Digital Equipment AlphaServer 800 User Manual
AlphaServer 800
User’s Guide
Order Number: EK–ASV80–UG. B01
This manual is intended for the user of the DIGITAL AlphaServer
800 server system. It describes the operation of the system, explains
the use of the SRM and the AlphaBIOS consoles, gives procedures
for component replacements, and discusses troubleshooting.
Digital Equipment Corporation
Maynard, Massachusetts
Second Printing, November 1997. Revised.
Digital Equipment Corporation makes no representations that the use of its products in the
manner described in this publication will not infringe on existing or future patent rights, nor
do the descriptions contained in this publication imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or
sell equipment or software in accordance with the description.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be
construed as a commitment by Digital Equipment Corporation. Digital Equipment Corporation
assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.
The software, if any, described in this document is furnished under a license and may be used
or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license. No responsibility is assumed for
the use or reliability of software or equipment that is not supplied by Digital Equipment
Corporation or its affiliated companies.
Copyright 1997 by Digital Equipment Corporation. All rights reserved.
The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: AlphaServer, OpenVMS,
StorageWorks, VAX, and the DIGITAL logo.
The following are third-party trademarks: Lifestyle 28.8 DATA/FAX Modem is a trademark
of Motorola, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries, licensed
exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd. U.S. Robotics and Sportster are registered
trademarks of U.S. Robotics. Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft, Inc. All other
trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
FCC Notice: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio and
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver
is connected
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and, (2) this device must
accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Any changes or modifications made to this equipment may void the user’s authority to operate
this equipment.
If shielded cables have been supplied or specified, they must be used on the system in order to
maintain international regulatory compliance.
This Class B digital apparatus meets all the requirements of the Canadian InterferenceCausing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Réglement sur le
matériel broilleur du Canada.
——————————————————————————————————————
v
Contents
Preface............................................................................................................ xiii
Chapter 1 Overview
1.1 System Architecture .................................................................................1-2
1.2 System Features .......................................................................................1-4
1.3 System Parts.............................................................................................1-6
1.4 Control Panel ...........................................................................................1-8
1.5 Rear Panel Connections..........................................................................1-11
1.6 Storage Device LEDs .............................................................................1-13
1.7 Console..................................................................................................1-15
1.8 System Options ......................................................................................1-16
1.9 System Specifications.............................................................................1-18
1.10 Acoustical Data......................................................................................1-21
Chapter 2 Installing a System into a Cabinet
2.1 Shipment Box...........................................................................................2-2
2.2 Preparing the System................................................................................2-4
2.3 Marking the Installation Area in the Cabinet ............................................2-6
2.4 Preparing the Cabinet ...............................................................................2-8
2.5 Installing the System ..............................................................................2-10
2.6 Installing the Cable Management Bracket ..............................................2-12
2.7 Installing the Interlock Mechanism.........................................................2-14
2.8 Connecting the Cables............................................................................2-16
vi
Chapter 3 Installing the System
3.1 System Setup Overview............................................................................3-1
3.2 Selecting a System Location.....................................................................3-1
3.2.1 Environmental Conditions .................................................................3-2
3.2.2 Power Requirements..........................................................................3-3
3.3 Identifying Accessories ............................................................................3-4
3.4 Connecting the System.............................................................................3-5
3.5 Connecting to Network Hardware ............................................................3-6
3.6 Locking Your System...............................................................................3-7
Chapter 4 Operating the System
4.1 Powering Up the System ..........................................................................4-2
4.4 Booting Windows NT.............................................................................4-10
4.5 Booting the Operating System for the First Time ....................................4-12
4.6 Powering Off the System........................................................................4-15
Chapter 5 Reconfiguring the System
5.1 AlphaBIOS Console Configuration Options .............................................5-2
5.2 SRM Console Configuration Commands ..................................................5-4
5.3 Memory Configuration.............................................................................5-8
5.4 Network Configuration.............................................................................5-9
5.5 EISA and ISA Options ...........................................................................5-11
5.6 EISA Configuration Utility (ECU) ......................................................... 5-13
5.7 Configuring EISA and ISA Options........................................................5-14
5.7.1 Running ECU..................................................................................5-15
5.7.2 Checking Required Environment Variable Settings ......................... 5-16
5.7.3 Verifying the System Configuration ................................................5-17
5.8 PCI Option Cards ...................................................................................5-18
5.9 Determining SCSI Storage Device IDs ................................................... 5-19
5.10 Updating Firmware ................................................................................5-21
5.10.1 Updating Firmware Using the CD-ROM Drive................................5-22
5.10.2 Updating Firmware Using the Network ...........................................5-23
5.10.3 Updating Firmware Using the Diskette Drive .................................. 5-23
Chapter 6 Using the SRM Console
6.1 Invoking the SRM Console.......................................................................6-1
6.2 SRM Console Tasks.................................................................................6-2
6.2.1 Displaying the System Configuration ................................................6-3
6.2.2 Booting the Operating System ...........................................................6-8
6.2.3 Testing the System ..........................................................................6-10
6.2.4 Forcing a System Crash Dump ........................................................ 6-12
vii
6.2.5 Changing Environment Variables .................................................... 6-13
6.2.6 Depositing and Examining Data ...................................................... 6-16
6.2.7 Reading a File .................................................................................6-19
6.2.8 Initializing the System .....................................................................6-20
6.2.9 Finding Help ...................................................................................6-22
6.2.10 Switching from SRM to the AlphaBIOS Console.............................6-23
6.3 SRM Console Security Features .............................................................6-24
6.3.1 The Set Secure Command ...............................................................6-24
6.3.2 The Set Password Command ...........................................................6-24
6.3.3 The Login Command.......................................................................6-25
6.3.4 The Clear Password Command........................................................6-25
6.4 SRM Commands....................................................................................6-26
6.5 Environment Variables...........................................................................6-31
Chapter 7 Using the AlphaBIOS Console
7.1 Starting AlphaBIOS .................................................................................7-2
7.2 Keyboard Conventions and Help ..............................................................7-4
7.3 Displaying the System Configuration .......................................................7-6
7.3.1 System Board Configuration..............................................................7-8
7.3.2 Hard Disk Configuration .................................................................7-10
7.3.3 PCI Configuration ...........................................................................7-12
7.3.4 EISA Configuration.........................................................................7-15
7.3.5 SCSI Configuration .........................................................................7-16
7.3.6 Memory Configuration ....................................................................7-18
7.3.7 Integrated Peripherals......................................................................7-19
7.4 Updating Firmware ................................................................................7-20
7.5 Setting Up the Hard Disk........................................................................7-22
7.5.1 Manually Creating and Deleting Partitions ......................................7-26
7.5.2 Formatting a FAT Partition..............................................................7-28
7.6 Performing Setup Tasks.......................................................................... 7-30
7.7 Installing Windows NT ..........................................................................7-34
7.8 Running a Configuration Utility .............................................................7-36
7.9 Selecting the Version of Windows NT.................................................... 7-38
7.9.1 Designating a Primary Operating System.........................................7-40
7.9.2 Primary Operating System and the Auto Start Option ......................7-42
7.10 Switching from AlphaBIOS to the SRM Console ...................................7-46
7.11 Setting Up Password Protection..............................................................7-48
7.12 Running AlphaBIOS from a Serial Terminal ..........................................7-50
Chapter 8 Server Management
8.1 Operating the System Remotely ...............................................................8-2
8.2 RMC Functions........................................................................................8-3
8.3 First Time Setup.......................................................................................8-5
viii
8.4 Resetting the RMC to Factory Defaults ....................................................8-9
8.5 Remote Management Console Commands..............................................8-10
8.6 RMC Troubleshooting Tips....................................................................8-21
Chapter 9 Using the Hard Disks
9.1 SCSI Bus Controller.................................................................................9-1
9.2 Configuration...........................................................................................9-1
9.3 External SCSI Expansion .........................................................................9-4
Chapter 10 Installing Components
10.1 Preparing to Install or Remove Components ...........................................10-2
10.2 Removing and Installing Memory DIMMs .............................................10-6
10.3 Removing and Installing Option Cards ................................................... 10-9
10.3.1 Installing and Removing an Option Card .......................................10-10
10.3.2 Testing an Option Card Installation ...............................................10-13
10.4 Installing Storage Devices ....................................................................10-15
10.4.1 Installing and Removing a Hard Drive...........................................10-16
10.4.2 Installing a 5.25-Inch Device .........................................................10-18
10.4.3 Installing SCSI Controller Options ................................................ 10-21
10.5 Removing/Replacing Other Options .....................................................10-26
Chapter 11 Troubleshooting
11.1 Troubleshooting Overview .....................................................................11-2
11.2 System Diagnostics ................................................................................11-4
11.2.1 Interpreting Error Beep Codes .........................................................11-4
11.2.2 Reading the Console Event Log....................................................... 11-6
11.2.3 The test Command .......................................................................... 11-6
11.2.4 The show_status Command .............................................................11-7
11.3 Power Problems .....................................................................................11-8
11.4 Console Problems...................................................................................11-9
11.5 Boot Problems......................................................................................11-10
11.6 Problems Detected by the Operating System ........................................11-12
11.7 Storage Problems .................................................................................11-13
11.8 Option Card Problems ..........................................................................11-15
11.9 Monitor and Terminal Problems ...........................................................11-18
11.10 Keyboard and Mouse Problems ............................................................ 11-20
11.11 Printer Problems...................................................................................11-22
11.12 Overheating Problems ..........................................................................11-22
11.13 Using the Fail-Safe Loader...................................................................11-23
11.14 Hard Disk Troubleshooting Suggestions...............................................11-25
ix
Examples
4–1 DIGITAL UNIX and OpenVMS Power-Up Display.................................4-3
4–2 Booting DIGITAL UNIX from a Local Device ........................................4-6
4–3 Booting OpenVMS...................................................................................4-8
5–1 System Configuration Display..................................................................5-2
5–2 Show Config Command ...........................................................................5-4
5–3 Show Device Command ...........................................................................5-6
5–4 Show Memory Command.........................................................................5-6
5–5 Set and Show Commands .........................................................................5-7
5–6 Determining Device IDs.........................................................................5-20
6–1 Show Config Command ...........................................................................6-3
6–2 Show Device Command ...........................................................................6-4
6–3 Show Memory Command.........................................................................6-6
6–4 Show PAL Command...............................................................................6-7
6–5 Show Version Command..........................................................................6-7
6–6 Boot Command ........................................................................................6-8
6–7 Test Command.......................................................................................6-10
6–8 Crash Command.....................................................................................6-12
6–9 Set envar and Show envar Commands.................................................... 6-13
6–10 Edit Command .......................................................................................6-15
6–11 Deposit Command..................................................................................6-16
6–12 Examine Command................................................................................6-16
6–13 More Command .....................................................................................6-19
6–14 Initialize Command................................................................................6-20
6–15 Help (or Man) Command ......................................................................6-22
6–16 Switching to the AlphaBIOS Console.....................................................6-23
10-1 The show config Command Display .....................................................10-14
11–1 Test Command.......................................................................................11-7
Figures
1-1 Block Diagram of the AlphaServer 800 Server System .............................1-2
1-2 AlphaServer 800 System Parts..................................................................1-6
1-3 Control Panel ...........................................................................................1-8
1-4 Rear Panel Connections..........................................................................1-11
1-5 Hard Disk Drive LEDs ...........................................................................1-13
1-6 Floppy Drive Activity LED ....................................................................1-14
1-7 CD-ROM Drive Activity LED................................................................1-14
2-1 Unpacking the Rackmount System ...........................................................2-2
2-2 Preparing the System for Rackmount........................................................2-4
2-3 Rackmount Installation Area ....................................................................2-6
2-4 Preparing the Cabinet for Rackmount .......................................................2-8
2-5 Installing the System ..............................................................................2-10
x
2-6 Installing the Cable Management Bracket ..............................................2-12
2-7 Installing the Interlock Mechanism.........................................................2-14
2-8 Cable Loop at the Rear of the System .....................................................2-16
3-1 System Dimensions and Service Area.......................................................3-2
3-2 Power Supply Requirements.....................................................................3-3
3-3 System Accessories..................................................................................3-4
3-4 System Connections .................................................................................3-5
3-5 Network Connections...............................................................................3-6
3-6 System Lock and Key...............................................................................3-7
4-1 Windows NT Power-Up Display ..............................................................4-2
4-2 AlphaBIOS Boot Screen.........................................................................4-10
5-1 Memory Banks.........................................................................................5-8
5-2 Network Connections...............................................................................5-9
5-3 EISA and ISA Cards...............................................................................5-11
5-4 EISA, ISA, and PCI Option Slots ...........................................................5-12
5-5 Run ECU from Floppy Dialog Box.........................................................5-15
5-6 PCI Option Card..................................................................................... 5-18
6-1 Device Naming Convention .....................................................................6-5
7–1 Boot Screen..............................................................................................7-2
7–2 AlphaBIOS Setup Screen .........................................................................7-3
7–3 Typical First-Level Help Screen ...............................................................7-4
7–4 Second-Level Help Screen .......................................................................7-5
7–5 Display System Configuration Screen ......................................................7-6
7–6 System Board Configuration ....................................................................7-8
7–7 Hard Disk Configuration ........................................................................ 7-10
7–8 PCI Configuration ..................................................................................7-12
7–9 Advanced PCI Information.....................................................................7-14
7–10 EISA Configuration................................................................................ 7-15
7–11 SCSI Configuration................................................................................7-16
7–12 Memory Configuration...........................................................................7-18
7–13 Integrated Peripherals............................................................................. 7-19
7–14 Updating Firmware ................................................................................7-20
7–15 Hard Disk Setup Screen..........................................................................7-22
7–16 Create New Partition Dialog Box ........................................................... 7-26
7–17 Delete Partition Dialog Box ...................................................................7-27
7–18 Formatting a FAT Partition .................................................................... 7-28
7–19 Standard Formatting...............................................................................7-29
7–20 Standard CMOS Setup Screen ................................................................7-30
7–21 Advanced CMOS Setup Screen ..............................................................7-32
7–22 Installing Windows NT ..........................................................................7-34
7–23 Run Maintenance Program Dialog Box ..................................................7-36
7-24 Execute Run Maintenance Program ........................................................7-37
7–25 Operating System Selections ..................................................................7-38
7–26 Primary Operating System......................................................................7-40
xi
7–27 Operating System Selection Setup ..........................................................7-42
7–28 Switching to the SRM Console...............................................................7-46
7–29 Advanced CMOS Setup Menu................................................................7-48
8-1 Remote Management Console Block Diagram .........................................8-2
9-1 SCSI Drive IDs ........................................................................................9-2
9-2 RAID Cable for Hard Disk Drives............................................................9-3
10-1 Removing/Replacing Side Panel on a Pedestal .......................................10-2
10-2 Attaching the Antistatic Wrist Strap .......................................................10-4
10-3 Removing/Replacing Top Cover on a Rackmount ..................................10-5
10-4 Memory Connector Layout.....................................................................10-6
10-5 Removing a Memory DIMM..................................................................10-7
10-6 Installing a Memory DIMM ...................................................................10-8
10-7 PCI, EISA, and ISA Option Cards ........................................................10-10
10-8 Installing or Removing an Option Card ................................................10-11
10-9 SCSI Bus IDs.......................................................................................10-15
10-10 Installing a Hard Drive .........................................................................10-16
10-11 Installing a 5.25-Inch Device................................................................10-19
10-12 Continuing Installation of a 5.25-Inch Device ...................................... 10-20
10-13 RAID/SCSI Cable for Internal Disk Drive Backplane...........................10-22
10-14 Wide SCSI Cable for Breakouts at Rear of Enclosure ...........................10-23
10-15 Wide SCSI Dual Connector Cable for Std Bulkhead Connector ............ 10-24
11–1 J1 Jumper on the CPU Card (Normal Position) .....................................11-24
Tables
1 AlphaServer 800 Documentation...............................................................20
1-1 System Status Indicated by the Control Panel LEDs ...............................1-10
1-2 System Specifications.............................................................................1-18
1-3 AlphaServer 800 Acoustical Data...........................................................1-21
3–1 Environmental Conditions........................................................................3-2
3–2 System Accessories..................................................................................3-5
5–1 Resetting Environment Variables ........................................................... 5-16
5–2 Hard Drive SCSI ID Numbers ................................................................5-19
5–3 Determining Available SCSI IDs (SRM Console)...................................5-20
6–1 Summary of SRM Console Commands...................................................6-26
6–2 Notation Formats for SRM Console Commands .....................................6-28
6–3 Special Characters for SRM Console......................................................6-29
6–4 Environment Variable Summary ............................................................6-31
6–5 Settings for boot_osflags Bootflags (OpenVMS) ....................................6-35
7-1 Serial Terminal Key Commands for AlphaBIOS and ECU .....................7-50
8-1 Dial and Alert String Elements .................................................................8-6
8-2 RMC Troubleshooting............................................................................8-21
10–1 Testing with the show config Display ...................................................10-13
11–1 Determining Where to Look ...................................................................11-3
xii
11–2 Error Beep Codes ...................................................................................11-5
11–3 Troubleshooting Power Problems ...........................................................11-8
11–4 Troubleshooting Console Problems ........................................................11-9
11–5 Troubleshooting Boot Problems ........................................................... 11-10
11–6 Problems Detected by the Operating System ........................................ 11-12
11–7 Troubleshooting Mass Storage Problems .............................................. 11-13
11–8 Troubleshooting EISA/ISA Bus Problems ............................................11-16
11–9 Troubleshooting PCI Bus Problems......................................................11-17
11–10 Troubleshooting Monitor and Terminal Problems ................................. 11-18
11–11 Troubleshooting Keyboard and Mouse Problems ..................................11-20
11–12 Troubleshooting the Hard Disk .............................................................11-25
Preface
Intended Audience
This manual is intended for the operator of the AlphaServer 800 system.
Document Structure
This manual uses a structured documentation design. Topics are organized into small
sections for efficient online and printed reference. Each topic begins with an
abstract. You can quickly gain a comprehensive overview by reading only the
abstracts. Next is an illustration or example, which also provides quick reference.
Last in the structure are descriptive text and syntax definitions.
The material is presented in 11 chapters.
• Chapter 1, Overview, describes the features and the major parts of the system.
• Chapter 2, Installing a System into a Cabinet, explains how to install a unit
in a system cabinet.
• Chapter 3, Installing the System, explains how to set up and interconnect the
hardware components of the system.
• Chapter 4, Operating the System, tells how to power the system on and off,
discusses booting of the three operating systems, and operating the system
remotely.
• Chapter 5, Reconfiguring the System, tells how to use console commands to
reconfigure the system and describes how to run configuration utilities.
• Chapter 6, Using the SRM Console, tells how to invoke the SRM console and
describes how to perform certain SRM console tasks.
• Chapter 7, Using the AlphaBIOS Console, tells how to start AlphaBIOS and
perform common system management tasks.
• Chapter 8, Server Management Console, describes the integrated server
management console and explains how to operate the system remotely.
xiii
• Chapter 9, Using the Hard Disks, describes the operation of the hard disks.
• Chapter 10, Installing Components, discusses how to remove and install
system components and add new options.
• Chapter 11, Troubleshooting, provides basic troubleshooting information for
the system.
Documentation Titles
Table 1 lists the books in the AlphaServer 800 documentation set.
Table 1 AlphaServer 800 Documentation
Title Order Number
AlphaServer 800 System Info Kit QZ–00XAA–GW
AlphaServer 800 User’s Guide EK–ASV80–UG
AlphaServer 800 Basic Installation EK–ASV80–IG
AlphaServer 800 Local Language Doc CD AG–R5DUA–BE
AlphaServer 800 System Maintenance Kit QZ–00XAB –GZ
AlphaServer 800 Service Guide EK–ASV80–SG
AlphaServer 800 Service Information (help file) AK–R2MAA–CA
AlphaServer 800 Illustrated Parts Breakdown EK–ASV80–IP
xiv
Chapter 1
Overview
The AlphaServer 800 system is a high-performance, uniprocessor system intended
for use as a local area network (LAN) server or commercial applications server.
Ideal uses for the AlphaServer 800 system include the following:
• Application server−To run applications such as relational databases, electronic
mail, and communications
• Print server−To provide printing resources to PCs and other systems in a LAN
• File server−To provide disk storage to PCs and other systems in a LAN
• Compute server−To enable PCs to remotely run computation-intensive
applications
• Replicated site server−To operate in commercial applications due to remote
management features
This chapter provides an overview of the system. Sections are:
• System Architecture
• System Features
• System Parts
• Control Panel
• Rear Panel Connections
• Storage Device LEDs
• Console
• System Options
• System Specifications
• Acoustical Data
Overview 1-1
1.1 System Architecture
The AlphaServer 800 system is a low-end server that offers PCI and EISA bus
options on a single system board. Figure 1-1 shows the architecture of the
system.
Figure 1-1 Block Diagram of the AlphaServer 800 Server System
CPU
Cache
Xbar
Switch
SCSI
SCSI Bus
64-Bit
PCI
or
VGA
EISA Bus
Memory
Memory Bus
PCI Bus
32-Bit
PCI
32-Bit
PCI
EISAEISAEISA
Memory
32-Bit
PCI
PCI/EISA
Bridge
PK-0700E-97
1-2 AlphaServer 800 User’s Guide
The AlphaServer 800 system is housed in an enclosure containing the motherboard,
CPU daughter card, other logic modules, and power supply with internal fans. The
enclosure allows for up to four internal mass-storage devices, with up to four
removable media devices, one of which is a 3.5-inch floppy drive. The control panel
includes Halt, Reset, and On/Off buttons. The system can be used as a deskside
pedestal in the vertical position, or, with the addition of brackets, may be mounted in
the horizontal position in a standard 19-inch rack.
All memory and I/O components are on a single system board that contains the
memory subsystem, the PCI bus, the EISA I/O bus, the integrated system I/O
controllers, and option slots for PCI-based and EISA-based option cards. A server
management corner on the system board serves to monitor/control the system
remotely.
The CPU daughter card interfaces to the motherboard with a 600-pin connector.
It is based on a 21164 microprocessor that is a superscalar, super-pipelined
implementation of the Alpha architecture and runs at an optimized price/
performance speed of 300 to 500 MHz. The chip contains two 8-Kbyte, directmapped primary caches and a 96-Kbyte, 3-way set-associative secondary cache. The
CPU card uses a 2-Mbyte, direct-mapped, writeback B-cache. The B-cache is 16
bytes wide with a block size of 64 bytes.
Overview 1-3
1.2 System Features
The system offers a number of features that ensure high performance,
expandability, enhanced reliability, high availability, remote server
management, and improved security.
High Performance
• 64-bit Alpha architecture
• Microprocessor
• 2-Mbyte third-level cache
• Integrated fast wide SCSI controller
• Integrated PCI graphics
controller
• Warm-swapping of 3.5-inch full-
height devices
• Ultra SCSI-ready backplane
Operating Systems DIGITAL UNIX
Flexible Packaging Single enclosure available as free-
System Expansion
Provides significantly better performance
than 32-bit architecture.
Fast microprocessor for enhanced system
performance.
Reduces significantly memory
transaction times.
Supports tape, CD-ROM, and hard disk
devices without use of an expansion slot.
Makes an additional expansion slot
available for other applications.
Allows replacement of disk drives while
the system continues to operate.
Provides high-performance drive
technology.
OpenVMS
Windows NT
standing pedestal or rack-mountable box.
• Flexible memory architecture Provides a 256-bit memory data path.
Allows incremental memory expansion
from 32 Mbytes to 2 Gbytes.
1-4 AlphaServer 800 User’s Guide
• Three 32-bit PCI slots, one shared
64-bit PCI/EISA slot, and two
dedicated EISA slots
Accommodates industry-standard option
cards such as Ethernet, FDDI, SCSI, and
modems.
• Capacity for eight internal storage
devices
• External ports
Reliability/Availability
• Error correction code (ECC)
• Internal sensors
• Variable fan speed
Server Management
• System diagnostics
A modular storage system accommodates up to four 3.5-inch full-height
SCSI devices. The system also supports
up to three 5.25-inch half-height devices
(CD-ROM or tape) and one 3.5-inch
high-density diskette drive.
Two serial ports and one parallel port
support external options such as printer,
modem, or local terminal.
Allows recovery from most cache and
memory errors.
Monitor and detect internal system
temperature, fan failure, power supply,
status, system watchdog timer.
Adjusts fan speed according to system
temperature.
Allows local and remote diagnosis of
system failures.
• Hardware configuration
• Firmware utility
• Remote management console
System Security
• Key lock (pedestal only) Limits access to system components.
• Security hole (on rear of system
unit)
Allows local and remote system
configuration.
Enables loading and verification of latest
firmware versions.
Enables monitoring of system conditions
and manipulating of the control panel
from a remote terminal. Provides
operator paging on “alert” conditions.
Allows system to be secured in place.
Overview 1-5
1.3 System Parts
Figure 1-2 identifies the main parts of the system in a pedestal version. The
enclosure has a top cover and a side panel.
Figure 1-2 AlphaServer 800 System Parts
9
7
2
3
5
4
8
6
1
IP00110B
1-6 AlphaServer 800 User’s Guide
The main components of an AlphaServer 800 system are:
²
Removable side cover of system enclosure
³
Floppy diskette drive
´
Removable media drives
µ
Lower and upper doors
¶
Control panel
·
Hard disk drives
¸
System board
¹
CPU daughter card
º
Power supply
Overview 1-7
1.4 Control Panel
The control panel provides system controls and status indicators on the front of
the AlphaServer 800 enclosure.
Figure 1-3 Control Panel
1
2
34
1-8 AlphaServer 800 User’s Guide
IP00039-97
The control panel consists of three pushbutton controls and two LED indicators:
• Power On/Off button
• Halt button
• Reset button
• Green Power OK indicator
• Amber Halt indicator
The functions provided by these pushbutton conrols and indicators are discussed
next.
²
Power On/Off — Powers the system on or off. When the LED is lit, the
power is on. Turning the power off and then on clears the shutdown condition
and attempts to power the system back on. Failure conditions that prevent
the system from powering on can be determined from the remote
management console using the Status command. The remote management
console is powered separately from the rest of the system and is functional as
long as AC power is present.
The Power On/Off button overrides the remote management console. Thus, a
system that has been powered off or halted remotely can be restarted from the
control panel without the need to access the remote management console.
This becomes important in systems without a local character cell terminal for
a system console where no local access to the remote management console is
possible.
³
Halt button — When the button is in the In position, a single halt interrupt is
provided to the CPU. On OpenVMS and DIGITAL UNIX this halt interrupt
causes a return to the SRM console. Also, when the Halt button is In at
power-up, the system comes up with the SRM console.
´
Reset button — A momentary contact switch that initializes the system.
µ
Indicator lights — The control panel has two lights for indicating the basic
system state. One is a green Power OK indicator and the other is an amber
Halt indicator. The system state is described in Table 1-1.
Overview 1-9
Table 1-1 System Status Indicated by the Control Panel LEDs
Green LED Yellow LED Status
Off Off System is powered off or no AC
power is present.
Off On Power is enabled, but system has
been powered off by:
• Remote console command
• System software
• Fan failure
• Overtemperature failure
• Power supply failure
On Off System is powered on.
On On System power is on and Halt button is
pressed in or a halt in command has
been issued at the remote
management console.
1-10 AlphaServer 800 User’s Guide
1.5 Rear Panel Connections
Rear panel ports and slots are shown in Figure 1-4.
Figure 1-4 Rear Panel Connections
1
5
6
7
9
8
2
10
1
2
3
4
3
4
IP00030A-97
Overview 1-11
The following list describes the rear panel connections:
²
Three 32-bit PCI slots — For option cards for high-performance network, video,
or disk controllers
³
One 64-bit slot — For either a PCI card or an EISA card
´
Two EISA slots — For option cards for network, video, sound, or disk
controllers
µ
Parallel port — To parallel device such as a printer
¶
Serial port (COM2) — Extra port to modem or any serial device
·
Mouse port — To PS/2-compatible mouse
¸
VGA port — To VGA monitor
¹
Keyboard port — To PS/2-compatible keyboard
º
Remote console modem port — Dedicated 9-pin port for connection to remote
management console and system COM1 through modem. Provides full
modem control.
»
Power inlet — To power outlet
¨
Serial port/terminal port (COM1) — To console terminal. This is an M MJ
with data leads only.
©
AC switch 115V/220VKey — Should be pointing to the correct input AC
voltage.
ª
SCSI breakouts — To SCSI devices
«
Security hole — To secure the system
1-12 AlphaServer 800 User’s Guide
1.6 Storage Device LEDs
Storage device LEDs indicate the status of the device. Figure 1-5 shows the hard
disk drive LEDs.
Figure 1-5 Hard Disk Drive LEDs
DiskPresent
Fault
Activity
IP00080
LED Function
Activity (green) When lit indicates disk activity.
Fault (amber) Reserved for future use. Has no function at
product introduction.
Disk Present (green) When lit, indicates that a drive is installed in that
slot.
Overview 1-13
Figure 1-6 shows the Activity LED of the floppy drive. When lit, it indicates that
the drive is active.
Figure 1-6 Floppy Drive Activity LED
Activity LED
IP00081-97
Figure 1-7 shows the Activity LED of the CD-ROM drive. When lit, it indicates that
the drive is active.
Figure 1-7 CD-ROM Drive Activity LED
Activity LED
1-14 AlphaServer 800 User’s Guide
IP00082-97
1.7 Console
The system offers two separate interfaces to the console program: SRM for
DIGITAL UNIX and OpenVMS; and AlphaBIOS for Windows NT.
The system runs in one of three modes:
• Operating system mode
• Console mode
• Remote management mode
In operating system mode, the system is under the control of the operating system.
When the operating system is halted, the system reverts to console mode. In this
mode, the system operates under the control of the console firmware and the
commands entered or selected by the operator.
The console firmware is located in a flash ROM (read-only memory) on the system
board. It boots the operating system, runs configuration utilities, displays the
system configuration, and runs diagnostic tests.
Remote management mode can be entered through an escape sequence at the local
terminal or modem port. This allows remote access to the control panel functions. It
also allows maintenance of system environmental conditions and the setup of alerts
for changes in certain operating conditions.
Because the AlphaServer 800 system supports multiple operating systems, it offers
two separate interfaces to the console program:
• SRM—For the OpenVMS and DIGITAL UNIX operating systems
• AlphaBIOS—For the Windows NT operating system
The SRM console firmware has a command-line interface. The operator enters
commands at the console prompt. Environment variables are used to control system
behavior.
The AlphaBIOS console firmware has a menu-based interface. The operator selects
an item from the menu displayed on a screen.
Refer to Chapter 6 for the operations of the SRM console and to Chapter 7 for the
operations of the AlphaBIOS console.
Overview 1-15
1.8 System Options
The AlphaServer 800 system supports storage options, PCI/EISA/ISA options,
and memory options.
Internal Options
The AlphaServer 800 system supports the following types of internal options:
• Storage
• PCI/EISA/ISA
• Memory
Storage devices include:
• One diskette drive
• Up to three removable-media storage devices, one of which is typically a CD-
ROM drive
• Up to four 3.5-inch full-height SCSI hard disks
The system supports PCI/EISA/ISA options, including those for:
• SCSI storage expansion
• Networking and communication
• Graphics
The memory cards are inserted on eight 168-pin, 3.3 volt DIMM sockets on the
system board. Memory is configured in banksets of four to form the databus width
of 256 data bits and 32 bits of ECC. Possible memory capacities range from 32
Mbytes (using a single bankset of 1Mx72 DIMMs) to 2 Gbytes (using 32Mx72
DIMMs). Each DIMM in a bankset must be of the same capacity. Each bankset is
separately configurable as to base address and size.
1-16 AlphaServer 800 User’s Guide
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