Texas Memory Systems RAM-SAN 520 User Manual
RAM-SANTM
User’s Guide
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Overview .............................................................................................................................................................1-1
Chapter 2 - Installation ..........................................................................................................................................................2-1
2.1 Inspection .......................................................................................................................................................................2-1
2.2 E.S.D. Warning...............................................................................................................................................................2-1
2.3 Rack Mounting ...............................................................................................................................................................2-1
2.4 Connecting to the management port...............................................................................................................................2-1
2.5 Power-Up........................................................................................................................................................................2-2
2.6 System Tests...................................................................................................................................................................2-2
2.7 Connecting the Fibre Channel Ports...............................................................................................................................2-2
Chapter 3 - Understanding Your RAM-SAN.......................................................................................................................3-1
3.1 Interface Slot Numbering ...............................................................................................................................................3-1
3.2 Inside the RAM-SAN .....................................................................................................................................................3-1
3.3 Bus Layout......................................................................................................................................................................3-1
3.4 Power..............................................................................................................................................................................3-1
3.5 Configuration Board and LEDs......................................................................................................................................3-2
3.6 The Front Panel Display .................................................................................................................................................3-3
Chapter 4 – Configuring the RAM-SAN ..............................................................................................................................4-1
4.1 The RAM-SAN Monitor.................................................................................................................................................4-1
4.2 Configuring the Ethernet Port.........................................................................................................................................4-1
4.3 Configuring LUNS .........................................................................................................................................................4-1
4.3.1 A Worked Example on Changing the RAM-SAN Configuration............................................................................4-2
4.3.2 Resizing LUNs.........................................................................................................................................................4-3
4.3.3 Attaching Fibre Channel Ports to the LUNs............................................................................................................4-3
4.3.4 Creating LUN Masks...............................................................................................................................................4-4
4.3.5 Saving the Configuration to Flash RAM .................................................................................................................4-5
Chapter 5 – Using the Management Port.............................................................................................................................5-1
5.1 testmem...........................................................................................................................................................................5-1
5.2 errchat <on/off>..............................................................................................................................................................5-1
5.3 exit (quit) ........................................................................................................................................................................5-1
5.4 help .................................................................................................................................................................................5-1
5.5 history.............................................................................................................................................................................5-2
5.6 ipconfig...........................................................................................................................................................................5-2
5.7 log...................................................................................................................................................................................5-2
5.8 partition...........................................................................................................................................................................5-2
5.9 performance....................................................................................................................................................................5-2
5.10 password.......................................................................................................................................................................5-2
5.11 reboot <hard/soft> ........................................................................................................................................................5-2
5.12 reset <port>...................................................................................................................................................................5-2
5.13 status [port]...................................................................................................................................................................5-3
Chapter 6 - Troubleshooting..................................................................................................................................................6-4
6.1 Basic Items to Check ......................................................................................................................................................6-4
6.2 Management Port Fails to Boot ......................................................................................................................................6-4
6.2.1 MCP21 Does Not Display Characters .....................................................................................................................6-5
6.2.2 Boot Sequence Does Not Complete.........................................................................................................................6-5
6.2.3 Does Not Accept Character Input............................................................................................................................6-5
6.3 RAM-SAN Boots Incorrectly.........................................................................................................................................6-5
6.3.1 RAM-SAN Detects Partial or No Memory..............................................................................................................6-5
6.3.2 RAM-SAN Does Not Detect all Devices.................................................................................................................6-6
6.3.3 Catastrophic Boot Error Detected............................................................................................................................6-6
6.4 Finding Bad Memory......................................................................................................................................................6-6
6.4.1 Locating a Bad Memory Board ...............................................................................................................................6-6
6.4.2 Confirming a Bad Memory Board...........................................................................................................................6-6
6.5 Confidence Diagnostic, DIAGMEM, Fails ....................................................................................................................6-7
6.6 A Power Board LED Does not Light or Blinks or Bad Fuse LEDs are Lit ....................................................................6-7
6.7 Configuration LED Stays Lit..........................................................................................................................................6-7
6.8 ECC Errors Detected ......................................................................................................................................................6-8
RAM-SAN User’s Guide Texas Memory Systems, Inc. (February 7, 2003) i
6.9 How to Contact Us .........................................................................................................................................................6-8
Chapter 7 – Specifications......................................................................................................................................................7-9
7.1 Physical Characteristics..................................................................................................................................................7-9
7.2 Operating Environment ..................................................................................................................................................7-9
7.3 Non-operating Environment ...........................................................................................................................................7-9
7.4 Warranty.........................................................................................................................................................................7-9
RAM-SAN User’s Guide Texas Memory Systems, Inc. (February 7, 2003) ii
Chapter 1 - Overview
The RAM-SANTM is a high-performance, multi-ported, solid-state disk. Memory capacity ranges from 16 gigabytes (GB)
through 128 GB in 16 GB increments
memory buses that can each sustain an aggregate bandwidth of up to 800 megabytes per second, giving a system bandwidth
of up to 3.2 GB per second.
The RAM-SAN features up to fifteen Fibre Channel I/O ports, each of which can sustain up to 200 megabytes per second in
full duplex mode. Multiple devices can access memory simultaneously at full speed, subject to the aggregate memory bus
bandwidth limit. The RAM-SAN also features a management port that is used for system diagnostics, configuration, and
monitoring.
The RAM-SAN 520 model also includes a hot swappable 2+1 redundant power configuration. Users should exercise caution
when changing out the power supplies.
1
. Memory is organized internally in 128-bit wide words and accessed via four parallel
1
One gigabyte is defined as 1,073,741,824 bytes.
RAM-SAN User’s Guide Texas Memory Systems, Inc. (February 7, 2003) 1-1
Chapter 2 - Installation
The RAM-SAN is shipped with memory boards and interfaces already installed. Before connecting to a power supply, please
perform a preliminary inspection to check for any signs of loose parts, to ensure that all interfaces are still firmly positioned
in place, and to check for any obvious signs of damage. During power-up it is recommended that a terminal be attached to
the management port to observe its progress through the sequence of initial power-up tests. Once the system has completed
the power-up sequence, the management port should be used to execute a comprehensive system test prior to connection to
external devices, as detailed in section 2.6. See Chapter 4, Configuring the RAM-SAN, for more information on other
features of the management port.
2.1 Inspection
Inspect the rear of the chassis. Figure 1 shows the interface slot numbers for the RAM-SAN. Make sure that all of the
interfaces are securely installed in their slots, and that all screws are fully tightened.
Slot 3
Slot 3
Slot 2
Slot 2
Slot 1
Slot 1
Slot 0
Slot 0
I
IOI
O
O
2.2 E.S.D. Warning
PWR-25
PWR-25
PWR-25
2A Fuse Bad
2A Fuse Bad
2A Fuse Bad
7A Fuse Bad
7A Fuse Bad
7A Fuse Bad
DC ON
DC ON
DC ON
AC ON
AC ON
AC ON
Slot 7
Slot 7
Slot 6
Slot 6
Slot 5
Slot 5
Slot 4
Slot 4
Slot 11
Slot 11
Slot 10
Slot 10
Slot 9
Slot 9
Slot 8
Slot 8
PWR-25
PWR-25
PWR-25
2A Fuse Bad
2A Fuse Bad
2A Fuse Bad
7A Fuse Bad
7A Fuse Bad
I
IOI
O
O
7A Fuse Bad
DC ON
DC ON
DC ON
AC ON
AC ON
AC ON
I
IOI
Figure 1 – Rear view of RAM-SAN
Slot 15
Slot 15
Slot 14
Slot 14
Slot 13
Slot 13
Slot 12
Slot 12
O
O
PWR-25
PWR-25
PWR-25
2A Fuse Bad
2A Fuse Bad
2A Fuse Bad
7A Fuse Bad
7A Fuse Bad
7A Fuse Bad
DC ON
DC ON
DC ON
AC ON
AC ON
AC ON
IMPORTANT: please take full E.S.D. precautions if it is necessary at any time to come into contact with any circuit boards,
components or connectors. The components used in the RAM-SAN and its interfaces are easily damaged by electrostatic
discharge.
2.3 Rack Mounting
The RAM-SAN comes complete with rack slides for mounting in a standard 19” rack.
2.4 Connecting to the management port
The RAM-SAN is equipped with a management port that handles system initialization during power-up. The port can also be
used to execute system diagnostics, modify configuration, and monitor activity on the Fibre Channel ports. The management
port supports both Ethernet and serial connections.
RAM-SAN User’s Guide Texas Memory Systems, Inc. (February 7, 2003) 2-1
The management port supports Ethernet connections via Telnet. The IP address may be assigned automatically using a
DHCP, BOOTP or RARP server. The IP address may also be statically set using the ‘ipconfig’ command from the serial
port.
The serial connection on the management port may optionally be used to communicate with the RAM-SAN. The cable
provided with the RAM-SAN connects to another serial port using the following settings:
8 data bits No parity 1 stop bit 9600 baud No flow control
2.5 Power-Up
The power cords are connected to the rear of the RAM-SAN chassis. The RAM-SAN is wired for 110/220 volt AC. A fully
loaded RAM-SAN will draw less than 525 Watts. Turn on all 3 power modules before switching on the master power
switch. This will ensure that none of the power modules are overloaded. You should see one neon bulb turn on as each
module’s power switch is activated. When the master power switch is turned on, a red LED should light up on each of the
three power supplies signaling OK DC power. On power-up, the system will boot up, run a few quick processor tests, and
initialize all of the internal memory. If you have a serial connection to the management port, you should see the following on
the display during power-up:
** Starting up TREX+ **
** Creating low-level tasks.......done
** Creating monitor task..........done
** Creating ethernet task.........done
** Creating DEVMAN tasks..........done
Texas Memory Systems, Inc.
RAM-SAN monitor version x.xx
At this stage the RAM-SAN is ready for use.
2.6 System Tests
The management port is capable of running diagnostics on the internal memory of the RAM-SAN. This should be the first
test that is run after unpacking the system. By pressing enter, a prompt should appear on the serial connection. At this point,
type ‘testmem’. You may get a message that memory is still being initialized. If this happens, wait a few seconds before
trying this command again.
This diagnostics generates and checks data patterns in the memory system. If any error is found, a message describing the
error will be displayed. See Chapter 5 for a complete description of this command.
2.7 Connecting the Fibre Channel Ports
After checking the memory system, the Fibre Channel port may be connected to switches or other host bus adapters (HBAs).
The ports should automatically recognize another port is connected and be ready for use. See Appendix A for a device
compatibility listing. To verify a connection, use the ‘status’ command.
RAM-SAN User’s Guide Texas Memory Systems, Inc. (February 7, 2003) 2-2
Chapter 3 - Understanding Your RAM-SAN
3.1 Interface Slot Numbering
Each device in a RAM-SAN has a unique internal address based on the physical location of the device in the system. An
interface’s port number can be determined by inspecting the back of the RAM-SAN (see Figure 1).
3.2 Inside the RAM-SAN
You can open the top of the RAM-SAN by removing the screws on the lid of the system. Standing at the back of the RAMSAN and looking down into the system the interfaces are closest to you, followed by the interface motherboard, and then the
memory slots. Please refer to the top-down view shown in Figure 3. As a reminder, please use caution if you open up the
RAM-SAN because the system is sensitive to static discharge. Additionally, it is best to keep the RAM-SAN lid on the
system while the power is on for airflow purposes.
3.3 Bus Layout
The RAM-SAN achieves its high memory bandwidth by multiplexing multiple busses into system memory – four in all. A
RAM-SAN bus is a direct connection to or from memory. Each bus supports up to 800MBytes per second. To maximize bus
bandwidth, several devices share bus connections, and each device is individually arbitrated for bus use.
Ports 0, 1, 2, and 3 are on bus A, ports 4, 5, 6, and 7 are on bus B, ports 8, 9, 10 and 11 are on bus C, and ports 12, 13, 14,
and 15 are on bus D. If only a few interfaces are present in the RAM-SAN, distributing them among all four buses and
putting each active DMA device alone on a bus can optimize performance. As you look at the rear of the RAM-SAN, an
ideal installation of four (4) Fibre Channel ports would be to use ports 3, 7, 11 and 15. Use this same approach as the number
of interface ports increase.
3.4 Power
The RAM-SAN is powered by three hot-swappable power supplies that deliver a 2+1 power redundancy. The system
requires that at least two of the modules be active while the system is turned on. There are LEDs on the power modules that
show the status of the AC, DC and the protective fuses (see Figure 2). The AC LED should light as soon as line power is
applied. The DC LED illuminates when you turn on the master power switch that is located in the lower left corner of the
RAM-SAN chassis. As a reminder, do not turn on master power switch unless at least two of the power cables are
connected.
PWR-25
PWR-25
2A Fuse Bad
2A Fuse Bad
7A Fuse Bad
7A Fuse Bad
I
I
The following process should be followed when hot-swapping a power supply unit:
O
O
DC ON
DC ON
AC ON
AC ON
Figure 2 – RAM-SAN Power Supply (PWR-25)
RAM-SAN User’s Guide Texas Memory Systems, Inc. (February 7, 2003) 3-1
WARNING: Please exercise caution as you hot-swap power supplies for the RAM-SAN. Failure to follow these directions
could result in injury or death. If you have any questions about this procedure, call Texas Memory Systems at 713-266-3200.
1. Turn off the power module that you plan to remove. Do not remove a hot swap power module from the chassis
without turning the power module off. The master power switch can remain “ON” as can the other power
modules.
2. Wait 45 seconds and remove the power cord and power module.
3. Reinsert the replacement module with the new module power “OFF”. The hot swappable power supplies use a
special blind mate connector to connect the RAM-SAN power motherboard. When the power board is inserted fully
into the system, the power supply faceplate should be flush with the surface of the chassis. Once properly seated
turn “ON” the new power module.
3.5 Configuration Board and LEDs
The system configuration board is a small circuit board that holds configuration information for the various programmable
components in the system. It plugs into a connector at the top of the interface motherboard (see Figure 3). The system
configuration board is upgradeable to support future hardware revisions. To upgrade, simply remove the old board by pulling
it towards the rear of the system and gently insert the replacement board.
There are two LED packages on the interface motherboard, one on either side of the system configuration board. Most of
these LEDs are dedicated to RAM-SAN diagnostics and activity monitoring, which are duplicated in detail by the front panel
display (see section 3.6). The three right-most LEDs in the package on the right side of the motherboard are the system
configuration LEDs. When the RAM-SAN is powered on, these three lights will turn on briefly, indicating that the
programmable components in the system are being configured. If any of the lights stay on after this, the RAM-SAN has not
configured correctly. If this happens, see section 6.7 in the troubleshooting section of this manual.
RAM-SAN User’s Guide Texas Memory Systems, Inc. (February 7, 2003) 3-2
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