Asus DSBF-D12, DSBF-D12/SAS User’s Manual

Motherboard

DSBF-D12

Series

DSBF-D12/SAS DSBF-D12

E2772

First Edition V1 October 2006

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless such repair, modication of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the

product is defaced or missing.

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or

copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.

iii

Contents

Notices .................................................................................................................

viii

Safety information ...................................................................................... ix

About this guide .......................................................................................... x

DSBF-D12 Series specications summary ............................................. xii

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-1

1.2 Package contents ......................................................................... 1-1

1.3 Special features ............................................................................ 1-2

1.3.1 Product highlights ........................................................... 1-2

1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features ............................................... 1-4

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-1

2.1.1 Serial number location ................................................... 2-1

2.2 Motherboard overview ................................................................. 2-2

2.2.1 Placement direction ........................................................ 2-2

2.2.2 Screw holes .................................................................... 2-2

2.2.3 Support kits for the motherboard .................................... 2-3

2.2.4 Motherboard layout ......................................................... 2-6

2.2.5 Layout contents ............................................................... 2-8

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................. 2-10

2.3.1 Installing the CPU ......................................................... 2-10

2.3.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and fan .............................. 2-13

2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-15

2.4.1 Overview ....................................................................... 2-15

2.4.2 Memory congurations .................................................. 2-15

2.4.3 Memory mirroring and sparing technology .................... 2-17

2.4.4 Installing a DIMM .......................................................... 2-22

2.4.5 Removing a DIMM ........................................................ 2-22

2.4.6 Installing the optional MemCool FB-DIMM fan ............. 2-23

2.4.7 Uninstalling the optional MemCool FB-DIMM fan ......... 2-25

2.5 Expansion slots .......................................................................... 2-26

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card ......................................... 2-26

Contents

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card ..................................... 2-26

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments ................................................... 2-27

2.5.4 PCI-X slots .................................................................... 2-28

2.5.5 DDR2 SODIMM socket ................................................ 2-28

2.5.6 PCI Express x8 slots (x8 link) ....................................... 2-29

2.5.7 PCI Express x16 slot (x8 link) ....................................... 2-29

2.6 Jumpers ...................................................................................... 2-30

2.7 Switch .......................................................................................... 2-35

2.8 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-36

2.8.1 Rear panel connectors .................................................. 2-36

2.8.2 Internal connectors ....................................................... 2-37

Chapter 3: Powering up

3.1 Starting up for the rst time ........................................................ 3-1

3.2 Turning off the computer ............................................................. 3-2

3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function .................................... 3-2

3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch .............................. 3-2

Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 4-1

4.1.1 Creating a bootable oppy disk ....................................... 4-1

4.1.2 Updating the BIOS using the Phoenix Phlash16 Utility ... 4-2

4.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility ...................................... 4-3

4.1.4 ASUS Update utility ........................................................ 4-5

4.2 BIOS setup program .................................................................... 4-8

4.2.1 BIOS menu screen .......................................................... 4-9

4.2.2 Menu bar ......................................................................... 4-9

4.2.3 Legend bar .................................................................... 4-10

4.2.4 Menu items ................................................................... 4-10

4.2.5 Sub-menu items ............................................................ 4-10

4.2.6 Conguration elds ....................................................... 4-10

4.2.7 Pop-up window ..............................................................4-11

4.2.8 General help ..................................................................4-11

4.3 Main menu .................................................................................. 4-12

4.3.1 System Date ................................................................. 4-12

Contents

4.3.2 System Time ................................................................. 4-12

4.3.3 Floppy A ........................................................................ 4-12

4.3.4 IDE Conguration .......................................................... 4-13

4.3.5 IDE Channel 0 Master/Slave ......................................... 4-15

4.3.6 SATA Port 1/2/3/4 .......................................................... 4-16

4.3.7 System Information ....................................................... 4-18

4.4 Advanced menu ......................................................................... 4-20

4.4.1 Advanced Processor Options ....................................... 4-20

4.4.2 Chipset Conguration ................................................... 4-23

4.4.3 PCI Conguration .......................................................... 4-26

4.4.4 ICH USB Control Sub-Menu ......................................... 4-28

4.4.5 Peripheral Devices Conguration ................................. 4-29

4.4.6 ACPI Conguration ....................................................... 4-31

4.4.7 Power On Conguration ................................................ 4-32

4.4.8 Hardware Monitor ......................................................... 4-33

4.5 Server menu ............................................................................... 4-36

4.5.1 Console Redirection ...................................................... 4-36

4.5.2 DMI Event Logging ....................................................... 4-38

4.6 Security menu ............................................................................ 4-39

4.7 Boot menu .................................................................................. 4-41

4.7.1 Boot Device Priority ...................................................... 4-41

4.7.2 Boot Features ............................................................... 4-42

4.8 Exit menu .................................................................................... 4-43

Chapter 5: RAID conguration

5.1 Setting up RAID ............................................................................ 5-1

5.1.1 RAID denitions .............................................................. 5-1

5.1.2 Installing hard disk drives ................................................ 5-2

5.1.3 Setting the RAID item in BIOS ........................................ 5-2

5.1.4 RAID conguration utilities .............................................. 5-2

5.2 LSI Logic Embedded SATA RAID Setup Utility .......................... 5-3

5.2.1 Creating a RAID 0 or RAID 1 set .................................... 5-4

5.2.2 Creating a RAID 10 set ................................................. 5-10

5.2.3 Adding or viewing a RAID conguration ....................... 5-14

5.2.4 Initializing the logical drives .......................................... 5-17

Contents

5.2.5 Rebuilding failed drives ................................................. 5-22

5.2.6 Checking the drives for data consistency ..................... 5-24

5.2.7 Deleting a RAID conguration ....................................... 5-27

5.2.8 Selecting the boot drive from a RAID set ...................... 5-28

5.2.9 Enabling the WriteCache .............................................. 5-29

5.3 Intel® Matrix Storage Manager Option ROM Utility ................. 5-30

5.3.1 Creating a RAID 0 set (Stripe) ...................................... 5-31

5.3.2 Creating a RAID 1 set (Mirror) ...................................... 5-33

5.3.3 Creating a RAID 10 set (Stripe + Mirror) ....................... 5-34

5.3.4 Creating a RAID 5 set (Parity) ...................................... 5-35

5.3.5 Deleting a RAID set ...................................................... 5-36

5.3.6 Resetting disks to Non-RAID ........................................ 5-37

5.3.7 Exiting the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager .................... 5-37

5.4 Global Array Manager ................................................................ 5-38

5.5 LSI Logic MPT Setup Utility

(DSBF-D12/SAS model only) .....5

-39

5.5.1 Integrated Mirroring ....................................................... 5-39

5.5.2 Integrated Mirroring Enhanced ..................................... 5-43

5.5.3 Integrated Striping (IS) volume ..................................... 5-45

5.5.4 Managing Arrays ........................................................... 5-48

5.5.5 Viewing SAS topology ................................................... 5-53

5.5.6 Global Properties .......................................................... 5-55

Chapter 6: Driver installation

6.1 RAID driver installation ............................................................... 6-1

6.1.1 Creating a RAID driver disk ............................................ 6-1

6.1.2 Installing the RAID controller driver ................................ 6-2

6.2 LAN driver installation ............................................................... 6-11

6.2.1 Windows 2000/Server 2003 ...........................................6-11

6.2.2 Red Hat/SuSE Linux ..................................................... 6-16

6.3 VGA driver installation............................................................... 6-17

6.3.1 Windows® 2000/Server 2003 ........................................ 6-17

6.4 Management applications and utilities installation ................ 6-20

6.4.1 Running the support CD ............................................... 6-20

vii

6.4.2 Drivers menu ................................................................. 6-20

6.4.3 Management Software menu ........................................ 6-21

6.4.4 Utilities menu ................................................................ 6-21

6.4.5 Contact information ....................................................... 6-21

Appendix: Reference information

A.1 DSBF-D12/SAS block diagram ....................................................A-1

A.2 DSBF-D12 block diagram ............................................................A-2

A.3 PHLASH16.EXE and memory managers ....................................A-3

Disabling memory managers ........................................................A-3

viii

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

•

This device may not cause harmful interference, and

•

This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio

frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’

s instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment 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 equipment and receiver.

•

Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

•

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is

required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modications

to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could

void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

Safety information

Electrical safety

•

To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the

electrical outlet before relocating the system.

•

When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.

•

Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that all power cables are unplugged.

•

Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord. These devices could interrupt the grounding circuit.

•

Make sure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power company.

•

If the power supply is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a qualied service technician or your retailer.

Operation safety

•

Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package.

•

Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected and the power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.

•

To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.

•

Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area where it may become wet.

•

Place the product on a stable surface.

•

If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied

service technician or your retailer.

About this guide

This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring

the motherboard.

How this guide is organized

This user guide contains the following parts:

• Chapter 1: Product introduction

This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technologies it supports.

• Chapter 2: Hardware information

This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components. It includes description of the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the motherboard.

• Chapter 3: Powering up

This chapter describes the power up sequence and ways of shutting down the system.

• Chapter 4: BIOS setup

This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.

• Chapter 5: RAID conguration

This chapter provides instructions for setting up, creating, and conguring

RAID sets using the available utilities.

• Chapter 6: Driver installation

This chapter provides instructions for installing the necessary drivers for different system components.

• Appendix: Reference information

This appendix includes additional information that you may refer to when

conguring the motherboard.

Where to nd more information

Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates.

1. ASUS websites

The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.

2. Optional documentation

Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty

yers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not

part of the standard package.

Conventions used in this guide

To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual.

DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself

when trying to complete a task.

CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components

when trying to complete a task.

NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a

task.

IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a

task.

Typography

Bold text Indicates a menu or an item to select.

Italics

Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.

<Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than sign

means that you must press the enclosed key.

Example: <Enter> means that you must press the Enter or Return key.

<Key1+Key2+Key3> If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the

key names are linked with a plus sign (+).

Example: <Ctrl+Alt+D>

Command Means that you must type the command exactly

as shown, then supply the required item or value enclosed in brackets.

Example: At the DOS prompt, type the command line:

format A:/S

xii

DSBF-D12 Series specications summary

CPU

Dual LGA771 sockets for Intel® Xeon™ Dual Core processors 5000/5100 Series Supports Intel® Extended Memory 64Technology (EM64T) Supports Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (5000 series

supports H.T.; 5100 series DOES NOT support H.T.)

Chipset

MCH : Intel® 5000P ICH : Intel® 6321ESB

Front Side Bus

1333/1066/667 MHz

Memory

Dual-channel memory architecture 12 x 240-pin FB-DIMM sockets support registered ECC fully buffered DDR2-533/DDR2-667 memory modules with Advanced Memory Buffer (AMB chip) Supports 256 MB up to 48 GB system memory

Expansion slots DSBF-D12:

1 x PCI Express™ x16 slot (x8 link) (Supports 2U riser) 2 x PCI Express™ x8 slots (x8 link) 2 x PCI-X 133/100/66 MHz slot 1 x DDR2 SO-DIMM socket for ASUS® server management card 3 series

DSBF-D12/SAS: 1 x PCI Express™ x16 slot (x8 link) (Supports 2U riser) 2 x PCI Express™ x8 slots (x8 link)

1 x PCI-X 100/66 MHz slot 1 x PCI-X 100/66 MHz slot for optional Zero Channel RAID (ZCR) card (colored green)

1 x DDR2 SO-DIMM socket for ASUS® server management card 3 series

Storage

Intel® 6321ESB supports:

- 1 x Ultra DMA 100/66/33 channel

- 6 x SATA II (300 MB/s)

- Intel® Matrix Storage with RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, and RAID 5 conguration

- LSI MegaRAID controller with RAID 0, RAID 1, and

RAID 0+1 conguration

(DSBF-D12/SAS model only)

LSI1068 PCI-X SAS controller supports:

- 2 x Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) channels (each channel supports 4 HDDs) with RAID 0, RAID 1,

and RAID 1E conguration

- Zero-Channel RAID (optional)

Discrete graphics

ATI® ES1000 PCI display controller

- Supports 32 MB display memory

LAN

Intel® 82563 Gigabit Network Connection (Dual-port)

- Supports Intel® I/O Acceleration Technology (IOAT)

(continued on the next page)

xiii

DSBF-D12 Series specications summary

*Specications are subject to change without notice.

USB

Intel® 6321ESB supports:

- 4 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (2 on the rear panel, 2 on the front panel)

Special features

ASUS Smart Fan Control ASUS Smart Fan2 Control ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2

BIOS feature

PHOENIX BIOS, 8 Mb FWH, Green, PnP, DMI, WfM2.0, ACPI 2.0a, SMBIOS 2.3

Rear panel

1 x PS/2 keyboard port (purple) 1 x PS/2 mouse port (green) 2 x USB 2.0 ports 1 x Serial port 1 x VGA port 2 x LAN (RJ-45) ports

Internal connectors

1 x Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY1) 1 x IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE1) 6 x Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4, SATA5, SATA6 ) 1 x Hard disk activity LED connector (4-pin HDLED1) 1 x USB connector (10-1 pin USB34) 1 x Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM2) 1 x Power supply SMBus connector (5-pin PSUSMB1) 1 x Parallel port connector (26-1 pin LPT1) 1 x Backplane SMBus connector (7-1 pin BPSMB1) 1 x Serial General Purpose Input/Output connector for LSI MegaRAID SATA LED (6-1 pin SGPIO1) 1 x System panel connector (20-1 pin PANEL1) 1 x System panel auxiliary connector (20-2 pin AUX_PANEL1) 1 x LPC connector for LPC debug card (14-1 pin LPC1) 1 x TPM connector (20-1 pin TPM1) SSI power connectors (24-pin, 8-pin, and, 4-pin) CPU (x2), rear (x2), front (x4), and FB DIMM (x2) 4-pin fan connectors

DSBF-D12/SAS model only:

2 x Mini-SAS connectors support a total of 8 devices (up to 122 devices if you use an expander) 1 x SAS LSI1068 ports LED connector (18-1 pin SASLED1)

Power requirement

SSI power supply (with 24-pin/4-pin/8-pin 12V plugs) for LGA771-socket Intel® Xeon™ Dual Core processors (Bensley platform)

Form factor

SSI EEB form factor: 12 in x 13 in (30.5 cm x 33.02 cm)

Support CD contents

Device drivers ASUS Update Utility ASUS Server Web-based Management (ASWM) ADOBE Acrobat Reader ASUS Screen Saver ASUS Flash utility under DOS

xiv

Product

introduction

This chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it supports.

ASUS DSBF-D12 Series

Chapter summary

1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-1

1.2 Package contents ......................................................................... 1-1

1.3 Special features ............................................................................ 1-2

ASUS DSBF-D12 Series 1-1

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an

ASUS® DSBF-D12 Series motherboard

The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies, making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards!

Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it, check the items in your package with the list below.

1.2 Package contents

Check your motherboard package for the following items.

If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

Cables

DSBF-D12 retail pack DSBF-D12 bulk pack

SATA signal cable 6 --

SATA power cable 3 --

SAS cable (DSBF-D12/SAS only)

1 --

3-in-1 cable set 2 --

Accessories

I/O shield 1 1

Application CDs

Support CD 1 1

Documentation

User guide 1 1

Packing qty.

3 pcs per carton 10 pcs per carton

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.3 Special features

1.3.1 Product highlights

Latest processor technology

The motherboard comes with two LGA-771 sockets that support Dual-Core Intel® Xeon™ processors with 1333/1066/667 MHz Front Side Bus (FSB). Dual-core processors contain two physical CPU cores to meet demands for more powerful processing. Intel® Xeon™ processors incorporate the Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology and Extended Memory 64-bit Technology (EM64T). The EM64T enables the support for 64-bit operation system, such as 64-bit Windows® and Linux. See page 2-10 for details.

Intel®

5000P

and Intel® 6321ESB chipset

The Intel® 5000P Memory Controller Hub (MCH) and the Intel® 6321ESB provide the vital interfaces for the motherboard.

The MCH provides the processor, dual-channel FB-DIMM memory support, and PCI Express interfaces. The Intel® 6321ESB is a new generation server class I/O controller hub that provides the interface for PCI 2.3, PCI Express, and PCIX.

Intel® EM64T

The motherboard supports Intel® processors with the Intel® EM64T (Extended Memory 64 Technology). The Intel® EM64T feature allows your computer to run on 64-bit operating systems and access larger amounts of system memory for faster

and more efcient computing.

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology (EIST)

The Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology (EIST) intelligently manages the CPU resources by automatically adjusting the CPU voltage and core frequency depending on the CPU loading and system speed or power requirement.

FB-DIMM memory support

This motherboard supports fully buffered DIMMs (FB-DIMMs), the latest memory solution that extends memory capacity and provide high-speed, high-density system memory peformance. FB-DIMMs use Advanced Memory Buffer (AMB) chips that transmit signals between the memory modules and controllers with improved signal integrity and reduced errors. See page 2-15 for details.

ASUS DSBF-D12 Series 1-3

PCI Express™ interface

The motherboard fully supports PCI Express, the latest I/O interconnect technology that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point serial interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by carrying data in packets. This high speed interface is software compatible with existing PCI or

PCI-X specications. See page 2-29 for details.

Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) technology support

SAS is the latest storage interface for enterprise-class storage devices. Building on and improving the parallel SCSI foundation, SAS is the new industry standard that includes Serial ATA interoperability, and is projected to be the succesor of the Ultra320 SCSI technology. See page 2-39 for the location of the SAS connectors.

Zero-Channel RAID (ZCR) solution

The motherboard comes with a ZCR socket for an optional Zero-Channel RAID

card, allowing RAID 0 (striping), RAID 1 (mirroring), RAID 0+1, and RAID 5

congurations. The ZCR capability provides a cost-effective high-performance and

added reliability.

Intel® 82563 LAN solution

The motherboard comes with a dual-port 82563EB network connection to provide a total solution for your networking needs. See page 2-36 for the location of the LAN ports. See section “2.6 Jumpers” for details on Gigabit LAN settings.

Serial ATA II technology

The motherboard supports the Serial ATA II 3 Gb/s technology through 6321ESB

Serial ATA interfaces. The Serial ATA II specication provides twice the bandwidth

of the current Serial ATA products with a host of new features, including Native Command Queuing (NCQ), Power Management (PM) Implementation Algorithm,

and Hot Swap. Serial ATA allows thinner, more exible cables with lower pin count

and reduced voltage requirements. See page 2-38 for details.

USB 2.0 technology

The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 specication,

dramatically increasing the connection speed from the 12 Mbps bandwidth on USB

1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1. See pages 2-36 and 2-40 for details.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features

CrashFree BIOS 2

This feature allows you to restore the original BIOS data from the support CD in case the BIOS codes and data are corrupted. This protection eliminates the need to buy a replacement ROM chip. See page 4-3 for details.

ASUS Smart Fan technology

The ASUS Smart Fan technology smartly adjusts the fan speeds according to the system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efcient operation. See page 4-32 for details.

ASUS MemCool FB-DIMM Fan Kit

(optional)

With this optional fan kit, the platform gets optimal performance and the best possible FB-DIMM thermal environment. See page 2-23 for details.

Temperature, fan, and voltage monitoring

The CPU temperature is monitored by the W83793G chip to prevent overheating and damage. The system fan rotations per minute (RPM) is monitored for timely failure detection. The chip monitors the voltage levels to ensure stable supply of current for critical components. See page 4-31 for details.

Intel® IOAT

Intel® I/O Acceleration Technology (IOAT) is an integrated server platform I/O solution that addresses all segments of the server I/O bottleneck problem using

TCP/IP without requiring any modication of existing or future applications. Intel® IOAT is a system-wide solution that increases CPU efciency and delivers

data to/from applications faster than current server platforms.

Hardware

information

This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components. It includes description of the jumpers and connectors on the motherboard.