Acer ALTOS R910 Series User manual

Acer Altos R910 Series
User’s Guide

Changes may be made periodically to the information in this publication without obligation
to notify any person of such revision or changes. Such changes will be incorporated in new
editions of this manual or supplementary documents and publications. This company makes
no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the contents
hereof and specifically disclaims the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose.
Record the model number, serial number, purchase date, and place of purchase information in
the space provided below. The serial number and model number are recorded on the label
affixed to your server. All correspondence concerning your unit should include the serial
number, model number, and purchase information.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of Acer Incorporated.
Model Name :
Part Number:
Purchase Date:
Place of Purchase:
Copyright © 2006 Acer Incorporated
All Rights Reserved.
Acer Altos R910 Series
User’s Guide
Acer and the Acer logo are registered trademarks of Acer Inc. Other company’s product
names or trademarks are used herein for identification purposes only and belong to their
respective companies.
Acer Altos R910

iii
Notices
FCC notice
Class A equipment
This device has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A
digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the 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 instructions, 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 personal expense.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this device does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the device off and on, the user
is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
• Increase the separation between the device and receiver
• Connect the device into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which
the receiver is connected
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for help
Notice: Shielded cables
All connections to other computing devices must be made using shielded cables
to maintain compliance with FCC regulations.
Notice: Peripheral devices
Only peripherals (input/output devices, terminals, printers, etc.) certified to
comply with the Class A limits may be attached to this equipment. Operation
with noncertified peripherals is likely to result in interference to radio and TV
reception.

iv
Caution! Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the
manufacturer could void the user’s authority, which is granted by
the Federal Communications Commission, to operate this server.
Use conditions
This part complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference,
and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
Notice Canadian users
This device does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from
digital apparatus set out in the interference-causing equipment standard
entitled “Digital Apparatus” ICES-003 of the Canadian Deparmment of
Communications.
Laser compliance statement
The DVD-ROM drive in this server is a laser product. The optical drive’s
classification label (shown below) is located on the drive.
CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT
CAUTION: INVISIBLE LASER RADIATION WHEN OPEN. AVOID EXPOSURE TO
BEAM.

v
Important safety instructions
Read these instructions carefully. Save these instructions for future reference.
1 Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product.
2 Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use
liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning.
3 Do not use this product near water.
4 Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, or table. The product
may fall, causing serious damage to the product.
5 Slots and openings on the back or bottom side of the chassis 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.
6 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.
7 Do not allow anything to rest on the power cord. Do not locate this
product where persons will walk on the cord.
8 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 the fuse
rating.
9 Never push objects of any kind into this product through the chassis 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.
10 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.
11 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 on the product
c If the product has been exposed to rain or water

vi
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 chassis has been damaged
f If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance, indicating a
need for service.
12 Replace the battery with the same type as the product's battery we
recommend. Use of another battery type may present a risk of fire or
explosion. Refer battery replacement to a qualified service technician.
13 Warning! Batteries may explode if not handled properly. Do not
disassemble or dispose of them in fire. Keep them away from children and
dispose of used batteries promptly.
14 Use only the proper type of power supply cord set (provided in your
accessories box) for this unit. It should meet the following criteria:
• An IEC 320 C13 connector to plug into the power supply on the server.
• For North America or similar electrical distribution systems: UL listed/
CSA certified, 16/3 type SJT/SO, with NEMA 6-15P SPT-2, or equivalent
attachment plug.
• For Europe or similar electrical distribution systems: VDE certified or
HAR rated 250V, 3 x 1.0mm2 minimum conductor size, rather for no
less than the product ratings.
• Maximum length is 14.76 feet (4.5 meters).

Contents
Notices iii
FCC notice iii
Laser compliance statement iv
Important safety instructions v
1 System tour 1
Features summary 3
External and internal structure 7
Front bezel 7
Front panel 8
Rear panel 15
Internal components 18
System boards 19
Mainboard 19
Backplane board 21
Hot-plug memory board 23
System jumpers 25
2 System setup 27
Setting up the system 29
Pre-installation requirements 29
Connecting peripherals 30
Turning on the system 31
Power-on problems 32
Configuring the system OS 33
Turning off the system 34
3 System upgrade 35
Installation precautions 37
ESD precautions 37
Pre-installation instructions 37
Post-installation instructions 38
Opening the server 39
Removing the front bezel 39
Installing the front bezel 40
Removing the top cover 40
Installing the top cover 41
Removing the CPU air baffle 42
Installing the CPU air baffle 43
Removing the center brace 44
Installing the center brace 45

viii
Removing a memory board air baffle 46
Installing a memory board air baffle 47
Configuring hot-pluggable components 48
Hard disk drives 49
System fan assembly 51
Power supply 53
Memory board 55
PCI card 59
Configuring cold-pluggable components 61
DVD drive 62
5.25-inch drive 64
Processor 65
Processor VRMs 70
Memory board 75
DIMM modules 77
PCI card 81
Fibre channel module 82
ARMC/3 or BMC module 84
SAS RAID adapter 86
Configuring the integrated hardware RAID components 88
SCSI hardware RAID components 88
SAS hardware RAID components 94
4 BIOS setup 101
Introduction 103
System options menu 104
BIOS setup 110
Using the BIOS menus 112
Main 112
Processor 114
Memory 117
Devices 123
Server Management 131
Security 136
Save, Restore & Exit 138
Upgrading the BIOS 139
5 Troubleshooting 141
Troubleshooting 143
Resetting the system 143
Problems following initial system installation 143
First steps checklist 144
Hardware diagnostic testing 145

ix
Verifying proper operation of key system lights 145
Specific problems and corrective actions 146
Appendix A: Acer Altos R910
rack installation guide 155
Setting up the system rack 157
System rack installation 159
Vertical mounting hole pattern 160
Installing the system into the rack 161
Appendix B: Memory configuration options 169
Introduction 171
Installation and population order 172
Memory board installation order 172
DIMM module installation order 172
DIMM module population order 173
Memory modes 177
Maximum compatibility 178
Maximum performance 180
Memory sparing 182
Memory RAID 184
Memory mirroring 186
Appendix C: RAID configuration utilities 189
Overview 191
SCSI RAID configuration utility 192
SAS RAID configuration utility 194
Index 197

x

1 System tour

The Acer Altos R910 is a rack optimized 64-bit
Intel Xeon MP processor-based server system.
The system features redundant memory,
networking, hot-plug PCI slots, standard-based
server management, and server-oriented
embedded I/O. Remote monitoring and
management functions are also included,
providing a new level of user tools for server
administration.
This chapter provides a brief overview of the
system hardware, including illustrations and
component identification.

3
Features summary
Listed below are the system’s key features:
Processor
• Supports one to four physical processors
• Dual-core Intel®Xeon™ processors 7100 sequence with up to
16 MB L3 cache
• Dual-core Intel Xeon processors 7000 sequence
• 64-bit Intel Xeon processors MP with 1 MB L2 cache
• 667 or 800 MHz front side bus
• Hyper-Threading Technology
• Extended Memory 64-bit Technology
• Demand-Based Switching for power savings
• Execute -Disable Bit for hardware support of security features
Chipset
• Intel E8501 chipset (north bridge)
• Support dual front side bus
• Support for hot-plug memory
• Intel IOP332 storage I/O processor
• Includes Intel XScale Technology works in conjunction with
the LSI Logic 53C1030 Ultra320 SCSI controller to support
optional integrated SCSI hardware RAID
• Intel 81801EB I/O Controller Hub 5 (south bridge)
Memory subsystem
• Supports up to 64GB of DDR2-400 MHz (PC2-3200) registered ECC
memory modules
• Supports one to four hot-plug memory boards
• Each memory board supports:
-Four DIMM slots
-DDR2 channels with two DIMMs per channel
-Connection through x16 PCI-Express slots

1 System tour
4
• Memory reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features
• Memory mirroring
• Memory RAID
•Memorysparing
• Memory hot-plug
• x8 SDDC (Single Device Data Correction) for memory error
detection and correction
Media storage
• One 5.25-inch device bay supports:
• AIT2 tape drive
• LTO-2 half-height tape drive
• Up to five hot-plug hard disk drives
SCSI controller (SCSI model)
• LSI Logic 53C1030 LVD SCSI controller
• Dual independent Ultra320 SCSI interfaces (internal)
SAS controller (SAS model)
• LSI SAS 1068 SAS controller
Integrated hardware RAID (optional)
• Supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 10
• Requires RAID activation key (iButton)
• Requires DDR2-400 registered ECC DIMM for RAID cache
• Supports RAID BBU (Battery Backup Unit). Available as an upgrade
option.
Note: It may be possible to configure and enable both onboard
SCSI RAID and SAS RAID. However, only one RAID solution may use
the RAID BBU as a backup power source for configuration data.
After installing the RAID activation key and RAID cache DIMM, the
system BIOS setup allows you to enable the hardware RAID
solution. See “BIOS setup” on page 110 for more information.

5
Note: For detailed installation instructions of the hardware RAID
components for Altos R910 SCSI or SAS model, see “Configuring
the integrated hardware RAID components” on page 88.
Serial ATA port
• One SATA port (reserved for slim-type DVD drive)
Networking
• Broadcom BCM5704C Gigabit Ethernet Controller with dual ports
PCI I/O
• One hot-plug x8 PCI Express slot
• Three hot-plug x8 PCI Express slots (with x4 throughput)
• One hot-plug 133 MHz, 64-bit PCI-X slot
• Two non hot-plug 100 MHz, 64-bit PCI-X slots
Note: The PCI hot-plug function allows the removal of a standard
PCI adapter from the system without stopping the software or
powering down the unit.
Graphic interface
• ATI Radeon®7000 video controller with 16MB SDRAM
Baseboard Management Controller
• Integrated Acer BMC module
• IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) 2.0 compliant
• Supports ARMC/3 (Acer Remote Management Card/3) (optional)
Control panel
• Button control panel
• LCD control panel (optional)
I/O ports
• Front
• VGA/monitor port

1 System tour
6
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• Rear
• Serial port
• External SCSI connector (optional)
• Fibre channel module slot (optional)
• VGA/monitor port
• Two USB 2.0 ports
• Two Gigabit LAN ports (RJ-45)
• Server management port (RJ-45) 1
Operating system and software
• Operating system options:
• Microsoft®Windows®Server 2003, x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0, EM64T
•SUSE
®Linux Enterprise Server 9.0
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.0, EM64T
• ASM (Acer Server Manager) 2
• Easy Build (includes SCSI RAID Configuration Utility) 2
Power supply
• Two 220-volts, 1470-watt hot-swap (1+1) redundant power supply
modules
System fan
• Two hot-swap redundant system fan modules
• Two redundant (1+1) fans in each system fan module
1 Reserved for remote management of server. This requires installation of an ARMC/3.
2 For more information on how to install and use ASM and Easy Build utilities, refer
to the manual on the EasyBUILD DVD.

7
External and internal structure
Front bezel
The front bezel provides an interface for system management via
status LED indicators. The status LEDs on the bezel mirrors the LEDs on
the front panel, indicating HDD activity, LAN1 and LAN2, system status/
fault, power, and ID status. The bezel is detachable to allow access to
the external drive bays, serial and USB connectors, LED indicators, and
the power, reset, and system ID buttons. A summary of the indicators
and components behind the bezel is given in the succeeding section.
For details on how to remove the front bezel, see “Removing the front
bezel” on page 39.
Item Icon Component Item Icon Component
A HDD (hard disk
drive) activity
indicator
D Status/fault
indicator
B LAN 1 status
indicator
EPowerindicator
C LAN2 status
indicator
F System ID indicator

1 System tour
8
Front panel
* The hot-swap system fan assembly indicator lights up amber when a fan module fails.
Item Icon Component Item Icon Component
A DVD drive bay G Hot-swap system fan
assembly eject
button
B 5.25-inch drive
bays
H Hot-swap system fan
modules
C VGA/monitor
port
I Hot-swap system fan
assembly indicator *
D NMI button J Hot-plug HDDs
E USB 2.0 ports K Hot-plug HDD
activity indicator
F Control panel L Hot-plug HDD
carrier latch

9
Control panel
The Altos R910 system supports either the standard button control
panel, providing basic functionality, or the LCD control panel, which
adds an LCD and additional server management features. Both control
panels contain switches and LED status indicators.
Button control panel
Item Icon Component Item Icon Component
A HDD (hard disk
drive) activity
indicator
E System ID indicator
B LAN1 and LAN2
status indicator
F System ID button
C Status/fault
indicator
G Power button
D Power indicator H Reset button

1 System tour
10
LCD control panel (optional)
Item Icon Component Item Icon Component
ALCD display GPowerindicator
BScroll up button H Power button
CScroll down
button
I Status/fault
indicator
DBack button J LAN1 and LAN2
status indicator
ESelect button K HDD (hard disk
drive) activity
indicator
F System ID
indicator
L Reset button