Dell 2100-180, 2100-200 User Manual 2

Dell

®

PowerEdge® 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems

USER’S GUIDE

®

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.

 1996 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, and PowerEdge are registered trademarks and DellWare is a registered service mark of Dell

Computer Corporation; Intel, Pentium, and LANDesk are registered trademarks and Intel386, Intel486, IntelDX2, and IntelDX4 are trademarks
of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, MS-DOS, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; Novell and NetWare are registered
trademarks of Novell, Inc.; IBM and OS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation; ASPI is a registered trademark
of Adaptec, Inc.; UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Novell, Inc.; VESA is a
registered trademark and VL-Bus is a trademark of Video Electronics Standards Association.

Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products.
Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.

November 1996 P/N 85001

Safety Instructions

When Using Your Computer System

As you use your computer system, observe the following
safety guidelines:

• To help avoid damaging your computer, be sure the

voltage selection switch on the power supply is set to
match the alternating current (AC) power available
at your location:

— 115 volts (V)/60 hertz (Hz) in most of North and

South America and some Far Eastern countries
such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan

— 230 V/50 Hz in most of Europe, the Middle

East, and the Far East

Also be sure your monitor and attached peripherals
are electrically rated to operate with the AC power
available in your location.

• To help prevent electric shock, plug the computer

and peripheral power cables into properly grounded
power sources. These cables are equipped with
3-prong plugs to ensure proper grounding. Do not
use adapter plugs or remove the grounding prong
from a cable. If you must use an extension cable, use
a 3-wire cable with properly grounded plugs.

• To help protect your computer system from sudden,

transient increases and decreases in electrical power,
use a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or uninter­ruptible power supply.

• Be sure nothing rests on your computer system’s

cables and that the cables are not located where they
can be stepped on or tripped over.

• Do not spill food or liquids on your computer. If the

computer gets wet, consult your Diagnostics and
Troubleshooting Guide.

• Do not push any objects into the openings of your

computer. Doing so can cause fire or electric shock
by shorting out interior components.

• Keep your computer away from radiators and heat

sources. Also, do not block cooling vents. Avoid
placing loose papers underneath your computer; do
not place your computer in a closed-in wall unit or
on a bed, sofa, or rug.

Ergonomic Computing Habits

WARNING: Improper or prolonged keyboard use
may result in injury.

For comfort and efficiency, observe the following ergo­nomic guidelines when setting up and using your
computer system:

• Position your system so that the monitor and key-

board are directly in front of you as you work.
Special shelves are available (from Dell and other
sources) to help you correctly position your
keyboard.

• Set the monitor at a comfortable viewing distance

(usually 510 to 610 millimeters [20 to 24 inches]
from your eyes).

• Make sure the monitor screen is at eye level or

slightly lower when you are sitting in front of the
monitor.

• Adjust the tilt of the monitor, its contrast and bright-

ness settings, and the lighting around you (such as
overhead lights, desk lamps, and the curtains or
blinds on nearby windows) to minimize reflections
and glare on the monitor screen.

• Use a chair that provides good lower back support.

iii

• Keep your forearms horizontal with your wrists in a

neutral, comfortable position while using the key­board or mouse.

• Always leave space to rest your hands while using

the keyboard or mouse.

• Let your upper arms hang naturally at your sides.

• Sit erect, with your feet resting on the floor and your

thighs level.

monitor screen at eye level

wrists relaxed and flat

arms at desk level

• When sitting, make sure the weight of your legs is on

your feet and not on the front of your chair seat.
Adjust your chair’s height or use a footrest, if neces­sary, to maintain proper posture.

• Vary your work activities. Try to organize your work

so that you do not have to type for more than a
minute or so at a time without stopping. When you
stop typing, try to do things that use both hands.

monitor and keyboard
positioned directly in
front of user

feet flat on the floor

iv

When Working Inside Your Computer

Before you remove the computer cover, perform the fol­lowing steps in the sequence indicated:

1. Turn off your computer and any peripherals.

2. Disconnect your computer and peripherals from
their power sources. Also disconnect any tele­phone or telecommunications lines from the
computer.

Doing so reduces the potential for personal injury or
shock.

3. Touch an unpainted metal surface at the back of
the computer chassis (such as the power supply)
before touching anything inside your computer.

While you work, periodically touch an unpainted
metal surface on the computer chassis to dissipate
any static electricity that might harm internal
components.

In addition, take note of these safety guidelines when
appropriate:

• Do not attempt to service the computer system your-

self, except as explained in this guide and elsewhere
in Dell documentation. Always follow installation
and servicing instructions closely.

• When removing a component from the system board

or disconnecting a peripheral device from the com­puter, wait 5 seconds after turning off the system
before removing the component or disconnecting the
device to avoid possible damage to the system board.

• When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector

or on its strain-relief loop, not on the cable itself. As
you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned
to avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before
you connect a cable, make sure both connectors are
correctly oriented and aligned.

• Handle components and cards with care. Don’t touch

the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by
its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a
component such as a microprocessor chip by its
edges, not by its pins.

Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge

Static electricity can harm delicate components inside
your computer. To prevent static damage, discharge static
electricity from your body before you touch any of your
computer’s electronic components, such as the micropro­cessor. You can do so by touching an unpainted metal
surface on the computer chassis.

As you continue to work inside the computer, periodi­cally touch an unpainted metal surface to remove any
static charge your body may have accumulated.

In addition to the preceding precautions, you can also
take the following steps to prevent damage from electro­static discharge (ESD):

• When unpacking a static-sensitive component from

its shipping carton, do not remove the component’s
antistatic packing material until you are ready to
install the component in your computer. Just before
unwrapping the antistatic packaging, be sure to dis­charge static electricity from your body.

• When transporting a sensitive component, first place

it in an antistatic container or packaging.

• Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area.

If possible, use antistatic floor pads and workbench
pads.

The following caution appears throughout this document
to remind you of these precautions:

CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of
this guide.

v

vi

Preface

About This Guide

This guide is intended for anyone who uses the Dell Pow­erEdge 2100/180 or 2100/200 computer systems. The
guide can be used by both first-time and experienced
computer users who want to learn about the features and
operation of the systems or who want to upgrade their
computers. The chapters and appendixes are summarized
as follows:

• Everyone should read Chapter 1, “Introduction,” for

an overview of the system features, a description of
the controls and indicators on the front panel, and a
general discussion of connecting external devices to
the back panel of the computer.

• Users who want to use the utilities, the diagnostics, the

online documentation, or install drivers for their operat­ing system should read Chapter 2.

• Everyone should read the first few sections of Chap-

ter 3, “Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers,” to
find out which small computer system interface
(SCSI) device drivers (if any) are required for a par­ticular system configuration. Users who need to
install and configure particular SCSI device drivers
should then read the appropriate section for their
operating system.

• Everyone should read the first several sections of

Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program,” to
familiarize themselves with this important program.
Only users who want to make configuration changes
to their system or who want to use the password fea­tures need to read the rest of Chapter 4.

• Everyone should read Chapter 5, “Using the EISA

Configuration Utility” whenever an Extended Indus­try-Standard Architecture (EISA) or Industry­Standard Architecture (ISA) expansion card is
added, removed, or repositioned in the computer.

Also, when you change the memory size, or change
settings for one of the built-in devices you must run
this utility.

• Chapter 6, “Working Inside Your Computer,” Chap-

ter 7, “Installing System Board Options,” Chapter 8,
“Installing Drives in the External Bays,” and Chap­ter 9, “Installing Drives in the Internal Bays,” are
intended for users who want to install or remove
options inside the computer, such as dual in-line
memory modules (DIMMs), expansion cards, or
drives.

• Appendix A, “Technical Specifications,” and

Appendix B, “Hardware Configuration Features,”
are intended primarily as reference material for users
interested in learning more about the details of the
system. Users who add internal options may need to
refer to Appendix B to change jumper settings.

• Appendix C, “Maintaining the System,” describes

preventive maintenance procedures that you should
perform regularly to keep your computer system in
top operating condition.

• Appendix D, “Regulatory Notices,” is for users who

are interested in which regulatory agencies have
tested and approved the Dell PowerEdge 2100/180
and 2100/200 systems.

• Appendix E, “Warranties and Return Policy,”

describes the warranties for Dell PowerEdge 2100/
180 and 2100/200 systems and the “Total Satisfac­tion” Return Policy.

• Appendix F, “Beep Codes and System Messages,”

describes the beep codes and system messages that
the system can generate when problems occur. The
information in this appendix replaces the informa­tion in Chapter 3, “Messages and Codes,” in the
Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide.

vii

• The Glossary provides definitions of terms, acro-

nyms, and abbreviations used in this guide.

Warranty and Return Policy

Information

Dell Computer Corporation (“Dell”) manufactures its
hardware products from parts and components that are
new or equivalent to new in accordance with industry­standard practices. For information about the Dell
warranty for your system, see Appendix E, “Warranties
and Return Policy.”

Other Documents You May Need

In addition to this User’s Guide, the following documenta­tion is included with your system:

• The Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide

includes troubleshooting procedures and instructions
for using the diskette-based diagnostics to test your
computer system.

• The Intel LANDesk Server Manager Suite, which

includes a CD-ROM containing the server manager
software, plus the following documents: LANDesk

Server Manager Setup Guide, LANDesk Server
Manager User’s Guide, LANDesk Server Control
Installation and User’s Guide, LANDesk Server
Monitor Module Installation and User’s Guide.

You may also have one or more of the following
documents.

NOTE: Documentation updates are sometimes included
with your system to describe changes to your system or
software. Always read these updates before consulting any
other documentation because the updates often contain the
latest information.

• Operating system documentation is included if you

ordered your operating system software from Dell.
This documentation describes how to install (if nec­essary), configure, and use your operating system
software.

• Documentation is included with any options you

purchase separately from your system. This docu­mentation includes information that you need to
configure and install these options in your Dell com­puter. Installation instructions for the options are
also included in this guide.

• Technical information files—sometimes called

“readme” files—may be installed on your hard-disk
drive to provide last-minute updates about technical
changes to your system or advanced technical refer­ence material intended for experienced users or
technicians.

Notational Conventions

The following subsections list notational conventions
used in this document.

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes

Throughout this guide, there may be blocks of text
printed in bold type within boxes or in italic type. These
blocks are warnings, cautions, and notes, and they are
used as follows:

WARNING: A WARNING indicates the potential
for bodily harm and tells you how to avoid the
problem.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either poten­tial damage to hardware or loss of data and tells
you how to avoid the problem.

viii

Typographical Conventions

The following list defines (where appropriate) and illus­trates typographical conventions used as visual cues for
specific elements of text throughout this document:

• Keycaps, the labeling that appears on the keys on a

keyboard, are enclosed in angle brackets.
Example: <Enter>

• Key combinations are series of keys to be pressed

simultaneously (unless otherwise indicated) to per­form a single function.

Example: <Ctrl><Alt><Del>

• Commands presented in lowercase bold are for refer-

ence purposes only and are not intended to be typed
at that particular point in the discussion.

Example: “Use the format command to. . . .”

In contrast, commands presented in the Courier
font are intended to be typed as part of an instruction.

Example: “Type format a: to format the diskette in
drive A.”

• Filenames and directory names are presented in low-

ercase bold.
Example: autoexec.bat and c:\windows

• Syntax lines consist of a command and all its possi-

ble parameters. Commands are displayed in

lowercase bold; variable parameters (those for which
you substitute a value) are displayed in lowercase
italics; constant parameters are displayed in lower­case bold. The brackets indicate items that are
optional.

Example: del [drive:] [path]filename [/p]

• Command lines consist of a command and may

include one or more of the command’s possible
parameters. Command lines are presented in the
Courier font.

Example:

• Screen text is text that appears on the screen of your

monitor or display. It can be a system message, for
example, or it can be text that you are instructed to
type as part of a command (referred to as a command
line). Screen text is presented in the Courier
font.

Example: The following message appears on your
screen:

No boot device available

Example: “Type md c:\dos, and then press
<Enter>.”

• Variables are symbols for which you substitute a

value. They are presented in italics.
Example: DIMMn (where n represents the DIMM

number)

ix

x

Chapter 1

Introduction

®

Dell

are high-speed, upgradable server systems designed
around the Intel® Pentium® Pro family of micro­processors. The PowerEdge 2100 systems provide both
Extended Industry-Standard Architecture (EISA) and
high-performance Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
expansion slots to allow for future expansion of your system.

This chapter describes the major hardware and software
features of the computer, provides information about the
indicators and controls on the computer’s front panel, and
discusses connecting external devices to the computer.

PowerEdge® 2100/180 and 2100/200 systems

System Features

The PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 systems offer
the following major features:

• A Pentium Pro microprocessor with an internal oper-

ating frequency of 180 megahertz (MHz) in the
PowerEdge 2100/180 and 200 MHz in the PowerEdge
2100/200. The external bus speeds of the PowerEdge
2100/180 and PowerEdge 2100/200 are 60 MHz and
66 MHz (respectively).

NOTE: The microprocessor module is installed in a
zero insertion force (ZIF) socket on the system
board, allowing you to upgrade to a faster, more
powerful microprocessor as your processing needs
increase.

The Pentium Pro microprocessor module includes
separate processor and cache memory chips
(256kilobytes [KB]) in a single module. The

Pentium Pro microprocessor features Dynamic
Execution, which combines three processing
techniques:

— Multiple branch prediction—the processor

anticipates jumps in the instruction flow and
where the next instruction can be found in
memory.

— Data flow analysis—the processor determines

which instructions are ready for processing and
which are waiting for results from other instruc­tions. The processor then schedules instruction
execution to minimize idle time.

— Speculative execution—the processor executes

instructions according to the optimized schedule
for maximum processor performance and
efficiency.

• Cache memory (internal to the Pentium Pro module)

that provides 256 KB of static random-access mem­ory (SRAM). Cache memory enhances the speed of
many microprocessor operations by storing the most
recently accessed contents of system memory.

• A minimum of 16 megabytes (MB) of system mem-

ory, upgradable to a maximum of 512 MB by
installing combinations of 16-, 32-, and 128-MB
buffered, extended data output (EDO), dual in-line
memory modules (DIMMs) in the four DIMM sock­ets on the system board.

The buffered 72-bit wide EDO DIMMs installed in
PowerEdge 2100 systems support error correction
code (ECC) to check for and correct memory errors.
ECC is performed by the memory controller in the
system chip set.

Introduction 1-11

• A basic input/output system (BIOS) that resides in

flash memory on the EISA bus and can be upgraded
by diskette if required.

The system board includes the following built-in
features:

• Three EISA and three PCI expansion-card connec-

tors, located on the system board. A separate
expansion-card slot is available for each EISA and
PCI expansion-card connector; there are no shared
expansion slots.

• An integrated video graphics array (VGA)-

compatible video subsystem with an ATI mach64
(264VT) PCI video controller connected to the PCI
local bus. The standard video subsystem includes
1MB of video memory. Maximum resolutions (non­interlaced) are 640 x 480 pixels (16.7 million colors)
and 800 x 600 pixels (65,536 colors). Maximum res­olution (interlaced) is 1024 x 768 pixels (256
colors).

• An integrated National Semiconductor PC87336

super input/output (I/O) controller that controls the
bidirectional parallel port, two serial ports, and the
diskette drive in the externally accessible front bay.
The super I/O controller resides on the EISA bus.

The parallel port can be set to operate in the following
modes via the Parallel Mode category in the System
Setup program: output-only (AT-compatible), bi­directional (Personal System/2 [PS/2]-compatible), or
extended capabilities port (ECP).

• An integrated Adaptec AIC-7880 ultra (fast-20)

wide, small computer system interface (SCSI) con­troller. The built-in SCSI controller supports up to
two externally accessible SCSI devices in the top
bays and up to three SCSI hard-disk drives in the
internal bays. The SCSI interface connects to sup­ported devices via a 68-conductor cable. The
integrated SCSI controller resides on the PCI local
bus for optimum performance.

• Integrated server management circuitry that monitors

operation of the system fan as well as critical system
voltages and temperatures. The integrated server man­agement circuitry works in conjunction with the Intel
LANDesk® Server Manager suite. See the Preface
earlier in this guide for a list of documents that
describe installation and use of the LANDesk Server
Manager suite.

• Integrated system board support for the Upgrade

Server Management Card which provides improved
local and remote server management.

• A PS/2-style keyboard port and a PS/2-compatible

mouse port.

Standard PowerEdge 2100 systems include a diskette
drive and a SCSI CD-ROM drive installed in the exter­nally accessible bays and at least one SCSI hard-disk
drive installed in the internal bays.

The following software is included with your Dell com­puter system:

• Video drivers for displaying many popular applica-

tion programs in high-resolution modes. For more
information on these drivers, see Chapter 2, “Using
the Dell Server Assistant CD.”

• SCSI device drivers that allow your operating sys-

tem to communicate with devices attached to the
built-in SCSI subsystem. For more information on
these drivers, see Chapter 3, “Installing and Config­uring SCSI Drivers.”

• The System Setup program for quickly viewing and

changing the system configuration information for
your computer. For more information on this pro­gram, see Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup
Program.”

• The EISA Configuration Utility, which allows you to

configure installed EISA expansion cards through
software rather than by hand. (You must also run the
EISA Configuration Utility when installing or
removing Industry-Standard Architecture [ISA]
cards.) For more information, see Chapter 5, “Using
the EISA Configuration Utility.”

• Enhanced security features available through either

the System Setup program or the EISA Configura­tion Utility include a user password and a supervisor
password.

• Diagnostics for evaluating your computer’s compo-

nents and devices. For information on using the
diagnostics, see Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server
Assistant CD” or see the chapter titled “Running the
Diskette-Based Diagnostics” in your Diagnostics and
Troubleshooting Guide.

1-12 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide

Supported Operating Systems

Dell supports the following network operating systems
for use on PowerEdge 2100 systems:

• Microsoft

• Novell

Operating system software is not included with
PowerEdge 2100 systems. If you purchase the oper­ating system software from Dell, installation
instructions are included on the CD-ROM with the
operating system software.

NOTE: Installation services and support for other oper­ating systems are available through Dell Plus. Contact
Dell for more information.

®

Windows NT® Server 3.51 and 4.x

®

NetWare® 3.12, 4.x (and later versions)

drive access
indicators

power button

power indicator
(inside power button)

drive access
indicator

reset button

Front Panel

The following controls and indicators are located on the
computer’s front panel (see Figure 1-1):

• The power button on the front panel controls the alternat-

ing current (AC) input power to the system’s power
supply.

• The green power indicator in the center of the power

button lights when the power supply is turned on and the
system is receiving direct current (DC) power.

• When any SCSI device is being accessed, the drive

access indicator on the front panel lights.

• The reset button on the front panel saves wear and tear on

system components by allowing you to reboot (restart)
the computer without turning the power off and then on
again. For more information about using the reset button,
see “Reset Button” in Chapter 4.

NOTE: The power button and the reset button are
recessed into the computer’s front panel to prevent
accidentally turning off or resetting the computer
and losing valuable data.

Figure 1-1. Front Panel

Connecting External Devices

You can connect various external devices, such as a
mouse and printer, to the I/O ports and connectors on the
computer’s back panel. The system BIOS detects the
presence of external devices when you boot or reboot
your system. When connecting external devices to your
computer, follow these guidelines:

• Check the documentation that accompanied the

device for specific installation and configuration
instructions.

For example, most devices must be connected to a
particular I/O port or connector to operate properly.
Also, external devices like a mouse or printer usually
require you to load software files called device drivers
into memory before they will work. These software driv­ers help the computer recognize an external device and
direct its operation. Device drivers of this type are nor­mally included with your operating system software.

Introduction 1-13

• Always attach external devices while your computer is

turned off. Then turn on any external devices before turn-

ing on the computer unless the documentation for the
device specifies otherwise. (If the computer does not
seem to recognize the device, try turning on the computer
before turning on the device.)

For information about enabling, disabling, or configuring
I/O ports and connectors, see Chapter 4, “Using the Sys­tem Setup Program,” or Chapter 5, “Using the EISA
Configuration Utility.” For detailed descriptions and
illustrations of each port and connector on the I/O panel,
see “I/O Ports and Connectors” in Appendix B.

key

Preventing Unauthorized Access

Inside the Computer

To prevent unauthorized access to the inside of the com­puter, you can replace one of the screws that secure the
cover to the chassis with a special keylock screw that is
included with the system. A key, provided with the sys­tem, is required to install or remove the special keylock
screw, thus preventing anyone without access to the tool
from removing the computer cover (see Figure 1-2).

keylock
screw

Figure 1-2. Security Keylock

Getting Help

If at any time you don’t understand a procedure described
in this guide, or if your system does not perform as
expected, Dell provides a number of tools to help you.
For more information on these help tools, see the chapter
titled “Getting Help” in your Diagnostics and Trouble-
shooting Guide.

1-14 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide

Chapter 2

Using the Dell Server Assistant CD

This chapter describes the bootable Dell Server Assis-

tant CD and tells you how to use the utilities, diagnostics,

documentation, drivers, and other items included on the
CD. This chapter also describes how to install the video
drivers for supported operating systems and how to use
the asset tag utility provided on the CD.

Booting the CD

The system must be running to insert the CD. To boot
the CD, insert it into the PowerEdge 2100 system’s
CD-ROM drive and press the reset button. When the sys­tem boots, the CD main menu appears.

If the CD does not boot, check the following:

• In the System Setup program, the Onboard SCSI cat-

egory must be set to Scanned and the Boot Sequence
category must be set to A: then C: (see Chapter 4,
“Using the System Setup Program”).

• In the SCSISelect Utility, the Bios Support for Boot-

able CD-ROM category must be set to Enabled (see
Chapter 3, “Installing and Configuring SCSI
Drivers”).

CD Main Menu

The main menu of the CD includes the following catego­ries, each of which has one or more options. The
subsections that follow describe the options within each
main menu category. The main menu on your CD may
contain additional options.

Choose Language

• Deutsch

• English

• Espanol

• Francais

Configure the System

• Run EISA Configuration Utility

Run System Utilities

• Run System Diagnostics

Use Online Manuals

• Use the System User’s Guide

Create Diskettes

• Create Blank Formatted Diskette

• Create Utility Diskettes

— Create EISA Configuration Utility Diskette
— Create System Utility Diskette

• Create Operating System Support Diskettes

— Create Windows NT Server 3.51 Diskettes

– Create Driver Diskette

— Create Netware 4.x Diskettes

– Create Driver Diskette
– Create Adaptec EZ-SCSI Diskette

— Create Netware 3.12 Diskettes

– Create Driver Diskette

— Create Adaptec EZ-SCSI Diskette

Using the Dell Server Assistant CD 2-15

Choose Language

When the system boots, you are given the option of
choosing one of the following languages for the menus,
help screens, messages, and online documentation:

• German

• English

• Spanish

• French

After you choose a language, the main menu appears in
the chosen language.

Configure the System

The options within the Configure the System category
are used for configuring your system. The following sub­sections describe the options available in this category.

Run EISA Configuration Utility

This option allows you to run the EISA Configuration
Utility directly from the CD to ensure that the system is
properly configured for the remaining configuration
steps. See Chapter 5, “Using the EISA Configuration
Utility,” for instructions on running the EISA Configura­tion Utility.

In addition to being able to run the EISA Configuration
Utility directly from the CD, you can create a diskette (or
diskettes) and run the EISA Configuration Utility from
the diskette(s).

Run System Utilities

The options within the Run System Utilities category
allow you to run the system diagnostics and any other
utilities available on your CD. The following subsection
describes the option available in this category.

Run System Diagnostics

This option allows you to run the system hardware
diagnostics directly from the CD. Before running the
diagnostics from the CD, you should make a blank for­matted diskette and insert it in the diskette drive so the
diagnostics programs can record critical messages and
information as they execute. See “Create Blank Format­ted Diskette” found later in this chapter for instructions

on creating the necessary diskette. The system hardware
diagnostics are described in the Diagnostics and Trouble-
shooting Guide.

Use Online Manuals

The Use Online Manuals category includes all available
online manuals. Selecting one of the online manuals
launches the Adobe Acrobat viewer (included on the CD)
and allows you to view or print the online manual in the
language that you selected earlier.

NOTE: You can also copy the portable document format
(PDF) files from the CD and use them under your native
operating system.

The following subsections describe the options available
in this category.

Use the System User’s Guide

This option allows you to view or print the system User’s
Guide.

Create Diskettes

The Create Diskettes category allows you to create dis­kettes of system utilities and operating system-specific
drivers as well as blank formatted diskettes. The follow­ing subsections describe the options available in this
category.

Create Blank Formatted Diskette

This option allows you to create blank formatted
diskettes.

Create Utility Diskettes

This option allows you to create bootable utility diskettes
for running the EISA Configuration Utility and the asset
tag utility. The following subsections describe the choices
available with this option.

2-16 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide

Create EISA Configuration Utility Diskette

This option allows you to create a bootable EISA Config­uration Utility diskette (or diskettes). Dell recommends
running the EISA Configuration Utility from a diskette
so you can copy your configuration information to the
diskette any time you change system configuration
parameters.

Create System Utility Diskette

This option allows you to copy the asset tag utility from
the CD to a bootable diskette. For instructions on running
the asset tag utility, see “Asset Tag Utility” found later in
this chapter.

Create Operating System Support
Diskettes

This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
the software drivers for a specific operating system. You
can create a diskette of drivers for one of the following
supported operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51

• Novell NetWare 4.x (and 4.1 SMP)

• Novell NetWare 3.12

Drivers available on the CD include:

• Video drivers

• Small computer system interface (SCSI) drivers

• Network interface controller (NIC) drivers

NOTE: The Novell NetWare operating system does
not use video drivers, so they are not included when
you create a diskette of drivers for NetWare.

The following subsections describe the options available
in this category.

Create Windows NT Server 3.51 Diskettes

This option allows you to create a driver diskette for use
with Windows NT Server 3.51.

Create Driver Diskette

This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
video, SCSI, and NIC drivers for the Windows NT Ser­ver 3.51 operating system.

NOTE: Be sure to use the SCSI Driver diskettes created
from the Dell Server Assistant CD rather than the SCSI
drivers provided with the operating system.

Create NetWare 4.x Diskettes

This option allows you to create a driver diskette and an
Adaptec EZ-SCSI configuration utility diskette for use
with the Novell NetWare 4.x operating system. The fol­lowing subsections describe the choices available with
this option.

Create Driver Diskette

This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
SCSI and NIC drivers for the Novell NetWare 4.x operat­ing system.

NOTE: Be sure to use the SCSI Driver diskettes created
from the Dell Server Assistant CD rather than the SCSI
drivers provided with the operating system.

Create Adaptec EZ-SCSI Diskette

This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
the configuration utility for Adaptec SCSI controllers.
The configuration utility works with the optional
Adaptec AHA-2940UW and the built-in Adaptec 78xx
series SCSI controllers when used with the Novell Net­Ware 4.x operating system.

Create NetWare 3.12 Diskettes

This option allows you to create a driver diskette and an
Adaptec EZ-SCSI configuration utility diskette for use
with the Novell NetWare 3.12 operating system. The fol­lowing subsections describe the choices available with
this option.

Using the Dell Server Assistant CD 2-17

Create Driver Diskette

This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
SCSI and NIC drivers for the Novell NetWare 3.12 oper­ating system.

NOTE: Be sure to use the SCSI Driver diskettes created
from the Dell Server Assistant CD rather than the SCSI
drivers provided with the operating system.

Create Adaptec EZ-SCSI Diskette

This option allows you to create a diskette that contains
the configuration utility for Adaptec SCSI controllers.
The configuration utility works with the optional
Adaptec AHA-2940UW and the built-in Adaptec 78xx
series SCSI controllers when used with the Novell Net­Ware 3.12 operating system.

Video Drivers

You will need to install the video drivers for the operating
system you install on your PowerEdge 2100 system,
unless they were installed by Dell. Use the following pro­cedure to install the video drivers for Windows NT .
NetWare provides a textual interface and does not require
video drivers.

Installing Video Drivers for
Windows NT 3.51

See “Create Operating System Support Diskettes” found
earlier in this chapter for instructions on making a dis­kette of software drivers for Windows NT 3.51. After you
make the diskette of drivers, use the following procedure
to install the video drivers:

1. Insert the diskette of drivers into the diskette
drive on your system.

2. Run the Windows NT Display program located in
the Control Panel in the Main group.

3. Select Change Display Type.

4. Select Change from the display options; then
select Other.

5. When prompted for the correct path, type
a:\ATI and press <Enter>.

If the diskette is not in drive A, change the drive let­ter designation as appropriate.

After the system reads the diskette, it displays the
ATI Graphics Accelerators option.

6. Select the ATI Graphics Accelerators option;
then click Install.

Confirm your choice when prompted to do so, and
all appropriate files will be copied to the hard-disk
drive.

7. Restart Windows NT.

The system will start up using the ATI mach64 driv­ers in 640 x 480 mode and display an application that
allows you to choose a resolution.

The maximum resolutions supported by the built-in
ATI mach 64 video controller with 1 MB of video
memory are 640 x 480 pixels (16.7 million colors)
and 800 x 600 pixels (65,536 colors) (non­interlaced); and 1024 x 768 pixels (256 colors)
(interlaced).

NOTE: If you select a resolution that is not sup­ported by the ATI mach64 (264VT) video controller
with 1 MB of memory, the operating system will sub­stitute 640 x 480 in 256 colors.

Asset Tag Utility

The Asset Tag utility allows you to enter an asset tag
number for your computer. The default System Setup
screens (see Figure 4-1, for example) do not show the
asset tag number unless you enter one using this utility.

NOTE: The Asset Tag utility works only on systems run­ning MS-DOS®.

2-18 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide

Using the Asset Tag Utility

Use the following procedure to create a system utility
diskette and boot the system:

1. If you have not already done so, create a bootable
system utility diskette from the CD.

2. Insert the diskette in drive A, and reboot the
system.

After you boot the system with the system utility dis­kette, you can use the Asset Tag utility to enter an
asset tag number that you or your organization
assign to the computer. You can also use the Asset
Tag utility to reenter the computer’s service tag num­ber if that becomes necessary.

You can view the asset tag number using the System
Setup program as described in Chapter 4, “Using the
System Setup Program.”

Assigning and Deleting an Asset Tag
Number

An asset tag number can have up to ten characters; any
combination of characters, excluding spaces, is valid. To
assign or change an asset tag number, type asset and a
space followed by the new number; then press <Enter>.
For example, type the following command line and press
<Enter>:

asset 1234567890

When prompted to verify the asset tag number, type y
and press <Enter>. The system then displays the new or
modified asset tag number and the service tag number.

To delete the asset tag number without assigning a new
one, type asset /d and press <Enter>.

Table 2-1 lists the command line options you can use
with the Asset Tag utility. To use one of these options,
type asset and a space followed by the option.

.

Table 2-1. Asset Tag Command-Line Options

Asset Tag Option Description

/d Deletes the asset tag

number

/? Displays the Asset Tag

utility help screen

Using the Dell Server Assistant CD 2-19

2-20 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide

Chapter 3

Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers

This chapter describes how to install and configure the

Dell small computer system interface (SCSI) device driv­ers included with your Dell PowerEdge 2100 computer
system. These device drivers are designed to work with the
Adaptec AIC-7880 Ultra/Wide SCSI controller chip on the
system board.

Both the built-in AIC-7880 and the optional
AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card are all part of the
Adaptec 78xx series of SCSI controllers, and use the 78xx
series of SCSI drivers Dell provides. The Adaptec SCSI
basic input/output system (BIOS), which is stored in your
computer system’s flash memory or on the optional
AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card, links these SCSI
device drivers to the built-in AIC-7880 or the optional
AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card.

For instructions on installing SCSI hardware devices such
as hard-disk drives, tape drives, or CD-ROM drives, see
Chapter 8, “Installing Drives in the External Bays,” and
Chapter 9, “Installing Drives in the Internal Bays.” For
information on SCSI configuration guidelines (SCSI iden­tification [ID] numbers and termination requirements), see
“SCSI Configuration Guidelines” in Chapter 9.

After the SCSI devices you plan to use are installed, you
may need to install and configure one or more SCSI device
drivers so that your SCSI devices can communicate with
your operating system.

SCSI device drivers are provided for the following oper­ating systems:

• Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51

• Novell NetWare 3.12 and 4.x

See Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server Assistant CD,” for
instructions on creating a diskette of drivers for your
operating system. For instructions on configuring the
SCSI device drivers, see the appropriate sections in this
chapter.

The readme.txt File

The readme.txt file that is included with your SCSI
device drivers (in the \scsi directory on the CD) provides
updates to the information in this chapter.

Use the editor included with your operating system to
view or print the readme.txt file or any other readme
file.

The SCSISelect Utility

The BIOS for the built-in Adaptec AIC-7880 controller
includes the menu-driven SCSISelect configuration util­ity, which allows you to change SCSI controller settings
without opening the computer. SCSISelect also contains
SCSI disk utilities that let you low-level format or verify
the disk media of your SCSI hard-disk drives.

SCSISelect Default Settings

Default settings for the optional Adaptec AHA-2940UW
SCSI controller and the built-in AIC-7880 SCSI control­ler are shown in Table 3-1. These default settings are
appropriate for most Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) systems. Run SCSISelect only if you need to
change any of the default settings.

NOTE: The term host adapter is used throughout this
chapter to refer to the built-in AIC-7880 SCSI controller
or the optional AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card.

For situations in which you might want or need to change
the settings, see the descriptions of each setting in the fol­lowing subsections. To change any of the default settings
or to format or verify a disk, see “Starting the SCSISelect
Utility” found later in this chapter.

Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers 3-21

Table 3-1. Default SCSI Controller Settings

Setting Default

SCSI Bus Interface Definitions:

Host Adapter SCSI ID 7
SCSI Parity Checking Enabled
Host Adapter SCSI Termination Low On/High

On

Boot Device Options:

Boot Target ID 0
Boot LUN Number 0

SCSI Device/Configuration:

Initiate Sync Negotiation Yes (Enabled)
Maximum Sync Transfer Rate 40 Mb/sec
Enable Disconnection Yes (Enabled)
Initiate Wide Negotiation Yes (Enabled)
Send Start Unit Command Yes (Enabled)

Basic Host Adapter Settings

The basic host adapter settings are the SCSISelect set­tings most likely to require modification.

• Host Adapter SCSI ID. This option sets the host

adapter’s SCSI ID. The default setting is SCSI ID 7,
which allows the host adapter to support narrow
SCSI devices in addition to wide SCSI devices. Dell
recommends that you leave the host adapter set to
SCSI ID 7.

• SCSI Parity Checking. This option determines

whether the host adapter verifies the accuracy of data
transfer on the SCSI bus. The default setting is
Enabled. You should disable SCSI Parity Checking
if any SCSI device connected to the host adapter
does not support SCSI parity; otherwise, leave it
enabled. Most SCSI devices support SCSI parity. If
you are unsure if a device supports SCSI parity, con­sult the documentation for the device.

• Host Adapter SCSI Termination. This option sets ter-

mination on the host adapter. The default setting for
all Adaptec 78xx series host adapters is Low On/
High On. Dell recommends that you leave this
option set to the default.

Advanced Host Adapter:

Host Adapter BIOS Enabled

Support Removable Disks Under
BIOS as Fixed Disks

Extended BIOS Translation for
DOS Drivers > 1 GB

Display <Ctrl><a> Message
During BIOS Initialization

Multiple LUN Support Disabled
BIOS Support for Bootable

CD-ROM
BIOS Support for INT 13

Extensions
Support for Ultra SCSI Speed Enabled

NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym
used in this table, see the Glossary.

Boot Only

Enabled

Enabled

Enabled

Enabled

Boot Device Settings

The boot device settings allow you to specify the device
from which to boot your computer.

• Boot Target ID. This option specifies the SCSI ID of

the device from which you wish to boot your system.
The default setting is SCSI ID 0. The SCSI ID
selected here must correspond to the ID configured
on the boot device.

• Boot LUN Number. If your boot device has multiple

logical unit numbers (LUNs) and Multiple LUN
Support is enabled (see “Advanced Host Adapter
Settings” found later in this section), this option
allows you to specify a particular LUN from which
to boot on your boot device. The default setting is
LUN 0.

3-22 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide

SCSI Device Settings

The SCSI device settings allow you to configure certain
parameters for each device on the SCSI bus. To configure
a specific device, you must know the SCSI ID assigned to
that device. If you are not sure of the SCSI ID, see
“Using the SCSI Disk Utilities” found later in this
section.

• Initiate Sync Negotiation. This option determines

whether the host adapter initiates synchronous data
transfer negotiation (sync negotiation) between itself
and the device. The default setting is Yes.

The host adapter always responds to sync negotia­tion if the SCSI device initiates it. If neither the host
adapter nor the SCSI device initiates sync negotia­tion, data is transferred asynchronously.

Normally, you should leave the Initiate Sync Negoti­ation setting enabled, because most SCSI devices
support sync negotiation and because it allows for
faster data transfer.

NOTE: Some older SCSI-1 devices do not support
sync negotiation. This may cause your computer to
operate erratically or hang if Initiate Sync Negotia­tion is set to Yes. Set Initiate Sync Negotiation to No
for these devices.

• Maximum Sync Transfer Rate. This option sets the

maximum synchronous data transfer rate that the
host adapter supports. The host adapter supports
rates up to the maximum of 40 megabytes per second
(MB/sec). The default setting is 40 MB/sec (the
maximum).

If the host adapter is set to not negotiate for synchro­nous data transfer, the maximum synchronous
transfer rate is the maximum rate that the host
adapter accepts from the device during negotiation.
(This is standard SCSI protocol.)

• Enable Disconnection. This option (sometimes

called disconnect/reconnect) determines whether the
host adapter allows the SCSI device to disconnect
from the SCSI bus. Enabling disconnection allows
the host adapter to perform other operations on the
SCSI bus while the SCSI device is temporarily dis­connected. The default setting is Yes.

Leave Enable Disconnection set to Yes if two or
more SCSI devices are connected to the host adapter.
This optimizes SCSI bus performance. If only one

SCSI device is connected to the host adapter, set
Enable Disconnection to No to achieve slightly bet­ter performance.

• Initiate Wide Negotiation. This option determines

whether the host adapter attempts 16-bit data transfer
instead of 8-bit data transfer. The default setting is
Yes.

NOTE: Some 8-bit SCSI devices may have trouble
handling wide negotiation, which may result in
erratic behavior or a hang condition. For these
devices, set Initiate Wide Negotiation to No.

When this option is set to Yes, the host adapter
attempts 16-bit transfer. When this option is set to
No, 8-bit data transfer is used unless the SCSI device
itself requests wide negotiation. The effective trans­fer rate is doubled when 16-bit data transfer is used
because the data path for wide SCSI is twice the size
of normal 8-bit SCSI.

• Send Start Unit Command. This option determines

whether the start unit command is sent to the SCSI
device at boot. The default setting is Yes.

Setting this option to Yes reduces the load on your
computer’s power supply by allowing the host
adapter to start SCSI devices one at a time when you
boot your computer. When this option is set to No,
the devices are allowed to start at the same time.
Most devices require you to set a jumper before they
can respond to this command.

NOTE: For many devices, if Send Start Unit Com­mand is set to Yes, the boot time will vary depending
on how long it takes each drive to start.

Advanced Host Adapter Settings

The advanced host adapter settings should not be
changed unless absolutely necessary. Dell sets these val­ues and changing them may cause conflicts with the
SCSI devices.

• Host Adapter BIOS. This option enables or disables

the host adapter BIOS. The default setting is
Enabled.

NOTE: Several SCSISelect options are not valid
unless the host adapter BIOS is enabled.

If you are booting from a SCSI hard-disk drive con­nected to the host adapter, the BIOS must be enabled.

Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers 3-23

You should disable the host adapter BIOS if the
peripherals on the SCSI bus (for example, CD-ROM
drives) are all controlled by device drivers and do not
need the BIOS.

• Support Removable Disks Under BIOS as Fixed

Disks. This option controls which removable-media
drives are supported by the host adapter BIOS. The
default setting is Boot Only. The following choices
are available.

CAUTION: If a removable-media SCSI device is
controlled by the host adapter BIOS, do not
remove the media while the drive is on or you may
lose data. If you want to be able to remove media
while the drive is on, install your removable­media device driver and set this option to
Disabled.

— Boot Only. Only the removable-media drive

designated as the boot device is treated as a
hard-disk drive.

— All Disks. All removable-media drives sup-

ported by the BIOS are treated as hard-disk
drives.

— Disabled. No removable-media drives are

treated as hard-disk drives. In this situation,
software drivers are needed because the drives
are not controlled by the BIOS.

• Extended BIOS Translation for DO S Drives >1GB.

This option determines whether extended translation
is available for SCSI hard-disk drives with capacities
greater than 1 gigabyte (GB). The default setting is
Enabled.

CAUTION: Back up your hard-disk drive
before you change the translation scheme. All
data is erased when you change from one
translation scheme to another.

large as 8GB under the MS-DOS operating system
with a maximum partition size of 2 GB.

Extended BIOS translation is used only with
MS-DOS 5.0 or later. It is not necessary to enable
this if you are using another operating system such
as Novell NetWare.

When you partition a hard-disk drive larger than
1GB, use the MS-DOS fdisk utility as you normally
would. Because the cylinder size increases to 8 MB
under extended translation, the partition size you
choose must be a multiple of 8 MB. If you request a
size that is not a multiple of 8 MB, fdisk rounds up
to the nearest whole multiple of 8 MB.

• Display <Ctrl><a> Message During BIOS Initializa-

tion. This option determines whether the Press
<Ctrl><a> for SCSISelect (TM) Util­ity! message appears on your screen during system

start-up. The default setting is Enabled. If this setting
is disabled, you can still run the SCSISelect utility by
pressing <Ctrl><a> after the host adapter BIOS ban­ner appears.

• Multiple LUN Support. This option determines

whether your system supports booting from a SCSI
device that has multiple LUNs. The default setting is
Disabled. Enable this option if your boot device has
multiple LUNs.

• BIOS Support for Bootable CD-ROM. This option

determines whether the host adapter BIOS provides
support for booting from a CD-ROM drive. The
default setting is Enabled.

• BIOS Support for INT 13 Extensions. This option

determines whether the host adapter BIOS supports
disks with more than 1024 cylinders. The default set­ting is Enabled.

• Support for ULTRA SCSI Speed. This option deter-

mines whether the host adapter supports the fast
transfer rates (20.0 to 40.0 megabits per second
[Mbps]). The default setting is Enabled.

The standard translation scheme for SCSI host
adapters provides a maximum accessible capacity of
1 GB. To support hard-disk drives larger than 1 GB,
the 78xx series host adapters include an extended
translation scheme that supports hard-disk drives as

3-24 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide

Starting the SCSISelect Utility

You can start the SCSISelect utility by pressing
<Ctrl><a> when the following prompt appears briefly at
boot time:

Press <Ctrl><a> for SCSISelect (TM)
Utility!

The first menu displays the Configure/View Host
Adapter Settings and SCSI Disk Utilities options.

Using SCSISelect Menus

SCSISelect uses menus to list options you can select. To
select an option, use the up- and down-arrow keys to
move the cursor to the option; then press <Enter>.

In some cases, selecting an option displays another menu.
You can return to the previous menu at any time by press­ing <Esc>. To restore the original SCSISelect default
values, press <F6>.

Using the SCSI Disk Utilities

To access the SCSI disk utilities, select the SCSI Disk
Utilities option from the menu that appears when you
start SCSISelect. Once the option is selected, SCSISelect
immediately scans the SCSI bus (to determine the
devices installed) and displays a list of all SCSI IDs and
the devices assigned to each ID.

When you select a specific ID and device, a small menu
appears, displaying the Format Disk and Verify Disk
Media options.

• Format Disk. This option runs a utility that allows

you to perform a low-level format on a hard-disk
drive. Most SCSI disk drives are formatted at the
factory and do not need to be formatted again. The
Adaptec Format Disk utility is compatible with the
vast majority of SCSI disk drives.

.

CAUTION: The Format Disk option destroys
all data on the hard-disk drive.

• Verify Disk Media. This option runs a utility that

allows you to scan the media of a hard-disk drive for
defects. If the utility finds bad blocks on the media, it
prompts you to reassign them; if you select Yes,
those blocks are no longer used. You can press
<Esc> at any time to exit the utility.

Exiting SCSISelect

To exit SCSISelect, press <Esc> until a message prompts
you to exit. (If you changed any 78xx series host adapter
settings, you are prompted to save the changes before you
exit.) At the prompt, select Yes to exit, and then press any

key to reboot the computer. Any changes you made in
SCSISelect take effect after the computer boots. (You can
select No at the prompt if you are not ready to exit
SCSISelect.)

Installation for Microsoft Win-

dows NT

Read this section to find out about Windows NT operat­ing system installation, including:

• Installing and/or updating the SCSI drivers for the

Windows NT operating system

• Removing a host adapter

• Swapping a host adapter

• Restoring a configuration if Windows NT fails to

boot

Installation Overview

This section provides the information needed to install
and use the Dell SCSI drivers for the 78xx series of SCSI
controllers with the Windows NT operating system.

The Windows NT 3.51 driver diskette you create for the
Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51 operating system
contains the files needed for driver installation. The \scsi
subdirectory on the diskette contains the following files
to be used with Windows NT 3.51:

• aic78xx.sys — Adaptec’s 78xx Family driver for

Windows NT

• oemsetup.inf — A file used by Windows NT Setup

for driver installation

• readme.txt — A text file describing the Adaptec

78xx driver for Windows NT

If you are performing a first-time Windows NT
installation, see the following subsection, “Installing
Windows NT 3.51 and the Driver,” to begin driver
installation. If Windows NT is already installed in your
system, see “Using Windows NT to Install or Update the
Driver” found later in this section.

Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers 3-25

Installing Windows NT 3.51 and the
Driver

This section describes how to install the aic78xx.sys
driver at the same time you install Windows NT 3.51. If
Windows NT 3.51 is already installed and you wish to
install or update the aic78xx.sys driver, see “Using Win­dows NT to Install or Update the Driver,” found later in
this section.

Performing a Windows NT 3.51 Installation

Follow these instructions only if you are installing
Windows NT 3.51 for the first time. You can install
Windows NT 3.51 from a diskette drive or from a
CD-ROM drive; whichever you choose, make sure the
hardware installation is completed prior to following
these steps.

NOTE: An older version of the aic78xx.sys driver is
included in the Windows NT installation diskettes (or on
the CD-ROM). To avoid loading the older driver during
Windows NT installation, use the following procedure to
install the new driver included on the driver diskette you
create from the Dell Server Assistant CD.

1. If you choose to install Windows NT from a dis­kette drive, locate the Windows NT Disk 1 for
Floppy Installation diskette. Make a backup copy
of this diskette.

If you are installing from a CD-ROM drive, locate
the Windows NT Setup Disk 1 for CD-ROM Installa-
tion diskette. Make a backup copy of this diskette.

2. Put the backup diskette into drive A, and turn on
your system. When prompted, insert the Windows
NT Setup Disk 2 diskette.

3. From the Welcome to Setup screen, press
<Enter> to set up Windows NT.

4. When prompted for the setup method, select
Custom.

5. Press <Enter> to continue.

Insert the Windows NT Setup Disk 3 diskette when
prompted to do so.

6. After a period of time, Windows NT Setup
displays all recognized SCSI controllers. If no
SCSI controllers are found, Windows NT Setup

displays none. Type to configure additional
SCSI controllers.

7. Expand the list of additional SCSI controllers,
select Other, and press <Enter>.

The Other option is at the end of a long list of SCSI
controllers and is highlighted.

8. Insert into drive A the Windows NT 3.51 driver
diskette you created, enter the following path to
the installation files, and then click OK.

a:\scsi

9. The screen displays the adapter drivers sup­ported on the diskette. The Adaptec
AHA-2940UW/AIC-78xx (PCI) NT 3.51 driver is
highlighted by default; press <Enter> to select
this driver.

10. If you want to add other SCSI controllers (not
part of the Adaptec 78xx series), do so at this time
by repeating steps 7 though 9 for each additional
adapter, inserting the appropriate diskette
provided by the hardware manufacturer. Because
all Adaptec 78xx series SCSI controllers use the
same driver, you configure all Adaptec SCSI con­trollers at the same time.

11. Press <Enter> to continue with the Windows NT
operating system setup. Follow the instructions
on the screen and in the Windows NT installation
documentation.

Performing a Windows NT 4.0 Installation

The Windows NT 4.0 operating system has SCSI drivers
for the Adaptec 78xx series of SCSI controllers integrated
into the operating system. When you load the operating
system software, the drivers are automatically loaded.

Using Windows NT to Install or Update
the Driver

This section describes how to install or update the
aic78xx.sys driver if Windows NT 3.51 is already
installed. If you are installing Windows NT 3.51 for the
first time, see “Installing Windows NT 3.51 and the
Driver” found earlier in this section.

3-26 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide

Installing or Updating the Driver With Win­dows NT 3.51

Follow these instructions only if Windows NT 3.51 is
already installed:

1. Select and start the Windows NT Setup program.
(Its icon is usually found in the Main program
group.) There is a brief pause while Windows NT
Setup scans your hardware configuration.

2. Select the Options pull-down menu, and then
select Add/Remove SCSI Adapters. The SCSI
Adapter setup program displays a list of all host
adapters currently installed.

If you are installing the driver for the first time, skip
to step 5.

If you are updating the driver, continue to step 3.

3. Before you can update the driver, you must first
remove the existing driver. Select the host adapter
you want to remove (for example, the Adaptec
AIC-78xx SCSI controller), and click Remove.
When the Windows NT Setup program asks you
for confirmation, click OK.

Because SCSI device drivers are loaded during sys­tem start-up and because they may be needed to load
Windows NT itself, the following warning message
may appear:

Removing SCSI Adapters may prevent
Windows NT from starting correctly.

4. When you are sure you are removing the correct
host adapter driver, click OK.

5. Click Add to add another host adapter type to the
list. A list of additional SCSI adapters appears.

6. Expand the list of additional SCSI adapters;
select Other and press <Enter>.

7. Insert the Windows NT 3.51 driver diskette you
created into drive A, enter the following path to
the installation files, and then click OK.

a:\scsi

8. The screen displays the adapter drivers sup­ported on the diskette. The Adaptec
AHA-2940UW/AIC-78xx (PCI) NT 3.51 driver is
highlighted by default; click OK. The driver is
added to the list of SCSI adapters.

9. Select Adaptec AHA-2940UW/AIC-78xx (PCI)
NT 3.51 from the list of SCSI adapters, and click
Install.

At this point, Windows NT Setup checks to see if the
specified driver (aic78xx.sys) has already been cop­ied to the hard-disk drive.

10. If the following message appears, click New to
replace the existing driver and go to step 12.

The driver(s) for this SCSI Adapter are
already on the system. Do you want to
use the currently installed driver(s)
or install new one(s).

If the following message appears, continue to
step 11:

Please <Enter> the full path to the
Windows NT SCSI Adapter files.

11. Change the path to the directory with the desired
device driver (for example, a:\scsi); then click
Continue.

The device driver is copied to your hard-disk drive
and the Windows NT configuration is updated so
that the new device driver loads when Windows NT
reboots.

12. When the installation is complete, Windows NT
Setup again displays a list of currently installed
host adapter types. Verify that the new host
adapter appears on the list; the string should look
similar to:

Adaptec AHA-2940UW/AIC-78xx (PCI) NT
v3.5x

13. If you want to add other host adapters (that are
not part of the Adaptec 78xx series), do so at this
time by repeating steps 6 through 8 for each addi­tional adapter, inserting the appropriate diskette
provided by the hardware manufacturer. Because
all Adaptec 78xx series host adapters use the
same driver, you configure all Adaptec host
adapters at the same time.

14. Click Close to exit the SCSI adapters portion of
Windows NT Setup, and then close the program.

Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers 3-27

15. When you see the following message, click OK to
exit:

The changes you have made will not take
effect until the computer is restarted.

If this message does not appear, no changes have
been made to the Windows NT system
configuration.

16. Restart your computer and Windows NT. Some
drive letter assignments may have changed from
the previous configuration.

Removing a Host Adapter

Removing a PCI expansion-card SCSI controller is as
simple as physically removing it from its slot when your
computer is shut down. Windows NT boots and functions
properly in this configuration, but a warning message is
generated every time you boot Windows NT.

CAUTION: If you have removed a host adapter
but still have other host adapters of the same type
installed in your computer, do not use Windows NT
Setup to remove the device driver.

To eliminate the warning message, you must update the
Windows NT software configuration as follows:

1. Select and start the Windows NT Setup program.
There is a brief pause while Windows NT Setup
scans your hardware configuration.

2. Select the Options pull-down menu, and then
select Add/Remove SCSI Adapters. The SCSI
Adapter setup program displays a list of all host
adapters currently installed.

3. Select the host adapter you want to remove, and
click Remove. When the Windows NT Setup pro­gram asks you for confirmation, click OK.

Because SCSI device drivers are loaded during sys­tem start-up and because they may be needed to load
Windows NT itself, a screen may appear warning
you that Windows NT may not start if you remove
the SCSI adapter.

4. When you are sure you are removing the correct
host adapter type, click OK.

5. Return to step 3 if you want to remove driver sup­port for other types of host adapters, or click
Close to exit the SCSI adapters portion of Win­dows NT Setup.

6. Close the Windows NT Setup program. When the
following message appears, click OK to exit:

The changes you have made will not take
effect until the computer is restarted.

If this message does not appear, no changes have been
made to the Windows NT system configuration.

7. Restart your computer.

NOTE: The Windows NT Setup program does not delete
the device driver from your hard-disk drive; it only
updates Windows NT software configuration information
so that the device driver is no longer loaded during sys­tem start-up.

Swapping a Host Adapter

The procedure for swapping one type of host adapter for
another is similar to the procedure for adding a host
adapter, except that you make all software configuration
changes while Windows NT is running, before you make
the hardware changes.

1. Install the driver for the new host adapter by fol­lowing the steps in “Installing or Updating the
Driver With Windows NT 3.51” found earlier in
this section.

It is not essential to remove the device driver for the
host adapter you are replacing. Windows NT dynam­ically detects the absence or presence of host adapter
hardware, and no problems should arise if you leave
the existing device driver installed. You can remove
the device driver later, after you have successfully
rebooted Windows NT. However, if you leave the
driver in, the system alerts you with an error mes­sage about the extra device driver every time you
boot. See “Removing a Host Adapter” found earlier
in this section.

2. Once the new device driver is installed, shut down
Windows NT and replace the existing host
adapter.

3. Restart your computer and Windows NT. Some
drive letter assignments may have changed from
the previous configuration.

3-28 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide

Troubleshooting for Windows NT

The boot manager for Windows NT contains recovery
logic to allow you to return to the last known good
configuration. If you have changed your host adapter
configuration and Windows NT no longer boots, follow
these steps to recover:

1. Undo any hardware changes you have made to
the computer since it was last operational.

2. Reboot the computer. Watch the display carefully
during start-up. If the following message appears,
press the <Spacebar> and follow the instructions
on the screen to continue booting with the last
known good configuration:

Press spacebar NOW to invoke the Last
Known Good menu

3. Once your computer is operational again, check
all of the hardware and software configuration
changes you want to make. Look specifically for
conflicts with parts of the existing system configu­ration that are not being changed.

If you cannot determine the source of the error, contact
Dell for assistance. See Chapter 8, “Getting Help,” in the
Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide for instructions
on contacting Dell for technical assistance.

Installation for Novell NetWare

Read this section to find out about the NetWare operating
system installation, including:

• Installing the EZ-SCSI utility

• Calculating the slot number

• Installing and/or updating the Dell SCSI driver for

NetWare

• Using command line options that can be specified

when the driver is loaded

• Automatic driver loading using startup.ncf and

autoexec.ncf

• Booting a NetWare server from a SCSI drive, for-

matting media, and using removable media

• Error messages generated during initialization

Installation Overview

This section provides the information needed to install
and use the Dell SCSI drivers for NetWare 3.12 and 4.x.
The Dell SCSI drivers for NetWare support the optional
Adaptec AHA-2940UW and all Adaptec 78xx series
SCSI controllers.

Before you begin installation of the SCSI drivers for
Novell NetWare, you must create a diskette of drivers for
the version of NetWare you are using (3.12 or 4.x) and a
diskette that contains the Adaptec EZ-SCSI utility. Chap­ter 2, “Using the Dell Server Assistant CD,” provides
instructions for creating these diskettes.

NOTE: Be sure to use the SCSI Driver diskettes created
from the Dell Server Assistant CD rather than the SCSI
drivers provided with the operating system.

The Dell SCSI drivers for NetWare are fully NetWare­tested and approved. The NetWare \scsi subdirectory on
the NetWare 3.12 drivers diskette you create contains
files to be used with NetWare 3.12. The \scsi subdirectory
on the NetWare 4.x drivers diskette you create contains
files to be used with NetWare 4.x. The following files
appear in the \scsi subdirectories on both NetWare driver
diskettes:

• readme.txt — An American Standard Code for

Information Interchange (ASCII) text file describing
Adaptec’s drivers for NetWare

• aic7870.dsk — Adaptec’s 78xx Family driver for

NetWare

• aspitran.dsk — Adaptec’s ASPI

driver for NetWare

®

transport layer

• aspicd.dsk — Adaptec’s device driver for a

CD-ROM drive

In addition, the \scsi subdirectory on your NetWare 4.x
drivers diskette contains the following files:

• aic7870.ddi — A driver definition information file

to provide setup information to NetWare during
installation; NetWare can then prompt you with
parameters to be configured for the device driver
during the installation process.

• aspicd.ddi — A device driver definition file.

• aspitran.ddi — A device driver definition file.

Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers 3-29

To begin driver installation, first load the EZ-SCSI utility
as described in the following subsection “Installing
EZ-SCSI,” and then calculate the slot number as
described in “Calculating the Slot Number” found later in
this section. Then if you are performing a first-time Net­Ware installation, see “Installing NetWare and the
Driver” found later in this section. If NetWare is already
installed in your system, see “Using NetWare to Update
or Install the Driver” found later in this section.

NOTE: Your system must have a complete version of
MS-DOS (version 6.2x) installed before you can com­plete the Novell NetWare installation.

Installing EZ-SCSI

The Adaptec EZ-SCSI utility automatically configures the
computer to use an Adaptec SCSI host adapter and the
devices connected to it. The Adaptec EZ-SCSI utility also
copies applications and device drivers to the computer’s
hard-disk drive. The configuration and installation process
is explained with a series of screens. In most cases, the
computer and SCSI devices are configured to take full
advantage of all the performance benefits of SCSI when
you accept the default values suggested by these screens.

Follow these steps to install the Adaptec EZ-SCSI utility:

1. If you have not already done so, create an
Adaptec EZ-SCSI diskette for the version of Net­Ware you are using.

Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server Assistant CD,”
provides instructions for creating this diskette.

2. Insert your Adaptec EZ-SCSI diskette into
drive A.

3. Type dosinst and press <Enter>. A message
appears while the EZ-SCSI utility loads into
memory.

4. When the first EZ-SCSI screen appears, read the
text carefully.

You can press <F1> on any screen for additional
help. (Press <Esc> to exit a Help screen.)

5. Press <Enter> to continue with the installation.

6. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
Press <Enter> at every screen to accept the
EZ-SCSI default values.

If you accept all the default values, the EZ-SCSI util­ity copies the files from the diskette to the c:\scsi
directory. (The EZ-SCSI utility creates this directory
if the directory does not already exist.) The EZ-SCSI
utility also adds command lines to your computer’s
configuration files (autoexec.bat and/or config.sys)
that will load the required device drivers into mem­ory when you boot your computer.

Press <Esc> to continue after the EZ-SCSI utility
enters changes to your system configuration files.

If you want to copy the files to a different directory
or control the changes to your configuration files,
follow the instructions on the screen. Press <F1> on
any screen to see more information.

NOTE: If the EZ-SCSI utility is unable to locate the
mscdex.exe file in the c:\dos directory, it will prompt
for a pathname to access this file. (Without this file,
the utility cannot access the computer’s CD-ROM
drive.)

When the message (Adaptec EZ-SCSI has
been successfully installed…)appears

on the screen, press <Enter> or <Esc> to exit the EZ­SCSI utility, and remove the Adaptec EZ-SCSI dis­kette from the drive. Then reboot your computer by
pressing <Ctrl><Alt><Del>.

Calculating the Slot Number

The slot number is used to uniquely identify each
Adaptec 78xx Family host adapter installed in your sys­tem. To properly load the driver for each Adaptec 78xx
host adapter, you will need to calculate the slot number in
order to include it as part of the load command line.

NOTE: The Novell NetWare operating system will auto­matically calculate the slot number for you if you are
installing only one expansion card. If you are installing
multiple expansion cards, use the following procedure to
calculate the slot number.

3-30 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s Guide