HP Vectra VA 6 Series Product manual

Technical Reference Manual
Hardware and BIOS
HP Vectra VA 6/xxx and
XA 6/xxx PCs

Notice
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1996 Hewlett-Packard Company

iii
Preface
This manual is a technical reference and BIOS document for engineers and
technicians providing system level support. It is assumed that the reader
possesses a detailed understanding of AT-compatible microprocessor
functions and digital addressing techniques.
Technical information that is readily available from other sources, such as
manufacturer’s proprietary publications, has not been reproduced.
This manual contains summary information only. For additional reference
material, refer to the bibliography, on the next page.
Conventions
The following conventions are used throughout this manual to identify
specific numeric elements:
❒Hexadecimal numbers are identified by a lower case h.
For example, 0FFFFFFFh or 32F5h
❒Binary numbers and bit patterns are identified by a lower case b.
For example, 1101b or 10011011b

iv
Bibliography
❒HP Vectra VA 6/xxx PC User’s Guide manual (D4200-90001).
❒HP Vectra VA 6/xxx MT PC User’s Guide manual (D4210-90001).
❒HP Vectra XA 6/xxx PC User’s Guide manual (D4544-90001).
❒HP Vectra VA and XA 6/xxx PC Familiarization Guide (D4200-90901).
❒HP Network Administrator’s Guide (online).
❒HP Vectra Accessories Service Handbook - 6th edition
(5964-8495).
❒HP Vectra PC Service Handbook (Volume 1) - 10th edition
(5964-8494).
❒Documentation CD-ROM (D4200-90921).
❒HP Support Assistant CD-ROM (by subscription).
The following Intel®publication provides more detailed information:
❒Pentium Pro Processor (242769-002)

Contents
v
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
1 System Overview
External Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
HP Vectra VA PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
HP Vectra VA MT PC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
HP Vectra XA PC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Specifications and Characteristic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Control (Status) Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Physical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Electrical Specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Environmental Specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Documentation and Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Where to Find the Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2 System Board
System Board and Backplanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Backplanes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
PCI Mapping Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Architectural View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Devices on the Processor-Local Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Intel Pentium Pro Microprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chip-Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Cache Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Contents
vi
Processor-Local Bus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Main Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Devices on the PCI Bus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Video Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Network Controller and External Start Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Other PCI Accessory Devices under Plug and Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Devices on the ISA Bus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Super I/O Controller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Audio Controller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
System ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Little Ben . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Other ISA Accessory Devices under Plug and Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3 Interface Boards and Mass-Storage Drives
Cirrus 5446 Video Controller Chip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Video Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Video Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Available Video Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Further Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Matrox MGA Millennium Video Controller Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Video Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Available Video Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Video BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Further Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Audio Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Enhanced Ethernet Network Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Contents
vii
Mass-Storage Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Hard Disk Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Flexible Disk Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
CD-ROM Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Internal Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
4 Summary of the HP/Phoenix BIOS
HP/Phoenix BIOS Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Setup Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Configuration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Security Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Power Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Remote Power-On (RPO). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Magic Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Activity within Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Advanced Power Management (APM). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Little Ben . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
BIOS Addresses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
System Memory Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Product Identification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
HP I/O Port Map (I/O Addresses Used by the System). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
5 Power-On Self-Tests and Error Messages
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Contents
viii
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

1
1
System Overview
This manual describes the HP Vectra VA and XA 6/xxx PCs, and provides
detailed system specifications.
This chapter introduces the external features, and lists the specifications
and characteristic data of the system. It also summarizes the documentation
which is available.

2
1 System Overview
External Features
External Features
HP Vectra VA PC
1 hard disk drive
Backplane
Flexible disk drive
CD-ROM drive
Vacant slim
Pentium Pro
4 accessory slots
Memory modules
Video memory
processor
internal shelf
3.5/5.25-inch shelf
MouseKeyboard Parallel Port Serial Port A Serial Port B
Display

3
1 System Overview
External Features
HP Vectra VA MT PC
Pentium Pro processor
Memory modules
Flexible disk drive
CD-ROM drive
2 vacant half height
System board Video controller board
2 hard disk drive
Power supply
internal shelves
Backplane
5.25-inch shelves
Airflow guide
4 vacant accessory slots
Audio controller board
S
Serial port B
Mouse connector
Keyboard connector
Parallel port
Display connector
Processor fan Serial port A
Power supply
Hard disk compartment
and fan
Voltage selection switch

4
1 System Overview
External Features
HP Vectra XA PC
1 hard disk drive
Backplane
Flexible disk drive
CD-ROM drive
Vacant slim
Pentium Pro
Memory modules
System board
processor
internal shelf
3.5/5.25-inch shelf
Audio board (ISA slot)
Matrox board (PCI slot)
2 vacant accessory slots
RJ-45 network
BNC coax hole
Mouse
Keyboard Parallel Port Serial Port A Serial Port B
connector
metal plug
Display connector

5
1 System Overview
Specifications and Characteristic Data
Specifications and Characteristic Data
Control (Status) Panel
Physical Characteristics
System Processing Unit HP Vectra VA 6/xxx MT PC HP Vectra VA 6/xxx PC and HP Vectra XA 6/xxx PC
Weight: 33 lbs (15 kg) 20 lbs (9 kg)
Dimensions: 16.0 inches (D) by 8.3 inches (W) by 16.3 inches (H)
(40.5 cm by 21 cm by 41.5 cm)
15.3 inches (D) by 16.5 inches (W) by 4.9 inches (H)
(39 cm by 42 cm by 12.5 cm)
Footprint: 0.91 sq ft (0.085 m2) 1.8 sq ft (0.17 m2)
Keyboard: 18.3 inches (W) by 7 inches (D) by 1.3 inches (H), when flat, or
18.3 inches (W) by 7 inches (D) by 2 inches (H), when standing
(464 mm by 178 mm by 33 mm when flat, or
464 mm by 178 mm by 51 mm, when standing)
RESET
HP Vectra VA 6/xxx MT PC
HP Vectra VA 6/xxx PC
Cover lock on back panel
HP Vectra XA 6/xxx PC
Cover lock on back panel
Multimedia control panel on front

6
1 System Overview
Specifications and Characteristic Data
Electrical Specification
For the HP Vectra VA 6/xxx MT PC:
Parameter Total Rating
Notes Typical per
PCI Accessory
Slot
Typical per ISA
Accessory Slot
Input voltage 100-127
Vac
200-240
Vac
Switch selectable
Input current (max) 5 A 3 A
Input power (max) 220 W Less than 5 W
when turned off
Input frequency 47 Hz to 63 Hz
Available power 160 W (continuous) 15 W (max) 15 W (max)
Max current at +12 V 4.4 A —0.5 A 1.5 A
Max current at -12 V 0.5 A —0.1 A 0.3 A
Max current at +3.3 V 12 A Together, these
two must not
exceed 20 A
These must
not exceed
4.5 A per slot
—
Max current at +5 V 20 A 4.5 A
Max current at -5 V 0.2 A ——0.1 A
Max current at +5 Vst 0.05 A — — —

7
1 System Overview
Specifications and Characteristic Data
For the HP Vectra VA 6/xxx PC and HP Vectra XA 6/xxx PC:
Parameter Limit for the Power
Supply
Notes Limit per PCI
Accessory Slot
Limit per ISA
Accessory Slot
Input voltage 100-240 Vac Auto-ranging — —
Input current (max) 3 A — —
Input power (max) 150 W — —
Input frequency 47 Hz to 63 Hz — —
Available power 100 W (continuous) 15 W (max) 15 W (max)
Max current at +12 V 4.5 A 0.5 A 1.5 A
Max current at -12 V 0.3 A 0.1 A 0.3 A
Max current at +3.3 V 6 A Together, these
two must not
exceed 65 W
4.5 A —
Max current at +5 V 13.5 A 4.5 A
Max current at -5 V 0.1 A —0.1 A
Input power (when
turned Off)
Less than 5 W When the HP Vectra XA 6/xxx PC
is Off, but still plugged in, an
independent mini power supply
keeps the network board active
enough to watch out for the
“Remote Power-On” (RPO) signal
(see page 52 for description)
Available power
(when Off)
0.25 W
Available current
(when Off)
0.05 A

8
1 System Overview
Specifications and Characteristic Data
Environmental Specification
The following specifications are for the system processing unit, with a hard
disk.
Operating temperature and humidity ranges may vary depending upon the
mass storage devices installed. High humidity levels can cause improper
operation of disk drives. Low humidity levels can aggravate static electricity
problems and cause excessive wear of the disk surface.
Typical power consumption 30 W to 40 W (before installing any customer-specific accessories)
Acoustic noise emission less than 40 dB in the workplace under normal conditions as
defined by DIN 45635 T.19 and ISO 7779
Operating temperature + 40°F to 104° F (+5°C to +40°C)
Recommended operating temperature +59°F to +158°F (+15°C to +70°C)
Storage temperature -40°F to +158°F (-40°C to +70°C)
Over temperature shutdown +122°F (+50°C)
Operating humidity 15% to 80% RH (non-condensing)
Storage humidity 8% to 80% RH (non-condensing)
Operating altitude 10000 ft (3100 m) max
Storage altitude 40000 ft (12200 m) max

9
1 System Overview
Documentation and Software
Documentation and Software
The table below summarizes the availability of the documentation that is
appropriate to the HP Vectra VA and XA 6/xxx PCs. Three dots, ‘...’, are
used to indicate ‘VA’ or ‘XA’, as appropriate.
Only selected publications are available in paper-based form. Most are
available as printable files from the HP division support servers, or from the
HP Support Assistant CD-ROM.
Division Support Server Support Assistant CD-ROM Paper-based
Line of HP Vectra 6/xxx PC: VA XA VA XA VA XA
HP Vectra ... 6/xxx User’s Guide yes yes yes yes DT: D4200A
MT: D4210A
D4544A
HP Vectra VA and XA 6/xxx
Familiarization Guide
yes yes D4200-90901
HP Vectra VA and XA 6/xxx
Technical Reference Manual
yes yes no
HP Vectra PC Service
Handbook (Vol 1, 10th Edition)
yes yes yes yes 5964-8494
HP Vectra Accessory Service
Handbook (6th Edition)
yes yes 5964-8495
Network Administrators Guide not applicable yes not applicable yes not applicable no

10
1 System Overview
Documentation and Software
Where to Find the Information
The table on the next page summarizes the availability of information within
the HP Vectra VA and XA 6/xxx PCs documentation set.
User Guide User Online Familiarization
Guide
Service
Handbook
Technical
Reference
Manual
Introducing the PC
Product features Key features Exploring New features Exploded view
Parts list
Key features
Product model numbers Product range
CPL dates
Using the PC
Connecting cables and
turning on
Keyboard, mouse, display,
network, printer, power
Finding on-line
information
Finding READ.MEs and on-
line documentation
Environmental Setting up the PC Working in
comfort
System overview
Formal documents License agreement
Warranty information
License
agreement
Upgrading the PC
Opening the PC Full details
Supported accessories Part number details Full PN details
Replacing accessories How to install New procedures
Configuring devices Installing drivers Configuring
peripherals
Problem fixes
Fields and their options
within Setup
Complete list Key fields
Repairing the PC
Troubleshooting Basic Service notes Advanced
Technical information Basic Detailed Advanced
System board Jumpers, switches and
connectors
Jumpers,switches
and connectors
How to replace
Jumpers,
switches and
connectors
Jumpers, switches
and connectors
Chip-set details
BIOS Basic details Upgrading Technical details
Memory maps
Power-On Self-Test
routines (POST)
Key error codes and
suggestions for corrective
action
Order of tests

11
2
System Board
The next chapter describes the video, disk, audio and network devices
which are supplied with the PC.
This chapter describes the components of the system board, taking in turn
the components of the Processor-Local Bus, the Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI) bus and the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus.

12
2 System Board
System Board and Backplanes
System Board and Backplanes
Backplanes
HP Vectra VA 6/xxx
PC
HP Vectra VA 6/xxx
MT PC
HP Vectra XA 6/xxx
PC
Total Occupied Total Occupied Total Occupied
PCI slots (normal) 2 0 2 1✕Video 2 1✕Video
PCI slots (network) 0 0 0 0 1 1✕LAN
PCI/ISA combination slots 1 0 2010
ISA slots (full length) 0 0 1000
ISA slots (26-cm/10.2-
inch maximum length)
1011✕Audio 1 1✕Audio
1
Present only on the desktop HP Vectra VA 6/xxx PC board
1