User manual ACER AA19000PRO4

AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide Copyright Copyright © 1997 by Acer Incorporated. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission of this company. Disclaimer This company makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties, merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Any software described in this manual is sold or licensed "as is". Should the programs prove defective following their purchase, the buyer (and not this company, its distributor, or its dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software. Further, this company reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents hereof without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes. Acer is a registered trademark of Acer Incorporated. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Pentium Pro is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Other brand and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders. ii IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 1. 2. 3. Read these instructions carefully. future reference. Save these instructions for Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product. Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning. Do not use this product near water. Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, or table. The product may fall, causing serious damage to the product. Slots and openings in the cabinet and the back or bottom are provided for ventilation; to ensure reliable operation of the product and to protect it from overheating, these openings must not be blocked or covered. The openings should never be blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface. This product should never be placed near or over a radiator or heat register, or in a built-in installation unless proper ventilation is provided. This product should be operated from the type of power indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power available, consult your dealer or local power company. This product is equipped with a 3-wire grounding-type plug, a plug having a third (grounding) pin. This plug will only fit into a grounding-type power outlet. This is a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the purpose of the grounding-type plug. Do not allow anything to rest on the power cord. Do not locate this product where persons will walk on the cord. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. iii 10. If an extension cord is used with this product, make sure that the total ampere rating of the equipment plugged into the extension cord does not exceed the extension cord ampere rating. Also, make sure that the total rating of all products plugged into the wall outlet does not exceed 15 amperes. 11. Never push objects of any kind into this product through cabinet slots as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product. 12. Do not attempt to service this product yourself, as opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage points or other risks. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. 13. Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following conditions: a. b. c. d. When the power cord or plug is damaged or frayed If liquid has been spilled into the product If the product has been exposed to rain or water If the product does not operate normally when the operating instructions are followed. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions since improper adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to restore the product to normal condition. If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance, indicating a need for service e. f. 14. Replace battery with the same type as the product's battery we recommend. Use of another battery may present a risk of fire or explosion. Refer battery replacement to a qualified serviceman. iv 15. Warning! Battery may explode if not handled properly. Do not recharge, disassemble or dispose of in fire. Keep away from children and dispose of used battery promptly. 16. Use only the proper type of power supply cord set (provided in your keyboard/manual accessories box) for this unit. It should be a detachable type: UL listed/CSA certified, type SJT, rated 6A 125V minimum, VDE approved or its equivalent. Maximum length is 15 feet (4.6 meters). v FCC Class A Radio Frequency Interference Statement WARNING! This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense. Notice 1: The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment. Notice 2: If the EUT was tested with special shielded cables, the operator's manual for such product shall also contain the following statement or their equivalent: Shielded interface cables and/or AC power cord, if any, must be used in order to comply with the emission limits. vi About this Manual Purpose This system guide aims to give you all the necessary information to enable you to set up and operate the AcerAltos 19000 Pro4 system. Manual Structure This system guide consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 System Introduction This chapter generally describes the system's unique features and powerful architecture. It includes a brief introduction of the new generation Intel Pentium Pro CPU that forms the heart of the AcerAltos 19000 Pro4 system. Chapter 2 Setting Up the System This chapter helps you get started. It illustrates how to prepare the system for installation, connect the cables, and startup the system. Chapter 3 System Configuration This chapter describes the six major system components that include the system housing, system board, memory board, front panel board, disk-array backplane boards, and power supply. Chapter 4 BIOS Utility This chapter explains the BIOS parameter functions. It tells how to configure the system by setting the parameters. Chapter 5 Diagnostics and Utilities vii This chapter describes how to use the AFlash BIOS Utility and the EISA Configuration Utility. viii Conventions The following are the conventions used in this manual: Text entered by user Option Items Represents text input by the user. Represents options that you can select on the screen. Denotes actual messages that appear onscreen. Represent the actual keys that you have to press on the keyboard. NOTE Gives bits and pieces of additional information related to the current topic. WARNING Alerts you to any damage that might result from doing or not doing specific actions. CAUTION Gives precautionary measures to avoid possible hardware or software problems. IMPORTANT Reminds you to do specific actions relevant to the accomplishment of procedures. TIP Tells how to accomplish a procedure with minimum steps through little shortcuts. Screen messages , , , etc. ix Table of Contents Chapter 1 1.1 System Introduction Intel Pentium Pro Microprocessor.............. 1-1 System Architecture .................................. 1-3 SCSI Disk Array ........................................ 1-5 Server Management.................................. 1-5 Redundant Power Supply Subsystem ........ 1-6 Security..................................................... 1-6 Features .................................................................. 1-1 1.1.1 1.1.2 1.1.3 1.1.4 1.1.5 1.1.6 1.2 External Configuration ............................................. 1-7 1.2.1 1.2.2 Front Panel ............................................... 1-7 Rear Panel .............................................. 1-13 Chapter 2 2.1 Setting Up the System Selecting a Site ......................................... 2-1 Checking the Package Contents................ 2-2 Preparing the System Unit......................... 2-3 Keyboard................................................... 2-5 Mouse ....................................................... 2-6 VGA Monitor ............................................. 2-7 Pre-installation Requirements .................................. 2-1 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.2 Basic Connections ................................................... 2-5 2.2.1 2.2.2 2.2.3 2.3 System Startup ........................................................ 2-8 2.3.1 2.3.2 Unlocking the Front Panel Security............ 2-8 Turning On the System Power................... 2-9 2.4 Power-on Problems ............................................... 2-10 x Chapter 3 3.1 System Configuration Internal Structure.......................................3-2 Opening and Removing the Housing Doors ........................................................3-4 ESD Precautions ..................................... 3-10 Installing External Devices ...................... 3-11 Installing a Hot-swappable SCSI Drive .... 3-13 Installing an Expansion Board ................. 3-17 Installing and Removing the Thermal Air Guide ................................................. 3-19 System Housing.......................................................3-1 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.1.3 3.1.4 3.1.5 3.1.6 3.1.7 3.2 System Board ........................................................ 3-22 3.2.1 3.2.2 3.2.3 Layout ..................................................... 3-22 Jumpers and Connectors......................... 3-23 Installing a Pentium Pro CPU .................. 3-29 3.3 Memory Board ....................................................... 3-33 3.3.1 3.3.2 3.3.3 3.3.4 3.3.5 3.3.6 Layout ..................................................... 3-33 Memory Configurations ........................... 3-34 Installing a DIMM..................................... 3-36 Removing a DIMM .................................. 3-37 Installing the Memory Board .................... 3-38 Reconfiguring the System........................ 3-40 3.4 SCSI Disk Array Backplane Board ......................... 3-41 3.4.1 3.4.2 3.4.3 3.4.4 Features .................................................. 3-41 Layout ..................................................... 3-42 Jumper Settings ...................................... 3-43 Hard Disk ID Switch Settings ................... 3-44 xi 3.4.5 3.4.6 3.5 3.6 Channel Configuration............................. 3-45 Installing a Backplane Board ................... 3-48 Front Panel Board.................................................. 3-51 Power Subsystem .................................................. 3-53 3.6.1 3.6.2 3.6.3 Power Supply Upgrade............................ 3-54 Charger Board and Battery Box............... 3-62 Power Cable Connections ....................... 3-67 Chapter 4 4.1 4.2 BIOS Utility Entering Setup......................................................... 4-2 System Information.................................................. 4-3 4.2.1 4.2.2 4.2.3 4.2.4 4.2.5 4.2.6 4.2.7 4.2.8 4.2.9 4.2.10 4.2.11 4.2.12 4.2.13 4.2.14 Processor .................................................. 4-4 Processor Speed ....................................... 4-4 Bus Frequency .......................................... 4-4 Internal Cache........................................... 4-4 External Cache.......................................... 4-5 Floppy Drive A .......................................... 4-5 Floppy Drive B .......................................... 4-5 IDE Primary Channel Master ..................... 4-5 IDE Primary Channel Slave....................... 4-5 Total Memory ............................................ 4-6 Serial Port 1 .............................................. 4-6 Serial Port 2 .............................................. 4-6 Parallel Port .............................................. 4-6 Pointing Device ......................................... 4-6 xii 4.3 Product Information .................................................4-7 4.3.1 4.3.2 4.3.3 4.3.4 4.3.5 4.3.6 4.3.7 Product Name ...........................................4-7 System S/N ...............................................4-7 Main Board ID ...........................................4-8 Main Board S/N .........................................4-8 System BIOS Version................................4-8 System BIOS ID ........................................4-8 BIOS Release Date ...................................4-8 4.4 Disk Drives ..............................................................4-9 4.4.1 4.4.2 Floppy Drives .......................................... 4-10 IDE Drives............................................... 4-11 4.5 Startup Configuration ............................................. 4-13 4.5.1 4.5.2 4.5.3 4.5.4 4.5.5 4.5.6 System POST Mode................................ 4-14 Silent Boot............................................... 4-14 Num Lock After Boot ............................... 4-14 Memory Test ........................................... 4-14 System Boot Drive .................................. 4-15 Boot From CD-ROM................................ 4-15 4.6 Advanced Configuration......................................... 4-16 4.6.1 4.6.2 4.6.3 4.6.4 Onboard Devices Configuration............... 4-17 PnP/PCI System Configuration................ 4-23 Memory/Cache Configuration .................. 4-25 Non-PnP ISA Device Configuration ......... 4-26 4.7 System Security Setup........................................... 4-30 4.7.1 4.7.2 4.7.3 Disk Drive Control ................................... 4-31 Setup Password....................................... 4-32 Power-on Password................................. 4-35 xiii 4.8 Date and Time ....................................................... 4-36 4.8.1 4.8.2 Date ........................................................ 4-36 Time........................................................ 4-37 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 Remote Diagnostic Configuration........................... 4-37 Load Setup Default Settings .................................. 4-37 Abort Settings Change ........................................... 4-38 Reset Non-PnP ISA Device Setting ....................... 4-38 Leaving Setup........................................................ 4-39 Chapter 5 5.1 5.2 5.3 Diagnostics and Utilities ASM Pro .................................................................. 5-1 Remote Diagnostic Management ............................. 5-2 EISA Configuration Utility ........................................ 5-3 5.3.1 5.3.2 5.3.3 5.3.4 5.3.5 5.3.6 5.3.7 5.3.8 Functions .................................................. 5-3 Running ECU ............................................ 5-4 Getting Help .............................................. 5-4 Making Menu Selections ........................... 5-5 System Memory ........................................ 5-6 PCI Devices IRQ Assignment.................... 5-6 Peripheral Device Status........................... 5-6 System Setting.......................................... 5-6 xiv List of Figures 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-5 2-6 2-7 2-8 3-1 3-2 3-3 3-4 3-5 3-6 3-7 3-8 3-9 3-10 3-11 3-12 3-13 Pentium Pro CPU Architecture .................................1-2 System Architecture .................................................1-3 Front Panel ..............................................................1-7 Front Panel Features................................................1-8 RDM LED............................................................... 1-12 Rear Panel ............................................................. 1-13 Front Wheel Lever ...................................................2-3 Connecting the Power Cables ..................................2-4 Connecting a Keyboard ............................................2-5 Connecting a Mouse.................................................2-6 Connecting a VGA Monitor.......................................2-7 Unlocking the Front Panel Security ..........................2-8 System Power On ....................................................2-9 Microswitch Location .............................................. 2-11 System Housing .......................................................3-1 Left Panel System Components ...............................3-2 Right Panel System Components .............................3-3 Unlocking and Opening the Left Panel Door .............3-4 Unlocking and Opening the Lower Front Door ..........3-5 Unlocking and Opening the Right Panel Door...........3-6 Removing the Right Panel Door ...............................3-8 Removing the Upper Front Panel Cover...................3-9 Removing the Upper Front Panel Door.....................3-9 Removing the Lower Front Panel Door................... 3-10 Attaching the Drive Guides..................................... 3-11 Installing an External Device .................................. 3-12 Unlocking the Drive Tray Switch............................. 3-13 xv 3-14 3-15 3-16 3-17 3-18 3-19 3-20 3-21 3-22 3-23 3-24 3-25 3-26 3-27 3-28 3-29 3-30 3-31 3-32 3-33 3-34 3-35 3-36 3-37 3-38 3-39 Pulling Out a Hot-swap Drive Tray ......................... 3-14 Connecting the Drive Cables (Wide SCSI Drive).... 3-15 Connecting the Drive Cables (Narrow SCSI Drive) .............................................. 3-15 Installing a Hot-swap Drive Tray............................. 3-16 Locking the Drive Tray Switch................................ 3-17 Removing a Bracket Cover .................................... 3-17 Installing a PCI Expansion Board ........................... 3-18 Removing the Thermal Air Guide........................... 3-20 Reinstalling the Thermal Air Guide......................... 3-21 System Board Layout............................................. 3-22 Jumper and Connector Locations ........................... 3-23 Attaching the Sliding Heat Sink to the CPU ............ 3-29 Installing a Pentium Pro CPU................................. 3-30 Installing the Hook-Type Heat Sink and Fan........... 3-32 Memory Board Layout............................................ 3-33 Installing a DIMM ................................................... 3-36 Removing a DIMM ................................................. 3-37 Inserting the Memory Board ................................... 3-38 Attaching the Board Holding Clamp........................ 3-39 SCSI Disk Array Backplane Board ......................... 3-42 Settings for Jumpers J3 and J4 .............................. 3-43 Hard Disk ID Switch Settings.................................. 3-44 Single-Channel Configuration................................. 3-45 Dual-Channel Configuration ................................... 3-47 Removing the Drive Bay Covers ............................ 3-48 Installing a Backplane Board .................................. 3-49 xvi 3-40 Fast-Wide SCSI HDDs or Ultra-Narrow HDDs (Single-Channel Configuration for Both Backplane Boards - 20 MB/sec or Below)............... 3-50 Ultra-Wide SCSI HDDs (Dual-Channel Configuration for One Backplane Board 40 MB/sec or Below) .............................................. 3-50 Connecting the Backplane Power Cables ............... 3-51 Front Panel Board Connections.............................. 3-52 Removing the Metal Bar Screws ............................ 3-54 Pulling-out the Metal Bar ........................................ 3-55 Installing a Power Supply Module........................... 3-56 Locking the Holding Clips ....................................... 3-56 Reinstalling the Metal Bar ...................................... 3-57 Securing the Metal Bar with Screws ....................... 3-58 Unlocking the Power Supply Holding Clips ............. 3-59 Removing the Power Supply Module...................... 3-60 Installing the Power Supply Compartment Metal Cover ........................................................... 3-61 Removing the Charger Compartment Metal Cover ........................................................... 3-62 Installing a Charger Board...................................... 3-63 Locking the Charger Board..................................... 3-64 Installing a Battery Box .......................................... 3-65 Attaching the Charger Compartment Metal Cover .. 3-65 Removing a Battery Box ........................................ 3-66 System Board Power Connections ......................... 3-67 System Boards and Power Subsystem Interconnections..................................................... 3-68 3-41 3-42 3-43 3-44 3-45 3-46 3-47 3-48 3-49 3-50 3-51 3-52 3-53 3-54 3-55 3-56 3-57 3-58 3-59 3-60 xvii List of Tables 1-1 1-2 3-1 3-2 3-3 3-4 3-5 3-6 3-7 3-8 3-9 4-1 4-2 5-1 LED Indicator Description......................................... 1-9 LCD Messages....................................................... 1-11 Removing the Housing Doors................................... 3-7 Jumper Settings ..................................................... 3-24 CPU Activation Jumpers ........................................ 3-25 CPU Frequency Ratios (JP3) ................................. 3-26 Connector Functions .............................................. 3-27 Memory Configurations .......................................... 3-34 Terminator Settings for Single-Channel Configuration ......................................................... 3-46 Terminator Settings for Dual-Channel Configuration ......................................................... 3-47 Power Subsystem Configuration ............................ 3-53 Parallel Port Operation Mode Settings ................... 4-21 Drive Control Settings ............................................ 4-21 Keyboard Function Keys .......................................... 5-5 xviii Chapter 1 System Introduction 1.1 Features The AcerAltos 19000Pro4 is a powerful 64-bit quad-processor system loaded with a host of new and innovative features. The system offers a new standard for flexible productivity ideal for local area networks and multiuser server environments. 1.1.1 Intel Pentium Pro Microprocessor The Intel Pentium Pro CPU is the heart of the AcerAltos 19000Pro4 system. Designed to work with the Orion chipset composed of a PCI bridge and memory controller, the Pentium Pro running at 200 MHz carries a new generation of power not present in its predecessors. The system board has four CPU sockets to accommodate up to four Intel Pentium Pro CPUs for a multiprocessor configuration. This configuration doubles efficiency and reliability thereby upgrading overall system performance. The Pentium Pro supports a wide range of applications running under SMP network operating systems such as WindowsNT, UNIX, NetWare, etc. The CPU also incorporates the first-level (L1) and second-level (L2) caches, the advanced peripheral interrupt controller (APIC), and the system bus controller. Figure 1-1 shows the CPU architecture. System Introduction 1-1 First-level and Second-level Cache The Pentium Pro has a 16-KB first-level and 256/512/1024-KB second-level cache. These caches produce a high hit rate that reduces the processor's external memory bandwidth requirements. Advanced Peripheral Interrupt Controller (APIC) The APIC unit inside the CPU along with the I/O APIC unit facilitate multiprocessor interrupt management. The APIC works with multiple I/O subsystems where each subsystem have its own interrupts that help minimize centralized system overhead. Bus Controller The bus controller integrated in the Pentium Pro CPU controls the system bus to make it perform its functions efficiently. It ensures that the bus serves as a reliable interconnection between one or two CPUs, I/O bridge, and memory controllers. Pentium Pro CPU Architecture Figure 1-1 Pentium Pro CPU Architecture 1-2 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide 1.1.2 System Architecture The system bus, PCI buses, EISA bus, Orion PCI bridge (OPB), Orion memory controller (OMC), PCI/EISA Bridge (PCEB), and EISA system controller (ESC) comprise the basic system architecture. Figure 1-2 System Architecture System Introduction 1-3 System Bus The system bus is the CPU's major connection to all the system devices, primarily the PCI and EISA bridges, and the memory controllers. It can handle as many as eight outstanding transactions at a time through the transaction pipelining feature in which consecutive tasks from the CPU are queued in and transported to the designated devices on a first-in first-out basis. Pipelining allows for transaction overlapping in different phases as the CPU does not have to wait for each transaction to complete before it issues the next transaction. This produces significant improvement on overall system performance. The bus architecture supports a number of features that ensure high reliability. It has an 8-bit error correction code (ECC) that protects the data lines and a 2-bit parity code that protects the address lines. The bus uses the gunning transceiver logic (GTL+), a synchronous latched bus protocol that simplifies timing constraints. This protocol supports higher frequency system designs but requires a low voltage that reduces electromagnetic interference (EMI) resulting to a lower power consumption. PCI and EISA Buses The system supports two PCI buses created by the two PCI bridge chipsets (OPB). The PCI buses serve as the links between the PCI bridges and the PCI devices onboard. The presence of two buses instead of one reduces the I/O bottleneck and matches the higher bandwidth of the CPU for faster data transfers. The EISA bus connects the EISA devices to the other system devices through the PCI/EISA bridge (PCEB) and the EISA system controller (ESC). The use of the PCEB and ESC maintains compatibility with the EISA environment. 1-4 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide Orion PCI Bridge The Orion PCI bridge (OPB) is a low-cost I/O subsystem solution for high-performance systems. The OPB translates transactions between the system bus and the PCI buses using 32-byte buffers for inbound and outbound postings. The use of two OPBs in the system creates an architecture that allows faster data transfers. Orion Memory Controller The Orion memory controller (OMC) acts as an interface between the system bus and the system memory. It consists of the DRAM control (DC) chip and the data path (DP) chip. The OMC relates to the DRAM array through four memory interface controller (MIC) chips. The OMC supports 256-bit 4-way memory interleaving resulting to a more efficient memory traffic management. 1.1.3 SCSI Disk Array The system supports an array of 14 hot-swappable disk drive trays through two 7-slot SCSI backplane boards (Acer BP-W7). The trays accommodate wide and narrow SCSI hard disks. With the AIC-7880 SCSI controller onboard, the transfer rate reaches up to 40 MB per second for ultra-wide SCSI. 1.1.4 Server Management The system comes with the ASM Pro feature that allows voltage stability and CPU thermal monitoring, prevents data loss by prompt ECC memory error reporting, maximizes system resources by indicating the PCI bus utilization, and promotes efficiency by minimizing system downtime. System Introduction 1-5 A related feature of ASM is the remote diagnostic management (RDM) that permits system diagnosis from a remote site through a modem. The RDM facilitate the fixing of detected problems, changing system configurations or rebooting in the event of system failure. 1.1.5 Redundant Power Supply Subsystem The system comes with a power backplane that holds up to three 400-watt power supply modules. The power subsystem supports a redundant configuration such that even if one power supply fails, the remaining two continues to work together to supply the 800-watt requirement for a fully-configured system. Two important segments of the power subsystem configuration are the charger board and battery box. Together, these two components function like an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Providing an additional support to the three 400-watt power supply modules, the battery automatically charges whenever the system is on. The battery gives a fully-configured system the ability to run continuously through short interruptions in wall power or for a maximum of six minutes in the event of total AC power shutdown. 1.1.6 Security The system housing comes with mechanical security locks on both the front panel and the side panel preventing unauthorized access to the internal components and system use. The system BIOS secures the CMOS data and other system software with power-on password, keyboard password, setup control, disk drive control, and monitor control. 1-6 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide 1.2 1.2.1 External Configuration Front Panel The system front panel is divided into two sections. The upper front panel consists of the diskette/CD-ROM/tape drive bays, keylock, power switch, LED indicators, LCD display screen, and an embedded reset switch. The lower part contains the externally accessible hard disk drive bays with 14 drive trays for narrow or wide SCSI drives. (The basic system consists of only seven drive trays.) Figure 1-3 Front Panel One pair of system keys and one pair of power switch keylock are hung inside the upper front door. Additional duplicate keys can be found at the back of the system. System Introduction 1-7 Front Panel Features Figure 1-4 gives a closer look of the upper front panel features. LED Indicators LCD Display Screen 5.25-inch Drive Bays CD-ROM Drive Power Switch Reset Switch (embedded) 3.5-inch Diskette Drive Keylock Figure 1-4 CD-ROM Drive Front Panel Features The basic system comes with a SCSI CD-ROM drive already installed. 3.5-inch Diskette Drive A 3.5-inch diskette drive also comes with the basic system. 5.25-inch Drive Bays Two empty 5.25-inch drive bays allow installation of additional devices. 1-8 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide Power Switch The power switch allows you to turn the system power on or off. Reset Switch Pressing the reset switch generates a hardware reset pulse that restarts the system initializing all the registers, buffers, and memory subsystems. Keylock The keylock gives security to the system against unauthorized users. Turning the keylock to the unlocked position enables the power and reset switches. Turning the keylock to the locked position disables both switches whether the system is on or off. Supposing the system is on and you intend to reset or turn it off, make sure that the keylock is unlocked. Otherwise, the switches do not respond. LED Indicators Table 1-1 LED Icons Power Status Green LED Indicator Description Description Indicates that power is on. This color also denotes that the system is running on a good supply of AC power. Indicates that power is on. The AC power supply fails and the system is running on battery power. Indicates that a battery is present and in good condition. The battery LED shows this color during normal system operation, during which the battery automatically charges. When the power status LED is red, a green battery LED also indicates that the system is running on battery power. When this Red Battery Status UPS Green System Introduction 1-9 happens, shutdown the system immediately because the battery keeps a fully-configured system running only for about eight minutes. 1-10 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide Table 1-1 LED Icons Battery Status (continued) LED Indicator Description (continued) Description Red Normally, this color indicates that the battery is bad. However, there are times when the battery LED turns red for a few seconds due to other factors and NOT because the battery is bad. See below. Indicates that at least one of the hard disks is currently accessing. Indicates that all the hard disks installed on the backplane board are in good condition. Indicates that one of the hard disks installed on the backplane board is bad. Hard Disk Busy Green Hard Disk Failure Green Red In these instances, the battery LED may turn red for a few seconds but DOES NOT necessarily indicate that the battery is bad. · System Startup At system power on, the battery LED shows red light when the system performs initialization and self-tests. The red light should remain for only a few seconds and eventually turn to green. · Resumption of AC power supply while the system is running on battery power. When AC power is cut-off, the battery automatically supplies the system power. The sudden return of AC power at this time when the system is running on battery may cause the battery LED to change to red. Simultaneously, the message "Battery Fails !" may appear on the LCD screen. When this happens, allow the battery to recover for a while. Wait for the battery LED to return to green and the LCD message to disappear. If the battery LED remains red for several seconds and the message "Battery Fails !" still shows on the LCD screen, change the battery or call your dealer or a technician for assistance. System Introduction 1-11 LCD Display Screen The LCD display is a two-line by 16-character screen that indicates the boot status as well as any BIOS check point errors encountered upon system initialization. Normally, the system BIOS and the microcontroller firmware send the LCD display messages that appear on the screen. However, if you hooked up a special purpose driver to control the LCD module, this driver define the messages. See the driver manual for more information. Table 1-2 lists the LCD messages from the system BIOS and the microcontroller at power on. Table 1-2 LCD Messages Description This is the first message that appears on the LCD screen. This message indicates that the microcontroller works fine. During the system power-on selftests (POST), the LCD screen shows which POST check-point is currently being tested. After POST, the microcontroller checks the power subsystem status. If it detects that power supply module 1 is bad, this message appears on the LCD screen. If the microcontroller detects that power supply module 2 is bad, this message appears on the LCD screen. If the microcontroller detects that power supply module 3 is bad, this message appears on the LCD screen. Normally, this message indicates that the battery is bad and must be replaced with a new one. There are times when this message appears for a few seconds but do not necessarily mean that the battery is bad. Refer to the previous page for these instances. Message Hello! Welcome ! POST Checkpoints Power #1 Fails ! Power #2 Fails ! Power #3 Fails ! Battery Fails ! 1-12 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide Table 1-2 LCD Messages (continued) Description This message indicates that one or more fans on the power subsystem failed. This message indicates that there is no power coming from the AC line and the system is currently running only on battery power. This message appears after POST and other tests. It shows that the system has passed all the tests and is running fine. Message Power Fan Fails ! AC Power Fails ! The system is running well ! RDM LED The RDM LED located on the lower right panel enables the remote diagnostic management feature. Refer to the RDM User's Guide for information on the RDM feature. RDM Icon RDM LED Figure 1-5 RDM LED System Introduction 1-13 1-14 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide 1.2.2 Rear Panel The rear panel includes the connectors for the keyboard, mouse, VGA monitor, printer, and serial devices. Below the connectors are the slot openings for expansion boards. On the lower left is the socket for the system power cable. Keyboard Port Mouse Port Serial Port 1 Serial Port 2 Video Port Parallel Port Expansion Slot Brackets Narrow SCSI Knockout Power Socket Figure 1-6 Rear Panel System Introduction 1-15 Chapter 2 Setting Up the System This chapter tells how to install and set up the system. It gives instructions on how to select a site for the system, prepare the system for use, connect basic peripherals, and start up the system. 2.1 2.1.1 Pre-installation Requirements Selecting a Site Before unpacking and installing the system, select a suitable site for the system for maximum efficiency. The system is suitable to set up in an office environment. Consider the following factors when choosing a site for the system: · · · · · Near a grounded power outlet Clean and dust-free Sturdy surface free from vibration Well-ventilated and away from sources of heat Secluded from electromagnetic fields produced by electrical devices such as air conditioners, radio and TV transmitters, etc. Setting Up the System 2-1 2.1.2 Checking the Package Contents Check the following items from the package: · · · · · · · · AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide AcerAltos 19000Pro4 EISA Configuration Utility VGA Manual and Driver Kit ASM Pro Manual and Driver Kit RDM Manual and Driver Kit SCSI Manuals and Driver Kit System keys (hung inside the upper front door) If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your dealer immediately. Save the boxes and packing materials for future use. 2-2 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide 2.1.3 Preparing the System Unit Do the following to begin setting up the system: 1. Unlock the front wheels and move the system to your desired site. The system housing design allows for easy transport in spite of its size. It comes with four wheels that facilitate short-distance transits. The two front wheels each include a lever to lock the wheels after you have positioned the system into place. Front Wheel Lever Unlock Lock Figure 2-1 2. Front Wheel Lever After moving, lock the wheels by pressing down the levers. Make sure to unlock the wheels when you want to move the system again. Setting Up the System 2-3 3. Connect the system power cable into the socket below the fan outlets on the rear panel. System Power Cable Figure 2-2 Connecting the System Power Cable 2-4 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide 2.2 Basic Connections The system unit, keyboard, mouse, and monitor constitute the basic system. Before connecting any other peripherals, connect these peripherals first to test the basic system if it is running properly. 2.2.1 Keyboard Figure 2-3 Connecting a Keyboard Setting Up the System 2-5 2.2.2 Mouse Figure 2-4 Connecting a Mouse 2-6 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide 2.2.3 VGA Monitor Figure 2-5 Connecting a VGA Monitor Setting Up the System 2-7 2.3 System Startup After making sure that you have set up the system properly and connected all the required cables, you may now apply power to the system. 2.3.1 Unlocking the Front Panel Security The system has a keylock on the front panel to prevent unauthorized use. Before power on, open the lock with the key that comes with the system. (The system keys are attached inside the upper front door.) To unlock, insert the key and turn it counter-clockwise until it reaches the unlocked icon. Locked Icon Unlocked Icon Figure 2-6 Unlocking the Front Panel Security After locking or unlocking, remove the key from the front panel to prevent unauthorized users from tampering with the system. 2-8 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide 2.3.2 Turning On the System Power To power on the system, press the power switch on the front panel. The system starts up and displays a welcome message, then a series of power-on self-test (POST) messages on the LCD display screen. The POST messages indicate if the system is running well or failed any of the tests. See Table 1-1 for a list of the LCD messages. If the system does not turn on or boot after pressing the power switch, go to the next section for the possible causes of the boot failure. Power Switch Figure 2-7 System Power On Aside from the self-test messages, you can determine if the system is in good condition by checking if the following occurred: · · Power indicator LED on the front panel lights up Power, Num Lock, and Caps Lock LED indicators on the keyboard light up Setting Up the System 2-9 2.4 Power-on Problems If the system does not boot after you have applied power, check the following factors that might have caused the boot failure. The pointing symbol ( * ) indicates a possible cause of the problem. The check mark ( 4 ) tells you how to correct the problem. * The front panel security is not completely unlocked. 4 Insert the front panel key and turn it counter-clockwise until it points to the unlocked icon. See Figure 1-4. * The external power cable may be loosely connected. 4 Check the power cable connection from the power source to the power socket on the rear panel. Make sure that the cable is properly connected. * No power comes from the grounded power outlet. 4 Have an electrician check your power outlet. * The right panel or left panel door, or both, may be ajar. 4 Close the panel door/s completely. The system has two microswitches located right inside the lower front corners of the housing. The microswitches connect to the power backplane and are in direct contact with the left and right panel doors. When you open either one of the panel doors, the microswitch goes off thereby cutting off the system power. This provides additional system safety. See Figure 2-8 for the microswitch location. 2-10 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide J14 from the Power Backplane Microswitch Cable Microswitch Figure 2-8 Microswitch Location * Loose or improperly connected internal power cables. 4 Refer to section 3.6 in Chapter 3 for the power cable connections and check the internal cable connections. If you are not confident to perform this step, ask a qualified technician to help you. If you have gone through the preceding actions and the system still fails to boot, ask your dealer or a qualified technician for assistance. Setting Up the System 2-11 Chapter 3 System Configuration The system hardware basically consists of six major components: housing, system board, memory board, front panel board, disk array backplane boards, and power supply subsystem. This chapter discusses the system hardware configuration in detail. 3.1 System Housing The system housing is heavy-duty steel chassis in a twin-tower design. The spacious housing boasts high expansion capability and flexible configuration. Figure 3-1 System Housing System Configuration 3-1 3.1.1 Internal Structure The housing is symmetrically divided into left and right panels. The system internal components are accessible through the panels. Left Panel The main part of the left panel houses the system board, memory board, and expansion boards. On the rear end of the left panel are the keyboard, mouse, video, parallel, and serial ports, and the slot openings for installation of EISA and PCI expansion boards. The upper front section of the left panel accommodates a 3.5-inch and three 5.25-inch drives while the lower section holds the seven hot-swappable SCSI drive trays. These devices on the front section are externally accessible. Right behind the drives is a seven-slot SCSI backplane board that connects the drives to the SCSI interface. Figure 3-2 shows the system components on the left panel of the system housing. 5.25-inch Drive Bays Slot Openings 3.5-inch Drive Bay SCSI Drive Trays Backplane Board System Board Figure 3-2 Left Panel System Components 3-2 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide Right Panel The power subsystem fills up most part of the rear right panel. It consists of a power backplane and a metal rack that holds up to three 400-watt power supply modules. On the bottom compartment of the power supply rack are the charger and the battery box. The rear end carries the three built-in power supply fans that cool down the components and regulate the air flow inside each power supply. See section 3.6 for details on the power subsystem. The front panel board occupies the upper front section of the right panel. The lower section allows installation of a second SCSI backplane board and another set of seven hot-swappable SCSI drive trays. Figure 3-3 shows the components that reside on the right panel. Front Panel Board Power Supply Modules Charger Board SCSI Drive Trays Backplane Board Battery Box Figure 3-3 Right Panel System Components System Configuration 3-3 3.1.2 Opening and Removing the Housing Doors The system housing has four doors, two on the front, one on the left panel, and one on the right panel. The housing includes security locks to prevent unauthorized access to the internal components. Opening the Left Panel Door To open the left panel door, insert the key to the lock then turn it counter-clockwise until it reaches the unlocked icon. Pull the door open by the hollow holder. Figure 3-4 Unlocking and Opening the Left Panel Door 3-4 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide Opening the Lower Front and Right Panel Doors There are two security locks on the right panel door. One secures the lower front door to protect the SCSI hard disks, and the other one secures the right panel internal components. When you want to access the SCSI hard disks, insert the key to the lower lock and turn it clockwise until it points to the unlocked icon. Pull open the lower front door. Figure 3-5 Unlocking and Opening the Lower Front Door System Configuration 3-5 When accessing the components inside the right panel, open the lower lock then the upper lock on the right panel door. Pull the door open by the hollow holder. Figure 3-6 Unlocking and Opening the Right Panel Door 3-6 AcerAltos 19000Pro4 System Guide