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8.677 bytes |
Service Hints & Tips |
Document ID: MROD-3K2KAL |
PC Server 320/520 - Setup tips PCI/EISA
Applicable to: World-Wide
This computer contains both an EISA bus and a PCI bus, this leads to the configuration of this Server being a little more complicated than the installation of many other competing Servers. It is likely that this increased complexity will occur in other products and so it is worth some additional effort to understand.
It is very important to ensure that the options are installed and configured in the following order ISA adapters ISA Plug and Play Adapters, EISA Adapters, then PCI Adapters. This is because of the generally reduced flexibility of the older ISA Adapter, if you leave yourself with fewer possibilities it becomes more likely that it will not be possible to install the adapter sucessfully.
There are several options which must be set to enable the computer to function correctly, these include the correct set-up of all adapters installed in the computer, the security options and the correct memory settings.
After booting the EISA configuration diskette a list of options will be displayed as detailed below.
Option 1 is worth reading .... Once !
Option 2 is used to ensure that the EISA Configuration shows the correct Adapters in the correct slots. This MUST be set even if you are not using any EISA adapters as any adapter installed at a later stage (or at the current time) will when it attempt to configure itself refer to the configuration data provided here to allow it to avoid conflicts, this also provides a good way of documenting the system set-up. From practical experience documentation is something that Networking people are traditionally not good at (Well I never was !!).
Option 3 is used to inform the EISA configuration utility about the system board features and is also used to configure any EISA compliant Adapters. (The EISA configuration can also be needed for non-EISA Adapters e.g. the IBM 16/4 Token Ring Adapter II has an EISA identity, therefore it forces the EISA utility to recognise its existance, 3Com Etherlink III's are software configurable and can be set-up by the EISA configuration utility as well)
This option MUST be used to indicate the installed RAM and all other BIOS settings (i.e. IDE settings, COM port settings etc), the EISA utilities will not automatically register the amount of installed RAM - If this is incorrect then the system WILL not function (it will TRAP under OS/2 and ABEND under NetWare)
This section must also be used to configure any EISA Adapters installed in the Server. It MUST contain information about any ISA adapters installed this is to prevent adapter setting clashes I cannot emphasise how important this is enough.
The settings in the EISA configuration is the only place the PCI automatic configuration and the ISA Plug and Play subsystems can obtain information to ensure that the same port address' and Upper memory address' are not used whilst configuring a PCI adapter or a Plug and Play ISA adapter, (and it is also a handy method of documenting the system set-up)
Option 4 is used to indicate if any switch settings need changing on any adapters installed in the machine (or on the system board - this option is not relevant in relation to the motherboard but may be if an appropriate adapter is installed)
Option 5 saves any changes and exits with a reboot.
Memory
The standard memory type in the IBM PC Server 320 is Parity memory, this can be replaced with Error Checking and Correcting on SIMM (EOS) memory for greater reliability.
EOS Memory is a new development by IBM allowing the benefits of Error Checking and Correcting memory to be realised without the heavy cost penalty previously associated with this level of protection. EOS Memory can detect and correct single bit errors and it can also detect double bit errors (extremely rare).
System Interrupts
EISA, ISA, and PCI adapter cards can be used in PC Servers. Each bus has different interrupt request methods. ISA cards interrupts are edge sensitive (low to high), therefore, these cards cannot share interrupts. EISA Interrupts can use either Edge triggered interrupt's or Level triggered interrupts, therefore these cards can in some circumstances (i.e. when both cards use level triggered interrupts) share interrupts. PCI Adapters only use level triggered interrupts and therefore can share interrupts. In the PCI implementation in the PC Server 320 the PCI Bus has one interrupt assignable to it and this is controlled from within the System BIOS.
PC Servers have the following default interrupt assignments:
NMI Parity
IRQ0 Timer
IRQ1 Keyboard
IRQ2 Cascade
IRQ3 COM2
IRQ4 COM1
IRQ5 unassigned
IRQ6 Floppy Disk
IRQ7 LPT1 (default position, can also use irq5)
IRQ8 Real Time Clock
IRQ9 Re-directed to IRQ2, NOTE: Some option cards allow you to use this interrupt. Some do not !
IRQ10 unassigned
IRQ11 unassigned
IRQ12 PS/2 Mouse
IRQ13 Maths Co-processor
IRQ14 IDE Hard-file, On PC Server, this is the default ISA IDE interrupt
IRQ15 PC Server can configure the ISA EIDE to use this interrupt.
The unassigned interrupts can be used as needed. Due to the cascading of the interrupt controllers, IRQ7 has the lowest priority.
IDE Hard Drives
In the original IDE specification, there was no support for IDE hardfiles above 528 MB; The IBM PC Server 320 has support for IDE files above 528 MB. Some operating systems have problems installing on systems that have IDE hard-files larger than 528 MB.
There have been some problems reported with the system trying to boot from the device the user did not intend. The search sequence for hard-file controllers is as follows:
i. The EISA bus is searched first. If the controller has a hardfile attached, it will try to boot of off that hardfile.
ii. Next it checks the PCI bus. If there are no bootable devices on the ISA / EISA bus, it will boot from a PCI controller.
The only time this rule does NOT work is with IRQ 14. IRQ 14 is the default hardware interrupt for AT compatible systems. So, if the controller that is attached to IRQ 14 has a hard-file, the system will try to boot from that controller. PC Server (486) has PCI IDE at IRQ 14, and on PC Server (Pentium) the ISA IDE is on IRQ 14. For example, if you load software on your SCSI card and then add a hard-file to the ISA IDE, the system will try to boot from the IDE controller.
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Hint Category |
Configuration | |
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Date Created |
16-07-96 | |
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Last Updated |
15-07-98 | |
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Revision Date |
14-07-99 | |
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Brand |
IBM PC Server | |
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Product Family |
PC Server 320, PC Server 520 | |
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Machine Type |
8640, 8641 | |
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Model |
Various | |
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