Biostar NF550 AM2 Owner's Manual

NF550 AM2 / NF570U AM2

Setup Manual

FCC Inf or m at ion and Copyright

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. T hese limits are designed to provide reasonable protec tion ag ainst harmful interfe rence in a residential

installation. T his equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. There is no guarantee that i nterference wil l not occur in a pa rticula r ins ta llatio n .

The ve n dor makes no re prese n ta tio ns or wa rranties with res pec t to the contents here and s pecially disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability o r fi tnes s fo r a ny pu rpose . F u rt he r t he ve nd o r res e rves t he ri g ht to r ev is e t h is publication and to make changes to the contents here without obligation to notify any party beforehand.

D uplic a tion of this publicatio n , in pa rt o r in wh ole, is no t allo wed wit ho ut first obtaining the vendor’s approval in writing.

The content of this user’s manual is subject to be c hanged without notice and we will not be responsible for any mistakes found in this user’s manual. All the brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies .

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction .............................................1

1.1 Before You Start...................................................................1

1.2 Package Checklist................................................................1

1.3 Motherboard Features.......................................................... 2

1.4 Rea r Pa nel Co n necto rs (for Ve r 6 .x)....................................... 4

1.5 Rear Pa nel Co n necto rs (for Ve r 5.x ).......................................4

1.6 Mo t he r boa r d Layou t (Ver 6.x)...............................................5

1.7 Mot he r bo ar d Layou t (Ver 5.x )...............................................6

Chapt er 2: Hardware Installation ..............................7

2.1 Installing Central Processing Unit (CPU)................................7

2.2 FAN Heade rs........................................................................9

2.3 Installing System Me mory.....................................................10

2.4 Con nectors a nd Slo ts............................................................12

Chapt er 3: Headers & Jumpers Setup......................14

3.1 How to Se t u p Ju mper s..........................................................14

3.2 Det ail Settin gs.....................................................................14

Chapter 4: NVIDIA RAID Functions.........................20

4.1 Operatio n System................................................................20

4.2 Raid Arrays.........................................................................20

4.3 How RA I D Work s.................................................................20

Chapt er 5: Useful Help ..............................................24

5.1 Driver Instal latio n Note.......................................................24

5.2 Award B IOS Bee p Code........................................................25

5.3 Extra Informati on ................................................................25

5.4 Troubleshooting...................................................................27

Chapter 6: WarpSpeeder™ .......................................28

6.1 Introduction........................................................................28

6.2 System Requirement............................................................28

6.3 Installation.........................................................................29

6.4 WarpSpee der™....................................................................30

Appendencies: SPEC In Other Language ................36

German................................................................................................36

France..................................................................................................38

Italian..................................................................................................40

Spanish................................................................................................42

Portuguese ...........................................................................................44

Polish...................................................................................................46

RUSSIAN...............................................................................................48

ARABIC................................................................................................50

JAPANESE............................................................................................52

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 BEFORE YOU START

Tha nk you for choosing our product. Before you start installing the mo therboa rd, plea se make su re you follo w the ins tructions belo w:

 Prepare a dry and stable working environment with

s uf ficie nt ligh ting .

 Always disconnect the computer from power outlet

be fo re ope ration .

 Befo re yo u take the mo the rboa rd ou t f rom an ti -s ta ti c

bag, ground yourself properly by touching any safely grounded applian ce, o r use gro unded wrist strap to remove the static charge.

 Avo id tou ch ing the com pone nts o n mo the rboa rd o r the

rea r side of the boa rd unless ne cessary. Hold the boa rd on the edge , do not try to be nd or flex the boa rd.

 Do no t lea ve any unfas tened sma ll pa rts inside the

case after installation. Loose parts will cause short circuits which ma y damage the equipment.

 Keep the computer from dangerous area, such as heat

sou rce , humid a ir and wa te r.

1.2 PACKAGE CHECKLIST

FDD Cable X 1 HDD Cable X 1

Se ria l ATA Cab le X 1 Rear I/O Panel for ATX Case X 1 Use r’s Ma nual X 1 Fully Setup Driver CD X 1 USB 2.0 Cable X1 (optional) S/P DI F ou t Ca ble X 1 (op tiona l)

Motherboard Manual

1.3 MOTHERBOARD FEATURES

NF550 AM 2 NF570U AM2

Socket AM2

AM D Athlon 64 / Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 X2 /

CPU

FSB

Chipset nForce 550 nForce 570 Ultra

Super I/O

Main

Memory

IDE

SA TA II

LAN

Sempron processors

AM D 64 Architec ture enables 32 and 64 bit

computing Supports Hyper Transport and Cool=n=Quiet

Support HyperTransport

Supports up to 1 GHz Bandwidth

ITE 8716F

Provides the most commonl

I/O functionalit y.

Low Pin Count Interface

Environment Control initiatives,

H/W Monitor

Fan Speed Controller

ITE's "Smart Guardian" function

DIMM Slots x 4

Eac h DIMM s upports 256/512MB & 1GB DDR 2

Max Memory Capicity 4GB

Dual Channel Mode DDR2 memory module

Supports DDR2 533 / 667 / 800

Registered DIMM and ECC DIMM is not

supported

Integrated IDE Controller

Ultra DMA 33 / 66 / 100 / 133 Bus Mast er Mode

supports PIO Mode 0~4,

Integrated Serial ATA Controller

Data transfer rates up to 3 Gb/s.

SATA Version 2.0 specification compliant.

Realtek RTL 8211B PHY / 8201N PHY (optional)

10 / 100 Mb/s / 1Gb/s auto negotiation (Gigabit

bandw idth is for RTL 8211B PHY only)

Half / Full duplex capability

us e d l egacy Supe

Socket AM2

AM D Athlon 64 / Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 X2 /

Sempron processors

AM D 64 Architec ture enables 32 and 64 bit

computing Supports Hyper Transport and Cool=n=Quiet

Support HyperTransport

Supports up to 1 GHz Bandwidth

ITE 8716F

Provides the most c ommonly used legacy Super

I/O functionalit y.

Low Pin Count Interface

Environment Control initiatives,

H/W Monitor

Fan Speed Controller

ITE's "Smart Guardian" function

DIMM Slots x 4

Eac h DIMM s upports 256/512MB & 1GB DDR 2

Max Memory Capicity 4GB

Dual Channel Mode DDR2 memory module

Supports DDR2 533 / 667 / 800

Registered DIMM and ECC DIMM is not

supported

Integrated IDE Controller

Ultra DMA 33 / 66 / 100 / 133 Bus Mast er Mode

supports PIO Mode 0~4,

Integrated Serial ATA Controller

Data transfer rates up to 3 Gb/s.

SATA Version 2.0 specification compliant.

Realtek RTL 8211B PHY / 8201N PHY (optional)

10 / 100 Mb/s / 1Gb/s auto negotiation (Gigabit

bandw idth is for RTL 8211B PHY only)

Half / Full duplex capability

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

NF550 AM 2 NF570U AM2

ALC861VD(Ver 6.x) / ALC888(Ver 5.x)

Sound

On Board

Connec tor

Back Panel

I/O

Board Size 219 x 304 (mm) 219 x 304 (m m )

Special

Features

OS S upport

5.1 channels audio out (Ver 6.x)

7.1 channels audio out (Ver 5.x)

Supports HD Audio

PCI s lot x4 PCI s lot x4

PCI Express x16 slot x1 PCI Express x16 slot x1 Slots

PCI Express x 1 slot x2 PCI Express x 1 slot x2

Fl oppy c onnector x1 Fl oppy c onnecto r x1

Printer Port connect or x1 Printer Port connect or x1

IDE C onnector x1 I DE Connector x1

SA TA Con nect or x4 SA TA C onnect or x6

Front Panel Connector x1 F ront Panel Connector x1

Front Audio Connector x1 Front Audio Connector x1

CD- in C onnec tor x1 C D-i n Connector x 1

S/PDIF out connector x1 S/PDIF out c onnector x1

CP U Fa n header x1 C PU F an header x 1

Sys tem F an header x2 S ystem Fan hea der x2

CMOS clear header x1 CMOS clear header x1

USB connector x2 USB connector x2

Power Connector (24pin) x1 Power Connector (24pin) x1

Power Connector (4pin) x1 Power Connector (4pin) x1

PS/2 Keyboard x1

PS/2 Mouse x1

S e ri a l P ort x 1

LAN port x1

USB Port x6

Audio Jack (Ver 6.x) x3

Audio Jack (Ver 5.x) x6

NVIDIA nTunes

RAID 0 / 1 / 0+ 1 support

Wi ndows 2000 / X P / VISTA

Biostar Reserves the right to add or remove

support for any OS With or without notice.

ALC861VD(Ver 6.x) / ALC888(Ver 5.x)

5.1 channels audio out (Ver 6.x)

7.1 channels audio out (Ver 5.x)

Supports HD Audio

PS/2 Keyboard x1

PS/2 Mouse x1

S e ri a l P ort x 1

LAN port x1

USB Port x6

Audio Jack (Ver 6.x) x3

Audio Jack (Ver 5.x) x6

NVIDIA nTunes

RAID 0 / 1 / 0+ 1 / 5 support

Wi ndows 2000 / X P / VISTA

Biostar Reserves the right to add or remove

support for any OS With or without notice.

Motherboard Manual

1.4 REAR PANEL CONNECTORS (FOR VER 6.X)

PS/2 Mouse

PS/ 2 Keyboard

CO M1 US B X2

LAN

USBX2USBX2

1.5 REAR PANEL CONNECTORS (FOR VER 5.X)

Li ne In / Surround

Line Out

Mic In 1/ Bass/ Center

PS/2 Mou se

PS/ 2 Keyboar d

COM1 USBX2

Center

Rear

Side

LAN

USBX2USB X2

Line In

Line Out

Mic In

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

1.6 MOTHERBOARD LAYOUT (VER 6.X)

JCFAN1

JKBMSV1

JKBMS1

JATXPWR2

JCO M 1

JU S B3

JUSBV2

JU S B4

JU S BL A N1

LAN

JA U DI O 2

JAT XPW R1

PE X1 6- 1

Socket A M2

DDR 2A1

DDR 2B1

DDR 2B2

DDR 2A2

Codec

PEX1-1

PEX1-2

PCI 1

Super I/O

PCI2

PCI3

BIOS

PCI4

J CDIN1

JAUDIOF1

JSPDIF_OUT

JPRNT 1

Note: ■ represents the 1st pin.

JUSBV1

nForce 550

nForce 570

JNFAN1

BAT1

JUSB2 JUSB1

Ultra

(O nly for NF 570 U )AM2

SATA6

SATA5

SATA2

SATA1

IDE 1

FDD1

JPANEL1

SATA4

SATA3

JSFAN1 J CMOS1

Motherboard Manual

1.7 MOTHERBOARD LAYOUT (V ER 5.X)

JKBMSV1

JKBMS1

JATXPWR2

JCO M 1

JU S B3

JUSBV2

JU S B4

JU S BL A N1

LAN

JA U DI O 1

JAT XPW R1

PE X1 6- 1

JCFAN1

Socket A M2

DDR 2A1

DDR 2B1

DDR 2B2

DDR 2A2

Codec

Super I/O

PEX1-1

PEX1-2

BIOS

J CDIN1

JAUDIOF1

JSPDIF_OUT

Note: ■ represents the 1st pin.

PCI 1

PCI2

PCI3

PCI4

JPRNT 1

JUSBV1

nForce 550

nForce 570

JNFAN1

BAT1

JUSB2 JUSB1

Ultra

(O nly for NF 570 U )AM2

SATA6

SATA5

SATA2

SATA1

IDE 1

FDD1

JPANEL1

SATA4

SATA3

JSFAN1 J CMOS1

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

CHAPTER 2: HARDWARE INSTALLATION

2.1 INSTALLING CEN TRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU)

Step 1: Remove the socket protection cap.

Step 2: Pull the lever toward direction A from the socket and then raise the

lever up to a 90-degree angle.

Step 3: Look for the white triangle on socket, and the gold triangle on

CPU should point forwards this white triangle. The CPU will fit only in the correct orientation.

Motherboard Manual

Step 4: Hold the CPU down firmly, and then close the lever toward direct

B to complete the installation.

Step 5: Put the CPU Fan on the CPU and buckle it. Conne ct the CPU

FAN power cable to the JCFAN1. This completes the installation.

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

2.2 FAN HEADERS

These fan headers support cooling-fans built in the computer. The fan cable and connector may be different according to the fan manufacturer.

Connect the fan cable to the connector while matching the black wire to pin#1.

JCFAN1: CPU Fan Heade r

JCFAN1

JSFAN1 : System Fan Head er

Assignment

1 Ground 2 +12V 3

FAN RPM rate sense

4 Smart Fan

Control

JNFAN1: North Bri dge Fan Header

JNFAN1

JSFAN1

Note:

The J CFAN1, J SFAN 1, a nd J N FAN1 su pport 4-pi n or 3- pi n h ea d conn ector s. Wh en conn ecting with wires onto c onn ect or s , pl e ase no te t hat th e re d wire is th e positi ve an d shoul d b e co nn ec te d to pi n#2, a nd the bl ac k wire is Gr ound and s hould b e c onnect ed to GND.

Assignment

1 Ground 2 +12V 3 FAN RP M

rate sense

Motherboard Manual

2.3 INSTALLING SYSTEM MEMORY

DD R2 A 1

DD R2 B 1

DD R2 B 2

DD R2 A 2

1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the retaining clips outward. Align a DIMM on the slot such that the notch on the DIMM matches the

break on the Slot.

2. Insert the DIMM vertically and firmly into the slot until the retaining chip snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated.

B. Memory Capacity

DI MM Soc k et

Location

DDR2A1 256MB /51 2MB/ 1GB * 1

DDR2B1 256MB /51 2MB/ 1GB * 1

DDR2A2 256MB /51 2MB/ 1GB * 1 DDR2B2 256MB /51 2MB/ 1GB * 1

DDR/DDR2 Modu le

Total Memory Size

Max is 4GB.

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

C. Dual Channel Me mo ry instal latio n

To trigger the Dual Channel f unction of t he motherboard, the memory module must meet the following requirements:

Install memory module of the same density in pairs, shown in the f ollowing table.

Duual Channel Status

Enabled O O X X

Enabled X X O O

Enabled O O O O

(O means memory installed, X means memory not installed.)

The DRAM bus width of the memory module must be the same (x8 or x16)

DDR2A1 DDR2B1 DDR2A2 DDR2B2

Motherboard Manual

2.4 CONNECTORS AND SLOTS

FDD1: Flo ppy Disk Connec tor

The motherboard prov ides a standard floppy disk connector that supports 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M f loppy disk types. This connector supports the prov ided f loppy drive ribbon cables.

IDE1: H ar d Disk C onnec tors

The motherboard has a 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE Controller that prov ides PIO Mode 0~4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 f unctionality.

The IDE connector can connect a master and a slave drive, so y ou can connect up to two hard disk driv es.

IDE1

139

331

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

PEX16-1: PCI-Express x16 Slot

- PCI-Ex press 1.0a compliant.

- Maximum theoretical realized bandwidth of 4GB/s simult aneously per

direction, f or an aggregate of 8GB/s totally.

PEX1-1/PEX1-2: PCI-Express x1 slots

- PCI-Ex press 1.0a compliant.

- Data transf er bandwidth up to 250MB/s per direction; 500MB/s in total.

- PCI-Ex press supports a raw bit-rate of 2.5Gb/s on the data pins.

- 2X bandwidth over the traditional PCI architecture.

PEX1-1

PEX1-2

PCI1~PCI4: Periphe ral Component In terconne ct Slo ts

This motherboard is equipped with 4 standard PCI slots. PCI stands f or Peripheral Component Interconnect, and it is a bus standard for expansion

cards. This PCI slot is designated as 32 bits.

PEX16-1

PCI 1

PCI 2

PCI 3

PCI 4

Motherboard Manual

CHAPTER 3: HEADERS & JUMPERS S ETUP

3.1 H

OW TO SET UP JUMPERS

The illustration shows how to set up jumpers. When the jumper cap is placed on pins, the jumper is “close”, if not, that means the jumper is

“open”.

Pin opened Pin closed Pin1-2 closed

3.2 DETAIL SETT INGS

JPANEL1: Front Panel Header

This 16-pin connector includes Power-on, Reset, HDD LED, Power LED, Sleep button and speaker connection. It allows user to connect the PC case’s f ront

panel switch functions.

LED

PWR

SLP

SP K

HLED

On/Off

RST

16 8

Pin Assignment Functio n Pin Assignment Functio n

1 +5V 9 Sleep control 2 N/A 10 Ground 3 N/A 11 N/A N/A

4 Speaker 5 HDD LED (+) 13 Power LED (+) 6 HDD LED (-) 7 Ground 15 Power button 8 Reset control

Speaker Connector

Hard drive LED

Reset button

12 P ower L E D (+)

14 P ower L E D (-)

16 Ground

Sleep button

Power LED

Power-on button

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

JATXPWR1: ATX Powe r So u rce Conne ctor

This connector allows user to connect 24-pin power connector on the ATX power supply.

Pin Assignment

1 +3.3V 2 +3.3V 3 Ground 4 +5V 5 Ground 6 +5V

1224

7 Ground 8 PW_OK 9 Standby

Voltage +5V 10 +12V 11 +12V 12 +3.3V 13 +3.3V 14 -12V 15 Ground 16 PS-ON 17 Ground 18 Ground 19 Ground 20 NC 21 +5V

22 +5V 23 +5V 24 Ground

JATXPWR2: ATX Powe r So u rce Conne ctor

By connecting this connector, it will provide +12V to CPU power circuit.

Assignment

1 +12V 2 +12V 3 Ground 4 Ground

Motherboard Manual

JUSB1/JUSB2: Heade rs for USB 2.0 Ports at Front Panel

This header allows user to connect additional USB cable on the PC f ront panel, and also can be connected with internal USB devices, like USB card reader.

2910

JU SB V1/JUSB V2: Powe r S ource H eaders for US B P orts JKBMSV1: Powe r Source Heade r for Ke yboard/Mouse Ports

Pin 1-2 Close:

JUSBV1: +5V for USB ports at f ront panel (JUSB1/JUSB2). JUSBV2: +5V for USB ports at JUSBLAN1, JUSB3 / JUSB4. JKBMSV1: +5V for PS/2 key board and mouse.

Pin 2-3 Close:

JUSBV1: USB ports at front panel (JUSB1/JUSB2) are powered by +5V

JUSBV2: USB ports at JUSBLAN1, JUSB3 / JUSB4 are powered by +5V

JKBMSV1: PS/2 mouse and keyboard are powered with +5V standby v oltage.

Note:

In ord er to s upport thi s f unctio n “ P ower- On s yst em vi a USB de vic e,” “JU SBV1 / JUSB V2” jumper ca p should be pl ac ed on Pi n 2-3 in di vidu al l y.

standby v oltage.

JKBMSV1

JUSBV2

JUSBV1

Assignment

1 +5V (fused) 2 +5V (fused) 3 USB4 USB5 USB+

6 USB+ 7 Ground 8 Ground 9 Key

Pin 1-2 close

Pin 2-3 close

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

JAUDIOF1: Front Panel Audio Header

This header allows user to connect the front audio output cable with the PC f ront panel. It will disable the output on back panel audio connectors.

Pin Assignment

1 Mic Left in 2 Ground

JCDIN1: CD-ROM Aud io-in Connector

This connector allows user to connect the audio source f rom the v ariaty dev ices, like CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, PCI sound card, PCI TV turner card etc.

3 Mic Right in 4 GPIO 5 Right line i n 6 Jack Sense 7 Front Sens e 8 Key 9 Left line in

10 Jack Sense

Assignment

1 Left Channel

Input 2 Ground 3 Ground

4 Right Channel

Input

Motherboard Manual

JCMOS 1 : C lear CMO S He ader

By placing the jumper on pin2-3, it allows user to restore the BIOS safe setting and the CMOS data, please carefully f ollow the procedures to avoid damaging

the motherboard.

Pin 1-2 Close:

Normal Operation (default).

Pin 2-3 Close:

Clear CMOS data.

※ Clear CMOS Procedures:

1. Remov e AC power line.

2. Set the jumper to “Pin 2-3 close”.

3. Wait for five seconds.

4. Set the jumper to “Pin 1-2 close”.

5. Power on the AC.

6. Reset y our desired password or clear the CMOS data.

SATA1/SATA2/SATA3/SATA4: Serial ATA Conne ctors SATA5/SATA6: Serial ATA Conne ctors (Only for NF570U AM2)

The motherboard has a PCI to SATA Controller with 4 or 6 channels SATA interface, it satisf ies the SATA 2.0 spec and with transfer rate of 3.0Gb/s.

SATA6 SATA5

SATA2 SATA4 SATA1 SATA3

147

Pin Assignment

1 Ground 2 TX + 3 TX 4 Ground 5 RX6 RX+ 7 Ground

JSPDI F_O UT: D igital Audio ou t Con n e ctors

This connector allows user to connect the PCI bracket SPDIF output header.

JS PDIF_OUT

JPRNT1: Printer Port Connector

This header allows you to connector printer on the PC.

125

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

Assignment

1 +5V 2 SPDIF_OUT

3 Ground

Pin Assignment Pin Assignment

1 -Strobe 14 Ground 2 -ALF 15 Data 6

3 Data 0 16 Ground 4 -Error 17 Data 7 5 Data 1 18 Ground 6 -Init 19 -ACK 7 Data 2 20 Ground 8 -Scltin 21 Busy 9 Data 3 22 Ground

10 Ground 23 PE 11 Data 4 24 Ground 12 Ground 25 SCLT 13 Data 5 26 Key

Motherboard Manual

CHAPTER 4: NVIDIA RAID FUNCTIONS

4.1 OPERATION SYSTEM

Supports Windows XP Home/Professional Edition, and Windows 2000 Professional.

4.2 RAID ARRAYS

NVRAID supports the f ollowing types of RAID arrays:

RAID 0: RAID 0 defines a disk striping scheme that improves disk read and write times for

many applications.

RAID 1: RAID 1 defines techniques for mirroring data. RAID 0+1: RAID 0+1 combines the techniques used in RAID 0 and RAID 1. Spanning (JBOD): JBOD provides a method for combining drives of different sizes in to

one large disk.

RAID 5: RAID 5 provides fault tolerance and better utilization of disk capacity.

4.3 HOW RAID WORKS

RAID 0:

The controller “ stripes” data across multiple drives in a RA ID 0 array system. It breaks up a large file into smaller blocks and performs disk reads and writes across multiple

drives in parallel. The size of each block is determined by the stripe size parameter, which you set during the creation of the RAID set based on the system environment. This

technique reduces overall disk access time and o ffers high bandwidth.

Fea tures and Be nefits

 Drives: Minimum 1, and maximum is up to 6 or 8. Depending on the

platform.

 Uses: Intended for non-critical data requiring high data throughput, or any

env ironment that does not require f ault toleranc e.

 Benefits: prov ides increased data throughput, especially f or large files. No

capacity loss penalty f or parity.

 Drawbacks: Does not deliver any fault tolerance. If any drive in the array

f ails, all data is lost.

 Fault To le rance : No.

Blo c k 1

Block 3 Block 5

Block 2 Block 4

Block 6

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

RAID 1:

Every read and write is actually carried out in parall el across 2 disk drives in a RAID 1 array system. The mirrored (backup) copy of the data can reside on the same disk or on

a second redundant drive in the array. RAID 1 provides a hot-standby copy of data if the active volume or drive i s corrupted o r becomes un available because o f a hardware

failure. RAID techniques can be applied for high-availability solutions, or as a form of

automatic backup that eliminates tedious manual backups to more expensive and less reliable media.

Fea tures and Be nefits

 Drives: Minimum 2, and maximum is 2.  Uses: RAID 1 is ideal for small databases or any other application that

requires f ault tolerance and minimal capacity.

 Benefits: Prov ides 100% data redundancy. Should one drive f ail, the

controller switches to the other drive.

 Drawbacks: Requires 2 driv es for the storage space of one driv e.

Perf ormance is impaired during driv e rebuilds.

 Fault To le rance : Yes.

Blo c k 1 Block 2 Block 3

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3

Motherboard Manual

RAID 0+1:

RAID 0 drives can be mirrored using RAID 1 techniques. Resulting in a RAID 0+1 solution for improved performance plus resiliency.

Fea tures and Be nefits

- Drives: Minimum 4, and maximum is 6 or 8, depending on the platform.

- Benefits: Optimizes for both fault tolerance and perf ormance, allowing for

automatic redundancy. May be simultaneously used with other RAID lev els in an array, and allows f or spare disks.

- Drawbacks: Requires twice the av ailable disk space f or data redundancy,

the same as RAID level 1.

- Fault To le rance : Yes.

Blo ck 1

Block 3 Block 5

Blo ck 2 Blo ck 4

Blo ck 6

Blo ck 1

Block 3 Block 5

Block 2 Block 4

Block 6

S p anning (JBOD):

JBOD stands for “ Just a Bunch of Disks”. Each drive is accessed as if it were on a standard SCSI host bus adapter. This is useful when a single drive configuration is needed, but it offers no speed improvement or fault tolerance.

Fea tures and Be nefits

- Uses: JBOD works best if y ou hav e odd sized driv es and y ou want to

combine them to make one big drive.

- Benefits: JBOD prov ides the ability to combine odd size driv es using all of

the capacity of the driv es.

- Drawbacks: Decreases performance because of the difficulty in using

driv es concurrently.

- Faul t Tolerance: Yes.

Single Logical

Drive

Disk 1: 40GB

Disk 2: 80GB Disk 3: 40GB

Disk 4: 120GB

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

RAID 5:

RAID 5 stripes both data and parity information across three or more drives. It writes data and par it y b lo c ks a cros s all t h e driv es in th e array . Faul t to l er ance is mai nt ain ed

by ensuring that the parity in formation for any giv en block of data is placed on a different drive from those used to store the data itself.

Features and Benefits

- D r i ves: Minimu m 3.

- U ses: RAID 5 is recommended for transaction processing and

gene ral pu rpose servic e.

- Benefits: An ideal combination of good performance, good fault tol er ance, and high capacity and storag e effi ci ency.

- D r awb acks: Individu al block data tran sfer rate same as a single disk. Wr it e pe rformance can be CP U i nt e nsive .

- Faul t Tolerance: Y e s.

Di s k 1

DATA 1 DATA 3

PA RI TY

DATA 7 DATA 9

PA RI TY

Di s k 2

DATA 2 PAR ITY

DATA 5 DATA 8 PAR ITY

DATA 11

Di s k 3

PAR ITY DATA 4 DATA 6 PAR ITY

DATA 10 DATA 12

※ For more detailed setup information, please refer to the Driver CD, or go to

http://www.nvidia.c om /page /pg_20011106217193.html to download NVIDIA nForce Tutorial Flash.

Motherboard Manual

CHAPTER 5: USEFUL HELP

5.1 DRIVER INSTALLA TION NOTE

After you installed your operating system, please insert the Fully Setup Driver CD into your optical drive and install the driver for better system

performance.

You will see the following window after you insert the CD

The setup guide will auto dete ct your motherboard and operating system.

Note:

If this win do w di dn’t show up aft er you ins ert th e Dr iver CD, ple ase use fi l e br o ws er to locate an d e xecu te th e fil e SET UP.E XE un der your o pti cal drive.

A. Driver Installation

To install the driver, please click on the Driver icon. The setup guide will list the compatible driver for your motherboard and operating system.

Click on each device driver to launch the installation program.

B. Software Installation

To install the software, please click on the Software icon. The setup guide will list the software available for your system, click on each software title

to launch the installation program.

C. Manual

Aside from the paperback manual, we also provide manual in the Driver CD. Click on the Manual icon to browse for available manual.

Note:

You will need Acrobat Reader to open the manual file. Please download the latest version of Acrob at Re ad er software fro m

http://www.adobe.com/products /a crobat/readstep2.html

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

5.2 AWARD BIOS BEEP CODE

Beep Sound Meanin g

One long beep followed by two short beeps

High-low siren sound CPU overheated

One Short beep when system boot-up N o error found during POST

Long beeps every other second No DRAM detected or install

Video card not found or v ideo card memory bad

System will shut down automatically

5.3 EXT RA INFORMATION

A. BIOS Update

After you fail to update BIOS or BIOS is invaded by virus, the Boot-Block function will help to restore BIOS. If the following message

is shown after boot-up the system, it means the BIOS contents are corrupted.

In this Case, please follow the procedure below to restore the BIOS:

1. Make a bootable floppy disk.

2. Download the Flash Utility “AWDFLASH.exe” from the Biostar website: www.biostar.com.tw

3. Confirm motherboard model and download the respectively BIOS from Biostar website.

4. Copy “AWDFLASH.exe” and respectively BIOS into floppy disk.

5. Insert the bootable disk into floppy drive and press Enter.

6. System will boot-up to DOS prompt.

7. Type “Awdfla sh xxxx.bf / sn/p y/ r” in DOS prompt. (xxxx means BIOS name.)

8. System will upda te BIOS automatically and restart.

9. T he BIOS has been recovered and will work properly.

Motherboard Manual

B. CPU Overheated

If the system shutdown automatically after power on system for seconds, that means the CPU protection function has been activated.

When the CPU is over heated, the motherboard will shutdown automatically to avoid a damage of the CPU, and the system may not

power on again.

In this case, please double check:

1. The CPU cooler surface is placed evenly with the CPU surface.

2. CPU fan is rotated normally.

3. CPU fan speed is fulfilling with the CPU speed.

After confirmed, please follow steps below to relief the CPU protection function.

1. Remove the power cord from power supply for seconds. 2 . Wa i t f o r se c o nd s.

3. Plug in the power cord and boot up the system.

Or you can:

1. Clear the CMOS data.

(See “Close CMOS Header: JCMOS1” section)

2 . Wa i t f o r se c o nd s.

3. Po we r on the syste m agai n.

5.4 TROUBLESHOOTING

Probable Solution

1. No power to the system at all Power light don’t illuminate, f an inside power supply does not turn

on.

2. Indicator light on key board does not turn on.

System inoperativ e. Keyboard lights are on, power indicator lights are lit,

and hard driv e is spinning.

System does not boot from hard disk driv e, can be booted f rom optical driv e.

System only boots f rom optical driv e. Hard disk can be read and applications can be used but booting from hard disk

is impossible.

Screen message says “Invalid Configuration” or “CMOS Failure.”

Cannot boot system after installing second hard driv e.

N F 550 AM 2 / N F57 0U AM 2

1. Make sure power cable is securely plugged in.

2. Replace cable.

3. C ontact tec hnical support.

Using even pressure on both ends of the DIMM, press down firmly until the

module snaps into place.

1. Check cable running from disk to disk controller board. Make sure

both ends are securely plugged in ; c h ec k t h e d r iv e ty pe i n t h e standard CMOS setup.

2. Backing up the hard drive is extremely important. All hard

disks are capable of breaking down at any time.

1. Back up data and applications files.

2. Ref ormat the hard driv e. Re-install applications and data

using backup disks.

Review system’s equipment. Make sur correct inf ormation is in setup.

1. Set master/slave jumpers correctly.

2. Run SETUP program and select correct driv e types. Call the drive

manufacturers f or compatibility with other drives.

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