Acer ALTOS G500 User Manual

Acer Altos G500

User’s guide

Acer Altos G500 User’s guide

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 the contents hereof and specifically disclaims the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Record the model number, serial number, purchase date, and place of purchase information in the space provided below. The serial number and model number are recorded on the label affixed to your computer. All correspondense concerning your unit should include the serial number, model number, and purchase information.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Acer Incorporated.

Model Number : _________________________________ Serial Number: ___________________________________ Purchase Date: ___________________________________ Place of Purchase: ________________________________

Acer and the Acer Logo are registered trademarks of Acer Inc. Other company’s product names or trademarks are used herein for identification purposes only and belong to their respective companies.

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 not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.

However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this device does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the device off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna

• Increase the separation between the device and receiver

• Connect the device into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for help

Notice: Shield cables

All connections to other computing devices must be made using shielded cables to maintain compliance with FCC regulations.

Notice: Peripheral devices

Only peripherals (input/output devices, terminals, printers, etc.) certified to comply with the Class B limits may be attached to this equipment. Operation with noncertified peripherals is likely to result in interference to radio and TV reception.

Caution! Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user’s authority, which is granted by the Federal Communications Commission, to operate this computer.

Use conditions

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 requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.

Remarque à l’intention des utilisateurs canadiens

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respected toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada

Important safety instructions

Read these instructions carefully. Save these instructions for future reference.

1 Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product. 2 Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not

use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for

cleaning. 3 Do not use this product near water. 4 Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, or table. The

product may fall, causing serious damage to the product. 5 Slots and openings in the cabinet and the back or bottom are

provided for ventilation; to ensure reliable operation of the

product and to protect it from overheating, these openings must

not be blocked or covered. The openings should never be blocked

by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface.

This product should never be placed near or over a radiator or

heat register, or in a built-in installation unless proper ventilation

is provided. 6 This product should be operated from the type of power indicated

on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power

available, consult your dealer or local power company.

7 Do not allow anything to rest on the power cord. Do not locate

this product where persons will walk on the cord.

8 If an extension cord is used with this product, make sure that the

total ampere rating of the equipment plugged into the extension cord does not exceed the extension cord ampere rating. Also, 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 attempt to service this product yourself, as opening or

removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage points or other risks. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.

11 Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to

qualified service personnel under the following conditions: a When the power cord or plug is damaged or frayed b If liquid has been spilled into the product c If the product has been exposed to rain or water d If the product does not operate normally when the operating

instructions are followed. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions since improper adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to restore the product to normal condition.

e If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been

damaged

f If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance,

indicating a need for service.

12 Replace the battery with the same type as the product's battery we

recommend. Use of another battery may present a risk of fire or explosion. Refer battery replacement to a qualified serviceman.

13 Warning! Batteries may explode if not handled properly. Do not

disassemble or dispose of them in fire. Keep them away from children and dispose of used batteries promptly.

14 Use only the proper type of power supply cord set (provided in

your accessories box) for this unit. It should be a detachable type:

UL listed/CSA certified, type SPT-2, rated 7A 125V minimum, VDE

approved or its equivalent. Maximum length is 15 feet (4.6

meters).

Laser compliance statement

The CD-ROM drive in this computer is a laser product. The CD-ROM drive’s classification label (shown below) is located on the drive.

CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT CAUTION: INVISIBLE LASER RADIATION WHEN OPEN. AVOID EXPOSURE TO BEAM.

Notices iii

FCC notice iii Important safety instructions iv Laser compliance statement vi

1 System overview 1

Overview 3

Processors 3 Memory 3 System chipsets 4 Expansion slots 5 Hardware management support 6

Features summary 7

2 System tour 9

External and internal structure 11

Front panel 11 Rear panel 12

Internal components 13 Keyboard 15 Mouse 18 Disk drives 19

3.5-inch floppy drive 19

CD-ROM drive 20 Setting up your system 21

Preinstallation requirements 21 Basic connections 22

Connecting the USB keyboard 22

Connecting the PS/2 mouse 23

Connecting the VGA monitor 24

Connecting to the network 24

Connecting the power cable 25 Turning on your system 27

Power-on problems 28 Turning off your system 29 Connecting options 30

Printer 30

USB devices 30

Contents

3 Upgrading your system 33

Installation precautions 35

ESD precautions 35 Preinstallation instructions 35 Post-installation instructions 36

Opening your system 37

Opening the front panel door 37 Removing the front panel door 37

Opening the side panel 38 Mainboard layout 40 Installing and removing storage devices 44

Replacing the 3.5-inch floppy drive 44

Replacing a 5.25-inch storage device (optional) 45 Removing and installing the CPU 48

Removing a CPU 48

Installing a CPU 48 Removing and installing memory modules 50

Removing a DIMM 50

Installing a DIMM 51 Installing expansion cards 53 Installing an external redundant system fan (optional) 55

4 BIOS Setup utility 57

BIOS Setup utility 59 Entering Setup 60 System Information 62 Product Information 64 Disk Drives 65

IDE Channel Type 67 Onboard Peripherals 69 Power Management 72 Boot Options 75 Date and Time 77 System Security 78

Setting and changing the password 79

Removing a password 81 IPMI Configuration 82 RDM Configuration 85 Advanced Options 89

Memory/Cache Options 90

PnP/PCI Options 91

CPU Frequency 94 Load Default Settings 96 Abort Settings Change 97 Exit Setup 98

Appendix A: ASM Pro quick installation guide 99

Installing ASM Pro 101

System requirements 101 System setup 101 Installing ASM Pro Console 102 Installing ASM Pro Server Agent 102

Installing RDM 109

System requirements 109 Connecting communication peripherals 110

RDM Console setup 113 Installing AWM and Microsoft Internet Information Service (IIS) 115

System requirements 115

Installing AWM 115

Setting up Microsoft IIS 116

Running AWM 117

Index 119

Contents

1 System overview

The Acer Altos G500 server model is a powerful dual-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.

Overview

The Acer Altos G500 server models utilizes a PCI bus based dualprocessor mainboard built on an ATX baseboard. It comes with a dual FC-PGA (Flip-Chip Pin-Grip Array) processor socket utilizing the Intel Pentium® III processor integrated with the VIA Pro 266T chipset. The mainboard also integrates the Intel chipset that supports WOL (Wake on LAN) for better remote site management.

For expandability, the mainboard includes one AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus, five PCI bus slots and four DIMM sockets that allow memory installation to a maximum of 4 GB using 512-MB DDR SDRAM (double data rate Synchronous DRAM) modules.

For connectivity , the mainboard provides two USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectors, PS/2 interface for both mouse and keyboard and other standard features such as two UART NS16C550 serial ports, enhanced parallel port with Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP)/Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) support and one RJ-45 network port.

The system is fully compatible with MS-DOS V6.X, Novell Netware, Red Hat Linux, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and SCO Unixware.

82550 10/100 Mbps PCI Ethernet

Processors

The Pentium III processor delivers higher performance than previous Pentium processors while maintaining binary compatibility with all previous Intel Architecture processors.

The mainboard supports 100 or 133 MHz GTL+ host bus frequencies for one Pentium III processor running at 1GHz, 1.13 GHz, 1.26 GHz and future generation of Pentium III processors.

Memory

The four DIMM sockets on board accept 128-, 256-, 512-MB and 1-GB DDR SDRAM modules for a maximum memory upgrade capacity of up to 4 GB. For data integrity , the default setting of the ECC (errorcorrecting code) function of the memory system in BIOS is enabled. See “Memory/Cache Options” on page 90 for more on this BIOS setting.

Note: The DDR SDRAM module should work under 3.3 volts only; 5-volt memory devices are not supported.

The mainboard supports 266 MHz DDR-SDRAM (PC-2100) module.

1 System overview

System chipsets

VIA Pro266T chipset

The VIA Pro266T chipset was specifically designed to meet the needs of high performance systems. It consists of two components: VT8653 (north bridge) and VT8233 (south bridge).

• VT8653 (north bridge) provides the host interface, memory system control interface, PCI interface, and AGP interface to boost graphics performance.

• VT8233 (south bridge) integrates super I/O functions like keyboard and mouse interface, floppy disk controller, advanced digital data separator, two compatible serial ports (UARTs), one parallel port, on-chip 12 mA A T bus drivers, one floppy direct drive support, and Intelligent Power Management support.

SCSI subsystem

The dual-channel AIC-7899 single-chip host adapter delivers Ultra 160/m SCSI data transfer rates which double the Ultra-2 SCSI data transfer rate of up to 160 MByte/s. With two channels, it delivers a total of 320 MByte/s bandwidth. In addition, the AIC-7899 features a 66 MHz, 64-bit PCI interface that supports zero wait-state memory which also operates on 33 MHz, 32-bit PCI buses. It supports up to 15 devices on a 12-meter cable (or 25 meters in a point-to-point configuration), making it ideal for both clustering and RAID configurations.

LAN subsystem

Another cost-effective feature for network solutions is the integration of Intel’s 82550 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet controller which supports:

• Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) 1.20A-based power management

• wake on Magic Packet

• wake on Interesting Packet

• advanced System Management Bus (SMB) based manageability

• Wired for Management (WfM) 2.0 compliance

• IP checksum assist

• PCI 2.2 compliance

• PC 2001 compliance

Expansion slots

AGP bus

AGP is solely developed for the purpose of supporting 3D graphic applications. The AGP Pro (50) slot has a 32-bit wide channel that runs at 66 MHz, which translates into a total bandwidth of 266 MBps. This is twice the bandwidth of PCI buses (133 MBps). AGP also accesses the main memory directly allowing 3D textures to be stored in main memory rather than video memory.

PCI bus

The mainboard has five PCI buses that support 32-bit/33 MHz PCI devices. The PCI bus is the key interface that communicates between the north and the south bridge.

1 System overview

Hardware management support

The mainboard supports a power management function that conforms to the power saving standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star program. It also offers Plug-and-Play feature which helps save users from configuration problems, thus making the system more user-friendly.

Additional features include hardware support for ASM Pro (Advanced System Manager Pro) and RDM (Remote Diagnostic Management). ASM detects problems in the CPU thermal condition, CPU working voltage detection (±12V/±5V/3.3V/1.5V), and PCI bus utilization calculation. It also detects if the CPU fan or the chassis fan malfunctions. Meanwhile, RDM allows execution of the RDM diagnostic program from a remote RDM station to fix detected problems or to reboot the system.

Features summary

The mainboard has the following major components:

• FC-PGA dual socket that supports a Pentium III processor running at 1GHz, 1.13 GHz and1.26 GHz and future generations of Pentium III CPUs

• VIA Pro266T chipset which includes the north and the south bridge

• Onboard Intel 82550 10/100 Mbps LAN chip with WOL support

• Adaptec

• Channel A - one 68-pin ULTRA 160/m SCSI connector

• Channel B - one 68-pin ULTRA 160/m SCSI connector

• Four DIMM sockets that accept 128-, 256-, 512-MB and 1-GB DDRSDRAM with a maximum memory upgrade capacity of 4 GB

• One AGP bus and five PCI bus slots

• System clock/calendar with battery backup

• IDE disk drive interfaces

• Super I/O chipset

• Auxiliary power connector for 280-watts SPS and ATX power supply

• Hardware support for ASM Pro (Advanced System Manager Pro) and RDM (Remote Diagnostic Management)

• External ports:

• Two USB connectors • RJ-45 jack

• PS/2-compatible keyboard port • Parallel port

• PS/2-compatible mouse port • Two serial ports

AIC-7899 Dual Channel SCSI controller chipset supports:

1 System overview

2 System tour

This chapter discusses the features and components of your system.

External and internal structure

Front panel

Note: One pair of system keys are hung inside the front panel door. Additional duplicate keys can be found at the back of the system.

No. Item

1Power indicator

2 Hard disk activity indicator

No. Item

3 System status indicator

4Keylock

4 Front panel

Rear panel

2 System tour

No. Item No. Item

1 Power indicator 4 Mainboard connectors

2 Power cable connector 5 Monitor port

No. Item No. Item

3 Housing fan 6 Expansion slots

Internal components

No. Item No. Item

1 CD-ROM Headphone/

Earphone port

2 Volume tuner 13

3 CD-ROM activity indicator 14 Keylock

4 CD-ROM tray 15 Tape drive eject button

5 CD-ROM Stop/Eject

button

12 System status indicator

16 Tape drive tray

No. Item No. Item

6 Floppy drive eject button 17 Drive indicator (amber)

7 Floppy drive tray 18

2 System tour

8 Floppy drive activity

indicator

9 Power button 20

10 Power indicator 21 Housing fan

11 Hard disk activity

indicator

22 Power supply

Keyboard

Your system comes with a USB keyboard. The keyboard has full-sized keys that include separate cursor keys, two Windows keys, and twelve function keys.

No. Component Function

1 Function keys

(F1 - F12)

2 Caps Lock When activated, all alphabetic characters

Access most of the computer’s controls like screen brightness, volume output and the BIOS Setup utility.

typed appear in uppercase (same function as pressing Shift + <letter>).

No. Component Function

3 Windows logo key Start button. Combinations with this key

perform special functions, such as:

• Windows + Tab: Activate the next Taskbar button

• Windows + E: Explore My Computer

• Windows + F: Find Document

• Windows + M: Minimize All

• Shift + Windows + M: Undo Minimize All

• Windows + R: Displays the Run dialog box

2 System tour

4 Application key

5 Cursor keys Also called the arrow keys. These keys let

6 Palm rest

(detachable)

7 Num Lock When activated, the keypad is set to

8 Scroll Lock When activated, the screen moves one line

9 Volume control/

Mute knob

Opens the applications context menu (same function as clicking the right button of the mouse).

you move the cursor around the screen. They serve the same function as the arrow keys on the numeric pad when the Num Lock is toggled off.

Provides a comfortable place to rest your hands while typing.

numeric mode, i.e., the keys function as a calculator (complete with arithmetic operators such as +, -, x, and /).

up or down when you press the up arrow or down arrow respectively. Take note that Scroll Lock may not work with some applications.

The volume control/mute knob controls the speaker volume. Turn it clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust the volume. Press it to toggle between mute and sound.

No. Component Function

10 Multimedia keys Allow you to do the following:

• Play/Pause button - press to start playing the audio or video file. Press again to pause.

• Stop button - press to stop playing the audio or video file.

• Forward button - press to skip forward to the next file and start playing.

• Backward button - press to skip backward to the previous file and start playing.

11 Internet/Suspend

keys

12 Programmable keys Access a URL (Web site) or launch any pro-

Consist of three buttons:

• Email button launches your email application.

• Web browser button launches your current default browser.

• Suspend/Resume button puts the system to sleep when pressed. To wake the system press it again.

gram, file or application in your system. The fifth key is set to launch the Windows Media Player.

To configure the settings of each key, right-click on the Magic Keyboard icon located on your Windows desktop.

2 System tour

Mouse

Your PS/2 mouse has one ratchet wheel and two buttons: a left button and a right button. Quickly pressing and releasing the buttons is called clicking. Sometimes, you will need to do a double-click (clicking the same button twice quickly) or a right-click (clicking the right button quickly).

The ratchet wheel in between the two buttons is added to provide easier scrolling capability . By simply moving the wheel with your index finger, you can quickly move through multiple pages, lines, or windows. The wheel may also function as a third button allowing you to quickly click or double-click an icon or a selected item.

Note: If you are left-handed, refer to your Windows manual for instructions on how to set up your mouse for left-handed use.

Disk drives

Your system comes with the following disk drives:

3.5-inch floppy drive

Your system’s 3.5-inch floppy drive can handle 720-KB and 1.44-MB capacity diskettes.

Floppy diskettes are compact, lightweight, and easy to carry around. Here are some tips on how to take care of your diskettes:

• Always make backup copies of the diskettes that contain important data or program files.

• Keep diskettes away from magnetic fields and sources of heat.

• Avoid removing a diskette from the floppy drive when the drive activity indicator is on.

• Write-protect your diskettes to prevent accidental erasure. To do this, slide the write-protect tab to the write-protect position (1).

Sliding the write-protect tab to the not-write-protect position (2) will allow you to store and modify data in your diskettes.

• When you put a label on a 3.5-inch diskette, make sure that the label is properly attached (flat on the surface) and within the labeling area (area with a slight surface depression) on the

diskette. An improperly attached label may cause a diskette to get stuck in the floppy drive when you are inserting or removing it.

2 System tour

CD-ROM drive

Your system comes with a CD-ROM drive. This drive is located on the front panel of your system. The CD-ROM drive allows you to play different types of compact discs (CDs) and video CDs.

CDs, like diskettes, are also compact, lightweight, and easy to carry around. However, they are more delicate than diskettes and must be handled with extra care.

To insert a CD into your system’s CD-ROM drive:

1 Gently push the eject button located on the front panel.

2 When the disc tray slides open insert the CD. Make sure that the

label or title side of the disc is facing upward.

Caution! Hold the disc by the edges to avoid leaving smudges or fingerprints.

3 Push the eject button again to close the tray.

To take care of your CDs:

• Keep your discs in a disk case when not in use to avoid scratches or other damage. Any kind of dirt or damage can affect the data on the disc, impair the disc lens reader on the CD-ROM drive, or stop the system from successfully reading the disc.

• When handling discs, always hold them by the edges to avoid smudges or fingerprints.

• When cleaning discs, use a clean, dust-free cloth and wipe in a straight line from the center to the edge. Do not wipe in a circular motion.

• Clean your CD-ROM drive periodically. You may refer to a cleaning kit for instructions. Cleaning kits can be purchased in any system or electronics shop.

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