Avid Technology HP Z400 Series Instruction Manual

Page 1 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
Avid Configuration Guidelines
HP Z400 Single Quad-Core CPU Workstation
Gen1 Z400 – 4 DIMM / No Embedded Firewire
Media Composer 6.0, NewsCutter 10 and later
(To configure a Z400 for prior versions of Avid software see the earlier version Z400 guide posted on the Avid KB)
1.) HP Z400 AVID Qualified System Specification:
Z400 / AVID Qualified Operating System choices:
Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition with Service Pack 1
Z400 Hardware Configuration
Qualified CPU Choices
1.) Single Intel® Quad-Core Xeon® W3550 Processor @ 3.06GHz 8MB cache / 1066MHz memory
2.) Single Intel® Quad-Core Xeon® W3540 Processor @ 2.93GHz 8MB cache / 1066MHz memory
^^
^^This processor selection has gone End-of-Life and is no longer available in new systems being purchased from H.P.
Video Card Choice
NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800 1GB PCI-E video board
System Hard Drive
320GB SATA-II 3Gb/s 7200RPM Hard Disk Drive (Minimum Recommendation)
Memory Configuration
Memory: 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 ECC memory –
(Requires three 2GB DIMMs, DIMM sizes cannot be mixed sizes)
2GB memory modules must be installed in the following memory slots:
CPU0-DIMM1, CPU0-DIMM2, CPU0-DIMM3
Memory configuration constraints
- Memory configurations which use “unbalanced” memory configuration are not recommended or formally
supported in AVID environments. Memory configurations which mix and match memory module sizes and
locations will result in a poor performing, non-optimal operating environment.
1394a Firewire HBA requirement (For Firewire device support) (H.P. Option NM980AV)
NM980AV HP 3-port PCI 1394a Firewire IEEE HBA option (Installs in slot 5, has two external rear 1394a ports
and also connects to front panel 1394a port) (Standard part of AVID Gen1 Z400 specific system SKU).

Page 2 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
2.) Qualified Operating Systems for Avid Client Editing Applications, Hardware and Shared-Storage
connectivity for the HP Z400 with Media Composer 6.0 and NewsCutter 10 or later:
- Supported: Only Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition with SP1 (SP1 required)
- Not Supported - Microsoft® Windows XP 32-bit, 64-bit (any version)
- Not Supported - Microsoft® Windows Vista 32-bit, 64-bit (any version)
- Not Supported - Microsoft® Windows 7 – any 32-bit version, or any version of Home, Ultimate or
Enterprise editions.
Note regarding Service packs:
As of this writing Service Pack 1 is the current Service Pack release for Win7. SP1 is required for Media
Composer 6.0 and NewsCutter 10. As future Service Packs are released Avid will evaluate and announce
formal support when testing is completed.
3.) Qualified Hardware and shared storage supported:
AVID qualified Hardware / Shared Storage
Qualified / Supported
Mojo DX
Yes
Nitris DX
Yes
3rd Party Qualified Hardware
See release notes and Avid website for
information regarding supported 3rd party
hardware (vendor qualified)
Unity ISIS System Infrastructure
ISIS 1.4 Infrastructure
Unity ISIS 1 Gbit Ethernet Client
ISIS 2.03 Client
Unity ISIS Hi-res (10 Gbit) client
Requires minimum ISIS 2.2
(ISIS 7000 only)
Unity MediaNet Infrastructure
MediaNet 4.2.4 Infrastructure
Unity MediaNet Fibre
MediaNet 5.1.2 Client
Unity MediaNet AECIFs
MediaNet 5.1.2 Client
1394 Adrenaline DNA
N/A Not Supported
1394 Mojo-SDI DNA
N/A Not Supported
1394 Mojo-Analog DNA
N/A Not Supported

Page 3 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
AVID qualified HBA info
AVID qualified HBA AVID Part Number Slot Function
Avid HIB, DX Interface HBA**
Active: 7030-30048-01
Active: 7030-20084-01
Passive: 7030-30021-01
#1
Avid DX Hardware Interface HBA
Qualified 3rd party hardware
interface
Not stocked by AVID #1
See release notes and Avid website for
information regarding supported 3rd party
hardware. (Vendor qualified)
Atto FC-41ES***
7030-20004-01 #3 Shared Storage: MediaNet LAN-Share Fibre
Intel PRO 1000 PT - ISIS 7030-20139-01 #3 Shared Storage: Unity ISIS Copper Gb-Ethernet
Intel PRO 1000 PF - ISIS Not stocked by AVID #3 Shared Storage: Unity ISIS Optical Gb-Ethernet
***Myricom 10G-PCIE-8B-S
Requires minimum ISIS 2.2
(ISIS 7000 only)
7030-30041-01 #4 Shared Storage: Unity ISIS 10Gb-Ethernet
Requires minimum ISIS 2.2 (ISIS 7000 only)
LSI 9200-8e SAS controller 7030-30036-01 #4
SAS Local Storage:
Xtore StudioRAID 16Re (16-bay) chassis
Xtore StudioRAID 5Te (5-bay) chassis
Atto H680 7030-30028-01 #4 SAS Local Storage – Avid VideoRAID SR (16-bay)
Atto R380 7030-20166-01 #4 SAS Local Storage –Avid VideoRAID ST (5-bay)
and Xtore StudioRAID 5Ti (5-bay) chassis
Atto UL5D 7030-20002-01 #4 Local Storage – VideoRAID RTR &
Legacy Avid u320 SCSI storage
(The UL5D BIOS should be disabled)
H.P. NM980AV 3-port PCI
1394a Firewire IEEE HBA
7030-20154-01
#5 1394 Camera / Deck support

Page 4 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
Specific Important qualified HBA Support Notes
** Avid DX Interface HBA Support Note: (See reference pictures on page 6 of this guide).
All 3 versions of the DX interface HBA are supported with Media Composer 6.x and NewsCutter 10.x
1) Active DX interface HBA 7030-30048-01
2) Active DX interface HBA 7030-20084-01
3) Passive DX interface HBA 7030-30021-01
*** Atto FC-41ES HBA Support Note:.
1) The Z400 requires a Rev D or later version FC-41ES. The board revision is clearly marked on a label on
the back of the FC-41ES. Earlier revisions (A, B and C) of the FC-41ES may demonstrate compatibility
issues when used with the Z400 including not being recognized by the Z400 CPU.
*** Myricom 10G-PCIE-8B-S 10Gb Interface HBA Support Notes.
1) Initial shared storage HBA’s used in the Z400 resided in slot #3. However, the Myricom 10G-PCIE-8B-S
must reside in slot #4 as this HBA requires the performance of the additional PCI-E lanes offered for
slot#4. It will not function properly if used in slot #3. Using the Myricom 10G-PCIE-8B-S for ISIS 2.2.x
connectivity will not allow for support of simultaneous connection to local storage in Z400 configurations as
the local storage controllers must also reside in slot #4.

Page 5 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
4.) Slot Configuration:
Slot Configuration Information
Slot # Electrical Mechanical
1 x4 PCI-E Gen 2
(25Watts)
x8 Avid HIB, DX Interface HBA
Active: 7030-30048-01 & 7030-20084-01
Passive: 7030-30021-01
OR
Vendor Qualified 3rd Party Hardware PCI-e Interface
See release notes and Avid website for information regarding
supported 3rd party hardware (vendor qualified)
2 x16 PCI-E Gen 2
(75Watts)
x16 Graphics Card:
Quadro FX 3800
3 x4 PCI-E Gen 1
(25Watts)
x8 Shared Storage Controllers:
Atto FC-41ES - MediaNet LAN Share
Intel PRO 1000 PT - ISIS 5000 / 7000
Intel PRO 1000 PF - ISIS 5000 / 7000
4 x16 PCI-E Gen 2
(75Watts)
x16 Local Storage Controllers:
Atto H680 – Avid SAS VideoRAID SR (16-bay) support
Atto R380 – Avid SAS VideoRAID ST (5-bay) support
Atto R380 – SAS Xtore StudioRAID 5Ti (5-bay) support
LSI 9200-8e SAS Xtore 16Re (16-bay) support
LSI 9200-8e SAS Xtore 5Te (5-bay) support
Atto UL5D - Legacy u320 SCSI support
OR
Shared Storage Controller:
Myricom 10G-PCIE-8B-S
5 PCI 32bit /33MHz PCI 32/33 HP NM980AV 1394a PCI HBA
Primary 1394 connection for 1394 camera / deck / disk drive
(1394 disk drives are recommended only for file transfers)
6 PCI 32bit /33MHz PCI 32/33
Do Not Use. Will cause BUS contention with 1394 controller installed in slot #5.
Embedded
Broadcom
BCM5764
GbE NIC
PCI-E x1
Gen 1
Not qualified for Avid ISIS 5000 / 7000 Connectivity
Qualified for Avid MediaNetwork AECIFs

Page 6 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
6.) Utilization of the Z400 3-port PCI 1394a Firewire IEEE HBA option ports for Camera / Deck / Disk Drive support
- NM980AV HP 3-port PCI 1394a Firewire IEEE HBA option. Installs in slot 5, has two external rear 1394a ports and
also connects to Z400 front panel 1394a port.
Media Composer 6.0 and NewsCutter 10 do not support Avid 1394 hardware such as Adrenaline and 1394 Mojo-
SDI. This simplifies utilization of the Z400 embedded 1394 port. The embedded 1394 ports can and should be
used for all 1394 Camera / Deck / Disk Drive connectivity for all configurations running Media Composer 6.0
and NewsCutter 10.
Configuration
NM980AV HP 3-port PCI 1394a Firewire IEEE HBA option
(Slot #5)
Utilization for
Camera / Deck / Disk Drive support
Avid DX Hardware
Yes - Supports 1394 Deck / Camera / Disk Drive
(
1394 disk drives are recommended only for file transfers)
Software Only
Yes - Supports 1394 Deck / Camera / Disk Drive
(
1394 disk drives are recommended only for file transfers)
Vendor Qualified
3
rd
Party PCIe Hardware
Yes - Supports 1394 Deck / Camera / Disk Drive
However 3
rd
party hardware and a 1394 Camera or
Deck cannot be simultaneously connected.
(
1394 disk drives are recommended only for file transfers)
Slot #5 NM980AV HP 3-port PCI 1394a Firewire IEEE HBA option (also connects internally to Z400 front panel 1394 port).
Primary 1394 connection for Deck / Camera / Disk Drive

Page 7 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
7.) HP Z400 I/O Slot Layout
HP Z400 Slot Layout

Page 8 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
8.) Various Configuration Issues:
A.) D/X hardware configs –
All 3 versions of the DX interface HBA are supported with the Media Composer 6.x and NewsCutter 10.x releases
1) Active DX interface HBA 7030-30048-01
2) Active DX interface HBA 7030-20084-01
3) Passive DX interface HBA 7030-30021-01
Active DX interface HBA 7030-30048-01 Active DX interface HBA 7030-20084-01
Passive DX interface HBA (7030-30021-01)

Page 9 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
B.) Qualified Avid system BIOS settings and version(s): (As of this writing):
It is recommended that the BIOS be updated to an “AVID Qualified” BIOS. Failure to update the Z400 to an
“Avid qualified BIOS” may result in non-optimal operation of the AVID software and hardware.
- Minimum BIOS ver 1.06
- Also qualified ver 1.14, 1.17, 3.07, 3.12, 3.12, 3.15, 3.16, 3.19, 3.20, 3.21, 3.54
Current Avid qualified Z400 BIOS information is maintained at the following Avid KB link:
http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/en_US/troubleshooting/en267609
Z400 Required system BIOS settings:
1. Set CPU Processors Hyper-Threading – Enable
2. Set Runtime Power Management – Disable
3. Set MWAIT-Aware OS – Disable
4. Set Idle Power Savings – Normal
Z400 Optional system BIOS change:
1. Set Intel Turbo Boost Technology**– Disable
** Only required if connecting USB audio I/O devices. This setting will eliminate any audio
“motor-boating” or audio “popping” which may be experienced with USB audio I/O devices.
See Instructions on how to set Z400 BIOS settings on the next page:

Page 10 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
Set Z400 Required system BIOS settings:
- During boot up press F10 at the HP splash screen to invoke Set Up.
- Select the Advanced tab
- Select Processors. <Enter>
- Select Hyper-Threading
- Default setting is Disable
Change this setting from Disable to Enable
- Hi F10 to save the Hyper-Threading setting
- Select the Power tab
- Select OS Power Management <return>
- Select Runtime Power Management
- Default setting is Enable
Change this setting from Enable to Disable
- Select MWAIT-Aware OS
- Default setting is Enable
Change this setting from Enable to Disable
- Select Idle Power Savings
- Default setting is Extended
Change this setting from Extended to Normal
- Hi F10 to save the Runtime Power Management, MWAIT-Aware OS, and Idle Power Savings
- Press F10 twice to Save
- Save Changes and Exit
- System will Reboot
Set Z400 Optional system BIOS setting:
- Select the Power tab
- Select Hardware Power Management <Enter>
- Select Intel Turbo Boost Technology
- Default setting is Enable
Change this setting from Enable to Disable
- Press F10 twice to Save
- Save Changes and Exit

Page 11 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
C.) Nvidia Qualified Drivers:
Nvidia qualified drivers
AVID Software Version(s) Nvidia GPU Nvidia Driver Required
Media Composer
NewsCutter
6.0 and later
10.0 and later
Quadro FX 3800 275.89
Media Composer
NewsCutter
6.0.3.4 and later
6.5.2.1 and later
10.0.3.4 and later
10.5.2.1 and later
Quadro FX 3800 310.90
After installation of the AVID software the supported Nvidia driver can be found in the following directory:
Program Files / Avid / Utilities / Nvidia
Please Note: If the Nvidia driver ver 310.90 is not included with the patch s/w version being installed, the
Nvidia driver ver 310.90 and be found on the Avid Knowledge Base.

Page 12 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
Set optimized Nvidia driver settings for Avid editing environments:
1. See picture below
2. Right-Click on the desktop and select Nvidia Control Panel
3. Select the “Desktop” menu selection in the control panel menu bar.
4. Enable “Desktop -> Video Editing Mode

Page 13 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
5. Select Manage 3D Settings
6. Select “Global Settings” Tab
7. Under the “Global Settings” tab select “Base Profile” as shown in the picture below:

Page 14 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
8. Scroll down and locate the “Power Management Mode” feature. The default setting is “Adaptive” as
shown in the picture below.

Page 15 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
9. For the “Power management mode” feature, select “Prefer maximum performance” as shown in the
picture below.
10. Depress the “Apply” button.

Page 16 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
Make the following setting for “Multi-display/mixed-GPU acceleration”
11. Stay in the “Manage 3D Settings” and “Base Profile” area
12. Select “Global Settings” Tab
13. Scroll down and locate the “Multi-display/mixed-GPU acceleration” feature. See picture below. The
setting should be set to “Multiple display performance mode”. If not set properly, select Multiple
display performance mode and depress the “Apply” button. (The other settings are “Single display
performance mode” and “Compatibility performance mode”. These settings are not recommended for
Avid editing environments).

Page 17 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
Make the following additional setting for “3D App-Video Editing”
14. Stay in the “Manage 3D Settings” area
15. Select “Global Settings” Tab
16. Under “Global Settings” tab select “3D App-Video Editing” setting as shown in picture below:
17. Depress the “Apply” button
18. Nvidia driver optimization settings for Avid environments are complete.

Page 18 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
D.) Nvidia Quadro GPU monitor connectivity:
The Nvidia Quadro FX 3800 graphics card has a single DVI port and two Display-Port ports
(Important: Display-ports are not HDMI ports; at first glance they do look very similar to HDMI ports)
( Please Note: Only two of the three video ports can simultaneously be used. Connecting to all three
video ports at the same time will result in non-functioning video output from the Nvidia GPU video
card.)
The HP Z400 includes one Display-Port-to-DVI adapter. HP P/N 481409-001
For dual monitor connectivity:
1. Use the DVI port and one Display-Port (Display-Port connection can be native display-port to monitor via
display-port connection, or use the display-port-to-DVI-adapter supplied with the system to connect to a native
DVI monitor).
2. Or use two Display-Ports (Requires monitors with native display-port connections, two display-port to DVI
adapters are not recommended when using dual display-port connections).
Reference picture Quadro FX 3800
DVI Port Display Ports

Page 19 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
E.) Serial Port Deck Control:
The HP Z400 workstation does not have an embedded serial port. Serial port deck control can be established via two
methods (both of which have been qualified by Avid and will maintain frame accuracy in Avid environments)
1. Addenda model
RS-USB / 4 direct USB-to-RS422 serial adapter. This is a simple device which connects directly from a
USB port of the Z400 directly to the RS422 port of a deck.
http://www.addenda.com/addenda-elect/products/rsUSB4.php
2. Combination of a Keyspan (Tripp-Lite) Model USA-19HS USB-to-serial-port adapter with Addenda Rosetta
Stone model RS – 2/8 RS232-to-RS422 converter
- Keyspan (Tripp-Lite) Model USA-19HS (AVID P/N 7080-20013-01)
http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtSeriesID=518&EID=13384&txtModelID=3914
- Addenda Rosetta Stone (or equivalent) model RS – 2/8 RS232-to-RS422 converter (AVID P/N
7070-00507-01)
http://www.addenda.com/addenda-elect/products/rs28.php
To connect the Keyspan 19HS / Addenda RS -2/8 combination:
- Install the Keyspan 19HS driver before plugging the device into a Z400 USB port.
- Once the Keyspan 19HS driver is installed then plug the Keyspan 19HS into a Z400 USB port.
- The Keyspan 19HS will now show up in device driver.
- Using a serial cable, connect the 9-pin serial port of the Keyspan 19HS USB adapter to the port of the
Addenda marked RS232 from PC
- Using a 2nd serial port cable connect the port of the Addenda marked “RS422 to VTR” to the deck control
serial port of the deck.
F.) O.S. setting recommendations for optimum performance with Avid Editing applications:
The following links provide O.S. setting suggestions for ensuring optimum performance when working with
your Avid editing application with a Windows operating system.
- Optimizations for Video Editors - Windows 7
http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=390339

Page 20 of 26 Joe Conforti – Avid Technology – May 2nd, 2013
Z400 Gen1 (4-DIMM / No Embedded Firewire) Rev B Config Guide
G.) Set Windows “Visual Effects” for “best performance”:
1. Right-Click on My Computer / Computer
2. Select Properties
3. The screen below will be displayed:
4. On the left side of the screen above, locate and select “Advanced system settings”