American Megatrends Express 788 Installation instructions

MegaRAC™ Express
Hardware Guide
MAN-788
11/9/01

MegaRAC™ Express Hardware Guide
© Copyright 1998-2000 American Megatrends, Inc.
All rights reserved.
American Megatrends, Inc.
6145F Northbelt Parkway
Norcross, GA 30071
This publication contains proprietary information which is protected by
copyright. No part of this publication can be reproduced, transcribed, stored
in a retrieval system, translated into any language or computer language, or
transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior written consent of the
publisher, American Megatrends, Inc. American Megatrends, Inc.
acknowledges the following trademarks:
Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
MS-DOS and Microsoft are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Windows 95, Windows 98, Microsoft Windows, and Windows NT are
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
SCO, UnixWare, and Unix are registered trademarks of the Santa Cruz
Operation. Inc.
Novell NetWare is a registered trademark of Novell Corporation.
IBM, AT, VGA, PS/2, and OS/2 are registered trademarks and XT and CGA
are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities
claiming the marks and names or their products. American Megatrends, Inc. disclaims any
proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
Revision History
11/2/00 Initial release.
11/9/01 Removed Solaris UnixWare and Linux Version support.

Preface
Table of Contents
1 Overview...................................................1
How MegaRAC™ Express Works ...................................4
MegaRAC™ Express Software Modules .........................4
Communication.................................................................5
When the Server is Up and Running.................................6
When the Server is Dead ..................................................6
MegaRAC™ Express Technical Specifications ...............7
HIP Functionality..............................................................8
MegaRAC™ Express Capabilities....................................8
MegaRAC™ Express Features .........................................9
Server Management Without MegaRAC™ Express and
With MegaRAC™ Express...............................................9
2 Installation ..............................................11
Installing the MegaRAC™ Express Card .......................11
Jumpers...........................................................................13
Installing the Server Manager Software..........................15
Connecting the Hobbes Connector to the AMI Series 788
MegaRAC™ Express......................................................15
A MegaRAC™ Problem Reporting Form .17
MegaRAC Problem reporting form ................................17
Version Information........................................................17
Type Of Card ..................................................................17
Managed Node (Server) Operating System ....................17
Management Station Operating System..........................17
Client Operating System.................................................17
Description of Problem...................................................18
Index ..................................................................19

MegaRAC™ Express Hardware Guide
Preface
The MegaRAC™ Express (Remote Access Companion)
provides server management capabilities. You can use the
card to manage and monitor non storage components in
your servers through a modem or direct serial connection,
even when your network is down. MegaRAC™ Express
offers hardware and software solutions to server
management.
Limited Warranty The buyer agrees if this product proves to be defective,
that American Megatrends is only obligated to repair or
replace this product at American Megatrends’ discretion
according to the terms and conditions of the warranty
registration card that accompanies this product. American
Megatrends shall not be liable in tort or contract for any
loss or damage, direct, incidental or consequential
resulting from the use of this product. Please see the
Warranty Registration Card shipped with this product for
full warranty details.
Limitations of Liability American Megatrends, Inc. shall in no event be
held liable for any loss, expenses, or damages of any kind
whatsoever, whether direct, indirect, incidental, or
consequential (whether arising from the design or use of
this product or the support materials provided with the
product). No action or proceeding against American
Megatrends may be commenced more than two years after
the delivery of product to Licensee of Licensed Software.
Licensee agrees to defend and indemnify American
Megatrends from any and all claims, suits, and liabilities
(including attorney’s fees) arising out of or resulting from
any actual or alleged act or omission on the part of
Licensee, its authorized third parties, employees, or agents,
in connection with the distribution of Licensed Software to
end-users, including, without limitation, claims, suits, and
liability for bodily or other injuries to end-users resulting
from use of Licensee’s product not caused solely by faults
in Licensed Software as provided by American
Megatrends to Licensee.
Cont’d

Preface
Preface, Continued
Technical Support If you need help installing, configuring, or running the
MegaRAC™ Express card, call your American
Megatrends OEM Technical Support representative.
Web Site We invite you to access the American Megatrends world
wide web site at:
http://www.ami.com.
FTP Site The address of the American Megatrends FTP site is:
ftp://ftp.megatrends.com
Cont’d

MegaRAC™ Express Hardware Guide
Preface, Continued
Disclaimer This manual describes the operation of the American
Megatrends MegaRAC™ Express card. Although efforts
have been made to assure the accuracy of the information
contained here, American Megatrends expressly disclaims
liability for any error in this information, and for damages,
whether direct, indirect, special, exemplary, consequential
or otherwise, that may result from such error, including but
not limited to the loss of profits resulting from the use or
misuse of the manual or information contained therein
(even if American Megatrends has been advised of the
possibility of such damages). Any questions or comments
regarding this document or its contents should be
addressed to American Megatrends at the address shown
on the cover.
American Megatrends provides this publication “as is”
without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied,
including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for a specific purpose.
Some states do not allow disclaimer of express or implied
warranties or the limitation or exclusion of liability for
indirect, special, exemplary, incidental or consequential
damages in certain transactions; therefore, this statement
may not apply to you. Also, you may have other rights
which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
This publication could include technical inaccuracies or
typographical errors. Changes are periodically made to the
information herein; these changes will be incorporated in
new editions of the publication. American Megatrends
may make improvements and/or revisions in the product(s)
and/or the program(s) described in this publication at any
time.
Requests for technical information about American
Megatrends products should be made to your American
Megatrends authorized reseller or marketing
representative.

Chapter 1 Overview 1
1Overview
The American Megatrends®MegaRAC™ Express Remote
Access Companion provides additional server management
capabilities. You can use MegaRAC™ Express to manage
and monitor non-storage components in your servers
through an external modem, direct serial connection, or the
onboard network adapter, even when your network is
down.
MegaRAC™ Express offers a hardware and software
solution through the Dead Server Management (DSM)
function. A major feature of MegaRAC™ Express is the
ability to manage a “dead” server and get the server up and
running as quickly as possible. MegaRAC™ Express
provides alert notification when the server is down and
gives full access to the dead server. In addition,
MegaRAC™ Express logs the probable cause of the server
crash and saves the current error display.
The MegaRAC™ Express is a PCI card, with its own
processor and memory. The card is powered by the bus
when the server has power or through an external power
adapter (6V 2.5 AMP DC Power Adapter Optional).
MegaRAC™ Express is used by the software modules,
such as the on-board intelligent firmware. In addition,
MegaRAC™ Express comes with a user interface
program. The user interface is known as the MegaRAC™
Express Management Console. The firmware is based on a
multitasking RTOS. The primary tasks of the firmware are:
•initialize the hardware at startup
•run a quick self test
•provide services to the user interface application
The MegaRAC™ Express card can alert you before a
probable server crash. Its processor can sense voltages,
temperatures, and fan speeds from the surrounding
environment, and the MegaRAC™ Express contains its
own firmware. The basic input/output system (BIOS)
supports MegaRAC™ Express initialization and the
drivers that interface with the operating systems.
Cont’d

2MegaRAC™ Express Hardware Guide
Overview, Continued
This guide contains information about the MegaRAC™
Express product, including the following topics:
•MegaRAC™ Express operation
•MegaRAC™ Express installation
The following graphics show a side view of the
MegaRAC™ Express card, and an overhead view of the
card.
Cont’d

Chapter 1 Overview 3
Overview, Continued

4MegaRAC™ Express Hardware Guide
How MegaRAC™ Express Works
MegaRAC™ Express comes with software modules that
provide operating system-specific services. These services
interface with the MegaRAC™ Express hardware and
provide access to the server from the hardware. The on-
board firmware allows the Management Console to access
the server using the server side services.
MegaRAC™ Express Software Modules
The MegaRAC™ Express software architecture is built
upon several independent software modules that run under
a specific operating system. The modules include hardware
services, application services, management services, and
user interfaces. The following table displays the software
modules for MegaRAC™ Express:
Software Module Description
Hardware
Services
MegaRAC™ Express card interface driver under
Microsoft® Windows NT4.0, Windows 2000, Novell®
NetWare 4.x, 5.x, and RedHat Linux
Application
Services
•Graphics capture service under Windows NT 4.0 and
Windows 2000 only
•Virtual mouse service under Windows NT 4.0 and
Windows 2000 only
•Health Agent
•Communication
Management
Services
SNMP agent under Windows NT, Novell NetWare, and
Linux.
User Interface GUI based under Windows NT 4.0, W2000, Windows 95
and Windows 98
Hardware services are the drivers running under each
operating system. The drivers allow applications and other
system-level services to access the MegaRAC™ Express
hardware. These services are operating system specific and
differ from one operating system to another.
Application services work between the hardware services
and the upper-level user interface. One example is the
driver that captures the graphics screen content.
Application services maintain the MegaRAC™ Express
features and the implementation of the console services.
Cont’d

Chapter 1 Overview 5
MegaRAC™ Express Software Modules, Continued
The operating system-specific management services
support the standard management protocols. An enterprise
network system is typically run by a management
application. This application is based upon certain
management standards such as Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP.) Management through
SNMP uses the in-band network.
The user interface is the interaction between MegaRAC™
Express and the user. The interface is an intuitive GUI-
based application. This 32-bit application runs under
Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95 and
Windows 98. The user interface for MegaRAC™ Express
is the Management Console. The management console lets
the user access the MegaRAC™ Express card and use the
Console Redirection Service, and Console Command
Service.
Communication
The communication layer of the Management Console is
socket based. The MegaRAC™ Express firmware supports
standard BSD sockets, which the Management Console
uses to communicate with the MegaRAC™ Express card.
The features that the management station offers are
collectively known as event services. The MegaRAC™
Express software architecture allows the event services to
be distributed; they can reside with the management
console or in any separate management station.

6MegaRAC™ Express Hardware Guide
When the Server is Up and Running
You can access any remote server using the MegaRAC™
Express card in it via Management console. The
Management Console lets you see the remote server’s
graphics as well as send commands to the server. This
gives you full control over the remote server to perform
other administrative tasks on the server.
You can also perform periodic maintenance on the server.
Using a feature known at Console Redirection Service
(CRS), you can do the following:
•reboot the system (a graceful shutdown),
•watch the boot process,
•boot to a separate system partition to load the
diagnostic environment, and
•run special diagnostic programs
•File Transfer
•Remote Flash upgrade
•Floppy Redirection
When the Server is Dead
An important task for MegaRAC™ Express is getting a
dead server up and running through the DSM feature. To
do this, MegaRAC™ Express sends an alert notification to
its supervisor. Once the supervisor receives the alert,
MegaRAC™ Express puts itself into a server mode. It
receives the commands from the supervisor and performs
them.
MegaRAC™ Express provides a set of services to get the
server running again. These services include server reset
and complete power cycle (with the proper hardware
support) of the server. MegaRAC™ Express also captures
the screen at the time of the crash so that the supervisor
can watch and analyze the cause of the crash.

Chapter 1 Overview 7
MegaRAC™ Express Technical Specifications
The technical specifications for the MegaRAC™ Express
card and other technical information are:
Item Description
Processor The MegaRAC™ Express card has an Intel 80L960JA 3.3V
embedded 32-bit processor running at 16 MHz. This processor
includes 2 KB of instruction cache and 1 KB of data cache with
write-through operation. The MegaRAC™ Express card has an
AMI MG9063 ASIC that interfaces between the host PCI bus and
the local i960JA processor.
Memory MegaRAC™ Express includes 2 MB flash ROM that contains the
firmware image and DRAM for operational memory. The
MegaRAC™ Express card includes 16MB DRAM cache memory.
The firmware will operate from this memory. The firmware will
maintain adequate stack and heap for all internal processing. A
128 KB NVRAM area provides storage for configuration
information, event logs, and captured text screens.
Out-of-band
Access
Out-of-band access is established through a path other than the
system's LAN or WAN connection, such as a telephone line or the
onboard network line. It uses the onboard 10 Mbps LAN, or
onboard serial port, or an external serial Modem.
Hardware
Health
Parameter
Monitoring
Monitors hardware health parameters (voltages, temperatures, fan
status, and chassis intrusion.)
Hard Reset and
Power Cycle
Used to initiate an immediate server boot. The MegaRAC™
Express card can detect when the server has lost power or has
been reset by using a watchdog timer.
BIOS
Functions
The BIOS on the server motherboards allows you to capture video
text sequences the firmware stores in NVRAM. The boot
sequences and I/O Port 0080h outputs are captured and stored in
NVRAM.

8MegaRAC™ Express Hardware Guide
HIP Functionality
The MegaRAC™ Express card extends HIP (Hardware
Instrumentation Package) functionality by providing the
following:
•out-of-band (via dial-up modem) status retrieval and
management
•remote power-cycling
•access to the power-on self-test (POST)
MegaRAC™ Express Capabilities
MegaRAC™ Express server management capabilities
include:
•monitoring the voltages (3.3 volt, 5 volt, and 12 volt),
gunning transceiver logic (GTL) termination, central
processing unit core voltage (CPU VCORE), and the
system battery
•monitoring both the microprocessor and ambient
temperatures in the server
•monitoring the revolutions per minute (rpm) and
status of the main and auxiliary fans (via I2C device
monitoring)
•monitoring system errors

Chapter 1 Overview 9
MegaRAC™ Express Features
The MegaRAC™ Express card answers a call-in from the
modem (external, Hayes-compatible, 2-wire interface with
no hardware hand-shaking implemented) or PC Card and
sends back system status and error log information. The
MegaRAC™ Express card has the following features:
•permits resetting or power-cycling the server from a
remote console
•dials out through a modem to a remote console,
providing the system identification (ID), status, and
error log information to the console when a failure
occurs
Server Management Without MegaRAC™ Express and
With MegaRAC™ Express
The following table lists the Server Management
capabilities without MegaRAC™ Express and with
MegaRAC™ Express.
Feature Without
MegaRAC™ Express
With MegaRAC™
Express
Power cycle No Yes
Power off No Yes
System logs No Yes
Out-of-band No Yes
Temperature Yes Yes
Voltages Yes Yes
Fan status No Yes
Remote
management
Yes Yes
Reset Yes Yes

10 MegaRAC™ Express Hardware Guide

Chapter 2 Installation 11
2 Installation
This chapter describes procedures for performing the
following tasks:
•Installing the MegaRAC™ Express card in a server
•Updating server management software
•Connecting the Hobbes connector to the MegaRAC™
Express
Important
Read the installation instructions in this manual before
installing your MegaRAC™ Express.
Installing the MegaRAC™ Express Card
Important
The MegaRAC™ Express card must be placed in the primary
PCI slot because of the VGA specification. VGA redirection is
possible from the primary PCI slot only.
Step Action
1 Power down the server and all attached external peripheral devices.
2 Disconnect your computer and peripherals from their power sources. Also
disconnect any telephone or telecommunications lines from the computer.
Doing so reduces the potential for personal injury or shock.
3 Touch an unpainted metal surface at the back of the computer chassis
(such as the power supply) before touching anything inside your computer.
While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface on the
computer chassis to dissipate any static electricity that might harm internal
components.
4 Remove the computer cover.
5 Locate the primary PCI slot on the motherboard where you will install the
MegaRAC™ Express card.

12 MegaRAC™ Express Hardware Guide
Step Action
6 Remove the metal bracket from the primary PCI slot in the back of the
server. Insert the MegaRAC™ Express card in the primary PCI slot, as
shown below:
7 When the MegaRAC™ Express card is firmly seated in the connectors and
the card mounting bracket is flush with the brackets on either side of it,
secure the card mounting bracket with the screw you removed in the
previous step.
8 Connect the server board to the MegaRAC™ card via the feature
connector. See page 15.
9 Replace and secure the computer cover.
10 Connect the external modem to the MegaRAC™ Express serial port
connector.
11 Power on the server and all associated external peripheral devices. Reboot
the server.

Chapter 2 Installation 13
Jumpers
The jumpers and connectors for the MegaRAC™ Express
card are:
Connector Description Type
J1, J7 Serial port connectors Nine-pin connectors
J2 Fan Monitoring Two-pin connector
J3 SMI Two-pin connector
J4 Flash jumper Two-pin connector
J5 Hard reset switch Temporary push switch
J6 Feature connector 20-pin connector
J8 Wall adapter power jack DC-In female receptacle
J9 RJ45, for LAN connector Eight-pin connector
J1, J7 Serial Ports J1 and J7 are 9-pin bergs that attach to a serial cable.
Pin Signal Description Pin Signal Description
1 Carrier Detect 2 Data Set Ready
3 Receive Data 4 Request to Send
5 Transmit Data 6 Clear to Send
7 Data Terminal Ready 8 Ring Indicator
9 Ground
J3 SMI J3 is a two-pin connector used to enable or disable the
System Management Interrupt support.
Pin Description
Open Disabled
Shorted Enabled
J4 Flash Jumper J8 is a two-pin connector for the flash jumper.
Pin Description
1VPP
2VCC
Cont’d

14 MegaRAC™ Express Hardware Guide
Jumpers, Continued
J5 Hard Reset Jumper J4 is a 2-pin connector for the hard reset jumper.
Pin Description
1GND
2 Reset
J6 Feature Connector J6 is a 20-pin feature connector.
Pin Signal Description Pin Signal Description
1 SMI# 2 CCLK
3 CONP 4 KEY
5 PWROFF# 6 I2CDATA
7 LPOK 8 KEYUNLK
9NMI 10AUXV
11 RESET# 12 GND
13 GND 14 KEY
15 SECURE 16 GND
18 INTRUD# 17 SPARE
19 KEY 20 GND
J8 Wall Adapter Power Jack J8 is a DC-IN jack for the wall adapter power
unit.
Pin Description
1VCC
2NC
3GND