Magma EB2, EB2R User Manual
PCIe Expansion System
User's Manual
ExpressBox
PCI Express® to PCI Express® Expansion
Model: EB2
Model: EB2R
2
Copyright © 2008 Mission Technology Group, Inc. - DBA Magma
This publication is protected by Federal Copyright Law, with all rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, photocopied,
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, translated, transmitted or
transcribed, in any form or by any means manual, electric, electronic,
electro-magnetic, mechanical, optical or otherwise, in whole or in part
without prior written consent from Magma.
Limitation of Liability
Information presented by Magma in this guide is believed to be accurat e
and reliable. However, Magma assumes no responsibility for its use. No
license is granted by implication or otherwise to any rights of Magma.
Product specifications and prices are subject to change without notice.
Trademark References
Trademarks and registered trademarks are proprietary to their
respective manufacturers.
MAGMA
Table of Contents
PREFACE............................................................................................. III
Advisories ..............................................................................................iii
Safety Instructions..................................................................................iv
When Working Inside a Computer .........................................................iv
Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge ............................................ v
Rack-Mount Instructions ........................................................................ vi
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................1
General Specifications ...........................................................................1
Pre-Installation Information ....................................................................2
Parts List................................................................................................2
Tools Required for Installation................................................................ 2
CHAPTER 2 HARDWARE INSTALLATION .....................................3
Before you Begin.................................................................................... 4
Install PCI Express Host Card................................................................ 4
Attach Power and Expansion Cables.....................................................6
Laptop Installation (optional)......................................................................... 7
Recheck the Installation.......................................................................10
Applying Power Correctly..................................................................... 11
Starting Up:................................................................................................. 11
Software Installation (Optional, for ExpressCard):...................................... 12
Shutting Down:............................................................................................ 15
Rack Installations (for the EB2R model) .............................................. 15
Add Screws to Rack Post ........................................................................... 15
Attach Slide Rail to Rack ............................................................................ 16
Attach Chassis to Slide Rail........................................................................ 17
CHAPTER 3 VERIFY INSTALLATION............................................ 18
Windows .............................................................................................. 18
Mac OS X............................................................................................. 19
Expansion Slot Utility.................................................................................. 19
Apple System Profiler........................................................................... 20
RedHat 9 Linux .................................................................................... 22
CHAPTER 4 INSTALL CARDS AND DRIVES................................ 24
Remove PCIe Expansion Chassis Cover............................................. 24
Install 3rd Party PCIe Cards.................................................................. 25
Installing Double-Wide PCIe Video Cards..................................................27
Install Hard Drive(s) ............................................................................. 28
System Should Be Up and Running..................................................... 30
Finishing Touches................................................................................30
“Hot-Swappable” PCIe Card Installations............................................. 31
Procedure for hot-un-plugging a PCIe plug in card: ................................... 32
PCIe Expansion Solutions with the EB2............................................... 35
Digi Design Pro Tools® .............................................................................. 35
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Video Card expansion solutions.................................................................. 36
High Throughput storage solutions.............................................................38
CHAPTER 5 TROUBLESHOOTING................................................40
Locate the Problem ..............................................................................40
My Computer Can’t Find the PCIe Expansion System ...............................41
When Nothing Works..................................................................................43
My Computer Hangs During Power Up............................................... 44
My PCIe Card Doesn’t Work....................................................................... 45
Support for 3
Windows Error Codes......................................................................... 47
The System Fans Don’t Appear To Spin Fast Enough...............................49
rd
Party PCIe Cards........................................................47
CHAPTER 6 HOW TO GET MORE HELP.......................................51
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)......................................................51
Contacting Technical Support ..............................................................51
Magma Debug Utility................................................................................... 52
PCIScope Software Utility........................................................................... 53
Returning Merchandise to MAGMA......................................................55
APPENDIX A NEED MORE PCIE SLOTS? .....................................56
Multiple PCIe Expansion System Configurations .................................56
Fan-Out....................................................................................................... 58
Verify your configuration.....................................................................59
Daisy-Chaining............................................................................................ 60
Verify your configuration.....................................................................60
Combination Configurations........................................................................ 61
PCI e Card Conflicts.............................................................................62
Power-On Sequence for Advanced Configurations..............................62
Troubleshooting Advanced Configurations...........................................62
Finding the Problem Card................................................................... 64
APPENDIX B COMPLIANCE ..........................................................65
FCC......................................................................................................65
Industry Canada...................................................................................65
CE ........................................................................................................65
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Preface
Advisories
Five types of advisories are used throughout this manual to provide
helpful information, or to alert you to the potential for hardware dama ge
or personal injury. They are Note, Important, Caution, Warning, and
Danger. The following is an example of each type of advisory.
NOTE
Used to amplify or explain a comment related to procedural steps
or text.
IMPORTANT
Used to indicate an important piece of information or special “tip”
to help you
CAUTION
Used to indicate and prevent the following procedure or step from
causing damage to the equipment.
WARNING
Used to indicate and prevent the following step from causing
injury.
DANGER or STOP
Used to indicate and prevent the following step from causing
serious injury or significant data loss.
Disclaimer: We have attempted to identify most situations that may
pose a danger, warning, or caution condition in this manual. Ho wever,
Magma. does not claim to have covered all situations that might require
the use of a Caution, Warning, or Danger indicator.
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Safety Instructio ns
Always use caution when servicing any electrical component. Before
handling the Magma PCI-Express Expansion chassis, read the fo llowing
instructions and safety guidelines to prevent damage t o the product and
to ensure your own personal safety. Refer to the “
advisory conventions used in this manual, including the distinction
between Danger, Warning, Caution, Important, and Note.
♦ Always use caution when handling/operating the computer.
Only qualified, experienced, authorized electronics personnel
should access the interior of the computer. The power supplies
produce high voltages and energy hazards, which can cause
bodily harm.
♦ Use extreme caution when installing or removing components.
Refer to the
installation instructions in this manual for
precautions and procedures. If you have any questions, please
contact Magma Technical Support.
WARNING
High voltages are present inside the expansion chassis when the
unit’s power cord is plugged into an electrical outlet. Disconnect the
power cord from its source before removing the system cover.
Never modify or remove the radio frequency interference shielding from
your workstation or expansion unit. To do so may cause your installation
to produce emissions that could interfere with other electronic
equipment in the area of your system.
Advisories” section for
When Working Inside a Computer
Before taking covers off a computer, perform the following steps:
1. Turn off the computer and any peripheral devices.
2. Disconnect the computer and peripherals from their power
sources to prevent electric shock or system board damage.
3. Disconnect any telephone or telecommunications lines from
the computer.
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In addition, take note of these safety guidelines when appropriate:
♦ To help avoid possible damage to systems boards, wait five
seconds after turning off the computer before removing a
component, removing a system board, or disconnecting a
peripheral device from the computer.
♦ When you disconnect a c able, pull on its connector or on its
strain-relief loop, not on the cable itself. Some cables have a
connector with locking tabs. If you are disconnecting this type
of cable, press in on the locking tabs before disconn ecting the
cable. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned
to avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before connecting a
cable, make sure both connectors are correctly oriented and
aligned.
CAUTION
Do not attempt to service the system yourself except as explained in
this manual. Follow installation instructions closely.
Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Warning
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) is the enemy of semiconductor
devices. You should always take precautions to eliminate any
electrostatic charge from your body and clothing before touching any
semiconductor device or card by using an electrostatic wrist strap
and/or rubber mat.
Static electricity can harm system boards. Perform service at an ESD
workstation and follow proper ESD procedures to reduce the risk of
damage to components. Magma strongly encourages you to follow
proper ESD procedures, which can include wrist straps and smocks,
when servicing equipment.
You can also take the following steps to prevent damage from
electrostatic discharge (ESD):
♦ When unpacking a static-sen sitive component from its shipping
carton, do not remove the component’s anti-static packaging
material until you are ready to install the component in a
computer. Just before unwrapping the anti-static packaging, be
sure you are at an ESD workstation or are grounded.
♦ When transporting a sensitive component, first place it in an
anti-static container or packaging.
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♦ Handle all sensitive components at an ESD workstation. If
possible, use anti-static floor pads and workbench pads.
♦ Handle components and boards with care. Don’t touch the
components or contacts on a board. Hold a board by its edges
or by its metal mounting bracket.
Rack-Mount Instructions
Elevated Operating Ambient - If installed in a closed or multi-unit rack
assembly, the operating ambient temperature of the rack environme nt
may be greater than room ambient. Therefore, considerat ion should be
given to installing the equipment compatible with the maximum ambient
temperature (Tma) Specified by the manufacturer.
Reduced Air Flow - Installation of the equipment in a rack should be
such that the amount of air flow required for safe operation of the
equipment is not compromised.
Mechanical Loading - Mounting of the equipment in the rack sho uld be
such that a hazardous condition is not achieved due to uneven
mechanical loading.
Circuit Overloading - Consideration should be given to the connection
of the equipment to the supply circuit and the effect that overloading of
the circuits might have on overcurrent protection and supply writing.
Appropriate consideration of equipment nameplate ratings should be
used when addressing this concern.
Reliable Earthing - Reliable earthing of rack-mounted equipment
should be maintained. Particular attention should be given to supply
connections other than direct connections to the branch circuit (e.g. us e
of power strips).
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Chapter 1 Introduction
General Specifications
The Magma 2 Slot PCI Express® to PCI Express® Expansion System is
a general-purpose bus expansion chassis for the Peripheral Component
Interconnect Express (PCIe) local bus. The expansion chassis is fully
compliant with the PCI Express Local Bus Specification. This system
consists of a PCI Express host card, a 3-meter iPass cable, the 2-slot
PCIe expansion chassis and a set of rack-mount brackets.
Item Description
Host Card: Low Profile PCI Express x8 host card
Backplane: 2 PCIe slots (expandable to 4 or more by
Enclosure: 1U Rack-mount
Dimensions: 14.26" W x 1.735" H x 16.41" D
Weight: 5.2lbs or 2.40 kg
Standard Cable Length: 3-meter iPass cable
PCI Express Bus Specification Revision 1.1
PCI Local Bus Specification: Revision 2.3
PCI Bridge Architecture Spec: Revision 1.2
Interconnect Bandwidth: 4000 MB/sec or 4 GByte/sec
Cooling: Three 20mmx40mm, 12VDC, 6 CFM fans
Power Supply: 200W auto-switching power supply
MTBF: 53,000 hours
Operating Environment:
Operating Systems: Windows XP/2000/Server 2003/Vista
Warranty: 1 Year Return to Factory
Available Options:
chaining chases)
0º to 50º C Operating Temperature
-20º to 60º C Storage Temperature
5% to 85% Relative Humidity, Non-condensing
Mac OS X version 10.4.x +
Red Hat Linux 9
Hi Speed, 13.2 CFM Fan (PN:01-05052-01)
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Pre-Installation Information
Before using the Magma expansion chassis you should perform the
following steps:
• Inventory the shipping carton contents for all of the required parts
• Gather all of the necessary tools required for installation
• Read this manual
Parts List
The following parts are provided in the EB2 model. The EB2R model
includes a rack installation kit as well.
Item Qty Item
1 EB2 Magma expansion chassis
1 3-meter shielded iPass™ cable
Low profile PCI Express x8 host card
1
1 U.S. Standard 115V power cord
1 Quick Start Guide
Tools Required for Installation
In order to complete the installation of the Magma
expansion system you may need a Phillips-head
screwdriver, depending on the installation type.
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Chapter 2 Hardware Installation
The following steps will guide you through the installation of your
Magma expansion system.
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Warning
All PCI cards are susceptible to electrostatic discharge. When
moving PCI cards, it is best to carry the cards in anti-static
packaging. If you need to set a PCIe card down, be sure to place it
inside or on top of an anti-static surface. For more information, see
“
Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the Preface.
WARNING
High voltages are present inside the expansion chassis when the
unit’s power cord is plugged into an electrical outlet. Disconnect the
power cord from its source before removing the enclosure cover.
Turning the system power off at the power on/off switch does not
remove power to components. High voltage is still present.
CAUTION
Before touching anything inside the enclosure, move to an ESD
station and follow proper ESD procedures. Failure to do so may
result in electrostatic discharge, damaging the computer or its
components. For more information, see “
Electrostatic Discharge” in the Preface.
STOP
If your Magma expansion chassis was not purchased directly from
Magma, you must check to ensure that it doesn’t contain any preinstalled PCIe cards.
Check the rear side of the chassis to see if any PCIe cards are visible
in the slots. If you see a PCIe card, you should continue installation
using instructions provided by your dealer. If no separate instructions
are available, remove the cover by using instructions in
Install Cards and Drives
PCIe card is visible, then continue with the cable installation.
. Then remove the card(s) as normal. If no
Protecting Against
Chapter 4
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Before you Begin
The system’s ATX power supply is auto-switching. This means that it
will automatically switch to match whatever source power you ar e using.
Since all products ship with a US/Canadian Standard 1 25V power cord,
you will need to use a locally available p ower cord for non-US Stand ard
power sources.
Install PCI Express Host Card
Begin the installation of your PCI Express (PCIe) host card by first
powering down your computer. Use the procedures for shutting down
your operating system and shutting off power to your system provided in
your owner’s manual or system documentation.
The PCIe host card is a “half-height,” x8-capable PCIe card mounted to
a “full-height” bracket as shown below:
For low profile case applications, you may need to change the mounting
bracket to the low profile bracket that shipped with your system. This is
done by removing the screws that hold the card to the bracket. Be sure
you are using proper ESD procedures when completing this action.
Once the host computer is off and all power cords disconnected,
remove the cover and insert the PCI Express host card into a vacant x8
(or x16) PCIe slot by gently pushing the card until it is firmly seated.
Then secure the card to the slot with a mounting screw.
Notice that the PCI Express slots are located at a greater distance from
the edge of the computer’s mother-board than are the standard PCI
slots as illustrated in the following figure.
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STOP
YOU MUST ONLY INSTALL THE PCIe HOST CARD INTO A PCI
EXPRESS SLOT.
Only use cards WITH brackets. This will ensure that your PCIe host
card can only be inserted into a PCIe slot. Although PCI Express
cards without brackets may fit into conventional PCI slots, you run the
risk of damaging the PCI Express host card if you insert it into a PCI
slot. Please ensure that your host computer has PCI Express slots
and install the host card
only into a PCI Express slot.
For more information on using PCIe cards, please refer to your
computer’s user manual or system documentation.
Note that a physical x16 slot (in length) can electrically be connected as
x4 or less. Therefore it is important to cons ult your motherboard’s user
manual to verify the actual bandwidth supported by the slot.
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Next check the DIP switch settings on the Magma Host Card as shown:
The DIP switch can be set
to either the x4 or x8
position as can be seen in
the photo.
Since EB2 supports x8
speeds, it is recommended
to set it in the x8 position
for optimized performance
and compatibility. It should
only be set to x4 if one is
certain that the PCIe slot on
the host PC is x4.
Attach Power and Expansion Cables
Carefully position the expansion chassis so that the supplie d expansion
cable will conveniently reach from the host computer to the connectors
on the back of the chassis. Connect one end of the iPass cable to the
expansion chassis’ iPass connector labeled “IN”. Then connect the
other end of the iPass cable to the host card located in the host
computer. Finally connect the power cord to the back of the chassis.
Connect one end of the cable to
the bottom iPass connector
6
Connect the other end to
the host card.
MAGMA
CAUTION
All cables attached to the expansion chassis must be securely
fastened. When you hear a “click,” it is properly secured. If not
securely connected, the connectors may cause intermittent or lost
connections.
NOTE
If at all possible, plug all power cords from the expansion chassis
and your host computer into a shared power strip, preferably one
that has surge and noise suppression circuitry built into it.
Laptop Installation (optional)
In addition to interfacing the EB2 expansion system to a PC, you can
now add additional PCI Express slots to your laptop by installing
Magma’s ExpressCard host and connecting it to your chassis with a
dedicated iPass-to-TDP cable featuring an iPass interface on o ne side
and a TDP interface on the other.
Attach one end of the PCI Express cable to the Magma ExpressCard
module and the other end to the connector on the back of the Magma
chassis.
TDP side to Laptop
iPass side to EB2 Chassis
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Tighten the thumbscrews connecting the ExpressCard to the cable on
one end and verify the other end is properly latched into the iPass
connector of the chassis.
In spite of the standardized design of the TDP interface, it is not
impossible to connect the male and female connectors upside-down. In
order to avoid that, please note the proper and improper concavity
orientation of the connectors as shown in the two cases below:
Picture A shows the
correct orientation:
Picture B shows the
Incorrect orientation:
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Before inserting the Magma ExpressCard, power down your laptop
computer. Use the procedures for shutting down and powering off your
system provided in your owner’s manual or system documentation.
Insert the Magma ExpressCard module with the logo s ide up, into the
ExpressCard slot on your computer. Gently push the card until it is
firmly seated.
NOTE
The Magma ExpressCard module can only be used in a computer
system that contains an ExpressCard slot. It will not function in
CardBus or PCMCIA slots.
NOTE
If your laptop’s ExpressCard slot is “spring-loaded”, be sure that your
ExpressCard is inserted correctly. It is very easy for this style slot to
partially release a card if touched slightly.
For more information on using ExpressCard modules, please refer to
your computer’s user manual or system documentation.
IMPORTANT
Due to an incompatibility issue between the chipsets used in the
expansion system and those used by nVidia in its line of PCIe
video cards, nVidia video cards will not function in the EB2 chassis
if it is connected through the ExpressCard interface to the host PC.
There is no issue interfacing with nVidia cards plugged into the
EB2 chassis via the PCIe host card interface.
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Recheck the Installation
Check your installation before powering up the Magma expansion
chassis for the first time. Although the power supply has an over voltage
protection device built into it, it may not "trip" in time to fully protect a
device that has been improperly connected, or whose power cable has
been damaged.
CAUTION
This product is provided with a power supply that automatically
adjusts to input voltages between 100 to 240 Vac. A U.S. and
Canadian 125 V power supply cord is provided with this product. If
using this product outside of the U.S. or Canada, please use locally
available power supply cords
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Applying Power Correctly
Starting Up:
It is recommended that you apply power to the Magma expansion
chassis prior to powering up your computer. This will allow the PCIe bus
hierarchy to be in a stable state when the host system issues its master
power-on bus reset. This will also allow the software driver to recognize
the PCI bus hierarchy and any attached devices.
The system’s On/Off switch is located on the front panel, as well as an
LED indicator to indicate power status. Verify that the green power
indicator is ON after pressing the button.
Windows Start Up
As your Windows computer starts
up, you will see a small message
box pop-up in the lower-right corner
of the screen to alert you that
Windows has found new hardware.
The system does not require any Magma drivers in order to operate
properly with the
order to work with the optional
x8 PCIe Host card. However, it may require a driver in
ExpressCard host, hence we added the
next section.
You may now proceed to
Chapter 3 Verify Installation.
MAC Start Up
Apple MAC OS computers will boot up without any visible indicators that
the Expansion System is connected. Go to:
11
Chapter 3 Verify Installation.
MAGMA
RedHat 9 Linux Start Up
Similarly, RedHat9 OS computers will boot up without any visible
indicators that the Expansion System is connected. Proceed to:
Chapter
3 Verify Installation.
Software Installation (Optional, for ExpressCard):
A driver is NOT required for Windows Vista, but may be required for a
Windows XP installation. You should first install your 3
connect the system as described in
Chapter 2. Only if you are having
problems accessing the expansion system under Windo ws XP should
you install the Magma ExpressCard drivers.
Before attempting to install anything on a Windows XP system, you
should ensure that you have set a new Restore Point. See your
Windows XP manual to learn how to set a new Restore Point. You
should ensure that all data files are closed and that you h ave a current
backup.
STOP
Before installing drivers, you should ensure that you have a current
system backup of all of your important data.
Failure to follow these instructions exactly could result in a system
lock-up and potential loss of data.
Be alert
Be careful
Be protected
You must also disable your anti-virus software before continuing.
For best success when installing the Magma driver:
rd
Party card and
Have a current system backup or restore point
Reboot and Shut down each time you are prompted
Be logged in as ‘System Administrator’
Follow the installation instructions provided in this guide
Install Driver
Download driver from Magma website at
1
http://www.magma.com/support/drivers/index.html
Click on the Open button to create a C:\ExpressBox folder on your
2
computer.
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Click on the Winzip button to unpack the files into the C:\ExpressBox
3
folder.
4 Click on the OK button to confirm the files are unpacked.
5 Click on the Close button to close WinZip.
Go to the C:\ExpressBox folder and double-click on the Setup.exe
6
file to start the driver installation.
7 Follow instructions on the screen during the installation.
8 Reboot your computer.
The setup program will prepare the necessary files and present the
following window to start the driver installation.
Click Next to continue and review the licensing agreement.
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Review the licensing agreement. If you agree, click Yes to continue. If
you do not agree, click No to exit.
Rather than restarting your computer, it is recommended that you click
“No, I will restart my computer later.”, and then click Finish. You will
be instructed to SHUT DOWN your computer in the next step.
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Shutting Down:
STOP
DO NOT TURN OFF THE MAGMA EXPANSION CHASSIS UNTIL
YOU HAVE SHUT DOWN YOUR COMPUTER COMPLETELY! It
can cause a system lockup and loss of any unsaved data.
When shutting your system down, it is recommended that you first shut
down the computer correctly, and then power down the Magma
expansion chassis to avoid ‘computer lock-up’ and potential data loss.
Rack Installations (for the EB2R model)
Locate a vacant 1U slot in your rack that is within the reach of the iPass
data cable provided with your EB2 Expansion System. Install the rails in
the rack as shown below:
Measure the rack from front to
back so you can confirm how
long the rail must be to fit
properly.
Next, assemble the Slide piece with the end bracket as shown and
secure with 2 Panhead screws and locking nut. Ensure the Phillips
screw head is located on the “open” side of the Slide pieces as shown.
Tighten finger tight only to allow for minor
adjustment during assembly.
Depending on the depth of your rack you
may select either the long or the short end
bracket.
Add Screws to Rack Post
Attach 2 Panhead screws into the rack post where yo u want the chassis
mounted. Be sure you have measured accurately to ensure that
everything fits in the rack correctly. Leave the screws untightened until
after you place the slide rail’s fingers between the screws as shown.
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