Acer R520 User Manual

Acer Altos R520 Series

User’s Guide

Copyright © 2006 Acer Incorporated
All Rights Reserved.

Acer Altos R520 Series
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 server. All correspondence 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.

Acer Altos R520

Model Name :

Part 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

Class A equipment

This device 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. This equipment
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. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is
likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to
correct the interference at personal expense.

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: Shielded 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 A limits may be attached to this equipment. Operation
with noncertified peripherals is likely to result in interference to radio and TV
reception.

iv

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 server.

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 device does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from
digital apparatus set out in the interference-causing equipment standard
entitled “Digital Apparatus” ICES-003 of the Canadian Deparmment of
Communications.

Laser compliance statement

The DVD-ROM drive in this server is a laser product. The optical 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.

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 on the back or bottom side of the chassis 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 the chassis 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 on the product

c If the product has been exposed to rain or water

v

vi

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 chassis 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 type may present a risk of fire or
explosion. Refer battery replacement to a qualified service technician.

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 This product is not suitable for use with visual display workplace devices

according to §2 of the German Ordinance for Work with Visual Display
Units.

Notices iii

FCC notice iii
Laser compliance statement iv

Important safety instructions v

1 System tour 1

System features 3

Performance 3

External and internal structure 7

Front bezel 7
Front panel 8
Rear panel 9
Internal components 10

System boards 11

Mainboard 11
Backplane board 13

Mid-plane board 15
Control panel 17
System LED indicators 20

Control panel LED indicators 24

Hot-plug HDD LED indicators 25
System jumpers 27

2 System setup 29

Setting up the system 31

Pre-installation requirements 31
Connecting peripherals 32
Turning on the system 33

Power-on problems 34
Configuring the system OS 35
Turning off the system 36

Contents

3 System upgrade 37

Installation precautions 39

ESD precautions 39

Pre-installation instructions 39

Post-installation instructions 40
Opening the server 41

Removing and installing the front bezel 41

Removing and installing the top cover 43
Removing and installing the CPU air duct 45

viii

Removing the CPU air dam 47
Removing and installing the power distribution
board cover 48
Configuring the storage devices 50

Removing and installing a hard disk drive 50
Removing and installing a slim-line optical drive 53

Removing and installing a PCI riser assembly 56

Removing and installing a PCI card 58

Upgrading the CPU 61

CPU upgrading guidelines 61

Upgrading the system memory 67

Memory module installation guidelines 68
Memory module population guidelines 68

Memory configuration overview 70
Installing and removing a power supply module 76
Removing and installing an ARMC/3 module 79
Installing and removing the SAS hardware
RAID components 82

Installing and removing the RAID activation

key and RAID cache 82

Installing and removing the RAID BBU 84
Installing and removing the SATA software RAID
activation key 87

4 BIOS setup 89

BIOS setup 91
Entering BIOS setup 92
Using the BIOS menus 94

Main 94

Advanced 96

Security 112

Server Management 114

Boot Options 118

Boot Manager 121

Error Manager 122

Exit 123
Upgrading the BIOS 125

5 Troubleshooting 127

Troubleshooting 129

Resetting the system 129

Problems following initial system installation 129

First steps checklist 130

Hardware diagnostic testing 131
Verifying proper operation of key system lights 131
Specific problems and corrective actions 132

Error beep codes 139

BIOS POST error beep codes 139
ARMC/3 module error beep codes 141

Diagnostic POST code LEDs 142

Appendix A: Acer Altos R520

rack installation guide 149

Setting up the system rack 151

System rack installation 153
Vertical mounting hole pattern 154

Installing the system into the rack 155

Appendix B: RAID configuration 163

Configuring integrated SAS RAID 165
Configuring the integrated SAS SW RAID 167
Configuring the onboard SATA RAID 169

174

ix

x

1 System tour

The Acer Altos R520 is a 1U dual-core Intel Xeon­based server equipped with numerous high
performance features designed to provide easy
server set up, remote management, highly
reliable shared storage, and handle more
demanding database or high transaction
applications.

This chapter provides a brief overview of the
system hardware, including illustrations with
component identification.

System features

Listed below are the key features of the Acer Altos R520 server.

Performance

Processor

• Supports two dual-core or quad-core Intel® Xeon™ processors
5000 sequence with 667 MHz, 1066 MHz, or 1333 MHz front side
bus speed

• Extended Memory 64-bit Technology

• Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

• Execute Disable Bit Technology

Chipset

• Intel 5000P Memory Controller Hub (north bridge)

• Intel ESB2-E (Enterprise South Bridge) I/O Controller (south bridge)

Memory

• Quad memory channels

• Eight DDR2 FBDIMM (fully buffered DIMM) slots

• Supports 512 MB, 1 GB, and 2 GB DDR2 667 MHz FBDIMM

• Support for the following RASUM (reliability, availability,
serviceability, usability, and manageability) features:

• Memory error detection and correction

• Memory scrubbing

• Retry on correctable errors

• Memory built-in self test

•Memory sparing

•Memory mirroring

3

Media storage

• Slim-line IDE optical drive

• Supports either a SAS or SATA HDD interface

4

• For SATA models, the embedded SATA controller support

- Passive mid-plane board

- Six onboard SATA connectors

- Up to six hot-plug 2.5” SATA hard disk drives

- Intel Embedded Server RAID Technology capable of SATA

software RAID levels:

• RAID 0 • RAID 10

• RAID 1 • RAID 5 (optional)

• For SAS models, the embedded SAS controller support

- Active mid-plane board

- Up to eight hot-plug 2.5” SAS hard disk drives

- Intel Embedded Server RAID Technology capable of SAS

software RAID levels:

• RAID 0 • RAID 10

• RAID 1

- Provides optional hardware RAID support through

installation of a RAID activation key and a RAID cache on
the mid-plane board. The SAS hardware RAID levels
supported include:

• RAID 0

• RAID 6

1

• RAID 1 • RAID 10

• RAID 5 • RAID 50

1 System tour

1

Note: The active mid-plane board provides a 244-pin mini-DIMM
connector, supporting a single registered ECC non-parity DDR2­400 MHz mini-DIMM to provide RAID cache. To protect from data
loss in the RAID cache in the event of power failure, you can also
install a RAID BBU.

1 Supported when available.

Networking

• Intel ESB2 I/O controller

• Intel 82563EB Gigabit controller with dual ports

• Supports Intel I/O Acceleration Technology

PCI I/O

• Low profile riser slot

• One x8 PCI Express slot

• Full height riser slot

• One x8 PCI Express slot

• One 64-bits/133 MHz PCI-X slot (optional)

Graphic interface

•ATI® ES1000 video controller with 16MB DDR SDRAM

Server management

• BMC (Baseboard Management Controller)

• IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) 2.0
compliant

• In-band and out-band server management

• ARMC/3 (Acer Remote Management Card/3) module (optional)

• High performance KVM redirection

• Includes a dedicated NIC port

• USB mouse, keyboard, and media redirection

5

Control panel

• Mini control panel

• Standard control panel (optional)

I/O ports

• Front

•USB 2.0 port

• VGA/monitor port (optional)

6

• Rear

• PS/2 keyboard port

• PS/2 mouse port

• Serial B port (RJ-45)

• Two Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mbps) LAN ports (RJ-45)

• Server management port (10/100 Mbps) (RJ-45)

• VGA/monitor port

• Two USB 2.0 ports

Operating system and software

• Operating system options

• Microsoft

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003

• Novell Netware 6.5

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0, EM64T

•SUSE

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.0, EM64T

• ASM (Acer Server Manager)

• Easy Build

®

Windows® Server 2003, x64 edition

®

Linux Enterprise Server 9.0

3

2

1 System tour

2

Power supply

• Supports one to two 650-watts power supply modules

• Supports redundant (1+1) or non-redundant (1+0) power
configuration

System fan

• Five dual rotor system fans

2 Reserved for remote management of server. This requires installation of an

ARMC/3 module to mainboard.

3 For more information on how to install and use ASM and Easy Build utilities,

refer to the manual on the EasyBUILD DVD.

External and internal structure

Front bezel

The front bezel provides an interface for system management via
status LED indicators. The light pipes on the backside of the front bezel
allow the system status LEDs to be monitored when the front bezel is
closed. Separate front bezels are available to support systems that use
a mini control panel or standard control panel.

Front bezel supporting mini control panel

Front bezel supporting standard control panel (optional)

The front bezel is removable to allow access to the server’s hard drives,
peripheral device, and control panel. For details on how to remove the
front bezel, see “To remove the front bezel” section on page 41.

7

8

1 System tour

Front panel

Item Component Item Component

A Rack handles D Dual-purpose bay*

B Slim-line optical drive bay E 2.5” hot-plug HDD bays

C Mini control panel bay

* The Acer Altos R520 dual-purpose bay supports either the standard control panel or two

2.5” hot-plug HDD drives.

Rear panel

Item Component Item Component

A PS2 mouse port G, H USB 2.0 ports

9

B Low profile PCI expansion

I VGA/monitor port

slot

C Full height PCI expansion slot J, K Gigabit LAN ports (10/100/

1000 Mbps)

D

Power supply module

E Power supply module bay

1

L DB9 serial port A

M PS2 keyboard port

filler panel

F Server management port (10/

100 Mbps) (RJ-45) cover

1 The system power can be configured to support redundant (1+1) and non-redundant (1+0)

configuration.

2 Reserved for remote management of server. This requires the installation of an ARMC/3

module.

2

10

Internal components

Item Component Item Component

A Power distribution board G Memory modules

1 System tour

B Power distribution board

cover

C Power supply module 1 I System fan modules

D Power supply module bay 2

(filler panel shown)

E Riser card assembly K Bridge board

F Mainboard

H CPU air duct

J Mid-plane board (active

mid-plane shown)

11

System boards

Mainboard

The mainboard becomes accessible once you open the system. It should
look like the figure shown below.

Item Description Item Description

A Rolling BIOS jumper W Battery

B Intel ESB2-E I/O controller X Power supply management

connector

12

Item Description Item Description

1 System tour

C Diagnostic POST code

indicators

D Full height PCI riser slot Z SATA 0 connector

E Low profile PCI riser slot AA SATA 1 connector

F USB ports BB SATA 2 connector

G VGA/Monitor port CC SATA 3 connector

H System ID indicator DD SATA 4 connector

I System status indicator EE SATA 5 connector

J Gigabit LAN1 and LAN 2

ports

K Serial B port GG ARMC/3 module connector

L PS2 mouse (top) and

keyboard (bottom) port

M Serial B configuration

jumper

N FBDIMM slots JJ NIC module connector

O Intel 5000P MCH

Y Dual port USB 2.0 connector

FF SATA software RAID

activation key connector

HH System recovery settings

jumper block

II Serial A connector

P CPU socket 1

Q CPU socket 2

R CPU voltage regulator

S Bridge board connector

T IDE optical drive connector

U CPU power connector

V AC power connector

Backplane board

SAS/SATA backplane board

The backplane board installed on the rear side of the hot-plug drive
bay provides support for both SAS and SATA hard drives.

Front view

Item Description Item Description

13

A Slim-line optical drive con-

nector

B Mini control panel connector

CSAS/SATA connectors

14

1 System tour

Rear view

Item Description Item Description

A Control panel connector D Mid-plane connectors

B USB connector E Backplane power connector

CIDE connector

15

Mid-plane board

The mid-plane boad serves as the primary interface between the
mainboard, backplane, and control panel. It is used to determine the
desired hard drive interface for the system. There are two mid-planes
available for this system: an active mid-plane board and a passive mid­plane board.

Active mid-plane board (SAS model)

The active mid-plane board is used to provide SAS support. It has an
integrated LSI 1068 SAS controller that provides support for up to eight
hot-plug SAS HDDs. By default, the active mid-plane provides software
RAID levels 0, 1, and 10. With the installation of an optional RAID
activation key and RAID cache, the mid-plane can support hardware
RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and 50.

Note: Mid-plane will support RAID level 6 when available.

B

A

Item Description Item Description

A Fan 2 power connector G RAID BBU (battery backup

B Fan 1 power connector H Mid-plane power connector

C RAID activation key

connector

D Bridge board connector J Fan 4 power connector

C

D

E

F

K

J

I

G

H

unit) connector

I Thumbscrew

16

Item Description Item Description

E Fan 6 power connector K Fan 3 power connector

F RAID cache slot

1 System tour

Passive mid-plane board (SATA model)

The passive mid-plane board is used to provide SATA support for the
onboard SATA controller and six SATA ports. The mid-plane also
supports up to six hot-plug SATA HDDs and software RAID levels 0, 1,
and 10. With the installation of an optional SATA software RAID
activation key can support software RAID level 5.

Item Description Item Description

A Fan 2 power connector F Fan 6 power connector

B Fan 1 power connector G

C Thumbscrew H Fan 4 power connector

D Bridge board connector I Fan 3 power connector

E Mid-plane power connector

HBA I

2

C connector

17

Control panel

The Acer Altos R520 server supports either the mini control panel,
providing basic functionality, or the standard control panel, which adds
additional server management features. Both control panels utilize a
combination of control buttons, status LED indicators, along with I/O
ports, to centralize system control, monitoring, and accessibility.

Mini control panel

BA DC

GEF

TP02215

Item Component Item Component

A USB 2.0 port E Power/sleep button

B System identification

indicator

C System status indicator G System ID button

D Power/sleep indicator

FNMI button

18

Standard control panel (optional)

BA F GEDC

H

I

L JK

Item Component Item Component

A LAN 2 activity indicator G System ID indicator

B LAN 1 activity indicator H System ID button

C Power/sleep button I Reset button

D Power/sleep indicator J USB 2.0 port

1 System tour

E HDD actvity indicator K NMI button

F System status indicator L VGA/monitor port

Control panel button function overview

The following table list and describe the function of the control
buttons available on the control panel.

Control button Function

NMI button Puts the server in a halt-state for diagnostic purposes

and allows you to issue a non-maskable interrupt.
After using the interrupt, a memory download can be
performed to determine the cause of the problem.

Reset button Reboots and initializes the system.

Power/sleep button Toggles the system power on and off. This button also

functions as a sleep button if enabled by an ACPI­compliant operating system.

System ID button Toggles the front panel ID LED and the mainboard

system ID LED on and off. The mainboard system ID
LED is visible through the rear of the chassis and
allows you to locate the server you’re working on
from behind a rack of servers.

19

20

1 System tour

System LED indicators

This section describes the different LED indicators located on

• Mainboard

• Control panel

• Hot-plug HDD carrier

• LAN port

• Hot-plug power supply module