Supero H8QC8, H8QCE+ User Manual

H8QC8 H8QC8+ H8QCE H8QCE+

USER’S MANUAL

Revision 1.0c

The information in this User’s Manual has been carefully reviewed and is believed to be accurate. The vendor assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies that may be contained in this document, makes no commitment to update or to keep current the information in this manual, or to notify any person or organization of the updates.

The manufacturer reserves the right to make changes to the product described in this manual at any time and without notice. This product, including software, if any, and documentation may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any medium or machine without prior written consent.

IN NO EVENT WILL THE MANUFACTURER BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PRODUCT OR DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN PARTICULAR, THE VENDOR SHALL NOT HAVE LIABILITY FOR ANY HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, OR DATA STORED OR USED WITH THE PRODUCT, INCLUDING THE COSTS OF REPAIRING, REPLACING, INTEGRATING, INSTALLING OR RECOVERING SUCH HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, OR DATA.

Any disputes arising between manufacturer and customer shall be governed by the laws of Santa Clara County in the State of California, USA. The State of California, County of Santa Clara shall be the exclusive venue for the resolution of any such disputes. The manufacturer's total liability for all claims will not exceed the price paid for the hardware product.

Manual Revision 1.0c

Release Date: November 28, 2006

Unless you request and receive written permission from the manufacturer, you may not copy any part of this document.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.

Printed in the United States of America

Preface

About This Manual

This manual is written for system integrators, PC technicians and

knowledgeable PC users. It provides information for the installation and use of

the H8QC8/H8QC8+/H8QCE/H8QCE+ serverboard. The H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) is

based on the nVidia® nForce Pro 2200 (CK804) and the AMD 8132 chipset and

supports four AMD Opteron 800 series type processors in 940-pin microPGA ZIF

sockets and up to 64 GB of DDR266 or 32 GB of DDR400/333 registered ECC

SDRAM.

Please refer to the serverboard speciﬁ cations pages on our web site for updates

on supported processors. This product is intended to be professionally installed.

Manual Organization

Chapter 1 includes a checklist of what should be included in your serverboard

box, describes the features, speciﬁ cations and performance of the serverboard and

provides detailed information about the chipset.

Chapter 2 begins with instructions on handling static-sensitive devices. Read this

chapter when installing the processor(s) and memory modules and when installing

the serverboard in a chassis. Also refer to this chapter to connect the ﬂ oppy and

hard disk drives, the parallel and serial ports, the mouse and keyboard and the

twisted wires for the power and reset buttons and the system LEDs.

If you encounter any problems, see Chapter 3, which describes troubleshooting

procedures for the video, the memory and the setup conﬁ guration stored in CMOS.

For quick reference, a general FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section is pro-

vided. Instructions are also included for contacting technical support. In addition,

you can visit our web site for more detailed information.

Chapter 4 includes an introduction to BIOS and provides detailed information on

running the CMOS Setup utility.

Appendix A provides BIOS Error Beep Code Messages.

Appendix B lists BIOS POST Checkpoint Codes.

iii

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User’s Manual

Table of Contents

Preface

About This Manual ...................................................................................................... iii

Manual Organization ................................................................................................... iii

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-1 Overview ......................................................................................................... 1-1

Checklist ................................................................................................... 1-1

H8QC8/H8QCE Image ............................................................................. 1-3

H8QC8+/H8QCE+ Image ......................................................................... 1-3

H8QC8/H8QCE Serverboard Layout ....................................................... 1-4

H8QC8/H8QCE Quick Reference ............................................................ 1-5

H8QC8+/H8QCE+ Serverboard Layout ................................................... 1-6

H8QC8+/H8QCE+ Quick Reference ........................................................ 1-7

Serverboard Features .............................................................................. 1-8

nVidia nForce Pro 2200/AMD 8132 Chipset: System Block Diagram ... 1-10

1-2 Chipset Overview ......................................................................................... 1-11

1-3 PC Health Monitoring ................................................................................... 1-12

1-4 Power Conﬁ guration Settings ....................................................................... 1-13

1-5 Power Supply ............................................................................................... 1-14

1-6 Super I/O ...................................................................................................... 1-15

Chapter 2: Installation

2-1 Static-Sensitive Devices ................................................................................. 2-1

2-2 Processor and Heatsink Installation ............................................................... 2-2

2-3 Mounting the Serverboard into a Chassis ...................................................... 2-4

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

2-5 I/O Port and Control Panel Connections ........................................................ 2-6

2-6 Connecting Cables ......................................................................................... 2-7

ATX Power Connector ............................................................................. 2-7

Auxiliary 1 Power Connector ................................................................... 2-7

Auxiliary 2 Power Connector ................................................................... 2-7

Power LED ............................................................................................... 2-7

HDD LED ................................................................................................. 2-8

NIC1 LED ................................................................................................. 2-8

NIC2 LED ................................................................................................. 2-8

Overheat/Fan Fail LED ............................................................................ 2-8

Power Fail LED ......................................................................................... 2-9

Table of Contents

Reset Button ............................................................................................ 2-9

Power Button ............................................................................................ 2-9

Universal Serial Bus Ports (USB0/1) ....................................................... 2-9

Extra USB Headers ................................................................................ 2-10

Serial Ports ............................................................................................. 2-10

Fan Headers .......................................................................................... 2-10

JLAN1/2 (Ethernet Ports) ....................................................................... 2-10

Power LED/Keylock/Speaker ................................................................. 2-11

ATX PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Ports .......................................................... 2-11

Chassis Intrusion .................................................................................... 2-11

Wake-On-LAN ........................................................................................ 2-12

Wake-On-Ring ........................................................................................ 2-12

Overheat LED ........................................................................................ 2-12

3rd Power Supply Alarm Reset Header ................................................. 2-12

C Header for Power Supply ................................................................. 2-13

SMBus Header ....................................................................................... 2-13

Additional Fan Headers ......................................................................... 2-13

Compact Flash Power Headers ............................................................. 2-13

2-7 Jumper Settings ............................................................................................ 2-14

Explanation of Jumpers ......................................................................... 2-14

CMOS Clear ........................................................................................... 2-14

C to PCI-X Slots #1, 2 Enable/Disable ................................................ 2-15

C to PCI-X Slots #3, 4 Enable/Disable ................................................ 2-15

SCSI Controller Enable/Disable ............................................................. 2-15

SCSI Termination Enable/Disable .......................................................... 2-16

VGA Enable/Disable ............................................................................... 2-16

3rd Power Supply Fail Signal Enable/Disable ....................................... 2-16

Watch Dog Enable/Disable .................................................................... 2-17

JLAN Enable/Disable ............................................................................. 2-17

PCI-X Slot Frequency Select (#1/2) ...................................................... 2-17

PCI-X Slot Frequency Select (#3/4) ...................................................... 2-18

2-8 Onboard Indicators ....................................................................................... 2-18

JLAN1/JLAN2 LEDs ............................................................................... 2-18

2-9 Floppy, IDE, Parallel Port, SCSI and SATA Drive Connections ................... 2-19

Floppy Connector ................................................................................... 2-19

IDE Connectors ...................................................................................... 2-20

Parallel Port Connector .......................................................................... 2-21

SATA Ports ............................................................................................. 2-21

SCSI Connectors ................................................................................... 2-21

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User’s Manual

2-10 Enabling SATA RAID .................................................................................... 2-23

Chapter 3: Troubleshooting

3-1 Troubleshooting Procedures ........................................................................... 3-1

Before Power On ..................................................................................... 3-1

No Power ................................................................................................. 3-1

No Video .................................................................................................. 3-1

Memory Errors ......................................................................................... 3-2

Losing the System’s Setup Conﬁ guration ................................................ 3-2

3-2 Technical Support Procedures ....................................................................... 3-2

3-3 Frequently Asked Questions .......................................................................... 3-3

3-4 Returning Merchandise for Service ................................................................ 3-4

Chapter 4: BIOS

4-1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 4-1

4-2 Main Menu ...................................................................................................... 4-2

4-3 Advanced Settings Menu ............................................................................... 4-2

4-4 Boot Menu .................................................................................................... 4-15

4-5 Security Menu ............................................................................................... 4-17

4-6 Exit Menu ...................................................................................................... 4-17

Appendices:

Appendix A: BIOS Error Beep Codes ...................................................................... A-1

Appendix B: BIOS POST Checkpoint Codes .......................................................... B-1

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 1

Introduction

1-1 Overview

Checklist

Congratulations on purchasing your computer serverboard from an acknowledged

leader in the industry. Our boards are designed with the utmost attention to detail

to provide you with the highest standards in quality and performance.

Please check that the following items have all been included with your serverboard.

If anything listed here is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

Included with retail box only

 One (1) H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) serverboard

 One (1) IDE cable (CBL-036)

 One (1) ﬂ oppy cable (CBL-022)

 Four (4) CPU backplates (BKT-0004)

 Four (4) heatsink retention modules with eight (8) screws (BKT-0005)

 One (1) COM port cable (CBL-010, H8QC8/H8QCE only)

 One (1) I/O shield for chassis (CSE-PT7, H8QC8/H8QCE only)

 One (1) air shroud with two (2) fans (CSE-PT0115, FAN-0089, H8QC8+/

H8QCE+ only)

 One (1) CD containing drivers and utilities

SATA Accessories (H8QC8/H8QCE only):

 SATA cables (CBL-044): four (4) for H8QCE, two (2) for H8QC8

SCSI Accessories (H8QC8 only):

 One (1) U320 SCSI cable (CBL-034-U320)

1-1

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User’s Manual

Figure 1-1. H8QC8/H8QCE Image

Note: The H8QC8 is shown. The H8QCE shares the same layout but does not

include SCSI controllers, connectors, or jumpers.

1-2

Figure 1-2. H8QC8+/H8QCE+ Image

Chapter 1: Introduction

Note: The H8QC8+ is shown. The H8QCE+ shares the same layout but does not

include SCSI controllers, connectors, or jumpers.

1-3

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User’s Manual

Figure 1-3. H8QC8/H8QCE Serverboard Layout

(not drawn to scale)

FAN7/CPU3

USB0/1

COM1

Parallel Port

VGA

JLAN1

JLAN2

FAN9

82546

JPL1

Rage XL

Graphics

JPG1

Battery

FAN8/CPU4

Slot 6: PCI-E x8

J12

HT Connector

CPU3

DIMMC-2A

DIMMC-2B

DIMMC-1A

DIMMC-1B

DIMMD-1B

DIMMD-1A

DIMMD-2B

DIMMD-2A

CPU2

Slot 5: PCI-E x8

JPXA1/JPXB1

Slot 4: PCI-X 133/100 MHz

Slot 3: PCI-X 133/100 MHz

JUSB2/3

nFAN2

JWOL

COM2

Slot 2: PCI-X 100 MHz

Slot 1: PCI-X 100 MHz (ZCR)

JWD

J34

BIOS

nFAN1

JSMB

HT Connector

nForce

Pro 2200

(CK804)

AMD 8132

SATA3SATA2SATA1SATA0

JBT1

JA1

DIMMB-1B

DIMMB-1A

DIMMB-2B

DIMMB-2A

CPU4

CPU1

DIMMA-2A

DIMMA-2B

DIMMA-1A

DIMMA-1B

JIPMI

AIC-7902W

JPA2

Super

J16

JPA3/JL1

JA2

Speaker

JWF2

JP2

JPA1

JF1JF2

FAN3/CPU2

FAN4/CPU1

JWF1

Floppy

IDE#1

IDE#2

JOH1

JAR

FAN1

FAN2

FAN5

FAN6

J3P

JP1/

JWOR

J1B1JPW1JPW2

Note: Jumpers not indicated are for test purposes only. The H8QCE shares the

same layout but does not include SCSI controllers, connectors, or jumpers.

1-4

Chapter 1: Introduction

H8QC8/H8QCE Quick Reference

Jumpers Description Default Setting

J3P 3rd Power Fail Detect Open (Disabled)

JBT1 CMOS Clear See Section 2-7

C1/JI2C2 I2C to PCI-X # 1 & 2 Slots Both Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

C3/JI2C4 I2C to PCI-X # 3 & 4 Slots Both Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JP1/JP2 Compact Flash Drive Select Both Closed (Master)

JPA1* SCSI Enable/Disable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JPA2/JPA3* SCSI CH A/B Termination Both Open (Enabled)

JPG1 VGA Enable/Disable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JPL1 GLAN Enable/Disable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JPXA1/JPXB1 PCI-X Slot Freq. Select Open (Auto)

JWD Watch Dog Pins 1-2 (Reset)

Connectors Description

COM1, COM2 COM1/COM2 Serial Port/Header

FAN 1-9 System/CPU Fan Headers

Floppy Floppy Disk Drive Connector

IDE#1/IDE#2 IDE#1/IDE#2 Connectors

J1B1 24-Pin ATX Power Connector

J3 PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Ports

J12/J34 HT Connectors

J16 I

C Header for Power Supply

JA1/JA2* U320 SCSI Channel A/B Connector

JAR 3rd Power Supply Alarm Reset Header

JF1 Front Panel Connector

JF2 Onboard Speaker/Keylock/Power LED

JIPMI IPMI Daughter Card Slot

JL1 Chassis Intrusion Header

JLAN1/2 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) Ports

JOH1 Overheat Warning Header

JPW1 Auxiliary 1 Power Connector

JPW2 Auxiliary 2 Power Connector

JSMB System Management Bus Header

JWF1/2 Compact Flash Power Headers

JWOL/JWOR Wake-On-LAN/Wake-On-Ring Headers

nFAN1/4 Additional Fan Headers (nFAN1/2 for chipset heatsinks)

SATA0-3 Serial ATA Ports

Speaker Onboard Speaker (Buzzer)

USB0/1 Universal Serial Bus (USB) Ports 0/1

USB2/3 USB2/3 Headers

*Included on the H8QC8 only.

1-5

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User’s Manual

Figure 1-4. H8QC8+/H8QCE+ Serverboard Layout

(not drawn to scale)

CPU3

DIMMB-1B

DIMMB-1A

DIMMB-2B

DIMMB-2A

JF1JF2

JOH1

JAR

FAN1

FAN7/CPU3

USB0/1

COM1

Parallel Port

VGA

JLAN1

JLAN2

FAN9

82546

JPL1

Rage XL

Graphics

JPG1

Battery

FAN8/CPU4

Slot 6: PCI-E x8

nFAN4

nFAN3

DIMMC-2A

DIMMC-2B

DIMMC-1A

DIMMC-1B

DIMMD-1B

DIMMD-1A

DIMMD-2B

DIMMD-2A

CPU2

JUSB2/3

JWD

JWOL

nFAN2

J34

BIOS

nFAN1

HT Connector

JSMB

nForce

Pro 2200

(CK804)

AMD 8132

SATA3SATA2SATA1SATA0

JBT1

JA1

CPU4

CPU1

DIMMA-2A

DIMMA-2B

DIMMA-1A

DIMMA-1B

JIPMI

AIC-7902W

JPA2

Super

J16

JPA3/JL1

JA2

Speaker

JWF2

JP2

JPA1

FAN3/CPU2

FAN4/CPU1

JWF1

Floppy

IDE#1

IDE#2

FAN2

FAN5

FAN6

J3P

JP1/

JWOR

J1B1JPW1JPW2

Note: Jumpers not indicated are for test purposes only. The H8QCE+ shares the

same layout but does not include SCSI controllers, connectors, or jumpers.

1-6

Chapter 1: Introduction

H8QC8+/H8QCE+ Quick Reference

Jumpers Description Default Setting

J3P 3rd Power Fail Detect Open (Disabled)

JBT1 CMOS Clear See Section 2-7

JP1/JP2 Compact Flash Drive Select Both Closed (Master)

JPA1* SCSI Enable/Disable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JPA2/JPA3* SCSI CH A/B Termination Both Open (Enabled)

JPG1 VGA Enable/Disable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JPL1 GLAN Enable/Disable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JWD Watch Dog Pins 1-2 (Reset)

Connectors Description

COM1, COM2 COM1/COM2 Serial Port/Header

FAN 1-9 System/CPU Fan Headers

Floppy Floppy Disk Drive Connector

IDE#1/IDE#2 IDE#1/IDE#2 Connectors

J1B1 24-Pin ATX Power Connector

J3 PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Ports

J16 I

J34 HT Connectors

JA1/JA2* U320 SCSI Channel A/B Connector

JAR 3rd Power Supply Alarm Reset Header

JF1 Front Panel Connector

JF2 Onboard Speaker/Keylock/Power LED

JIPMI IPMI Daughter Card Slot

JL1 Chassis Intrusion Header

JLAN1/2 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) Ports

JOH1 Overheat Warning Header

JPW1 Auxiliary 1 Power Connector

JPW2 Auxiliary 2 Power Connector

JSMB System Management Bus Header

JWF1/2 Compact Flash Power Headers

JWOL Wake-On-LAN Header

JWOR Wake-On-Ring Header

nFAN1/4 Additional Fan Headers (nFAN3/4 used with air shroud)

SATA0-3 Serial ATA Ports

Speaker Onboard Speaker (Buzzer)

USB0/1 Universal Serial Bus (USB) Ports 0/1

USB2/3 USB2/3 Headers

*Included on the H8QC8+ only.

C Header for Power Supply

1-7

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User’s Manual

Serverboard Features

CPU

• Four AMD Opteron 800 series 64-bit processors in 940-pin microPGA ZIF sockets

(the use of less than four CPUs is not recommended)

Memory

• Sixteen dual/single channel DIMM slots (four per CPU) supporting up to 64 GB

of DDR333/266 registered ECC or up to 32 GB of DDR400 registered ECC

SDRAM

Note: Refer to Section 2-4 before installing.

Chipset

• nVidia nForce Pro 2200 (CK804)

• AMD 8132

Expansion Slots

H8QC8/H8QCE:

• Two (2) PCI-Express x8 slots

• Two (2) PCI-X 133/100 MHz slots

• Two (2) PCI-X 100 MHz slots (one with ZCR card support)

H8QC8+/H8QCE+:

• One (1) PCI-Express x8 slot

BIOS

• 8 Mb Firmware Hub AMIBIOS

Flash ROM

• APM 1.2, DMI 2.3, PCI 2.2, ACPI 1.0 (ACPI 2.0 is BIOS supported), SMBIOS

2.3, Plug and Play (PnP)

PC Health Monitoring

• Onboard voltage monitors for four CPU cores, Hyper Transport (1.2V), memory

banks (2.5V), nVidia 2200 chipset (1.5V)

• Fan status monitor with ﬁ rmware/software on/off and speed control

• Watch Dog

• Environmental temperature monitoring via BIOS

• Power-up mode control for recovery from AC power loss

• System resource alert (via included utility program)

• Auto-switching voltage regulator for the CPU core

1-8

Chapter 1: Introduction

ACPI Features

• Microsoft OnNow

• Slow blinking LED for suspend state indicator

• BIOS support for USB keyboard

• Main switch override mechanism

• Internal/external modem ring-on

Onboard I/O

• On-chip SATA controller supporting four (4) SATA ports (RAID 0, 1, 0+1)

• Adaptec AIC-7902 controller for dual-channel Ultra320 SCSI (H8QC8 and

H8QC8+ only)

• Two (2) UltraDMA133/100 IDE ports

• One (1) ﬂ oppy port interface (up to 2.88 MB)

• Two (2) Fast UART 16550 compatible serial ports (one only on H8QC8+ and

H8QCE+)

• Intel 82546GB Ethernet controller supports two Gigabit LAN ports

• ATI Rage 8 MB XL graphics chip

• PS/2 mouse and PS/2 keyboard ports

• Four (4) USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 ports/headers

Other

• Wake-on-Ring (JWOR)

• Wake-on-LAN (JWOL)

• Chassis intrusion detection (JL1)

CD Utilities

• BIOS ﬂ ash upgrade utility

Dimensions

• Extended ATX form factor: 16.4" x 13" (417 x 330 mm)

1-9

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User’s Manual

DDR400/333/266

DIMM 2B

DIMM 2A

DIMM 1B

DIMM 1A

128-bi t data + 16 -bit ECC

DIMM 2B

DIMM 2A

DIMM 1B

DIMM 1A

Slot #1: PCI-X 100 MHz

Slot #2: PCI-X 100 MHz

Dual SCSI Channels

Slot #3: PCI-X 100 MHz

Slot #4: PCI-X 100 MHz

Gb LAN Por ts (2)

PCI-X CH A

PCI-X CH B

AMD Opteron

CPU #3

16 x 16 HT link

(1 GHz )

AMD Opteron

CPU #4

8132

16 x 16 HT link (1 GHz)

AMD Opteron

CPU #2

16 x 16 HT link

(1 GHz )

AMD Opteron

CPU #1

2200

(CK804 )

128-bit data + 16-bit ECC

PCI-E

PCI-32

DDR400/333/266

DIMM 2B

DIMM 2A

DIMM 1B

DIMM 1A

DIMM 2B

DIMM 2A

DIMM 1B

DIMM 1A

Slot #5: PCI-E x8

Slot #6: PCI-E x8

UDMA133

Rage XL

SATA Por ts (4)

USB Ports (4)

IPMI

Monitor

Fans

(8)

LPC Bus

LPC I/O FWH

Kybd/

Mouse

FDD

Parallel

Port

COM Ports

Figure 1-5. nVidia nForce Pro 2200/AMD 8132 Chipset:

System Block Diagram

Note: This is a general block diagram and may not exactly represent

the features on your serverboard. See the previous pages for the

actual speciﬁ cations of your serverboard.

1-10

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-2 Chipset Overview

The H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) serverboard is based on the nVidia nForce Pro 2200

(CK804) and AMD 8132 chipset components. The 2200 functions as a Media and

Communications Processors (MCP) while the 8132 acts as the PCI hub. Both

hubs connect to the processors and through them to system memory (the memory

controllers are integrated directly into the AMD Opteron processors).

2200 Media and Communications Processor

The 2200 (CK804) is a single-chip, high-performance HyperTransport peripheral

controller. The 2200 includes a 20-lane PCI Express interface, an AMD Opteron 16-

bit Hyper Transport interface link, a four-port Serial ATA interface, a dual UDMA/133

bus master interface and a USB 2.0 interface. The IPMI and LPC buses also

connect to the 2200.

8132 HyperTransport PCI-X Tunnel

This hub includes AMD-speciﬁ c technology that provides two PCI-X bridges with

each bridge supporting a 64-bit data bus as well as separate PCI-X operational

modes and independent transfer rates. Each bridge supports up to ﬁ ve PCI mas-

ters that include clock, request and grant signals. It also interfaces directly with

the Ethernet controllers. On the H8QC8(+), the SCSI channels are linked directly

to the 8132.

HyperTransport Technology

HyperTransport technology is a high-speed, low latency point to point link that was

designed to increase the communication speed by a factor of up to 48x between

integrated circuits. This is done partly by reducing the number of buses in the

chipset to reduce bottlenecks and by enabling a more efﬁ cient use of memory in

multi-processor systems. The end result is a signiﬁ cant increase in bandwidth

within the chipset.

1-11

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User’s Manual

1-3 PC Health Monitoring

This section describes the PC health monitoring features of the H8QC8(+)/

H8QCE(+). The serverboard has an onboard System Hardware Monitor chip that

supports PC health monitoring.

Onboard Voltage Monitors for CPU cores, Hyper Transport (1.2V), two memory banks (2.5V), nVidia 2200 chipset (1.5V)

The onboard voltage monitor will scan these voltages continuously. Once a voltage

becomes unstable, it will give a warning or send an error message to the screen.

Users can adjust the voltage thresholds to deﬁ ne the sensitivity of the voltage moni-

tor. Real time readings of these voltage levels are all displayed in BIOS.

Fan Status Monitor with Firmware/Software Speed Control

The PC health monitor can check the RPM status of the cooling fans. The onboard

fans are controlled by thermal management via BIOS.

CPU Overheat/Fan Fail LED and Control

This feature is available when the user enables the CPU overheat/Fan Fail warning

function in the BIOS. This allows the user to deﬁ ne an overheat temperature. When

this temperature is exceeded or when a fan failure occurs, then, the Overheat/Fan

Fail warning LED is triggered.

Auto-Switching Voltage Regulator for the CPU Core

The 3-phase-switching voltage regulator for the CPU core can support up to 80A and

auto-sense voltage IDs ranging from 0.875 V to 1.6V. This will allow the regulator

to run cooler and thus make the system more stable.

1-12

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-4 Power Conﬁ guration Settings

This section describes the features of your serverboard that deal with power and

power settings.

Microsoft OnNow

The OnNow design initiative is a comprehensive, system-wide approach to system

and device power control. OnNow is a term for a PC that is always on but appears

to be off and responds immediately to user or other requests.

Slow Blinking LED for Suspend-State Indicator

When the CPU goes into a suspend state, the chassis power LED will start blinking

to indicate that the CPU is in suspend mode. When the user presses any key, the

CPU will wake-up and the LED will automatically stop blinking and remain on.

BIOS Support for USB Keyboard

If a USB keyboard is the only keyboard in the system, it will function like a normal

keyboard during system boot-up.

Main Switch Override Mechanism

When an ATX power supply is used, the power button can function as a system

suspend button. When the user depresses the power button, the system will enter

a SoftOff state. The monitor will be suspended and the hard drive will spin down.

Depressing the power button again will cause the whole system to wake-up. Dur-

ing the SoftOff state, the ATX power supply provides power to keep the required

circuitry in the system alive. In case the system malfunctions and you want to turn

off the power, just depress and hold the power button for 4 seconds. The power

will turn off and no power will be provided to the serverboard.

Wake-On-LAN (JWOL)

Wake-On-LAN is deﬁ ned as the ability of a management application to remotely

power up a computer that is powered off. Remote PC setup, up-dates and access

tracking can occur after hours and on weekends so that daily LAN trafﬁ c is kept

to a minimum and users are not interrupted. The serverboard has a 3-pin header

(JWOL) to connect to the 3-pin header on a Network Interface Card (NIC) that has

WOL capability. Wake-On-LAN must be enabled in BIOS. Note that Wake-On-LAN

can only be used with an ATX 2.01 (or above) compliant power supply.

1-13

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User’s Manual

Wake-On-Ring Header (JWOR)

Wake-up events can be triggered by a device such as the external modem ringing

when the system is in the SoftOff state. Note that external modem ring-on can only

be used with an ATX 2.01 (or above) compliant power supply.

Recovery from AC Power Loss

BIOS provides a setting for you to determine how the system will respond when

AC power is lost and then restored to the system. You can choose for the system

to remain powered off (in which case you must hit the power switch to turn it back

on) or for it to automatically return to a power on state. See the Power Lost Con-

trol setting in the BIOS chapter of this manual to change this setting. The default

setting is Always OFF.

1-5 Power Supply

As with all computer products, a stable power source is necessary for proper and

reliable operation. It is even more important for processors that have high CPU

clock rates of 1 GHz and faster.

The H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) accommodates 12V ATX power supplies. Although

most power supplies generally meet the speciﬁ cations required by the CPU, some

are inadequate. A 2 amp current supply on a 5V Standby rail is strongly recom-

mended.

It is strongly recommended that you use a high quality power supply that meets

12V ATX power supply Speciﬁ cation 1.1 or above. Additionally, in areas where

noisy power transmission is present, you may choose to install a line ﬁ lter to shield

the computer from noise. It is recommended that you also install a power surge

protector to help avoid problems caused by power surges.

Warning: To prevent the possibility of explosion, do not use the wrong type of

onboard CMOS battery or install it upside down.

1-14

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-6 Super I/O

The disk drive adapter functions of the Super I/O chip include a ﬂ oppy disk drive

controller that is compatible with industry standard 82077/765, a data separator,

write pre-compensation circuitry, decode logic, data rate selection, a clock genera-

tor, drive interface control logic and interrupt and DMA logic. The wide range of

functions integrated onto the Super I/O greatly reduces the number of components

required for interfacing with ﬂ oppy disk drives. The Super I/O supports two 360

K, 720 K, 1.2 M, 1.44 M or 2.88 M disk drives and data transfer rates of 250 Kb/s,

500 Kb/s or 1 Mb/s.

It also provides two high-speed, 16550 compatible serial communication ports

(UARTs), one of which supports serial infrared communication. Each UART in-

cludes a 16-byte send/receive FIFO, a programmable baud rate generator, complete

modem control capability and a processor interrupt system. Both UARTs provide

legacy speed with baud rate of up to 115.2 Kbps as well as an advanced speed

with baud rates of 250 K, 500 K, or 1 Mb/s, which support higher speed modems.

The Super I/O supports one PC-compatible printer port (SPP), Bi-directional Printer

Port (BPP) , Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) or Extended Capabilities Port (ECP).

The Super I/O provides functions that comply with ACPI (Advanced Conﬁ guration

and Power Interface), which includes support of legacy and ACPI power manage-

ment through a SMI or SCI function pin. It also features auto power management

to reduce power consumption.

The IRQs, DMAs and I/O space resources of the Super I/O can be ﬂ exibly adjusted

to meet ISA PnP requirements, which support ACPI and APM (Advanced Power

Management).

1-15

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User’s Manual

Contacting Supermicro

Headquarters

Address: SuperMicro Computer, Inc. 980 Rock Ave. San Jose, CA 95131 U.S.A. Tel: +1 (408) 503-8000 Fax: +1 (408) 503-8008 Email: marketing@supermicro.com (General Information) support@supermicro.com (Technical Support) Web Site: www.supermicro.com

Europe

Address: SuperMicro Computer B.V. Het Sterrenbeeld 28, 5215 ML 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0) 73-6400390 Fax: +31 (0) 73-6416525 Email: sales@supermicro.nl (General Information) support@supermicro.nl (Technical Support) rma@supermicro.nl (Customer Support)

Asia-Paciﬁ c

Address: SuperMicro, Taiwan 4F, No. 232-1, Liancheng Rd. Chung-Ho 235, Taipei County Taiwan, R.O.C. Tel: +886-(2) 8226-3990 Fax: +886-(2) 8226-3991 Web Site: www.supermicro.com.tw Technical Support: Email: support@supermicro.com.tw Tel: 886-2-8228-1366, ext.132 or 139

1-16

Chapter 2: Installation

Chapter 2

Installation

2-1 Static-Sensitive Devices

Electric Static Discharge (ESD) can damage electronic com ponents. To prevent

damage to your system board, it is important to handle it very carefully. The following

measures are generally sufﬁ cient to protect your equipment from ESD.

Precautions

• Use a grounded wrist strap designed to prevent static discharge.

• Touch a grounded metal object before removing the board from the antistatic

bag.

• Handle the board by its edges only; do not touch its components, peripheral

chips, memory modules or gold contacts.

• When handling chips or modules, avoid touching their pins.

• Put the serverboard and peripherals back into their antistatic bags when not in

use.

• For grounding purposes, make sure your computer chassis provides excellent

conductivity between the power supply, the case, the mounting fasteners and

the serverboard.

• Use only the correct type of CMOS onboard battery as speciﬁ ed by the manufac-

turer. Do not install the CMOS onboard battery upside down, which may result

in a possible explosion.

Unpacking

The serverboard is shipped in antistatic packaging to avoid static damage. When

unpacking the board, make sure the person handling it is static protected.

Installation Procedures

Follow the procedures as listed below to install the serverboard into a chassis:

1. Install the processor(s) and the heatsink(s).

2. Install the serverboard in the chassis.

3. Install the memory and add-on cards.

4. Finally, connect the cables and install the drivers.

2-1

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

2-2 Processor and Heatsink Installation

Exercise extreme caution when handling and installing the proces-

Installing the CPU Backplates

Four CPU backplates (BKT-0004) are included in the retail box. The backplates

prevent the CPU area of the serverboard from bending and provide a base for at-

taching the heatsink retention modules. To install, begin by peeling off the release

paper to expose the adhesive. On the underside of the serverboard, locate the two

holes on either side of the CPU socket. Attach the adhesive side of the backplate

to the board by inserting the standoffs into the two holes and applying light pres-

sure so that the backplate sticks to the underside of the board. Repeat for all CPU

sockets. See Figure 2-1.

sor. Always connect the power cord last and always remove it be-

fore adding, removing or changing any hardware components.

Installing the Processor (must populate all four CPU sockets)

1. Lift the lever on CPU socket #1 until

it points straight up.

2. Use your thumb and your index ﬁ n-

ger to hold the CPU. Locate pin 1 on

the CPU socket and pin 1 on the CPU.

Both are marked with a triangle.

3. Align pin 1 of the CPU with pin 1

of the socket. Once aligned, carefully

place the CPU into the socket. Do not

drop the CPU on the socket, move the

CPU horizontally or vertically or rub the

CPU against the socket or against any

pins of the socket, which may damage

the CPU and/or the socket.

Triangles

2-2

4. With the CPU inserted into the

socket, inspect the four corners of the

CPU to make sure that it is properly

installed and ﬂ ush with the socket.

5. Gently press the CPU socket lever

down until it locks in the plastic tab.

Repeat these steps to install CPUs into

the other three CPU sockets.

Installing the Heatsink Retention Modules

Chapter 2: Installation

Four heatsink retention modules (BKT-0005) and eight screws are included in

the retail box. Once installed, these are used to help attach the heatsinks to the

CPUs. To install, position the module so that the CPU backplate standoffs insert

through the holes on the heatsink retention module and the four feet on the module

contact the serverboard. Secure the retention module to the backplate with two of

the screws provided. See Figure 2-1. Repeat for the second CPU socket. Note:

BKT-0005 is included for use with non-proprietary heatsinks only. When installing

proprietary heatsinks, only BKT-0004 (CPU backplate) is needed. The BKT-0005

retention module was designed to provide compatibility with clip-and-cam type

heatsinks from third parties.

Figure 2-1. CPU Backplate/Heatsink Retention Module Installation

Installing the Heatsink

We recommend the use of active type heatsinks (except for 1U systems). Use the

Fan7 header for the CPU1 fan and the Fan8 header for the CPU2 fan due to fan

monitoring and wiring considerations. To install the heatsinks, please follow the

installation instructions included with your heatsink package (not included).

2-3

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

2-3 Mounting the Serverboard into a Chassis

All serverboards and motherboards have standard mounting holes to ﬁ t different

types of chassis. Make sure that the locations of all the mounting holes for both

the serverboard and the chassis match. Although a chassis may have both plastic

and metal mounting fasteners, metal ones are highly recommended because they

ground the serverboard to the chassis. Make sure that the metal standoffs click in

or are screwed in tightly.

1. Check the compatibility of the serverboard ports and the I/O shield

The H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) serverboard requires a chassis that can support extended

ATX boards of 16" x 13" in size. Make sure that the I/O ports on the serverboard

align with their respective holes in the I/O shield at the rear of the chassis.

2. Mounting the serverboard onto the mainboard tray in the chassis

Carefully mount the serverboard onto the mainboard tray by aligning the serverboard

mounting holes with the raised metal standoffs in the tray. Insert screws into all

the mounting holes in the serverboard that line up with the standoffs. Then use a

screwdriver to secure the serverboard to the mainboard tray - tighten until just snug

(if too tight you might strip the threads). Metal screws provide an electrical contact

to the serverboard ground to provide a continuous ground for the system.

2-4 Installing Memory

CAUTION

Exercise extreme care when installing or removing memory modules

to prevent any possible damage.

1. Insert each memory module vertically into its slot, paying attention to the notch

along the bottom of the module to prevent inserting the module incorrectly (see

Figure 2-2). For each bank of four DIMM slots, install ﬁ rst into DIMM 1A, then

1B, then 2A, then 2B. See support information and notes on optimizing memory

perfomance on the following page.

2. Gently press down on the memory module until it snaps into place.

Note: Each processor has its own built-in memory controller. 256 MB, 512 MB, 1

GB, 2 GB and 4 GB memory modules are supported. It is highly recommended that

you remove the power cord from the system before installing or changing DIMMs.

2-4

Chapter 2: Installation

Support

The H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) supports single or dual-channel, registered ECC

DDR400/333/266 SDRAM.

Both interleaved and non-interleaved memory are supported, so you may populate

any number of DIMM slots (see note on previous page).

Populating two adjacent slots at a time with memory modules of the same size and

type will result in interleaved (128-bit) memory, which is faster than non-interleaved

(64-bit) memory.

Optimizing memory performance

With the mandatory four processors installed, it is better to spread out pairs of

DIMMs across all four CPU memory banks than ﬁ lling up one CPU memory bank

while leaving any others empty. For example, if you were to install eight DIMMs

you should install two in the CPU1 DIMM slots, two in the CPU2 DIMM slots, two

in the CPU3 DIMM slots and two in the CPU4 DIMM slots (slots 1A and 1B in

each of the four banks) rather than four in any single CPU bank of four slots. If

you install four more, install two in the remaining CPU1 DIMM slots and two in the

the remaining CPU2 DIMM slots, etc. This balances the load over all CPUs to

optimize performance.

Maximum memory: 64 GB for DDR333/266 and 32 GB for DDR400.

Figure 2-2. Side and Top Views of DDR Installation

To Install:

Insert module vertically and press down until it snaps into place. The release tabs should close - if they do not you should close them yourself.

Note the notch in the slot and on the bottom of the DIMM. These prevent the DIMM from being installed incorrectly.

To Remove:

Use your thumbs to gently push each release tab outward to release the DIMM from the slot.

2-5

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

2-5 I/O Port and Control Panel Connections

The I/O ports are color coded in conformance with the PC99 speciﬁ cation to make

setting up your system easier. See Figure 2-3 below for the colors and locations

of the various I/O ports.

Figure 2-3. I/O Port Locations and Deﬁ nitions

Front Control Panel

JF1 contains header pins for various front control panel connectors. See Figure 2-4

for the pin deﬁ nitions of the various connectors. Refer to Section 2-6 for details.

Figure 2-4. JF1: Front Control Panel Header (JF1)

20 19

x (key)

Power LED

HDD LED

NIC1

NIC2

OH/Fan Fail LED

Power Fail LED

Ground

x (key)

Vcc

Reset Button

Ground

2 1

Note: NC denotes no connection.

Power Button

2-6

Chapter 2: Installation

2-6 Connecting Cables

ATX Power Connector

The primary ATX power supply con-

nector (J1B1) meets the SSI (Super-

set ATX) 24-pin speciﬁ cation. Refer to

the table on the right for the pin deﬁ ni-

tions of the ATX 24-pin power connec-

tor. This connection supplies power to

the chipset, fans and memory.

Note: You must also connect the 8-pin

JPW1 and JPW2 power connectors to

your power supply (see below).

Auxiliary 1 Power Connector

In addition to the primary ATX power

connector (above), the 8-pin proces-

sor power connector at JPW1 must

also be connected to your power

supply. See the table on the right for

pin deﬁ nitions.

ATX Power 24-pin Connector

Pin Deﬁ nitions (J1B1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition Pin # Deﬁ nition

13 +3.3V 1 +3.3V

14 -12V 2 +3.3V

15 COM 3 COM

16 PS_ON 4 +5V

17 COM 5 COM

18 COM 6 +5V

19 COM 7 COM

20 Res (NC) 8 PWR_OK

21 +5V 9 5VSB

22 +5V 10 +12V

23 +5V 11 +12V

24 COM 12 +3.3V

Auxiliary 1 Power

Connector

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JPW1)

Pins Deﬁ nition

1 through 4 Ground

5 through 8 +12V

Required Connection

Auxiliary 2 Power Connector

The 8-pin processor power connector

at JPW2 must also be connected to

your power supply. See the table on

the right for pin deﬁ nitions.

Power LED

The Power LED connection is located

on pins 15 and 16 of JF1. Refer to the

table on the right for pin deﬁ nitions.

Auxiliary 2 Power

Connector

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JPW2)

Pins Deﬁ nition

1 & 2 Ground

3 & 4 +12V

Required Connection

Power LED

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JF1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

15 Vcc

16 Control

2-7

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

HDD LED

The HDD (IDE Hard Disk Drive) LED

connection is located on pins 13 and

14 of JF1. Attach the IDE hard drive

LED cable to display disk activity.

Refer to the table on the right for pin

deﬁ nitions.

NIC1 LED

The NIC1 (Network Interface Control-

ler) LED connection is located on pins

11 and 12 of JF1. Attach the NIC1

LED cable to display network activity.

Refer to the table on the right for pin

deﬁ nitions.

HDD LED

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JF1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

13 Vcc

14 HD Active

NIC1 LED

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JF1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

11 Vcc

12 NIC1 Active

NIC2 LED

The NIC2 (Network Interface Control-

ler) LED connection is located on pins

9 and 10 of JF1. Attach the NIC2

LED cable to display network activity.

Refer to the table on the right for pin

deﬁ nitions.

Overheat/Fan Fail LED

Connect an LED to the OH connection

on pins 7 and 8 of JF1 to provide ad-

vanced warning of chassis overheat-

ing. Refer to the table on the right for

pin deﬁ nitions and status indicators.

Pin# Deﬁ nition

9Vcc

10 NIC2 Active

OH/Fan Fail LED

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JF1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

7 Vcc

8 Control

NIC2 LED

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JF1)

OH/Fan Fail

LED Status

State Indication

Solid Overheat

Blinking Fan fail

2-8

Power Fail LED

Chapter 2: Installation

The Power Fail LED connection is

located on pins 5 and 6 of JF1. Refer

to the table on the right for pin deﬁ ni-

tions. This feature is only available

for systems with redundant power

supplies.

Reset Button

The Reset Button connection is lo-

cated on pins 3 and 4 of JF1. Attach

it to the hardware reset switch on the

computer case. Refer to the table on

the right for pin deﬁ nitions.

Power Button

Power Fail LED

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JF1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

5 Vcc

6 Control

Reset Button

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JF1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

3 Reset

4 Ground

The Power Button connection is

located on pins 1 and 2 of JF1. Mo-

mentarily contacting both pins will

power on/off the system. This button

can also be conﬁ gured to function

as a suspend button (see the Power

Button Mode setting in BIOS). To turn

off the power when set to suspend

mode, depress the button for at least

4 seconds. Refer to the table on the

right for pin deﬁ nitions.

Universal Serial Bus Ports (USB0/1)

Two Universal Serial Bus ports

(USB2.0) are located beside the key-

board/mouse ports. See the table on

the right for pin deﬁ nitions.

Power Button

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JF1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1PW_ON

2 Ground

Universal Serial Bus Ports

Pin Deﬁ nitions (USB0/1)

USB0 Pin # Deﬁ nition

1 +5V 1 +5V

2 PO- 2 PO-

3 PO+ 3 PO+

4 Ground 4 Ground

USB1 Pin # Deﬁ nition

2-9

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

Extra USB Headers

Two additional USB2.0 head-

ers (USB2/3) are included on the

serverboard. These may be con-

nected to provide front side access.

A USB cable (not included) is needed

for the connection. See the table on

the right for pin deﬁ nitions.

Serial Ports

The COM1 serial port is located un-

der the parallel port and the COM2

header (on the H8QC8/H8QCE only)

is located between PCI slots #2 and

#3. Refer to the table on the right for

pin deﬁ nitions.

Extra Universal Serial Bus Headers

Pin Deﬁ nitions (USB2/3)

USB2 Pin # Deﬁ nition

1 +5V 1 +5V

2 PO- 2 PO-

3 PO+ 3 PO+

4 Ground 4 Ground

5 Key 5 No connection

Serial Port Pin Deﬁ nitions

Pin # Deﬁ nition Pin # Deﬁ nition

1 DCD 6 DSR

2RXD 7RTS

3TXD 8CTS

4 DTR 9 RI

5 Ground 10 NC

Note: NC indicates no connection.

USB3 Pin # Deﬁ nition

(COM1/COM2)

Fan Headers

The serverboard has nine fan head-

ers, which are designated FAN1

through FAN9. Fans speed may be

set to full or variable speed with a

BIOS setting. See the table on the

right for pin deﬁ nitions.

Note: when using active heatsinks,

FAN4 is for CPU1, FAN3 is for CPU2,

FAN7 is for CPU3 and FAN8 is for

CPU4.

JLAN1/2 (Ethernet Ports)

Two Gigabit Ethernet ports (desig-

nated JLAN1 and JLAN2) are located

beside the COM2 port. These Ether-

net ports accept RJ45 type cables.

Fan Header

Pin Deﬁ nitions

(FAN1-9)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1 Ground (Black)

2 +12V/9V (Red)

3 Tachometer

Note: Fan speed may controlled by a BIOS

setting to change with system temperature.

As a result, pin 2 may be either 12V or 9 V.

See page 4-14.

2-10

Power LED/Keylock/Speaker

On the JF2 header, pins 2, 4 and 6

are for the power LED, pins 8 and 10

are for the keylock and pins 1, 3, 5

and 7 are for the speaker (there is no

pin 9). See the tables on the right for

pin deﬁ nitions and below right for pin

locations

Note: The speaker connector pins are

for use with an external speaker. If

you wish to use the onboard speaker,

you should close pins 5 and 7 with a

jumper.

Chapter 2: Installation

Speaker Connector

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JF2)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1 Red wire, speaker data

3NC

5 Buzzer signal

7 Speaker data

Pwr LED/Keylock Connector

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JF2)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

2 +Vcc

4 -Vcc

6 -Vcc

8 Keylock

10 Ground

ATX PS/2 Keyboard and PS/2 Mouse Ports

The ATX PS/2 keyboard and the PS/2

mouse ports are located at J3. The

mouse is the top (green) port. See the

table on the right for pin deﬁ nitions.

JF2 Pinout

PS/2 Keyboard and

Mouse Port Pin Deﬁ nitions (J3)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1 Data

2NC

3 Ground

4 VCC

5 Clock

6NC

Chassis Intrusion

A Chassis Intrusion header is located

at JL1. Attach the appropriate cable

to inform you of a chassis intrusion.

2-11

Chassis Intrusion

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JL1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1 Intrusion Input

2 Ground

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

Wake-On-LAN

The Wake-On-LAN header is desig-

nated JWOL. See the table on the

right for pin deﬁ nitions. You must

have a LAN card with a Wake-On-LAN

connector and cable to use the Wake-

On-LAN feature.

Wake-On-Ring

Wake-On-LAN

Pin Deﬁ nitions

(JWOL)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1 +5V Standby

2 Ground

3 Wake-up

The Wake-On-Ring header is desig-

nated JWOR. This function allows

your computer to receive and "wake-

up" by an incoming call to the modem

when in suspend state. See the table

on the right for pin deﬁ nitions. You

must have a Wake-On-Ring card and

cable to use this feature.

Overheat LED

Connect an LED to the JOH header to

provide warning of chassis overheat-

ing. See the table on the right for pin

deﬁ nitions.

Wake-On-Ring

Pin Deﬁ nitions

(JWOR)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1 Ground (Black)

2 Wake-up

Overheat LED

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JOH)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1 +3.3V

2 OH Active

3rd Power Supply Alarm Reset Header

Connect a cable from your power

supply to JAR to provide you with

warning of a power supply failure.

The warning signal is passed through

the PWR_LED pin to indicate a power

failure. See the table on the right for

pin deﬁ nitions.

3rd Power Supply

Alarm Reset Header

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JAR)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1 P/S 1 Fail Signal

2 P/S 2 Fail Signal

3 P/S 3 Fail Signal

4 Reset (from MB)

Note: This feature is only available when using

redundant power supplies.

2-12

Chapter 2: Installation

I2C Header for Power Supply

The I2C header at J16 may be used

to monitor the power supply. See the

table on the right for pin deﬁ nitions.

SMBus Header

The JSMB header is provided for

System Management Bus connec-

tion. See the table on the right for pin

deﬁ nitions.

I2C Header for Power

Supply

Pin Deﬁ nitions (J16)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1 Clock

2 Data

3 PWR Fail

4Gnd

5 +3.3V

SMBus Header

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JSMB)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1 Data

2Gnd

3 Clock

4NC

Additional Fan Headers

Four additional fan headers, desig-

nated nFAN1 through nFAN4, are

included on the serverboard. On the

H8QC8/H8QCE, nFAN1 and nFAN2

should be connected to the heatsinks

on the CK804 and 8132 (chipset)

chips. On the H8QC8+/H8QCE+,

nFAN3 and nFAN4 should be con-

nected to the heatsinks that are used

with the air shroud. See the table on

the right for pin deﬁ nitions.

Compact Flash Power Headers

JWF1 and JWF2 are power headers for

compact ﬂ ash devices, which can be

connected to the IDE ports. See the

table on the right for pin deﬁ nitions.

Additional Fan Header

Pin Deﬁ nitions

(nFAN1-4)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

112V

2 Ground

DOC Power Header

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JWF1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition

1+5V

2 Ground

3 Signal

2-13

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

2-7 Jumper Settings

Explanation of Jumpers

To modify the operation of the

serverboard, jumpers can be used to

choose between optional settings.

Jumpers create shorts between two

pins to change the function of the

connector. Pin 1 is identiﬁ ed with

a square solder pad on the printed

circuit board. See the diagram at

right for an example of jumping pins

1 and 2. Refer to the serverboard

layout page for jumper locations.

Note: O n t w o - p i n j u m p e r s , " C l o s e d "

means the jumper is on and "Open"

means the jumper is off the pins.

CMOS Clear

Connector

321

Pins

Jumper

321

Setting

JBT1 is used to clear CMOS and will also clear any passwords. Instead of pins,

this jumper consists of contact pads to prevent accidentally clearing the contents

of CMOS.

To clear CMOS,

1) First power down the system and unplug the power cord(s).

2) With the power disconnected, short the CMOS pads with a metal object such as

a small screwdriver for at least four seconds.

3) Remove the screwdriver (or shorting device).

4) Reconnect the power cord(s) and power on the system.

Notes:

Do not use the PW_ON connector to clear CMOS.

The onboard battery does not need to be removed when clearing CMOS, however

you must short JBT1 for at least four seconds.

JBT1 contact pads

2-14

I2C to PCI-X Slots #1,2 Enable/Disable (H8QC8/

H8QCE only)

The JI2C1/2 pair of jumpers allows

you to connect the System Manage-

ment Bus to PCI-X slots #1 and 2. The

default setting is open (disabled) for

both jumpers to enable the connec-

tion. Both connectors must be set the

same (JI

the clock). See the table on right for

jumper settings.

C1 is for data and JI2C2 is for

Chapter 2: Installation

I2C to PCI# 1,2

Enable/Disable

Jumper Settings

C1/2)

(JI

Jumper Setting Deﬁ nition

Closed Enabled

Open Disabled

I2C to PCI-X Slots #3,4 Enable/Disable (H8QC8/

H8QCE only)

The JI2C3/4 pair of jumpers allows

you to connect the System Manage-

ment Bus to PCI-X slots #3 and 4. The

default setting is open (disabled) for

both jumpers to enable the connec-

tion. Both connectors must be set the

same (JI

C3 is for data and JI2C4 is for

the clock). See the table on right for

jumper settings.

SCSI Controller Enable/ Disable (H8QC8/H8QC8+

only)

Jumper JPA1 is used to enable or dis-

able the Adaptec AIC-7902W SCSI

controller. The default setting is on pins

1-2 to enable SCSI. See the table on

right for jumper settings.

I2C to PCI# 3,4

Enable/Disable

Jumper Settings

(JI2C3/4)

Jumper Setting Deﬁ nition

Closed Enabled

Open Disabled

SCSI Enable/Disable

Jumper Settings (JPA1)

Both Jumpers Deﬁ nition

Pins 1-2 Enabled

Pins 2-3 Disabled

2-15

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

SCSI Termination Enable/ Disable (H8QC8/H8QC8+

only)

Jumpers JPA2 and JPA3 are used to

enable or disable termination for SCSI

channels A and B, respectively. The

default setting is open to enable termi-

nation. See the table on right for jump-

er settings.

Note: In order for the SCSI drives to

function properly, please do not change

the default setting (enabled) set by the

manufacturer.)

SCSI Term. Enable/Disable

Jumper Settings (JPA2/JPA3)

Jumper Setting Deﬁ nition

Open Enabled

Closed Disabled

VGA Enable/Disable

JPG1 allows you to enable or disable

the VGA port. The default position is

on pins 1 and 2 to enable VGA. See

the table on the right for jumper set-

tings.

3rd Power Supply Fail Signal Enable/Disable

The system can notify you in the event

of a power supply failure. This feature

assumes that three redundant power

supply units are installed in the chas-

sis. If you only have one or two power

supplies installed, you should disable

the function with the J3P header to pre-

vent false alarms. See the table on the

right for jumper settings.

VGA Enable/Disable

Jumper Settings (JPG1)

Jumper Setting Deﬁ nition

Pins 1-2 Enabled

Pins 2-3 Disabled

3rd Power Supply Fail Signal

Jumper Settings (J3P)

Jumper Setting Deﬁ nition

Open Disabled

Closed Enabled

2-16

Watch Dog Enable/Disable

Chapter 2: Installation

JWD controls the Watch Dog function.

Watch Dog is a system monitor that

can reboot the system when a software

application hangs. Pins 1-2 will cause

WD to reset the system if an applica-

tion has frozen. Pins 2-3 will disable

the Watch Dog feature. See the table

on the right for jumper settings. Watch

Dog must also be enabled in BIOS (set-

ting located in the Power Menu).

JLAN Enable/Disable

Change the setting of jumper JPL1

to enable or disable the JLAN1 and

JLAN2 Gb Ethernet ports. See the

table on the right for jumper settings.

The default setting is enabled.

Watch Dog

Jumper Settings (JWD)

Jumper Setting Deﬁ nition

Pins 1-2 Reset

Pins 2-3 Disabled

Note: When enabled, the user needs to

write their own application software in or-

der to disable the Watch Dog timer.

JLAN1/2 Enable/Disable

Jumper Settings (JPL1)

Jumper Setting Deﬁ nition

Pins 1-2 Enabled

Pins 2-3 Disabled

PCI-X Slot Frequency Select (H8QC8/H8QCE only)

Jumper JPXA1 is are used to set

the speed of PCI-X slots #1 and #2,

respectively. The recommended (de-

fault) setting is open for Auto. See the

table on the right for jumper settings.

PCI-X Slot #1/#2

Frequency Select

Jumper Settings

(JPXA1)

Jumper Setting Deﬁ nition

Pins 1-2 66 MHz PCI-X

Pins 2-3 66 MHz PCI

Open Auto

2-17

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

PCI-X Slot Frequency Select (H8QC8/H8QCE only)

Jumper JPXB1 is are used to set

the speed of PCI-X slots #3 and #4,

respectively. The recommended (de-

fault) setting is open for Auto. See the

table on the right for jumper settings.

PCI-X Slot #3/#4

Frequency Select

Jumper Settings

(JPXB1)

Jumper Setting Deﬁ nition

Pins 1-2 66 MHz PCI-X

Pins 2-3 66 MHz PCI

Open Auto

2-8 Onboard Indicators

JLAN1/JLAN2 LEDs

The Ethernet ports (located beside the

VGA port) have two LEDs. On each

Gb LAN port, one LED indicates activ-

ity when blinking while the other LED

may be green, amber or off to indicate

the speed of the connection. See the

table on the right for the functions as-

sociated with the activity speed LED.

(Connection Speed Indicator)

JLAN LED

LED Color Deﬁ nition

Off 10 MHz

Green 100 MHz

Amber 1 GHz

2-18

Chapter 2: Installation

2-9 Floppy, IDE, Parallel Port, SCSI and SATA Drive Connections

Use the following information to connect the ﬂ oppy and hard disk drive cables.

 The ﬂ oppy disk drive cable has seven twisted wires.

 A red mark on a wire typically designates the location of pin 1.

 A single ﬂ oppy disk drive ribbon cable has 34 wires and two connectors to provide

for two ﬂ oppy disk drives. The connector with twisted wires always connects to

drive A, and the connector that does not have twisted wires always connects to

drive B.

 The 80-wire ATA133 IDE hard disk drive cable that came with your system has

two connectors to support two drives. This special cable should be used to take

advantage of the speed this new technology offers. The blue connector connects

to the onboard IDE connector interface and the other connector(s) to your hard

drive(s). Consult the documentation that came with your disk drive for details

on actual jumper locations and settings for the hard disk drive.

Floppy Connector

The ﬂ oppy connector is located

beside the IDE#1 connector.

See the table on the right for

pin deﬁ nitions.

Floppy Drive Connector Pin Deﬁ nitions (Floppy)

Pin# Deﬁ nition Pin # Deﬁ nition

1 GND 2 FDHDIN

3 GND 4 Reserved

5 Key 6 FDEDIN

7 GND 8 Index-

9 GND 10 Motor Enable

11 GND 12 Drive Select B-

13 GND 14 Drive Select A-

15 GND 16 Motor Enable

17 GND 18 DIR-

19 GND 20 STEP-

21 GND 22 Write Data-

23 GND 24 Write Gate-

25 GND 26 Track 00-

27 GND 28 Write Protect-

29 GND 30 Read Data-

31 GND 32 Side 1 Select-

33 GND 34 Diskette

2-19

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

IDE Connectors

There are no jumpers to conﬁ g-

ure the onboard IDE#1 and #2

connectors. See the table on

the right for pin deﬁ nitions.

IDE Drive Connectors

Pin Deﬁ nitions (IDE#1/IDE#2)

Pin# Deﬁ nition Pin # Deﬁ nition

1 Reset IDE 2 Ground

3 Host Data 7 4 Host Data 8

5 Host Data 6 6 Host Data 9

7 Host Data 5 8 Host Data 10

9 Host Data 4 10 Host Data 11

11 Host Data 3 12 Host Data 12

13 Host Data 2 14 Host Data 13

15 Host Data 1 16 Host Data 14

17 Host Data 0 18 Host Data 15

19 Ground 20 Key

21 DRQ3 22 Ground

23 I/O Write 24 Ground

25 I/O Read 26 Ground

27 IOCHRDY 28 BALE

29 DACK3 30 Ground

31 IRQ14 32 IOCS16

33 Addr1 34 Ground

35 Addr0 36 Addr2

37 Chip Select 0 38 Chip Select 1

39 Activity 40 Ground

2-20

Chapter 2: Installation

Parallel Port Connector

The parallel (printer) port is

located on the I/O backplane.

See the table on the right for

pin deﬁ nitions.

Parallel Port Connector

Pin Deﬁ nitions

Pin# Deﬁ nition Pin # Deﬁ nition

1 Strobe- 2 Auto Feed-

3 Data Bit 0 4 Error-

5 Data Bit 1 6 Init-

7 Data Bit 2 8 SLCT IN-

9 Data Bit 3 10 GND

11 Data Bit 4 12 GND

13 Data Bit 5 14 GND

15 Data Bit 6 16 GND

17 Data Bit 7 18 GND

19 ACK 20 GND

21 BUSY 22 Write Data

23 PE 24 Write Gate

25 SLCT 26 NC

SATA Ports

There are no jumpers to con-

ﬁ gure the SATA ports, which

are designated SATA0-SATA3.

See the table on the right for

pin deﬁ nitions.

SATA Drive Ports

Pin Deﬁ nitions (SATA0-SATA3)

Pin # Deﬁ nition

1 Ground

2TXP

3TXN

4 Ground

5RXN

6RXP

7 Ground

2-21

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

SCSI Connectors (H8QC8/H8QC8+ only)

Refer to the table at right for

pin deﬁ nitions for the Ultra320

SCSI connectors located at

JA1 and JB1.

Ultra320 SCSI Drive Connectors

Pin Deﬁ nitions (JA1/JB1)

Pin# Deﬁ nition Pin # Deﬁ nition

1 +DB (12) 35 -DB (12)

2 +DB (13) 36 -DB (13)

3 +DB (14) 37 -DB (14)

4 +DB (15) 38 -DB (15)

5 +DB (P1) 39 -DB (P1)

6 +DB (0) 40 -DB (0)

7 +DB (1) 41 -DB (1)

8 +DB (2) 42 -DB (2)

9 +DB (3) 43 -DB (3)

10 +DB (4) 44 -DB (4)

11 +DB (5) 45 -DB (5)

12 +DB (6) 46 -DB (6)

13 +DB (7) 47 -DB (7)

14 +DB (P) 48 -DB (P)

15 Ground 49 Ground

16 DIFFSENS 50 Ground

17 TERMPWR 51 TERMPWR

18 TERMPWR 52 TERMPWR

19 Reserved 53 Reserved

20 Ground 54 Ground

21 +ATN 55 -ATN

22 Ground 56 Ground

23 +BSY 57 -BSY

24 +ACK 58 -ACK

25 +RST 59 -RST

26 +MSG 60 -MSG

27 +SEL 61 -SEL

28 +C/D 62 -C/D

29 +REQ 63 -REQ

30 +I/O 64 -I/O

31 +DB (8) 65 -DB (8)

32 +DB (9) 66 -DB (9)

33 +DB (10) 67 -DB (10)

34 +DB (11) 68 -DB (11)

2-22

Chapter 2: Installation

2-10 Enabling SATA RAID

Serial ATA (SATA)

Serial ATA (SATA) is a physical storage interface that employs a single cable with a

minimum of four wires to create a point-to-point connection between devices. This

connection is a serial link that supports a SATA transfer rate from 150 MBps. The

serial cables used in SATA are thinner than the traditional cables used in Parallel

ATA (PATA) and can extend up to one meter in length, compared to only 40 cm for

PATA cables. Overall, SATA provides better functionality than PATA.

Installing the OS/SATA Driver

Before installing the OS (operating system) and SATA RAID driver, you must decide

if you wish to have the operating system installed as part of a bootable RAID array

or installed to a separate non-RAID hard drive. If on a separate drive, you may

install the driver either during or after the OS installation. If you wish to have the

OS on a SATA RAID array, you must follow the procedure below and install the

driver during the OS installation.

Note: the SATA RAID driver is supported by Windows 2000 and XP only.

Building a Driver Diskette

You must ﬁ rst build a driver diskette from the CD-ROM that was included with the

system. (You will have to create this disk on a computer that is already running and

with the OS installed.) Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive and start the system.

A display as shown in Figure 2-5 will appear. Click on the icon labeled "Build Driver

Diskettes and Manuals" and follow the instructions to create a ﬂ oppy disk with the

driver on it. Once it's been created, remove the ﬂ oppy and insert the installation

CD for the Windows Operating System you wish to install into the CD-ROM drive

of the new system you are about to conﬁ gure.

Enabling SATA RAID in the BIOS

Before installing the Windows Operating System, you must change some settings

in BIOS. Boot up the system and hit the <Del> key to enter the BIOS Setup Utlility.

After the Setup Utility loads,

1. Use the arrow keys to move to the Exit menu. Scroll down with the arrow keys

to the "Load Optimal Defaults setting and press <Enter>. Select "OK" to conﬁ rm,

then <Enter> to load the default settings.

2-23

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

2. Use the arrow keys to move to the "Advanced" menu, then scroll down to "IDE

Conﬁ guration" and press the <Enter> key. Once in the IDE Conﬁ guration submenu,

scroll down to "Conﬁ guration nVidia RAID ROM" and press <Enter> to access that

submenu. Highlight the setting "RAID Option ROM" and press enter, change the

setting to Enabled and hit <Enter> again. Two new settings should now be dis-

played: "Master SATA as RAID" and "Slave SATA as RAID". Enable both of these

settings, whether you think you will use them both or not.

3. Hit the <Esc> key twice and scroll to the Exit menu. Select "Save Changes and

Exit" and hit <enter>, then hit <Enter> again to verify.

4. After exiting the BIOS Setup Utility, the system will reboot. When prompted

during the startup, press the <F10> key when prompted to run the nVidia RAID

Utility program.

Using the nVidia RAID Utility

The nVidia RAID Utility program is where you can deﬁ ne the drives you want to

include in the RAID array and the mode and type of RAID. Two main windows

are shown in the utility. The "Free Disks" window on the left will list all available

drives. Use the arrow keys to select and move drives to the window on the right,

which lists all drives that are to become part of the RAID array.

Once you have ﬁ nished selecting the drives and type of RAID you wish to use for

your RAID array, press the <F7> key. You will be prompted to verify your choice; if

you want to continue with your choices, select "Yes". Note that selecting "Yes" will

clear all previous data from the drives you selected to be a part of the array. You

are then given the choice of making the RAID array bootable by pressing the the

<B> key. After you have ﬁ nshed, press the <Ctrl> and <X> keys simultaneously.

Installing the OS and Drivers

With the Windows OS installation CD in the CD-ROM drive, restart the system.

When you see the prompt, hit the <F6> key to enter Windows setup. Eventually a

blue screen will appear with a message that begins "Windows could not determine

the type of one or more storage devices . . ." When you see the screen, hit the <S>

key to "Specify Additional Device", then insert the driver diskette you just created

into the ﬂ oppy drive. Highlight "Manufuacturer Supplied Hardware Support Disk"

and hit the <Enter> key. Highlight the ﬁ rst "nVidia RAID" driver shown and press

the <Enter> key to install it. Soon a similar blue screen will appear again. Again hit

the <S> key, then highlight the second item, "nForce Storage Controller" and press

the <Enter> key, then <Enter> again to continue with the Windows setup.

2-24

Figure 2-5. Driver Installation Screen

Chapter 2: Installation

2-25

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

Notes

2-26

Chapter 3: Troubleshooting

Chapter 3

Troubleshooting

3-1 Troubleshooting Procedures

Use the following procedures to troubleshoot your system. If you have followed all

of the procedures below and still need assistance, refer to the ‘Technical Support

Procedures’ and/or ‘Returning Merchandise for Service’ section(s) in this chapter.

Always disconnect the AC power cord before adding, changing or installing any

hardware components.

Before Power On

1. Make sure that the 8-pin power connectors at JPW1 and JPW2 are both con-

nected to your power supply.

2. Make sure that no short circuits exist between the serverboard and chassis.

3. Disconnect all ribbon/wire cables from the serverboard, including those for the

keyboard and mouse.

4. Remove all add-on cards.

5. Install CPUs and heatsinks (making sure it is fully seated) and connect the in-

ternal (chassis) speaker and the power LED to the serverboard. Check all jumper

settings as well.

6. Use the correct type of onboard CMOS battery as recommended by the manufac-

turer. To avoid possible explosion, do not install the CMOS battery upside down.

No Power

1. Make sure that no short circuits exist between the serverboard and the chas-

sis.

2. Verify that all jumpers are set to their default positions.

3. Check that the 115V/230V switch on the power supply is properly set.

4. Turn the power switch on and off to test the system.

5. The battery on your serverboard may be old. Check to verify that it still supplies

~3VDC. If it does not, replace it with a new one.

No Video

1. If the power is on but you have no video, remove all the add-on cards and

cables.

2. Use the speaker to determine if any beep codes exist. Refer to Appendix A for

details on beep codes.

3-1

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

NOTE

If you are a system integrator, VAR or OEM, a POST diagnostics

card is recommended. For I/O port 80h codes, refer to App. B.

Memory Errors

1. Make sure that the DIMM modules are properly and fully installed.

2. You should be using registered ECC DDR memory (see next page). Also, it is

recommended that you use the same memory type and speed for all DIMMs in the

system. See Section 2-4 for memory details and limitations.

3. Check for bad DIMM modules or slots by swapping modules between slots and

noting the results.

4. Check the power supply voltage 115V/230V switch.

Losing the System’s Setup Conﬁ guration

1. Make sure that you are using a high quality power supply. A poor quality power

supply may cause the system to lose the CMOS setup information. Refer to Sec-

tion 1-6 for details on recommended power supplies.

2. The battery on your serverboard may be old. Check to verify that it still supplies

~3VDC. If it does not, replace it with a new one.

3. If the above steps do not ﬁ x the setup conﬁ guration problem, contact your vendor

for repairs.

3-2 Technical Support Procedures

Before contacting Technical Support, please take the following steps. Also, note

that as a serverboard manufacturer, we do not sell directly to end-users, so it is

best to ﬁ rst check with your distributor or reseller for troubleshooting services. They

should know of any possible problem(s) with the speciﬁ c system conﬁ guration that

was sold to you.

1. Please review the ‘Troubleshooting Procedures’ and 'Frequently Asked Questions'

(FAQs) sections in this chapter or see the FAQs on our web site before contacting

Technical Support.

2. BIOS upgrades can be downloaded from our web site.

Note: Not all BIOS can be ﬂ ashed depending on the modiﬁ cations to the boot block

code.

3. If you still cannot resolve the problem, include the following information when

contacting us for technical support:

3-2

Chapter 3: Troubleshooting

 Serverboard model and PCB revision number

 BIOS release date/version (this can be seen on the initial display when your

system ﬁ rst boots up)

 System conﬁ guration

An example of a Technical Support form is posted on our web site.

4. Distributors: For immediate assistance, please have your account number ready

when contacting our technical support department by e-mail.

3-3 Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What type of memory does my serverboard support?

Answer: The H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) supports up to 64 GB of registered ECC

DDR333/266 or up to 32 GB of registered ECC DDR400 interleaved or non-in-

terleaved SDRAM with all four CPUs installed. See Section 2-4 for details on

installing memory.

Question: How do I update my BIOS?

Answer: It is recommended that you not upgrade your BIOS if you are not experi-

encing problems with your system. Updated BIOS ﬁ les are located on our web site.

Please check our BIOS warning message and the information on how to update

your BIOS on our web site. Also, check the current BIOS revision and make sure

it is newer than your current BIOS before downloading.

Select your mainboard model on the web page and download the corresponding

BIOS ﬁ le to your computer. Unzip the BIOS update ﬁ le, in which you will ﬁ nd the

readme.txt (ﬂ ash instructions), the amiﬂ ash.exe (BIOS ﬂ ash utility) and the BIOS

image (xxx.rom) ﬁ les. Copy these ﬁ les to a bootable ﬂ oppy disk, insert the disk

into drive A and reboot the system. At the DOS prompt after rebooting, enter the

command "amiﬂ ash" (without quotation marks) then type in the BIOS ﬁ le that you

want to update with (xxxx.rom).

Question: What's on the CD that came with my serverboard?

Answer: The supplied compact disc has quite a few drivers and programs that

will greatly enhance your system. We recommend that you review the CD and

install the applications you need. Applications on the CD include chipset drivers

for Windows and security drivers.

3-3

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

Question: Why can't I turn off the power using the momentary power on/off

switch?

Answer: The instant power off function is controlled in BIOS by the Power But-

ton Mode setting. When the On/Off feature is enabled, the serverboard will have

instant off capabilities as long as the BIOS has control of the system. When the

Standby or Suspend feature is enabled or when the BIOS is not in control such

as during memory count (the ﬁ rst screen that appears when the system is turned

on), the momentary on/off switch must be held for more than four seconds to shut

down the system. This feature is required to implement the ACPI features on the

serverboard.

3-4 Returning Merchandise for Service

A receipt or copy of your invoice marked with the date of purchase is required be-

fore any warranty service will be rendered. You can obtain service by calling your

vendor for a Returned Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. When returning

to the manufacturer, the RMA number should be prominently displayed on the

outside of the shipping carton, and mailed prepaid or hand-carried. Shipping and

handling charges will be applied for all orders that must be mailed when service

is complete.

For faster service, RMA authorizations may be requested online (http://www.

supermicro.com/support/rma/).

This warranty only covers normal consumer use and does not cover damages in-

curred in shipping or from failure due to the alteration, misuse, abuse or improper

maintenance of products.

During the warranty period, contact your distributor ﬁ rst for any product problems.

3-4

Chapter 4: BIOS

Chapter 4

BIOS

4-1 Introduction

This chapter describes the AMIBIOS™ Setup utility for the H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+).

The AMI ROM BIOS is stored in a ﬂ ash chip and can be easily upgraded using a

ﬂ oppy disk-based program.

Note: Due to periodic changes to the BIOS, some settings may have been added or

deleted and might not yet be recorded in this manual. Please refer to the Manual

Download area of our web site for any changes to BIOS that may not be reﬂ ected

in this manual.

Starting the Setup Utility

To enter the BIOS Setup Utility, hit the <Delete> key while the system is booting-up.

(In most cases, the <Delete> key is used to invoke the BIOS setup screen. There are

a few cases when other keys are used, such as <F1>, <F2>, etc.) Each main BIOS

menu option is described in this manual.

The Main BIOS screen has two main frames. The left frame displays all the options

that can be conﬁ gured. “Grayed-out” options cannot be conﬁ gured. The right frame

displays the key legend. Above the key legend is an area reserved for a text mes-

sage. When an option is selected in the left frame, it is highlighted in white. Often a

text message will accompany it. (Note that BIOS has default text messages built in.

We retain the option to include, omit, or change any of these text messages.) Set-

tings printed in Bold are the default values.

A "

" indicates a submenu. Highlighting such an item and pressing the <Enter>

key will open the list of settings within that submenu.

The BIOS setup utility uses a key-based navigation system called hot keys. Most of

these hot keys (<F1>, <F10>, <Enter>, <ESC>, <Arrow> keys, etc.) can be used at

any time during the setup navigation process.

4-1

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

4-2 Main Menu

When you ﬁ rst enter AMI BIOS Setup Utility, you will see the Main Menu screen.

You can always return to the Main Menu by selecting the Main tab on the top of

the screen with the arrow keys.

The Main Menu screen provides you with a system overview, which includes the

version, built date and ID of the AMIBIOS, the type, speed and number of the

processors in the system and the amount of memory installed in the system.

System Time/System Date

You can edit this ﬁ eld to change the system time and date. Highlight System Time

or System Date using the <Arrow> keys. Enter new values through the keyboard.

Press the <Tab> key or the <Arrow> keys to move between ﬁ elds. The date must

be entered in DAY/MM/DD/YYYY format. The time is entered in HH:MM:SS format.

Please note that time is in a 24-hour format. For example, 5:30 A.M. appears as

05:30:00 and 5:30 P.M. as 17:30:00.

4-3 Advanced Settings Menu

 CPU Conﬁ guration Sub-Menu

GART Error Reporting

This setting is used for testing only.

MTRR Mapping

This determines the method used for programming CPU MTRRs when 4 GB or more

memory is present. The options are Continuous, which makes the PCI hole non-

cacheable, and Discrete, which places the PCI hole below the 4 GB boundary.

 IDE Conﬁ guration

Onboard PCI IDE Controller

The following options are available to set the IDE controller status: Disabled will dis-

able the controller. Primary will enable the primary IDE controller only. Secondary

will enable the secondary IDE controller only. Both will enable both the primary and

the secondary IDE controllers. The six controllers listed are for two dual-channel

IDE and eight SATA devices.

4-2

Chapter 4: BIOS

Primary/Secondary IDE Master/Slave

Highlight one of the items above and press <Enter> to access the submenu for

that item.

Type

Select the type of device connected to the system. The options are Not Installed,

Auto, CDROM and ARMD.

LBA/Large Mode

LBA (Logical Block Addressing) is a method of addressing data on a disk drive.

In the LBA mode, the maximum drive capacity is 137 GB. For drive capacities of

over 137 GB, your system must be equipped with 48-bit LBA mode addressing.

If not, contact your manufacturer or install an ATA/133 IDE controller card that

supports 48-bit LBA mode. The options are Disabled and Auto.

Block (Multi-Sector Transfer)

Block mode boosts IDE drive performance by increasing the amount of data

transferred. Only 512 bytes of data can be transferred per interrupt if block mode

is not used. Block mode allows transfers of up to 64 KB per interrupt. Select

"Disabled" to allow the data to be transferred from and to the device one sec-

tor at a time. Select "Auto" to allows the data transfer from and to the device

occur multiple sectors at a time if the device supports it. The options are Auto

and Disabled.

PIO Mode

PIO (Programmable I/O) mode programs timing cycles between the IDE drive

and the programmable IDE controller. As the PIO mode increases, the cycle time

decreases. The options are Auto, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. Select Auto to allow AMI

BIOS to auto detect the PIO mode. Use this value if the IDE disk drive support

cannot be determined. Select 0 to allow AMI BIOS to use PIO mode 0. It has a

data transfer rate of 3.3 MBs. Select 1 to allow AMI BIOS to use PIO mode 1.

It has a data transfer rate of 5.2 MBs. Select 2 to allow AMI BIOS to use PIO

mode 2. It has a data transfer rate of 8.3 MBs. Select 3 to allow AMI BIOS to

use PIO mode 3. It has a data transfer rate of 11.1 MBs. Select 4 to allow AMI

BIOS to use PIO mode 4. It has a data transfer rate of 16.6 MBs. This setting

generally works with all hard disk drives manufactured after 1999. For other disk

drives, such as IDE CD-ROM drives, check the speciﬁ cations of the drive.

4-3

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

data transfer rate of 3.3 MBs. Select 1 to allow AMI BIOS to use PIO mode 1 for

a data transfer rate of 5.2 MBs. Select 2 to allow AMI BIOS to use PIO mode 2

for a data transfer rate of 8.3 MBs. Select 3 to allow AMI BIOS to use PIO mode

3 for a data transfer rate of 11.1 MBs. Select 4 to allow AMI BIOS to use PIO

mode 4 for a data transfer rate of 16.6 MBs. This setting generally works with

all hard disk drives manufactured after 1999. For other disk drives, such as IDE

CD-ROM drives, check the speciﬁ cations of the drive.

DMA Mode

Selects the DMA Mode. Options are SWDMA0, SWDMA1, SWDMA2,

MWDMA0. MDWDMA1, MWDMA2, UDMA0. UDMA1, UDMA2, UDMA3,

UDMA4 and UDMA5. (SWDMA=Single Word DMA, MWDMA=Multi Word DMA,

UDMA=UltraDMA.)

S.M.A.R.T.

Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) can help predict

impending drive failures. Select "Auto" to allow BIOS to auto detect hard disk

drive support. Select "Disabled" to prevent AMI BIOS from using the S.M.A.R.T.

Select "Enabled" to allow AMI BIOS to use the S.M.A.R.T. to support hard drive

disk. The options are Disabled, Enabled, and Auto.

32-Bit Data Transfer

Select "Enabled" to activate the function of 32-Bit data transfer. Select "Disabled"

to deactivate the function. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

SATA Port 0, SATA Port 1, SATA Port 2, SATA Port 3

Displays the status of all SATA devices (automatically detected by BIOS during

system start up).

Hard Disk Write Protect

Select Enabled to enable the function of Hard Disk Write Protect to prevent data

from being written to HDD. The options are Enabled or Disabled.

IDE Detect Time Out (Sec)

This feature allows the user to set the time-out value for detecting ATA, ATA PI

devices installed in the system. The options are 0 (sec), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and

35.

4-4

Chapter 4: BIOS

ATA(PI) 80Pin Cable Detection

This setting allows AMI BIOS to auto-detect the 80-Pin ATA(PI) cable. The options

are Host, Device and Host & Device.

SATA0 IDE Interface

This setting is used to Enable or Disable the serial controller for SATA0.

SATA1 IDE Interface

This setting is used to Enable or Disable the serial controller for SATA1.

First Boot Device From

Use this setting to select the ﬁ rst boot device as being P-ATA or S-ATA.

 Conﬁ guration nVidia RAID ROM

RAID Option ROM

This setting is used to Enable or Disable the nVidia ROM.

 Floppy Conﬁ guration

Floppy A

Move the cursor to these ﬁ elds via up and down <arrow> keys to select the ﬂ oppy

type. The options are Disabled, 360 KB 5 1/4", 1.2 MB 5 1/4", 720 KB 3½", 1.44

MB 3½”, and 2.88 MB 3½".

Floppy B

Move the cursor to these ﬁ elds via up and down <arrow> keys to select the ﬂ oppy

type. The options are Disabled, 360 KB 5 1/4", 1.2 MB 5 1/4", 720 KB 3½", 1.44

MB 3½”, and 2.88 MB 3½".

Onboard Floppy Controller

Use this setting to Enable or Disable the onboard ﬂ oppy controller.

4-5

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

 PCI/PnP Conﬁ guration

Clear NVRAM

Select Yes to clear NVRAM during boot-up. The options are Yes and No.

Plug & Play OS

Select Yes to allow the OS to conﬁ gure Plug & Play devices. (This is not required

for system boot if your system has an OS that supports Plug & Play.) Select No

to allow AMIBIOS to conﬁ gure all devices in the system.

PCI Latency Timer

This option sets the latency of all PCI devices on the PCI bus. Select a value to

set the PCI latency in PCI clock cycles. Options are 32, 64, 96, 128, 160, 192,

224 and 248.

Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA

Set this value to allow or restrict the system from giving the VGA adapter card an

interrupt address. The options are Yes and No.

Palette Snooping

Select "Enabled" to inform the PCI devices that an ISA graphics device is installed

in the system in order for the graphics card to function properly. The options are

Enabled and Disabled.

PCI IDE BusMaster

Set this value to allow or prevent the use of PCI IDE busmastering. Select "Enabled"

to allow AMI BIOS to use PCI busmaster for reading and writing to IDE drives. The

options are Disabled and Enabled.

Offboard PCI/ISA IDE Card

This option allows the user to assign a PCI slot number to an Off-board PCI/ISA

IDE card in order for it to function properly. The options are Auto, PCI Slot1, PCI

Slot2, PCI Slot3, PCI Slot4, PCI Slot5, and PCI Slot6.

IRQ3/IRQ4/IRQ5/IRQ7/IRQ9/IRQ10/IRQ11/IRQ14/IRQ15

This feature speciﬁ es the availability of an IRQ to be used by a PCI/PnP device.

Select Reserved for the IRQ to be used by a Legacy ISA device. The options are

4-6

Chapter 4: BIOS

Available and Reserved.

DMA Channel0/Channel1/Channel3/Channel5/Channel6/Channel7

Select Available to indicate that a speciﬁ c DMA channel is available to be used by

a PCI/PnP device. Select Reserved if the DMA channel speciﬁ ed is reserved for

a Legacy ISA device. The options are Available and Reserved.

Reserved Memory Size

This feature speciﬁ es the size of memory block to be reserved for Legacy ISA

devices. The options are Disabled, 16K, 32K and 64K.

Super IO Conﬁ guration

Serial Port1 Address

This option speciﬁ es the base I/O port address and Interrupt Request address of

serial port 1. Select "Disabled" to prevent the serial port from accessing any system

resources. When this option is set to Disabled, the serial port physically becomes

unavailable. Select "3F8/IRQ4" to allow the serial port to use 3F8 as its I/O port

address and IRQ 4 for the interrupt address. The options are Disabled, 3F8/IRQ4,

3E8/IRQ4 and 2E8/IRQ3.

Serial Port2 Address

This option speciﬁ es the base I/O port address and Interrupt Request address of

serial port 2. Select "Disabled" to prevent the serial port from accessing any system

resources. When this option is set to "Disabled", the serial port physically becomes

unavailable. Select "2F8/IRQ3" to allow the serial port to use 2F8 as its I/O port

address and IRQ 3 for the interrupt address. The options are Disabled, 2F8/IRQ3,

3E8/IRQ4 and 2E8/IRQ3.

Serial Port 2 Mode

Tells BIOS which mode to select for serial port 2. The options are Normal,

IrDA and ASKIR.

Parallel Port Address

This option speciﬁ es the I/O address used by the parallel port. Select Disabled to

prevent the parallel port from accessing any system resources. When the value of

this option is set to Disabled, the printer port becomes unavailable. Select 378 to

allow the parallel port to use 378 as its I/O port address. The majority of parallel

4-7

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

ports on computer systems use IRQ7 and I/O Port 378H as the standard setting.

Select 278 to allow the parallel port to use 278 as its I/O port address. Select 3BC

to allow the parallel port to use 3BC as its I/O port address.

Parallel Port Mode

Specify the parallel port mode. The options are Normal, Bi-directional, EPP

and ECP.

Parallel Port IRQ

Select the IRQ (interrupt request) for the parallel port. The options are IRQ5 and IRQ7.

 Chipset Menu

 North Bridge Conﬁ guration

 Memory Conﬁ guration

Memclock Mode

This setting determines how the memory clock is set. Auto has the memory

clock by code and Limit allows the user to set a standard value.

MCT Timing Mode

Sets the timing mode for memory. Options are Auto and Manual.

User Conﬁ guration Mode

Options are Auto and Manual.

Bank Interleaving

Use this setting to control bank interleaving. Options are Auto and Dis-

abled.

Burst Length

Use this setting to set the memory burst length. 64-bit Dq must use 4 beats.

Options are 8 beats, 4 beats and 2 beats.

4-8

Chapter 4: BIOS

Hardware Memory Hole

When "Enabled", allows software memory remapping around the memory

hole. Options are Enabled and Disabled. Note: this is only supported by

Rev E0 processors and above.

Node Interleaving

Use this setting to Enable or Disable node interleaving.

Bank Swizzle Mode

The options are Enabled and Disabled.

 ECC Conﬁ guration

DRAM ECC Enable

DRAM ECC allows hardware to report and correct memory errors automati-

cally. Options are Enabled and Disabled.

MCA DRAM ECC Logging

When Enabled, MCA DRAM ECC logging and reporting is enabled.

Options are Enabled and Disabled.

ECC Chipkill

Allows the user to enabled ECC Chipkill. Options are Enabled and

Disabled.

DRAM Scrub Redirect

Allows system to correct DRAM ECC errors immediately, even with

background scrubbing on. Options are Enabled and Disabled.

DRAM BG Scrub

Corrects memory errors so later reads are correct. Options are Dis-

abled and various times in nanoseconds and microseconds.

L2 Cache BG Scrub

Allows L2 cache RAM to be corrected when idle. Options are Disabled and

various times in nanoseconds and microseconds.

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H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

Data Cache BG Scrub

Allows L1 cache RAM to be corrected when idle. Options are Disabled and

various times in nanoseconds and microseconds.

 IOMMU Option Menu

IOMMU Mode

IOMMU is supported on Linux-based systems to convert 32-bit I/O addresses

to 64-bit. Options are Disabled, Best Fit and Absolute. Selecting the Best

Fit or Absolute settings allows the user to select aperture size.

Power Down Control

Allows DIMMs to power down when not in use by deasserting the clock enable

signal. Options are Auto and Disabled.

Memory Ticking Parameters

Allows the user to select which CPU Node's timing parameters (memory clock,

etc.) to display. Options are CPU Node 0, CPU Node1, CPU Node 2 and CPU

Node 3.

 South Bridge Conﬁ guration

CPU Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable spread spectrum for the CPU. Options are Dis-

abled and Center Spread.

SATA Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable spread spectrum for the SATA. Options are Dis-

abled and Down Spread.

PCI Express Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable spread spectrum for the PCI Express. Options

are Disabled and Down Spread.

Primary Video

This setting is used to switch the PCI bus scanning order while searching for the

video card. It allows the user to select the type of primary VGA in case of multiple

video controllers. Options are Slave PCI-Express and Master PCI-Express.

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Chapter 4: BIOS

 ACPI Conﬁ guration

 Advanced ACPI Conﬁ guration

ACPI 2.0 Features

"Yes" enables RSDP pointers to 64-bit ﬁ xed system description pages. Options

are Yes and No.

ACPI APIC Support

Select "Enabled" to allow the ACPI APIC table pointer to be included in the RSDP

pointer list. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

ACPI SRAT Table

Use this setting to Enable or Disable the building of an ACPI SRAT table.

AMI OEMB Table

When Enabled, tells BIOS to include the OEMB table pointer to R(X) SDT pointer

lists. Options are Enabled and Disabled.

Headless Mode

Enable this setting to activate the Headless Operation Mode through ACPI. The

options are Enabled and Disabled.

 Power Menu

Power Button Mode

Allows the user to change the function of the power button. Options are On/Off

and Suspend.

Restore on AC Power Loss

This setting allows you to choose how the system will react when power returns

after an unexpected loss of power. The options are Power Off, Power On and

Last State.

Watch Dog Timer

This setting is used to Enable or Disable the Watch Dog Timer function. It must be

used in conjunction with the Watch Dog jumper (see jumper section for details).

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H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

 Hyper Transport Conﬁ guration

CPU0: CPU1 HT Link Speed

The HT link will run at the speed speciﬁ ed in this setting if it is slower than or equal

to the system clock and if the board is capable. Options are Auto, 200 MHz, 400

MHz, 600 MHz, 800 MHz and 1 GHz.

CPU0: CPU1 HT Link Width

The HT link will run at the width speciﬁ ed in this setting. Options are Auto, 2 bit,

4 bit, 8 bit and 16 bit.

CPU0: PCI-X0 HT Link Speed

The HT link will run at the speed speciﬁ ed in this setting if it is slower than or equal

to the system clock and if the board is capable. Options are Auto, 200 MHz, 400

MHz, 600 MHz, 800 MHz and 1 GHz.

CPU0: PCI-X0 HT Link Width

The HT link will run at the width speciﬁ ed in this setting. Options are Auto, 2 bit,

4 bit, 8 bit and 16 bit.

CPU: HT_Slot HT1 Link Speed

This setting becomes accessible when a card is installed to the J34 HT slot. The

HT link will run at the speed speciﬁ ed in this setting if it is slower than or equal to

the system clock and if the board is capable. Options are Auto, 200 MHz, 400

MHz, 600 MHz, 800 MHz and 1 GHz.

CPU: HT_Slot HT1 Link Width

This setting becomes accessible when a card is installed to the J34 HT slot.The

HT link will run at the width speciﬁ ed in this setting. Options are Auto, 2 bit, 4 bit,

8 bit and 16 bit.

 MPS Conﬁ guration

MPS Revision

This setting allows the user to select the MPS revision level. The options are 1.1

and 1.4.

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Chapter 4: BIOS

 PCI Express Conﬁ guration

Active State Power Management

Use this setting to Enable or Disable PCI Express L0s and L1 link power states.

 AMD PowerNow Conﬁ guration

This setting is used to Enable or Disable the AMD PowerNow feature.

 SMBIOS Conﬁ guration

SMBIOS SMI Support

Enable or Disable SMBIOS wrapper support for PnP function 50h-54h.

 Remote Access Conﬁ guration

Remote Access

Allows you to Enable or Disable Remote Access.

 USB Conﬁ guration

This screen will display the module version and all USB enabled devices.

USB Controller Support

Enable the controller for your USB ports. Options are Disabled, USB 1.1 only and

USB 1.1 + USB 2.0.

Legacy USB Support

Select "Enabled" to enable the support for USB Legacy. Disable Legacy support

if there are no USB devices installed in the system. The options are Disabled,

Enabled and Auto.

USB 2.0 Controller Mode

Select the controller mode for your USB ports. Options are HiSpeed and FullSpeed.

(HiSpeed=480 Mbps, FullSpeed=12 Mbps).

BIOS EHCI Hand-Off

Enable or Disable a workaround for OS's without EHCI hand-off support.

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H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

 System Health Monitor

CPU Overheat Temperature

Use the "+" and "-" keys to set the CPU temperature threshold to between 65o

and 90

C. When this threshold is exceeded, the overheat LED on the chassis

will light up and an alarm will sound. The LED and alarm will turn off once the

CPU temperature has dropped to 5 degrees below the threshold set. The default

setting is 78

Other items in the submenu are all systems monitor displays for the following

information:

CPU1 Temperature, CPU2 Temperature, CPU3 Temperature, CPU4 Temperature,

CPU1 Vcore, CPU2 Vcore, CPU3 Vcore, CPU4 Vcore, +5Vin, +12Vin, -12Vcc (V),

and Battery Voltage.

 System Fan Monitor

Fan Speed Control Modules

This feature allows the user to determine how the system will control the speed

of the onboard fans. If the option is set to "Server Mode", the fan speed will vary

between full speed (12V) and reduced speed (9V), based on system temperature.

Selecting to "Disable" will have the onboard fans to continuously run at full speed

(12V). The options are 1) Disable, Full Speed and 2) Server Mode.

FAN1 Speed through FAN9 Speed

The speeds of the onboard fans (in rpm) are displayed here. FAN7 is intended to

be used for the CPU1 heatsink fan and FAN8 is intended to be used for the CPU2

heatsink fan.

4-14

Chapter 4: BIOS

4-4 Boot Menu

This feature allows the user to conﬁ gure the following items:

 Boot Settings Conﬁ guration

Quick Boot

If Enabled, this option will skip certain tests during POST to reduce the time needed

for the system to boot up. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

Quiet Boot

If Disabled, normal POST messages will be displayed on boot-up. If Enabled, this

display the OEM logo instead of POST messages.

Add-On ROM Display Mode

This setting controls the display of add-on ROM (read-only memory) messages.

Select "Force BIOS" to allow the computer system to force a third party BIOS to

display during system boot. Select "Keep Current" to allow the computer system

to display the BIOS information during system boot.

Boot up Num-Lock

Set this to "On" to allow the Number Lock setting to be modiﬁ ed during boot up.

The options are On and Off.

PS/2 Mouse Support

This setting is to specify PS/2 mouse support. The options are Auto, Enabled

and Disabled.

Wait for ‘F1’ If Error

Enable to activate the Wait for F1 if Error function. The options are Enabled and

Disabled.

Hit ‘DEL’ Message Display

Enable to display the message telling the user to hit the DEL key to enter the setup

utility. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

Interrupt 19 Capture

Enable to allow ROMs to trap Interrupt 19. The options are Enabled and Dis-

abled.

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H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

 Boot Device Priority

This feature allows the user to prioritize the sequence for the Boot Device. The

devices to set are:

· 1st Boot Device

· 2nd Boot Device

· 3rd Boot Device

· 4th Boot Device

 Hard Disk Drives

This feature allows the user to specify the Boot sequence from available hard disk

drives.

 Removable Drives

This feature allows the user to specify the Boot sequence from available remov-

able drives.

1st Drive

Speciﬁ es the boot sequence for the 1st Removable Drive. The options are 1st

Floppy Drive and Disabled.

OS Installation

Specify the OS used. Options are Linux and Other.

Onboard SCSI Host RAID

Use this setting to Enable or Disable the SCSI Host RAID.

4-16

Chapter 4: BIOS

4-5 Security Menu

AMI BIOS provides a Supervisor and a User password. If you use both passwords,

the Supervisor password must be set ﬁ rst.

Change Supervisor Password

Select this option and press <Enter> to access the sub menu, and then type in

the password.

Change User Password

Select this option and press <Enter> to access the sub menu, and then type in

the password.

Boot Sector Virus Protection

This option is near the bottom of the Security Setup screen. Select "Disabled" to

deactivate the Boot Sector Virus Protection. Select "Enabled" to enable boot sector

protection. When "Enabled", AMI BIOS displays a warning when any program (or

virus) issues a Disk Format command or attempts to write to the boot sector of the

hard disk drive. The options are Enabled and Disabled.

4-6 Exit Menu

Select the Exit tab from AMI BIOS Setup Utility screen to enter the Exit BIOS Setup

screen.

Save Changes and Exit

When you have completed the system conﬁ guration changes, select this option

to leave BIOS Setup and reboot the computer, so the new system conﬁ guration

parameters can take effect. Select Save Changes and Exit from the Exit menu

and press <Enter>.

Discard Changes and Exit

Select this option to quit BIOS Setup without making any permanent changes to

the system conﬁ guration and reboot the computer. Select Discard Changes and

Exit from the Exit menu and press <Enter>.

Discard Changes

Select this option and press <Enter> to discard all the changes and return to AMI

BIOS Utility Program.

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H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

Load Optimal Defaults

To set this feature, select Load Optimal Defaults from the Exit menu and press

<Enter>. Then Select "OK" to allow BIOS to automatically load the Optimal Defaults

as the BIOS Settings. The Optimal settings are designed for maximum system

performance, but may not work best for all computer applications.

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

To set this feature, select Load Fail-Safe Defaults from the Exit menu and press

<Enter>. The Fail-Safe settings are designed for maximum system stability, but

not maximum performance.

4-18

Appendix A: BIOS Error Beep Codes

Appendix A

BIOS Error Beep Codes

During the POST (Power-On Self-Test) routines, which are performed each time

the system is powered on, errors may occur.

Non-fatal errors are those which, in most cases, allow the system to continue the

boot-up process. The error messages normally appear on the screen.

Fatal errors are those which will not allow the system to continue the boot-up pro-

cedure. If a fatal error occurs, you should consult with your system manufacturer

for possible repairs.

These fatal errors are usually communicated through a series of audible beeps.

The numbers on the fatal error list, on the following page, correspond to the number

of beeps for the corresponding error. All errors listed, with the exception of Beep

Code 8, are fatal errors.

POST codes may be read on the debug LEDs located beside the LAN port on the

serverboard backplane. See the description of the Debug LEDs (LED1 and LED2)

in Chapter 5.

A-1 AMIBIOS Error Beep Codes

Beep Code Error Message Description

1 beep Refresh Circuits have been reset.

(Ready to power up.)

5 short, 1 long Memory error No memory detected in

system

8 beeps Display memory read/write error Video adapter missing or

with faulty memory

A-1

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

Notes

A-2

Appendix B: BIOS POST Checkpoint Codes

Appendix B

BIOS POST Checkpoint Codes

When AMIBIOS performs the Power On Self Test, it writes checkpoint codes to I/O

port 0080h. If the computer cannot complete the boot process, diagnostic equipment

can be attached to the computer to read I/O port 0080h.

B-1 Uncompressed Initialization Codes

The uncompressed initialization checkpoint codes are listed in order of execution:

Checkpoint Code Description

D0h The NMI is disabled. Power on delay is starting. Next, the initialization code check-

D1h Initializing the DMA controller, performing the keyboard controller BAT test, starting

D3h Starting memory sizing next.

D4h Returning to real mode. Executing any OEM patches and setting the Stack next.

D5h Passing control to the uncompressed code in shadow RAM at E000:0000h. The

sum will be veriﬁ ed.

memory refresh and entering 4 GB ﬂ at mode next.

initialization code is copied to segment 0 and control will be transferred to segment

B-1

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

B-2 Bootblock Recovery Codes

The bootblock recovery checkpoint codes are listed in order of execution:

Checkpoint Code Description

E0h The onboard ﬂ oppy controller if available is initialized. Next, beginning the base

E1h Initializing the interrupt vector table next.

E2h Initializing the DMA and Interrupt controllers next.

E6h Enabling the ﬂ oppy drive controller and Timer IRQs. Enabling internal cache mem-

Edh Initializing the ﬂ oppy drive.

Eeh Looking for a ﬂ oppy diskette in drive A:. Reading the ﬁ rst sector of the diskette.

Efh A read error occurred while reading the ﬂ oppy drive in drive A:.

F0h Next, searching for the AMIBOOT.ROM ﬁ le in the root directory.

F1h The AMIBOOT.ROM ﬁ le is not in the root directory.

F2h Next, reading and analyzing the ﬂ oppy diskette FAT to ﬁ nd the clusters occupied

F3h Next, reading the AMIBOOT.ROM ﬁ le, cluster by cluster.

F4h The AMIBOOT.ROM ﬁ le is not the correct size.

F5h Next, disabling internal cache memory.

FBh Next, detecting the type of ﬂ ash ROM.

FCh Next, erasing the ﬂ ash ROM.

512 KB memory test.

ory.

by the AMIBOOT.ROM ﬁ le.

FDh Next, programming the ﬂ ash ROM.

FFh Flash ROM programming was successful. Next, restarting the system BIOS.

B-2

Appendix B: BIOS POST Checkpoint Codes

B-3 Uncompressed Initialization Codes

The following runtime checkpoint codes are listed in order of execution.

These codes are uncompressed in F0000h shadow RAM.

Checkpoint Code Description

03h The NMI is disabled. Next, checking for a soft reset or a power on condition.

05h The BIOS stack has been built. Next, disabling cache memory.

06h Uncompressing the POST code next.

07h Next, initializing the CPU and the CPU data area.

08h The CMOS checksum calculation is done next.

0Ah The CMOS checksum calculation is done. Initializing the CMOS status register for

0Bh The CMOS status register is initialized. Next, performing any required initialization

0Ch The keyboard controller input buffer is free. Next, issuing the BAT command to the

0Eh The keyboard controller BAT command result has been veriﬁ ed. Next, performing

0Fh The initialization after the keyboard controller BAT command test is done. The key-

10h The keyboard controller command byte is written. Next, issuing the Pin 23 and 24

11h Next, checking if <End or <Ins> keys were pressed during power on. Initializing

12h Next, disabling DMA controllers 1 and 2 and interrupt controllers 1 and 2.

13h The video display has been disabled. Port B has been initialized. Next, initializing

14h The 8254 timer test will begin next.

19h Next, programming the ﬂ ash ROM.

1Ah The memory refresh line is toggling. Checking the 15 second on/off time next.

date and time next.

before the keyboard BAT command is issued.

keyboard controller.

any necessary initialization after the keyboard controller BAT command test.

board command byte is written next.

blocking and unblocking command.

CMOS RAM if the Initialize CMOS RAM in every boot AMIBIOS POST option was set in AMIBCP or the <End> key was pressed.

the chipset.

2Bh Passing control to the video ROM to perform any required conﬁ guration before the

video ROM test.

2Ch All necessary processing before passing control to the video ROM is done. Look-

ing for the video ROM next and passing control to it.

2Dh The video ROM has returned control to BIOS POST. Performing any required pro-

cessing after the video ROM had control

23h Reading the 8042 input port and disabling the MEGAKEY Green PC feature next.

Making the BIOS code segment writable and performing any necessary conﬁ guration before initializing the interrupt vectors.

24h The conﬁ guration required before interrupt vector initialization has completed. In-

terrupt vector initialization is about to begin.

B-3

H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

Checkpoint Code Description

25h Interrupt vector initialization is done. Clearing the password if the POST DIAG

27h Any initialization before setting video mode will be done next.

28h Initialization before setting the video mode is complete. Conﬁ guring the mono-

2Ah Bus initialization system, static, output devices will be done next, if present. See the

2Eh Completed post-video ROM test processing. If the EGA/VGA controller is not

2Fh The EGA/VGA controller was not found. The display memory read/write test is

30h The display memory read/write test passed. Look for retrace checking next.

31h The display memory read/write test or retrace checking failed. Performing the alter-

32h The alternate display memory read/write test passed. Looking for alternate display

34h Video display checking is over. Setting the display mode next.

37h The display mode is set. Displaying the power on message next.

38h Initializing the bus input, IPL, general devices next, if present. See the last page of

39h Displaying bus initialization error messages. See the last page of this chapter for

switch is on.

chrome mode and color mode settings next.

last page for additional information.

found, performing the display memory read/write test next.

about to begin.

nate display memory read/write test next.

retrace checking next.

this chapter for additional information.

additional information.

3Ah The new cursor position has been read and saved. Displaying the Hit <DEL> mes-

3Bh The Hit <DEL> message is displayed. The protected mode memory test is about

40h Preparing the descriptor tables next.

42h The descriptor tables are prepared. Entering protected mode for the memory test

43h Entered protected mode. Enabling interrupts for diagnostics mode next.

44h Interrupts enabled if the diagnostics switch is on. Initializing data to check memory

45h Data initialized. Checking for memory wraparound at 0:0 and ﬁ nding the total sys-

46h The memory wraparound test is done. Memory size calculation has been done.

47h The memory pattern has been written to extended memory. Writing patterns to the

48h Patterns written in base memory. Determining the amount of memory below 1 MB

49h The amount of memory below 1 MB has been found and veriﬁ ed.

4Bh The amount of memory above 1 MB has been found and veriﬁ ed. Checking for a

sage next.

to start.

next.

wraparound at 0:0 next.

tem memory size next.

Writing patterns to test memory next.

base 640 KB memory next.

next.

soft reset and clearing the memory below 1 MB for the soft reset next. If this is a power on situation, going to checkpoint 4Eh next.

B-4

Checkpoint Code Description

Appendix B: BIOS POST Checkpoint Codes

4Ch The memory below 1 MB has been cleared via a soft reset. Clearing the memory

4Dh The memory above 1 MB has been cleared via a soft reset. Saving the memory size

4Eh The memory test started, but not as the result of a soft reset. Displaying the ﬁ rst

4Fh The memory size display has started. The display is updated during the memory

50h The memory below 1 MB has been tested and initialized. Adjusting the displayed

51h The memory size display was adjusted for relocation and shadowing.

52h The memory above 1 MB has been tested and initialized. Saving the memory size

53h The memory size information and the CPU registers are saved. Entering real mode

54h Shutdown was successful. The CPU is in real mode. Disabling the Gate A20 line,

57h The A20 address line, parity, and the NMI are disabled. Adjusting the memory size

58h The memory size was adjusted for relocation and shadowing. Clearing the Hit

59h The Hit <DEL> message is cleared. The <WAIT...> message is displayed. Starting

above 1 MB next.

next. Going to checkpoint 52h next.

64 KB memory size next.

test. Performing the sequential and random memory test next.

memory size for relocation and shadowing next.

information next.

next.

parity, and the NMI next.

depending on relocation and shadowing next.

<DEL> message next.

the DMA and interrupt controller test next.

60h The DMA page register test passed. Performing the DMA Controller 1 base register

62h The DMA controller 1 base register test passed. Performing the DMA controller 2

65h The DMA controller 2 base register test passed. Programming DMA controllers 1

66h Completed programming DMA controllers 1 and 2. Initializing the 8259 interrupt

67h Completed 8259 interrupt controller initialization.

7Fh Extended NMI source enabling is in progress.

80h The keyboard test has started. Clearing the output buffer and checking for stuck

81h A keyboard reset error or stuck key was found. Issuing the keyboard controller

82h The keyboard controller interface test completed. Writing the command byte and

83h The command byte was written and global data initialization has completed. Check-

84h Locked key checking is over. Checking for a memory size mismatch with CMOS

85h The memory size check is done. Displaying a soft error and checking for a password

test next.

base register test next.

and 2 next.

controller next.

keys. Issuing the keyboard reset command next.

interface test command next.

initializing the circular buffer next.

ing for a locked key next.

RAM data next.

or bypassing WINBIOS Setup next.

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H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

Checkpoint Code Description

86h The password was checked. Performing any required programming before WIN-

87h The programming before WINBIOS Setup has completed. Uncompressing the

88h Returned from WINBIOS Setup and cleared the screen. Performing any necessary

89h The programming after WINBIOS Setup has completed. Displaying the power on

8Ch Programming the WINBIOS Setup options next.

8Dh The WINBIOS Setup options are programmed. Resetting the hard disk controller

8Fh The hard disk controller has been reset. Conﬁ guring the ﬂ oppy drive controller

91h The ﬂ oppy drive controller has been conﬁ gured. Conﬁ guring the hard disk drive

95h Initializing the bus option ROMs from C800 next. See the last page of this chapter

96h Initializing before passing control to the adaptor ROM at C800.

97h Initialization before the C800 adaptor ROM gains control has completed. The adap-

98h The adaptor ROM had control and has now returned control to BIOS POST. Perform-

BIOS Setup next.

WINBIOS Setup code and executing the AMIBIOS Setup or WINBIOS Setup utility next.

programming after WINBIOS Setup next.

screen message next.

next.

controller next.

for additional information.

tor ROM check is next.

ing any required processing after the option ROM returned control.

99h Any initialization required after the option ROM test has completed. Conﬁ guring the

9Ah Set the timer and printer base addresses. Setting the RS-232 base address next.

9Bh Returned after setting the RS-232 base address. Performing any required initializa-

9Ch Required initialization before the Coprocessor test is over. Initializing the Coproces-

9Dh Coprocessor initialized. Performing any required initialization after the Coproces-

9Eh Initialization after the Coprocessor test is complete. Checking the extended keyboard,

A2h Displaying any soft errors next.

A3h The soft error display has completed. Setting the keyboard typematic rate next.

A4h The keyboard typematic rate is set. Programming the memory wait states next.

A5h Memory wait state programming is over. Clearing the screen and enabling parity

A7h NMI and parity enabled. Performing any initialization required before passing control

A8h Initialization before passing control to the adaptor ROM at E000h completed. Passing

timer data area and printer base address next.

tion before the Coprocessor test next.

sor next.

sor test next.

keyboard ID, and Num Lock key next. Issuing the keyboard ID command next.

and the NMI next.

to the adaptor ROM at E000 next.

control to the adaptor ROM at E000h next.

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Checkpoint Code Description

Appendix B: BIOS POST Checkpoint Codes

A9h Returned from adaptor ROM at E000h control. Performing any initialization required

Aah Initialization after E000 option ROM control has completed. Displaying the system

Abh Uncompressing the DMI data and executing DMI POST initialization next.

B0h The system conﬁ guration is displayed.

B1h Copying any code to speciﬁ c areas.

00h Code copying to speciﬁ c areas is done. Passing control to INT 19h boot loader

after the E000 option ROM had control next.

conﬁ guration next.

next.

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H8QC8(+)/H8QCE(+) User's Manual

Notes

B-8

Supero H8QC8, H8QCE+ User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual