[Digital Equipment Corporation] [AlphaServer InfoCenter] [red bar] AlphaServer 2100A Hardware Release Notes EK-2100A-CL. C02 May 1996 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read the following information before configuring your AlphaServer 2100A system. PCI Option Restrictions The AlphaServer 2100A system has an on-board PCI-to-PCI bridge (DECchip 21050). Physical slots 4, 5, 6, and 7 are the bottom 4 slots in front of the bridge (primary PCI). Physical slots 0, 1, 2, and 3 are the top 4 slots behind the bridge (secondary PCI). Refer to the system Owner's Guide for an illustration of the PCI slot locations. Restrictions apply to the following PCI options. * KZPSA-BB Fast Wide Differential SCSI controller. This option must be installed in front of the bridge if you plan to run Windows NT or any ARC firmware utilities, such as storage configuration utilities. Once the ARC utilities are run, the KZPSA-BB can be moved behind the bridge, if desired, on systems running OpenVMS. The option can also be moved behind the bridge, if desired, on systems running Digital UNIX if the firmware revision level of the module is A10. Use the show device command at the P00> console prompt to determine the module firmware revision level. * PB2GA-Jx S3-Trio64 PCI graphics card. This option must be installed in front of the bridge if you plan to run Windows NT or any ARC firmware utilities, such as storage configuration utilities. Once the ARC utilities are run, the PB2GA-Jx can be moved behind the bridge, if desired, on systems running Digital UNIX or OpenVMS. If you are not planning to run any ARC firmware utilities, you can install the PB2GA-JX option either in front of or behind the bridge if you are running OpenVMS or Digital UNIX. * The KZPSC-xx PCI RAID controller documentation states that the KZPSC-xx cannot be installed behind the bridge, but this restriction does not apply on AlphaServer 2100A systems. Consult the AlphaServer 2100A Supported Options List for changes to the PCI option restrictions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Options Not Supported on AlphaServer 2100A The following options are not supported on the AlphaServer 2100A. Consult the AlphaServer 2100A Supported Options List for any changes. DE422-SA DEC EtherWORKS EISA TP/BNC DE425-AA EISA, 32-bit, B. M., PC NIC DJ-ML200 PCI NVRAM module PB2HA-SA EISA to Fast SCSI Host Adapter PB2SX-AA EISA Prestoserve NVRAM Option PBXGA-nn ZLXp-E1 8-Plane or 24-Plane Adapter ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maximum EISA-Based DSSI Controllers A maximum of 2 KFESA or KFESB EISA-based DSSI controllers can be installed on an AlphaServer 2100A system. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CPU Failover CPU failover, documented in the AlphaServer 2100A Owner's Guide , is currently implemented under Digital UNIX and OpenVMS. It will be implemented at V4.0 of Windows NT. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows NT 3-CPU + 1 GB Memory The Windows NT operating system will not auto start with the specific configuration of 3 CPUs plus 1 GB of memory. The problem does not occur with 1, 2, or 4 CPUs or less than 1 GB of memory. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pci_arb Environment Variable Setting The default setting for the pci_arb environment variable is "Partial-Rotating." Do not alter this setting, as this could result in degraded system performance. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pci_read_mult Environment Variable The pci_read_mult environment variable, documented in the AlphaServer 2000/2100/2100A Firmware Reference Guide, is no longer implemented in the SRM console as of Version 4.4. The console sets this function appropriately. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Available ECU Slots for ECU Configurations The AlphaServer 2100A system uses the same EISA Configuration Utility (ECU) configuration file as the AlphaServer 2100, and therefore shows 8 EISA slots available. The AlphaServer 2100A has 3 EISA slots: Slot 1, Slot 2, and Slot 3. EISA slots 4-7 in the ECU should be ignored. For more information about using the ECU, see the system Owner's Guide. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using test Command After Shutting Down an Operating System The test command is an SRM console command used to test an entire system, a subsystem, or a specific device. To use the test command after shutting down an operating system, you must initialize the system to a quiescent state. Enter the following commands at the SRM console: P00>>> set auto_action haltP00>>> initP00>>> test After testing is completed, set the auto_action environment variable to its previous value (usually, boot) and use the Reset button to reset the system. For more information on the test command, see your system documentation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECU-Related Power-Up Messages * The following message may be displayed on the SRM console terminal during system power-up. This message does not affect system performance and should be ignored. ECU error, slot 0, found DEC2A01, expected nothing EISA Configuration Error. Run the EISA Configuration Utility. * A related message may be displayed on the ARC console monitor during system power-up. This message does not affect system performance and should be ignored. Initializing EISA bus 0. Slot (0) Missing Configuration Error ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AlphaServer 2100A RM Redundant Power Supply The following information supplements information in the AlphaServer 2100A RM Installation/Owner's Guide (EK-2100A-RM). The following illustration replaces Figure 2-2 in the Installation/Owner's Guide. The jumper labeled W1 activates redundant mode power. It does not activate the optional remote server management module. [Image] A second power supply can be added to AlphaServer 2100A rackmount systems to provide a redundant power supply. With a redundant power supply, if one power supply fails, the second supply provides power and the system continues to operate normally. To activate redundant mode power, install the redundant power jumper (W1) on the PCI/EISA backplane, as shown in the following illustration. [Image] [red bar] [Local home] [Navigation bar] Last modified: Fri May 24 16:22:45 1996 TM