Acer Altos 21000 Series User manual

Altos 21000 Series
User’s Guide

Altos 21000 Series User’s Guideii
Document EDITION PART NUMBER DATE
History First Edition 49. AB704.001 March 1999
Copyright
Notice Copyright ©1999 by Acer America Corporation. 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 Acer America Corporation.
Printed in U.S.A.
Trademarks Acer and the Acer logo are registered trademarks of Acer Incorporated.
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Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. Pentium II Xeon is a trademark of Intel
Corporation.
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Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Disclaimer Acer and its suppliers make no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the
contents hereof and specifically disclaim any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
Further, Acer 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 revisions or changes. Acer reserves the right
to make changes to the products described in this manual at any time and without notice.

iii
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Any software described in this manual is licensed “as is” and Acer and its suppliers disclaim any and
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and any incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software. Please see the
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INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS OR DATA, EVEN IF ACER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
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Acer grants you a personal, non-transferable, non-exclusive license to use the software that accompanies
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Altos 21000 Series User’s Guideiv
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read these instructions carefully. Save these instructions for future reference.
2. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product.
3. Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid
cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning.
4. Do not use this product near water.
5. Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, or table. The product
may fall, causing serious damage to the product.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Do not allow anything to rest on the power cord. Do not locate this product
where persons will walk on the cord.
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

v
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. When the power cord or plug is damaged or frayed
b. If liquid has been spilled into the product
c. If the product has been exposed to rain or water
d. 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.
e. If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged
f. If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance, indicating a need
for service
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.
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.

Altos 21000 Series User’s Guidevi
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 10A 125V minimum, maximum
length is 15 feet (4.6 meters).

vii
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 its equivalent:
Shielded interface cables and/or AC power cord, if any, must be used in order to
comply with the emission limits.

Altos 21000 Series User’s Guideviii
Table of Contents
Introduction
Intel Pentium II Xeon Processor with the Intel 450NX Chipset........................1
System Architecture .............................................................................................2
Server Management..............................................................................................3
Hot-swappable Redundant Power Supply Subsystem......................................3
Hot-swappable Redundant Housing Fan...........................................................3
Security..................................................................................................................4
Chapter 1 Getting Started
1.1 Preinstallation Requirements....................................................................1-1
1.1.1 Selecting a Site...................................................................................1-1
1.1.2 Checking the Package Contents.......................................................1-1
1.1.3 Preparing the System Unit...............................................................1-2
1.2 Basic Connections......................................................................................1-3
1.2.1 Connecting a Keyboard....................................................................1-3
1.2.2 Connecting a Mouse.........................................................................1-4
1.2.3 Connecting a VGA Monitor.............................................................1-5
1.3 System Startup...........................................................................................1-6
1.4 Power-on Problems...................................................................................1-7
1.5 Installing Optional Components..............................................................1-8
1.5.1 ESD Precautions..............................................................................1-9
1.5.2 Pre-installation Instructions...........................................................1-9
1.5.3 Post-installation Instructions.......................................................1-10

ix
Chapter 2 System Housing
2.1 External and Internal Structure................................................................2-2
2.1.1 Front Panel......................................................................................2-2
2.1.2 Rear Panel........................................................................................2-5
2.1.3 LCD Display Module.....................................................................2-7
2.1.4 Internal Components....................................................................2-13
2.2 Opening the Housing Panels..................................................................2-15
2.2.1 Removing the Left and Right Panels...........................................2-15
2.2.2 Opening the Front Panel Door.....................................................2-17
2.3 Installing and Removing Storage Devices.............................................2-19
2.3.1 Installing and Removing a 3.5-inch Storage Device...................2-19
2.3.2 Installing and Removing a 5.25-inch Storage Device.................2-23
2.4 Installing a Hot-swappable SCSI Drive.................................................2-27
2.5 Installing and Removing a Hot-swappable Redundant Power Supply
Module .....................................................................................................2-29
2.6 Installing and Removing a Hot-swappable Redundant Housing Fan 2-33
2.7 Installing an Expansion Board................................................................2-36
2.8 Removing and Installing the Thermal Air Guide .................................2-38
2.8.1 Removing the Thermal Air Guide...............................................2-38
2.8.2 Reinstalling the Thermal Air Guide............................................2-40
2.9 Cable Connections...................................................................................2-42
2.9.1 Combining the Backplane Board.................................................2-45
2.9.2 Splitting the Backplane Board (Default Configuration) ............2-46
Chapter 3 System Boards
3.1 Main Board.................................................................................................3-1
3.1.1 Layout..............................................................................................3-3
3.1.2 Jumpers and Connectors................................................................3-4

Altos 21000 Series User’s Guidex
3.1.3 Installing and Removing an Intel Pentium II Xeon Processor.....3-8
3.1.4 Installing and Removing the Termination Board.......................3-11
3.1.5 Installing and Removing a VRM (Voltage Regulator Module).3-14
3.2 Memory Board.........................................................................................3-16
3.2.1 Layout............................................................................................3-16
3.2.2 Memory Configurations...............................................................3-16
3.2.3 Installing the Memory Board.......................................................3-18
3.2.4 Installing and Removing a DIMM...............................................3-20
3.3 SCSI Backplane Board.............................................................................3-21
3.3.1 Features .........................................................................................3-21
3.3.2 Layout............................................................................................3-22
3.3.3 Hard Disk ID Switch Settings......................................................3-23
3.3.4 Backplane Configuration..............................................................3-24
3.4 LCD Display Module..............................................................................3-25
3.5 Front Panel Connectors...........................................................................3-26
Chapter 4 BIOS Utility
4.1 Entering Setup ...........................................................................................4-2
4.2 System Information...................................................................................4-3
4.2.1 Processor .........................................................................................4-4
4.2.2 Processor Speed..............................................................................4-5
4.2.3 Bus Frequency.................................................................................4-5
4.2.4 L1 Cache..........................................................................................4-5
4.2.5 L2 Cache..........................................................................................4-5
4.2.6 Floppy Drive A...............................................................................4-5
4.2.7 Floppy Drive B................................................................................4-6
4.2.8 IDE Primary Channel Master ........................................................4-6
4.2.9 IDE Primary Channel Slave...........................................................4-6
4.2.10 Total Memory .................................................................................4-6
4.2.11 Serial Port 1.....................................................................................4-7

xi
4.2.12 Serial Port 2.....................................................................................4-7
4.2.13 Parallel Port.....................................................................................4-7
4.2.14 Pointing Device...............................................................................4-7
4.2.15 Memory Parity Mode.....................................................................4-7
4.2.16 Onboard USB..................................................................................4-7
4.3 Product Information..................................................................................4-8
4.3.1 Product Name.................................................................................4-8
4.3.2 System S/N.....................................................................................4-8
4.3.3 Main Board ID ................................................................................4-9
4.3.4 Main Board S/N.............................................................................4-9
4.3.5 System BIOS Version......................................................................4-9
4.3.6 System BIOS ID...............................................................................4-9
4.3.7 BIOS Release Date ..........................................................................4-9
4.4 Disk Drives...............................................................................................4-10
4.4.1 Floppy Drives................................................................................4-12
4.4.2 IDE Drives.....................................................................................4-13
4.5 Power Management.................................................................................4-16
4.5.1 Power Management Mode...........................................................4-16
4.5.2 ACPI BIOS.....................................................................................4-17
4.6 Startup Configuration.............................................................................4-18
4.6.1 Fast POST Mode...........................................................................4-18
4.6.2 Silent Boot .....................................................................................4-19
4.6.3 Num Lock After Boot...................................................................4-19
4.6.4 Memory Test.................................................................................4-19
4.6.5 Initialize SCSI Before IDE ............................................................4-19
4.6.6 System Boot Drive........................................................................4-20
4.6.7 Boot From IDE CD-ROM.............................................................4-20
4.6.8 Single Processor MP Table...........................................................4-21
4.6.9 MP Table Compliant.....................................................................4-21

Altos 21000 Series User’s Guidexii
4.6.10 CPU Clock Ratio...........................................................................4-21
4.7 Advanced Configuration........................................................................4-22
4.7.1 Onboard Devices Configuration .................................................4-23
4.7.2 PnP/PCI System Configuration ..................................................4-30
4.7.3 Memory/Cache Configuration....................................................4-34
4.7.4 Non-PnP ISA Device Configuration............................................4-36
4.7.5 System Event Configuration........................................................4-39
4.8 System Security Setup.............................................................................4-43
4.8.1 Disk Drive Control.......................................................................4-44
4.8.2 Setup Password ............................................................................4-45
4.8.3 Power-on Password......................................................................4-48
4.9 Date and Time..........................................................................................4-49
4.9.1 Date................................................................................................4-50
4.9.2 Time...............................................................................................4-50
4.10 Remote Diagnostic Configuration..........................................................4-51
4.11 Load Setup Default Settings...................................................................4-53
4.12 Abort Settings Change ............................................................................4-53
Chapter 5 SCSISelect Configuration Utility
5.1 SCSISelect Configuration Utility Overview................................................5-1
5.1.1 Default Values.................................................................................5-1
5.1.2 When to Use the SCSISelect Utility................................................5-3
5.1.3 Running the SCSISelect Utility.......................................................5-3
5.2 SCSISelect Utility Options.........................................................................5-4
5.2.1 Configure/View Host Adapter Settings Menu............................5-5
5.2.2 SCSI Disk Utilities.........................................................................5-18
5.3 Configuring Multiple SCSI Controllers .................................................5-20

xiii
5.4 SCSI Troubleshooting Checklist.............................................................5-21
5.5 BIOS Startup Messages...........................................................................5-22
5.5.1 Device connected, but not ready.................................................5-23
5.5.2 Start unit request failed................................................................5-24
Appendix A Event Tables
A.1 LCD Display Panel Event Types.............................................................A-1
A.2 RDM Events..............................................................................................A-2
A.3 POST Error Events ...................................................................................A-3
Index
List of Figures
5-1 SCSISelect Screen........................................................................................5-4
5-2 Configure/View Host Adapter Settings Screen (1 of 2).........................5-5
5-3 Configure/View Host Adapter Settings Screen (2 of 2).........................5-6
5-4 Host Adapter SCSI ID Selection Screen for AIC-7896............................5-7
5-5 SCSI Parity Checking Selection ................................................................5-8
5-6 Host Adapter SCSI Termination Selection for AIC-7896 .......................5-9
5-7 Boot Device Options Screen....................................................................5-10
5-8 SCSI Device Configuration Screen for AIC-7896..................................5-11
5-9 Advanced Configuration Options Screen..............................................5-15
5-10 SCSI Disk Utilities Screen for AIC-7896.................................................5-18
List of Tables
5-1 Default Settings for SCSI Controller and All Devices ............................5-2

Altos 21000 Series User’s Guidexiv
About this Manual
This system guide aims to give you all the necessary information to enable you to
set up and operate the Altos 21000 system.
Manual Structure
This user’s guide consists of an introduction, five chapters, one appendix, and an
index.
Introduction
Gives an overview of the Altos 21000 and its unique features and powerful
architecture. It includes a brief introduction of the new generation Intel Pentium
II Xeon processor that forms the heart of the Altos 21000 system.
Chapter 1 Getting Started
This chapter illustrates how to prepare the system for installation, connect the
cables, start up the system, and turn off system power. Before you install any
system components, refer to the “Installing Optional Components” section for
important ESD precautions, and pre- and post-installation instructions.
The “Power-on Problems” section suggests corrective measures if the system does
not boot after you have applied power.
Chapter 2 System Housing
This chapter describes the external and internal structure of the system housing
and its assembly and disassembly. It describes the LCD display module and
explains how to replace the LCD display screen. It also shows you how to install
storage devices, a hot-swappable SCSI drive, redundant power supply module,
redundant housing fan, expansion board and thermal air guide. At the end of the
chapter is an illustration of cable connections and a power cable list. Other
illustrations show how to combine and split the backplane board.

xv
Chapter 3 System Boards
This chapter describes the main board, the memory board, the SCSI backplane
board, and the LCD display module. It also describes how to install components
on the system board.
Chapter 4 BIOS Utility
This chapter explains the BIOS parameter functions. It tells how to configure the
system by setting the parameters.
Chapter 5 SCSISelect Configuration Utility
This chapter describes the SCSISelect Configuration Utility, which allows you to
change SCSI controller settings without opening the computer or changing
jumpers.
Appendix A Event Tables
This chapter contains the following tables: LCD Display Panel Event Types, RDM
Events and POST Error Events.

Altos 21000 Series User’s Guidexvi
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
, , Represents 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 danger that might
result from doing or not doing
specific actions.
CAUTION
Suggests precautionary measures to
avoid potential hardware or
software problems.
IMPORTANT
Reminds you to take specific action
relevant to the accomplishment of
the procedure at hand.
TIP
Tells how to accomplish a procedure
with minimum steps through little
shortcuts.

Introduction 1
Introduction
The Altos21000 is a powerful 64-bit quad-processor system with a host of new
and innovative features. The system offers a new standard for flexible
productivity ideal for local or wide area networks and multi-user server
environments.
Intel Pentium II Xeon Processor with the
Intel 450NX Chipset
The Pentium II Xeon processor, like its predecessors, the Pentium Pro and
Pentium II processors, implements a Dynamic Execution micro-architecture - a
unique combination of multiple branch prediction, data flow analysis, and
speculative execution. This means that the Pentium II Xeon can deliver higher
performance than the Pentium Pro processor while maintaining binary
compatibility with all previous Intel Architecture processors.
Also, the Pentium II Xeon processor is available in 512K, 1MB, and 2MB L2 cache
options with the introduction of the Slot 2 socket. Unlike Slot 1 Pentium II
processors, which access the L2 at half the processor speed, the Slot 2 accesses the
L2 at full processor clock speed. An addition to the Pentium II Xeon processor is
the Intel 450NX chipset, for servers with four or more processors, which supports
a 100MHz front-side bus, USB (four ports), a south bridge to the ISA bus,
provides up to 4GB of memory support and multiple 32-bit and 64-bit PCI buses.
In addition to meeting the mission-critical and fast system response time
requirements of enterprise servers, the Altos 21000 is fault tolerant and capable of
preventing faults from occurring. It also demonstrates graceful performance
scalability when the system configuration is expanded.

Altos 21000 Series User’s Guide
2
System Architecture
The system includes a main and memory subsystems with four Slot 2 processors
and voltage regulators for the processors. The memory subsystem runs in 100
MHz timing and has a maximum size of up to 4GB.
Six PCI and 1 PCI/ISA shared slots are also incorporated for fast expandable I/O
capabilities.
There are two LVD SCSI (Ultra-2) channels for high performance storage devices
and one Narrow SCSI channel for backup (i.e., tape drives) or CD-ROM devices.
A high-speed 10/100Mbit Ethernet controller and a PCI VGA device are also
provided.
For more information about the main board see section 3.1.

Introduction 3
Server Management
The system comes with the Advanced Server Manager (ASM) Pro manageability
hardware and software that monitors voltage stability, CPU temperature, and
cooling fan status, reports ECC memory errors and PCI bus utilization, and
increases overall efficiency by helping to minimize system downtime.
A complementary feature to ASM Pro is Remote Diagnostic Manager (RDM) that
permits system diagnosis from a remote site through a modem when the server
operating system stops running. RDM facilitates the fixing of detected problems,
changing system configurations or rebooting in the event of system failure.
Hot-swappable Redundant Power Supply
Subsystem
The system comes with a power backplane that holds up to three 430-watt power
supply modules. The power subsystem supports a redundant configuration such
that even if one power supply fails, the remaining two continue to work together
to supply 860-watt power to a fully-configured system. You can also replace a
faulty power supply module without opening the system housing or shutting
down the system. See section 2.5 for more information.
Hot-swappable Redundant Housing Fan
The system comes with four housing fans that ventilate the system housing. In
the event that any one of the fans fails to operate, you can simply replace it
without shutting down the system. See section 2.6 for more information.

Altos 21000 Series User’s Guide
4
Security
The system housing comes with mechanical security locks on the front panel to
detect unauthorized access to the internal components. A microswitch located on
the left side of the housing panel detects and reports any intrusion via ASM Pro
monitoring software.
The system BIOS protects the CMOS data and other system software with a
power-on password, keyboard password, setup control, disk drive control, and
monitor control.