowercase and uppercase characters.
For example, if you have an M in your password, the system
recognizes either M or m as correct.
Certain key combinations are not valid. If you enter one
of these combinations, a beep sounds.
To exit the field without assigning a user password, press
the up-arrow or down-arrow key to move the highlight to
another field, or press the <Esc> key at any time before setting a new password.
Using Your User Password to Secure
Your System
Each time you turn on your system, reboot the system, or
press the reset button, the following prompt appears on the
screen:
Assigning a User Password
Enter password:
NOTE: You cannot assign a user password until a supervisor password has been set.
After you enter the correct user password and press
<Enter>, your system boots and you can use the keyboard to
operate your system as usual.
When in the Set User Password category, you can press
<Enter> to display a dialog box in which you can enter a
user password. You can use up to seven alphanumeric
characters in a password, and the password is not case
sensitive (meaning that there is no difference between
uppercase and lowercase characters).
When a user password is set, the status shown in the User
Password Is category is Enabled.
With no user password assigned and with a jumper plug
installed on the password jumper (PASSWD) on the system board (its default setting), the status shown in the
User Password category is set to Disabled.
If a wrong or incomplete password is entered, the following message appears on the screen:
Warning, Invalid password.
Press <Enter> to continue
Enter the password again. If an incorrect or incomplete
user password is entered again, the same message
appears on the screen.
The third time an incorrect or incomplete password is
entered, the keyboard locks up and displays the following
message:
SYSTEM DISABLED
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You must reboot the system before you can attempt to
enter a password again.
Deleting or Changing an Existing User
Password
To disable the user password, press <Enter> to display
the Set Password dialog box, and then press <Enter> two
more times.
2.
Refer to “Jumpers” and Table B-1 in Appendix B
for jumper information, and to Figure B-1 for the
location of the password jumper (labeled
“PASSWD”) on the system board.
3.
Remove the jumper plug from the PASSWD
jumper (the disabled setting).
4.
Replace the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Replacing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6, reconnect your computer to its
power source, and turn it on.
When the User Password Is category displays Disabled, you
can assign a user password or operate the system with no password assigned.
To change an existing user password, first enter the System Setup program and disable the current password.
Then, with the User Password Is category set to Disabled,
assign a new user password as described in “Assigning a User
Password” earlier in this section.
Disabling a Forgotten Password
If you forget your user or supervisor password, you cannot operate your system or change settings in the System
Setup program, respectively, until you open the computer
chassis, change the password jumper setting to disable
the passwords, and erase the existing passwords.
To disable a forgotten password, perform the following
steps:
1.
Booting your system with the PASSWD jumper
removed erases the existing password(s).
NOTE: Before you assign a new system and/or
supervisor password, you must reinstall the jumper
plug on the PASSWD jumper.
5.
Repeat step 1.
6.
Reinstall the jumper plug on the PASSWD
jumper pins (the enabled setting).
7.
Repeat step 4.
8.
Assign a new system and/or supervisor password.
To assign a new user password, see “Assigning a
User Password” found earlier in this section. To
assign a new supervisor password, see “Assigning a
Supervisor Password” found earlier in this section.
Remove the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Removing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
Using the System Setup Program
4-55
Password Options
Table 4-2 lists several ways the supervisor and user password and the Password On Boot category can be used to
provide security for your system.
Table 4-2. Password Options
Supervisor
Password
User
Password1
Password
on Boot
Boot
Prompt
Setup
Prompt
Enabled
Disabled
Enabled
Yes
Yes2
You are prompted for a password at
boot and for access to System Setup.
Supervisor password must be entered
for system to boot. Supervisor password must be entered at setup prompt
for full use3 of System Setup.
Enabled
Disabled
Disabled
No
Yes2
Your are not prompted for a password
at boot. Supervisor password must be
entered at setup prompt for full use3 of
System Setup.
Enabled
Enabled
N/A
Yes
Yes
You are prompted for a password at
boot and for access to System Setup.
If supervisor password is entered, you
have full use of System Setup and
access to the diskette drive. If user
password is entered, you have partial2
use of System Setup and can access
the diskette drive only if the Diskette
Access category is set to User.
Disabled
N/A
N/A
No
No
You are not prompted for a password
at boot or for access to System Setup.
You can change any category in System Setup.
Comments
1
The system always requests a password at boot if the user password is enabled.
2
If you press <Esc> at the setup password prompt, you can access the System Setup program, but can change only the categories
described in note 3 below.
3
The user can change only the Date, Time, Num Lock, Speaker, and Set User Password categories unless the supervisor password is entered.
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Responding to Error Messages
If an error message appears on your monitor screen while
the system is booting, make a note of the message. Then,
before entering the System Setup program, refer to the
chapter titled “Messages and Codes” in your Diagnostics
and Troubleshooting Guide for an explanation of the
message and suggestions for correcting any errors. (An
exception to this routine: It is normal to receive an error
message the first time you boot your system after installing a memory upgrade. In that situation, you do not need
to refer to the Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide—
just follow the instructions in “Performing a Memory
Upgrade” in Chapter 7 of this guide.)
If you are given the option of pressing either <F1> to
continue or <F2> to run the System Setup program, press
the <F2> key.
Using the System Setup Program
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Chapter 5
Using the EISA Configuration Utility
T
he EISA Configuration Utility is used to tell the system what expansion cards are installed and which
expansion slots they occupy. With this information, the
system automatically configures Extended IndustryStandard Architecture (EISA) cards and can tell you how
to configure Industry-Standard Architecture (ISA) cards
manually by setting jumpers or switches. Before your
system was shipped from Dell, a technician used the
EISA Configuration Utility to enter the correct information for the expansion cards initially installed in your
computer.
The EISA Configuration Utility also monitors the
resources required by any installed Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) expansion card. After installing
or moving a PCI expansion card, you should run the
EISA Configuration Utility to update the system’s database of available system resources stored in nonvolatile
random-access memory (NVRAM).
Configuring EISA, ISA, and PCI
Expansion Cards
Whenever you add, remove, or reposition an EISA or
ISA expansion card, use the EISA Configuration Utility
to reconfigure your system. The utility reads the card’s
corresponding configuration file (.cfg file), which
describes the card’s characteristics and required system
resources, and then uses this information to create a conflict-free configuration. (You can also use the EISA
Configuration Utility to set certain system operating
parameters known as system board options, as well as to
correct the system configuration information.)
The EISA Configuration Utility is PCI aware and can
also be used to configure PCI expansion cards. Configuration information for PCI expansion cards is contained
within the card, so no additional .cfg file is required. You
should run the EISA Configuration Utility after installing
or moving a PCI expansion card to keep the system’s
database of available resources accurate.
If the EISA Configuration Utility is not aware of an
installed ISA or EISA expansion card, resource conflicts
can arise. For this reason, it is extremely important to
enter information about ISA expansion cards, as well as
EISA expansion cards, into the EISA Configuration Utility. In addition, certain ISA graphics adapter cards and
multiport serial cards require some memory or caching
reconfiguration provided by the EISA Configuration
Utility.
NOTE: The System Setup program allows you to change
the interrupt requests (IRQs) for the serial and parallel
ports to maximize system performance. See “Advanced
Menu Categories” in Chapter 4 for instructions.
System Board Options
In addition to configuring expansion cards, you can use
the EISA Configuration Utility to change certain system
board options, as described in “Step 3: View or Edit
Details” found later in this chapter.
Many of the system board options in the EISA Configuration Utility correspond to categories in the System
Setup program. Although the two utilities are separate,
the EISA Configuration Utility automatically forwards
changes to, and reads changes from, the System Setup
program. Thus, for configuration options that appear in
both utilities, you can set the options through either
utility.
NOTE: In most cases, your system operates according to
the most recent changes, regardless of which utility you
use to make the changes. However, some software written
Using the EISA Configuration Utility
5-59
for EISA systems may require that the change be saved to
the EISA configuration memory to operate properly.
How to Run the EISA Configuration Utility
The EISA Configuration Utility is included on the Dell
Server Assistant CD shipped with your system. This CD
includes an EISA Configuration Utility directory that
contains the main program plus a directory of .cfg files
for many—but not all—ISA expansion cards.
You can run the EISA Configuration Utility directly from
the CD or from a diskette that you create using the CD’s
main menu. Dell recommends that you run the EISA
Configuration Utility from a diskette because it is not
compatible with all operating systems. Also, using a diskette to run the utility allows you to copy any system
configuration changes to the diskette for safekeeping. See
Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server Assistant CD,” for
instructions on creating an EISA Configuration Utility
diskette.
When you buy an EISA expansion card, you receive a
configuration diskette containing the card’s configuration
file with the filename extension .cfg. Copy this .cfg file to
your EISA Configuration Utility diskette. The EISA
Configuration Utility uses the information in this file to
configure the new card.
When you buy an ISA expansion card, copy the appropriate configuration file (contained in the .cfg directory on the
diskette) to your EISA Configuration Utility diskette. If
the .cfg directory does not contain a configuration file for
your ISA expansion card, use the generic ISA card configuration file, which is included in the .cfg directory on the
CD. Instructions for using the generic .cfg file are included
in “Adding an Expansion Card” found later in this chapter.
PCI expansion cards do not require a configuration file.
The PCI configuration utility in ROM automatically uses
the information maintained by the EISA to assign
resources for PCI expansion cards.
CAUTION: You must use the EISA Configuration
Utility when you add an EISA or ISA expansion
card to your computer. For an ISA card, use the
specific configuration file for your expansion
card, if one is available, rather than the generic
ISA card configuration file. The generic ISA card
configuration file cannot be used to identify
potential resource conflicts or proper jumper and
switch settings.
When to Run the EISA Configuration Utility
Whenever you add, remove, or reposition an ISA or EISA
expansion card, you must run the EISA Configuration
Utility to specify which expansion slot the card is installed
in and to ensure that no two cards attempt to use the same
resources (such as IRQ lines).
When you use the utility with ISA expansion cards, run
the program before adding, removing, or repositioning
any cards. The EISA Configuration Utility can identify
and resolve any resource conflicts, as well as indicate the
proper jumper and switch settings for each expansion
card to avoid such conflicts. Running the program first
helps you determine how to configure the expansion card
before it is installed in your computer.
When you use the utility with EISA expansion cards, you
should normally run the program after adding, removing,
or repositioning the card. However, some cards have
ROM or a device driver that examines the configuration
information stored in NVRAM; these cards require that
you run the program before the card is installed. Each
configuration file for an EISA expansion card has an
identification number the utility reads before configuring
the card. EISA expansion cards have no jumpers or
switches that must be set before the card is installed.
When you use the utility with PCI expansion cards, you
should run the program after adding a PCI expansion card
so the EISA Configuration Utility will have a current
record of assigned resources.
NOTE: If your system detects a card configuration problem during operation, you receive a warning message
directing you to run the EISA Configuration Utility to
correct the problem.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Making Selections in the EISA Configuration Utility
that accompanied these programs for instructions on
removing them from memory.
The EISA Configuration Utility uses menus to guide you
through the configuration process. The menus and their
options are accessed through keyboard commands.
If you start the utility and there is not enough memory to
run it, a message is displayed. If you receive such a message, run the utility from a diskette.
To make a menu selection, use the up- or down-arrow key
to highlight the desired option, and then press <Enter>. In
the Help menu or Advanced menu, you can also select an
option by pressing the key that corresponds to the highlighted letter in the selection list.
Follow these steps the first time you use the EISA Configuration Utility. Later, if a card is added, removed, or
repositioned, you must follow the procedure described in
“Step 2: Add or Remove Boards” found later in this
chapter.
To scroll up or down a screen, press the <Page Up> or
<Page Down> key, respectively.
Using Online Instructions
The EISA Configuration Utility has online instructions
for each of its procedures. If you need help at any time,
press <F1> to see a help screen that offers more details
about the task you are doing.
Starting the EISA Configuration
Utility
NOTE: Your system’s default hardware configuration
allows updating of the EISA configuration information.
However, if the EISA jumper on the system board is
installed, the EISA configuration information cannot be
updated until the jumper plug is removed.
If you have reason to think the EISA jumper setting has
been changed, check the jumper before attempting to
make an EISA configuration change. For instructions on
removing and replacing the computer cover, see “Removing the Computer Cover” and “Replacing the Computer
Cover” in Chapter 6. For information on the EISA
jumper location and settings, see Figure B-1 and Table
B-1, respectively in Appendix B, “Hardware Configuration
Features.”
If you are running the EISA Configuration Utility from
your hard-disk drive, remove any TSR programs from
memory before starting the utility. These programs take
up space in system memory even when they are not running, thus reducing the amount of memory available to
the EISA Configuration Utility. See the documentation
1.
To run the program from a diskette, insert into
drive A the EISA Configuration Utility diskette
that you created from the CD. Then either turn
on your computer or reboot it by pressing the
<Ctrl><Alt><Del> key combination or the reset
button.
To run the program from your hard-disk drive,
switch to the c:\eisacfg subdirectory, type
at
the operating system prompt, and press <Enter>.
To run the program from the Dell Server Assistant
CD, restart the system from the CD. Select Run
EISA Configuration Utility from the CD’s main
menu.
To access the advanced options (described in
“Advanced Menu” in this chapter), press <Ctrl><a>
at the Welcome screen.
You can run the EISA Configuration Utility in modeling mode by typing
at the operating system
prompt and pressing <Enter>.
NOTE: To use modeling mode, you must run the
EISA Configuration Utility from your hard-disk
drive.
Modeling mode lets you set up configuration parameters for a system different from the one you are
using and allows you to save a configuration to a
file. Modeling mode is useful if you need to configure many systems identically; instead of using the
EISA Configuration Utility to configure each system, you can transfer the configuration file to a
diskette and load it onto each system. See “Modeling
Mode” found later in this chapter for more
information.
Press <Esc> to return to the Welcome screen.
Using the EISA Configuration Utility
5-61
2.
When the Welcome screen appears, read the
information on the screen and press <Enter>.
When you select Configure Computer, the following
menu appears on the screen:
The Main Menu appears as follows:
Steps in configuring your computer
Step 1:Important EISA configuration
information
Step 2:Add or remove boards
Step 3:View or edit details
Step 4:Examine switches or print report
Step 5:Save and exit
Main Menu
Learn about configuring your computer
Configure computer
Set date
Set time
Maintain system configuration diskette
Exit from this utility
The first option in the menu is already highlighted.
3.
Press <Enter> to read the online overview of the
EISA Configuration Utility.
After reading the online overview, you are ready to
use the program to configure your computer for any
EISA expansion cards currently installed or any ISA
expansion cards that will be installed in your computer’s expansion slots.
NOTES: If you enabled the supervisor password through
the System Setup program or through the EISA Configuration Utility, the EISA utility prompts you for the
supervisor password when you select Configure Computer. If you enter the supervisor password correctly, the
utility displays the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu and allows you to make changes to the EISA System Board Options screen when you select Step 3: View
or Edit Details from the menu.
If you enter a user password instead of a supervisor password, you will get the following message:
Main Menu
This is a user password. In step 3 of the
next screen you may view but not edit
details.
The following five sections describe each of the menu
options in the Main Menu and the submenus for those
options.
If you enter the supervisor password incorrectly three
times, the EISA Configuration Utility displays the following message:
Learn About Configuring Your
Computer
The Learn About Configuring Your Computer option
presents an overview of the configuration process. As
you finish reading a screen, press <Enter> to view the
next screen. Press <F10> to return to the Main Menu.
Configure Computer
The Configure Computer option takes you through the
configuration process step by step. Use this option the
first time you configure your system and every time you
change your configuration through the EISA Configuration Utility.
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This is an incorrect password. In step 3 of
the next screen you may view but not edit
details.
The following subsections describe each of the options
(steps) shown in the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu.
Step 1: Important EISA Configuration
Information
The Step 1: Important EISA Configuration Information
option uses seven information screens to explain the
EISA configuration process and how it differs from the
ISA configuration process. After reading the first screen,
press <Enter> to see the next one. When you have finished reading all seven screens, press <Esc> to return to
the Steps in Configuring Your Computer menu.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
To review the information screens at any time while you
are in the EISA Configuration Utility, press <F1> and
select EISA Configuration from the Help menu.
Step 2: Add or Remove Boards
2.
If the EISA Configuration Utility prompts you for a
supervisor password, type the password and press
<Enter>.
3.
When you select the Step 2: Add or Remove Boards
option, the EISA Configuration Utility lists all the expansion slots in your computer. (You may have to press
<Page Down> to view the entire list.)
If you copied a card’s configuration file to your EISA
Configuration Utility diskette or to the EISA subdirectory on your hard-disk drive, the card name appears
in the expansion slot in which the card is installed.
Adding an Expansion Card
Before you add an ISA or EISA expansion card, you
must add the card’s .cfg file to the utility. Configuration
information for PCI expansion cards is contained within
the card, so no .cfg file is required.
NOTE: Use the following procedure before an ISA expansion card is installed but after an EISA expansion card is
installed. See “When to Run the EISA Configuration Utility”
found earlier in this chapter for more detailed information.
1.
Start the EISA Configuration Utility as described
in “Starting the EISA Configuration Utility”
found earlier in this chapter.
At the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu, select Step 2: Add or Remove Boards.
A list of expansion slots and the cards in them
appears on the screen.
4.
Highlight the expansion slot in which the card
will be installed, press <Ins>, and follow the online
instructions.
If the utility asks for the option configuration diskette, insert the diskette that accompanied your
expansion card.
The first time you run the EISA Configuration Utility,
select Step 2: Add or Remove Boards to verify that the
system has detected and acknowledged any expansion
cards Dell installed when you purchased your system.
Use this option whenever you add or remove an expansion card and every time you reposition a card from one
expansion slot to another in your computer.
To add, reposition, or remove an expansion card, highlight the corresponding expansion slot and press <Ins> to
add, <F7> to reposition, or <Del> to remove the card.
The utility guides you through the steps required to add,
remove, or reposition a card’s configuration file within
the EISA Configuration Utility. If there are no resource
conflicts, the system configuration information is saved
to a system configuration (.sci) file when you exit the
utility.
At the Main Menu, select Configure Computer.
If the utility asks for the system configuration diskette, insert your EISA Configuration Utility
diskette.
If the utility asks for the .cfg file library diskette, insert
the diskette of .cfg files.
5.
From the list of configuration files listed by the
utility, choose the one that corresponds to the
card you want to add.
The utility asks you to confirm your choice, and then
it prompts you to select the expansion slot in which
the card will be installed.
If you are adding an ISA expansion card, insert your
.cfg diskette to find the .cfg file for that card. If the
.cfg file for the expansion card you are installing is
not on the diskette, select Generic ISA Board from
the list of configuration files.
NOTE: Alternatively, if you know the resources used
by the expansion card, you can press <F7> and
bring up a menu that lets you create the .cfg file.
For all ISA expansion cards, use the Step 4:
Examine Switches or Print Report option (under the
Steps in Configuring Your Computer menu) to check
the switch and jumper settings on the new card. Configure the new card as indicated before it is installed
in your computer.
Using the EISA Configuration Utility
5-63
6.
Press <F10>, select Step 5: Save and Exit, and follow the online instructions to save the current
system configuration information.
Remember to save a printout or written copy of your
new configuration. The utility may prompt you to
check the jumper and switch settings on the new
card. Follow the online instructions to see an illustration of the new card’s settings.
Utility” found earlier in this chapter for more detailed
information.
1.
Start the EISA Configuration Utility as described
in “Starting the EISA Configuration Utility”
found earlier in this chapter.
2.
At the Main Menu, select Configure Computer.
If the EISA Configuration Utility prompts you for a
supervisor password, type the password and press
<Enter>.
Repositioning an Expansion Card
Use the following procedure before an ISA expansion
card is repositioned but after an EISA or PCI expansion
card is repositioned. See “When to Run the EISA Configuration Utility” found earlier in this chapter for more
detailed information.
1.
Start the EISA Configuration Utility as described
in “Starting the EISA Configuration Utility”
found earlier in this chapter.
2.
At the Main Menu, select Configure Computer.
If the EISA Configuration Utility prompts you for a
supervisor password, type the password and press
<Enter>.
3.
At the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu, select Step 2: Add or Remove Boards.
A list of expansion slots and the cards in them
appears on the screen.
4.
Highlight the name of the card you want to
reposition, press <F7>, and follow the online
instructions.
5.
Press <F10>, select Step 5: Save and Exit, and follow the online instructions to save the current
system configuration information.
Remember to save a printout or written copy of the
new information.
Removing an Expansion Card
Use the following procedure before an ISA expansion
card is removed but after an EISA or PCI expansion card
is removed. See “When to Run the EISA Configuration
5-64
3.
At the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu, select Step 2: Add or Remove Boards.
A list of expansion slots and the cards in them
appears on the screen.
4.
Highlight the name of the card you want to
remove, press <Del>, and follow the online
instructions.
5.
Press <F10>, select Step 5: Save and Exit, and follow the online instructions to save the current
system configuration information.
Remember to save a printout or written copy of the
new information.
If there are no resource conflicts, the configuration information is saved to a system configuration (.sci) file when
you exit the utility. If there is a resource conflict, you
must resolve it before completing the configuration. For
more information, see “Resolving Resource Conflicts”
found later in this chapter.
Step 3: View or Edit Details
The EISA Configuration Utility lets you set a variety of
system options through the .sci file. Through this file, you
can notify the system of changes to your hardware and
memory configuration, set and change your passwords,
manage input/output (I/O) ports, and set other system
operating parameters.
Some of the categories do not offer options, but reflect
installed hardware detected by the system. These items
are displayed for your information only; you cannot
change them through the utility.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
NOTES: Most system board options available through the
EISA Configuration Utility are also available through the
System Setup program as described in Chapter 4, “Using the
System Setup Program.” Although the EISA Configuration
Utility is separate from the System Setup program, the EISA
utility forwards changes to, and reads changes from, corresponding categories in the System Setup program.
However, when the EISA Configuration Utility reads a
change from the System Setup program, that change is
not stored in EISA configuration memory until you start
the EISA Configuration Utility, let it read the changes
from the System Setup program, and then save the configuration. To avoid possible resource conflicts, start the
EISA Configuration Utility and save the configuration
after making System Setup program changes that allocate
system resources. In addition, some software written for
EISA systems may require that the changes be saved to
the EISA configuration memory for proper operation.
NOTES: Several system board categories allow you to
edit such resources as memory address, I/O ports, IRQs,
and direct memory access (DMA) channels. It may be
necessary to edit these resources to resolve a configuration conflict. To view the resource screen for any
category, highlight the option and press <F6>.
The edit resources feature is intended for users who are
technically knowledgeable. Do not change resource settings from their defaults if you do not understand how
such a change will affect system performance.
While in the Step 3: View or Edit Details menu, you can press
<F7> to enter the Advanced menu. See “Advanced Menu”
found later in this chapter for more information.
When you have finished making changes, save the new
system configuration information and exit the utility as
follows:
1.
Press <F10>, and select Step 5: Save and Exit
from the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu.
2.
Select Save the Configuration and Restart the
Computer from the menu that appears.
Display the list of system board options as follows:
1.
Start the EISA Configuration Utility as described
in “Starting the EISA Configuration Utility”
found earlier in this chapter.
2.
At the Main Menu, select Configure Computer.
3.
If the EISA Configuration Utility prompts you
for a supervisor password, type the password and
press <Enter>.
4.
After the configuration files are loaded, select
Step 3: View or Edit Details.
A list of system board options appears on the screen.
Figure 5-1 shows settings typical for your system.
NOTES: If the EISA Configuration Utility prompted
you for a supervisor password in step 3 but you were
unable to correctly specify it, you can only view the
EISA System Board Options screen. You cannot change
any of the values or settings.
Whenever you add an expansion card to the computer, its presence is reflected by changes to the EISA
System Board Options screen.
To select a category on the list of system board options,
press the up- or down-arrow key to highlight the category
and press <Enter>. A pop-up menu appears, listing the
options for that category. To select an option, press the
up- or down-arrow key to highlight the option and press
<Enter>.
The following system board options are available on the
EISA System Board Options screen (see Figure 5-1).
Some of the options are the same as options on the System Setup screens. The options on the EISA System
Board Options screen work the same as similarly named
categories in the System Setup program. For details on
using the System Setup program options, see the corresponding subsection in Chapter 4, “Using the System
Setup Program.”
Memory Options
•
•
•
DIMM Memory
Extended Memory
Base Memory
CPU Options
•
Cache (same as Level 2 Cache in the System Setup
program)
•
CPU Speed
Boot Options
•
•
Post Errors
Num Lock
Using the EISA Configuration Utility
5-65
•
•
•
•
•
Reset Button
PCI Bus SCSI
The Drive A and Drive B Categories work the same as
Diskette Drive A and Diskette Drive B in the System
Setup program. The Drive Access category allows access
to the diskette drive to be controlled by the supervisor or
user password to prevent unauthorized access.
PCI Scan Sequence
Integrated Serial Interface
Speaker Enable
Boot Sequence
Password on Boot
•
•
Supervisor Password
Integrated Parallel Interface
User Password
•
•
Password Options
•
•
•
Mouse Options
•
Integrated Mouse
Video Options
•
Fast Video BIOS
Diskette Options
•
•
•
•
Integrated Diskette Controller
Drive A
Drive B
Drive Access
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Serial Port 1
Serial Port 2
Parallel Port
Parallel Port Mode (same as Parallel Mode in the
System Setup program)
Embedded PCI SCSI Controller
•
PCI Function 1
Embedded PCI VGA Controller
•
•
PCI Function 1
Standard VGA Resources
NOTE: You can clear the system configuration parameters from NVRAM by placing a jumper on the EISA
jumper pins and then boot the system with the jumper in
place. See Table B-1 in Appendix B for more information.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
System - Dell PowerEdge 4100/180
Figure 5-1. EISA System Board Options Screen (Example)
Using the EISA Configuration Utility
5-67
Step 4: Examine Switches or Print Report
Maintain System Configuration Diskette
The Step 4: Examine Switches or Print Report option
lists the required switch and jumper settings for each
expansion card in your computer. To view the settings,
highlight the card and press <Enter>. For ISA expansion
cards, it is important to compare the jumper and switch
settings listed on the screen to the actual settings on the
card.
Using the Maintain System Configuration Diskette
option, you can create a backup copy of the .sci file or use
a previously saved .sci file to reconfigure your system or
to identically configure many other systems. You can
also copy .cfg files and delete .sci and .cfg files from your
EISA Configuration Utility diskette, your diskette of .cfg
files, or the configuration diskette(s) for any hardware
option.
Press <F7> to make a copy of or print the settings. If your
computer is attached to a printer, you can print out the
information or copy it to a file.
Step 5: Save and Exit
The Step 5: Save and Exit option allows you to save or
cancel the configuration changes you have made. When
you select the Step 5: Save and Exit option, follow the
directions on the menu that displays.
If you save your changes, the utility saves the new configuration in your system’s NVRAM and in a file on your
EISA Configuration Utility diskette. Then, the utility
automatically reboots your system.
If you cancel your changes, you can remain in the utility
to make other changes or exit the utility without saving
any changes.
Set Date and Set Time
The Set Date and Set Time options reset the date and time
maintained by your computer’s real-time clock (RTC),
which uses NVRAM to keep the information current
even when the system is turned off. You can also reset the
date and time through the System Setup program as
described in Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup
Program.”
NOTES: If your system is connected to a network, the
Date and Time categories may reflect the time maintained by the network server, depending upon how the
network is configured. In this case, changing the Date
and Time categories on your system has no effect.
Unless the EISA Configuration Utility is installed on
your hard-disk drive, it is quicker to reset the date and
time through the System Setup program.
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Exit From This Utility
The Exit From This Utility option allows you to exit from
the EISA Configuration Utility and reboot your computer
system.
Advanced Menu
The Advanced menu lets you lock or unlock cards in a
configuration, view detailed information about the system, and maintain .sci files.
To see the Advanced menu, press <F7> while in the Step 3:
View and Edit Details menu. The following menu appears:
Advanced menu
Lock/unlock boards
View additional system information menu
Set verification mode menu
Maintain SCI files menu
Highlight the menu category you want, and press
<Enter>. Then follow the online instructions.
The following subsections describe each category.
Lock/Unlock Boards
When you lock an expansion card, the EISA Configuration Utility cannot change the resources allocated to that
card. Unlocking the card allows the system to change the
resources automatically as new cards are added. The
default setting for the Lock/Unlock Boards category is
Unlocked. Dell recommends that you keep your cards
unlocked so that the EISA Configuration Utility can do
its job properly.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
View Additional System Information
Menu
The EISA Configuration Utility contains detailed information about the system board, the EISA and ISA
expansion cards installed in your computer, and the used
and available resources. The options for the View Additional System Information Menu category are:
•
•
•
•
Board Specifications
System Specifications
Used Resources
Available Resources
The Used Resources and Available Resources options
contain detailed information about resources such as
IRQs, DMA channels, and I/O ports, which may be useful if you need to resolve a resource conflict.
Set Verification Mode Menu
The settings for the Set Verification Mode Menu category
are Automatic (the default) and Manual. When this category is set to Automatic, the EISA Configuration Utility
automatically checks for resource conflicts and tries to
resolve them. Unless you are technically knowledgeable,
leave this category set to Automatic.
Maintain SCI Files Menu
Each time you use the EISA Configuration Utility to configure your system, the system configuration information
is saved in a .sci file and in system memory. You should
save the system configuration information to a backup
file that can be used to restore the information if the .sci
file is damaged or lost. The options for the Maintain SCI
Files Menu category are Open (the default) and Save As.
The Open option creates a backup file that overwrites the
existing configuration. The Save As option allows you to
select the filename under which you want the .sci file
saved.
Resolving Resource Conflicts
to fail in resolving a resource conflict between two EISA
expansion cards. If the EISA Configuration Utility fails
to resolve the conflict, see Chapter 8, “Getting Help,” in
the Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide for information on obtaining technical assistance.
However, resource conflicts between ISA expansion
cards are routine. If the Set Verification Mode menu category is set to Automatic, the EISA Configuration Utility
tries to resolve the conflict. If the utility cannot resolve
the conflict, the card you just installed is deactivated and
the following message is displayed:
Caution
The last board added caused an unresolvable conflict in your computer’s
configuration. This board has a ‘Deactivated’ status. You must remove this
board or the one(s) it is in conflict with
in order to save a correct configuration.
If the caution message appears, press <Enter> to display
a list of all cards installed in your computer. The deactivated card is enclosed by < > symbols.
You can remove the card(s) with which it is in conflict, or
change the resources on one or more cards.
If you want to remove the card, press <Del> and follow
the online instructions. Remove the card from your computer when the utility prompts you to do so. (For
instructions, see “Removing an Expansion Card” in
Chapter 7.)
If you remove the card(s) with which the new card is in
conflict, or if you want to change the resources of one or
more cards, use the procedure described in the next
subsection.
NOTE: Locked cards may cause resource conflicts.
To unlock a card, use the following procedure:
1.
Press <F7> in the Step 3: View or Edit Details menu
(from the Steps in Configuring Your Computer menu).
2.
Select Lock/Unlock Boards and press <Enter>.
3.
Select the card(s) you want to unlock, and press
<Enter>.
4.
Press <F10> to exit the Advanced menu.
The EISA Configuration Utility automatically resolves
resource conflicts between two EISA expansion cards. It
is extremely unusual for the EISA Configuration Utility
Using the EISA Configuration Utility
5-69
Removing a Card That Conflicts With
the Card You Just Installed
change will affect system performance. Some of these
categories may not apply to your system.
If there is a resource conflict between two ISA expansion
cards and you want to remove the card that conflicts with
the one you just installed, use the following procedure:
NOTE: To access the advanced options in modeling
mode, type
at the operating system prompt and
press <Enter>. (To use modeling mode, you must run the
EISA Configuration Utility from your hard-disk drive.)
1.
From the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu, select Step 2: Add or Remove Boards and
press <Enter>.
From the list of expansion slots and cards, select the
card in conflict with the one installed, and press
<Del>. When the utility asks you to confirm your
command, press <Enter>. Then press <Esc> to
return to the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu.
2.
Select Step 5: Save and Exit, and press <Enter>.
3.
Select Save the Configuration and Restart the
Computer, and press <Enter>.
The system reboots with the new system configuration information.
4.
If you deleted an expansion-card configuration file
from the previously saved system configuration
information, remove the card from your computer.
For instructions, see “Removing an Expansion Card”
in Chapter 7.”
System Board Options Screen
ISA Cycle Wait Control
The 8 Bit I/O ISA Cycle Wait Control and 16 Bit I/O ISA
Cycle Wait Control options set the minimum time
between back-to-back I/O cycles for 8-bit and 16-bit
ISA expansion cards, respectively. The default setting is
500 Nanoseconds.
Fail-Safe Timer NMI
When enabled, the Fail-Safe Timer NMI option allows
the generation of a fail-safe timer nonmaskable interrupt
(NMI). The default setting is Disabled.
Bus-Master Timeout NMI
When enabled, the Bus-Master Timeout NMI option
allows the generation of a bus-master time-out NMI. The
default setting is Disabled.
Software Generated NMI
When enabled, the Software Generated NMI option
allows the generation of a software NMI. The default setting is Disabled.
The following categories appear on the EISA System
Board Options screen (see Figure 5-1) only if you press
<Ctrl><a> at the Welcome screen when you start the
EISA Configuration Utility:
Modeling Mode
•
•
•
•
•
Modeling mode lets you create alternate .sci files to
accommodate different hardware configurations. For
example, if you regularly change the expansion cards or
their arrangement in your computer, you can create and
save a separate system configuration file for each configuration and load that file after changing the cards rather than
having to create a new configuration file every time you
change your configuration.
8 Bit I/O ISA Cycle Wait Control
16 Bit I/O ISA Cycle Wait Control
Fail-safe Timer NMI
Bus-master Timeout NMI
Software Generated NMI
These advanced options are intended for users who are
technically knowledgeable. Do not change these options
from their defaults if you do not understand how such a
5-70
NOTE: To use modeling mode, you must run the EISA
Configuration Utility from the hard-disk drive.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
To use the EISA Configuration Utility in modeling mode,
start the utility from your hard-disk drive by typing
at the operating system prompt and pressing <Enter>. (To
use the advanced options in modeling mode, type
at the operating system prompt and press
<Enter>.)
A dialog box appears with two options—Open As. . .
(to load an existing system configuration file) and New
(to create a new file). Highlight the option you want, and
press <Enter>. The screen shows a list of Dell EISA systems. Choose the system you want to configure, and
press <Enter>. At this point, you can modify or create a
configuration file just as you would with the Configure
Computer option.
Modeling mode also provides access to advanced system
board and expansion-card features, such as enabling or
disabling NMIs (see “Advanced Menu” found earlier in
this chapter). Ordinarily, you do not need to adjust these
features unless a Dell service technician instructs you to
do so.
When you finish modifying or creating a system configuration file in modeling mode, select Step 5: Save and Exit
from the Steps in Configuring Your Computer menu. A
dialog box appears, offering two choices: to save the configuration file and restart the computer or to discard the
configuration file and return to the Main Menu. If you
choose to save the configuration file, you are prompted to
type a filename for the new configuration file. Then you
are prompted to type a description of the configuration
file, which is stored with the configuration file.
Using the Password Features
CAUTION: The password features provide a
basic level of security for the data on your system.
However, they are not foolproof. If your data
requires more security, it is your responsibility to
obtain and use additional forms of protection,
such as data encryption programs.
Your Dell system is shipped to you with the supervisor and
user password features ready to use but without passwords
assigned. If system security is a concern, you should operate
your system with password protection.
You can assign a supervisor and/or user password
through the EISA Configuration Utility (as described
later in “Assigning a User Password” or “Assigning a
Supervisor Password”) or through the System Setup
program (as described in Chapter 4, “Using the System
Setup Program”). Once you assign a supervisor and/or
user password, only those who know the password(s)
have full use of the system.
NOTE: You can also use the System Setup program to
assign, change, or delete a user or supervisor password.
See the appropriate sections in Chapter 4, “Using the
System Setup Program,” for more information.
How Password Security Works
When a supervisor password is assigned and the Password
On Boot category is set to Enabled, the system prompts
you for the supervisor password every time you start or
reboot your computer. After a supervisor password is
assigned, the EISA Configuration Utility prompts you for
the supervisor password if you select Configure Computer from the Main Menu. You must enter a supervisor
password to be able to change any of the system configuration parameters. Entering a user password allows you to
view, but not change any of the system configuration
parameters.
To delete or change an existing supervisor or user password,
you must know the supervisor password. See “Deleting an
Existing User Password” or “Deleting an Existing Supervisor Password” found later in this section for more
information.
NOTE: A user password can only be assigned after a
supervisor password has been assigned.
If you assign and then forget a password, you must remove
the cover of the computer (which may require unlocking the
computer’s keylock) and change a jumper setting to temporarily disable the password features (see “Disabling a
Forgotten Password” found later in this section).
CAUTION: If you leave your system running and
unattended, anyone can access the data stored in
your system even with a password assigned. To
protect your system while it is running, you must
use additional forms of protection, such as screensaver software protected by a password.
Using the EISA Configuration Utility
5-71
You can use up to seven characters; character keys or
blank spaces are acceptable.
CAUTION: With the password features disabled,
your system operates as if it did not contain password features. If you leave your system running
and unattended without having a supervisor and/
or user password assigned or with the password
features disabled, anyone can assign a supervisor
and/or user password that will be unknown to
you.
To erase a character in your password, press the
<Backspace> key.
NOTES: The supervisor password feature recognizes
keys without distinguishing between shifted and
unshifted characters or uppercase and lowercase letters. For example, if you have an M in your password,
the system recognizes either M or m as correct.
Assigning or Changing a Supervisor
Password
Your system arrives with the Supervisor Password category set to Not Enabled. Use the following procedure to
assign or change a supervisor password.
NOTE: To quit the following procedure without assigning or changing a password, press the <Esc> key at any
time.
1.
2.
3.
4.
6.
Press <Enter>.
A new dialog box with a
prompt and an empty seven-character field
appears on the screen.
7.
Start the EISA Configuration Utility as described
in “Starting the EISA Configuration Utility” earlier in this chapter.
To confirm your supervisor password, type it
again and press <Enter>.
The Supervisor Password category indicates
Enabled. Your supervisor password is now set, but it
does not become operational until you save the configuration and exit the utility.
At the Main Menu, select Configure Computer.
The system prompts you for a supervisor password if
one has been assigned. If prompted, type the password and press <Enter>.
Deleting an Existing Supervisor Password
At the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu, select Step 3: View or Edit Details.
To delete an existing supervisor password, perform the following steps:
The current status of the system board options
appears on the screen.
NOTE: Deleting the supervisor password automatically
deletes the user password if one has been assigned.
NOTE: If the Supervisor Password category indicates Disabled by Jumper, you must install the
password jumper before you can assign a supervisor
password. See “Disabling a Forgotten Password”
found later in this chapter for instructions on how to
access the password jumper.
1.
Start the EISA Configuration Utility as described
in “Starting the EISA Configuration Utility” earlier in this chapter.
2.
At the Main Menu, select Configure Computer.
Select the Supervisor Password category.
A dialog box with an
prompt and an empty seven-character field
appears on the screen.
5.
Certain key combinations are not valid. If you enter
one of these combinations, the computer’s speaker
beeps.
Type your new supervisor password.
NOTE: The supervisor password can be the same as
the user password.
5-72
The system prompts you for a supervisor password.
Type the password and press <Enter>.
3.
At the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu, select Step 3: View or Edit Details.
4.
Select the Supervisor Password category, and
press <Enter>.
A dialog box with an
prompt and an empty seven-character field
appears on the screen.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
5.
Press <Enter>.
NOTES: The user password feature recognizes keys
without distinguishing between shifted and unshifted
characters or uppercase and lowercase letters. For
example, if you have an M in your password, the system recognizes either M or m as correct.
A new dialog box with a
prompt and an empty seven-character field
appears on the screen.
6.
Press <Enter>.
Certain key combinations are not valid. If you
enter one of these combinations, the computer’s speaker
beeps.
You are returned to the Main menu, where the Supervisor Password category now indicates Not Enabled.
Assigning or Changing a User
Password
Your system arrives with the User Password category set
to Not Enabled. Use the following procedure to assign or
change a user password.
6.
Press <Enter>.
A new dialog box with a
prompt and an empty seven-character field appears on
the screen.
7.
NOTE: To quit the following procedure without assigning
or changing a password, press the <Esc> key at any time.
To confirm your user password, type it again and
press <Enter>.
The User Password category indicates Enabled. Your
user password is now set, but it does not become operational until you save the configuration and exit the
utility.
1.
Start the EISA Configuration Utility as described
in “Starting the EISA Configuration Utility” earlier in this chapter.
2.
At the Main Menu, select Configure Computer.
Deleting an Existing User Password
The system prompts you for a supervisor password if
one has been assigned. If prompted, type the password and press <Enter>.
To delete an existing user password, perform the following steps:
NOTE: If a supervisor password has not been
assigned, you must assign one before you can assign
a user password.
3.
4.
1.
Start the EISA Configuration Utility as described
in “Starting the EISA Configuration Utility” earlier in this chapter.
2.
At the Main Menu, select Configure Computer.
At the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu, select Step 3: View or Edit Details.
When the system prompts you for a supervisor password, type the password and press <Enter>.
The current status of the system board options
appears on the screen.
3.
At the Steps in Configuring Your Computer
menu, select Step 3: View or Edit Details.
Select the User Password category.
4.
Select the User Password category, and press
<Enter>.
A dialog box with an
prompt and an empty seven-character field appears on
the screen.
5.
A dialog box with an
prompt and an empty seven-character field appears on
the screen.
Type your new user password.
NOTE: The user password can be the same as the
supervisor password.
You can use up to seven characters; character keys or
blank spaces are acceptable.
5.
Press <Enter>.
A new dialog box with a
prompt and an empty seven-character field appears on
the screen.
To erase a character in your password, press the
<Backspace> key.
Using the EISA Configuration Utility
5-73
6.
Press <Enter>.
3.
You are returned to the Main menu, where the User
Password category now indicates Not Enabled.
Remove the jumper plug from the PASSWD
jumper.
4.
Replace the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Replacing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6. Then reconnect the computer and
peripherals to their power sources, and turn them
on.
Disabling a Forgotten Password
If you forget your user or supervisor password, you cannot operate your system or change settings in the System
Setup program, respectively, until you open the computer
chassis, change the password jumper setting to disable
the passwords, and erase the existing passwords.
Booting your system with the PASSWD jumper
removed erases the existing password(s).
NOTE: Before you assign a new user and/or supervisor password, you must reinstall the PASSWD
jumper plug.
To disable a forgotten password, perform the following
steps:
1.
Remove the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Removing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
2.
Refer to “Jumpers” and Table B-1 in Appendix B
for jumper information, and to Figure B-1 for the
location of the password jumper (labeled
“PASSWD”) on the system board.
5-74
5.
Repeat step 1.
6.
Reinstall the PASSWD jumper plug on the
PASSWD jumper.
7.
Replace the computer cover, reconnect your computer to its power source, and turn it on.
8.
Assign a new user and/or supervisor password.
To assign a new user and/or supervisor password, see
“Assigning or Changing a User Password” and
“Assigning or Changing a Supervisor Password”
found earlier in this chapter.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Chapter 6
Working Inside Your Computer
Y
our Dell computer system supports a variety of internal options that expand system capabilities. This chapter
tells you how to remove the computer cover and familiarizes you with the internal components you may handle if
you install Dell hardware options.
Before You Begin
To make working inside your computer easier, make sure
you have adequate lighting and a clean work space. If
you should have to disconnect cables or remove expansion cards temporarily, note the location and orientation
of each component so that you can reassemble the system
correctly.
You will use the information in this section every time
you install a hardware option inside your computer. Read
this section carefully, because the information is not
repeated elsewhere in this guide.
Safety First—For You and Your
Computer
Working inside your computer is safe—if you observe the
following precautions:
WARNING FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY
AND PROTECTION OF YOUR EQUIPMENT
Before starting to work on your computer, perform the following steps in the sequence
indicated:
1.
Turn off your computer and all peripherals.
2.
Disconnect your computer and peripherals
from their power sources to reduce the potential for personal injury or shock. Also,
disconnect any telephone or telecommunications lines from the computer.
3.
If you are disconnecting a peripheral from the
computer or are removing a component from
the system board, wait 5 seconds after turning
off the computer before disconnecting the
peripheral or removing the component to
avoid possible damage to the system board.
4.
Touch an unpainted metal surface on the outside of the computer chassis before touching
anything inside the computer.
While you work, periodically touch an
unpainted metal surface on the computer
chassis to dissipate any static electricity that
might harm internal components.
In addition, Dell recommends that you periodically
review the safety instructions at the front of this guide.
Working Inside Your Computer
6-75
System Orientation
handle
All directions presented in the procedures in this chapter
are as viewed from a position facing the front of the
computer.
Removing the Computer Cover
Use the following procedure to remove the computer
cover:
1.
Observe the Warning for Your Personal Safety and
Protection of Your Equipment in the previous section. Also observe the safety instructions at the
front of this guide.
2.
Remove the four cover-mounting screws that
secure the cover to the chassis (Figure 6-1).
3.
Use the key provided with the system to remove the
special keylock screw if it is installed in one of the
cover-mounting screw locations. See Figure 1-2 for
an illustration of the keylock screw and key.
Figure 6-1. Removing the Computer Cover
Slide the cover backward about one inch. Then
grasp the front of the cover and the handle at the
back of the cover, and lift it straight up off the
chassis (Figure 6-1).
Replacing the Computer Cover
cover-mounting screws (4)
Use the following procedure to replace the computer
cover:
1.
Check all cable connections, especially those that
might have come loose during your work. Fold
cables out of the way so that they do not catch on
the computer cover.
CAUTION: Make sure that there are no cables
or cable connectors lying on the diskette drive.
Foreign objects on top of the drive can interfere with drive operation and permanently
damage the drive.
6-76
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
2.
Check to see that no tools or extra parts (including screws) are left inside the computer.
3.
Fit the cover over the chassis about 1 inch back of
the closed position; then lower the cover straight
down and slide it closed.
retaining holes (6)
retaining clips (6)
The tabs located at the bottom, sides, and top of the
front of the cover must slide inside the forms of the
chassis to ensure a good electromagnetic interference (EMI) seal.
4.
Install and tighten the four cover-mounting
screws on the back of the chassis.
Reinstall the special keylock screw in place of one of
the cover-mounting screws if you wish to prevent
unauthorized access to the interior of the computer.
Removing the Front Bezel
control
panel
Use the following procedure to remove the front bezel of
the computer:
1.
2.
alignment holes (5)
alignment pins (5)
Observe the Warning for Your Personal Safety and
Protection of Your Equipment in the previous section. Also observe the safety instructions at the
front of this guide.
Figure 6-2. Removing the Front Bezel
Gently pry the bezel loose with your finger tips,
and remove it from the chassis (see Figure 6-2).
Replacing the Front Bezel
While prying the bezel loose, pry at different points
around the bezel to keep the opening between the
bezel and the chassis equal and help prevent damage
to the bezel.
Use the following procedure to replace the front bezel of
the computer:
1.
Insert the five plastic alignment posts on the front
bezel into the appropriate holes in the front of the
chassis (Figure 6-2).
2.
When the six metal retaining clips make contact
with the larger holes in the front of the chassis,
press firmly to snap the bezel into position.
Working Inside Your Computer
6-77
Unpacking Your Hardware
Option
When you remove an option from its shipping carton,
you may find it wrapped in antistatic packing material
designed to protect it from electrostatic damage. Do not
remove the packing material until you are ready to install
the option.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front
of this guide.
Inside Your Computer
In Figures 6-3 and 6-4, the computer cover is removed to
provide interior views. These illustrations also identify
features on the front and back of the computer. Refer to
them to locate interior features and components discussed later in this guide.
When you look inside your computer, note the direct current (DC) power cables coming from the power supply.
These cables supply power to the system board, the externally accessible drives, and the internal hard-disk drives.
Expansion cards obtain power through the system board.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
The flat ribbon cables are the interface cables for internal
drives. These interface cables are described in more
detail in Chapter 8, “Installing Drives in the External
Bays,” and Chapter 9, “Installing Drives in the Internal
Bays.”
The system board—the large, vertical printed circuit
board at the right side of the chassis—holds the computer’s control circuitry and other electronic components.
Hardware options are installed directly onto the system
board in the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or
Extended Industry-Standard Architecture (EISA) expansion-card connectors. The external drive bays provide
space for up to three half-height drives—typically a diskette drive is installed in the top bay, a CD-ROM drive in
the middle bay, and the bottom bay is reserved for an
optional drive (often a tape drive for backing up data
from the hard-disk drives). The internal drive bays provide space for up to three 3.5-inch small computer system
interface (SCSI) hard-disk drives. Drives installed in the
internal drive bays can be up to 1.6 inches high.
During an installation procedure, you may be required to
change a jumper or switch setting on the system board, on
an expansion card, or on a drive. For more information, see
“Jumpers—A General Explanation” in Appendix B.
Working Inside Your Computer
6-79
diskette drive interface cable
system power supply
power cables
control panel
control panel cable
SCSI cable
diskette drive
cooling fan
CD-ROM drive
system board
mounting plate
bay for third drive
internal hard-disk drive cage
Figure 6-3. Inside the Chassis—Front/Right Side View
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
SCSI cable
power supply voltage
selector switch
external drive bays
AC power input connector
I/O panel connectors
hard-disk drive cage
hard-disk drive
power cables
system board
Figure 6-4. Inside the Chassis—Back/Left Side View
Working Inside Your Computer
6-81
Removing and Replacing the System
Board Assembly
mounting screws (4)
system board/mounting
plate assembly
When installing some hardware options, it may be more
convenient to remove the system board assembly and
place it on a horizontal surface before performing the
upgrade. The system board assembly in your computer
has been designed to be easily removable.
NOTE: Before removing the system board assembly, write
down or print out the system configuration information on
the EISA Configuration Utility screens. If you accidentally
lose your system configuration settings during the following
procedure, you can restore them by referring to the copy of
the settings.
Removing the System Board Assembly
The system board assembly consists of the system board
and a large metal mounting plate secured by four screws
to the right side of the chassis. After the computer cover
is removed, the system board assembly can be removed
from the chassis as a single unit as follows:
1.
Remove the computer cover as described in
“Removing the Computer Cover,” earlier in this
chapter.
2.
If there are no expansion cards installed, go to
step 4. Otherwise, lay the computer on its right
side so you can access the expansion cards.
3.
Disconnect the cables from the expansion cards,
and then remove the expansion cards. See
“Removing an Expansion Card” in Chapter 7.
Be sure to label the cables that you disconnect so
they can be easily reconnected.
4.
Lay the computer on its left side; then remove the
four screws from the mounting plate (Figure 6-5).
system board
cables
Figure 6-5. Removing the System Board
Assembly
5.
Partially remove the system board assembly from
the chassis.
Tilt the system board assembly away from the chassis far enough so that you can access the cables and
disconnect them as described in the next step.
6.
Disconnect the following cables from the system
board.
See Figure 7-1 to identify the following connectors
on the system board. Disconnect the following
cables (if any) connected to them:
•
•
•
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
PANEL (for the front panel cable)
FLOPPY (for the diskette interface cable)
HDLED (for the hard-disk drive access indicator cable)
•
•
•
•
7.
FAN (for the fan cable)
tabs (2)
AUXFAN (for the cable to an auxiliary fan)
POWER (for the power supply cable)
POWER3V (for the 3-volt power cable)
system board
mounting plate
To work on the system board, place the system
board assembly on a flat surface, with the system
board facing up.
Replacing the System Board Assembly
To replace the system board assembly in the chassis, perform the following steps:
1.
Reconnect the cables to the system board.
Position the system board assembly near the chassis,
and reconnect all cables you disconnected in step 6 of
the preceding procedure. Double-check the cable connections before continuing.
2.
Install the system board assembly in the chassis.
Facing the right side of the computer, hold the system board/mounting plate assembly in position.
Align the input/output (I/O) connectors on the back
of the system board with the openings in the back of
the chassis, insert the system board mounting plate
under the two tabs on the chassis (Figure 6-6), and
then slide the system board assembly toward the
back of the computer until the mounting screw holes
align with the holes in the chassis.
system board cables
Figure 6-6. Replacing the System Board
Assembly
3.
Replace and tighten the four mounting-plate
screws.
4.
Replace the computer cover as described in
“Replacing the Computer Cover,” earlier in this
chapter.
Working Inside Your Computer
6-83
6-84
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Chapter 7
Installing System Board Options
T
his chapter describes installation of the following
options:
•
Extended Industry-Standard Architecture (EISA),
Industry-Standard Architecture (ISA), and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) expansion cards
•
•
Dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs)
Microprocessor upgrade
This chapter also includes instructions for replacing the
system battery, if necessary.
Use Figure 7-1 to locate the system board features.
fan connector (FAN)
integrated SCSI port
connector (SCSI)
front-panel connector
(PANEL)
keyboard (bottom) and
mouse (top)
connectors
(KYBD/MOUSE)
3-volt power connector
(POWER3V)
serial port 1 (bottom)
and serial port 2 (top)
connectors (SERIAL)
parallel port
connector
(PARALLEL)
video
connector (JVGA)
battery socket
(BATTERY)
EISA connectors
(EISA1 [bottom],
EISA2, and EISA3)
power connector (POWER)
microprocessor
socket (PROCESSOR)
diskette controller connector
(FLOPPY)
hard-disk drive access
indicator connector
(HDLED)
auxiliary fan connector
(AUXFAN)
configuration jumpers
DIMM sockets (DIMM_A
[bottom] DIMM_B, DIMM_C,
and DIMM_D)
PCI connectors (PCI4
[bottom], PCI5, and
PCI6)
server management
connector (SVR_MGT)
Figure 7-1. System Board Features
Installing System Board Options
7-85
System Orientation
All directions presented in the procedures in this chapter
are as viewed from a position facing the front of the computer. Use Figure 7-1 to locate items on the system board.
Expansion Cards
8-bit ISA expansion card
Your computer can hold up to six expansion cards. The
three EISA expansion-card connectors will accept a mix
of 8- and 16-bit ISA cards, 32-bit EISA master or slave
cards. The three PCI expansion-card connectors accept
32-bit PCI cards.
Figure 7-2 shows examples of the different types of
expansion cards.
16-bit ISA expansion card
32-bit EISA expansion card
32-bit PCI expansion card
Figure 7-2. Expansion Card Examples
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Expansion Slots
3.
The system board contains a total of six expansion-card
connectors, three for EISA or ISA expansion cards and
three for PCI expansion cards. An opening is available in
the back panel of the computer for each expansion card
connector, thus providing six usable expansion slots.
With the cover removed, lay the computer (left
side up) on a flat work surface so that you have
access to the expansion card slots.
4.
Remove the metal filler bracket that covers the
card-slot opening for the expansion slot you
intend to use (see Figure 7-3).
Save the screw to use when installing the expansion
card later in this procedure.
Connectors EISA1 through EISA3 are EISA master slots.
As such, each of these connectors can accommodate a
32-bit EISA master or slave card, or an 8- or 16-bit ISA
expansion card.
Connectors PCI4, PCI5, and PCI6 support 32-bit PCI cards.
NOTE: If a Dell server management card is installed in
the server management connector (SRV_MGT), the
EISA1 connector cannot be used for an expansion card.
filler bracket
Installing an Expansion Card
Follow this general procedure to install an expansion
card:
1.
If you are installing an ISA expansion card, start
the EISA Configuration Utility and add the new
card to your configuration so that PCI devices
can be configured properly.
Figure 7-3. Removing the Filler Bracket
See Chapter 5, “Using the EISA Configuration Utility,” for instructions.
NOTES: If you are installing an EISA expansion
card, you should normally run the EISA Configuration Utility after installing the expansion card.
If you are installing a PCI expansion card, your system automatically performs any required PCI
configuration tasks during the boot routine.
2.
Prepare the expansion card for installation, and
remove the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Removing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6.
5.
If the expansion card is full-length, insert the end
of the expansion card in the corresponding card
guide slot on the inside front wall of the computer.
Slide the card into the chassis.
6.
Insert the card-edge connector firmly into the
appropriate EISA or PCI expansion-card connector on the system board.
Gently rock the card into the connector while you fit
the metal card-mounting bracket into the card-slot
opening on the back panel of the computer (see Figure 7-4).
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
See the documentation that came with the expansion
card for information on configuring the card, making
internal connections, or otherwise customizing it for
your system.
Installing System Board Options
7-87
mounting screw
expansion card
Removing an Expansion Card
Follow this general procedure to remove an expansion
card:
1.
If you are relocating or permanently removing an
ISA expansion card, enter the change into the
EISA Configuration Utility.
See Chapter 5, “Using the EISA Configuration Utility,” for instructions.
2.
card-edge connector
card-guide slots
(inside front of
computer)
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
3.
With the cover removed, lay the computer (left
side up) on a flat work surface so that you have
access to the expansion card slots.
4.
If necessary, disconnect any cables connected to
the expansion card.
5.
Unscrew the card-mounting bracket (Figure 7-3).
6.
Grasp the expansion card by its outside corners,
and ease it out of its connector.
7.
If you are removing the expansion card permanently, install a metal filler bracket over the
empty card-slot opening.
Figure 7-4. Installing an Expansion Card
7.
8.
When the card is firmly seated in the connector
and the card-mounting bracket is flush with the
brackets on either side of it, secure the bracket
with the screw you removed in step 4.
Connect any cables that should be attached to the
card.
See the documentation that came with the card for
information about its cable connections.
9.
NOTE: Installing filler brackets over empty cardslot openings is necessary to maintain Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) certification of
the system. The brackets also keep dust and dirt out
of the computer and aid in proper cooling and airflow inside the computer.
Replace the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Replacing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6, reconnect your computer and
peripherals to their power sources, and turn them
on.
10. If you are installing an EISA expansion card,
start the EISA Configuration Utility and add the
new card to your configuration.
See Chapter 5, “Using the EISA Configuration Utility,” for instructions.
7-88
Remove the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Removing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6.
8.
Replace the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Replacing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6, reconnect your computer and
peripherals to their power sources, and turn them
on.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
9.
If you relocated or permanently removed an
EISA expansion card, enter the change into the
EISA Configuration Utility.
See Chapter 5, “Using the EISA Configuration Utility,” for instructions.
NOTE: If you removed a PCI expansion card, your
system automatically performs any required reconfiguration tasks during the boot routine.
Adding Memory
The four DIMM sockets (shown in Figure 7-5) on the
system board can accommodate 16 to 512 megabytes
(MB) of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). The
PowerEdge 2100 systems use 72-bit, buffered, extended data
output (EDO) DIMMs in these 168-pin sockets. Error checking and correction (ECC) is performed by the memory
controller in the system board chip set. Figure 7-1 shows the
location of the DIMM sockets on the system board.
DIMM_D
DIMM_C
DIMM_B
DIMM_A
Figure 7-5. DIMMs and DIMM Sockets
Installing System Board Options
7-89
Memory Upgrade Kits
Your system is upgradable to 512 MB by installing combinations of 16-, 32-, and 128-MB DIMMs in the DIMM
sockets. The DIMMs should be rated at 60 nanoseconds (ns)
or faster.
Memory upgrade kits can be purchased from Dell as
needed.
DIMM Installation Guidelines
Starting with the socket nearest the system board’s PCI
expansion-card connectors and working toward the center of the system board, the sockets are labeled
“DIMM_A” through “DIMM_D” (Figure 7-5).
When installing DIMMs in sockets, follow these
guidelines:
•
Install a DIMM in socket DIMM_A before socket
DIMM_B, socket DIMM_B before socket
DIMM_C, and so on.
•
If you install different sizes of DIMMs, start with the
largest (highest capacity) DIMM in socket DIMM_A
and work toward DIMM_D with the smaller
DIMMs.
Table 7-1 illustrates these guidelines by listing sample
memory configurations.
NOTE: The maximum memory supported in PowerEdge 2100 systems is 512 MB.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Installing System Board Options
7-91
Table 7-1. Sample DIMM Configurations
DIMM Socket
DIMM_A
DIMM_B
DIMM_C
DIMM_D
16 MB
16 MB
None
None
None
32 MB
16 MB
16 MB
None
None
48 MB
32 MB
16 MB
None
None
64 MB
16 MB
16 MB
16 MB
16 MB
64 MB
32 MB
32 MB
None
None
80 MB
32 MB
32 MB
16 MB
None
96 MB
32 MB
32 MB
32 MB
None
128 MB
32 MB
32 MB
32 MB
32 MB
128 MB
128 MB
None
None
None
144 MB
128 MB
16 MB
None
None
192 MB
128 MB
32 MB
32 MB
None
256 MB
128 MB
128 MB
None
None
288 MB
128 MB
128 MB
32 MB
None
384 MB
128 MB
128 MB
128 MB
None
416 MB
128 MB
128 MB
128 MB
32 MB
512 MB
128 MB
128 MB
128 MB
128 MB
Total Memory
Performing a Memory Upgrade
2.
Use the following procedure to perform a memory
upgrade:
1.
Remove the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Removing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
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Remove the system board assembly according to
the instructions in “Removing the System Board
Assembly” in Chapter 6.
Lay the system board assembly on a flat work surface so you can easily access the DIMM sockets.
3.
Determine the DIMM sockets into which you will
install or replace DIMMs.
See the previous subsection, “DIMM Installation
Guidelines.”
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
4.
Follow the instructions in “Installing a DIMM” or
“Removing a DIMM,” as appropriate, later in this
section.
5.
6.
“Using the EISA Configuration Utility,” for instructions on running the utility and saving the
configuration.
Install or replace the DIMMs as necessary to
reach the desired memory total.
9.
Replace the system board according to the
instructions in “Replacing the System Board
Assembly” in Chapter 6.
Replace the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Replacing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6, reconnect your computer and
peripherals to their power sources, and turn them
on.
After the computer completes the power-on self-test
(POST) routine, it runs a memory test that displays
the new memory total, which includes all newly
installed memory.
The system detects that the new memory does not
match the system configuration information, which
is stored in nonvolatile random-access memory
(NVRAM), and generates the following error
message:
System memory size has changed — Run
Configuration Utility
See the chapter titled “Running the Diskette-Based
Diagnostics” in your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
Guide for information on running the memory
diagnostics.
Installing a DIMM
NOTE: The following procedure assumes that the system
board assembly has been removed from the computer and
is laying on a flat work surface. See “Removing and
Replacing the System Board Assembly” in Chapter 6.
Install DIMMs starting with socket DIMM_A, located
nearest the PCI expansion-card connector, and working
toward socket DIMM_D, nearest the center of the system
board. If a DIMM is already installed in the socket you
need, you must remove it. Follow the instructions in the
next subsection, “Removing a DIMM,” if appropriate.)
Use the following procedure to install a DIMM:
1.
Press the ejectors on the DIMM socket down and
outward as shown in Figure 7-6 to allow the
DIMM to be inserted in the socket.
2.
Align the DIMM’s edge connector with the slot in
the center of the DIMM socket, and insert the
DIMM in the socket.
Press F1 to resume, F2 to Setup
7.
Press <F2> (when prompted while the computer
is booting) to enter the System Setup program,
and check the Extended Memory category on the
main menu of the System Setup screens.
The card-edge connector on the DIMM is keyed so
that the DIMM can only be installed in the socket in
one way (Figure 7-6).
The system should have already changed the value
of the Extended Memory category to reflect the newly
installed memory. Verify the new total.
NOTE: If the memory total is incorrect, turn off your
computer and peripherals and disconnect them from
their power sources. Remove the computer cover and
system board, and check all the installed DIMMs to
make sure they are seated properly in their sockets.
Then repeat steps 6 and 7.
8.
Enter the EISA Configuration Utility. Then save
the configuration and exit the utility.
When the Extended Memory total is correct, run
the diskette-based diagnostics to test all installed
DIMMs.
3.
Press down on the two outer edges of the DIMM
with your thumbs while pulling up on the ejectors
with your index fingers to lock the DIMM into the
socket.
When the DIMM is properly seated in the socket, the
ejectors on the DIMM socket should align with the
ejectors on the other DIMM sockets.
Running the EISA Configuration Utility and saving
the configuration is required for the system to recognize the newly installed DIMMs. See Chapter 5,
Installing System Board Options
7-93
Installing a Microprocessor
Upgrade
The microprocessor is installed in a zero insertion force (ZIF)
socket on the system board to allow you to easily upgrade
your system with a more powerful microprocessor as your
computing needs increase. Use the following procedure to
remove the old microprocessor and install the upgrade.
2.
cutout
1.
Figure 7-6. Installing a DIMM
4.
Continue with step 5 of the previous subsection,
“Performing a Memory Upgrade.”
The following items are included in a microprocessor
upgrade kit:
•
•
•
•
The new microprocessor chip
A new heat sink
A new heat sink clip
A new snap-in badge
NOTE: Dell recommends that only a technically knowledgeable person perform this procedure.
1.
Removing a DIMM
To remove a DIMM, press down and outward on the
ejectors on each end of the DIMM socket until the
DIMM pops out of the socket (Figure 7-7).
Remove the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Removing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
press down and out
2.
Remove the system board assembly according to
the instructions in “Removing the System Board
Assembly” in Chapter 6.
Lay the system board assembly on a flat work surface so you can easily access the microprocessor and
heat sink assembly.
3.
2.
1.
Figure 7-7. Removing a DIMM
7-94
Remove the metal clip that secures the heat sink
to the microprocessor socket.
CAUTION: Never remove the heat sink from a
microprocessor unless you intend to remove the
microprocessor. The heat sink is necessary to maintain proper thermal conditions.
WARNING: The microprocessor chip and
heat sink can get extremely hot. Be sure the
microprocessor has had sufficient time to cool
before you touch it.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Press down on the folded part of the clip with a small
screwdriver to release the clip (Figure 7-8).
microprocessor chip
press here to
release clip
microprocessor
socket
microprocessor securing
clip hooks over tabs on
front and back of socket
release lever
Figure 7-8. Microprocessor Securing Clip
4.
Remove the heat sink.
The thermal interface pad is bonded to the heat sink
and will remain with the old heat sink.
5.
Figure 7-9. Removing the Microprocessor
6.
CAUTION: Be careful not to bend any of the
pins when unpacking the microprocessor.
Bending the pins can permanently damage the
microprocessor.
Remove the microprocessor chip from the socket.
CAUTION: Be careful not to bend any of the
pins when removing the microprocessor chip
from its socket. Bending the pins can permanently damage the microprocessor chip.
To remove the microprocessor chip, pull the socket
release lever straight up until the chip is released (Figure 7-9). Then lift the chip out of the socket. Leave the
release lever up so that the socket is ready for the new
microprocessor.
Unpack the new microprocessor.
If any of the pins on the microprocessor chip appear
to be bent, see the chapter titled “Getting Help” in
your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
7.
Align the pin-1 corner of the microprocessor chip
(Figure 7-10) with the pin-1 corner of the microprocessor socket.
NOTE: Identifying the pin-1 corners is critical to
positioning the chip correctly.
Identify the pin-1 corner of the microprocessor by
turning the chip over and locating the tiny gold finger that extends from one corner of the large central
rectangular area. The gold finger points toward
pin 1, which is also uniquely identified by a square
pad.
Installing System Board Options
7-95
When the chip is fully seated in the socket, rotate the
socket release lever back down until it snaps into
place, securing the chip.
pin-1 corner
(gold finger and square pad)
Figure 7-10. Pin-1 Identification
Pin 1 is located in the lower right corner of the
socket as you face the “Socket 8” label
(Figure 7-11).
8.
pin-1 corners of
chip and socket
aligned
Install the microprocessor chip in the socket (Figure 7-11).
CAUTION: Positioning the microprocessor
chip incorrectly in the socket can permanently damage the chip and the computer
when you turn on the system.
Figure 7-11. Installing the Microprocessor
Chip
If the release lever on the microprocessor socket is
not all the way up, move it to that position now.
With the pin-1 corners of chip and socket aligned,
align the pins on the chip with the holes in the
socket. Set the chip lightly in the socket and make
sure all pins are headed into the correct holes.
Because your system uses a ZIF microprocessor
socket, there is no need to use force (which could
bend the pins if the chip is misaligned). When the
chip is positioned correctly, it should drop down into
the socket with minimal pressure.
9.
Place the new heat sink (with its bonded thermal
interface pad) on top of the microprocessor chip
(see Figure 7-12).
CAUTION: When placing the microprocessor chip in the socket, be sure that all
of the pins go into the corresponding holes
on all sides of the socket. Be careful not to
bend the pins.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
clip
on the jumper labeled “200MHZ.” (See Appendix B,
“Hardware Configuration Features,” for more information on the jumpers.)
12. Replace the system board according to the
instructions in “Replacing the System Board
Assembly” in Chapter 6.
heat sink
13. Replace the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Replacing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6.
14. Remove the front bezel according to the instructions in “Removing the Front Bezel” in Chapter 6.
15. Remove the old badge from the front of the computer and install the new one.
thermal pad
(bonded to heat
sink)
microprocessor
chip
microprocessor
socket
The badge is secured to the front bezel with three
metal tabs. Press on all three tabs at once to release
the detent that holds them in place, and then push
them out of the front bezel. To install the new badge,
insert the three metal tabs through the slots in the
front bezel and press on the badge until the detents
on the tabs lock into place.
16. Replace the front bezel according to the instructions in “Replacing the Front Bezel” in Chapter 6.
17. Reconnect your computer and peripherals to
their power sources, and turn them on.
Figure 7-12. Installing the Heat Sink
10. Replace the microprocessor securing clip.
Orient the clip as shown in Figure 7-12, and hook the
unfolded end of the clip over the tab on the edge of
the socket facing the front of the computer. Then
press down on the folded end of the clip to snap the
clip over the tab on the back of the socket.
11. Change the microprocessor speed jumper setting
to correspond to the new microprocessor’s operating frequency.
The microprocessor speed jumper should be set for
the installed microprocessor’s rated internal speed.
For example, for a 200-megahertz (MHz) Intel Pentium Pro processor, a jumper plug should be installed
As the system boots, it detects the presence of the
new microprocessor and automatically changes the
system configuration information in the System
Setup program.
18. Enter the System Setup program, and confirm
that the Microprocessor category correctly identifies the installed microprocessor.
See Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program.”
19. Run the diskette-based Dell diagnostics to verify
that the new microprocessor is operating
correctly.
See your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide for
information on running the diagnostics and troubleshooting
any problems that may occur.
Installing System Board Options
7-97
Replacing the System Battery
The 3-V lithium backup battery (see Figure 7-13),
mounted in the BATTERY socket on the system board
(Figure 7-1), maintains system configuration, date, and time
information in a special section of memory when the system is
turned off and disconnected from alternating current (AC)
power.
battery
BATTERY socket
If you leave your system disconnected from AC power for
long periods of time (for weeks or months), the NVRAM
may lose its system configuration information. This situation is not caused by a defective battery.
You can operate your system without a battery; however,
the system configuration information is erased each time
you turn off the computer and disconnect it from AC
power. In this case, you must enter the System Setup program and reset the configuration options each time you
boot your system until you can replace the battery.
Use the following procedure to replace the computer
battery:
1.
If you have not already done so, make a copy of
or print your system configuration information in
the System Setup program.
If the settings are lost while replacing the battery,
refer to your written or printed copy to restore the
correct settings. See Chapter 4, “Using the System
Setup Program,” for instructions.
Figure 7-13. System Battery and Battery Socket
2.
The operating life of the battery can extend up to 10 years,
depending on how you use your system (for example, if
your system is connected to AC power most of the time,
the battery gets little use and thus lasts longer). The battery
may need replacing if an incorrect time or date is displayed
during the boot routine along with a message such as:
System battery is dead - Replace and run
Setup
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
3.
Lay the computer on its right side on a flat work
surface to allow access to the battery on the system board.
4.
Remove any PCI expansion cards that prevent
access to the battery. See “Removing an Expansion Card,” found earlier in this chapter.
or
System CMOS checksum bad — Run Setup
To determine whether the battery needs replacing, re-enter
the time and date through the System Setup program, and exit
the program properly to save the information. Turn off your system and disconnect it from AC power for a few hours, and then
reconnect power and turn it on again. Enter the System Setup
program. If the date and time are not correct in the System Setup
program, replace your battery.
NOTES: Some software may cause the system time to
speed up or slow down. If your system seems to operate
normally except for the time kept in the System Setup program, the problem may be caused by software rather than
by a defective battery.
7-98
Remove the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Removing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6.
Be sure to label any external connections to the PCI
cards when you remove them to facilitate correct
reinstallation.
5.
Remove the old battery.
Pry the backup battery out of its socket with your
fingers or a blunt object, such as a plastic
screwdriver.
NOTE: Dispose of the old battery in accordance
with local ordinances.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
6.
Install the new battery with the side labeled “+” facing up.
Place the new battery in the socket, and press down
on it until the battery snaps into the socket.
7.
If you removed any PCI expansion cards, replace
them according to the instructions in “Installing
an Expansion Card,” earlier in this chapter.
8.
Replace the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Replacing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6, reconnect your computer and
peripherals to their power sources, and turn them
on.
9.
Enter the System Setup program, and confirm
that the battery is operating properly. See Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program.”
Enter the correct time and date through the System
Setup program’s Time and Date categories. Also
reenter any system configuration information that is
no longer displayed on the System Setup screens,
and then exit the System Setup program.
Installing System Board Options
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Chapter 8
Installing Drives in the External Bays
T
he external drive bays at the front of the computer
(Figure 8-1) hold up to three user-accessible, half-height
Configuring a Drive
5.25- or 3.5-inch devices—typically diskette, tape,
CD-ROM, or digital audio tape (DAT) drives. Standard
PowerEdge 2100 systems include a diskette drive in the
top bay and a CD-ROM drive in the middle bay. A drive
of your choice can be installed in the lower bay.
Because you may need to tailor a drive to work with your
system, certain installation instructions in this chapter
refer you to the documentation that came with the drive
for information on changing jumper settings.
The diskette drive is controlled by the system board’s
built-in diskette controller. The CD-ROM drive provided
with the system and an additional small computer system
interface (SCSI) drive (if installed in the lower bay) are
controlled by the system board’s built-in SCSI controller.
Jumpers
NOTE: Dell PowerEdge 2100 systems support only SCSI
hard-disk drives in the internal drive bays. For more
information, see Chapter 9, “Installing Drives in the
Internal Bays.”
Drives installed by Dell are configured to work with your
system. However, you should check the documentation
for the drive to verify that the jumpers are set correctly
for your particular configuration, and make any necessary alterations. (For an explanation of jumpers, see
“Jumpers” in Appendix B.)
For example, when daisy-chaining two drives together,
you may need to reconfigure one or both drives to differentiate between them for proper operation.
Installing Drives in the External Bays
8-101
See Figure 8-1 for an internal view that shows the drives,
control cables, and power cables in the external bays.
power input connectors
diskette drive interface cable
diskette drive
CD-ROM drive
DC power cables
SCSI interface cable
Figure 8-1. External Drive Bay Hardware
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Before You Begin
In order to remove or install drives in the external bays,
you must remove the computer cover and front bezel
according to the instructions in “Removing the Computer
Cover” and “Removing the Front Bezel” in Chapter 6.
Removing and Replacing FrontPanel Inserts
To protect the inside of the computer from foreign particles, a plastic front-panel insert covers each empty
external drive bay. Additionally, each empty drive bay is
covered by a metal insert to maintain the necessary electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding for the chassis.
Before you install a drive in an empty bay, you must first
remove the plastic and metal inserts.
Whenever you remove a drive, be sure to replace the
metal insert on the chassis and then replace the plastic
insert in the front bezel to cover the empty bay.
Removing and Replacing Plastic Inserts
To remove the plastic insert for a drive bay you intend to
use, first remove the front bezel as instructed in “Removing the Front Bezel” in Chapter 6. Then, facing the inside
of the front bezel, grasp the front bezel with both hands
and place your fingers on the outside of the front-bezel
insert (indicated by the two arrows in Figure 8-2). Push
on the outside of the front-bezel insert while twisting the
sides of the front bezel outward until the front-bezel
insert is released.
Figure 8-2. Removing a Plastic Insert
To replace a front-panel insert, position the insert over
the bay opening from the inside of the front bezel and
carefully press the insert into place. A tab on each side of
the insert snaps into a corresponding latch on the inside
of the front bezel.
Removing Metal Inserts
To remove the metal insert for a drive bay you intend to
use, first remove the front bezel as instructed in “Removing the Front Bezel” in Chapter 6. Next, remove the
retaining screw at the right end of the metal insert (see
Figure 8-3), and then pivot the metal insert out and slide
it to the right.
Installing Drives in the External Bays
8-103
power input
connector
on the drive
metal insert
DC power cable (from
the power supply)
Figure 8-4. Power Connectors
retaining
screw
A ribbon cable (Figure 8-5) functions as the interface cable
for most types of drives.
pull tab
key (blocked hole)
colored
strip on
ribbon
cable
Figure 8-3. Removing a Metal Insert
Connecting the Drive
interface connector
This section describes the power input connectors and
interface connectors on the back of most drives.
Figure 8-4 shows the 4-pin power input connector, where
you connect a direct current (DC) power cable from the
power supply. The power connectors are keyed to avoid
incorrect insertion; do not force two connectors together if
they do not fit properly.
header connector
key (cut-off pin)
Figure 8-5. Header Connector
Most interface connectors are keyed for correct insertion;
that is, a notch or a missing pin on one connector matches
a tab or a filled-in hole on the other connector. Keying
ensures that the pin-1 wire in the cable (indicated by the
colored strip along one edge of the cable) goes to the pin-1
ends of the connectors on both ends.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
A header connector is usually keyed by the omission of one
of its pins with the corresponding hole filled in on the cable
connector, as shown in Figure 8-5.
CAUTION: When connecting an interface cable,
match the colored strip to the pin-1 end of the
connector. Reversing the cable prevents the drive
from operating and could damage the controller,
the drive, or both.
Figure 8-6 identifies the types of DC power cables coming
from the computer’s power supply. Before connecting a
drive to a power cable, refer to Figure 8-6 to identify the correct cable connector to use for the drive.
5.25-inch drive
connector
Bays
The external drive bays (Figure 8-7) can hold up to three
half-height devices. A diskette drive is standard in the top
bay and a CD-ROM drive is standard in the middle bay. The
lower bay can be used for a SCSI drive or a drive that
requires its own controller card and interface cable, such as
some kinds of tape drives.
drive in top bay
DC Power Cables
system board
connector
Installing Drives in the External
drive in middle bay
empty lower bay
system board
connector
3.5-inch drive
connector
Figure 8-6. DC Power Cable Connectors
press
(two places)
Figure 8-7. Drives in the External Bays
Installing Drives in the External Bays
8-105
The diskette drive interface cable (Figure 8-8) provides an
interface between the standard diskette drive in the top bay
and the computer’s built-in diskette controller. The connectors on the cable are identical; however, the ends of the cable
are labeled CNTL for the diskette controller connector
(FLOPPY) and DRIVE for the diskette drive connector. (To
identify the FLOPPY connector, see Figure 7-1.)
third slot
mounting
screws (4)
first slot
rails (2)
controller connector
drive connector
Figure 8-8. Diskette Drive Interface Cable
Figure 8-9. Attaching Drive Rails
2.
Installing Diskette Drives That Use the
Diskette Drive Controller
To install a 5.25- or 3.5-inch diskette drive that uses the
built-in diskette drive controller, follow these steps:
1.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety
instructions at the front of this guide.
Prepare the drive for installation.
Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface on the back of the computer, unpack the drive,
and compare the jumper settings with those in the
drive documentation. Change any settings necessary
for your system’s configuration.
If the drive does not already have drive rails
attached, attach a drive rail to each side of the drive.
Orient the drive rails as shown in Figure 8-9. Secure
each drive rail to the drive with a screw in the first (from
the front) and third slotted screw holes on the drive rail
as shown in Figure 8-9.
Remove the computer cover and front bezel
according to the instructions in “Removing the
Computer Cover” and “Removing the Front
Bezel” in Chapter 6.
3.
Slide the new drive into its bay until it snaps
securely into place.
If necessary, you can adjust drive alignment by repositioning one or both rails.
4.
Connect a DC power cable and the diskette interface cable to the back of the drive (see Figure 8-1).
If other installed drives are in the way, you can temporarily move them out of the way. Press in on the
plastic drive rails at the front of the bay to disengage
a drive; then slide the drive toward the front of the
chassis (see Figure 8-8).
Refer to Figure 8-6 to determine the appropriate DC
power cable connector to use, depending on the type of
drive. Plug the DC power cable into the 4-pin power
input connector on the back of the drive.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Refer to Figure 8-8 to determine the appropriate connector to use on the diskette drive interface cable.
CAUTION: Check the cable orientation—
match the colored strip to the pin-1 end of the
connector.
Installing SCSI Drives in the External
Bays
1.
Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface on the back of the computer, unpack the drive,
and compare the jumper and switch settings with
those in the drive documentation. (See “SCSI Configuration Guidelines” in Chapter 9 for information
on setting the drive’s SCSI identification (ID) number and enabling termination, if required). Change
any settings necessary for your system’s
configuration.
Press the interface cable connector firmly onto the
drive’s connector. Be sure that the interface cable is
routed through the slot in the upper chassis rail to
prevent interference with other devices.
If you moved other drives at the beginning of this
step, snap them back into place.
5.
Check all cable connections that may have been
loosened during this procedure. Arrange cables
so they will not catch on the computer cover or
block the airflow of the fans or cooling vents.
6.
If a front-panel insert on the front bezel blocks
the bay in which you installed the drive, remove
the insert (see “Removing and Replacing FrontPanel Inserts” found earlier in this chapter).
7.
If the drive does not already have drive rails
attached, attach a drive rail to each side of the drive.
Orient the drive rails as shown in Figure 8-9. Secure
each drive rail to the drive with a screw in the first and
third slotted screw holes on the drive rail as shown in
Figure 8-9.
2.
Replace the computer cover and front bezel
according to the instructions in “Replacing the
Computer Cover” and “Replacing the Front
Bezel” in Chapter 6.
8.
Reconnect your computer and peripherals to
their power sources, and turn them on.
9.
Update your system configuration information.
Enter the System Setup program, and if you installed
a diskette drive, update the appropriate Diskette Drive
category (A or B) to reflect the size and capacity of
your new diskette drive.
10. Verify correct operation of your system.
See the chapter titled “Running the Diskette-Based
Diagnostics” in your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
Guide for information on running the diskette-based
diagnostics. Test the drive by running all the subtests
in the Diskette Drive Test Group of the diskettebased diagnostics.
Prepare the drive for installation.
Remove the computer cover and front bezel
according to the instructions in “Removing the
Computer Cover” and “Removing the Front
Bezel” in Chapter 6.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
3.
Slide the new drive into its bay until it snaps
securely into place.
If necessary, you can adjust drive alignment by repositioning one or both rails.
4.
Connect a DC power cable and one of the connectors on the SCSI interface cable to the back of the
drive (see Figure 8-1).
Refer to Figure 8-6 to determine the appropriate DC
power cable connector to use, depending on the type of
drive. Plug the DC power cable into the 4-pin power
input connector on the back of the drive.
Use either of the two SCSI connectors nearest the
system board connector on the SCSI interface cable
(see Figure 9-2).
Installing Drives in the External Bays
8-107
NOTE: You will need a 68-pin to 50-pin adapter to
connect the SCSI cable to the narrow (50-pin) connector on the CD-ROM or tape drive (Figure 8-10).
Press the interface cable connector firmly onto the
adapter and the adapter firmly onto the drive’s
connector.
If you moved other drives at the beginning of this
step, snap them back into place.
Installing an Optional SCSI Controller
for the External Bay SCSI Drives
Performance of the SCSI hard-disk drives in the internal
bays can be increased by adding an optional SCSI controller card to control the CD-ROM drive and any other
SCSI device installed in the external bays. The optional
Adaptec AHA-2940 SCSI controller is available from
Dell in a kit that includes an interface cable with 50-pin
connectors for narrow SCSI devices.
Use the following procedure to install an optional SCSI
controller card for the SCSI devices in the external bays.
1.
Refer to the documentation accompanying the SCSI
controller card. If the card incorporates jumpers that
must be set to work with your system, verify or
change the settings as necessary.
Figure 8-10. 68-Pin to 50-Pin Adapter
5.
Check all cable connections that may have been
loosened during this procedure. Arrange cables
so they will not catch on the computer cover or
block the airflow of the fans or cooling vents.
Enable termination for the controller according to
the instructions in “SCSI Configuration Guidelines”
in Chapter 9.
2.
6.
If a front-panel insert on the front bezel blocks
the bay in which you installed the drive, remove
the insert (see “Removing and Replacing FrontPanel Inserts” found earlier in this chapter).
7.
Replace the computer cover and front bezel
according to the instructions in “Replacing the
Computer Cover” and “Replacing the Front
Bezel” in Chapter 6.
8.
Reconnect your computer and peripherals to
their power sources, and turn them on.
3.
9.
Verify correct operation of your system.
4.
See the chapter titled “Running the Diskette-Based
Diagnostics” in your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
Guide for information on running the diskette-based
diagnostics. Test the new SCSI drive by running all
the subtests in the SCSI Devices Test Group of the
diskette-based diagnostics.
Configure the controller card if necessary.
Remove the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Removing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
Install the controller card in an expansion slot.
See “Installing an Expansion Card” in Chapter 7.
Connect one end of the interface cable that came
with the SCSI controller card to the controller
connector on the card (Figure 8-11).
One end of the interface cable has a single connector; the other end has two connectors. Connect the
single connector to the SCSI controller card.
Perform a tape backup and verification test with the
tape drive as instructed in the documentation for the
tape drive software that came with the drive.
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Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
SCSI drives
in the external
bays (2)
SCSI cable
SCSI controller card
Figure 8-11. Connecting an Optional SCSI Controller Card
5.
6.
Connect the other end of the interface cable to the
SCSI drives in the external bays.
7.
Reconnect your computer and peripherals to
their power sources, and turn them on.
If you have more than one SCSI device in the external bays, you should connect the end connector on
the interface cable to the CD-ROM drive and enable
termination for the CD-ROM drive. See “SCSI Configuration Guidelines,” in Chapter 9 for instructions
on enabling termination.
8.
Verify correct operation of your system.
Refer to the chapter titled “Running the DisketteBased Diagnostics” in your Diagnostics and
Troubleshooting Guide, and run the appropriate
tests in the SCSI Devices Test Group to verify that
the new SCSI controller is functioning correctly.
Replace the computer cover according to the
instructions in “Replacing the Computer Cover”
in Chapter 6.
Installing Drives in the External Bays
8-109
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Chapter 9
Installing Drives in the Internal Bays
T
his chapter describes how to install and configure
small computer system interface (SCSI) hard-disk drives
in the internal drive bays. Up to three 1.6-inch SCSI
hard-disk drives can be installed in the internal hard-disk
drive bays.
NOTE: You should install only SCSI hard-disk drives in
the internal drive bays; install SCSI CD-ROM and tape
drives in the external drive bays.
Dell PowerEdge 2100 systems have a built-in Adaptec
AIC-7880 ultra wide (fast-20) SCSI-2 controller on the
system board, accessible via a 68-pin SCSI connector on
the system board. This single-channel SCSI controller features active termination, which provides for better signal
quality at fast SCSI-2 speeds. You can attach a variety of
SCSI devices (hard-disk drives, tape drives, and so on) to
the built-in SCSI controller, which configures all devices
attached to it as one subsystem—not as independent
devices.
NOTE: If you choose to install an additional or alternative SCSI controller card, install the card as described in
“Installing an Expansion Card” in Chapter 7. Before
installing the card, be sure to check the documentation
that accompanied it for information on configuring the
card. When installing and cabling the devices, use the
general SCSI configuration guidelines provided in the
following section; check the documentation that accompanied your SCSI controller card and/or your SCSI
devices for any additional configuration requirements.
SCSI Configuration Guidelines
Although SCSI devices are installed essentially the same
way as other devices, their configuration requirements
are different. To configure your SCSI subsystem, follow
the general guidelines offered in the following
subsections.
SCSI ID Numbers
Each device attached to the SCSI host adapter must have
a unique SCSI identification (ID) number from 0 to 15.
NOTE: Any narrow SCSI devices installed in the external drive bays will require SCSI ID numbers less than 7.
When SCSI devices are shipped from Dell, the default
SCSI ID numbers are assigned as follows:
•
The computer’s built-in SCSI controller is configured through the basic input/output system (BIOS)
as SCSI ID 7 (the default ID number for a host
adapter) if the system includes a CD-ROM or tape
drive.
NOTE: If only wide SCSI hard-disk drives are connected to the built-in SCSI controller (no CD-ROM
or tape drives), it may be configured as SCSI ID 15.
•
A SCSI CD-ROM drive (installed in an external bay)
is configured as SCSI ID 5.
•
A SCSI tape drive (if installed) is configured as
SCSI ID 6.
•
The drive you intend to use as your boot device
should be configured as SCSI ID 0. You can configure
any additional hard-disk drives to any of the stillavailable SCSI ID numbers.
•
If Dell installs additional SCSI hard-disk drives in
the system, they will be configured as SCSI ID 1 and
SCSI ID 2.
NOTE: There is no requirement that SCSI ID numbers be
assigned sequentially or that devices be attached to the cable
in order by ID number.
Installing Drives in the Internal Bays
9-111
Device Termination
termination jumper
Before installing SCSI devices, you must configure the
termination on the device(s) and for the built-in SCSI
controller according to the guidelines listed in the following text.
SCSI logic requires that termination be enabled for the
two devices at opposite ends of the SCSI chain and disabled for all devices in between. To that end, regardless
of whether you are installing internal or external devices,
use the following guidelines:
•
CD-ROM drive
The built-in SCSI controller has active termination—no action is required.
•
Termination is set on the SCSI hard-disk drive
installed in the left bay of the internal drive bays
when the drive is installed by Dell. Termination
should be disabled on any other drives installed in
the internal bays. Figure 9-1 shows where the termination jumper should be located on the Dell-supplied
2-gigabyte (GB) and 4-GB SCSI hard-disk drives for
the PowerEdge 2100 system.
•
If you install an optional SCSI controller card to control the CD-ROM drive and any other SCSI device in
the external bays, you must enable termination for
the SCSI controller card and the SCSI device at the
end of the interface cable (preferably the CD-ROM
drive). See the documentation that came with your
SCSI controller card for instructions. To enable termination for the CD-ROM drive, place a jumper on
the pins on the back of the CD-ROM drive as shown
in Figure 9-1.
CAUTION: When you install or remove termination
jumpers, do not move or remove any other jumpers
installed on the drives.
9-112
termination jumper
4-GB hard-disk drive
termination
jumper
2-GB hard-disk drive
(bottom view)
Figure 9-1. SCSI Termination Jumper Locations
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Configuring the Boot Device
If you plan to boot your system from a hard-disk drive,
the drive must be attached to the primary (or boot) controller or built-in SCSI controller. You can select as the
primary controller either the built-in SCSI controller or
an optional controller installed in an expansion slot
through the Advanced menu in System Setup. Within the
Advanced menu, the PCI Scan Sequence option allows
you to select either the built-in SCSI controller or a controller in an expansion slot as the primary controller.
SCSI Cable
Figure 9-2 shows the SCSI cable provided with the Dell
PowerEdge 2100 system.
CAUTION: Dell recommends that you use only
SCSI cables purchased from Dell. SCSI cables purchased elsewhere are not guaranteed to work
reliably with PowerEdge 2100 systems.
internal bay
connectors (3)
external bay
connectors (2)
built-in SCSI
controller
connector
Figure 9-2. SCSI Interface Cable
The cable shown in Figure 9-2 has six 68-pin connectors:
•
The connector at one end of the cable farthest from
the other connectors attaches to the SCSI controller
connector (SCSI) on the system board.
•
The two connectors in the middle of the cable attach
to SCSI devices in the external drive bays via 68-pin
to 50-pin adapters.
•
The three connectors at the other end of the cable
attach to the drives in the internal hard-disk drive
cage. The connector on the end of the cable should
be attached to the leftmost drive in the internal harddisk drive cage since the termination jumpers on this
drive can be accessed without removing the drive
cage.
Installing Drives in the Internal Bays
9-113
SCSI cable connectors
SCSI hard-disk drives
power input connectors
Figure 9-3. SCSI Cable for a PowerEdge 2100 System
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Installing SCSI Hard-Disk Drives
hard-disk
drive
in the Internal Bays
hard-disk drive cage
mounting screws (4)
Configure and install SCSI hard-disk drives in your computer’s internal drive bays as follows:
1.
Determine where your SCSI drive(s) will be
installed and which connector on the SCSI cable
you will attach to each of them.
hard-disk
drive cage
See “SCSI Cable” found earlier in this chapter.
2.
alignment
tabs
alignment rails
Unpack each SCSI drive, and prepare it for
installation.
Configure each drive for a SCSI ID number, and
enable the termination, if necessary. For instructions,
see the documentation that came with the SCSI drive
as well as “SCSI Configuration Guidelines” earlier
in this chapter. For instructions on configuring the
drive as a boot device, see “Configuring the Boot
Device” found earlier in this chapter.
3.
Remove the computer cover and front bezel
according to the instructions in “Removing the
Computer Cover” and “Removing the Front Bezel”
in Chapter 6.
drive cage mounting screws (4)
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
4.
Lay the computer on its right side for easy access
to the internal hard-disk drive cage and the
expansion card slots.
5.
Disconnect the interface cables and power cables
from any hard-disk drives already installed in the
hard-disk drive cage.
6.
Remove the four mounting screws that secure the
hard-disk drive cage to the chassis (Figure 9-4).
7.
Remove the hard-disk drive cage from the
chassis.
.
Figure 9-4. Removing the Hard-Disk Drive
Cage
8.
If you are installing a SCSI controller card, configure the card. Then install it in one of the
expansion slots.
For instructions on configuring the SCSI controller
card, see the documentation for the card. For instructions on installing the card, see “Installing an
Expansion Card” in Chapter 7.
Slide the hard-disk drive cage toward the back of the
chassis until the tabs on the hard-disk drive cage
release from the guide rails on the bottom of the
upper drive cage. Then lift the hard-disk drive cage
up and out of the chassis.
Installing Drives in the Internal Bays
9-115
9.
Install the SCSI drive(s) in the hard-disk drive
cage.
Slide the drive into the cage, align the drive’s mounting-screw holes with the holes in the drive cage, and
secure the drive with four screws (Figure 9-5).
NOTE: The screws provided with drives purchased
from Dell include special screws with shallow heads.
Screws with larger heads may make it difficult to
reinstall the hard-disk drive cage.
hard-disk drive cage
mounting tabs (2)
12. Attach the SCSI cable to each SCSI drive.
For general cabling guidelines, see “SCSI Cable”
found earlier in this chapter.
For each drive, firmly press one of the cable’s connectors onto the 68-pin connector on the back of the
drive.
Match the colored strip on the SCSI cable to the
pin-1 side of the connector on the drive. (The connectors are shaped so that they cannot be inserted the
wrong way.)
13. Attach the SCSI cable to the appropriate connector on the SCSI controller card or the built-in
SCSI controller port (SCSI).
If you are using the built-in SCSI controller, its connector (SCSI) is near the top of the system board.
For any other SCSI controller card, see the documentation that came with the controller card.
Align the colored edge of the cable with the pin-1
end of the SCSI connector on the system board or SCSI
controller card. The cable and connector are also aligned
by a key on the cable end and a notch in the connector
shroud. Press the connectors together firmly.
hard-disk drive
mounting screws (4)
Figure 9-5. Installing a Hard-Disk Drive in
the Drive Cage
10. Reinstall the hard-disk drive cage in the chassis
(Figure 9-4).
Align the tabs on the drive cage with the rails on the
bottom of the upper drive cage, and then slide the
drive cage into position. Secure the drive cage with
the four mounting screws that you removed earlier.
11. Attach a direct current (DC) power cable connector to the power input connector on each SCSI
drive.
See “DC Power Cables” in Chapter 8 for instructions
on which DC power cable to use.
9-116
14. Replace the computer cover and front bezel according to the instructions in “Replacing the Computer
Cover” and “Replacing the Front Bezel” in Chapter 6.
15. Then reconnect the computer and peripherals to their
power sources, and turn them on.
16. Install any required SCSI device drivers.
For information on installing the appropriate drivers
and preparing your SCSI hard-disk drive for use, see
Chapter 3, “Installing and Configuring SCSI
Drivers.”
17. Test the SCSI drives.
Run the SCSI Devices Test Group of the diskettebased diagnostics. See the chapter titled “Running
the Diskette-Based Diagnostics” in your Diagnostics
and Troubleshooting Guide for information on running
the diagnostics.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Appendix A
Technical Specifications
Table A-1. Technical Specifications
Microprocessor
Microprocessor types . . . . . . . . . . . . single Pentium Pro microprocessor with an internal operating frequency of 180 or 200 MHz and an
external operating frequency of 60 MHz or
66 MHz (respectively)
Internal cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256-KB L2 cache, 8-KB instructions and 8-KB
data L1 cache internal to the microprocessor
module
Math coprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . internal to microprocessor
Expansion Bus
Bus type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EISA, PCI local bus
Expansion slots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . three full-length, 8- or 16-bit ISA or 32-bit EISA;
three full-length, 32-bit PCI
Memory
DIMM sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . four 168-pin sockets
DIMM capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 32, and 128 MB (DIMMs are 60 ns or faster,
EDO)
Standard RAM (minimum). . . . . . . . 16 MB
Maximum RAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 MB
External cache. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . none
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary.
Technical Specifications
A-117
Table A-1. Technical Specifications (continued)
Drives
Diskette drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one 3.5-inch, 1.44-MB diskette drive included
with standard system
Tape drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . capacities ranging from 4 GB to 24 GB (when
available)
SCSI hard-disk drives . . . . . . . . . . . formatted capacities ranging from 2 GB to 9 GB
(when available)
SCSI devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . built-in SCSI controller supports up to three SCSI
hard-disk drives in internal bays and up to two
SCSI devices in externally-accessible front bays
CD-ROM drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one CD-ROM drive included with standard system
Ports
Externally accessible:
Serial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . two 9-pin connectors
Parallel (bidirectional) . . . . . . . . one 25-pin connector
Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one 15-pin connector
PS/2-style keyboard . . . . . . . . . . 6-pin mini-DIN
PS/2-compatible mouse . . . . . . . 6-pin mini-DIN
Internally accessible:
SCSI controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68-pin connector
Diskette drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34-pin connector
Video
Video type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ATI mach64 (264VT) PCI video controller; VGA
connector
Video memory (standard) . . . . . . . . . 1 MB
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary.
A-118
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Table A-1. Technical Specifications (continued)
Power
DC power supply:
Wattage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 W
Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 V at 60 Hz/230 V at 50 Hz
System battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0-V lithium coin cell
Physical
Height (with support feet). . . . . . . . . 44.45 cm (17.50 inches)
Width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.13 cm (9.50 inches)
Depth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.91 cm (16.50 inches)
Weight (minimum
configuration) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.68 kg (39.0 lb)
Environmental
Temperature:
Operating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10° to 35°C (50° to 95°F)
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -40° to 65°C (-40° to 149°F)
Relative humidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8% to 80% (noncondensing)
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary.
Technical Specifications
A-119
A-120
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Appendix B
Hardware Configuration Features
T
his appendix provides specific information about the
jumpers on the system board, the connectors and sockets
Jumpers
on the system board, and the input/output (I/O) ports and
connectors on the back panel of the computer. It also provides some basic information on jumpers.
A jumper is a small block on the system
board with two or more pins emerging
from it.
Jumpers—A General Explanation
A plastic plug containing a wire fits down
over the pins. The wire connects the pins
and creates a circuit.
Jumpers provide a convenient and reversible way of
reconfiguring the circuitry on a printed circuit board.
When reconfiguring the system, you may need to change
jumper settings on the system board; you may also need
to change jumper settings on expansion cards or on
drives.
To change a jumper setting, pull the plug off its pin(s)
and carefully fit it down onto the pin(s) indicated.
CAUTION: Make sure your system is turned off
before you change a jumper setting. Otherwise,
damage to your system or unpredictable results
may occur.
A jumper is referred to as open or unjumpered when the
plug is pushed down over only one pin or if there is no
plug at all. When the plug is pushed down over two pins,
the jumper is referred to as jumpered. The jumper setting
is often shown in text as two numbers, such as 1-2. The
number 1 is printed on the circuit board so that you can
identify each pin number based on the location of pin 1.
Figure B-1 shows the location and default settings of the
jumper blocks on the system board. See Table B-1 for the
designations, default settings, and functions of the system
board’s jumpers.
Hardware Configuration Features
B-121
200 MHZ
180 MHZ
PASSWD
EISA
VGA
CARDBIOS
jumpered
unjumpered
Figure B-1. System Board Jumpers
B-122
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Table B-1. System Board Jumpers
Jumper
CARDBIOS
Setting
Default
Description
Default
System boots normally.
System boots from a BIOS expansion card. Used for troubleshooting.
VGA
Default
The built-in video subsystem is enabled.
The built-in video subsystem is disabled.
EISA
Default
The EISA Configuration Utility settings are retained at system boot.
The EISA Configuration Utility settings are cleared at next system boot. (If
the EISA Configuration Utility becomes corrupted to the point where the
system will not boot, install the jumper and boot the system. Remove the
jumper before restoring the EISA configuration information.)
PASSWD
Default
Boot password features are enabled.
Boot password features are disabled.
180MHZ
Jumpered when the microprocessor’s internal operating frequency is 180
MHz.
Unjumpered when the microprocessor’s internal operating frequency is
200 MHz.
200MHZ
Jumpered when the microprocessor’s internal operating frequency is 200
MHz.
Unjumpered when the microprocessor’s internal operating frequency is
180 MHz.
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary.
jumpered
unjumpered
Hardware Configuration Features
B-123
Connectors and Sockets
Table B-2 lists the connectors and sockets located on the
system board and gives a brief description of their
functions.
Table B-2. Connectors and Sockets on the System Board
Connector or Socket
Description
AUXFAN
Fan connector (reserved for an auxiliary fan)
BATTERY
Battery connector
DIMM_x
DIMM socket
EISAn
EISA expansion-card connector
FAN
Fan connector (microprocessor cooling fan)
FLOPPY
Diskette controller connector
HDLED
Hard-disk drive access indicator connector
JVGA
Monitor connector
KYBD/MOUSE
Keyboard and mouse connectors
PANEL
Front-panel connector
PARALLEL
Parallel port connector; sometimes referred to as LPT1
PCIn
PCI expansion-card connector
POWER
Power input connector
POWER3V
Three-volt power input connector
PROCESSOR
Microprocessor socket
SCSI
Built-in SCSI controller connector
SERIAL
Serial port connectors; sometimes referred to as COM1 and COM2
SVR_MGT
Server management upgrade socket (reserved for future Dell server management
card)
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary.
B-124
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
I/O Ports and Connectors
The I/O ports and connectors on the back panel of the
computer are the gateways through which the computer
system communicates with external devices, such as a
keyboard, mouse, printer, and monitor. Figure B-2 identifies the I/O ports and connectors for your system.
Serial and Parallel Ports
The two built-in serial ports use 9-pin D-subminiature connectors on the back panel. These ports support devices such as
external modems, printers, plotters, and mice that require serial
data transmission (the transmission of data one bit at a time
over one line).
Most software uses the term COM (for COMmunications)
plus a number to designate a serial port (for example, COM1
or COM2). The default designations of your computer’s builtin serial ports are COM1 and COM2. COM1 is the bottom
connector; COM2 is on the top.
The built-in parallel port uses a 25-pin D-subminiature connector on the computer’s back panel. This I/O port sends data
in parallel format (where eight data bits, or one byte, are sent
simultaneously over eight separate lines in a single cable). The
parallel port is used primarily for printers.
KYBD (left)
MOUSE (right)
SERIAL
COM 1(left)
SERIAL
COM 2 (right)
PARALLEL
LPT 1
Most software uses the term LPT (for Line PrinTer) plus a
number to designate a parallel port (for example, LPT1). The
default designation of the computer’s built-in parallel port is
LPT1.
Port designations are used, for example, in software
installation procedures that include a step in which you
identify the port to which a printer is attached, thus telling the software where to send its output. (An incorrect
designation prevents the printer from printing or causes
scrambled print.)
VIDEO
JVGA
Figure B-2. I/O Ports and Connectors
Hardware Configuration Features
B-125
Both the new and the remapped COM ports share the
same interrupt request (IRQ) setting, as follows:
COM1, COM3: IRQ4 (shared setting)
COM2, COM4: IRQ3 (shared setting)
These COM ports have the following I/O address
settings:
COM1:
COM2:
COM3:
COM4:
3F8h
2F8h
3E8h
2E8h
For example, if you add an internal modem card with a
port configured as COM1, the computer then sees logical
COM1 as the address on the modem card. It automatically remaps the built-in serial port that was designated as
COM1 to COM3, which shares the COM1 IRQ setting. (Note
that when you have two COM ports sharing an IRQ setting,
you can use either port as necessary but you may not be able to
use them both at the same time.) If you install one or more
expansion cards with serial ports designated as COM1 and
COM3, the corresponding built-in serial port is disabled, as
described in “Serial Port 1” and “Serial Port 2” in Chapter 4.
Before adding a card that remaps the COM ports, check
the documentation that accompanied your software to
make sure that the software can be mapped to the new
COM port designation.
To avoid autoconfiguration, you may be able to reset
jumpers on the expansion card so that its port designation
changes to the next available COM number, leaving the designation for the built-in port as is. Alternatively, you can disable
the built-in ports through the System Setup program. The documentation for your expansion card should provide the card’s
B-126
The built-in parallel port has autoconfiguration capability
through the System Setup program. That is, if you set the
parallel port to its automatic configuration and add an
expansion card containing a port configured as LPT1
(IRQ7, I/O address 378h), the system automatically
remaps the built-in parallel port to its secondary address
(IRQ5, I/O address 278h). If the secondary port address is
already being used, the built-in parallel port is turned off.
For more information, see “Parallel Port” in Chapter 4.
For general information on how your operating system
handles serial and parallel ports as well as for more
detailed command procedures, see your operating system
documentation.
Serial Port Connectors
If you reconfigure your hardware, you may need pin
number and signal information for the serial port connectors. Figure B-3 illustrates the pin numbers for the serial
port connectors, and Table B-3 lists and defines the pin
assignments and interface signals for the serial port
connectors.
1—5
The computer system has an autoconfiguration capability
for the serial ports. This feature lets you add an expansion
card containing a serial port that has the same designation
as one of the built-in ports, without having to reconfigure
the card. When the computer detects the duplicate serial
port on the expansion card, it remaps (reassigns) the built-in
port to the next available port designation.
default I/O address and allowable IRQ settings. It should also
provide instructions for readdressing the port and changing the
IRQ setting if necessary.
6— 9
Adding an Expansion Card Containing
Serial or Parallel Ports
Figure B-3. Pin Numbers for the Serial Port
Connectors
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Table B-3. Pin Assignments for the Serial Port
Connectors
Pin
Signal
I/O
Definition
1
DCD
I
2
SIN
3
Table B-4. Pin Assignments for the Parallel Port
Connector
Pin
Signal
I/O
Definition
Data carrier detect
1
STB#
I/O
Strobe
I
Serial input
2
PD0
I/O
Printer data bit 0
SOUT
O
Serial output
3
PD1
I/O
Printer data bit 1
4
DTR
O
Data terminal ready
4
PD2
I/O
Printer data bit 2
5
GND
N/A
Signal ground
5
PD3
I/O
Printer data bit 3
6
DSR
I
Data set ready
6
PD4
I/O
Printer data bit 4
7
RTS
O
Request to send
7
PD5
I/O
Printer data bit 5
8
CTS
I
Clear to send
8
PD6
I/O
Printer data bit 6
9
RI
I
Ring indicator
9
PD7
I/O
Printer data bit 7
N/A
N/A
Chassis ground
10
ACK#
I
Acknowledge
11
BUSY
I
Busy
12
PE
I
Paper end
13
SLCT
I
Select
14
AFD#
O
Automatic feed
15
ERR#
I
Error
16
INIT#
O
Initialize printer
17
SLIN#
O
Select in
18-25
GND
N/A
Signal ground
Shell
Parallel Port Connector
1 — 13
14 — 25
If you reconfigure your hardware, you may need pin
number and signal information for the parallel port connector. Figure B-4 illustrates the pin numbers for the
parallel port connector, and Table B-4 lists and defines
the pin assignments and interface signals for the parallel
port connector.
Figure B-4. Pin Numbers for the Parallel Port
Connector
Keyboard and Mouse Connectors
The system uses a Personal System/2 (PS/2)-style keyboard and supports a PS/2-compatible mouse. Cables
from both devices attach to 6-pin, miniature Deutsche
Industrie Norm (DIN) connectors on the back panel of your
computer. The keyboard connector is on the bottom; the
mouse connector is on the top.
A PS/2-compatible mouse works identically to an industrystandard serial mouse or bus mouse except that it has its
own dedicated connector, which frees up both serial ports
and does not require an expansion card. Circuitry inside the
Hardware Configuration Features
B-127
mouse detects the movement of a small ball and relays the
direction to the computer.
Mouse driver software can give the mouse priority with
the microprocessor by issuing IRQ12 whenever a new
mouse movement is made. The driver software also
passes along the mouse data to the application program
that is in control.
Mouse Connector
If you reconfigure your hardware, you may need pin
number and signal information for the mouse connector.
Figure B-6 illustrates the pin numbers for the mouse
connector, and Table B-6 lists and defines the pin assignments and interface signals for the mouse connector.
4
Keyboard Connector
If you reconfigure your hardware, you may need pin number and signal information for the keyboard connector.
Figure B-5 illustrates the pin numbers for the keyboard
connector, and Table B-5 lists and defines the pin assignments and interface signals for the keyboard connector.
4
shell
2
6
1
5
3
Figure B-6. Pin Numbers for the Mouse
Connector
shell
2
6
1
5
Table B-6. Pin Assignments for the Mouse
Connector
Pin
Signal
I/O
Definition
1
MFDATA
I/O
Mouse data
2
NC
N/A
No connection
3
GND
N/A
Signal ground
4
FVcc
N/A
Fused supply voltage
5
MFCLK
I/O
Mouse clock
6
NC
N/A
No connection
3
Figure B-5. Pin Numbers for the Keyboard
Connector
Table B-5. Pin Assignments for the Keyboard
Connector
Pin
Signal
I/O
Definition
1
KBDATA
I/O
Keyboard data
2
NC
N/A
No connection
3
GND
N/A
Signal ground
4
FVcc
N/A
Fused supply voltage
5
KBCLK
I/O
Keyboard clock
6
NC
N/A
No connection
Shell
N/A
N/A
Chassis ground
B-128
The system uses a 15-pin high-density D-subminiature
connector on the back panel for attaching a video graphics array (VGA)-compatible monitor to your computer.
The video circuitry on the system board synchronizes the
signals that drive the red, green, and blue electron guns in
the monitor.
NOTE: Installing a video card automatically disables
the system’s built-in video subsystem.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
10
1—5
11 — 15
6
If you reconfigure your hardware, you may need pin
number and signal information for the video connector.
Figure B-7 illustrates the pin numbers for the video
connector, and Table B-7 lists and defines the pin assignments and interface signals for the video connector.
Figure B-7. Pin Numbers for the Video
Connector
Table B-7. Pin Assignments for the Video
Connector
Pin
Signal
I/O
Definition
1
RED
O
Red video
2
GREEN
O
Green video
3
BLUE
O
Blue video
4
NC
N/A
No connection
5-8, 10
GND
N/A
Signal ground
9
DDC
N/A
Vcc
11
NC
N/A
No connection
12
DDC
data out
O
Monitor detect data
13
HSYNC
O
Horizontal synchronization
14
VSYNC
O
Vertical synchronization
15
DDC
clock out
O
Monitor detect clock
N/A
N/A
Chassis ground
Shell
Hardware Configuration Features
B-129
B-130
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Appendix C
Maintaining the System
P
roper use of preventive maintenance procedures can
keep your system in top operating condition and minimize
the need for costly, time-consuming service procedures.
This appendix contains maintenance procedures that you
should perform regularly.
Data Preservation
Everyone inadvertently deletes files at one time or
another. Also, hard-disk drives can fail after extended
use, so it is not a question of whether you will eventually lose data, but when. To avoid such loss of data, you
should regularly make backup copies of all hard-disk
drive files. Frequent, regular backups are a must for anyone using a hard-disk drive.
Scheduling Backups
Backup Devices
Tape drives are fast, convenient, and affordable devices
that can back up data at rates of up to 1.6 megabytes per
second (MB/sec) (sustained, with data compression) and
can often run unattended. Dell offers tape drives with
storage capacities in the range of 4 gigabytes (GB) to
24 GB per tape cartridge and recommends these drives
and their associated backup software for use as system
backup devices.
Recovering Data
Some hard-disk drive failures are recoverable. In these
cases you may be able to recover all lost data if the
proper utility software is available. Even losses such as
accidentally deleted files or accidental reformatting of a
hard-disk drive can be reversed with these utilities.
The frequency with which backups should be made
depends on the amount of storage space on a hard-disk
drive and the volatility of the data contained on the drive.
Heavily used systems require more frequent backups
than systems in which files are seldom changed.
If the computer system is running MS-DOS, many apparent data loss problems are due to corruption or erasure of
the hard-disk drive’s master boot record (MBR),
MS-DOS boot sector, or file allocation table (FAT). That
is, accidental deletion of files or accidental reformatting
of the hard-disk drive alters the MS-DOS boot sector, the
FAT, and the root directory.
Dell recommends that you back up the hard-disk drive at
least once a week, with a daily backup of those files
known to have been changed. Following these guidelines
ensures the loss of no more than a day’s work in the event
of a hard-disk drive failure or if you inadvertently delete
one or more important files.
However, such accidents do not actually erase the contents of the hard-disk drive files until new data is written
to the sectors containing these files. With the appropriate
recovery utility, the data stored in these areas can often be
restored, meaning that you can recover most, if not all, of
the data.
As further insurance against data losses, you should keep
duplicate copies of the weekly and monthly backups at an
off-site location. Doing this ensures that you lose no more
than a week’s work, even if one of the on-site backups
becomes corrupted.
Unlike using the format command on a hard-disk drive,
using format on a diskette completely erases all the data
on the diskette unless you use the diskette format program included in the Mace Utilities.
Maintaining the System
C-131
For a complete description of data recovery procedures
and the software needed to perform them, see The Paul
Mace Guide to Data Recovery, published by Brady.
•
A nonabrasive diskette-drive head-cleaning kit —
Dell recommends that you use a kit that contains pretreated diskettes in individually sealed packages.
These kits ensure that the cleaning solution is
applied evenly over the entire diskette-drive head
surface, and they prevent contamination of the heads
by exposure to foreign substances.
•
A small vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment —
Use the vacuum cleaner to remove dust and dirt from
the exterior of the computer and keyboard.
Cleaning System Components
An exhaust fan in the power supply cools the power supply and computer by drawing air in through various
openings in the computer and blowing it out the back.
However, the fan also draws dust and other particles into
the computer, causing contaminant buildup, which results
in an increase in the system’s internal temperature and
interferes with the operation of various system
components.
To avoid these conditions, Dell recommends keeping
your work environment clean to reduce the amount of
dust and dirt around the computer, thereby reducing the
amount of contaminants drawn into the computer by the
power supply fan. In particular, you should keep the
exterior of your computer and monitor clean, and you
should use a commercially available diskette-drive headcleaning kit to remove contaminants inside your diskette
drives.
Cleaning the Computer, Monitor, and
Keyboard Exteriors
A conventional monitor or keyboard cover minimizes the
accumulation of dust and other debris inside the monitor
and keyboard when they are not in use. Also, commercially available keyboard membrane covers make it
possible to use the keyboard while providing protection
against foreign particles.
However, regardless of any protective covers, the monitor and keyboard must be cleaned occasionally. To clean
the exterior of the computer, monitor, and keyboard, follow these steps:
1.
Turn off the computer, monitor, and any other
attached peripherals, and disconnect them from
their power sources.
2.
Use a vacuum cleaner to remove any dust from
the slots and holes on the computer and between
the keys on the keyboard.
3.
Moisten a soft cleaning cloth with a solution of
three parts water and one part liquid dishwashing detergent.
Recommended Tools and Accessories
Dell recommends that you use the following tools and
accessories when you clean the computer:
•
•
•
A wrist grounding strap — The proper use of a wrist
grounding strap reduces the effect of electrostatic
discharge (ESD), which can damage certain computer components. To use a wrist grounding strap,
place the strap around your wrist and attach the other
end of the strap to an unpainted metal surface on the
chassis, such as the power supply’s fan guard, that is
connected to chassis ground.
A liquid dishwashing detergent — Use a mixture of
one part liquid dishwashing detergent and three parts
water to clean the exterior of the computer, monitor,
and keyboard. You can also add fabric softener to
produce an antistatic solution that prevents dust from
being attracted to the monitor screen.
A soft, lint-free cleaning cloth — Moisten the cleaning cloth with the dishwashing detergent solution to
clean the exterior of the computer system.
C-132
Do not soak the cloth in the solution; you must not
let the solution drip inside the computer or keyboard.
4.
Use the moistened cloth to wipe the computer
cover, the keyboard, and the exterior of the monitor, including the screen.
Cleaning Drives
You can clean the heads of your diskette drives by using a
commercially available diskette-drive head-cleaning kit.
These kits include diskettes pretreated with a chemical
solution to nonabrasively remove contaminants that
accumulate on the drive heads during normal operation.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
If the kit does not contain instructions, insert one of the
pretreated diskettes into a diskette drive and turn on the
system. After 20 or 30 seconds, remove the diskette from
the drive. Repeat this procedure for each diskette drive in
the computer.
CAUTION: Do not attempt to clean drive heads
with a swab. You may accidentally misalign the
heads, rendering the drive inoperable.
Environmental Factors
This section discusses various environmental factors that
can adversely affect system performance and longevity.
Temperature
Temperature extremes can cause a variety of problems,
including premature aging and failure of chips or
mechanical failure of devices. Extreme temperature fluctuations can cause chips to become loose in their sockets
and can cause expansion and contraction of disk drive
platters, resulting in read or write data errors. When you
perform a low-level format operation on a hard-disk
drive, it is important to ensure that the drive’s surrounding temperature is at or near the temperature at which the
drive will be operated. Failure to do so can result in relocation of the tracks on the disk platters.
To minimize the negative effects of temperature on system performance, follow these guidelines:
•
•
•
Ensure that the system is operated in an environment
no colder than 10° Celsius (C) (50° Fahrenheit [F])
or hotter than 35°C (95°F).
Ensure that the system has adequate ventilation. Do
not place it within a closed-in wall unit or on top of
cloth material, which can act as insulation. Do not
place it where it will receive direct sunlight, particularly in the afternoon. Do not place it next to a heat
source of any kind, including heating vents during
winter.
Make sure that all slots and openings on the computer remain unobstructed, especially the fan guard
on the back of the computer.
•
Clean the system at regular intervals to avoid any
buildup of dust and debris, which can cause a system
to overheat.
•
If the system is exposed to abnormally cold temperatures, allow a 15-minute warm-up period after it is
turned on before attempting to read from or write to
the hard-disk drive.
•
If intermittent system failures are noticed, try reseating any socketed chips, which might have become
loose due to temperature fluctuations.
Humidity
High-humidity conditions can cause moisture migration
and penetration into the computer. This moisture can
cause corrosion of internal components and degradation
of properties such as electrical resistance, thermal conductivity, physical strength, and size. Extreme moisture
buildup inside the computer can result in electrical shorts,
which can cause serious damage to the computer.
Each Dell system is rated to operate at 8 to 80 percent relative humidity, with a humidity gradation of 10 percent
per hour. In storage, a Dell system can withstand from 8
to 95 percent relative humidity.
Buildings in which climate is controlled by airconditioning in the warmer months and by heat during the
colder months usually maintain an acceptable level of
humidity for computer equipment. However, if a system is
located in an unusually humid location, a dehumidifier can
be used to maintain the humidity within an acceptable
range.
Altitude
Operating a system at high altitude (low pressure)
reduces the efficiency of forced and convection cooling
and can result in electrical problems related to arcing and
corona effects. This condition can also cause sealed components with internal pressure, such as electrolytic
capacitors, to fail or perform at reduced efficiency.
Each Dell system is rated to operate at altitudes from -16
to 3048 meters (m) (-50 to 10,000 feet [ft]) and can be
stored at altitudes of -16 to 10,600 m (-50 to 35,000 ft).
Maintaining the System
C-133
Dust and Particles
A clean operating environment can greatly reduce the
negative effects of dust and other particles, which act as
insulators and interfere with the operation of a system’s
mechanical components. Also, in addition to regular
cleaning, you should follow these guidelines to deter contamination of the computer equipment:
•
•
•
•
Do not permit smoking anywhere near the system.
•
Close windows and outside doors to keep out airborne particles.
Do not permit food or drink near the system.
Use dust covers when the system is not in use.
Keep all diskettes in a closed diskette box when not
in use.
Corrosion
The oil from a person’s fingers or prolonged exposure to
high temperature or humidity can corrode the gold-plated
edge connectors and pin connectors on various devices in
the computer. This corrosion on computer connectors is a
gradual process that can eventually lead to intermittent
failures of electrical circuits.
To prevent corrosion, you should avoid touching contacts
on boards and cards. Protecting the system from corrosive elements is especially important in moist and salty
environments, which tend to promote corrosion. Also, as
a further deterrent to corrosion, the system should not be
used in extreme temperatures, as explained in “Temperature” discussed earlier in this appendix.
ESD
ESD results from the buildup of static electricity on the
human body and certain other objects. This static electricity is often produced by simple movements such as
walking across a carpet. ESD is a discharge of a static
electrical charge, which occurs when a person whose
body contains such a charge touches a component in the
computer. This static discharge can cause components,
especially chips, to fail. ESD is a problem particularly in
dry environments where the relative humidity is below
C-134
50 percent. To reduce the effects of ESD, you should
observe the following guidelines:
•
When working inside the computer, wear a wrist
grounding strap. If a wrist grounding strap is
unavailable, touch an unpainted metal surface on the
chassis periodically to neutralize any static charge.
•
If at all possible, stand on a concrete floor while
working inside the computer.
•
Use an antistatic floor mat when working inside the
computer.
•
If it is necessary to work in a carpeted area, spray the
carpet with an antistatic spray and allow it to dry
before beginning to work inside the computer.
•
Keep components in their antistatic packaging until
they are installed.
•
Avoid wearing clothing made of wool or synthetic
materials.
Electromagnetic and Radio Frequency
Interference
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency
interference (RFI) from a computer can adversely affect
devices such as radio and television (TV) receivers operating near the computer. Radio frequencies emanating
from a computer system can also interfere with cordless
and low-power telephones. Conversely, RFI from highpower telephones can cause spurious characters to appear
on the system’s monitor screen.
RFI is defined as any EMI with a frequency above
10 kilohertz (kHz). This type of interference can travel
from the computer to other devices through the alternating current (AC) power cable and power source or
through the air like transmitted radio waves. The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) publishes specific
regulations to limit the amount of EMI and RFI emitted
by computing equipment. Each Dell system meets these
FCC regulations.
To reduce the possibility of EMI and RFI, follow these
guidelines:
•
Operate the system only with the computer cover
installed.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
•
Ensure that all expansion slots are covered either by
a card-mounting bracket or by a metal filler bracket
and that each drive bay has a drive and/or a metal
insert installed. These brackets and metal inserts are
available from Dell.
•
Ensure that the screws on all peripheral cable connectors are securely fastened to their corresponding
connectors on the back of the computer.
•
Always use shielded cables with metal connector
shells for attaching peripherals to the computer.
To prevent the possibility of RFI from a computer affecting TV reception, follow these guidelines:
11 milliseconds (ms). In storage, the system can
withstand shock pulses of 20 G with a velocity change of
1397 millimeters (mm) per second (55 inches per
second).
Excessive vibration can cause the same problems as mentioned earlier for shock, as well as cause components to
become loose in their sockets or connectors. Systems can
be subject to significant vibration when being transported
by vehicle or when operated in an environment with
machinery that causes vibration.
Each Dell system, when operating, is designed to withstand 0.25 G (half-sine wave) at a sweep of 3 to 300 hertz
(Hz) for 15 minutes. In storage, the system can withstand
0.5 G at 3 to 300 Hz for 15 minutes.
•
Keep any TV set at least 6 ft away from the computer system.
•
•
•
•
Use cable TV when possible.
Power Source Interruptions
Use a directional outdoor TV antenna.
•
If interference occurs, rotate the computer or the TV
set 90 degrees.
Computer systems are especially sensitive to variations
in voltage supplied by the AC power source. Overvoltage, undervoltage, and transients (or spikes) can erase
data from memory or even cause components to fail. To protect against these types of problems, power cables should
always be properly grounded and one or both of the following methods should be used:
Attach line filters to the TV set.
Use 75-ohm coaxial cable for the TV set rather than
twin-lead antenna wire.
•
Use one of the power protection devices described in
the following section, “Power Protection Devices.”
•
Place the system on a dedicated power circuit (rather
than sharing a circuit with other heavy electrical
equipment). In general, do not allow the system to
share a circuit with any of the following:
Magnetism
Because they store data magnetically, diskettes and harddisk drives are extremely susceptible to the effects of
magnetism. Diskettes should never be stored near magnetic sources such as the following:
•
•
•
•
•
Monitors
— Kitchen appliances
TV sets
— Copier machines
Printers
— Air conditioners
Telephones with real bells
— Vacuum cleaners
Fluorescent lights
— Space heaters
— Power tools
Shock and Vibration
— Teletype machines
Excessive shock can damage the function, external
appearance, and physical structure of a system. Each Dell
system has been designed to operate properly after withstanding a minimum of six consecutively executed shock
pulses in the positive and negative x, y, and z axes. Each
shock pulse can measure up to 5 gravities (G) for up to
— Adding machines
— Laser printers
— Facsimile machines
— Any other motorized equipment
Maintaining the System
C-135
Besides these appliances, the greatest threat to a system’s
supply of power are surges or blackouts caused by electrical storms. Whenever possible, turn off the computer
and any peripherals and unplug them from their power
sources during thunderstorms.
If a blackout occurs—even a temporary one—while the
system is turned on, turn off the system immediately and
disconnect it from its power source. Leaving the system
on may cause problems when the power is restored; all
other appliances left on in the area can create large voltage spikes that can damage the system.
Power Protection Devices
A number of devices are available that protect against
power problems, such as power surges, transients, and
power failures. The following subsections describe some
of these devices.
Surge Protectors
Surge protectors are available in a variety of types and
usually provide a level of protection commensurate with
the cost of the device. Surge protectors prevent voltage
spikes, such as those caused during an electrical storm,
from entering a system through the AC power source.
Surge protectors, however, do not offer protection against
brownouts, which occur when the voltage drops more
than 20 percent below the normal AC line voltage level.
C-136
Line Conditioners
Line conditioners go beyond the overvoltage protection
of surge protectors. Line conditioners keep a computer’s
AC power source voltage at a fairly constant level and,
therefore, can handle brownouts. Because of this added
protection, line conditioners cost more than surge protectors—up to several hundred dollars. However, these
devices cannot protect against a complete loss of power.
Uninterruptible Power Supply
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) offers the most
complete protection against variations in power because
it uses battery power to keep the system running when
AC power is lost. The battery is charged by the AC
power while it is available, so once AC power is lost, the
battery can provide power to the system for a limited
amount of time—from 15 minutes to an hour or so—
depending on the UPS system.
UPS systems range in price from a few dollars to several
thousand dollars, with the more expensive units allowing you
to run larger systems for a longer period of time when AC
power is lost. UPS systems that provide only 5 minutes of
battery power let you conduct an orderly shutdown of the
system, but are not intended to provide continued operation.
Surge protectors should be used with all UPS systems, and
the UPS system should be Underwriters Laboratory (UL)
safety approved.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Appendix D
Regulatory Notices
FCC Notices (U.S. Only)
Most Dell computer systems are classified by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) as Class B digital
devices. However, the inclusion of certain options
changes the rating of some configurations to Class A. To
determine which classification applies to your computer
system, examine all FCC registration labels located on
the back panel of your computer, on card-mounting
brackets, and on the cards themselves. If any one of the
labels carries a Class A rating, your entire system is considered to be a Class A digital device. If all labels carry
either the Class B rating or the FCC logo ( ), your system is considered to be a Class B digital device.
Once you have determined your system’s FCC classification, read the appropriate FCC notice. Note that FCC
regulations provide that changes or modifications not
expressly approved by Dell Computer Corporation could
void your authority to operate this equipment.
A Notice About Shielded Cables: Use only
shielded cables for connecting peripherals to any
Dell device to reduce the possibility of interference
with radio and television reception. Using shielded
cables ensures that you maintain the appropriate
FCC radio frequency emissions compliance (for a
Class A device) or FCC certification (for a Class B
device) of this product. For parallel printers, a
cable is available from Dell Computer
Corporation.
Class A
NOTE: This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instruction manual,
may cause harmful interference with radio
communications. This equipment has been tested and
found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital
device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits
are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a
commercial environment. Operation of this equipment in
a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference,
in which case you will be required to correct the interference at your own expense.
Class B
NOTE: This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instruction manual,
may cause interference with radio and television reception. This equipment has been tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference with radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on, you are
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:
•
•
•
•
Reorient the receiving antenna.
Relocate the computer with respect to the receiver.
Move the computer away from the receiver.
Plug the computer into a different outlet so that the
computer and the receiver are on different branch
circuits.
If necessary, consult a representative of Dell Computer
Corporation or an experienced radio/television technician
for additional suggestions. You may find the following
Regulatory Notices
D-137
booklet helpful: FCC Interference Handbook, 1986,
available from the U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, Stock No. 004-000-00450-7.
Computer Corporation could void your authority to operate this equipment.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
This Class B (or Class A, if so indicated on the registration label) digital apparatus meets the
requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing
Equipment Regulations.
•
•
This device may not cause harmful interference.
This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
Cet appareil numérique de la Classe B (ou Classe A,
si ainsi indiqué sur l’étiquette d’enregistration)
respecte toutes les exigences du Reglement sur le
Materiel Brouilleur du Canada.
The following information is provided on the device or
devices covered in this document in compliance with
FCC regulations:
•
•
•
Product name: Dell PowerEdge
Model number: 2100/180 and 2100/200
Company name: Dell Computer Corporation
Regulatory Department
One Dell Way
Round Rock, Texas 78682 USA
512-338-4400
EN 55022 Compliance (Czech
Republic Only)
This device belongs to category B devices as
described in EN 55022, unless it is specifically stated
that it is a category A device on the specification
label. The following applies to devices in category A
of EN 55022 (radius of protection up to 30 meters).
The user of the device is obliged to take all steps necessary to remove sources of interference to
telecommunication or other devices.
IC Notice (Canada Only)
Most Dell computer systems (and other Dell digital
apparatus) are classified by the Industry Canada (IC)
Interference-Causing Equipment Standard #3
(ICES-003) as Class B digital devices. To determine
which classification (Class A or B) applies to your computer system (or other Dell digital apparatus), examine all
registration labels located on the bottom or the back
panel of your computer (or other digital apparatus). A
statement in the form of “IC Class A ICES-3” or “IC
Class B ICES-3” will be located on one of these labels.
^
Note that Industry Canada regulations provide that
changes or modifications not expressly approved by Dell
Pokud není na typovém štitku poèítaèe uvedeno, že
spadá do tøídy A podle EN 55022, spadá automaticky do tøídy B podle EN 55022. Pro zaøízení
zaøazená do tøídy A (ochranné pásmo 30m) podle
EN 55022 platí následující. Dojde-li k rušení telekomunikaèních nebo jinych zaøízení, je uživatel
povinen provést taková opatøení, aby rušení
odstranil.
CE Notice
Marking by the symbol
indicates compliance of
this Dell system to the EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) directive of the European Community. Such
marking is indicative that this Dell system meets or
exceeds the following technical standards:
•
D-138
EN 55022 — “Limits and Methods of Measurement
of Radio Interference Characteristics of Information
Technology Equipment.”
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
•
NOTE: EN 55022 emissions requirements provide
for two classifications—Class A and Class B. If any
one of the registration labels (located on the bottom
or back panel of your computer, on card-mounting
brackets, or on the cards themselves) carries an
FCC Class A rating, the following warning applies
to your system.
back panel of your computer, on card-mounting brackets,
and on the cards themselves. If any one of the labels carries an FCC Class A designation, your entire system is
considered to be VCCI Class 1 ITE. If all labels carry
either an FCC Class B identification number or the FCC
logo ( ), your system is considered to be VCCI Class 2
ITE.
CAUTION: This is a Class A product. In a
domestic environment this product may cause
radio interference in which case the user may
be required to take adequate measures.
Once you have determined your system’s VCCI classification, read the appropriate VCCI notice. Note that VCCI
regulations provide that changes or modifications not
expressly approved by Dell Computer Corporation could
void your authority to operate this equipment.
EN 50082-1 — “Electromagnetic compatibility—
Generic immunity standard Part 1: Residential, commercial, and light industry.”
•
IEC 801-2 — “Electromagnetic compatibility for
industrial-process measurement and control
equipment Part 2: Electrostatic discharge requirements.” — Severity level 3.
•
IEC 801-3 — “Electromagnetic compatibility for
industrial-process measurement and control equipment Part 3: Radiated electromagnetic field
requirements.” — Severity level 2.
•
•
IEC 801-4 — “Electromagnetic compatibility for
industrial-process measurement and control equipment Part 4: Electrical fast transient/burst
requirements.” — Severity level 2.
EN60950:1992 + Amd.1:1993 + Amd.2:1993 —
“Safety of Information Technology Equipment
including Electrical Business Equipment.”
A “Declaration of Conformity” in accordance with the
preceding standards has been made and is on file at Dell
Products Europe BV, Limerick, Ireland.
VCCI Notices (Japan Only)
Most Dell computer systems are classified by the Voluntary Control Council for Interference (VCCI) as Class 2
information technology equipment (ITE). However, the
inclusion of certain options changes the rating of some
configurations to Class 1. To determine which classification applies to your computer system, examine the FCC
classification on the registration labels located on the
Class 1 Notice
This equipment complies with the limits for a Class 1
digital device (devices used in commercial and/or industrial environments) and conforms to the standards for
information technology equipment that are set by the
Voluntary Control Council for Interference for preventing
radio frequency interference in commercial and/or industrial areas.
Consequently, when used in a residential area or in an
area adjacent to a residential area, this equipment may
cause radio interference with radio and television receivers or other communications equipment.
To ensure that such radio interference does not occur, it is
important to install and use this equipment in accordance
with the manufacturer’s instruction manual.
Class 2 Notice
This equipment complies with the limits for a Class 2
digital device (devices used in or adjacent to a residential
environment) and conforms to the standards for information technology equipment that are set by the Voluntary
Control Council for Interference for preventing radio frequency interference in residential areas.
However, this equipment does generate, use, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instruction
manual, may cause interference with radio and television
reception. Therefore, it is important to adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions for installing and using this
equipment.
Regulatory Notices
D-139
Korean Regulatory Notice
To determine which classification (Class A or B) applies
to your computer system (or other Dell digital apparatus),
examine all registration labels located on the bottom or
back panel of your computer (or other Dell digital apparatus), on card-mounting brackets, and on the cards
themselves. If any one of the labels carries a Class A rating, your entire system is considered to be a Class A
digital device. If all labels carry either the Class B rating
or the FCC logo ( ), your system is considered to be a
Class B digital device.
NOTE: Class A devices are for business purposes. Class
B devices are for nonbusiness purposes.
Class A Device
Please note that this device has been approved for business purposes with regard to electromagnetic
interference. If you find that this device is not suitable for
your use, you may exchange it for a device that has been
approved for use in residential as well as business
environments.
A protection mark “B” confirms that the equipment is in
compliance with the protection usage requirements of
standards PN-93/T-42107 and PN-89/E-06251.
Wymagania Polskiego Centrum
Badañ i Certyfikacji
Urz¹dzenie powinno byæ zasilane z gniazda z
przy³¹czonym obwodem ochronnym (gniazdo z ko³kiem).
Wspó³pracuj¹ce ze sob¹ urz¹dzenia (komputer, monitor,
drukarka) powinny byæ zasilane z tego samego Ÿród³a.
Instalacja elektryczna pomieszczenia powinna zawieraæ
w przewodzie fazowym rezerwow¹ ochronê przed zwarciami, w postaci bezpiecznika o wartoœci znamionowej
nie wiêkszej ni¿ 10A (amperów).
Ca³kowite od³¹czenie urz¹dzenia od sieci zasilaj¹cej nastêpuje po wyjêciu wtyczki sznura zasilaj¹cego z gniazda
sieciowego, które powinno byæ usytuowane w pobli¿u
urz¹dzenia i byæ ³atwo dostêpne.
Class B Device
Znak bezpieczeñstwa "B" potwierdza zgodnoœæ urz¹dzenia z wymaganiami bezpieczeñstwa u¿ytkowania zawartymi w PN-93/T-42107 i PN-89/E-06251.
Please note that this device has been approved for nonbusiness purposes and may be used in any environment,
including residential areas.
Pozosta³e instrukcje bez
pieczeñstwa
Polish Center for Testing and
•
The equipment should draw power from a socket with an
attached protection circuit (a three-prong socket). All
equipment that works together (computer, monitor,
printer, and so on) should have the same power supply
source.
Nie nale¿y u¿ywaæ wtyczek adapterowych lub usuwaæ ko³ka obwodu ochronnego z wtyczki. Je¿eli
konieczne jest u¿ycie przed³u¿acza to nale¿y u¿yæ
przed³u¿acza 3-¿y³owego z prawid³owo
po³¹czonym przewodem ochronnym.
•
The phasing conductor of the room’s electrical installation should have a reserve short-circuit protection device
in the form of a fuse with a nominal value no larger than
10 amperes (A).
System komputerowy nale¿y zabezpieczyæ przed
nag³ymi, chwilowymi wzrostami lub spadkami
napiêcia, u¿ywaj¹c eliminatora przepiêæ, urz¹dzenia
dopasowuj¹cego lub bezzak³óceniowego Ÿród³a
zasilania.
•
All the equipment that works together must switch off
when the power supply cable plug is removed from the
power supply socket, which should be located near the
equipment and easily accessible.
Nale¿y upewniæ siê, aby nic nie le¿a³o na kablach
systemu komputerowego, oraz aby kable nie by³y
umieszczone w miejscu, gdzie mo¿na by³oby na nie
nadeptywaæ lub potykaæ siê o nie.
•
Nie nale¿y rozlewaæ napojów ani innych p³ynów na
system komputerowy.
Certification Notice
D-140
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
•
Nie nale¿y wpychaæ ¿adnych przedmiotów do
otworów systemu komputerowego, gdy¿ mo¿e to
spowodowaæ po¿ar lub pora¿enie pr¹dem, poprzez
zwarcie elementów wewnêtrznych.
•
System komputerowy powinien znajdowaæ siê z dala
od grzejników i Ÿróde³ ciep³a. Ponadto, nie nale¿y
blokowaæ otworów wentylacyjnych. Nale¿y unikaæ
k³adzenia luŸnych papierów pod komputer oraz
umieszczania komputera w ciasnym miejscu bez
mo¿liwoœci cyrkulacji powietrza wokó³ niego.
Regulatory Notices
D-141
D-142
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Appendix E
Warranties and Return Policy
Limited Three-Year Warranty
(U.S. Only)
Dell Computer Corporation (“Dell”) manufactures its
hardware products from parts and components that are
new or equivalent to new in accordance with industrystandard practices. Dell warrants that the hardware
products it manufactures will be free from defects in
materials and workmanship. The warranty term is three
years beginning on the date of invoice, as described in the
following text.
Damage due to shipping the products to you is covered
under this warranty. Otherwise, this warranty does not
cover damage due to external causes, including accident,
abuse, misuse, problems with electrical power, servicing
not authorized by Dell, usage not in accordance with
product instructions, failure to perform required preventive maintenance, and problems caused by use of parts
and components not supplied by Dell.
This warranty does not cover any items that are in one or
more of the following categories: software; sound cards;
speakers; external devices; accessories or parts added to a
Dell system after the system is shipped from Dell; accessories or parts added to a Dell system through Dell’s system
integration department; accessories or parts that are not
installed in the Dell factory; or DellWare® products. Monitors, keyboards, and mice that are Dell-branded or that are
included on Dell’s standard price list are covered under
this warranty; all other monitors, keyboards, and mice
(including those sold through the DellWare program) are
not covered. Batteries for portable computers are covered
only during the initial one-year period of this warranty.
Coverage During Year One
During the one-year period beginning on the invoice
date, Dell will repair or replace products covered under
this limited warranty that are returned to Dell’s facility.
To request warranty service, you must call Dell’s Customer Technical Support within the warranty period.
Refer to the chapter titled “Getting Help” in your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide to find the
appropriate telephone number for obtaining customer
assistance. If warranty service is required, Dell will issue
a Return Material Authorization Number. You must ship
the products back to Dell in their original or equivalent
packaging, prepay shipping charges, and insure the shipment or accept the risk of loss or damage during
shipment. Dell will ship the repaired or replacement
products to you freight prepaid if you use an address in
the U.S. Shipments to other locations will be made
freight collect.
NOTE: Before you ship the product(s) to Dell, back up
the data on the hard-disk drive(s) and any other storage
device(s) in the product(s). Remove any removable
media, such as diskettes, CDs, or PC Cards. Dell does
not accept liability for lost data or software.
Dell owns all parts removed from repaired products. Dell
uses new and reconditioned parts made by various manufacturers in performing warranty repairs and building
replacement products. If Dell repairs or replaces a product, its warranty term is not extended.
Warranties and Return Policy
E-143
Coverage During Years Two and Three
During the second and third years of this limited warranty,
Dell will provide, on an exchange basis, replacement parts
for the Dell hardware product(s) covered under this limited
warranty when a part requires replacement. You must
report each instance of hardware failure to Dell’s Customer
Technical Support in advance to obtain Dell’s concurrence
that a part should be replaced and to have Dell ship the
replacement part. Dell will ship parts using next-businessday delivery, shipping prepaid if you use an address in the
U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico and U.S. possessions). Shipments to other locations will be made freight collect. Dell
will include a prepaid shipping container with each
replacement part for your use in returning the replaced part
to Dell. Replacement parts are new or reconditioned. Dell
may provide replacement parts made by various manufacturers when supplying parts to you. The warranty term for
a replacement part is the remainder of the limited warranty
term.
YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH
VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.
DELL DOES NOT ACCEPT LIABILITY BEYOND
THE REMEDIES SET FORTH IN THIS WARRANTY
STATEMENT OR LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY LIABILITY FOR
PRODUCTS NOT BEING AVAILABLE FOR USE OR
FOR LOST DATA OR SOFTWARE.
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION
OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE
EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO
YOU.
These provisions apply to Dell’s U. S. limited three-year
warranty only. For provisions of any service contract
covering your system, refer to the separate service contract that you will receive.
You will pay Dell for replacement parts when the
replaced part is not returned to Dell within 30 days after
the date the replacement part was shipped by Dell and for
parts used to repair systems not covered by this limited
warranty. In these events, replacement parts will be
priced at Dell’s then-current standard prices. Payment for
these parts is due within 30 days from the date of invoice.
NOTE: If you chose one of the available warranty and
service options in place of the standard Limited ThreeYear Warranty described in the preceding text, the option
you chose will be listed on your invoice.
NOTE: You accept full responsibility for your software
and data. Dell is not required to advise or remind you of
appropriate backup and other procedures.
(Canada Only)
General
DELL MAKES NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES
BEYOND THOSE STATED IN THIS WARRANTY
STATEMENT. DELL DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
WITHOUT LIMITATION IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. SOME STATES DO NOT
ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO
YOU.
DELL’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR MALFUNCTIONS
AND DEFECTS IN HARDWARE IS LIMITED TO
REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT AS SET FORTH IN
THIS WARRANTY STATEMENT. THESE WARRANTIES GIVE YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND
E-144
Limited Three-Year Warranty
Dell Computer Corporation (“Dell”) manufactures its
hardware products from parts and components that are
new or equivalent to new in accordance with industrystandard practices. Dell warrants that the hardware products it manufactures will be free from defects in materials
and workmanship. The warranty term is three years
beginning on the date of invoice, as described in the following text. The warranty is transferable with the
warranted products.
Damage due to shipping the products to you is covered
under this warranty. Otherwise, this warranty does not
cover damage due to external causes, including accident,
abuse, misuse, problems with electrical power, servicing
not authorized by Dell, usage not in accordance with
product instructions, failure to perform required preventive maintenance, and problems caused by use of parts
and components not supplied by Dell.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
This warranty does not cover any items that are in one or
more of the following categories: software; sound cards;
speakers; external devices; accessories or parts added to a
Dell system after the system is shipped from Dell; accessories or parts added to a Dell system through Dell’s system
integration department; accessories or parts that are not
installed in the Dell factory; or DellWare products. Monitors, keyboards, and mice that are Dell-branded or that are
included on Dell’s standard price list are covered under
this warranty; all other monitors, keyboards, and mice
(including those sold through the DellWare program) are
not covered. Batteries for portable computers are covered
only during the initial one-year period of this warranty.
Coverage During Year One
During the one-year period beginning on the invoice
date, Dell will repair or replace products returned to
Dell’s facility. To request warranty service, you must call
Dell’s Customer Technical Support within the warranty
period. Refer to the chapter titled “Getting Help” in your
Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide to find the
appropriate telephone number for obtaining customer
assistance. If warranty service is required, Dell will issue
a Return Material Authorization Number. You must ship
the products back to Dell in their original or equivalent
packaging, prepay shipping charges, and insure the shipment or accept the risk of loss or damage during
shipment. Dell will ship the repaired or replacement
products to you freight prepaid if you use an address in
Canada. Shipments to other locations will be made
freight collect.
NOTE: Before you ship the product(s) to Dell, back up
the data on the hard-disk drive(s) and any other storage
device(s) in the product(s). Remove any removable
media, such as diskettes, CDs, or PC Cards. Dell does
not accept liability for lost data or software.
Dell owns all parts removed from repaired products. Dell
uses new and reconditioned parts made by various manufacturers in performing warranty repairs and building
replacement products. If Dell repairs or replaces a product, its warranty term is not extended, except as may be
required by law.
Coverage During Years Two and Three
During the second and third years of this limited warranty, Dell will provide, on an exchange basis,
replacement parts for the Dell hardware product(s) covered under this limited warranty when a part requires
replacement. You must report each instance of hardware
failure to Dell’s Customer Technical Support in advance
to obtain Dell’s concurrence that a part should be
replaced and to have Dell ship the replacement part. Dell
will ship parts using next-business-day delivery, shipping
prepaid if you use an address in Canada. Shipments to
other locations will be made freight collect. Dell will
include a prepaid shipping container with each replacement part for your use in returning the replaced part to
Dell. Replacement parts are new or reconditioned. Dell
may provide replacement parts made by various manufacturers when supplying parts to you. The warranty term
for a replacement part is the remainder of the limited
warranty term.
You will pay Dell for replacement parts when the
replaced part is not returned to Dell within 30 days after
the date the replacement part was shipped by Dell and for
parts used to repair systems not covered by this limited
warranty. In these events, replacement parts will be
priced at Dell’s then-current standard prices. Payment for
these parts is due within 30 days from the date of invoice.
NOTE: You accept full responsibility for your software
and data. Dell is not required to advise or remind you of
appropriate backup and other procedures.
General
DELL MAKES NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES
BEYOND THOSE STATED IN THIS WARRANTY
STATEMENT. DELL DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
WITHOUT LIMITATION IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. SOME JURISDICTIONS
DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY
TO YOU.
Warranties and Return Policy
E-145
DELL’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR MALFUNCTIONS
AND DEFECTS IN HARDWARE IS LIMITED TO
REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT AS SET FORTH IN
THIS WARRANTY STATEMENT. THESE WARRANTIES GIVE YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND
YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH
VARY FROM ONE JURISDICTION TO ANOTHER.
DELL DOES NOT ACCEPT LIABILITY BEYOND
THE REMEDIES SET FORTH IN THIS WARRANTY
STATEMENT OR LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY LIABILITY FOR
PRODUCTS NOT BEING AVAILABLE FOR USE OR
FOR LOST DATA OR SOFTWARE.
SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE
EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE
EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO
YOU.
These provisions apply to Dell’s Canadian limited threeyear warranty only. For provisions of any on-site service
contract covering your system, refer to the separate onsite service contract that you will receive.
NOTE: If you chose one of the available warranty and
service options in place of the standard Limited ThreeYear Warranty described above, the option you chose will
be listed on your invoice.
E-146
T
“ otal Satisfaction” Return Policy
(U.S. and Canada Only)
If you are an end-user customer who bought products
directly from a Dell company, you may return them to
Dell up to 30 days from the date of invoice for a refund of
the product purchase price if already paid. This refund
will not include any shipping and handling charges
shown on your invoice. If your organization bought the
products from Dell under a written agreement with Dell,
there may be different terms for the return of products
under this policy, based on your agreement with Dell. To
return products, you must call Dell Customer Service at
the telephone number shown in the chapter titled “Getting Help” in your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
Guide to receive a Credit Return Authorization Number.
You must ship the products to Dell in their original packaging, prepay shipping charges, and insure the shipment
or accept the risk of loss or damage during shipment. You
may return software for refund or credit only if the sealed
package containing the diskette(s) or CD(s) is unopened.
Returned products must be in as-new condition, and all of
the manuals, diskette(s), CD(s), power cables, and other
items included with a product must be returned with it.
This “Total Satisfaction” Return Policy does not apply to
DellWare products, which may be returned under DellWare’s current return policy.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Appendix F
Technical Specifications
Table F-1. Technical Specifications
Microprocessor
Microprocessor types . . . . . . . . . . . . single Pentium Pro microprocessor with an internal operating frequency of 180 or 200 MHz and an
external operating frequency of 60 MHz or
66 MHz (respectively)
Internal cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256-KB L2 cache, 8-KB instructions and 8-KB
data L1 cache internal to the microprocessor
module
Math coprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . internal to microprocessor
Expansion Bus
Bus type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EISA, PCI local bus
Expansion slots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . three full-length, 8- or 16-bit ISA or 32-bit EISA;
three full-length, 32-bit PCI
Memory
DIMM sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . four 168-pin sockets
DIMM capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 32, and 128 MB (DIMMs are 60 ns or faster,
EDO)
Standard RAM (minimum). . . . . . . . 16 MB
Maximum RAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 MB
External cache. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . none
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary.
Technical Specifications
F-147
Table F-1. Technical Specifications (continued)
Drives
Diskette drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one 3.5-inch, 1.44-MB diskette drive included
with standard system
Tape drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . capacities ranging from 4 GB to 24 GB (when
available)
SCSI hard-disk drives . . . . . . . . . . . formatted capacities ranging from 2 GB to 9 GB
(when available)
SCSI devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . built-in SCSI controller supports up to three SCSI
hard-disk drives in internal bays and up to two
SCSI devices in externally-accessible front bays
CD-ROM drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one CD-ROM drive included with standard system
Ports
Externally accessible:
Serial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . two 9-pin connectors
Parallel (bidirectional) . . . . . . . . one 25-pin connector
Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one 15-pin connector
PS/2-style keyboard . . . . . . . . . . 6-pin mini-DIN
PS/2-compatible mouse . . . . . . . 6-pin mini-DIN
Internally accessible:
SCSI controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68-pin connector
Diskette drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34-pin connector
Video
Video type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ATI mach64 (264VT) PCI video controller; VGA
connector
Video memory (standard) . . . . . . . . . 1 MB
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary.
F-148
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Table F-1. Technical Specifications (continued)
Power
DC power supply:
Wattage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 W
Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 V at 60 Hz/230 V at 50 Hz
System battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0-V lithium coin cell
Physical
Height (with support feet). . . . . . . . . 44.45 cm (17.50 inches)
Width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.13 cm (9.50 inches)
Depth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.91 cm (16.50 inches)
Weight (minimum
configuration) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.68 kg (39.0 lb)
Environmental
Temperature:
Operating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10° to 35°C (50° to 95°F)
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -40° to 65°C (-40° to 149°F)
Relative humidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8% to 80% (noncondensing)
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary.
Technical Specifications
F-149
F-150
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
Glossary
T
he following list defines or identifies technical terms,
abbreviations, and acronyms used in Dell user
NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, these definitions may
not apply to operating systems other than
MS-DOS ® or Microsoft® Windows®.
ASCII
Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A text file containing only characters from the
ASCII character set (usually created with a text editor, such
as MS-DOS Editor or Notepad in Windows), is called an
ASCII file.
A
Abbreviation for ampere(s).
ASIC
Acronym for application-specific integrated circuit.
AC
Abbreviation for alternating current.
ASPI
Advanced SCSI programming interface.
adapter card
An expansion card that plugs into an expansion-card connector on the computer’s system board. An adapter card
adds some specialized function to the computer by providing an interface between the expansion bus and a peripheral
device. Examples of adapter cards include network cards,
sound boards, and SCSI adapters.
autoexec.bat file
When you boot your computer, MS-DOS runs any commands contained in the text file, autoexec.bat (after running
any commands in the config.sys file). An autoexec.bat file
is not required to boot MS-DOS, but provides a convenient
place to run commands that are essential for setting up a
consistent computing environment—such as loading mouse
or network software.
®
documents.
ADC
Abbreviation for analog-to-digital converter.
ADI
Abbreviation for Autodesk Device Interface.
AI
Abbreviation for artificial intelligence.
ANSI
Acronym for American National Standards Institute.
application program
Software designed to help you perform a specific task, such
as a spreadsheet or word processor. Application programs
are distinct from operating system and utility software.
backup
A copy of a program or data file. As a precaution, you
should back up your computer’s hard-disk drive on a regular basis. Before making a change to the configuration of
your computer, you should back up important start-up
files, such as autoexec.bat and config.sys for MS-DOS or
win.ini and system.ini for Windows.
base memory
Synonym for conventional memory. See also conventional memory.
BASIC
Acronym for Beginner’s All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, a programming language. MS-DOS includes a
version of BASIC.
Glossary
151
batch file
An ASCII text file containing a list of commands that run
in sequence. Batch files must have a filename extension of
bat.
baud rate
Data transmission speed. For example, modems are designed to transmit data at one or more specified baud rate(s)
through the COM (serial) port of a computer.
BBS
Abbreviation for bulletin board service. A computer system that serves as a central location for accessing data or
relaying messages by modem. For example, Dell’s TechConnect BBS contains the latest version of software such
as video drivers and the Dell Directory. If your system has
a modem, you can access the BBS and download the most
recent version of this software.
beep code
A diagnostic system message in the form of a series of
beeps from your computer’s speaker. Refer to your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide for a complete
discussion of system beep codes.
BIOS
Acronym for basic input/output system. Your computer’s
BIOS contains programs stored on a ROM chip. The BIOS
controls the following:
•
Communications between the microprocessor and
peripheral devices, such as the keyboard and the
video adapter
•
Miscellaneous functions, such as system messages
bit
The smallest unit of information interpreted by your
computer.
boot routine
When you start your computer, it clears all memory, initializes devices, and loads the operating system. Unless the
operating system fails to respond, you can reboot (also
called warm boot) your computer by pressing
<Ctrl><Alt><Del>; otherwise, you must perform a cold
boot by pressing the reset button (if your computer has one)
or by turning the computer off, then back on.
152
bootable diskette
You can start your computer from a diskette in drive A. To
make a bootable diskette, insert a diskette in drive A, type
at the command line prompt, then press <Enter>.
Use this bootable diskette if your computer will not boot from
the hard-disk drive.
bpi
Abbreviation for bits per inch.
bps
Abbreviation for bits per second.
BTU
Abbreviation for British thermal unit.
bus
A bus forms an information pathway between the components of a computer. Your computer contains an expansion
bus that allows the microprocessor to communicate with
controllers for all the various peripheral devices connected
to the computer. Your computer also contains an address
bus and a data bus for communications between the microprocessor and RAM.
byte
Eight contiguous bits of information, the basic data unit
used by your computer.
BZT
Abbreviation for Bundesamt fur Zulassungen in der
Telekommunikation.
C
Abbreviation for Celsius.
cache
To facilitate quicker data retrieval, a storage area for keeping a copy of data or instructions. For example, your
computer’s BIOS may cache ROM code in faster RAM.
Or, a disk-cache utility may reserve RAM in which to store
frequently accessed information from your computer’s
disk drives; when a program makes a request to a disk drive
for data that is in the cache, the disk-cache utility can retrieve the data from RAM faster than from the disk drive.
card-edge connector
On the bottom of an expansion card, the metal-contact section that plugs into an expansion-card connector.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
CCFT
Abbreviation for cold cathode fluorescent tube.
CD-ROM
Abbreviation for compact disc read-only memory.
CD-ROM drives use optical technology to read data from
compact discs. Compact discs are read-only storage devices; you cannot write new data to a compact disc with
standard CD-ROM drives.
CGA
Abbreviation for color graphics adapter.
cm
Abbreviation for centimeter(s).
CMOS
Acronym for complementary metal-oxide semiconductor.
In computers, CMOS memory chips are often used for
NVRAM storage.
COMn
The MS-DOS device names for the first through fourth
serial ports on your computer are COM1, COM2, COM3,
and COM4. MS-DOS supports up to four serial ports.
However, the default interrupt for COM1 and COM3 is
IRQ4, and the default interrupt for COM2 and COM4 is
IRQ3. Therefore, you must be careful when configuring
software that runs a serial device so that you don’t create
an interrupt conflict.
CON
The MS-DOS device name for the console, which includes
your computer’s keyboard and text displayed on the
screen.
conventional memory
The first 640 KB of RAM. Unless they are specially designed, MS-DOS programs are limited to running in
conventional memory. See also EMM, expanded memory,
extended memory, HMA, memory manager, upper memory area, and XMM.
coprocessor
A coprocessor relieves the computer’s microprocessor of
specific processing tasks. A math coprocessor, for example, handles numeric processing. A graphics coprocessor
handles video rendering. Intel486 DX™, IntelDX2™,
IntelDX4™, and Pentium® microprocessors include a built-in
math coprocessor.
cpi
Abbreviation for characters per inch.
CPU
Abbreviation for central processing unit. See also
microprocessor.
cursor
In character-based MS-DOS programs, the cursor is usually a block or an underscore (possibly blinking) that
represents the position at which the next character typed
will appear. Windows programs can design their own cursors—common cursor symbols include the pointer arrow
and the text-insertion I-beam.
DAC
Acronym for digital-to-analog converter.
DAT
Acronym for digital audio tape.
config.sys file
When you boot your computer, MS-DOS runs any commands contained in the text file, config.sys (before running
any commands in the autoexec.bat file). A config.sys file is
not required to boot MS-DOS, but provides a convenient place
to run commands that are essential for setting up a consistent
computing environment—such as loading device drivers with
a device= statement.
dB
Abbreviation for decibel(s).
controller
A chip or expansion card that controls the transfer of data
between the microprocessor and a peripheral, such as a
disk drive or the keyboard.
device driver
A device driver allows the operating system or a program
to interface correctly with a peripheral, such as a printer or
network card. Some device drivers—such as network
drivers—must be loaded from the config.sys file (with a
dBA
Abbreviation for adjusted decibel(s).
DC
Abbreviation for direct current.
Glossary
153
device= statement) or as memory-resident programs (usually,
from the autoexec.bat file). Others—such as video drivers—
must load when you start the program for which they were
designed.
diagnostics
See diskette-based diagnostics and embedded diagnostics.
DIMM
Acronym for dual in-line memory module.
DIN
Acronym for Deutsche Industrie Norm.
DIP
Acronym for dual in-line package. A circuit board, such
as a system board or expansion card, may contain DIP
switches for configuring the circuit board. DIP switches
are always toggle switches, with an ON position and an
OFF position.
DIP switches
directory
Directories help keep related files organized on a disk in a
hierarchical, “inverted tree” structure. Each disk has a
“root” directory; for example, a
prompt normally indicates that you are at the root directory of hard-disk drive C.
Additional directories that branch off of the root directory are
called subdirectories. Subdirectories may contain additional
directories branching off of them.
root directory
subdirectories
diskette-based diagnostics
A comprehensive set of diagnostic tests for your Dell computer. To use the diskette-based diagnostics, you must boot
your computer from the Dell Diagnostics Diskette. Refer to
your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide for a complete
discussion about how to use the diskette-based diagnostics.
154
display adapter
See video adapter.
DMA
Abbreviation for direct memory access. A DMA channel
allows certain types of data transfer between RAM and a
device to bypass the microprocessor.
DOC
Abbreviation for Department of Communications (in
Canada).
dpi
Abbreviation for dots per inch.
DPMS
Abbreviation for Display Power Management Signaling. A
standard developed by the Video Electronics Standards Association that defines the hardware signals sent by a video
controller to activate power management states in a video
display or monitor. A monitor is said to be DPMS-compliant
when it is designed to enter a power management state after
receiving the appropriate signal from a computer’s video
controller.
DRAM
Abbreviation for dynamic random-access memory. A
computer’s RAM is usually made up entirely of DRAM
chips. Because DRAM chips cannot store an electrical
charge indefinitely, your computer continually refreshes
each DRAM chip in the computer.
drive-type number
Your computer can recognize a number of specific harddisk drives. Each is assigned a drive-type number that is
stored in NVRAM. The hard-disk drive(s) specified in
your computer’s System Setup program must match the
actual drive(s) installed in the computer. The System Setup
program also allows you to specify physical parameters
(cylinders, heads, write precomp, landing zone, and capacity) for drives not included in the table of drive types stored
in NVRAM.
DS/DD
Abbreviation for double-sided/double-density.
DS/HD
Abbreviation for double-sided/high-density.
Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide
DTE
Abbreviation for data terminal equipment. Any device
(such as a computer system) that can send data in digital
form by means of a cable or communications line. The
DTE is connected to the cable or communications line
through a data communications equipment (DCE) device,
such as a modem.
ECC
Abbreviation for error correction code.
ECP
Abbreviation for Extended Capabilities Port.
EDO
Abbreviation for extended-data output. A type of RAM
chip that holds data on the chip’s output data lines for a
longer period of time than fast-page mode RAM chips.
The EDO RAM chips are also faster than fast-page mode
RAM chips.
EEPROM
Acronym for electrically erasable programmable readonly memory.
EGA
Abbreviation for enhanced graphics adapter.
EISA
Acronym for Extended Industry-Standard Architecture, a
32-bit expansion-bus design. The expansion-card connectors in an EISA computer are also compatible with 8- or
16-bit ISA expansion cards.
To avoid a configuration conflict when installing an EISA
expansion card, you must use the EISA Configuration Utility. This utility allows you to specify which expansion slot
contains the card and obtains information about the card’s
required system resources from a corresponding EISA
configuration file.
embedded diagnostics
Diagnostic tests stored in flash memory on some Dell computers to assist in troubleshooting component failure that
can prevent your computer from booting. Refer to your
Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide for a complete discussion about how to use the embedded diagnostics.
EMC
Abbreviation for Electromagnetic Compatibility.
EMI
Abbreviation for electromagnetic interference.
EMM
Abbreviation for expanded memory manager. A software
utility that uses extended memory to emulate expanded
memory on computers with an Intel386™ or higher microprocessor. See also conventional memory, expanded
memory, extended memory, memory manager, and
XMM.
EMS
Abbreviation for Expanded Memory Specification. See
also expanded memory, memory manager, and XMS.
EPROM
Acronym for erasable programmable read-only memory.
ESD
Abbreviation for electrostatic discharge. Refer to “Safety
Instructions” at the front of your User’s Guide for a complete
discussion of ESD.
ESDI
Acronym for enhanced small-device interface.
expanded memory
A technique for accessing RAM above 1 MB. To enable
expanded memory on your computer, you must use an
EMM. You should configure your system to support expanded memory only if you run application programs that
can use (or require) expanded memory. See also conventional memory, EMM, extended memory, and memory
manager.
expansion bus
Your computer contains an expansion bus that allows the
microprocessor to communicate with controllers for peripheral devices, such as a network card or an internal
modem.
expansion-card connector
A connector on the computer’s system board for plugging
in an expansion card.
extended memory
RAM above 1 MB. Most software that can use it, such as
Windows, requires that extended memory be under the
control of an XMM. See also conventional memory, expanded memory, memory manager, and XMM.
Glossary
155
external cache memory
A RAM cache using SRAM chips. Because SRAM chips
operate at several times the speed of DRAM chips, the
microprocessor can retrieve data and instructions faster
from external cache memory than from RAM.
F
Abbreviation for Fahrenheit.
FAT
Acronym for file allocation table. The file system structure
used by MS-DOS to organize and keep track of file storage.
The Microsoft Windows NT ® and OS/2® operating systems
can optionally use a FAT file system structure.
FCC
Abbreviation for Federal Communications Commission.
flash memory
A type of EEPROM chip that can be reprogrammed from
a utility on diskette while still installed in a computer; most
EEPROM chips can only be rewritten with special programming equipment.
format
To prepare a hard-disk drive or diskette for storing files.
An unconditional format deletes all data stored on the disk.
The format command in MS-DOS 5.0 or higher includes an
option that allows you to unformat a disk, if you have not yet
used the disk for file storage.
ft
Abbreviation for feet.
g
Abbreviation for gram(s).
G
Abbreviation for gravities.
GB
Abbreviation for gigabyte(s). A gigabyte equals 1,024 megabytes or 1,073,741,824 bytes.
graphics coprocessor
See coprocessor.
graphics mode
See video mode.
156
GUI
Acronym for graphical user interface.
h
Abbreviation for hexadecimal. A base-16 numbering system, often used in programming to identify addresses in
the computer’s RAM and I/O memory addresses for devices. The sequence of decimal numbers from 0 through
16, for example, is expressed in hexadecimal notation as:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F, 10. In text,
hexadecimal numbers are often followed by h or preceded
by 0x. MS-DOS conventional memory—the first 640 KB of
memory addresses—is from 00000h to 9FFFFh; the MS-DOS
upper memory area—memory addresses between 640 KB and
1 MB—is from A0000h to FFFFFh.
heat sink
A metal plate with metal pegs or ribs that help dissipate
heat. Some microprocessors include a heat sink.
HMA
Abbreviation for high memory area. The first 64 KB of
extended memory above 1 MB. A memory manager that
conforms to the XMS can make the HMA a direct extension of conventional memory. See also conventional
memory, memory manager, upper memory area, and
XMM.
host adapter
A host adapter implements communication between the
computer’s bus and the controller for a peripheral. (Harddisk drive controller subsystems include integrated host
adapter circuitry.) To add a SCSI expansion bus to your
system, you must install the appropriate host adapter.
HPFS
Abbreviation for the High Performance File System option
in the IBM® OS/2 and Windows NT operating systems.
Hz
Abbreviation for hertz.
I/O
Abbreviation for input/output. The keyboard and a printer,
for example, are I/O devices. In general, I/O activity can
be differentiated from computational activity. For example, when a program sends a document to the printer, it is
engaging in I/O activity; when the program sorts a list of
terms, it is engaging in computational activity.
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ID
Abbreviation for identification.
KB/sec
Abbreviation for kilobyte(s) per second.
interlacing
A technique for increasing video resolution by only updating alternate horizontal lines on the screen. Because
interlacing can result in noticeable screen flicker, most users prefer noninterlaced video adapter resolutions.
Kbit(s)
Abbreviation for kilobit(s), 1,024 bits.
internal microprocessor cache
An instruction and data cache built in to the microprocessor.
The Intel486, IntelDX2, and IntelDX4 microprocessors include an 8-KB internal cache. The Pentium microprocessor
includes a 16-KB internal cache, which is set up as an 8-KB
read-only instruction cache and an 8-KB read/write data
cache.
key combination
A command requiring that you press multiple keys at the
same time. For example, you can reboot your computer by
pressing the <Ctrl><Alt><Del> key combination.
IPX
Acronym for internetwork packet exchange.
kHz
Abbreviation for kilohertz, 1,000 hertz.
IRQ
Abbreviation for interrupt request. A signal that data is
about to be sent to or received by a peripheral travels by
an IRQ line to the microprocessor. Each peripheral connection must be assigned an IRQ number. For example,
the first serial port in your computer (COM1) is assigned
to IRQ4 by default. Two devices can share the same IRQ
assignment, but you cannot operate both devices
simultaneously.
LAN
Acronym for local area network. A LAN system is usually
confined to the same building or a few nearby buildings,
with all equipment linked by wiring dedicated specifically
to the LAN.
ISA
Acronym for Industry-Standard Architecture. A 16-bit expansion bus design. The expansion-card connectors in an
ISA computer are also compatible with 8-bit ISA expansion cards.
ITE
Abbreviation for information technology equipment.
JEIDA
Acronym for Japanese Electronic Industry Development
Association.
K
Abbreviation for kilo-, indicating 1,000.
KB
Abbreviation for kilobyte(s), 1,024 bytes.
Kbit(s)/sec
Abbreviation for kilobit(s) per second.
kg
Abbreviation for kilogram(s), 1,000 grams.
lb
Abbreviation for pound(s).
LCD
Abbreviation for liquid crystal display. A low-power display often used for notebook computers. An LCD consists
of a liquid crystal solution between two sheets of polarizing
material. An electric current causes each crystal to act like
a shutter that can open to allow light past or close to block
the light.
LED
Abbreviation for light-emitting diode. An electronic device that lights up when a current is passed through it.
LIF
Acronym for low insertion force. Some computers use LIF
sockets and connectors to allow devices such as the microprocessor chip to be installed or removed with minimal
stress to the device.
LIM
Acronym for Lotus/Intel/Microsoft. LIM usually refers to
version 4.0 of the EMS.
Glossary
157
LN
Abbreviation for load number.
local bus
On a computer with local-bus expansion capability, certain
peripheral devices (such as the video adapter circuitry) can
be designed to run much faster than they would with a
traditional expansion bus. Some local-bus designs allow
peripherals to run at the same speed and with the same
width data path as the computer’s microprocessor.
LPTn
The MS-DOS device names for the first through third parallel printer ports on your computer are LPT1, LPT2, and
LPT3.
LUN
Acronym for logical unit number.
m
Abbreviation for meter(s).
mA
Abbreviation for milliampere(s).
mAh
Abbreviation for milliampere-hour(s).
math coprocessor
See coprocessor.
MB
Abbreviation for megabyte(s). The term megabyte means
1,048,576 bytes; however, when referring to hard-disk drive
storage, the term is often rounded to mean 1,000,000 bytes.
MBR
Abbreviation for master boot record.
MDA
Abbreviation for monochrome display adapter.
memory
A computer can contain several different forms of memory, such as RAM, ROM, and video memory. Frequently,
the word memory is used as a synonym for RAM; for example,
an unqualified statement such as “…a computer with 8 MB of
memory” refers to a computer with 8 MB of RAM.
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memory address
A specific location, usually expressed as a hexadecimal
number, in the computer’s RAM.
memory manager
A utility that controls the implementation of memory in
addition to conventional memory, such as extended or expanded memory. See also conventional memory, EMM,
expanded memory, extended memory, HMA, upper memory area, and XMM.
MGA
Abbreviation for monochrome graphics adapter.
MHz
Abbreviation for megahertz.
microprocessor
Because it is the primary computational chip inside the
computer, it is customary to refer to the microprocessor as
“the computer’s brain.” The microprocessor contains an
arithmetic processing unit and a control unit. Software
written for one microprocessor must usually be revised to
run on another microprocessor. CPU is a synonym for
microprocessor.
min
Abbreviation for minute(s).
mm
Abbreviation for millimeter(s).
mouse
A pointing device that controls the movement of the cursor
on a screen. Mouse-aware software allows you to activate
commands by clicking a mouse button while pointing at
objects displayed on the screen.
ms
Abbreviation for millisecond(s).
MS-DOS
Abbreviation for Microsoft Disk Operating System.
MTBF
Abbreviation for mean time between failures.
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multifrequency monitor
A monitor that supports several video standards. A multifrequency monitor can adjust to the frequency range of the
signal from a variety of video adapters.
mV
Abbreviation for millivolt(s).
NiCad
Acronym for nickel cadmium.
NiMH
Abbreviation for nickel-metal hydride.
NLM
Acronym for NetWare® Loadable Module.
NMI
Abbreviation for nonmaskable interrupt. A device sends
an NMI to signal the microprocessor about hardware errors, such as a parity error.
noninterlaced
A technique for decreasing screen flicker by sequentially
refreshing each horizontal line on the screen.
ns
Abbreviation for nanosecond(s), one billionth of a second.
NTFS
Abbreviation for the NT File System option in the Windows NT operating system.
parameter
A value or option that you specify to a program. A parameter is sometimes called a switch or an argument.
partition
You can divide a hard-disk drive into multiple physical
sections called partitions with the fdisk command. Each partition can contain multiple logical drives. For example, you
could partition a 200-MB hard-disk drive into two physically
separate partitions with three logical drive assignments, as
shown in the following table.
Partitioning the Hard-Disk Drive
Physical Partitions and Sizes
Partition 1
Partition 2
120 MB
80 MB
Logical Drive Assignments and Sizes
Drive C
Drive D
Drive E
120 MB
50 MB
30 MB
After partitioning the hard-disk drive, you must format
each logical drive with the format command.
PC Card
Slightly larger than a credit card, a PC Card is a removable
I/O card—such as a modem, LAN, SRAM, or flash memory card—that adheres to the PCMCIA standards. See also
PCMCIA.
NVRAM
Abbreviation for nonvolatile random-access memory.
Memory that does not lose its contents when you turn off
your computer. NVRAM is used for maintaining the date,
time, and system setup options.
PCI
Abbreviation for Peripheral Component Interconnect. A
standard for local-bus implementation developed by Intel
Corporation.
OS/2
Abbreviation for Operating System/2.
PCMCIA
Abbreviation for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. See also PC Card.
OTP
Abbreviation for one-time programmable.
parallel port
An I/O port used most often to connect a parallel printer
to your computer. You can usually identify a parallel port
on your computer by its 25-hole connector.
peripheral device
An internal or external device—such as a printer, a disk
drive, or a keyboard—connected to a computer.
PGA
Abbreviation for pin grid array, a type of microprocessor
socket that allows you to remove the microprocessor chip.
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159
pixel
Arranged in rows and columns, a pixel is a single point on
a video display. Video resolution—640 x 480, for example—is expressed as the number of pixels across by the
number of pixels up and down.
PVC
Abbreviation for polyvinyl chloride.
POST
Acronym for power-on self-test. Before the operating system loads when you turn on your computer, the POST tests
various system components such as RAM, the disk drives,
and the keyboard.
RAM
Acronym for random-access memory. The computer’s primary temporary storage area for program instructions and
data. Each location in RAM is identified by a number
called a memory address. Any information stored in RAM is
lost when you turn off your computer.
ppm
Abbreviation for pages per minute.
PQFP
Abbreviation for plastic quad flat pack, a type of microprocessor socket in which the microprocessor chip is
permanently mounted.
PRN
A synonym for the MS-DOS device name LPT1.
program diskette set
The set of diskettes from which you can perform a complete installation of an application program. When you
reconfigure a program, you often need its program diskette
set.
protected mode
An operating mode supported by 80286 or higher microprocessors, protected mode allows operating systems to
implement:
•
A memory address space of 16 MB (80286 microprocessor) to 4 GB (Intel386 or higher
microprocessor)
•
•
Multitasking
Virtual memory, a method for increasing addressable
memory by using the hard-disk drive
The Windows NT, OS/2, and UNIX®
32-bit operating systems run in protected mode. MS-DOS cannot run in protected
mode; however, some programs that you can start from
MS-DOS—such as Windows—are able to put the computer
into protected mode.
PS/2
Abbreviation for Personal System/2.
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QIC
Abbreviation for quarter-inch cartridge.
RAMDAC
Acronym for random-access memory digital-to-analog
converter.
read-only file
A read-only file is one that you are prohibited from editing
or deleting. A file can have read-only status if:
•
•
•
Its read-only attribute is enabled.
It resides on a physically write-protected diskette.
It is located on a network in a directory to which the
system administrator has assigned read-only rights to
you.
real mode
An operating mode supported by 80286 or higher microprocessors, real mode imitates the architecture of an 8086
microprocessor. Designed to run in real mode, MS-DOS
(unassisted by additional software techniques) can address
only 640 KB of conventional memory.
refresh rate
The frequency, measured in Hz, at which the screen’s horizontal lines are recharged. A monitor’s refresh rate is also
referred to as its vertical frequency.
REN
Abbreviation for ringer equivalence number.
RFI
Abbreviation for radio frequency interference.
RGB
Abbreviation for red/green/blue.
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ROM
Acronym for read-only memory. Your computer contains
some programs essential to its operation in ROM code.
Unlike RAM, a ROM chip retains its contents even after
you turn off your computer. Examples of code in ROM
include the program that initiates your computer’s boot
routine and the POST.
rpm
Abbreviation for revolutions per minute.
RTC
Abbreviation for real-time clock. Battery-powered clock
circuitry inside the computer that keeps the date and time
after you turn off the computer.
SCSI
Acronym for small computer system interface. An I/O bus
interface with faster data transmission rates than standard
ports. You can connect up to seven devices to one SCSI
interface.
SDMS
Abbreviation for SCSI device management system.
sec
Abbreviation for second(s).
serial port
An I/O port used most often to connect a modem or a mouse
to your computer. You can usually identify a serial port on
your computer by its 9-pin connector.
shadowing
A computer’s system and video BIOS code is usually
stored on ROM chips. Shadowing refers to the performance-enhancement technique that copies BIOS code to
faster RAM chips in the upper memory area (above
640 KB) during the boot routine.
SRAM
Abbreviation for static random-access memory. Because
SRAM chips do not require continual refreshing, they are
substantially faster than DRAM chips. SRAM is used
mostly for external cache memory.
SVGA
Abbreviation for super video graphics array. See also
VGA.
switch
See parameter.
sync negotiation
Sync negotiation is a SCSI feature that allows the host
adapter and its attached SCSI devices to transfer data in
synchronous mode. Synchronous data transfer is faster
than asynchronous data transfer.
syntax
The rules that dictate how you must type a command or
instruction so that the computer will understand it.
system board
As the main circuit board, the system board usually contains most of your computer’s integral components, such
as the following:
•
•
•
•
Microprocessor
•
Various ROM chips
RAM
Expansion-card connectors
Controllers for standard peripheral devices, such as
the keyboard
Frequently used synonyms for system board are motherboard and logic board.
system diskette
System diskette is a synonym for bootable diskette.
system memory
System memory is a synonym for RAM.
System Setup program
System Setup program options allow you to configure your
computer’s hardware. Some options in the System Setup
program require that you reboot the computer in order to
make a hardware-configuration change. Because the System Setup program is stored in NVRAM, any options that
you set remain in effect until you change them again.
system.ini file
When you start Windows, it consults the system.ini file to
determine a variety of options for the Windows operating environment. Among other things, the system.ini file records
Glossary
161
which video, mouse, and keyboard drivers are installed for
Windows.
TV
Abbreviation for television.
Running the Control Panel or Windows Setup program
may change options in the system.ini file. On other occasions, you may need to change or add options to the system.ini
file manually with a text editor, such as Notepad.
UL
Abbreviation for Underwriters Laboratories.
terminator
Some devices, especially disk drives, contain a terminator
to absorb and dissipate excess current. When more than
one such device is connected in a series, you may need to
remove the terminator—or change a jumper setting to disable it—unless it is the last device in the series. However,
some devices have terminators that should never be removed or disabled.
text editor
An application program for editing text files consisting
exclusively of ASCII characters. MS-DOS Editor and
Notepad (in Windows) are text editors, for example. Most
word processors use proprietary file formats containing
binary characters, although some can read and write text
files.
text mode
See video mode.
TFT
Abbreviation for thin film transistor. A flat-panel display
for notebook computers where each pixel is controlled by
one to four transistors.
tpi
Abbreviation for tracks per inch.
TSR
Abbreviation for terminate-and-stay-resident. A TSR program runs “in the background.” Most TSR programs
implement a predefined key combination (sometimes referred to as a “hot key”) that allows you to activate the TSR
program’s interface while running another MS-DOS program. When you finish using the TSR program, you can
return to the other application program and leave the TSR
program resident in memory for later use.
Because MS-DOS is not designed to support multiple programs running simultaneously, TSR programs can
sometimes cause memory conflicts. When troubleshooting, rule out the possibility of such a conflict by rebooting
your computer without starting any TSR programs.
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UMB
Abbreviation for upper memory blocks. See also conventional memory, HMA, memory manager, and upper
memory area.
upper memory area
The 384 KB of RAM located between 640 KB and 1 MB.
If the computer has an Intel386 or higher microprocessor,
a software utility called a memory manager can create UMBs
in the upper memory area, in which you can load device drivers
and memory-resident programs. See also conventional memory, HMA, and memory manager.
UPS
Abbreviation for uninterruptible power supply. A batterypowered unit that automatically supplies power to your
computer in the event of an electrical failure.
USOC
Abbreviation for Universal Service Ordering Code.
utility
A program used to manage system resources— memory,
disk drives, or printers, for example. The diskcopy command for duplicating diskettes and the himem.sys device
driver for managing extended memory are utilities included in
MS-DOS.
V
Abbreviation for volt(s).
VAC
Abbreviation for volt(s) alternating current.
VCCI
Abbreviation for Voluntary Control Council for
Interference.
VDC
Abbreviation for volt(s) direct current.
VDE
Abbreviation for Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker.
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VDS
Abbreviation for Virtual Direct Memory Access Services.
VESA ®
Acronym for Video Electronics Standards Association.
VGA
Abbreviation for video graphics array. VGA and SVGA
are video standards for video adapters with greater resolution and color display capabilities than EGA and CGA, the
previous standards.
To display a program at a specific resolution, you must
install the appropriate video drivers and your monitor must
support the resolution. Similarly, the number of colors that
a program can display depends on the capabilities of the
monitor, the video driver, and the amount of memory installed for the video adapter.
VGA feature connector
On some systems with a built-in VGA video adapter, a
VGA feature connector allows you to add an enhancement
adapter, such as a video accelerator, to your computer. A
VGA feature connector can also be called a VGA passthrough connector.
video adapter
The logical circuitry that provides—in combination with
the monitor or display—your computer’s video capabilities. A video adapter may support more or fewer features
than a specific monitor offers. Typically, a video adapter
comes with video drivers for displaying popular application programs and operating environments in a variety of
video modes.
On most current Dell computers, a video adapter is integrated into the system board. Also available are many
video adapter cards that plug into an expansion-card
connector.
Video adapters can include memory separate from RAM
on the system board. The amount of video memory, along
with the adapter’s video drivers, may affect the number of
colors that can be simultaneously displayed. Video adapters can also include their own coprocessor chip for faster
graphics rendering.
video driver
Graphics-mode application programs and operating environments, such as Windows, often require video drivers in
order to display at a chosen resolution with the desired
number of colors. A program may include some “generic”
video drivers. Any additional video drivers may need to
match the video adapter; you can find these drivers on a
separate diskette with your computer or video adapter.
video memory
Most VGA and SVGA video adapters include VRAM or
DRAM memory chips in addition to your computer’s
RAM. The amount of video memory installed primarily
influences the number of colors that a program can display
(with the appropriate video drivers and monitor
capability).
video mode
Video adapters normally support multiple text and graphics display modes. Character-based software (such as
MS-DOS) displays in text modes that can be defined as x
columns by y rows of characters. Graphics-based software
(such as Windows) displays in graphics modes that can be
defined as x horizontal by y vertical pixels by z colors.
video resolution
Video resolution—640 x 480, for example—is expressed
as the number of pixels across by the number of pixels up
and down. To display a program at a specific graphics resolution, you must install the appropriate video drivers and
your monitor must support the resolution.
virtual 8086 mode
An operating mode supported by Intel386 or higher
microprocessors, virtual 8086 mode allows operating environments—such as Windows—to run multiple programs
in separate 1-MB sections of memory. Each 1-MB section
is called a virtual machine.
virtual memory
A method for increasing addressable RAM by using the
hard-disk drive. (MS-DOS does not support true virtual
memory, which must be implemented at the operating system level.) For example, in a computer with 8 MB of RAM
and 16 MB of virtual memory set up on the hard-disk drive,
the operating system would manage the system as though
it had 24 MB of physical RAM.
virus
A self-starting program designed to inconvenience you.
Virus programs have been known to corrupt the files stored
Glossary
163
on a hard-disk drive or to replicate themselves until a system or network runs out of memory.
The most common way that virus programs move from
one system to another is via “infected” diskettes, from
which they copy themselves to the hard-disk drive. To
guard against virus programs, you should do the following:
•
Periodically run a virus-checking utility on your
computer’s hard-disk drive
•
Always run a virus-checking utility on any diskettes
(including commercially sold software) before using
them
VL-Bus™
An abbreviation for VESA local bus. A standard for local
bus implementation developed by the Video Electronics
Standards Association.
VLSI
Abbreviation for very-large-scale integration.
Vpp
Abbreviation for peak-point voltage.
VRAM
Abbreviation for video random-access memory. Some
video adapters use VRAM chips (or a combination of
VRAM and DRAM) to improve video performance.
VRAM is dual-ported, allowing the video adapter to update the screen and receive new image data at the same
time.
W
Abbreviation for watt(s).
164
win.ini file
When you start Windows, it consults the win.ini file to determine a variety of options for the Windows operating
environment. Among other things, the win.ini file records
what printer(s) and fonts are installed for Windows. The
win.ini file also usually includes sections that contain optional
settings for Windows application programs that are installed
on the hard-disk drive.
Running the Control Panel or Windows Setup program
may change options in the win.ini file. On other occasions,
you may need to change or add options to the win.ini file manually with a text editor, such as Notepad.
write-protected
Read-only files are said to be write-protected. You can writeprotect a 3.5-inch diskette by sliding its write-protect tab to the
open position and a 5.25-inch diskette by placing an adhesive
label over its write-protect notch.
XMM
Abbreviation for extended memory manager, a utility that
allows application programs and operating environments
to use extended memory in accordance with the XMS. See
also conventional memory, EMM, expanded memory, extended memory, and memory manager.
XMS
Abbreviation for eXtended Memory Specification. See
also EMS, extended memory, and memory manager.
ZIF
Acronym for zero insertion force. Some computers use ZIF
sockets and connectors to allow devices such as the microprocessor chip to be installed or removed with no stress
applied to the device.
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