Acer G300 Series manual

Acer Altos G300 Series User’ s guide aa300.book Page i Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

Changes may be made periodically to the information in this publication without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes. Such changes will be incorporated in new editions of this manual or supplementary documents and publications. This company makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to t[...]

iii Notices FCC notice This device 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. This device generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if n[...]

iv This part complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Notice: Canadian users This Class B digital apparatus meets all requireme[...]

v make sure that the total rating of all products plugged into the wall outlet does not exceed the fuse rating. 9 Never push objects of any kind into this product through cabinet slots as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product. 10 Do not[...]

vi CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT CAUTION: INVISIBLE LASER RADIA TION WHEN OPEN. A VOID EXPOSURE TO BEAM. APP AREIL A LASER DE CLASSE 1 PRODUIT LASERA TTENTION: RADIA TION DU F AISCEAU LASER INVISIBLE EN CAS D’OUVERTURE. EVITTER TOUTE EXPOSITION AUX RA YONS. LASER KLASSE 1 VORSICHT : UNSICHTBARE LASERSTRAHLUNG, WENN ABDECKUNG GEÖFFNET , NICHT DEM STRAHLL[...]

vii en ekvivalent typ som rekommenderas av apparattillverkaren. Kassera anvãnt batteri enligt fabrikantens instruktion. V AROITUS Päristo voi räjähtää, jos se on virheellisesti asennettu. V aihda paristo ainoastaan laitevalmistajan suosittelemaan tyyppiin. Hävitä käytetty paristo valmistajan ohjeiden mukaisesti. VORSICHT! Explosionsgefahr [...]

viii aa300.book Page viii Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

Contents 1 Getting started 1 Overview 3 Processor 3 Memory 4 System chipsets 4 ServerWorks GC-SL chipset 4 LAN subsystem 4 Expansion slots 5 PCI bus 5 Hardware management support 5 Features summary 6 Preinstallation requirements 7 Selecting a site 7 Checking the package contents 7 Basic connections 8 Connecting the keyboard 8 Connecting the mouse 9[...]

Opening your system 33 Removing the front panel 33 Removing the side panels 34 Installing and removing storage devices 36 Replacing a 3.5-inch or a 5.25-inch storage device 36 Installing a hard disk 38 Installing a DLT 39 Installing and removing the CPU 40 Installing a CPU 40 Removing a CPU 41 Installing and removing memory modules 43 Reconfiguring[...]

xi Setup submenu: Exit 76 Auto Configuration with Optimal Settings 76 Auto Configuration with Fail-Safe Settings 77 5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 79 Configuration Strategies 81 Assigning RAID Levels 81 Selecting a RAID Level 82 Configuring Arrays 83 Using the IDE Software RAID Setup Utility 84 Auto Configure Stripe (F1) 85 Auto Configure Mirror ([...]

xii Appendix B: ASM quick installation guide 133 Installing ASM 135 System requirements 135 ASM Agent 135 ASM Console 135 System setup 135 Installing ASM Agent 136 Installing ASM Console 136 Appendix C: Rack installation guide 137 System rack installation 139 Vertical mounting hole pattern 140 Screw types for rack installation 141 Installing cage n[...]

1 Getting started aa300.book Page 1 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

The Acer Altos G301 is a PCI bus based single processor system loaded with a host of new and innovative features. The system offers a new standard for flexible productivity ideal for local or wide area networks and multiuser server environments. aa300.book Page 2 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

3 Overview The Acer Altos G301 is a PCI bus based single processor system board built on an extended A TX baseboard. It comes with a single mPGA478 processor socket utilizing an Intel ® Pentium ® 4 processor integrated with the ServerW orks GC-SL chipset. The system board also integrates the Intel ® 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet controller that suppo[...]

1 Getting started 4 Memory The four DIMM sockets on board allow memory upgrade to a maximum of 4GB using four 1-GB DDR SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM) DIMMs. For data integrity , the default setting of the ECC (error- correcting code) function of the memory system in BIOS is enabled. The system board supports DDR266 SDRAMs; PC-133, PC-100, PC-66 MHz SDRAM[...]

5 Expansion slots PCI bus The system board has one PCI buses that support 32-bit/33 MHz/5V PCI devices and four PCI buses supporting 64-bit/33 MHz/3.3V PCI devices. Hard war e management support The system board supports the power-management function that conforms to the power-saving standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EP A) Ener[...]

1 Getting started 6 Featur es summary The main board has the following major components: • Utilizes a mPG478 processor socket that supports a Pentium 4 processor running start at 1.8 GHz and future generations of Pentium CPUs • ServerW orks GC-SL chipset which includes the north and the south bridge • Onboard Gigabit Ethernet chip that suppor[...]

7 Pr einstallation r equirements Selecting a site Before unpacking and installing the system, select a suitable site for the system for maximum efficiency . Consider the following factors when choosing a site for the system: • Near a grounded power outlet • Clean and dust-free • Sturdy surface free from vibration • W ell-ventilated and away[...]

1 Getting started 8 Basic connections The system unit, keyboard, mouse, and monitor constitute the basic system. Before connecting any other peripherals, connect these peripherals first to test if the system is running properly . Connecting the keyboard aa300.book Page 8 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

9 Connecting the mouse aa300.book Page 9 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

1 Getting started 10 Connecting the VGA monitor Connecting to the network aa300.book Page 10 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

11 Connecting the power cable aa300.book Page 11 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

1 Getting started 12 System startup After making sure that you have set up the system properly and connected all the required cables, you may now apply power to the system. T o power on the system: Open the front panel door and press the power button. The system starts up and displays a welcome message. After that, a series of power-on self-test (P[...]

13 Power -on pr oblems If the system does not boot after you have applied power , check the following factors that might have caused the boot failure. • The external power cable may be loosely connected. Check the power cable connection from the power source to the power socket on the rear panel. Make sure that each cable is properly connected to[...]

1 Getting started 14 Connecting options Printer T o connect a printer , plug the printer cable into the parallel port located on the rear panel of your computer . USB devices Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a new serial bus design that is capable of cascading low-/medium-speed peripherals (less than 12 Mbps) such as a keyboard, mouse, joystick, scann[...]

15 T o connect a USB device, simply plug the device cable into any of the USB ports. Note: Most USB devices have a built-in USB port which allows you to daisy- chain other devices. aa300.book Page 15 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

1 Getting started 16 T ower -to-rack option Aside from its tower configuration, the Acer Altos G300 (model G301) server can also be mounted in a rack-model position. A rack mount kit is available for customers who want to convert a tower-mounted system to a rack-model design. Please refer to Appendix C to this manual for installing the optional rac[...]

2 System tour aa300.book Page 17 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

This chapter discusses the features and components of your computer . aa300.book Page 18 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

19 Exter nal and internal structure Front panel No. Description 1 CD-ROM drive stop/eject button 2 CD-ROM drive play/forward button 3 CD-ROM drive LED 4 and 6 CD-ROM volume control 5 CD-ROM drive tray 7 CD-ROM drive earphone socket 8 Altos EasyStor Cage (Removable HDD tray) 9 Floppy disk drive tray aa300.book Page 19 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27[...]

2 System tour 20 Note: The positions and features of items (1) - (7) above may differ depending on the optical drive module installed 10 Floppy disk drive eject button 11 Power button 12 System power LED 13 Hard disk access LED 14 Warning LED No. Description aa300.book Page 20 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

21 Rear panel No. Description 1 Power cable socket 2 Power Supply Fan 3 System fan 4P S / 2 m o u s e p o r t 5 PS/2 keyboard port 6 USB ports 7S e r i a l p o r t 8 Parallel port 9 VGA port 10 LAN port 11 PCI expansion card slots aa300.book Page 21 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

2 System tour 22 Internal components No. Description 1P o w e r s u p p l y 2 System board 3 5.25-inch drive bays 4 Altos EasyStor Cage (Removable HDD tray) 5 System fan 6 PCI expansion card slots aa300.book Page 22 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

23 System boar d layout Item Description KM1 PS/2 Keyboard & PS/2 Mouse USB1 USB Connectors COM1 Serial Port CN3 VGA Port aa300.book Page 23 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

2 System tour 24 LPT1 Parallel Port LAN1 RJ45 LAN Port U11 Intel ® 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller U20 A TI RageXL CN2 Power Connector (4-pin) CN1 Power Connector (20-pin) JF1 Rear System Fan JF2 EasyStor cage Front Fan JF5 CPU F AN J1 DDR DIMM A J2 DDR DIMM B J3 DDR DIMM C J4 DDR DIMM D U6 P4 CPU Socket 478 U5 North Bridge (CMIC-SL) U9 South [...]

25 J8 64-bit/33MHz/3.3V PCI Slot 4 J10 64-bit/33MHz/3.3V PCI Slot 3 J11 64-bit/33MHz/3.3V PCI Slot 2 J12 32-bit/33MHz/5V PCI Slot 1 J13 Jumper Setting J18 Power Connector J19 Reset Connector J16 SCSI HDD Access LED Indicator JP8 Feature Connector J14 I 2 C Connector U44 BIOS BT1 Battery BZ1 Buzzer Port80LED Diagnostics LED Item Description aa300.bo[...]

2 System tour 26 Control Panel (JP3) Jumper Setting (J13) Function Default setting PIN 1-2 Clear password ON aa300.book Page 26 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

27 Diagnostics LED (Port80LED) Note : Diagnostics LED show POST checkpoint codes when BIOS performs the Power On Self T est. See page 122. PIN 3-4 Clear NVRAM OFF PIN 5-6 Recover BIOS ROM OFF Function Default setting aa300.book Page 27 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

2 System tour 28 aa300.book Page 28 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

3 Upgrading your system aa300.book Page 29 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

This chapter contains instructions on how to upgrade your computer . aa300.book Page 30 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

31 Installation pr ecautions Before you install any system component, we recommend that you read the following sections. These sections contain important ESD precautions along with preinstallation and post-installation instructions. ESD precautions Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage your processor , disk drives, expansion boards, and other co[...]

3 Upgrading your system 32 Post-installation instructions Observe the following after installing a computer component: 1 See to it that the components are installed according to the step- by-step instructions in their respective sections. 2 Replace any expansion boards or peripherals that you removed earlier . 3 Replace the computer cover . 4 Conne[...]

33 Opening your system Caution: Before you proceed, make sure that you have turned off your computer and all peripherals connected to it. Read the “Preinstallation instructions” on page 31. Y ou need to open your computer before you can install additional components. See the following section for instructions. Removing the front panel 1 Unlock [...]

3 Upgrading your system 34 Removing the side panels The system housing has one front panel and two removable side panels. Always observe the following ESD (electrostatic discharge) precautions before installing any system component: 1 Do not remove any system component from its packaging unless you are ready to install it. 2 W ear a wrist grounding[...]

35 5 Detach the side panel. 6 Repeat steps 4 to 5 to remove the other side panel. aa300.book Page 35 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

3 Upgrading your system 36 Installing and r emoving storage devices The housing supports four 5.25-inch, and three internal 3.5-inch storage devices. The empty drive bays allow you to install additional drives such as a CD-ROM drive, digital audio tape (DA T) drive or another hard disk drive. Note: Y our basic system comes with a CD-ROM drive, a 3.[...]

37 6 Remove the four screws with a Phillips screw driver and remove the old drive from the 3.5-inch hard disk tray . Note 1: Pull down the door of the EasyStor Cage till it clicks into place. Note 2: Pull it out in horizontal position. EasyStor Cage will become heavy when containing more than 2 hard disks. Remember pull it out carefully with both h[...]

3 Upgrading your system 38 Installing a hard disk T o install a hard disk drive into the hard disk frame: 1 Insert the drive tray . 2 Secure the drive tray with two screws. 3 Connect the power and signal cables. aa300.book Page 38 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

39 Installing a DL T T o install a DL T drive into the 5.25-drive frame. 1I n s e r t t h e D L T . 2 Secure the DL T with two screws. 3 Connect the power and signal cables. Note: DL T drive should be installed in the 1st or 2nd 5.25-inch drive tray . aa300.book Page 39 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

3 Upgrading your system 40 Installing and r emoving the CPU The Pentium 4 comes in a mPGA478 package. The mPGA478 package is designed for the new breed of sleek, high performance, small form factor PCs. The system board supports a Pentium 4 processor running start at 1.8 GHz and future generations of Pentium CPUs. Caution: Always observe the ESD pr[...]

41 3 Attach one side of the fan/heatsink metal bracket to the CPU socket and then gently push down the other side of the metal bracket until it locks in place. 4 Connect the 3-pin fan/thermal cable to the system board. Refer to section “System board layout” on page 23 for the location of the fan/thermal connectors. Note: The heatsink becomes ve[...]

3 Upgrading your system 42 3 Gently push the socket lever down to release the lever and then pull it up. 4 Remove the CPU. aa300.book Page 42 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

43 Installing and r emoving memory modules The four 184-pin sockets onboard support DDR SDRAM-type DIMMs. Y ou may install 128-MB, 256-MB, 512-MB, or 1-GB DIMMs for a maximum of 4-GB system memory . This system board supports DDR266 266MHz SDRAM. Each of the DIMM socket is independent from the others. This independence allows you to install DIMMs w[...]

3 Upgrading your system 44 T o remove a DIMM, press the holding clips on both sides of the socket outward to release the DIMM. Note: Place your forefingers on the top of the DIMM before you press the holding clips to gently disengage the DIMM from the socket. Reconfiguring the system The system automatically detects the amount of memory installed. [...]

45 Installing expansion car ds There are two kinds of expansion slots available in this system board. These are 32-bit PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) and 64-bit PCI. T o install expansion cards: 1 Locate an empty expansion slot on the system board. 2 Remove the metal bracket located opposite the empty expansion slot using a Phillips screwd[...]

3 Upgrading your system 46 4 Secure the card to the housing with a screw . When you turn on the system, BIOS automatically detects and assigns resources to the new device. Note: BIOS detects and configures only PnP (Plug n Play) expansion cards. aa300.book Page 46 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

4 Setup utility aa300.book Page 47 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

This chapter gives information about the system BIOS and tells how to configure the system by changing the settings of the BIOS parameters. aa300.book Page 48 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

49 Intr oduction Most systems are already configured by the manufacturer or the dealer . There is no need to run Setup when starting the computer unless you get a Run Setup message. The Setup program loads configuration values into the battery-backed nonvolatile memory called CMOS RAM. This memory area is not part of the system RAM. Note: If you re[...]

4 Setup utility 50 Setup Menu The computer employs the latest AMI BIOS CMOS chip with support for Windows Plug and Play . This CMOS chip contains the ROM Setup instructions for configuring the mainboard’ s BIOS. The BIOS (Basic Input and Output System) Setup utility is a menu driven utility that enables you to make changes to the system configura[...]

51 Setup submenu: Main Parameter Description Options AMIBIOS Ve rs io n The core version of AMI BIOS. N/A BIOS Build Date The date when the BIOS build. N/A BIOS ID The version of current BIOS. N/A System T ime Use these items to set the correct time. [HH:MM:SS] System Date Use these items to set the correct date. [mm/dd/yyyy] System Information Dis[...]

4 Setup utility 52 Setup submenu: Advanced Parameter Description SuperIO Configuration Configure SuperIO Chipset Nat414. IDE Configuration Configure the IDE device(s). Floppy Configuration Configure the Floppy drive(s). OnBoard Devices Configuration OnBoard devices control Enable/Disable. PCIPnP Configuration Legacy USB control and PCI slot IRQ pre[...]

53 SuperIO Configuration • Onboard Serial Port 1 Use these items to disable the serial ports or to assign a port address and IRQ to the ports. • Onboard Parallel Port Use this item to disable the parallel port or assign a port address to the parallel port. • Parallel Port IRQ Use this item to determine the IRQ of the parallel port. • Parall[...]

4 Setup utility 54 IDE Configuration Parameter Description Options IDE Software RAID This item enables or disables the software RAID in primary IDE channel and secondary IDE channel. Enabled Disabled Primary IDE Master Device detected as primary IDE master . Manual configure IDE device parameters if device could not been detected by BIOS. Primary I[...]

55 Auto Detect Hard Disks This item automatically detects and installs any hard disk drives installed on the primary and secondary IDE channels. Most modern drives can be detected. If you are using a very old drive that can’t be detected, you can install it manually . Hard Disk Write Protect Disable/Enable device write protection. This will be ef[...]

4 Setup utility 56 Primary IDE Master (if attached Hard Disk) Parameter Description Options T ype Configure the driver type. Auto CDROM ARMD Not Installed LBA/Large Mode Select the hard disk drive translation method. For drivers with more than 504MB, the LBA mode is necessary . Auto Disabled Block Mode Auto: The Data transfer from and to the device[...]

57 PIO Mode Select PIO (Programmed Input/ Output) Mode. Mode 0 to 4 provide successive increase of performance. Auto 0 1 2 3 4 DMA Mode Select DMA Mode: Auto : Auto detected SWDMAn : SingleWordDMAn MWDMAn : MultiW ordDMAn UDMAn : UltraDMAn Auto SWDMAn MWDMAn UDMAn S.M.A.R.T . Enable or disable the S.M.A.R.T (Self- Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting[...]

4 Setup utility 58 Secondary IDE Master (if attached A T API CDROM) Secondary IDE Slave (if none attached) BIOS SETUP UTILITY Advanced Secondary IDE Master ____________________________________________________ D e v i c e : A T API CDROM V endor : M A TSHIT A CD-177 LBA Mode : Supported Block Mode : 16Sectors PIO Mode : 4 Async Mode : MultiW ord DMA[...]

59 Floppy Configuration • Floppy Drive A If you have one floppy drive installed change the item Floppy Drive A so that it describes the characteristics of the drive. Parameter Description Floppy Drive A Select the floppy drive type BIOS SETUP UTILITY Advanced Floppy Configuration ____________________________________________________ Floppy A [1.44[...]

4 Setup utility 60 PCIPnP Configuration Parameter Description Options Plug & Play O/S No: lets the BIOS configure all the devices in the system. Y es: lets the operating system configure Plug and Play (PnP) devices not required for boot if your system has a Plug and Play operating system. Ye s No Reset Configure Date NO: does not force the PnP [...]

61 ARMD Emulation Ty p e Sets the emulation type for USB ZIP drive. PCI Slot-1 IRQ Preference Manually set the PCI slot IRQ value slot-1. Auto 3 4 5 7 9 10 11 12 14 15 PCI Slot-2 IRQ Preference Manually set the PCI slot IRQ value slot-2. PCI Slot-3 IRQ Preference Manually set the PCI slot IRQ value slot-3. PCI Slot-4 IRQ Preference Manually set the[...]

4 Setup utility 62 Boot Settings Configuration Parameter Description Options Quick Boot Allows BIOS to skip certain tests while booting. This will decrease the time needed to boot the system. Quiet Boot Disabled: Displays normal POST messages. Enabled: Displays OEM Logo instead of POST messages. Bootup Num- Lock Select Power-on state for NumLock On[...]

63 Event Log Configuration Note: If there are any event logs recorded, “View Event Log” will appear . If no event recorded, this option will NOT appear . Parameter Description Options Event Log Area The space utilization of event log NVRAM. If space is full, no new event type could be record. Event Log Data The state of event log data. The even[...]

4 Setup utility 64 View Event Log This allows user to see the detail BIOS and IPMI event. Mark All Events As Read PCI Device Event Logging Allow/Not allow logging of PCI PERR error events. Intrusion Event logging Allow/Not allow logging of chassis intrusion events. Enabled Disabled Clear Intrusion Status Clear chassis intrusion status and set this [...]

65 OnBoard Devices Configuration System Health Monitoring Har dware Hardwar e Monitor Setup Page This page lets you install hardware monitoring parameters so that the system can warn you when critical parameters are exceeded. Parameter Description Options OnBoard LAN Enable or disable onboard LAN. Enabled Disabled OnBoard PCI VGA Enable or disable [...]

4 Setup utility 66 System Hardwar e Monitor If your mainboard supports hardware monitoring, these items are auto-detected and the results are reported. Y ou cannot make changes to these items. Parameter Description Case Status The current status detected by chassis intrusion switch. Current CPU Te m p Current CPU temperature detected by the sensor [...]

67 V oltage monitoring Vo lt a g e monitoring Press ‘ Enter ’ to view the voltage monitored. Parameter Description BIOS SETUP UTILITY Advanced System Health Monitoring Hardware _ ___________________________________________________ V TT 1.2408 V V cc 12V 1 1.9375 V V cc 5V 4.9660 V V cc 3.3V 3.3024 V V cc 2.5V 2.4960 V C PU Vcore 1.4554 V L AN 1[...]

4 Setup utility 68 Remote Access Configuration Parameter Description Options Remote Access Select remote access type. Disabled Serial (ANSI) Serial Port Mode Select Serial Port setting. 115200 8,n,1 57600 8,n,1 19200 8,n,1 9600 8,n,1 BIOS SETUP UTILITY Advanced Configure Remote Access type and p arameters _ _________________________________________[...]

69 Setup submenu: Power Parameter Description Options ACPI Aware O/S Enable / Disable ACPI support for Operating System. ENABLE: If OS supports ACPI. DISABLE: If OS does not support ACPI. Enabled Disabled Power Management Enable or disable APM support. Enabled Disabled AC Lost Handling This sets the power state after a shutdown due to an unexpected[...]

4 Setup utility 70 Setup submenu: Boot Parameter Description Boot Device Priority Specifies the boot sequence from the available devices. Hard Disk Drives Specifies the available hard disk drives boot sequence. Only first drive could boot the system. Removable Devices Specifies the available removable devices boot sequence. Only first drive could b[...]

71 Boot Device Priority Parameter Description Options 1 st Boot Device Configure the first boot device type. Available boot device type. 2 nd Boot Device Configure the second boot device type. If first boot device fail to boot the system, BIOS will try to boot the system from 2 nd boot device. ... Nth Boot Device Configure the N-th boot device type[...]

4 Setup utility 72 Hard Disk Drives Parameter Description 1 st Hard Drive Configure the hard drive to boot the system. 2 nd Hard Drive Configure the 2 nd hard drive. Note that only 1 st hard drive could boot the system. BIOS SETUP UTILITY Boot 1 st Hard Drive [IDE PRIMARY MASTER - IBM-DATA-3] 2 nd Hard Drive [IDE PRIMARY SLAVE - IBM-DATA-35] Specif[...]

73 Removable Devices Parameter Description 1 st Removable Dev Configure the 1 st removable device to boot the system. BIOS SETUP UTILITY Boot 1 st R e m o v a b l e D e v [ 1 st Floppy] Specifies the boot sequence from the available devices. Select Screen Select Item + - Change Option F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit V02.03 'Copy rig[...]

4 Setup utility 74 A T API CDROM Drives Parameter Description Options 1 st A T API CDROM Configure the first A T API CDROM to boot the system. Only first CDROM could boot the system. CD-ROM available to the system. BIOS SETUP UTILITY Boot 1 st A T API CDROM [IDE SECONDARY MASTER - MA TSHIT A] Specifies the boot sequence from the available devices. [...]

75 Setup submenu: Security Parameter Description Change User/ Supervisor Password Y ou can install a Supervisor password, and if you install a supervisor password, you can then install a user password. A user password does not provide access to many of the features in the Setup utility .If you highlight these items and press Enter , a dialog box ap[...]

4 Setup utility 76 Setup submenu: Exit Auto Configuration with Optimal Settings If you highlight this item and press Enter , a dialog box asks if you want to install optimal settings for all the items in the Setup utility . Press the Y key to indicate Y es, and then press Enter to install the optimal settings. Parameter Description Exit Saving Chan[...]

77 The optimal settings default values are quite demanding and your system might not function properly if you are using slower memory chips or other kinds of low-performance components. Auto Configuration with Fail-Safe Settings If you highlight this item and press Enter , a dialog box asks if you want to install fail-safe settings for all the item[...]

4 Setup utility 78 aa300.book Page 78 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

5 Configuring IDE Softwar e RAID aa300.book Page 79 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

This chapter gives information about configuring RAID IDE and arrays, assigning RAID levels, planning the arrayconfiguration, optimizing storage and using the RAID IDE Setup Utility . aa300.book Page 80 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

81 Configuring Arrays Organize the physical disk drives in arrays after the drives are connected to IDE software RAID. And array can consist of one to four physical disk drives, depending on the RAID level. Configuration Strategies The most important factors in RAID array configuration are drive availability (fault tolerance), and drive performance[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 82 Selecting a RAID Level T o ensure the best performance, you should select the optimal RAID level when you create a system drive. The optimal RAID level for your disk array depends on the following factors: • Number of drives in the disk array • Capacity of the drives in the array • Need for data redundancy ?[...]

83 Configuring Arrays After you have enabled IDE Software RAID in BIOS and have attached all physical disk drives, perform the following actions to prepare a RAID disk array Creating a Mirrored Array From an Existing Drive T o build a new mirrored array from an existing drive, connect the current drive and a new drive to the RAID card. Perform the [...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 84 Using the IDE Softwar e RAID Setup Utility The Setup window has three sections: • Array Information • Physical Drive Information •H e l p Only the Array Information and Physical Drive Information windows are active. The Array Information window can be edited, the Physical Drive Information window cannot. T o[...]

85 • Model number • Size in MB of each drive • The status of each drive (online, failed, or rebuilding) Information listed in the Physical Drive Information window cannot be edited. Only the <T AB>, <UP ARROW>, and <DOWN ARROW> keys will work when the control is in the Physical Drive Information window . Physical Drive Optio[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 86 Auto Configure RAID 10 (F3) Press the <F3> key to auto configure the drives for a RAID 10 array . A minimum of four free physical drives are required for the RAID 10 auto configuration. All previous settings will be lost when running Auto Configuration for Striping, Mirroring, or RAID 10. Cr eate Array (F4) [...]

87 Drive(s) - There is no default setting for this field. Y ou must select the drives for the configured array . When this field is selected, a pop-up window will display all the available physical drives with check boxes. Use the arrow navigation keys and press <SP ACE> to select or deselect the drive or drives to be put into the array . Pre[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 88 Drive Size - This field cannot be edited. It displays the size of the array . When the array type is Stripe, the drive size is the total of all the drives selected (one or more drives). When Mirror , drive size is shown by an individual drive, and for Spare Pool, drive size shows the total drive capacity . Build A[...]

89 Installing W indows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 Drivers Use the following procedure to install the IDE Software RAID Windows NT 4.0 or IDE Software RAID Windows 2000 driver on to the RAID- configured drives connected to the primary or secondary IDE channel. Updating the W indows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Driver Use the following procedure to update the[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 90 Confirming the W indows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Driver Installation Use the following procedure to confirm that the IDE Software RAID Windows NT 4.0 or IDE Software RAID Windows 2000 driver is properly installed. 4 Select SCSI Adapters . 5 Select the Drivers tab. 6 If the IDE Software RAID is already enabled, it wi[...]

91 IDE Software RAID Configuration Console Installation The system must have the items listed in the table below before you install the IDE Software RAID Configuration Console. Y ou need to install items for some operating systems before you install the Configuration Console. Supported Inter net Br owsers IDE Software RAID Configuration Console sup[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 92 T o install MegaRAID Configuration Console software utilities, follow the instructions on the installation screens aa300.book Page 92 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

93 For local administration of a system with IDE Software RAID, install MegaRAID W eb Server and MegaRAID Server . For remote administration of different machines that contain IDE Software RAID, install MegaRAID W eb Server , MegaRAID Server , and MegaRAID Registration Server . MegaRAID Registration Server needs to be installed on only one machine [...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 94 Click Install to begin the installation, Back to review or change any installation settings, or Cancel to exit the Wizard. aa300.book Page 94 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

95 This screen displays the progress of the installation. Click Finish to complete the installation. aa300.book Page 95 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 96 Using IDE Software RAID Configu- ration Console This section describes the IDE Software RAID Configuration Console software utility . Y ou can use the software utilities that come with IDE Software RAID configuration console to perform the following actions. • Get information about the configuration • T rack t[...]

97 Click the server name to select the RAID Server you want to configure. In the screen above, there is only one server listed. Continue the log-on procedure by selecting View Only or Full Access in the following screen. The table below describes the access options aa300.book Page 97 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 98 Option Description View Only Allows you to only view the RAID configuration. It does not allow you to perform rebuilds or check consistency . Full Access This allows you to view , configure, and manage the IDE Software RAID controller . This option requires you to supply the Full Access Password. aa300.book Page 9[...]

99 The main screen displays, as shown below . The following table displays the contents on IDE Software RAID Configuration Console main screen. It is broken up into 5 frames. This table lists the options in the left frame. Y ou can click the options to perform actions or display the related screens. Frame Description To p The top frame displays the[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 100 A small browser window runs in the background as soon as you log on to the RAID Server . It constantly refreshes the view so you have the most current information. The following screen displays the IDE Software RAID Configuration Console with the Scan Devices button in the left frame selected. When Name Descripti[...]

101 you click Scan Devices, the application re scans for new hard drives. There is a delay while this occurs. Config View The following screen displays the IDE Software RAID Configuration Console with the Config View button in the left frame selected. When you click Config View , it displays the RAID configuration, media errors, and status of the d[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 102 RAID Contr oller Properties T o view the RAID controller properties, click the button next to the RAID controller . After you click the button, the RAID controller ID displays in the right frame, and the link to the RAID controller Properties page displays below the controller ID. Click on the word Properties. aa[...]

103 Property Description This Property Description screen displays the RAID controller properties. This table provides a description of each field. T o exit this screen, click Config View or Scan Devices. Field Description Model Specifies the model number of the RAID controller . Driver Version Specifies the driver version of the RAID controller . [...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 104 Physical Drive T o view the Physical Drive Properties and Error Status, click the button next to physical drive you want to view . After you click the button, the Physical Drive ID displays in the right frame. The links to the RAID controller Properties and Error Status page are listed as shown below . Click on t[...]

105 Physical Drive Properties - This screen displays the physical drive properties. The table following provides a description of each field. T o exit this page, click on Config View or Scan Devices. Field Description Firmware Specifies the firmware version of the physical drive. Status Specifies gives the status of the physical drive. (online or o[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 106 Physical Drive Error Status - This screen displays the physical drive error status. This table provides a description of each field. Physical Drive Errors - Error codes for the physical drives display when you select the error log view . The following table provides a list and descriptions of the error codes. Arr[...]

107 shown in the following screen. Click the word Properties to view the Array Properties. The Array operations are described in the following information. Due to high resource usage during Rebuild and Consistency Check operations in the Windows operating system, only one action per RAID Server is allowed in Windows. Array Check Consistency - Click[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 108 Abort Check Consistency - When the Check Consistency begins, the words Checking Consistency flash next to the array that is being checked. Y ou can abort the Check Consistency by clicking Abort Check Consistency in the right frame. Y ou can view the progress of the Check Consistency by clicking Device Progress in[...]

109 Check Consistency Device Progr ess -This screen displays the progress of the Check Consistency . The table below provides a description of each field. T o exit this page, click Config View or Scan Devices. Array Rebuild Device Progr ess - This screen displays the Array Rebuild Progress. The table following provides a description of each field. [...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 110 T o exit this page, click on Config View or Scan Devices. Field Description Array This field gives the array number being rebuilt. Operation This field gives the type of operation being performed. Example: Rebuild. Percentage This field gives the percentage complete. Tim e Le ft This field gives the estimated tim[...]

111 Array Properties - This screen displays the Array Properties. The table below provides a description of each field. Field Description Mode Displays the IDE Software RAID controller's RAID level. IDE RAID supports RAID 0, 1, and 10. aa300.book Page 111 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 112 T o exit this page, click on Config View or Scan Devices. Status Displays the health of the array . The array health status can be one of the following: On Line - Working within normal parameters. Off Line - All drives have failed. Deteriorated - One of the drives has failed. Logical Drive Displays the lo gical d[...]

113 Log Data This screen displays the Log Data screen. Use the scroll bar to view the log. T o exit this page, click on Config View or Scan Devices. aa300.book Page 113 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 114 Advanced This screen displays the Advanced Settings of the IDE Software RAID Configuration Console. The table following provides a description of each field. aa300.book Page 114 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

115 S.M.A.R.T . stands for self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology . This feature is built into the hard drive that checks for potential problems that can crash the hard drive. Not all hard drives have this feature. T o exit this page, click on Config View or Scan Devices. Field Description Fail Physical Drive if Error Threshold Reached[...]

5 Configuring IDE Software RAID 116 Backplane This screen displays the backplane information of the RAID array . Different backplanes can have dif ferent features. This application shows the following: • Current temperature inside the backplane • Error log •F a n s p e e d T o exit this page, click Config View or Scan Devices. Close Server T [...]

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Appendix A: AMIBIOS POST Checkpoint Codes aa300.book Page 119 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

aa300.book Page 120 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

121 AMIBIOS POST Checkpoint Codes Uncompressed Initialization Codes The uncompressed initialization checkpoint codes are listed in order of execution: Checkpoint Code Description D0h The NMI is disabled. Power on delay is starting. Next, the initialization code checksum will be verified. D1h Initializing the DMA controller , performing the keyboard[...]

Appendix A: AMIBIOS POST Checkpoint Codes 122 POST Checkpoint Codes Bootblock Recovery Codes The bootblock recovery checkpoint codes are listed in order of execution: Checkpoint Code Description E0h The onboard floppy controller if available is initialized. Next, beginning the base 512 KB memory test. E1h Initializing the interrupt vector table nex[...]

123 Uncompressed Initialization Codes The following runtime checkpoint codes are listed in order of execution. These codes are uncompressed in F0000h shadow RAM. FCh Next, erasing the flash ROM. FDh Next, programming the flash ROM. FFh Flash ROM programming was successful. Next, restarting the system BIOS. Checkpoint Code Description 03h The NMI is[...]

Appendix A: AMIBIOS POST Checkpoint Codes 124 0Eh The keyboard controller BA T command result has been verified. Next, performing any necessary initialization after the keyboard controller BA T command test. 0Fh The initialization after the keyboard controller BA T command test is done. The keyboard command byte is written next. 10h The keyboard co[...]

125 25h Interrupt vector initialization is done. Clearing the password if the POST DIAG switch is on. 27h Any initialization before setting video mode will be done next. 28h Initialization before setting the video mode is complete. Configuring the monochrome mode and color mode settings next. 2Ah Bus initialization system, static, output devices wi[...]

Appendix A: AMIBIOS POST Checkpoint Codes 126 37h The display mode is set. Displaying the power on message next. 38h Initializing the bus input, IPL, general devices next, if present. See page 131 for additional information. 39h Displaying bus initialization error messages. See page 131 for additional information. 3Ah The new cursor position has be[...]

127 49h The amount of memory below 1 MB has been found and verified. Determining the amount of memory above 1 MB memory next. 4Bh The amount of memory above 1 MB has been found and verified. Checking for a soft reset and clearing the memory below 1 MB for the soft reset next. If this is a power on situation, going to checkpoint 4Eh next. 4Ch The me[...]

Appendix A: AMIBIOS POST Checkpoint Codes 128 57h The A20 address line, parity , and the NMI are disabled. Adjusting the memory size depending on relocation and shadowing next. 58h The memory size was adjusted for relocation and shadowing. Clearing the Hit <DEL> message next. 59h The Hit <DEL> message is cleared. The <WAIT ...> me[...]

129 84h Locked key checking is over . Checking for a memory size mismatch with CMOS RAM data next. 85h The memory size check is done. Displaying a soft error and checking for a password or bypassing WINBIOS Setup next. 86h The password was checked. Performing any required programming before WINBIOS Setup next. 87h The programming before WINBIOS Set[...]

Appendix A: AMIBIOS POST Checkpoint Codes 130 97h Initialization before the C800 adaptor ROM gains control has completed. The adaptor ROM check is next. 98h The adaptor ROM had control and has now returned control to BIOS POST . Performing any required processing after the option ROM returned control. 99h Any initialization required after the optio[...]

131 Bus Checkpoint Codes The system BIOS passes control to different buses at the following checkpoints: A8h Initialization before passing control to the adaptor ROM at E000h completed. Passing control to the adaptor ROM at E000h next. A9h Returned from adaptor ROM at E000h control. Performing any initialization required after the E000 option ROM h[...]

Appendix A: AMIBIOS POST Checkpoint Codes 132 Additional Bus Checkpoints While control is inside the different bus routines, additional checkpoints are output to I/O port address 0080h as word to identify the routines being executed. These are word checkpoints. The low byte of checkpoint is the system BIOS checkpoint where control is passed to the [...]

Appendix B: ASM quick installation guide aa300.book Page 133 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

This appendix shows you how to install the ASM software package. aa300.book Page 134 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

135 Installing ASM Acer Server Manager (ASM) consists of the ASM Console and the ASM Agent. These two components are both required to perform server management tasks. System requir ements ASM requires TCP/IP connectivity between the ASM Console and the ASM Agent. ASM Agent • 128 MB of RAM • SCSI/IDE hard drive with at least 100 MB free hard dis[...]

Appendix B: ASM quick installation guide 136 Installing ASM Agent T o install ASM Agent: 1 Log in to the managed server using the Administrator account. 2 Insert the EasyBUILD TM Management CD into the server’ s CD-ROM drive. The installation sequence will automatically be displayed. 3 Select the option for ASM installation. The installation wiza[...]

Appendix C: Rack installation guide aa300.book Page 137 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

Appendix C: Rack installation guide 138 This appendix shows you how to convert your Altos G300 series server from a stand- alone tower to a rack-mounted system. aa300.book Page 138 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

139 System rack installation Aside from its tower configuration, the Altos G301 server system can also be mounted in a rack-model position. A rack mount kit is available for customers who want to convert a tower-mounted system to rack- model design. T o purchase a rack mount kit, contact your local Acer representative. aa300.book Page 139 Tuesday, [...]

Appendix C: Rack installation guide 140 V ertical mounting hole patter n The four vertical rails of a rack contain mounting holes arranged in a manner shown in the figure below: The system occupies 6U in the rack. Count the U positions and hole numbers from the bottom up. Note: The unit of measurement used in this document is "U" (1U = 1.[...]

141 Scr ew types for rack installation The following screws are used in the assembly of the Acer Altos G301 and other rack-mountable components. Installing cage nuts Cage nuts are use to secure systems and other components to the vertical rails in the rack. T o install cage nuts: 1 I nsert the lower lip of the cage nut over the bottom of the openin[...]

Appendix C: Rack installation guide 142 2 Pinch the cage nut lips with your fingers and press until it locks into place. 3 Repeat this process to install the other cage nuts in their appropriate locations. aa300.book Page 142 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

143 Installing the system into the rack T o install the system into the rack: 1 R emove the front panel from the server . Refer to “Removing the front panel” on page 33 for instructions. 2 R emove the foot stands from the server . (1) Lay the server on its side on a flat, stable surface. (2) Remove both of the screws from the center of each of [...]

Appendix C: Rack installation guide 144 Do the same thing with the other rack bracket. 5 Attach the inner rails to both sides of the server tray . (1) Align the inner rail to the screw holes located on either side of the server tray . (2) Secure the two rails to the server using #8-32 x 0.25 inch screws. Attach the other inner rail to other side of[...]

145 6 S et the server tray aside. 7 Attach the rack brackets to the mounting rails. • Align the rack brackets to the mounting rail until the six screw holes become visible. • Secure the rack bracket to the mounting rail using M4 x L8 screws. T ighten the screws, but leave them loose enough to allow length adjustment when installing the mounting[...]

Appendix C: Rack installation guide 146 8 Install the mounting rails to the rack using four M6 x L10 screws for each mounting rail. aa300.book Page 146 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]

147 9 E xtend the middle sliding piece of each mounting rail forward until it clicks. 10 Install the server tray into the rack by first carefully aligning the inner rails attached to the tray with the mounting rails on the rack. (1) Press the release latch on both sides of the server tray . (2) Slide the server tray into the rack then push the tray[...]

Appendix C: Rack installation guide 148 11 T urn the Altos G301 on its side. (1) Place the system on the server tray . (2) Push the server to the back of the tray so it can be secured to the tray . 12 Secure the server to the back of the server tray using the two attached screws. T o access this location, you may need to open the back door of the r[...]

149 13 Attach the Cable Arm The optional Cable Arm keeps peripheral and power cables from becoming tangled or severed when the system slides in or out. (1) Attach the cable arm to the back of the server with two screws. (2) Install two cage nuts in the rail to which the cable arm is to be attached. Extend the cable arm enough to attach it to the ra[...]

Appendix C: Rack installation guide 150 (4) Bundle all cables to the cable carrier with the cable clamps. The cable arm will protect the cables when the system is being moved into or out of the server rack. aa300.book Page 150 Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:27 PM[...]