Arima NM46X User Manual

NM46X

USER MANUAL

Arima Computer Corp.

Building Your Competitive Advantage

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

LEGAL DISCLAIMER.................................................................................................... 4

COPYRIGHT NOTICE................................................................................................... 4

TECHNICAL SUPPORT................................................................................................. 5

ABOUT THIS USER GUIDE.......................................................................................... 5

SAFETY INSTRUCTION ............................................................................................... 6

CHAPTER 1. GETTING STARTED ............................................................................ 7

1.1 CONGRATULATIONS................................................................................................ 7

1.2 UNPACKING ............................................................................................................. 7

1.2.1 Quick Installation Guide............................................................................................................. 8

1.3 FEATURES HIGHLIGHT............................................................................................ 9

1.4 MOTHERBOARD SPECIFICATION .......................................................................... 10

1.5 MOTHERBOARD LAYOUT [MAJOR COMPONENTS].............................................. 12

CHAPTER 2. HARDWARE INSTALLATION......................................................... 13

2.1 MOUNTING THE MOTHERBOARD.......................................................................... 13

2.2 BLOCK DIAGRAM .................................................................................................. 14

2.3 INSTALLING THE PROCESSOR................................................................................ 15

2.4 INSTALLING THE MEMORY.................................................................................... 19

2.4.1 DIMM Combination.................................................................................................................. 19

2.4.2 Installing DIMM modules ......................................................................................................... 21

2.5 JUMPERS CONFIGURATION ................................................................................... 23

2.5.1 Clear CMOS header..................................................................................................................23

2.5.2 Enable onboard VGA header.................................................................................................... 24

2.5.3 PCI-X Frequency Setting .......................................................................................................... 25

2.5.4 Onboard Buzzer........................................................................................................................ 27

2.5.5 Vitesse VSC7250 Setting............................................................................................................ 28

2.5.6 LED Backplane PIN Header...................................................................................................... 29

2.6 POWER SUPPLY...................................................................................................... 31

2.6.1 ATX 24-pin power connector and CPU 8/4-pin connector....................................................... 31

2.7 CABLES & CONNECTORS....................................................................................... 33

2.7.1 Front Panel Connectors............................................................................................................. 33

2.7.2 Slim Floppy disk drive connector.............................................................................................. 35

2.7.3 IDE connectors......................................................................................................................... 37

2.7.4 Rear Panel I/O ports................................................................................................................. 38

2.7.5 Back Panel LAN LED............................................................................................................... 39

2.7.6 Front USB Connector............................................................................................................... 40

2.7.7 Front Panel Serial Port Connector........................................................................................... 41

CHAPTER 3. BIOS SETUP.......................................................................................... 42

3.1 ENTERING BIOS SETUP ........................................................................................... 42

3.2 USING SETUP ........................................................................................................... 43

3.3 TROUBLESHOOTING ................................................................................................. 44

3.4 MAIN MENU: ........................................................................................................... 45

3.5 ADVANCED MENU: .................................................................................................. 46

3.5.1 Hammer Configuration Su b -Men u............................................................................................. 47

3.5.2 Integrated Devices Sub-Menu.................................................................................................... 48

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3.5.3 IDE Configuration Sub-Menu.................................................................................................... 49

3.5.4 I/O Device Configuration Su b-Me n u......................................................................................... 51

3.5.5 Console Redirection Sub-Menu ..................................................................................................53

3.6 SECURITY MENU:..................................................................................................... 54

3.7 POWER MENU: ......................................................................................................... 55

3.8 BOOT MENU: ........................................................................................................... 56

3.9 SERVER MENU:........................................................................................................ 57

3.10 EXIT MENU:........................................................................................................... 58

APPENDIX I: GLOSSARY........................................................................................... 59

3

Legal Disclaimer

The information provided in this document is subject to change without notice.
Arima Computer Corp. makes no warranty regarding this document.
Always read the safety instructions carefully.

Arima Computer Corp. cannot anticipate all of your working conditions; for safety, you should use caution,
care and good judgment when following the procedures described in this material. Arima Computer Corp.
shall not be liable for errors contained in this material nor any damage incurred in the use of this material.

Arima Computer Corp. assumes no responsibility for any damage to property, injury to persons, or losses
incurred as a result of misuse of the information provided.
Arima Computer Corp. assumes no responsibility for the reliability of its software on equipments that are
not manufactured by Arima Computer Corp.

Copyright Notice

This document contains proprietary information that is protected by copyright. All rights are reserved. No
part of this publication may be reproduced, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into any
language or computer language, or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior written consent of
Arima Computer Corp.. We reserve the right to make changes to this document without notice.

Copyright© 2006 by Arima Computer Corp.. All rights reserved.
RIOWORKS® is a trademark of Arima Computer Corp.

Other products and companies referred to herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies or mark-holders.

Opteron™ is registered trademark of AMD Corporation.
Windows® 98/2000/NT/XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
ATI is the registered trademark of ATI Technologies Inc.

Revision: 0.97
Release Date: Nov. 2006

4

Technical Support

If a problem arises with your system during installation or operation and is unable to be resolved from the
user manual, consult the following list of resources for help:
 Contact the place of purchase for help. This is the recommended solution as they can provide the

quickest assistance.

 Visit Arima Computer Corp. website for up to the minute FAQ, guides and updates. The website can

be found at:

http://www.arima.com.tw/server

 Or contact our support staff at: [e-mail]

About this User Guide

This manual contains some special icons that accompany special sections that are meant to help you along
in the installation process. The special sections contain useful and/or critical information that you should
know. Watch for these icons as you read through the manual.

Type of icons: Description:

NOTE

WARNING

This icon indicates useful and timely information
that will aid you in the setup.

This icon indicates information on dangerous
and/or costly behavior to avoid.

5

Safety Instruction

 Keep this manual for future reference.
 Keep the equipments in a safe, cool, dry place.
 Perform the installation on a dry, flat surface.
 Ground yourself by touching a plugged-in power supply, which displaces static electricity.
 Adjust the power source to the proper voltage before connecting the equipment to the power outlet.
 Place the power cord in such a manner as to ensure that no one can step on it or trip over it.
 Always unplug the power cord when performing installation.
 Do not have liquid nearby as electrical shock can occur if liquid spills onto the equipment.
 Operating temperature: 10ºC to 35ºC or 50ºF to 95ºF.
 Pay attention to the warnings in the installation instructions when appropriate.
 In the following cases, do not try to fix the problem yourself, contact a party in Technical Support

 The power cord or plug is damaged.
 Liquid has been spilled onto the equipment.
 Obvious sign of damage can be detected on the equipment.

Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. Replace only with
the same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer.
Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

6

Chapter 1. Getting Started

1.1 Congratulations

You have in possession one of the most powerful and versatile 2-way AMD Opteron processor solutions,
the NM46X. Powered by cutting edge nVIDIA MCP55 Professional chipset, NM46X efficiently utilizes
the combined strength of 2000MT/s HyperTransport, two PCI-X slots, Integrated Serial Attached SCSI ,
and SATAII controllers, to name just a few. NM46X supports independent buses for PCI-X slot as well,
providing the most efficient bus management to date. It provides versatility, performance, value and
dependability for today’s computing environment. In just a couple of pages, a detailed specification will
provide you with a comprehensive view of the capabilities of NM46X. Thank you for purchasing Arima
Computer Corp. family of products.

1.2 Unpacking

Arima Computer Corp. provides a number of accessories for your convenience. Below is a checklist of the
things that are included in this purchase:

1 x I/O shield
1 x IDE cable
1 x slim type FDD cable
2 x SATA cables
1 x SATA power cord
1 x Spare jumper
2 x Retention module
1 x Driver CD
1 x Quick Installation Guide

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1.2.1 Quick Installation Guide

CN37 Clear CMOS Select Jumper

CN15 On-Board VGA Select Jumper

CN26 PCI-X Slot Clock Select Jumper

100 MHz Enabled

CN28, 29, 30, 31 PCI-X Frequency Selection

CN29, CN30 PCI 33 MHz Enabled

CN21 Speaker Header

Recommended Memory Configurations

1 DIMM H1 Bank: Slot 7

2 DIMMs H1 Bank: Slot 7, 8

4 DIMMs

6 DIMMs

8 DIMMs

16 DIMMs

*LAN Port 3 is for OPMA only.

The Latest BIOS, Manual, Memory AVL, Drivers and Utility can be
downloaded from

http://www.arima.com.tw/server

1-2 2-3

Clear CMOS

1-2 2-3

VGA Enabled

(default)

1-2 2-3

Short Description
CN28 PCI-X 66 MHz Enabled
CN29 PCI 66 MHz Enabled

CN31 uPD720404 Disabled

Pin Description
1 Speaker
2 Buzzer
3N/A
4 Speaker Power

LAN Connector Indicator Light

Activity LED flashing Data activity

Link LED lighting up

Single Processor H1 Bank: Slot 5, 6, 7, 8

Dual Processor

H1 Slot 5, 6, 7, 8
H2 Slot 7, 8
H1 Slot 5, 6, 7, 8
H2 Slot 5, 6, 7, 8
H1 Slot 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
H2 Slot 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Normal

(default)

VGA Disabled

133 MHz Enabled

(default)

Indication Meaning

Connected to
network

H1 Bank: Slot 7, 8
H2 Bank: Slot 7, 8

CN43 Front Panel

CN47 COM2 Header

1 SP_DCD2 2 SP_DSR2
3 SP_RXD2 4 SP_RTS2
5 SP_TXD2 6 SP_CTS2
7 SP_DTR2 8 SP_RI2
9 GND 10 N/A

CN44 / CN45 USB Header

USB_FNTPNL_1

1

_0_PWR
3 USB_N0/N6 4 USB_N1/N7
5 USB_P0/P6 6 USB_P1/P7
7 GND 8 GND
9 10 N/A

CN32 LED Backplane PIN Header

1 N/A 2 FP_SMBDAT
3 FP_ALERT 4 GND
5 SW_N 6 FP_SMBCLK
7 FP_ID_LED_N 8 SAS0_SATA_LED
9 SAS-LINK-LED1 10 SAS-LINK-LED2

11 SAS-LINK-LED3 12 GND

SAS-ERROR-

13

15

17 SAS-LINK-LED7 18 SAS-ERROR-LED4
19 SAS-LINK-LED6 20 SAS-ERROR-LED5

CN23 Vitesse VSC7250 Selection

SAS1 to SAS8 HDD Disabled Enabled

LED0

SAS-ERROR-

LED2

Short Open

Pin Description Pin Description

Pin Description Pin Description

Pin Description Pin Description

USB_FNTPNL_1

2

_0_PWR

14 SAS-ERROR-LED1

16 SAS-ERROR-LED3

Rev. 1.06

8

1.3 Features Highlight

CPU:

 Supports up to two AMD Opteron 2000 series processors
 Support dual core Opteron processor

CHIPSET:
 nVIDIA MCP55 Professional

SYSTEM MEMORY:
 16x 240-pin 1.8-Volt DDR2 DIMM sockets

EXPANSION SLOTS:
 One HTX slot for riser only, two PCI-Express x8 slots, two PCI-X 133/100MHz slots.

STORAGE:
 Total support of hard disk formats from SATA II, SATA/SAS, and to ATA.

INTEGRATED LAN CONTROLLER:
 Dual IEEE 802.3 nVIDIA MACs for 1000BASE-T/100BASE-T/10BASE-T Gigabit/Fast

Ethernet/Ethernet with TCP offload Engine (TOE)

SYSTEM MANAGEMENT:

 Arima SmartWatch server management application
 OPMA connector

9

1.4 Motherboard Specification

Processors

 Dual socket F (1207)
 Support up to two AMD Opteron 2000 series processors with 68/95/120 Wattage
 Support dual core Opteron processor
 Support 2000MT/s Hyper Transport
 Support PowerNow, Virtualization, Security

Chipsets

 nVIDIA MCP55 Professional
 NEC uPD720404 PCI-E to PCI-X bridge
 Winbond Super I/O W83627EHG chip
 Analog Devices ADM1026 Hardware Monitor chip

Memory

 16x 240-pin 1.8-Volt DDR2 DIMM sockets
 DIMM sockets voltage from 12V
 Dual channel memory bus
 Two-way interleaved memory banks (pair of DIMMs required)
 Support DDR2-667/533/400 memory
 Support Registered ECC type memory modules only
 Support up to 64GB
 Support Chipkill, Parity, On-line spare

BIOS

 4Mb Phoenix BIOS
 Legacy USB support
 MP 1.1 & 1.4 compliant
 SMBIOS 2.3.3 and DMI 2.0 compliant
 Soft Power-down
 Multiple boot support (with BIOS Boot Specification v3.1 (BBS) support)

Expansion Slots

 1 x HTX slot (Riser only)

Connected to processor

 2 x PCI-E x8 slot

Connected to nVIDIA MCP55

 2 x PCI-X 133/100MHz slots (optional)

Connected to NEC uPD720404

Integrated Gigabit Ethernet

 Dual IEEE 802.3 nVIDIA MACs for 1000BASE-T/100BASE-T/10BASE-T Gigabit/Fast

Ethernet/Ethernet with TCP Offload Engine (TOE)

 Two Marvell 88E1116 gigabit PHY
 PXE option ROM solution
 nVIDIA Firewall
 Front panel LED output

Integrated Graphics Controller

 ATI ES1000 PCI graphics controller
 32MB video memory

Integrated Serial Attached SCSI Controller (Optional)

 Vitesse VSC7250 PCI-E x8 SAS controller

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 Eight-lane PCI Express interface
 Support up to eight internal SAS/SATA drives
 Support software HostRAID 0,1,10
 Provides two LED signals for each SAS port to indicate drive activity and faults

Integrated SATAII

 Independent DMA operation on 6 ports
 nVIDIA MediaShield

JBOD

 DMA Transfers up to 3Gb/s
 Provides two LED signals for each SATAII port to indicate drive activity and faults

Integrated ATA

 Provides one PCI bus master channel for up to two enhanced IDE devices
 Support for ATA 133/100/66/33 IDE drives and ATAPI compliant devices

Integrated USB 2.0

 Eight USB 2.0 ports (4 rear panel connectors and 2 headers)
 Header supports up to 2 USB devices
 1 USB port for OPMA

Super I/O

 Winbond Super I/O W83627 EHG chip
 One slim type floppy connector supports two drives
 PS/2 mouse and PS/2 keyboard rear panel connectors
 Two 9-pin serial ports (one rear, one header)

Rear Panel I/O

 Stacked PS/2 mouse and PS/2 keyboard rear panel connectors
 Four USB 2.0 connectors
 One 9-pin serial connector
 DB15 Video connector
 Three RJ-45 connectors with LEDs

System Management

 Arima SmartWatch server management application
 OPMA connector

Form Factor

 SSI form factor with size: 12” X 13” (8 layers)
 EPS 12V power connectors (24pin + 8pin)

TM

RAID with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5 and

11

1.5 Motherboard Layout [Major Components]

The following diagram indicates all the major components of the motherboard.

12

Chapter 2. Hardware Installation

2.1 Mounting the Motherboard

The NM46X confirms to the SSI form factor. Before continuing on with installation, please confirm that
your chassis supports a standard SSI motherboard. If you are unsure, contact your dealer for more
information.

Precautions:

 Static electricity can damage components on your motherboard. Before touching the motherboard,

discharge any static build-up in yourself by touching a grounded object.

 Disconnect your computer from any power supply if disassembly is needed.
 Try to avoid touching the surface or back of the motherboard, for chips and other components on the

motherboard are very fragile.

 Before the motherboard is ready for immediate installation, place the motherboard on the Mylar Sheet

(antistatic bag) in which the board was shipping in.

 Before installing, inspect the motherboard for any possible flaws.

13

2.2 Block Diagram

14

2.3 Installing the Processor

Procedure:
First read the instructions that came with the CPU. Follow the procedures below step by step.

1. Locate the processor socket on the motherboard and carefully remove the protective cover.

2. Pull the lever out of its locked position and let it spring into its open position.

15

3. Now that the lever is in its unlocked position, lift up the metal cover to reveal the CPU socket.

4. Place the CPU into the socket with the arrows pointing to the bottom right of the socket as shown
(there are two gaps on both sides of the CPU, make sure they fit perfectly into the socket. If it is
placed correctly, the CPU pins should be able to fit into the socket perfectly).

The CPU will not fit if the orientation is wrong. Do not try to force
the CPU into the socket; it could result in irreparable damage to the
CPU.

16

5. Close the metal cover and return the lever into its original locked position.

6. Now, rest the motherboard into the chassis, align the two holes of the backplate with the two bolts of the

chassis.

17

We do not recommend you to apply thermal compound at this point of
the installation. The heatsink provided along with your CPU already
has thermal grease on the bottom for your convenience. Do not apply
more thermal grease if it is already present. Too much thermal grease
will spill onto the CPU circuit and damage the CPU.

7. First align the two pegs with the two mounting holes on the motherboard. After you have made sure

that the pegs are in their proper positions, lock the pegs into the mounting holes.

To remove the heatsink, gently turn the pegs until they loosen
themselves from the mounting holes. Gently pull up the heatsink, to
prevent any damage to the CPU.

Heatsink not included in the package.

18

2.4 Installing the Memory

2.4.1 DIMM Combination

The diagram below shows the 16 DIMM slots from 1 to 8 for both CPU1 and CPU2.

19

Types of memory supported:

There are 16 DIMM sockets for 240-pin 1.8-Volt DDR2 DIMMs (WILL ONLY SUPPORT Registered
ECC type memory module). Please note the diagrams below to identify if your DIMM memories are ECC
or non-ECC.

Before installing your memory sticks, please ensure that the memory sticks you have are compatible with
the NM46X. The NM46X will only support DDR2-667/533/400 modules. Please study the table below for
memory module specification of the NM46X.

Key Notes:

 DDR2 Memory Modules Supported: 256MB – 4GB (Registered ECC Only)
 Installed memory will all be automatically detected (No jumpers or settings are needed)
 NM46X supports up to 64GB in total
 Unbuffered memory is NOT supported

1 DIMM H1 Bank: Slot 7

2 DIMMs H1 Bank: Slot 7, 8

Single Processor H1 Bank: Slot 5, 6, 7, 8

4 DIMMs

6 DIMMs

8 DIMMs

16 DIMMs

Dual Processor

H1 Slot 5, 6, 7, 8
H2 Slot 7, 8
H1 Slot 5, 6, 7, 8
H2 Slot 5, 6, 7, 8
H1 Slot 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
H2 Slot 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Any configuration other than the recommended is not guaranteed to
work. Please refrain from using those configurations, as we cannot
provide technical support on them.

H1 Bank: Slot 7, 8
H2 Bank: Slot 7, 8

20

2.4.2 Installing DIMM modules

1. Open up the brackets on the sides by flicking them to the sides:

2. Line up the memory with socket. Make sure the gap fits into the socket.

3. Push the memory stick down until the brackets on the sides snap to secure the memory module in place.

Make sure the brackets are locked into the memory module.

21

These pictures only show the procedures for the installation of one
memory module. Please refer to section 2.4.1 to make sure the
memory module combination is qualified for the motherboard.

22

2.5 Jumpers Configuration

2.5.1 Clear CMOS header

Header CN37 controls CMOS setting. Position your motherboard as it appears in the following diagram.
To clear CMOS:

1. Turn off the system, and make sure the standby power on the power supply has been turned off too.

2. Short pin 1 and pin 2 using a jumper for a few seconds, and switch back to pin 2 and pin 3 (as default).

3. Turn on the system and reconfigure the BIOS.

23

2.5.2 Enable onboard VGA header

Header CN15 controls the onboard VGA setting.
CN15 has the default set as enabled where pin 1 and pin 2 are short, and switch the jumper to pin 2 and pin
3 will disable onboard VGA. Refer to the following diagram for CN15 location:

24

2.5.3 PCI-X Frequency Setting

The default frequency setting of PCI-X Slot is 133MHz where pin 2 and pin 3 on header CN26 are shorted.
Switch to pin 1 and pin 2 will change the frequency to 100MHz.

25

Please refer to the following table for the frequency selections for PCI-X Slot. Short the header CN28,
CN29 or CN30 to change the frequency or the header CN31 to disable the uPD720404.

Short Description

CN28 PCI-X 66 MHz Enabled

CN29 PCI 66 MHz Enabled

CN29, CN30 PCI 33 MHz Enabled

CN31 uPD720404 Disabled

26

2.5.4 Onboard Buzzer

Header CN21 setting controls the on and off state of the onboard buzzer. Set jumper on 1-2 to enable the
buzzer.

27

2.5.5 Vitesse VSC7250 Setting

Header CN23 controls the functionality of the onboard SAS ports. SAS ports can be enabled or disabled by
setting the jumper by the given configuration below. Refer to the diagram below for the locations of the
headers.

28

2.5.6 LED Backplane PIN Header

Header CN32, CN39, and CN40 contain the pin header of the led for SAS and SATA on the backplane.

29

The Pin Headers are listed in the following tables below.

CN 32 LED Backplane PIN Header

Pin Description Pin Description

1 N/A 2 FP_SMBDAT

3 FP_ALERT 4 GND

5 SW_N 6 FP_SMBCLK

7 FP_ID_LED_N 8 SAS0_SATA_LED

9 SAS-LINK-LED1 10 SAS-LINK-LED2

11 SAS-LINK-LED3 12 GND

13 SAS-ERROR-LED0 14 SAS-ERROR-LED1

15 SAS-ERROR-LED2 16 SAS-ERROR-LED3

17 SAS-LINK-LED7 18 SAS-ERROR-LED4

19 SAS-LINK-LED6 20 SAS-ERROR-LED5

CN 39 LED Backplane PIN Header

Pin Description

1 SAS-LINK-LED4

2 GND

3 SAS-LINK-LED5

CN 40 LED Backplane PIN Header

Pin Description

1 SAS-ERROR-LED7

2 GND

3 SAS-ERROR-LED6

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2.6 Power Supply

2.6.1 ATX 24-pin power connector and CPU 8/4-pin connector

There is one 24-pin power input connection and a 8/4-pin power input connection on the motherboard. The
24-pin power connection is used to connect to the power supply, while the 8/4-pin power connection is
used to power up the CPU. BOTH must be connected in order for the system to boot up. Make sure the
plugs are inserted into the connectors properly, to prevent any damage.

Please make sure your power supply can support at least 2 amps standby power for the Advanced
Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) functions.

Make sure the AC adapter is not plugged into the wall outlet during
installation. The electric current could damage the motherboard.

Refer to the following diagram below for the connector locations.

31

32

2.7 Cables & Connectors

2.7.1 Front Panel Connectors

Power LED:

HDD Activity LED: This 2-pin connector attaches to the LED of the hard disk. The LED lights up

Power Switch:

Reset Switch:

ACPI Sleep Switch: This 2-pin connector connects to the switch that can take the system into standby

NMI to CPU Switch: This 1-pin connector connects to the switch that sends Non-Maskable Interrupt to

5 VSB: This connector provides the user with power to any extra devices that uses 5 volt

Cooling Fault LED: This connector connects to the LED that lights up when a problem arises with

System Fault LED: This connector connects to the LED that lights up when a problem arises with the

NIC#1 Activity LED: This connector connects to the LED that lights up when there is activity on Gbe

SMBus SDA: A private bus to BMC chip for serial data, for use with BMC only.

SMBus SCL: A private bus to BMC chip for serial clock, for use with BMC only.

Chassis Intrusion: This connects to the mechanical switch that indicates whether the chassis had

NIC#2 Activity LED: This connector connects to the LED that lights up when there is activity on Gbe

This 3-pin connector attaches to the power LED.

when HDD is active.
This 2-pin connector attaches to the power button of the system.

This 2-pin connector attaches to the case-mounted reset switch for rebooting your
computer without turning on/off your power switch.

mode when pressed.

the CPU. User can customize the button to perform a particular function.

power.

cooling system.

system.

1.

been opened. User can activate it if desired.

2.

33

34

2.7.2 Slim Floppy disk drive connector

The following diagram indicates the location of the slim floppy drive connector:

35

To install the floppy drive, first refer to the instructions that come with the floppy drive. Then follow the
instructions here.

First pull out the latch of the connector, and turn the cable to the side with the pins. Match that side with the
connector and plug it in (as shown in the diagram). Push the latch connector back to the original position,
and make sure it’s correctly installed.

For the slim floppy drive, the motherboard supports only one floppy connector. Below are some symptoms
of incorrectly installed floppy drive. Wrong installation should not cause severe damage but it may cause
your system to freeze or crash when trying to read and/or write to the floppy diskette.

Diagnosing an incorrectly installed floppy drive

Drive is not automatically detected. Usually caused by faulty cables, cables put in

backwards or a bad floppy drive or motherboard.
Try another floppy drive to verify the problem if
the cable is properly installed or try replacing the
actual cable. Also check to see if the onboard
floppy controller is enabled in the BIOS setup.

Drive Fail message at boot-up. The cable, floppy drive or motherboard may be

faulty. Try another drive or cable to verify.

Drive does not power on. Check power cable and cabling. Maybe a bad

power supply or drive cable problem.

Drive activity light is constantly on. Usually signifies that the cable on the drive is on

backwards, which is a common issue. Reverse the
cable on the floppy drive end and try again.

36

2.7.3 IDE connectors

The following diagram indicates the location of the IDE connector:

Read the instructions that come with the IDE drive and then consult the instructions here.
For Parallel ATA, installing IDE drives has become simpler over the years. The cables are now “keyed” to
guide the user to the correct installation configuration. Each IDE connector can support two IDE drives.

Remember to set BIOS to match the configuration that you
implement here. Go to Advanced Menu section of BIOS
for detail.

37

2.7.4 Rear Panel I/O ports

The following illustration displays the motherboard I/O port array.

Type of Port Function

PS/2 Mouse connector The system will direct IRQ12 to the PS/2 mouse if

one is detected. If not detected, IRQ12 can be used
for expansion slot.

PS/2 Keyboard connector This connection is for a standard keyboard using a

PS/2 plug (mini DIN). This connector will not
allow standard AT size (large DIN) keyboard
plugs. You may use a DIN to mini DIN adapter on
standard AT keyboards.

USB Ports Four external USB 2.0 ports that allow

simultaneous connections of 2 USB devices.

Serial Port connector (9-pin male) This serial port can be used for pointing devices or

other serial devices. See BIOS setup.

VGA connector (15-pin female) The VGA port connects display devices such as a

monitor. See the BIOS setup.

Gigabit Ethernet Port 1 & 2 These ports are RJ-45. The motherboard uses the

ServerWorks HT2000 integrated dual channel
Gigabit Ethernet.

Ethernet Port 3 (OPMA) This port is RJ-45. This port is ONLY for OPMA,

not for regular network.

38

2.7.5 Back Panel LAN LED

Back Panel LAN LED:
The table below will allow the user to monitor LAN activities from the back of the system.

RJ-45 connectors LEDs

State of Link Link/Activity LED (Green) Speed LED (Green/Orange)

No link OFF OFF
Link @ 10Mbps On/Blink OFF
Link @ 100Mbps On/Blink ON (Green)
Link @ 1000Mbps On/Blink ON (Orange)
Activity BLINK ON

39

2.7.6 Front USB Connector

Header CN44 and CN45 control two front USB connections. To activate the front USBs, connect the USB
wires to CN44 or CN45. Refer to the following diagram for the location of CN44 and CN45.

40

2.7.7 Front Panel Serial Port Connector

Header CN47 controls the activation of front panel serial port. In the specification, front panel serial port is
COM2, the back panel is COM1.
Refer to the following diagram for location and orientation of CN47.

41

Chapter 3. BIOS Setup

This chapter discusses the PhoenixBIOS setup program built into the ROM BIOS.
BIOS is the basic input/output system, the firmware on the motherboard that enables the hardware to
interact with the software. The setup program allows the users to modify the basic system configurations
according to their needs. The configuration is then stored in a battery-backed NVRAM so that it retains the
configuration even when the power is turned off. The PhoenixBIOS installed in the motherboard’s ROM is
a custom version of an industry standard BIOS.
The rest of the chapter will list all the menus and sub-menus in the BIOS. Along with them, you can also
find the list of varieties for any configurable item in the BIOS.

3.1 Entering BIOS Setup

The PhoenixBIOS is activated when the system powers on. The BIOS reads the system information
contained in the CMOS and begins the process of checking the system and configuring it. After finishing
configuring the whole system, BIOS will seek an OS on disk and turn over control of the system to the OS
found.
While BIOS is in control, the Setup menu can be accessed by pressing the <F2> key when the following
message appears briefly at the bottom of the screen during Power On Self Test: “Press <F2> to enter
SETUP.”

42

3.2 Using Setup

The following table provides details about how to navigate the Setup program using keyboard.

KEY FUNCTION

Up Arrow ↑

Move to the previous item.

Down Arrow ↓

Left Arrow ←

Right Arrow →

Esc In the sub-menu: Exit the sub-menu.

Enter Select the item. A pop-up window will appear to allow setting of the item’s

+ Increase the numeric value or goes to the previous setting value.

- Decrease the numeric value or goes to the next setting value.

F1 General help on setup navigation keys. Press <F1> key to pop up a small

F9 Setup Defaults.

F10 Save and Exit.

Move to the next item.

Move to the previous menu.

Move to the next menu.

In the main menu: Exit without saving.

value. If the item has a
menu. Pressing <Enter> will take you to the sub-menu.

help window that describe the appropriate keys to use and the possible
selections for the highlighted item. To exit the Help Window, press <ESC>
key or <F1> key again.

► in front of it, it means that the item leads to a sub-

43

3.3 Troubleshooting

In case the system cannot be booted after some changes in BIOS, use the clear CMOS jumper setting to
reset the BIOS to default (See Page 23). To avoid such problem, configure only the items that you
thoroughly understand and refrain from modifying the advanced settings.

44

3.4 Main Menu:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Main Advanced Security Power Boot Server Exit

Item Specific Help
System Time: [13:20:41]
System Date: [07/19/2006]

BIOS Date 07/17/06
BIOS Version: NM46X V051 NFORCE

► Floppy Configuration

System Memory: 633 KB
Extended Memory: 4095 MB

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

<Tab>, <Shift Tab>, or
<Enter> selects field.

The following table shows the items that you can customize on the Main menu page:

Item Options Description

System Time No options. Shows the time of the day in

the format of Hour/Min/Sec.

System Date No options. Shows the date in the format of

MM/DD/YYYY.

BIOS Date No options. Shows the release date of the

BIOS.

BIOS Version No options. Version of the BIOS.

Floppy Configuration Legacy Diskette A

Disabled
360 Kb 5

1.2 MB 5
720 Kb 3

1.44/1.25 MB 3

2.88 MB 3
Floppy Check
Disabled
Enabled

System Memory No options. This item is not configurable to

Extended Memory No options. This item is not configurable to

1

1

1

/4"

/4"

/2"

1

/2"

1

/2"

Selects floppy type. Note that

1.25 MB 3
1024 byte/sector Japanese
media format. The 1.25 MB, 3

1

/2" diskette requires a 3-Mode

floppy-disk drive.

Enabled verifies floppy type on
boot; disabled speeds boot.

user.

user.

1

/2" references a

45

3.5 Advanced Menu:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Main Advanced Security Power Boot Server Exit

Item Specific Help
Reset Configuration Data: [No]
QuickBoot Mode: [Enabled]
Summary screen: [Disabled]

► Hammer Configuration
► Integrated Devices
► IDE Configuration
► I/O Device Configuration

► Console Redirection

IOMMU: [Disabled]
DRAM Bank Interleave [Disabled]

Select 'Yes' if you
want to clear the
Extended System
Configuration
Data (ESCD) area.

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

The following table shows the items that you can customize on the Advanced menu page:

Item Options Description

Reset Configuration Data No

Yes

QuickBoot Mode Disabled

Enabled

Summary screen Disabled

Enabled

IOMMU Disabled

Enabled

DRAM Bank Interleave Disabled

Auto

Select ‘Yes’ if you want to
clear the Extended System
Configuration Data (ESCD)
area.
Allows the system to skip
certain tests while booting.
This will decrease the time
needed to boot the system.

Display system configuration
boot.

Enable \ Disable IOMMU

Interleave memory blocks
across the DRAM chip
selects. Auto will set this
enabled when possible.

46

3.5.1 Hammer Configuration Sub-Menu

The Hammer Configuration sub-menu is shown in following figure:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Advanced

Hammer Configuration Item Specific Help

HT-LDT Frequency: [1000Mhz]

200Mhz
400Mhz
600Mhz
800Mhz
1000Mhz

Set frequency of HT
links for coherent
and non-coherent.

47

3.5.2 Integrated Devices Sub-Menu

The Integrated Devices sub-menu should look like following:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Advanced

Integrated Devices Item Specific Help

USB Control [USB1.1+USB2]
USB BIOS Legacy Support: [Enabled]
MAC 1 LAN: [Enabled]
MAC 1 LAN Bridge: [Enabled]
MAC 2 LAN: [E
MAC 2 LAN Bridge: [E Disabled
SATA1 Controller: [E USB1.1
SATA2 Controller: [E USB1.1+USB2
SATA3 Controller: [E

► NV RAID Configuration

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

Enable/Disable USB
Controllers.

Following figure shows the NV RAID Configuration sub-menu:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Advanced

NV RAID Configuration Item Specific Help

NV RAID Configuration: [Disabled]

Enabled/Disable
Nvidia RAID control.

SATA controller must
be enabled for RAID
feature to function.

Enabling Master SATA0
Secondary requires
enabling Secondary SATA
Channel.

Both options are listed

in Integrated Devices.
F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

48

3.5.3 IDE Configuration Sub-Menu

The IDE Configuration sub-menu looks like the following:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Advanced

IDE Configuration Item Specific Help

► Primary Master [Maxtor 6L100P0-(PM)]
► Primary Slave [None]

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

Primary Master/Primary Slave sub-menu:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Advanced

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

Primary Master [Maxtor 6L100P0-(PM)] Item Specific Help

Type: [Auto]

Multi-Sector Transfers: [16 Sectors]
LBA Mode Control: [Enabled]
32 Bit I/O: [Disabled]
Transfer Mode: [FPIO 4 / DMA 2]
Ultra DMA Mode: [Mode 2]

User = you enter
parameters of hard-disk
drive installed at this
connection.
Auto = autotypes
hard-disk drive
installed here.
CD-ROM = a CD-ROM drive
is installed here.
ATAPI Removable =
removable disk drive is
installed here.

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

49

The table below is a list of items that you can customize in the Primary Master/Primary Slave options under
IDE Configuration sub-menu.

Item Options Description

Type Auto

None
CD-ROM
ATAPI Removable
IDE Removable
Other ATAPI
User

User = you enter parameters
of hard-disk drive installed at
this connection.
Auto = autotypes hard-disk
drive installed here.
CD-ROM = a CD-ROM drive
is installed here.
ATAPI Removable =
removable disk drive is
installed here.

Multi-Sector Transfers

LBA Mode Control

Disabled
2 Sectors
4 Sectors
8 Sectors
16 Sectors
Disabled
Enabled

Specify the number of sectors
per block for multiple sector
transfers. ‘MAX’ refers to the
size the disk returns when
queried.
Enabling LBA causes Logical
Block Addressing to be used
in place of Cylinders, Heads
& Sectors.

32 Bit I/O

Transfer Mode

Disabled
Enabled

Standard
Fast PIO 1
Fast PIO 2
Fast PIO 3

This setting enables or
disables 32 bit IDE data
transfers.

Select the method for moving
data to/from the drive.
Autotype the drive to select

the optimum transfer mode.
Fast PIO 4
FPIO 3/DMA 1
FPIO 4/DMA 2

Ultra DMA Mode

Disabled
Mode 0
Mode 1
Mode 2
Mode 3

Selects the Ultra DMA mode

used for moving data to/from

the drive. Autotype the drive

to select the optimum transfer

mode.
Mode 4
Mode 5
Mode 6

50

3.5.4 I/O Device Configuration Sub-Menu

The I/O Device Configuration sub-menu looks like the following:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Advanced

I/O Device Configuration Item Specific Help

Serial port A: [Enabled]
Base I/O address: [3F8]
Interrupt: [IRQ 4]
Serial port B: [Disabled]
Floppy disk controller: [Enabled]
Base I/O address: [Primary]

Configure serial port A
using options:

[Disabled]

No configuration

[Enabled]

User configuration

[Auto]

BIOS or OS chooses
configuration

(OS Controlled)

Displayed when
controlled by OS

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

51

The following table shows the items that you can customize on the I/O Device Configuration sub-menu
page:

Item Options Description

Serial port A Disabled

Enabled
Auto

Disabled - No configuration.

Enabled - User configuration.

Auto - BIOS or OS chooses

configuration.

Base I/O address 3F8

2F8
3E8
2E8

Interrupt IRQ 3

IRQ 4

Serial port B Disabled

Enabled
Auto

Floppy disk controller Disabled

Enabled
Auto

Base I/O address Primary

Secondary

Set the base I/O address for

serial port A.

Set the interrupt for serial port

A.

Disabled - No configuration.

Enabled - User configuration.

Auto - BIOS or OS chooses

configuration.

Disabled – No configuration.

Enabled – User configuration.

Auto – BIOS or OS chooses

configuration.

Set the base I/O address for the

floppy disk controller using

options:

Primary

Secondary

52

3.5.5 Console Redirection Sub-Menu

The Console Redirection sub-menu looks like the following:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Advanced

Console Redirection Item Specific Help

Com Port Address [Disabled]

Baud Rate [19.2K]
Console Type [PC ANSI]
Flow Control [CTS/RTS]
Console connection: [Direct]
Continue C.R. after POST: [Off]

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

The following table shows the items that you can customize on the Console Redirection sub-menu page:

Item Options Description

Com Port Address Disabled

On board COM A
On board COM B

Baud Rate 300

1200
2400
9600

19.2K

38.4K

57.6K

115.2K

Console Type VT100

VT100, 8BIT
PC ANSI, 7BIT
PC ANSI
VT100+
VT UTF8
ASCII

Flow Control None

XON/XOFF
CTS/RTS

Console connection Direct

Via modem

Continue C.R. after POST Off

On

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

If enabled, it will
use a port on the
motherboard.

If enabled, it will use a port on the
motherboard.

Enables the specified baud rate.

Enables the specified console type.

Enables Flow Control

Indicate whether the console is
connected directly to the system or
a modem is used to connect.

Enables Console Redirection after
OS has loaded.

53

3.6 Security Menu:

The Security Menu is shown as the following figure:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Main Advanced Security Power Boot Server Exit

Item Specific Help
Supervisor Password Is: Clear
User Password Is: Clear

Set Supervisor Password [Enter]
Set User Password [Enter]

Boot-time Diagnostic Screen: [Enabled]

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

The following table shows the items that you can customize on the Security Menu page:

Item Options Description

Set Supervisor Password No options. Enter Current Password.

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

Display the diagnostic
screen during boot

Enter New Password.
Confirm New Password.

Set User Password No options. Enter New Password.

Confirm New Password.

Boot-time Diagnostic Screen Disabled

Enabled

54

Display the diagnostic screen
during boot.

3.7 Power Menu:

The Power Menu is shown as following figure:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Main Advanced Security Power Boot Server Exit

Item Specific Help
Enable Multimedia Timer [Yes]
AC Recovery: [Disabled]

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

Enable/Disable
Multimedia Timer
support.

The following table shows the items that you can customize on the Power Menu:

Item Options Description

Enable Multimedia Timer No

Yes

AC Recovery Disabled

Enabled

Enable/Disable Multimedia
Timer support.

Disabled – when powe is
applied, the system will boot
to the G0 state.
Enabled – when power is
applied, the system will boot
to the G2:S5 state.

55

3.8 Boot Menu:

All the possible devices that you can boot from are automatically detected and listed on the page.
The first device listed is the first boot device. In the example shown below, the Floppy Drive is the first
boot device, followed by the Maxtor 6L100P0-(PM) hard drive.

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Main Advanced Security Power Boot Server Exit

Item Specific Help
Boot priority order:
1: Legacy Floppy Drives
2: IDE 0: Maxtor 6L100P0-(PM)
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
Excluded from boot order:
: PCI BEV: NVIDIA Boot Agent 232.0529
: PCI BEV: 2-NVIDIA Boot Agent 232.05
: Legacy Network Card
: Bootable Add-in Cards

Keys used to view or
configure devices:
Up and Down arrows
select a device.
<+> and <-> moves
the device up or down.
<f> and <r> specifies
the device fixed or
removable.
<x> exclude or include
the device to boot.
<Shift + 1> enables or
disables a device.
<1 - 4> Loads default
boot sequence.

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

56

3.9 Server Menu:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Main Advanced Security Power Boot Server Exit

Item Specific Help

► Hardware Monitor
► IPMI

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

Item Options Description

Hardware Monitor No options. Shows all the hardware

IPMI No options. Shows the information about

Show hardware monitor
Current state.

monitor’s current state.

IPMI.

57

3.10 Exit Menu:

Phoenix TrustedCore(tm) Setup Utility

Main Advanced Security Power Boot Server Exit

Item Specific Help
Exit Saving Changes [Enter]
Exit Discarding Changes [Enter]
Load Setup Defaults [Enter]
Discard Changes [Enter]
Save Changes [Enter]

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults
Esc Exit Select Menu Enter Select

► Sub-Menu F10 Save and Exit

Exit System Setup and
save your changes to
CMOS.

58

APPENDIX I: Glossary

ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface): a power management

specification that allows the operating system to control the amount of power distributed
to the computer’s devices. Devices not in use can be turned off, reducing unnecessary
power expenditure.

AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port): a PCI-based interface which was designed

specifically for demands of 3D graphics applications. The 32-bit AGP channel directly
links the graphics controller to the main memory. While the channel runs only at 66 MHz,
it supports data transmission during both the rising and falling ends of the clock cycle,
yielding an effective speed of 133 MHz.

ATAPI (AT Attachment Packet Interface): also known as IDE or ATA; a drive

implementation that includes the disk controller on the device itself. It allows CD-ROMs
and tape drives to be configured as master or slave devices, just like HDDs.

ATX: the form factor designed to replace the AT form factor. It improves on the AT

design by rotating the board 90 degrees, so that the IDE connectors are closer to the drive
bays, and the CPU is closer to the power supply and cooling fan. The keyboard, mouse,
USB, serial, and parallel ports are built-in.

Bandwidth: refers to carrying capacity. The greater the bandwidth, the more data the bus,

phone line, or other electrical path can carry. Greater bandwidth results in greater speed.

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System): the program that resides in the ROM chip, which

provides the basic instructions for controlling your computer’s hardware. Both the
operating system and application software use BIOS routines to ensure compatibility.

Buffer: a portion of RAM which is used to temporarily store data; usually from an

application though it is also used when printing and in most keyboard drivers. The CPU
can manipulate data in a buffer before copying it to a disk drive. While this improves
system performance (reading to or writing from a disk drive a single time is much faster
than doing so repeatedly) there is the possibility of losing your data should the system
crash. Information in a buffer is temporarily stored, not permanently saved.

Bus: a data pathway. The term is used especially to refer to the connection between the

processor and system memory, and between the processor and PCI or ISA local buses.

Bus mastering: allows peripheral devices and IDEs to access the system memory

without going through the CPU (similar to DMA channels).

Cache: a temporary storage area for data that will be needed often by an application.

Using a cache lowers data access times since the information is stored in SRAM instead
of slower DRAM. Note that the cache is also much smaller than your regular memory: a
typical cache size is 512KB, while you may have as much as 4GB of regular memory.

59

Closed and open jumpers: jumpers and jumper pins are active when they are “on” or

“closed”, and inactive when they are “off” or “open”.

CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductors): chips that hold the basic

startup information for the BIOS.

COM port: another name for the serial port, which is called as such because it transmits

the eight bits of a byte of data along one wire, and receives data on another single wire
(that is, the data is transmitted in serial form, one bit after another). Parallel ports transmit
the bits of a byte on eight different wires at the same time (that is, in parallel form, eight
bits at the same time).

DDR (Double Data Rate): a technology designed to double the clock speed of the

memory. It activates output on both the rising and falling edge of the system clock rather
than on just the rising edge, potentially doubling output.

DIMM (Dual In-line Memory Module): faster and more capacious form of RAM than

SIMMs, and do not need to be installed in pairs.

DIMM bank: sometimes called DIMM socket because the physical slot and the logical

unit are the same. That is, one DIMM module fits into one DIMM socket, which is
capable of acting as a memory bank.

DMA (Direct Memory Access): channels that are similar to IRQs. DMA channels allow

hardware devices (like soundcards or keyboards) to access the main memory without
involving the CPU. This frees up CPU resources for other tasks. As with IRQs, it is vital
that you do not double up devices on a single line. Plug-n-Play devices will take care of
this for you.

DMI: A specification that establishes a standard framework for managing networked

computers. DMI covers hardware and software, desktop systems and servers, and defines
a model for filtering events and describing interfaces.

DRAM (Dynamic RAM): widely available, very affordable form of RAM which looses

data if it is not recharged regularly (every few milliseconds). This refresh requirement
makes DRAM three to ten times slower than non-recharged RAM such as SRAM.

ECC (Error Correction Code or Error Checking and Correcting): allows data to be

checked for errors during run-time. Errors can subsequently be corrected at the same time
that they’re found.

EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM): also called Flash BIOS, it is

a ROM chip which can, unlike normal ROM, be updated. This allows you to keep up
with changes in the BIOS programs without having to buy a new chip.

60

ESCD (Extended System Configuration Data): a format for storing information about

Plug-n-Play devices in the system BIOS. This information helps properly configure the
system each time it boots.

Firmware: low-level software that controls the system hardware.

Form factor: an industry term for the size, shape, power supply type, and external

connector type of the Personal Computer Board (PCB) or motherboard. The standard
form factors are the AT and ATX.

IDE (Integrated Device/Drive Electronics): a simple, self-contained HDD interface. It

can handle drives up to 8.4 GB in size. Almost all IDEs sold now are in fact Enhanced
IDEs (EIDEs), with maximum capacity determined by the hardware controller.

IDE INT (IDE Interrupt): a hardware interrupt signal that goes to the IDE.

I/O (Input/Output): the connection between your computer and another piece of

hardware (mouse, keyboard, etc.)

IRQ (Interrupt Request): an electronic request that runs from a hardware device to the

CPU. The interrupt controller assigns priorities to incoming requests and delivers them to
the CPU. It is important that there is only one device hooked up to each IRQ line;
doubling up devices on IRQ lines can lock up your system. Plug-n-Play operating
systems can take care of these details for you.

Latency: the amount of time that one part of a system spends waiting for another part to

catch up. This occurs most commonly when the system sends data out to a peripheral
device and has to wait for the peripheral to spread (peripherals tend to be slower than
onboard system components).

NVRAM: ROM and EEPROM are both examples of Non-Volatile RAM, memory that

holds its data without power. DRAM, in contrast, is volatile.

OPROM: Firmware on adapter cards that control bootable peripherals. The system

BIOS interrogates the option ROMs to determine which devices can be booted.

Parallel port: transmits the bits of a byte on eight different wires at the same time.

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect): a 32 or 64-bit local bus (data pathway)

which is faster than the ISA bus. Local buses are those which operate within a single
system (as opposed to a network bus, which connects multiple systems).

PCI PIO (PCI Programmable Input/Output) modes: the data transfer modes used by

IDE drives. These modes use the CPU for data transfer (in contrast, DMA channels do
not). PCI refers to the type of bus used by these modes to communicate with the CPU.

61

PCI-to-PCI bridge: allows you to connect multiple PCI devices onto one PCI slot.

PnP (Plug-n-Play): a design standard that has become ascendant in the industry. Plug-n-

Play devices require little set-up to use. Devices and operating systems that are not Plug­n-Play require you to reconfigure your system each time you add or change any part of
your hardware.

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks): a way for the same data to be stored

in different places on many hard drives. By using this method, the data is stored
redundantly and multiple hard drives will appear as a single drive to the operating system.
RAID level 0 is known as striping, where data is striped (or overlapped) across multiple
hard drives, but offers no fault-tolerance. RAID level 1 is known as mirroring, which
stores the data within at least two hard drives, but does not stripe. RAID level 1 also
allows for faster access time and fault-tolerance, since either hard drive can be read at the
same time. RAID level 0+1 is both striping and mirroring, providing fault-tolerance,
striping, and faster access all at the same time.

SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM): called as such because it can keep two sets of

memory addresses open simultaneously. By transferring data alternately from one set of
addresses and then the other, SDRAM cuts down on the delays associated with non­synchronous RAM, which must close one address bank before opening the next.

Serial port: called as such because it transmits the eight bits of a byte of data along one

wire, and receives data on another single wire (that is, the data is transmitted in serial
form, one bit after another).

Sleep/Suspend mode: in this mode, all devices except the CPU shut down.

SRAM (Static RAM): unlike DRAM, this type of RAM does not need to be refreshed in

order to prevent data loss. Thus, it is faster and more expensive.

SMBIOS: The system management specification addresses how motherboard and system

vendors present management information about their products in a standard format by
extending the BIOS interface on Intel architecture systems.

Standby mode: in this mode, the video and hard drives shut down; all other devices

continue to operate normally.

UltraDMA-33/66/100: a fast version of the old DMA channel. UltraDMA is also called

UltraATA. Without a proper UltraDMA controller, your system cannot take advantage of
higher data transfer rates of the new UltraDMA/UltraATA hard drives.

USB (Universal Serial Bus): a versatile port. This one port type can function as a serial,

parallel, mouse, keyboard or joystick port. It is fast enough to support video transfer, and
is capable of supporting up to 127 daisy-chained peripheral devices.

62

ZCR (Zero Channel RAID): ZCR card provides RAID-5 solution by working with the

onboard SCSI/SATA/SATA-II chip through special PCI-X slot with Intel RAIDIOS logic,
thus lowering cost of RAID-5 solution

63