Msi MS-9232 user Manual

MS-9232 1U Rackmount Server

G52-92321X1

i

Copyright Notice

The material in this document is the intellectual property of MICRO-STAR

INTERNATIONAL. We take every care in the preparation of this document, but no

guarantee is given as to the correctness of its contents. Our products are under

continual improvement and we reserve the right to make changes without notice.

Trademarks

All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

Intel® and Pentium® are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.

AMD, Athlon™, Athlon™ XP, Thoroughbred™, and Duron™ are registered trade-

marks of AMD Corporation.

NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, DualNet, and nForce are registered trademarks or trade-

marks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

PS/2 and OS®/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines

Corporation.

Windows® 95/98/2000/NT/XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Netware® is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc.

Award® is a registered trademark of Phoenix Technologies Ltd.

AMI® is a registered trademark of American Megatrends Inc.

Revision History

Revision Revision History Date

V1.0 First release November 2006

Technical Support

If a problem arises with your system and no solution can be obtained from the user’ s

manual, please contact your place of purchase or local distributor. Alternatively,

please try the following help resources for further guidance.

Visit the MSI website at http://www.msi.com.tw/program/service/faq/

faq/esc_faq_list.php for FAQ, technical guide, BIOS updates, driver

updates, and other information.

Contact our technical staff at http://support.msi.com.tw/.

ii

Safety Instructions

1. Always read the safety instructions carefully.

2. Keep this User’s Manual for future reference.

3. Keep this equipment away from humidity.

4. Lay this equipment on a reliable flat surface before setting it up.

5. The openings on the enclosure are for air convection hence protects the equip­ment from overheating. DO NOT COVER THE OPENINGS.

6. Make sure the voltage of the power source and adjust properly 110/220V be­fore connecting the equipment to the power inlet.

7. Place the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place
anything over the power cord.

8. Always Unplug the Power Cord before inserting any add-on card or module.

9. All cautions and warnings on the equipment should be noted.

10. Never pour any liquid into the opening that could damage or cause electrical
shock.

11. If any of the following situations arises, get the equipment checked by a service
personnel:

† The power cord or plug is damaged.
† Liquid has penetrated into the equipment.
† The equipment has been exposed to moisture.
† The equipment has not work well or you can not get it work according to

User’s Manual.

† The equipment has dropped and damaged.
† The equipment has obvious sign of breakage.

12. DO NOT LEAVE THIS EQUIPMENT IN AN ENVIRONMENT UNCONDITIONED, STOR­AGE TEMPERATURE ABOVE 600 C (1400F), IT MAY DAMAGE THE EQUIPMENT.

CAUTION: Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.
Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the
manufacturer.

iii

FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement

This equipment has been

tested and found to comply

with the limits for a Class B

digital device, pursuant to Part

15 of the 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 accor-

dance 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 or 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 measures listed

below.

† 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/television technician for help.

Notice 1

The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Notice 2

Shielded interface cables and A.C. power cord, if any, must be used in order to
comply with the emission limits.

VOIR LA NOTICE D ’INSTALLATION AVANT DE RACCORDER AU RESEAU.

Micro-Star International

MS-9232

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.

iv

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement

v

vi

vii

CONTENTS

Copyright Notice.............................................................................................................iii

Trademarks......................................................................................................................iii

Revision History.............................................................................................................iii

Technical Support..........................................................................................................iii

Safety Instructions.........................................................................................................iii

FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement.........................................................v

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement....................................v

Chapter 1 Getting Started.....................................................................................1-1

System Overview...............................................................................................1-2

Mainboard Specifications...................................................................................1-6

Mainboard Layout................................................................................................1-8

MSI Special Feature............................................................................................1-8

Core Center (Optional)................................................................................1-9

Chapter 2 Hardware Setup....................................................................................2-1

Quick Components Guide....................................................................................2-2

CPU (Central Processing Unit)............................................................................2-3

Memory.................................................................................................................2-4

Memory Population Rules............................................................................2-5

Installing DDRII Modules...............................................................................2-5

Power Supply......................................................................................................2-6

SSI 24-Pin System Power Connector: ATX1.............................................2-7

SSI 4-Pin CPU Power Connector: JPW1, JPW2........................................2-7

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1............................................................2-7

ATA100 Hard Disk Connector: IDE1............................................................2-7

Connectors..........................................................................................................2-7

Serial ATA Connectors: SATA1~4..............................................................2-9

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1....................................................................2-9

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1, SYSFAN2......................2-9

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI2..............................................2-10

FWH/LPC Debugging Pin Header: JLPC1.................................................2-10

Serial Port Connector: COM1....................................................................2-10

Jumpers..............................................................................................................2-10

Clear CMOS Jumper: CLR_CMOS1...........................................................2-11

BIOS Flash Jumper: BIOS_WP1.................................................................2-11

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slot.........................2-12

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slot........................................2-12

System Assembly Flowchart...........................................................................2-12

Slots....................................................................................................................2-13

viii

System Assembly..............................................................................................2-14

Removing the Chassis Cover...................................................................2-15

Replacing the Chassis Cover....................................................................2-16

CPU & Cooler Set Installation....................................................................2-17

DDR-II Memory............................................................................................2-19

PCI Expansion Card...................................................................................2-20

Hard Disk Drives........................................................................................2-22

Rock Mounting...................................................................................................2-24

Chassis Ears.............................................................................................2-25

Chassis Rails.............................................................................................2-25

Chassis into/off the Rack..........................................................................2-27

Chapter 3 BIOS Setup.............................................................................................3-1

Entering Setup.....................................................................................................3-2

The Menu Bar.......................................................................................................3-4

Main......................................................................................................................3-4

Advanced............................................................................................................3-6

PC Health............................................................................................................3-12

Security..............................................................................................................3-12

System...............................................................................................................3-14

Boot....................................................................................................................3-14

Exit......................................................................................................................3-16

Appendix A Intel ICH7R SATA RAID.....................................................................A-1

ICH7R Introduction...............................................................................................A-2

BIOS Configuration..............................................................................................A-2

Using the Intel Matrix Stroage Manager Option ROM...............................A-3

Installing Software..............................................................................................A-8

Install Driver in Windows XP / 2000...........................................................A-9

Installation of Intel Matrix Storage Console.............................................A-11

RAID Migration Instructions...............................................................................A-14

Create RAID Volume from Existing Disk...................................................A-17

Degraded RAID Array........................................................................................A-22

Missing Hard Drive Member......................................................................A-23

Failed Hard Drive Member.........................................................................A-23

ix

x

Getting Started

Chapter 1

Getting Started

The MS-9232 1U Rackmount Server is a high-perfor­mance barebone system powered by Intel® Core Duo/

Core Solo/Celeron M processor, Intel® 945GT, and
Intel® ICH7R chipsets. With high scalability, reliability,

ease of use, and overall value, the MS-9232 makes an
ideal choice for value conscious customers.

1-1

MS-9232 Server

2

3

4

5

234

5

System Overview

This section shows the configuration of the MS-9232 from different angles, and the
connectors and buttons on the front and back panel.

Top View

Front

1

Back

1

HDD Tray

PCI Riser Card Bracket

CPU Socket

Memory DIMM Slots

EPS 1U Power Supply

1-2

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Front View

2

3146710859

1

PCI Card Bracket

HDD Tray

AC Power Connector

PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard

VGA Port

USB Ports

Gigabit LAN Jackss

HDD LED

Power LED

10

Power Button

Getting Started

1-3

MS-9232 Server

Power Button

This main power button is used to turn on or off the system.

Power LED

This indicator shows the power status of the system. It glows when the main power
is turned on.

LAN Status Indicators

These LED indicators flash to show the activity status on LAN1 and LAN2.

HDD LED

This indicator shows the activity status of the hard disk drive. It flashes when the
system is accessing data on the hard disk.

v Front I/O LEDs

LED Color State Description

Power/Sleep Green On Legacy power on/ACPI S0 state

Blink (~1/sec) Sleep/ACPI S1 state

Off Off Power off/ACPI S4, S5 state

HDD Activity Amber Random blink HDD accesss activity

Off Off No disk activity

RJ45 NIC 1 Linkage Green On LAN linked

/RJ45 NIC 2 Linkage Green Blinking LAN accessing

/RJ45 NIC 3 Linkage Off Off No LAN linked

RJ45 NIC 1 Access Amber On Gigabit mode access

/RJ45 NIC 2 Access Green On 100M mode access

/RJ45 NIC 3 Access Off Off 10M mode access

1-4

Getting Started

Mouse/Keyboard Connector USB Port

6

4

2

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 Mouse/Keyboard Data Mouse/Keyboard data

2 NC No connection

3 GND Ground

4 VCC +5V

5 Mouse/Keyboard Clock Mouse/Keyboard clock

6 NC No connection

LAN Jack

8 1

Gigabit LAN Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 D0P Differential Pair 0+

2 D0N Differential Pair 0-

3 D1P Differential Pair 1+

4 D2P Differential Pair 2+

5 D2N Differential Pair 2-

6 D1N Differential Pair 1-

7 D3P Differential Pair 3+

8 D3N Differential Pair 3-

5

3

1

VGA Port

1 2 3 4

PIN SIGNAL

1 VCC

2 -Data
3 +Data
4 GND

5

15

PIN SIGNAL

1 RED
2 GREEN
3 BLUE
4 N/C
5 GND
6 GND
7 GND
8 GND
9 +5V
10 GND
11 N/C
12 SDA
13 Horizontal Sync
14 Vertical Sync
15 SCL

1

11

1-5

MS-9232 Server

Mainboard Specifications

Processor Support

- Intel® Core Duo/Core Solo/Celeron M CPU in the 478 package

- Supports 3/4 pin CPU Fan Pin-Header with Fan Speed Control

- Supports Intel Dual Core Technology to 533/667MHz and up

Supported FSB

- 533/667MHz

Chipset

- North Bridge: Intel® 945GT chipset

- South Bridge: Intel® ICH7R chipset

Memory Support

- DDRII 533/667 SDRAM (4GB Max)

- 2 DIMMs DDRII (240pin / 1.8V)

LAN

- Supports PCI Express LAN GB Fast Ethernet by Intel 82573L

IDE

- 1 IDE port by ICH7R

- Supports Ultra DMA 66/100 mode

- Supports PIO, Bus Master operation mode

1-6

SATA

- SATA II ports by ICH7R

- Supports four SATA II devices

- Supports storage and data transfers at up to 300MB/s

RAID

- SATA1~4 supports RAID 0/ 1/ 0+1/ 5

Floppy

- 1 floppy port

- Supports 1 FDD with 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88Mbytes

Connectors

I/O Panel

- 1 PS/2 mouse port

- 1 PS/2 keyboard port

- 2 x RJ45 Gigabit LAN

Getting Started

- 2 USB 2.0 Ports

- 1 VGA connector

Onboard Pinheaders

- 1 serial header (COM1)

Slots

- 1 PCI Express x16 slot

- 1 32-bit/33MHz PCI slot

Chassis

- Form Factor: 1U

- Low profile slot x 1

- Chassis Dimension: 432mm (W) X 355mm (L) X 42.5mm (H)

Power Supply

- Input: 90-135/180-265Vac, Auto-Range

- Output: Maximum Power 200 Watts

For more information on compatible components, please visit

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/server/svr/pro_svr_qvl.php

1-7

MS-9232 Server

IDE 1

CPU

F

AN1SYSF

AN2

COM1

JLP

C

1

SATA2

SATA4

SATA1

SATA3

SYSFAN1

BIOS

JPW1

ATX1

CLR_CMOS1

Intel

ICH7R

BIOS WP1

J12

J13

JPW2

Mainboard Layout

Top: Mouse
Bottom: Keyboard

FDD 1

VGA Port

LAN Jacks

USB Ports

BATT

+

Intel

82573L

Intel

82573L

1
D
C

J

PCI-E1

PCI3

Intel

945GT

DIMM1

DIMM2

JCI2

JFP1

945GT Speedster u-ATX Workstation Board (MS-9632 v1.X)

1-8

Getting Started

MSI Special Feature

Core Center (Optional)

The Core Center is a new utility you can find in the application CD. The utility is just
like your PC doctor that can detect, view and adjust the PC hardware and system
status during real time operation. In the left side it shows the current system status,
including the Vcore, 3.3V, +5V and 12V. In the right side it shows the current PC
hardware status such as the CPU & system temperatures and all fans speeds.

When you click the red triangles in the left and right sides, two sub-menus will open
for users to overclock, overspec or to adjust the thresholds of system to send out the
warning messages. If you click the Core Center button on the top, a screen pops up
for you to choose the “ Auto mode” or “User mode” of CPU fan. You may adjust the
speeds of CPU fans and system fan here.

1-9

MS-9232 Server

Left-side: Current system status

In the left sub-menu, you can configure the settings of FSB & DOT by clicking the
radio button in front of each item and make it available (the radio button will be lit as
yellow when selected), use the “ +” and “-” buttons to adjust, then click “ok” to apply
the changes. Then you can click Save to save the desired FSB you just configured.

Also you may click Auto to start testing the maximal CPU overclocking value. The CPU
FSB will automatically increase the testing value until the PC reboots. Or you may
click Default to restore the default values.

Right-side: PC hardware status during real time operation

In the right sub-menu, here you can configure the PC hardware status such as CPU
& system temperatures and fan speeds. You may use the scroll bars to adjust each
item, then click “ok” to apply the changes. The values you set for the temperatures
are the maximum thresholds for the system for warnings, and the value for fan
speeds are the minimum thresholds.

Top-side: User mode/Auto mode

Here you may adjust the CPU fan speed. If you choose User mode, you may adjust
the CPU fan speed in 8 different modes, from Stop to Full speed.

Important

Items shown on Core Center may vary depending on your system status.

1-10

Hardware Setup

Chapter 2

Hardware Setup

Refer to the system assembly flowchart and the chart
below to determine the proper sequence of removing
or installing components to the server.

MS-9232

Mainboard Hardware

System Assembly

Rack Mounting

CPU, Memory, Power Supply, Back
Panel, Connectors, Jumpers, Slot

Chassis Cover
CPU, Heatsink
Memory
Riser Card
Hard Disk Drives
Chassis Ears and Rails
Rack Rails
Chassis into the Rack
Chassis off the Rack

2-1

MS-9232 Server

BIOS

Quick Components Guide

I/O Panel

PCI-E Slot,

p.2-12

PCI Slots,

p.2-12

FDD1, p.2-7

DDRII DIMMs,

p.2-4

p.2-10

CLR_CMOS1,

p.2-11

JCI2,

BIOS_WP1,

p.2-11

ATX1,

p.2-10

SATA1~SATA4,

p.2-8

COM1,p.2-10

JPW2,

p.2-6

JPW1,

p.2-10

IDE1,

p.2-7

CPUFAN1/
SYSFAN2,

p.2-9

CPU, p.2-3

SYSFAN1,

p.2-9

JLPC1,

p.2-10

JFP1,

p.2-9

2-2

Hardware Setup

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The mainboard supports Intel® Core Duo/Core Solo/Celeron M processors in
478-pin package. The mainboard uses Socket 478 for easy CPU installation. When
you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and a cooling fan
attached on the top to prevent overheating. If you do not have the heat sink and
cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before turning on the
computer.

For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.msi.com.
tw/program/products/server/svr/pro_svr_qvl.php .

Important

1. Overheating will seriously damage the CPU and system. Always make
sure the cooling fan can work properly to protect the CPU from overheating.

2. Make sure that you apply an even layer of heat sink paste (or thermal tape)
between the CPU and the heatsink to enhance heat dissipation.

3. While replacing the CPU, always turn off the ATX power supply or unplug
the power supply’s power cord from the grounded outlet first to ensure the
safety of CPU.

2-3

MS-9232 Server

Memory

The mainboard provides two 240-pin non-ECC DDRII 533/667 DIMMs and supports up
to 4GB system memory.

For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.msi.com.
tw/program/products/server/svr/pro_svr_qvl.php.

DDRII

240-pin, 1.8V

64x2=128 pin 56x2=112 pin

Single-Channel: All DIMMs in GREEN

Memory Population Rules

This mainboard supports DDRII 533/667 memory interface.
Each DIMM slot supports up to a maximum size of 2GB. Users can install either single-

or double-sided modules depending on their needs.

Slot Combination 1 Combination 2 Combination 3

DIMM1 128MB~2GB 0 128MB~2GB

DIMM2 0 128MB~2GB 128MB~2GB

Total Memory 128MB~2GB 128MB~2GB 256MB~4GB

Important

Make sure that you install memory modules of the same type and density on
DDRII DIMMs.

2-4

Hardware Setup

Installing DDRII Modules

1. The memory module has only one notch on the center and will only fit in the right
orientation.

2. Insert the DIMM memory module vertically into the DIMM slot. Then push it in until the
golden finger on the memory module is deeply inserted in the socket.

Important

You can barely see the golden finger if the module is properly inserted in the
socket.

3. The plastic clip at each side of the DIMM slot will automatically close.

Volt

Notch

2-5

MS-9232 Server

Power Supply

SSI 24-Pin System Power Connector: ATX1

This connector allows you to connect an SSI power supply. To connect the SSI
power supply, make sure the plug of the power supply is inserted
in the proper orientation and the pins are aligned. Then push
down the power supply firmly into the connector.
You may use the 20-pin ATX power supply or 24-pin SSI power
supply as you like. If you’d like to use the ATX power supply,
please plug your power supply along with pin 1 & pin 13 (refer to
the image at the right hand). There is also a foolproof design on
pin 11, 12, 23 & 24 to avoid wrong installation.

SSI 4-Pin CPU Power Connector: JPW1, JPW2

This connector provides 12V power output to the CPU.

pin 13

pin 12

4
3

JPW1

2
1

ATX1

1

13

12
24

JPW2

1

4

ATX1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 +3.3V

2 +3.3V

3 GND

4 +5V

5 GND

6 +5V

7 GND

8 PWR OK

9 5VSB

10 +12V

11 +12V

12 NC

PIN SIGNAL

13 +3.3V

14 -12V

15 GND

16 PS-ON#

17 GND

18 GND

19 GND

20 Res

21 +5V

22 +5V

23 +5V

24 GND

JPW1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 GND

2 GND

3 12V

4 12V

JPW2 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 NA

2 GND

3 GND

4 12VIN

Important

1. Maker sure that these two connectors are connected to adequate SSI power

supplies to ensure stable operation of the mainboard.

2. Power supply of 200watts (and above) is highly recommended for system

stability.

3. SSI 12V power connection should be greater than 18A.

2-6

Hardware Setup

Connectors

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

This standard FDD connector supports 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy
disk types.

FDD1

ATA100 Hard Disk Connector: IDE1

The mainboard has a 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE and Ultra DMA 66/100 controller that
provides PIO mode 0~4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 66/100 function. You can connect
hard disk drives, CD-ROM and other IDE devices.

The Ultra ATA100 interface boosts data transfer rates between the computer and the
hard drive up to 100 megabytes (MB) per second. The new interface is one-third
faster than earlier record-breaking Ultra ATA 100 technology and is backwards
compatible with the existing Ultra ATA interface.

IDE1

Important

If you install two hard disks on cable, you must configure the second drive to
Slave mode by setting its jumper. Refer to the hard disk documentation
supplied by hard disk vendors for jumper setting instructions.

2-7

MS-9232 Server

Serial ATA Connectors: SATA1~4

SATA1~SATA4 are high-speed SATA II interface ports and support SATA II data rates
of 300MB/s. Each SATA II connector can connect to 1 hard disk device and is fully
compliant with Serial ATA 2.0 specifications. Please refer to the Appendix ICH7R
RAID for detailed application.

SATA4 SATA3

SATA2 SATA1

Serial ATA cable

Take out the dust cover
and connect to the hard
disk devices

Connect to SATA1/2/3/4

Important

Please do not fold the Serial ATA cable into 90-degree angle. Otherwise,
data loss may occur during transmission.

2-8

Hardware Setup

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1

The mainboard provides one front panel connector for electrical connection to the
front panel switches and LEDs. The JFP1 is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O
Connectivity Design Guide.

JFP1

2

1

+

HDD

-

LED

-

Reset
Switch

+

JFP1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 HD_LED + Hard disk LED pull-up

2 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up

3 HD_LED - Hard disk active LED

4 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up

5 RST_SW - Reset Switch low reference pull-down to GND

6 PWR_SW + Power Switch high reference pull-up

7 RST_SW + Reset Switch high reference pull-up

8 PWR_SW - Power Switch low reference pull-down to GND

9 RSVD_DNU Reserved. Do not use.

Power
LED

+

Power
Switch

-

10

9

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1, SYSFAN2

The fan power connectors support system cooling fan with +12V. When connecting
the wire to the connectors, always take note that the red wire is the positive and
should be connected to the +12V, the black wire is Ground and should be connected
to GND. If the mainboard has a System Hardware Monitor chipset on-board, you must
use a specially designed fan with speed sensor to take advantage of the CPU fan
control.

GND
+12V
SENSOR

SENSOR

+12V

GND

CPUFAN1 SYSFAN1

+1 2V

SE NS OR

GND

SYSFAN2

Important

Please refer to the recommended CPU fans at Intel® / AMD® official website or
consult the vendors for proper CPU cooling fan.

2-9

MS-9232 Server

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI2

This connector connects to a 2-pin chassis switch. If the chassis is opened, the
switch will be short. The system will record this status and show a warning mes­sage on the screen. To clear the warning, you must enter the BIOS utility and clear the
record.

JCI2

CINTRU

GND

2

1

FWH/LPC Debugging Pin Header: JLPC1

The pin header is for internal debugging only.

JLPC1 Pin Definition

JLPC1

1

13

2

14

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 LCLK 2 Key (no pin)

3 LRST# 4 VCC3

5 LAD0 6 FID0_LRST

7 LAD1 8 VCC5

9 LAD2 10 Key (no pin)

11 LAD3 12 GND

13 LFRAME# 14 GND

Serial Port Connector: COM1

The mainboard provides one 9-pin header as serial port. The port is a 16550A high
speed communication port that sends/receives 16 bytes FIFOs. You can attach a
serial mouse or other serial devices directly to it.

COM1

19
2

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 DCD Data Carry Detect
2 SIN Serial In or Receive Data
3 SOUT Serial Out or Transmit Data
4 DTR Data Terminal Ready
5 GND Ground
6 DSR Data Set Ready
7 RTS Request To Send
8 CTS Clear To Send
9 RI Ring Indicate

2-10

Hardware Setup

Jumpers

Clear CMOS Jumper: CLR_CMOS1

There is a CMOS RAM onboard that has a power supply from external battery to keep
the data of system configuration. With the CMOS RAM, the system can automatically
boot OS every time it is turned on. If you want to clear the system configuration, set
the CLR_CMOS1 (Clear CMOS Jumper ) to clear data.

1

CLR_CMOS1

1

3

Keep Data

1

3

Clear Data

Important

You can clear CMOS by shorting 1-2 pin while the system is off. Then return
to 2-3 pin position. Avoid clearing the CMOS while the system is on; it will
damage the mainboard.

BIOS Flash Jumper: BIOS_WP1

This jumper is used to enable/disable the BIOS flash. When you intend to update the
BIOS code, uncap this jumper first. Under normal operation, we suggest that you
disable the BIOS flash by capping the BIOS_WP1 jumper to protect the system BIOS
from virus infection.

BIOS_WP1

Enable BIOS FlashDisable BIOS Flash

2-11

MS-9232 Server

Slots

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slot

PCI Express architecture provides a high performance I/O infrastructure for Desktop
Platforms with transfer rates starting at 2.5 Giga transfers per second over a PCI
Express x1 lane for Gigabit Ethernet, TV Tuners, 1394 controllers, and general pur­pose I/O. Also, desktop platforms with PCI Express Architecture will be designed to
deliver highest performance in video, graphics, multimedia and other sophisticated
applications. Moreover, PCI Express architecture provides a high performance graphics
infrastructure for Desktop Platforms doubling the capability of existing AGP 8x de­signs with transfer rates of 4.0 GB/s over a PCI Express x16 lane for graphics
controllers, while PCI Express x1 supports transfer rate of 250 MB/s.

PCI Express x16 Slot

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slot

The PCI slot support LAN cards, SCSI cards, USB cards, and other add-on cards that
comply with PCI specifications. At 32 bits and 33 MHz, it yields a throughput rate of
133 MBps.

2-12

32-bit PCI Slot

Hardware Setup

START

System Assembly Flowchart

The following flowchart shows basic system assembly procedures. Please note
that always wear anti-static gloves when handling electrical components and exer­cise caution during the installation process. For more information, contact your local
dealer or experienced technician.

REMOVE CHASSIS COVER

INSTALL

CPU & HEATSINK

INSTALL

MEMORY MODULES

REMOVE

RISER CARD BRACKET

INSTALL

RISER CARDS

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MS-9232 Server

REPLACE

RISER CARD BRACKET

INSTALL

HARD DISK DRIVES

CONNECT HDD

& POWER CORDS

2-14

CHECK IF ALL PARTS

ARE PROPERLY CONNECTED

REPLACE

CHASSIS COVER

FINISH

System Assembly

Removing the Chassis Cover

1. Slide the chassis cover backwards.

2. Lift the cover up from the chassis.

Hardware Setup

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MS-9232 Server

Replacing the Chassis Cover

1. Replace the chassis cover.

2. Slide the cover forwards and make sure the safety lock fits firmly.

2-16

Important

Before you remove or install any components, make sure the server is
not turned on or connected to the AC power.

Hardware Setup

CPU & Cooler Set Installation

1. Place the CPU on top of the socket. Make sure to align the gold arrow on the CPU

with the arrow key on the socket.

2. Push the CPU down until its pins securely fit into the socket.

3. On the front end of the CPU socket is a

locking mechanism designed into the
form of a screw. Make sure that you
actuate or deactuate this mechanism
with a screwdriver before and after in­stalling the CPU.

4. Release the metal clips on the retention

mechanism.

Important

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MS-9232 Server

5. Mount the cooler set (fan & heatsink
bundled) on top of the CPU and fit it into
the retention mechanism.

6. Secure the metal clips back to the
retention mechanism.

2-18

7. Connect the fan power cable from the
mounted fan to the 3-pin fan power con­nector on the mainboard.

Hardware Setup

DDR-II Memory

1. Locate the DIMM slots on the mainboard. Insert the DIMM memory module verti­cally into the DIMM slot. Then push it in until the golden finger on the memory
module is deeply inserted in the socket. The plastic clip at each side of the DIMM
slot will automatically close.

2. For optimal system performance, at least two memory modules must be installed.

Important

For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.
msi.com.tw/program/products/server/svr/pro_svr_qvl.php .

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MS-9232 Server

PCI Expansion Card

1. Unscrew the riser card bracket on
the chassis.

3. Unscrew the cover plate and put it aside for later use.

2. Lift the bracket up from the chassis.

2-20

4. Insert the expansion card into the
PCI slot on the riser card.

5. Screw the expansion card
firmly to the riser card bracket.

Hardware Setup

6. Replace the riser card bracket to the chassis. Align the riser card golden fingers
with the onboard PCI slot. Push the riser card bracket carefully down with even
force on both sides.

7. Screw the riser card bracket securely to the chassis.

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MS-9232 Server

Hard Disk Drives

1. Locate the HDD tray and unscrew it.

2. Pull it out from the chassis.

3. On the sides of the tray are eight screw sets, four on each side. Each screw set
has one screw inserted beforehand for easy installation.

2-22

Hardware Setup

4. Place the HDD into the tray and align the screw holes on the HDD with the ones
on the tray.

5. Srew the HDD firmly to the tray.

6. Follow the same procedures to install the second HDD.

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MS-9232 Server

7. Insert the HDD tray into the bay and push it back in place. The HDD power cord
and the SATA cable will be automatically connected.

8. Screw the HDD set securely back to the system.

2-24

Hardware Setup

Rock Mounting

Chassis Ears

Screw the chassis ears to both sides of the chassis (as marked below).

Chassis Rails

1. Pull the inner rails out.

2. Assemble the inner rails to the
chassis.

w

e

r

c

S

2

3

-

6

#

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MS-9232 Server

3. Mount the L-shaped bracket onto the outer rail.

4. Mount the slides to the vertical racks.

M4 Nut

M4 Screw

M4 Screw

Front

2-26

Hardware Setup

Chassis into/off the Rack

1. Locate the triangle marks on the rack and screw the rail to the rack as shown.

2. To slide the system into the rack, first align the chassis rails with the rack rails
and push the system backwards until it reaches the end.

3. Screw the system firmly to the rack.

4. To slide the system off the rack, first
seize the system by its front & rear
end. Then gently pull the system out.

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MS-9232 Server

2-28

Chapter 3

BIOS Setup

This chapter provides information on the BIOS Setup
program and allows you to configure the system for
optimum use.
You may need to run the Setup program when:

² An error message appears on the screen during the

system booting up, and requests you to run SETUP.

² You want to change the default settings for cus-

tomized features.

BIOS Setup

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MS-9232 Server

Entering Setup

Power on the computer and the system will start POST (Power On Self Test) process.
When the message below appears on the screen, press <F1> key to enter Setup.

Press F1 to enter SETUP

If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to enter Setup,
restart the system by turning it OFF and On or pressing the RESET button. You may
also restart the system by simultaneously pressing <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Delete> keys.

Important

1.The items under each BIOS category described in this chapter are under
continuous update for better system performance. Therefore, the descrip­tion may be slightly different from the latest BIOS and should be held for
reference only.

2.Upon boot-up, the 1st line appearing after the memory count is the BIOS
version. It is usually in the format:

3-2

W9232IMS V1.0 031506 where:

1st digit refers to BIOS maker as A = AMI, W = AWARD, and P =
PHOENIX.
2nd - 5th digit refers to the model number.
6th digit refers to the chipset as I = Intel, N = nVidia, and V = VIA.
7th - 8th digit refers to the customer as MS = all standard customers.
V1.0 refers to the BIOS version.
031506 refers to the date this BIOS was released.

BIOS Setup

Control Keys

<↑> Move to the previous item
<↓> Move to the next item
<←> Move to the item in the left hand
< →> Move to the item in the right hand

<Enter> Select the item
<Esc> Jumps to the Exit menu or returns to the main menu from a

submenu

<+/PU> Increase the numeric value or make changes
<-/PD> Decrease the numeric value or make changes
<F6> Load Optimized Defaults
<F7> Load Fail-Safe Defaults
<F10> Save all the CMOS changes and exit

Getting Help

After entering the Setup menu, the first menu you will see is the Main Menu.

Main Menu

The main menu lists the setup functions you can make changes to. You can use the
arrow keys ( ↑↓ ) to select the item. The on-line description of the highlighted setup
function is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Sub-Menu

If you find a right pointer symbol (as shown in the right view) appears to the left of
certain fields that means a sub-menu can be
launched from this field. A sub-menu contains
additional options for a field parameter. You
can use arrow keys ( ↑↓ ) to highlight the
field and press <Enter> to call up the sub-menu. Then you can use the control keys
to enter values and move from field to field within a sub-menu. If you want to return
to the main menu, just press the <Esc >.

General Help <F1>

The BIOS setup program provides a General Help screen. You can call up this screen
from any menu by simply pressing <F1>. The Help screen lists the appropriate keys
to use and the possible selections for the highlighted item. Press <Esc> to exit the
Help screen.

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MS-9232 Server

The Menu Bar

Main

Use this menu for basic system configurations, such as time, date etc.

Advanced

Use this menu to set up the items of special enhanced features available on your
system’s chipset.

PC Health

This entry monitors your hardware health status.

Security

Use this menu to set Supervisor and User Passwords.

System

This entry shows your system summary.

Boot

Use this menu to specify the priority of boot devices.

Exit

This menu allows you to load the BIOS default values or factory default settings into
the BIOS and exit the BIOS setup utility with or without changes.

3-4

Main

Date (mm:dd:yy)

The date format is <Day>, <Month> <Date> <Year>.

BIOS Setup

Time (hh:mm:ss)

The time format is <Hour> <Minute> <Second>.

IDE Channel 0/1 Master/Slave

Press PgUp/<+> or PgDn/<-> to select [Manual], [None] or [Auto] type. Note that the
specifications of your drive must match with the drive table. The hard disk will not
work properly if you enter improper information for this category. If your hard disk
drive type is not matched or listed, you can use [Manual] to define your own drive
type manually.

If you select [Manual], related information is asked to be entered to the following
items. Enter the information directly from the keyboard. This information should be
provided in the documentation from your hard disk vendor or the system
manufacturer.

Access Mode The settings are CHS, LBA, Large, Auto.
Capacity The formatted size of the storage device.
Cylinder Number of cylinders.
Head Number of heads.
Precomp Write precompensation.
Landing Zone Cylinder location of the landing zone.
Sector Number of sectors.

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MS-9232 Server

Drive A

This item allows you to set the type of floppy drives installed.

Base/Extended/Total Memory

The three items show the memory status of the system. (Read-only)

3-6

BIOS Setup

Advanced

Advanced BIOS Features

The sub-menu is used to configure chipset features for optimal system performance.

Quick Power On Self Test

Select [Enabled] to reduce the amount of time required to run the power-on self­test (POST). A quick POST skips certain steps. We recommend that you nor­mally disable quick POST. Better to find a problem during POST than lose data
during your work.

APIC Mode

This field is used to enable or disable the APIC (Advanced Programmable Inter­rupt Controller). Due to compliance with PC2001 design guide, the system is
able to run in APIC mode. Enabling APIC mode will expand available IRQ re­sources for the system.

MPS Version Control For OS

This field allows you to select which MPS (Multi-Processor Specification) ver­sion to be used for the operating system. You need to select the MPS version
supported by your operating system. To find out which version to use, consult
the vendor of your operating system.

Advanced Chipset Features

The sub-menu is used to configure chipset features for optimal system performance.

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MS-9232 Server

DRAM Timing Selectable

Selects whether DRAM timing is controlled by the SPD (Serial Presence Detect)
EEPROM on the DRAM module. Setting to [By SPD] enables DRAM timing to be
determined automatically by BIOS based on the configurations on the SPD.
Selecting [Manual] allows users to configure the following fields manually.

CAS Latency Time

This controls the timing delay (in clock cycles) before SDRAM starts a read
command after receiving it. Smaller clocks increase system performance while
bigger clocks provide more stable system performance.

DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay

This field allows you to set the number of cycles for a timing delay between the
CAS and RAS strobe signals, used when DRAM is written to, read from or
refreshed. Fast speed offers faster performance while slow speed offers
more stable performance.

DRAM RAS# Precharge

This item controls the number of cycles for Row Address Strobe (RAS) to be
allowed to precharge. If insufficient time is allowed for the RAS to accumulate
its charge before DRAM refresh, refresh may be incomplete and DRAM may fail
to retain data. This item applies only when synchronous DRAM is installed in the
system.

Precharge Delay (tRAS)

The field specifies the idle cycles before precharging an idle bank.

System Memory Frequency

Use this item to configure the clock frequency of the installed DRAMs.

**VGA Setting**

The following items allow you to configure the VGA settings of the system.

On-Chip Frame Buffer Size

The field specifies the size of system memory allocated for video memory.

Integrated Peripherals

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu.

OnChip IDE Device

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu.

IDE HDD Block Mode

Block mode is also called block transfer, multiple commands, or multiple
sector read/write. If your IDE hard drive supports block mode (most new
drives do), select [Enabled] for automatic detection of the optimal number of
block read/writes per sector the drive can support.

3-8

BIOS Setup

IDE Primary Master/Slave PIO

The IDE PIO (Programmed Input/Output) fields let you set a PIO mode for the
IDE devices that the onboard IDE interface supports. Modes 0 through 4
provide successively increased performance. In [Auto] mode, the system
automatically determines the best mode for each device.

IDE Primary Master/Slave UDMA

Ultra DMA 66/100 implementation is possible only if your IDE hard drive
supports it and the operating environment includes a DMA driver (Windows
ME, XP or a third-party IDE bus master driver). If your hard drive and your
system software both support Ultra DMA/66 and Ultra DMA/100, select [Auto]
to enable BIOS support.

*** On-Chip Serial ATA Setting ***

SATA Mode

This setting specifies the SATA controller operation mode.

On-Chip Serial ATAA

This setting specifies the function of the on-chip SATA controller.

[Disabled] Disable SATA controller
[Auto] Automatically determined by BIOS
[Enhanced Mode] Enable both SATA and PATA, max. 6 IDE

[SATA Only] SATA operates in legacy mode

SATA Port Speed Settings

This setting controls the speed of the SATA port.

drives supported

PATA IDE Mode / SATA Port

These settings specify the modes of the PATA & SATA ports.

Onboard Device

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

Planar Ethernet 1# / Planar Ethernet 2#

These settings disable/enable the onboard Ethernet controller.

Onboard LAN1 / LAN2 Boot ROM

The items enable or disable the initialization of the onboard LAN Boot ROMs
during bootup. Selecting [Disabled] will speed up the boot process.

PCI-E Compliancy Mode

This setting specifies the compliancy mode of the PCI-Express ports (1.0 or

1.0a).

USB Controller

This setting is used to enable/disable the onboard USB controller.

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MS-9232 Server

USB 2.0 Controller

This setting is used to enable/disable the onboard USB 2.0 controller.

USB Keyboard/Mouse Support

Set to [Enabled] if your need to use a USB-interfaced keyboard/mouse in the
operating system that does not support or have any USB driver installed,
such as DOS and SCO Unix.

Super IO Device

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu.

Onboard FDC Controller

Select [Enabled] if your system has a floppy disk controller (FDD) installed on
the system board and you wish to use it. If you install add-on FDC or the
system has no floppy drive, select [Disabled] in this field.

Power Management Setup

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu.

PCI Express PM Function

This setting specifies whether the system will be awakened by the PCI
Express PM (Power Management).

ACPI Function

This item is to activate the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Man­agement Interface) Function. If your operating system is ACPI-aware, such
as Windows 98SE/2000/ME, select [Enabled].

3-10

ACPI Suspend Type

This item specifies the power saving modes for ACPI function. If your oper­ating system supports ACPI, such as Windows 98SE, Windows ME and
Windows 2000, you can choose to enter the Standby mode in S1 (POS) or
S3 (STR) fashion through the setting of this field. Options are:

[S1(POS)]The S1 sleep mode is a low power state. In this state,

no system context is lost (CPU or chipset) and hard­ware maintains all system context.

[S3(STR)]The S3 sleep mode is a lower power state where the

information of system configuration and open appli­cations/files is saved to main memory that remains
powered while most other hardware components turn
off to save energy. The information stored in memory
will be used to restore the system when a “wake up”
event occurs.

Soft-Off by PWR-BTTNN

This feature allows users to configure the power button function. Settings
are:

[Instant-Off] The power button functions as a normal power-on/-off button.

BIOS Setup

[Delay 4 Sec.]When you press the power button, the computer enters the

Wake-Up By PCI Card

When setting to [Enabled], this setting allows your system to be awakened
from the power saving modes through any event on PCI PME (Power Man­agement Event).

USB KB Wake-Up from S3

This setting allows you to enter “Any Key” (max. 8 numbers) to wake up the
system from S3 state.

Resume By Alarm

When [Enabled], your can set the date and time at which the RTC (real-time
clock) alarm awakens the system from suspend mode.

Date (of Month) Alarm

When Resume By Alarm is set to [Enabled], the field specifies the month
for Resume By Alarm.

Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm

You can choose what hour, minute and second the system will boot up.

PWRON After PWR-Fail

This item specifies whether your system will reboot after a power failure or
interrupt occurs. Available settings are:

suspend/sleep mode, but if the button is pressed for more
than four seconds, the computer is turned off.

[Off] Leaves the computer in the power off state.
[On] Leaves the computer in the power on state.
[Former-sts] Restores the system to the status before power fail-

ure or interrupt occurred.

Boot Up NumLock Status

This setting is to set the Num Lock status when the system is powered on. Setting to
[On] will turn on the Num Lock key when the system is powered on. Setting to [Off]
will allow users to use the arrow keys on the numeric keypad.

Auto Detect PCI Clk

This item is used to auto detect the PCI slots. When set to [Enabled], the system will
remove (turn off) clocks from empty PCI slots to minimize the electromagnetic inter­ference (EMI).

Spread Spectrum

When the motherboard’s clock generator pulses, the extreme values (spikes) of the
pulses creates EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). The Spread Spectrum function
reduces the EMI generated by modulating the pulses so that the spikes of the pulses
are reduced to flatter curves.

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MS-9232 Server

PC Health

Smart Fan Setting

The sub-menu is used to control fan speeds for optimal system performance.

Smart CPUFan1 / SYSFan1 / SYSFan2 Temperature

Select a temperature setting here, and if the temperature of the CPU/system
climbs up to the selected temperature setting, the system will automatically
increase the speed of the CPU/system fan to cool down the overheated CPU/
system.

CPUFan1 / SYSFan1 / SYSFan2 Tolerance Value

You can select a fan tolerance value here for the specific range for the Smart
CPUFan1 / SYSFan1 / SYSFan2 Temperature items. If the current tempera-

tures of the fans reach to the maximum threshold (the temperatures set in the
Smart CPUFan1 / SYSFan1 / SYSFan2 Temperature plus the tolerance
values you set here), the fans will speed up for cooling down. On the contrary
if the current temperatures reach to the minimum threshold (the set tempera­tures minus the tolerance values), the fans will slow down to keep the tem­peratures stable.

Current System Temp 1/Current CPU1 Temperature/Current System Temp
2/SYSFan1 Speed/CPUFan1 Speed/SYSFan2 Speed/Vcore/12V/V_1P5_Core/
VCC3/VBAT(V)/3VSB(V)

These items display the current status of all of the monitored hardware devices/
components such as CPU voltage, temperatures and all fans’ speeds.

3-12

Security

Set Supervisor Password

Supervisor Password controls access to the BIOS Setup utility.

BIOS Setup

Set User Password

User Password controls access to the system at boot.

Security Option

This specifies the type of BIOS password protection that is implemented. Settings are
described below:

Option Description

[Setup] The password prompt appears only when end users try to run

[System] A password prompt appears every time when the computer is

Setup.

powered on or when end users try to run Setup.

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MS-9232 Server

System

System Summary

Press <Enter> to view the hardware specifications of your system.

Halt On

The setting determines whether the system will stop if an error is detected at boot.
When the system stops for the errors preset, it will halt on for 15 seconds and then
automatically resume its operation. Available options are:

[All Errors] The system stops when any error is detected.
[No Errors] The system doesn’t stop for any detected error.
[All, But Keyboard] The system doesn’t stop for a keyboard error.
[All, But Diskette] The system doesn’t stop for a disk error.
[All, But Disk/Key] The system doesn’t stop for either a disk or a key-

board error.

3-14

BIOS Setup

Boot

Hard Disk Boot Priority

These settings allow users to set the priority of hard disk drives. First press <Enter>
to enter the sub-menu. Then you may use the arrow keys ( ↑↓ ) to select the desired
device, then press <+>, <-> or <PageUp>, <PageDown> key to move it up/down in the
priority list.

First Boot Device/Second Boot Device/Third Boot Device

The items allow you to set the sequence of boot devices where BIOS attempts to load
the disk operating system.

Boot Other Device

Setting the option to [Enabled] allows the system to try to boot from other device if the
system fails to boot from the first/second/third boot device.

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MS-9232 Server

Exit

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Use this menu to load the default values set by the BIOS vendor for stable system
performance.

Load Optimized Defaults

Use this menu to load the default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifi­cally for optimal performance of the mainboard.

Save & Exit Setup

Save changes to CMOS and exit setup.

Exit Without Saving

Abandon all changes and exit setup.

3-16

Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

Appendix A

Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

The ICH7R provides a hybrid solution that combines
four independent SATAII ports for support of up to four
Serial ATAII (Serial ATAII RAID) drives.
It offers RAID level 0 (Striping), RAID level 1 (Mirroring
and Duplexing), RAID level 5 (Block Interleaved Distrib­uted Parity), RAID level 10 (A Stripe of Mirrors) and
Intel® Martix Storage Technology.

A-1

MS-9232 Server

ICH7R Introduction

The ICH7R provides a hybrid solution that combines four independent SATAII ports for
support of up to four Serial ATAII (Serial ATAII RAID) drives.

Serial ATAII (SATAII) is the latest generation of the ATA interface. SATA hard drives
deliver blistering transfer speeds up to 300MB/sec. Serial ATA uses long, thin cables,
making it easier to connect your drive and improving the airflow inside your PC. The
most outstanding features are:

1. Supports 300MB/s transfers with CRC error checking.

2. Supports Hot-plug-n-play feature.

3. Data handling optimizations including tagged command queuing, elevator
seek and packet chain command.

Intel® ICH7R offers RAID level 0 (Striping), RAID level 1 (Mirroring and Duplexing),
RAID level 5 (Block Interleaved Distributed Parity), RAID level 10 (A Stripe of Mirrors)
and Intel® Martix Storage Technology.

RAID 0 breaks the data into blocks which are written to separate hard drives. Spreading
the hard drive I/O load across independent channels greatly improves I/O performance.
RAID 1 provides data redundancy by mirroring data between the hard drives and
provides enhanced read performance. RAID 5 Provides data striping at the byte level
and also stripe error correction information. This results in excellent performance
and good fault tolerance. Level 5 is one of the most popular implementations of RAID.
RAID 10 Not one of the original RAID levels, multiple RAID 1 mirrors are created, and
a RAID 0 stripe is created over these. Intel Matrix RAID Technology is the advanced
ability for two RAID volumes to share the combined space of two hard drives being
used in unison.

Important

The least number of hard drives for RAID 0, RAID 1 or Matrix mode is 2. The
least number of hard drives for RAID 10 mode is 4. And the maximum number
of hard drives for RAID 5 mode is 3.
All the information/volumes listed in your system might differ from the illus­trations in this appendix.

A-2

Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

BIOS Configuration

The Intel Matrix Storage Manager Option ROM should be integrated with the system
BIOS on all motherboards with a supported Intel chipset. The Intel Matrix Stroage
Manager Option ROM is the Intel RAID implementation and provides BIOS and DOS
disk services. Please use <Ctrl> + <I> keys to enter the “Intel(R) RAID for Serial ATA”
status screen, which should appear early in system boot-up, during the POST
(Power-On Self Test). Also, you need to enable the RAID function in BIOS to create,
delete and reset RAID volumes.

Using the Intel Matrix Stroage Manager Option ROM

1. Creating, Deleting and Resetting RAID Volumes:

The Serial ATA RAID volume may be configured using the RAID Configuration utility
stored within the Intel RAID Option ROM. During the Power-On Self Test (POST), the
following message will appear for a few seconds:

Important

The “Driver Model”, “Serial #” and “Size” in the following example might be
different from your system.

After the above message shows, press <Ctrl> and <I> keys simultaneously to enter
the RAID Configuration Utility.

Important

The following procedure is only available with a newly-built system or if you
are reinstalling your OS. It should not be used to migrate an existing system
to RAID.

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MS-9232 Server

After pressing the <Ctrl> and <I> keys simultaneously, the following window will
appear:

(1) Create RAID Volume

1. Select option 1 “Create RAID Volume” and press <Enter> key. The following
screen appears. Then in the Name field, specify a RAID Volume name and
then press the <TAB> or <Enter> key to go to the next field.

2. Use the arrow keys to select the RAID level best suited to your usage model
in RAID Level.

A-4

Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

3. In the Disk field, press <Enter> key and the following screen appears. Use
<Space> key to select the disks you want to create for the RAID volume, then
click <Enter> key to finish selection.

4. Then select the strip value for the RAID array by using the “upper arrow” or
“down arrow” keys to scroll through the available values, and pressing the
<Enter> key to select and advance to the next field. The available values
range from 4KB to 128 KB in power of 2 increments. The strip value should be
chosen based on the planned drive usage. Here are some typical values:
RAID0 – 128KB
RAID10 – 128KB
RAID5 – 64KB

5. Then select the capacity of the volume in the Capacity field. The default
value is the maximum volume capacity of the selected disks.

A-5

MS-9232 Server

Important

Since you want to create two volumes (Intel Matrix RAID Technology), this
default size (maximum) needs to be reduced. Type in a new size for the first
volume. As an example: if you want the first volume to span the first half of the
two disks, re-type the size to be half of what is shown by default. The second
volume, when created, will automatically span the remainder of two hard
drives.

6.Then the following screen appears for you to confirm if you are sure to
create the RAID volume. Press <Y> to continue.

7.Then the following screen appears to indicate that the creation is finished.

A-6

Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

(2) Delete RAID Volume

Here you can delete the RAID volume, but please be noted that all data on RAID
drives will be lost.

Important

If your system currently boots to RAID and you delete the RAID volume in the
Intel RAID Option ROM, your system will become unbootable.

Select option 2 Delete RAID Volume from the main menu window and press
<Enter> key to select a RAID volume for deletion. Then press <Delete> key to
delete the selected RAID volume. The following screen appears.

Press <Y> key to accept the volume deletion.

A-7

MS-9232 Server

(3) Reset Disks to Non-RAID

Select option 3 Reset Disks to Non-RAID and press <Enter> to delete the RAID
volume and remove any RAID structures from the drives. The following screen
appears:

Press <Y> key to accept the selection.

Important

1. You will lose all data on the RAID drives and any internal RAID structures

when you perform this operation.

2. Possible reasons to ‘Reset Disks to Non-RAID’ could include issues such

as incompatible RAID configurations or a failed volume or failed disk.

A-8

Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

Installing Software

Install Driver in Windows XP / 2000

† New Windows XP / 2000 Installation

The following details the installation of the drivers while installing Windows XP /

2000.

1. Start the installation:
Boot from the CD-ROM. Press F6 when the message "Press F6 if you need
to install third party SCSI or RAID driver" appears.

2. When the Windows XP Setup window is generated, press S to specify an
Additional Device(s).

3. Insert the driver diskette Intel IAA RAID XP Driver For ICH7R (NH82801GR)
into drive A: and press <Enter>.

4. Choose the driver Intel(R) 82801GR SATA RAID Controller from the drop­down list that appears on Windows XP Setup screen, and press the <Enter>
key.

5. Press <Enter> to continue with installation or if you need to specify any
additional devices to be installed, do so at this time. Once all devices are
specified, press <Enter> to continue with installation.

6. From the Windows XP/2000 Setup screen, press the <Enter> key. Setup will
now load all device files and then continue the Windows XP/2000 installation.

† Existing Windows XP/2000 Driver Installation

1. Insert the MSI CD into the CD-ROM drive.

2. The CD will auto-run and the setup screen will appear.

3. Under the Driver tab, click on Intel IAA RAID Edition.

4. The drivers will be automatically installed.

† Confirming Windows XP/2000 Driver Installation

1. From Windows XP/2000, open the Control Panel from My Computer fol­lowed by the System icon.

2. Choose the Hardware tab, then click the Device Manager tab.

3. Click the "+" in front of the SCSI and RAID Controllers hardware type. The
driver Intel(R) NH82801GR SATAII RAID Controller should appear.

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Installation of Intel Matrix Storage Console

The Intel Application Accelerator RAID Edition driver may be used to operate the hard
drive from which the system is booting or a hard drive that contains important data.
For this reason, you cannot remove or un-install this driver from the system after
installation; however, you will have the ability to un-install all other non-driver

components.

Insert the MSI CD and click on the Intel IAA RAID Edition to install the software.

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Click on this item

Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

The InstallShield Wizard will begin automatically for installation showed as following:

Click on the Next button to proceed the installation in the welcoming window.

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The window shows the components to be installed. Click Next button to continue.

After reading the license agreement in the following window, click Yes button to
continue.

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Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

Select the folder in which you want the program to be installed in the following
window, and click Next button to start installation.

Select a program folder in the following window where you want Setup to add the
program icon.

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The following window appears to show the Intel Application Accelerator RAID Edition
Setup installation status.

Once the installation is complete, the following window appears.

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Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

RAID Migration Instructions

The Intel Matrix Storage Console offers the flexibility to upgrade from a single Serial
ATA (SATA) hard drive to RAID configuration when an additional SATA hard drive is
added to the system. This process will create a new RAID volume from an existing
disk. However, several important steps must be followed at the time the system is
first configured in order to take advantage of RAID when upgrading to a second
SATA hard drive:

1.BIOS must be configured for RAID before installing Windows XP on the

single SATA hard drive. Refer to On Chip SATA Setting for properly
setting of the BIOS.

2.Install the Intel Application Accelerator RAID Driver during Windows Setup.

Refer to Installing Software for instructions on installing the driver dur­ing Windows Setup.

3.Install the Intel Matrix Storage Console after the operating system is installed.

To create a volume from an existing disk, complete the following steps:

Important

A Create from Existing Disk operation will delete all existing data from the
added disk and the data cannot be recovered. It is critical to backup all
important data on the added disk before proceeding. However, during the
migration process, the data on the source disk is preserved.

After the Intel Matrix Storage Console has been successfully installed and the sys­tem has rebooted, click on the Intel Application Accelerator shortcut link (Start --> All
Programs --> Intel Matrix Storage Manager --> Intel Matrix Storage Console)
and the following window will appear:

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Create RAID Volume from Existing Disk

To create a RAID volume from an existing disk, choose Action --> Create RAID
Volume from Existing Hard Drive.

The Create RAID Volume from Existing Hard Drive Wizard pops up to lead you
for the following procedure. Click Next to continue.

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Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

(1) Step 1: Configure Volume

Here you can configure the new RAID volume by entering the volume name, selecting
the RAID level and strip size.

† RAID Volume Name:

A desired RAID volume name needs to be typed in where the ‘ RAID_Volume1’ text
currently appears above. The RAID volume name has a maximum limit of 16 characters.
The RAID volume name must also be in English alphanumeric ASCII characters.

† RAID Level:

Select the desired RAID level:

RAID 0 (Performance) – A volume optimized for performance will allow you to

access your data more quickly.

RAID 1 (Redundancy) – A volume optimized for data redundancy will provide

you with a realtime duplicate copy of your data. Note:
Only half of the available volume space will be avail­able for data storage.

RAID 5 (Useful) – RAID 5 can be used on three or more disks, with zero

or more spare-disks. The resulting RAID-5 device size
will be (N-1)*S, where N is the how many drive, S is the
size of the smallest drive in the array. If one of the disks
fail, all data are still intact. It can rebuild the disk from
the parity information. If spare disks are available, re­construction will begin immediately after the device
failure. If two disks fail simultaneously, all data are lost.
RAID-5 can survive one disk failure, but not two or
more. Both read and write performance usually
increase, but can be hard to predict how much. Reads
are similar to RAID-0 reads, writes can be either rather

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expensive (requiring read-in prior to write, in order to
be able to calculate the correct parity information), or
similar to RAID-1 writes. The write efficiency depends
heavily on the amount of memory in the machine, and
the usage pattern of the array. Heavily scattered writes

RAID 10 (Mirrored Stripes) – A RAID 1 array of two RAID 0 arrays.

† Strip Sizes:

Select the desired strip size setting. As indicated, the optimal setting is 128KB. Se­lecting any other option may result in performance degradation. Even though 128KB
is the recommended setting for most users, you should choose the strip size value
which is best suited to your specific RAID usage model. The most typical strip size
settings are:

4KB: For specialized usage models requiring 4KB strips
8KB: For specialized usage models requiring 8KB strips
16KB: Best for sequential transfers
32KB: Good for sequential transfers
64KB: Good general purpose strip size
128KB: Best performance for most desktops and workstations

(2) Select the source disk
Then select the source disk that you wish to use and then click “--->” to move it to the
Selected field. Then click Next to continue.

It is very important to note which disk is the source disk (the one containing all of the
information to be migrated) and which one is the target disk. On a RAID Ready
system, this can be determined by making a note during POST of which port (e.g. Port
0 or Port 1) the single disk is attached to.
You can also use the Intel Application Accelerator RAID Edition utility before the
second disk is installed to verify the Port and serial number of the drive that contains
all the data.

are bound to be more expensive.

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Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

(3) Select Member Hard Drive(s)
Then select the member disk (the target disk) that you wish to use and then click “-

-->” to move it to the Selected field. Then click Next to continue.

Please note that the existing data on the selected hard drive(s) will be deleted
permanently. Do not forget to back up all the important data before continuing.

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(4) Specify Volume Size

Specify the amount of available array space to be used by the new RAID volume. You
may enter the amount in the space or use the slider to specify. It is recommended you
use 100% of the available space for the optimized usage. For RAID 0 volume, if you
do not specify 100% of the hard drive space, the rest hard drive space will be
worked as RAID 1 volume, which is the new technology called Intel Matrix RAID. Then
click Next to continue.

(5) Start Creating RAID Volume from Existing Hard Drive Wizard

Before you continue the procedure of RAID volume creation from existing hard drive,
read the dialogue box below carefully. Please note that once you click Finish, the
existing data on the selected hard drive(s) will be deleted permanently and this
operation cannot be undone. It is critical that you backup all important data before
selecting Finish to start the migration process.

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(6) Start Migration

The migration process may take up to two hours to complete depending on the size
of the disks being used and the strip size selected. A dialogue window will appear
stating that the migration process may take considerable time to complete, meanwhile
a popup dialogue at the taskbar will also show the migration status. While you can still
continue using your computer during the migration process, once the migration proc­ess starts, it cannot be stopped. If the migration process gets interrupted and your
system is rebooted for any reason, it will pick up the migration process where it left
off. You will be provided with an estimated completion time (the remaining time will
depend on your system) once the migration process starts.

The following screen appears if the migration process is completed successfully.
Then you have to reboot your system to use the full capacity of the new volume.

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Degraded RAID Array

A RAID 1, RAID 5 or RAID 10 volume is reported as degraded when one of its hard
drive members fails or is temporarily disconnected, and data mirroring is lost. As a
result, the system can only utilize theremaining functional hard drive member. To re­establish data mirroring and restore data redundancy, refer to the procedure below
that corresponds to the current situation.

Missing Hard Drive Member

1. Make sure the system is powered off.

2. Reconnect the hard drive.

3. Reboot the system to Windows; the rebuild will occur automatically.

Failed Hard Drive Member

1. Make sure the system is powered off.

2. Replace the failed hard drive with a new one that is of equal or greater

capacity.

3. Reboot the system to Intel RAID Option ROM by press <Ctrl> and <I> keys

simultaneously during the Power-On Self Test (POST).

4. Select the port of the destination disk for rebuilding, and then press ENTER.

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Intel ICH7R SATA RAID

5. Exit Intel RAID Option ROM, and then reboot to Windows system.

6. When prompted to rebuild the RAID volume, click 'Yes'.

7. The Intel(R) Storage Utility will be launched. Right-click the new hard drive and
select 'Rebuild to this Disk'. The 'Rebuild Wizard' will be launched which will
guide you through the process of rebuilding to the new hard drive.

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