ATTO Technology UL5D LP, UL5D PCI, UL4D PCI, UL5D Troubleshooting Manual

ATTO UL5D Troubleshooting Guide

This document describes troubleshooting techniques that can be used to identify and resolve issues associated with the ATTO Ultra320 dual channel SCSI host adapter. Some of these techniques may seem simplistic or overly obvious, but these are the ones that are commonly overlooked and can take several hours of frustration to find. It is important to only try one technique at a time. While changing multiple variables may seem to be a time saver, it usually complicates the troubleshooting process.

A.) Windows Operating Systems

Æ The computer will not boot past its Power On Self Test when the host adapter is installed.

 The host adapter may be improperly seated. Power down the computer and

reseat the host adapter.

 Try putting the host adapter in a different PCI slot.  Disconnect any SCSI devices from the host adapter and reboot the computer. If

this resolves the issue, investigate the SCSI cables or SCSI target devices as described in the section below.

 If the computer still does not boot, try installing the host adapter in a different

computer. If the host adapter works in the new computer, report this as a possible interoperability issue between the host adapter and the computer. If the problem follows the host adapter, replace it with a new adapter.

 Verify that the latest version of the computer BIOS is installed. Use caution when

updating the computer’s BIOS. A mistake could leave the system in an unusable state.

Æ The UL5D host adapter is installed in the computer but it does not appear during the system BIOS scan.

Note: The ATTO Technology banner should appear shortly after booting the computer.

*****************************************************

*** Press [Ctrl] [Z] for Setup Utility **** Channel 0 EPCI UL5D I/O Addr 1000 Controlled by ExpressPCI

Channel 1 EPCI UL5D I/O Addr 1400 Controlled by ExpressPCI

 The host adapter may be improperly seated. Power down the computer and

reseat the host adapter.

 Try putting the host adapter in a different PCI slot.

Page 1 of 12 Atto Technology, Inc. January 19, 2007

 Verify that the latest version of the computer BIOS is installed. Use caution

when updating the computer’s BIOS. A mistake could leave the system in an unusable state.

 Remove any non-vital PCI cards from the system to determine if there is a PCI

bus conflict.

 Disconnect any SCSI devices from the host adapter and reboot the computer. If

this resolves the issue, investigate the SCSI cable or SCSI target devices as described in the section below.

 If the computer still does not boot, try installing the host adapter in a different

computer. If the host adapter works in the new computer, try updating the flash on the host adapter as described in the “Installation and Operations” manual. Then try it again in the original computer.

o If it still fails, report this as a possible interoperability issue between the

host adapter and the computer.

o If the problem follows the host adapter, replace it with a new adapter.

Æ The computer freezes when the ATTO Banner is displayed during the system BIOS scan.

 Disconnect all devices from the SCSI card and reboot the system.

If the system still freezes:

 Remove any non-vital PCI cards from the system to determine if there is a PCI

bus conflict.

 Remove the SCSI host adapter and test it in a different computer (not the same

model). If the card works properly, enter the ATTO ExpressPCI Utility during the system BIOS scan by hitting Control-Z when prompted. Enter the host adapter configuration menu and disable the BIOS. There may be a BIOS conflict between the ATTO host adapter and the original computer. Place the host adapter back into the original machine and reboot.

 If this resolves the issue, report this is as a BIOS conflict. Note that you

can continue to operate. Disabling the BIOS will only prevent the computer from booting from an external drive connected to the host adapter.

 If the computer still hangs, replace the host adapter with a new one.

If the system no longer freezes after disconnecting the SCSI devices:

 Check the SCSI devices to make sure that they are all set to different SCSI ID's.

Each device on each SCSI bus must use a unique ID, including the host adapter. Devices on Bus 1 can have the same IDs as those on Bus 2. By default, the host adapter uses SCSI ID 7, so devices should use ID's 0 through 6, or 8 through 15.

 Check cable integrity. Check the cables for solid connections. Make sure they

are screwed down. Inspect cable ends for bent pins. U320 SCSI requires high quality cables that are specifically rated for the U320 transmission speeds.

Page 2 of 12 Atto Technology, Inc. January 19, 2007

 Boot into Windows and use the ATTO Configuration Tool to verify the host

adapter has its termination set properly. Instructions to do this can be found in the help portion of the ATTO Configuration Tool.

 Verify the external terminator is the same SCSI type as the devices (certified for

Ultra320 SCSI or lower) and does not have damaged pins.

 Try attaching SCSI devices one at a time with different cables, adding drives and

cables until the problem occurs. This will help pinpoint the device or cable causing the problem.

 Watch the LED indicators on the SCSI devices before, during, and after startup.

Drive lights should also flash at startup as the SCSI bus is scanned. This may give a clue as to the root cause of the issue.

Æ The system’s BIOS scan recognizes the UL5D host adapter, but it does not detect any of the connected SCSI devices.

Note: The ATTO Technology banner should appear shortly after rebooting the computer. If the host adapter’s BIOS is set to “enabled” or “scan only”, the connected devices, SCSI ID and negotiated transfer rate for each of the SCSI busses will also be displayed.

 The SCSI host adapter BIOS may have been set to disabled (factory default:

BIOS enabled). Set it back to Enabled (if you need to boot from an external device connected to the host adapter) or Scan Only.

 Verify the SCSI devices are powered on.  Check the SCSI devices to make sure that they are all set to different SCSI ID's.

 Check cable integrity. Check the cables for solid connections. Make sure they

are screwed down. Inspect cable ends for bent pins. U320 SCSI requires high quality cables that are specifically rated for the U320 transmission speeds.

 Boot into Windows and use the ATTO Configuration Tool to verify the host

adapter has its termination set properly. Instructions to do this can be found in

the help portion of the ATTO Configuration Tool.

 Verify the external terminator is the same SCSI type as the devices (certified as

usable for Ultra320 SCSI or lower) and does not have damaged pins.

 Try attaching SCSI devices one at a time with different cables, adding drives and

cables until the problem occurs. This will help pinpoint the device or cable causing the problem.

 Watch the LED indicators on the SCSI devices before, during, and after startup.

Drive lights should also flash at startup as the SCSI bus is scanned. This may give a clue as to the root cause of the issue.

 Try putting the host adapter in a different PCI slot.  Try updating the firmware on the host adapter as described in the “Installation

and Operations” manual.

 If all else fails, replace the SCSI host adapter.

Page 3 of 12 Atto Technology, Inc. January 19, 2007

Æ The computer’s BIOS scan recognizes the UL5D host adapter, but connected SCSI devices on

 Swap the devices and cables from the SCSI bus that appears to be working with

the one having issues. If the issue follows the bus, replace the SCSI host adapter.

If the issue follows the attached SCSI devices, troubleshoot the attached devices: