IBM NetVista Technical document

IBM
NetVista™
Technical Information Manual
A20 Type 6269
A40 Types 6568, 6578, 6648
A40p Types 6569, 6579, 6649

IBM
NetVista™
Technical Information Manual
A20 Type 6269
A40 Types 6568, 6578, 6648
A40p Types 6569, 6579, 6649

Before using this information and the product it supports, be sure to read the information in Appendix E,
“Notices and trademarks,” on page 53.
Note
First Edtion (June 2000)
© COPYRIGHT INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, 2000. All rights reserved.
Note to U.S. Government Users — Documentation related to restricted rights — Use, duplication or disclosure is subject
to restrictions set forth in GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.

IBM

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2000 v
Contents
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Chapter 1.System overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Major features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Other features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Network support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Wake on LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 2.System board features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
System board layout for the NetVista A40 and A40p computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Riser card layout for the small form factor desktop model computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
System board layout for the A20 model computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Microprocessor features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Pentium III microprocessor with MMX technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Celeron microprocessor with MMX technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chip set control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Memory subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
PCI bus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
IDE bus master interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
USB interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Super I/O controller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Diskette drive interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Serial ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Parallel port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Keyboard and mouse ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Low pin-count bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Video subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Features of the Intel 815E/810E integrated graphics subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Features of the NVidia 4x AGP adapter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Monitor support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Audio subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Network connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Real-time clock and CMOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Flash EEPROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Expansion adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Cable connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 3.Physical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Physical specifications — A40 and A40p small form factor desktop model . . . . . . . 17
Physical specifications — A40 and A40p desktop model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Physical specifications — A20 desktop model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter 4.Power supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Power input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Power output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Component outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Output protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Internal device connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Chapter 5.System software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Plug and Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
POST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Configuration/Setup Utility program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

vi NetVista™ NetVista Technical Information Manual
Advanced Power Management (APM). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Flash update utility program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Diagnostic program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Chapter 6.System compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Hardware compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Hardware interrupts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Hard disk drives and controller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Machine-sensitive programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Appendix A. Connector-pin assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
External connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Monitor connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
USB port connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Keyboard and mouse connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Serial connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Parallel connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Ethernet connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
MIDI/joystick connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Internal connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Diskette drive connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
IDE connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Memory connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
32-bit PCI connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
32-bit PCI connector with integrated Ethernet extension. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Power supply connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Wake on LAN connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Tamper detection switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
RFID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
CD audio connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
SCSI LED connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Appendix B. System address maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
System memory map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
I/O address map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
DMA I/O address map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Appendix C. IRQ and DMA channel assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Appendix D. Error codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
POST error codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Beep codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Appendix E. Notices and trademarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2000 vii
Preface
This Technical Information Manual provides information for the IBM®NetVista™
computer. The manual is intended for developers who want to provide hardware and
software products to operate with this IBM computer. It provides an in-depth view of
how this IBM computer works. Users of this publication should have an
understanding of computer architecture and programming concepts.
Related publications
In addition to this manual, the following IBM publications provide information related
to the operation of the IBM NetVista computer:
•
NetVista User Guide
This publication, available on the hard disk and on the Software Selections CD if
your computer came with preinstalled software, contains information about setting
up your computer, configuring hardware and software, operating and maintaining
your computer, and installing options. Also included are instructions for
diagnosing and solving problems and information on how to obtain help and
service.
•
Quick Reference
This publication contains general information to help you to safely set up your
computer and access important online publications.
•
Understanding Your Personal Computer
This online document includes general information about using computers and
information about the features of the NetVista computer. It is available at
http://www.ibm.com/pc/support on the World Wide Web.
•
Hardware Maintenance Manual
This publication contains information for trained service technicians. It is
available at http://www.ibm.com/pc/support on the World Wide Web, and it can
also be ordered from IBM. To purchase a copy, see the "Getting help, service,
and information" section in the
NetVista User Guide .
Terminology usage
Attention: The term reserved describes certain signals, bits, and registers that
should not be changed. Use of reserved areas can cause compatibility problems,
loss of data, or permanent damage to the hardware. When the contents of a register
are changed, the state of the reserved bits must be preserved. When possible, read
the register first and change only the bits that must be changed.
In this manual, some signals are represented in an all-capital-letter format (−ACK). A
minus sign in front of the signal indicates that the signal is active low. No sign in front
of the signal indicates that the signal is active high.
The use of the term hex indicates a hexadecimal number.
When numerical modifiers such as K, M, and G are used, they typically indicate
powers of 2, not powers of 10. For example, 1 KB equals 1 024 bytes (210), and 1 GB
equals 1 073 741 824 bytes (230). However, when expressing storage capacity,
powers of 10 are used. 1 MB equals approximately 1 000 KB (1 000 000 bytes).
Note: Depending on the operating system and other system requirements, the
storage capacity available to the user might vary.

viii NetVista™ Technical Information Manual

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2000 1
Chapter 1. System overview
NetVista computer systems provide state-of-the-art computing power with room for
future growth.
Major features The major features are:
• An Intel®Pentium®III microprocessor with MMX™ technology, streaming single-
instruction multiple data (SIMD) extensions and 256 KB advanced transfer cache
memory or Celeron®microprocessor with MMX technology, SIMD extensions and
128 KB advanced transfer cache
• Up to 512 Megabytes (MB) of system memory
• Integrated drive electronics (IDE) bus master controller, Ultra DMA-66 capable
(some models Ultra DMA-100 capable)
• System management
— Wake on LAN®support
— Desktop Management Interface (DMI) basic input/output system (BIOS) and
DMI software
— Integrated network protocols
— Enablement for Remote Administration
• IDE CD-ROM drive (some models)
• Asset security
— Security settings provided by the Configuration/Setup Utility program
– Power-on and administrator password protection
– Startup sequence control
– Hard disk drive and diskette drive access control
– Input/output (I/O) port control
— Cover key lock (some models)
— U-bolt and security cabling capable
— Operating system security
— Tamper-detection switch on the chassis (some models)
• Accelerated graphics port (AGP) adapter (available on some models only)
• Integrated 16-bit stereo audio controller and built-in high-quality speaker
(supports SoundBlaster, Adlib, and Microsoft®Windows®Sound System
applications) (some models only)
• IBM 10/100 megabits-per-second (Mbps) Ethernet subsystem with Wake on LAN
support (on some models)
• Expansion

2 NetVista™ Technical Information Manual
— Drive bays
– Small form factor desktop model: three drive bays
– Desktop model: four drive bays
— Adapter slots
– Small form factor desktop model: two peripheral component interconnect
(PCI) expansion slots
– Desktop model: three PCI expansion slots and one AGP slot (some
models)
• PCI version 2.2 I/O bus compatibility
• 3.5-inch, 1.44 MB diskette drive
• Input/Output features
— One 25-pin parallel port with Extended Capabilities Port (ECP)/Extended
Parallel Port (EPP) support
— One (A20) or two (A40) 9-pin universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter
(UART) serial ports
— Two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports
— One 6-pin keyboard port
— One 6-pin mouse port
— One 15-pin DD2CB-compliant monitor port
— Three 3.5-mm audio jacks (line out/headphone, line-in, microphone)
— One nine-pin MIDI/joystick connector (A20 models only)
Other features The NetVista computer supports the following features.
Network support
The NetVista computer is enabled to support the addition of options to perform
management over a network. The following is a list of supported functions:
• Selectable primary startup sequence
• Selectable automatic power-on startup sequence
• Selectable error startup sequence
• Power-on self-test (POST)/BIOS update from network
• Wake on LAN
• Complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) Save/Restore utility program
• CMOS setup over LAN
• Wake on Ring (if Wake on Ring supported modem is installed)
Wake on LAN The power supply of the computer supports the Wake on LAN feature. You can use
the Wake on LAN feature to turn on the computer by passing a specific LAN frame to
the computer over the LAN. You can find the menu for setting the Wake on LAN
feature in the Configuration/Setup Utility program. For more information, see the
NetVista User Guide .

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2000 3
Chapter 2. System board features
This section includes information about system board features.
System board layout for the NetVista A40 and A40p computer
The system board might look slightly different from the one shown.
Note: A diagram of the system board, including switch and jumper settings, is
attached to the computer cover.
Þ1ÝFan connector 2 Þ13ÝFan connector 1
Þ2ÝMicroprocessor Þ14ÝBattery
Þ3ÝDIMM 1 Þ15ÝSCSI adapter LED connector
Þ4ÝDIMM 2 Þ16ÝAlert on LAN connector
Þ5ÝPower LED connector Þ17ÝWake on LAN connector
Þ6ÝRFID connector Þ18ÝPCI slot 3
Þ7ÝFront USB connector Þ19ÝPCI slot 2
Þ8ÝSecondary IDE connector Þ20ÝPCI slot 1
Þ9ÝDiskette drive connector Þ21ÝAGP slot
Þ10ÝPrimary IDE connector Þ22ÝCD-ROM audio connector
Þ11ÝPower supply connector Þ23ÝSpeaker connector
Þ12ÝClear CMOS/recovery jumper

4 NetVista™ Technical Information Manual
Riser card layout for the small form factor desktop model computer
The riser card might look slightly different from the one shown.
Note: A diagram of the system board, including switch and jumper settings, is
attached to the computer cover.
Þ1ÝPCI connector 1
Þ2ÝEthernet disable jumper
Þ3ÝPCI connector 2
System board layout for the A20 model computer
The system board might look slightly different from the one shown.
Note: A diagram of the system board, including switch and jumper settings, is
attached to the computer cover.

Chapter 2. System board features 5
Microprocessor features
The NetVista computer comes with an Intel Pentium III or Celeron microprocessor.
The microprocessor, which has an attached heat sink, plugs directly into a connector
on the system board.
Pentium III microprocessor with MMX technology
The features of the microprocessor are as follows:
• Optimization for 32-bit software
• 64-bit microprocessor data bus
• 100 MHz or 133 MHz front-side bus (FSB)
• 256 KB full-speed advanced transfer cache memory integrated into the
microprocessor
— 4-way set associative
— Nonblocking
• 36-bit microprocessor address bus
• Math coprocessor
• MMX technology, which boosts the processing of graphic, video, and audio data
Celeron microprocessor with MMX technology
The features of the microprocessor are as follows:
• Optimization for 32-bit software
• 64-bit microprocessor data bus
•66MHzFSB
• 128 KB full-speed advanced transfer cache memory integrated into the
microprocessor
— 4-way set associative
— Nonblocking
• 36-bit microprocessor address bus
• Math coprocessor
• MMX technology, which boosts the processing of graphic, video, and audio data
Þ1ÝCPU fan connector Þ9ÝBattery
Þ2ÝMicroprocessor Þ10ÝClear CMOS/recovery jumper
Þ3ÝPower connector Þ11ÝFront fan connector
Þ4ÝDIMM 1 Þ12ÝWake on LAN connector
Þ5ÝDIMM 2 Þ13ÝPCI slot 3
Þ6ÝDiskette drive connector Þ14ÝPCI slot 2
Þ7ÝSecondary IDE connector Þ15ÝPCI slot 1
Þ8ÝPrimary IDE connector Þ16ÝCD-ROM audio connector

6 NetVista™ Technical Information Manual
Chip set control
A40 and A40p models use the Intel 815E chip set. The Intel 815E chip set is the
interface between the microprocessor and the following:
• Memory subsystem
•PCIbuses
• IDE bus master connection
• USB ports
• System Management Bus (SMBus)
• Enhanced DMA controller
• Real-time clock (RTC)
• Ethernet
• Audio
A20 models use the Intel 810E chip set. The Intel 810E chip set is the interface
between the microprocessor and the following:
• Memory subsystem
•PCIbuses
• IDE bus master connection
• USB ports
• SMBus
• Enhanced DMA controller
• Real-time clock (RTC)
• Audio
• MIDI/joystick port
• Video
Memory subsystem
The system memory interface is controlled by the Intel 815E chip set (A20 by the
810E chip set). System memory is synchronous dynamic random access memory
(SDRAM).
The maximum amount of system memory is 512 MB. For memory expansion, the
system board provides dual inline memory module (DIMM) connectors.
The system board supports PC100 and PC133 memory DIMMs (A20 supports PC133
only) in sizes of 64 MB, 128 MB, and 256 MB. The amount of preinstalled memory
varies by model.
The following information applies to system memory:
• Non-error checking and correction (non-ECC) SDRAM is supported.
• The maximum height of memory modules is 3.465 cm (1.375 in.).
• Use PC100 or PC133 DIMMs only.
• System memory is auto-detected and auto-configured using serial presence
detect.
For information on the pin assignments for the memory module connectors, see
“Memory connectors” on page 34.

Chapter 2. System board features 7
PCI bus The fully synchronous 32-bit 33 MHz PCI bus originates in the chip set. Features of
these PCI buses are:
• Integrated arbiter with multitransaction, PCI-arbitration, acceleration hooks
• Zero-wait-state, microprocessor-to-PCI write interface for high-performance
graphics
• Built-in PCI bus arbiter with support for all PCI devices and connectors
• Microprocessor-to-PCI memory write posting
• Conversion of back-to-back, sequential, microprocessor-to-PCI memory write to
PCI burst write
• PCI-to-DRAM memory up to 528 megabytes per second (MBps) speed
• PCI 2.2 compliant
• Delayed transaction
• PCI parity checking and generation support
IDE bus master interface
The system board incorporates a PCI-to-IDE interface that complies with the AT
Attachment Interface with Extensions
standard.
The bus master for the IDE interface is integrated into the Intel 815E or 810E chip set,
depending on the model. The chip set connects directly to the PCI bus and is
designed to allow concurrent operations on the PCI bus and the IDE bus. The 815E
chip set is capable of supporting PIO mode 0-4 devices and IDE DMA mode 0-5
devices, and ATA 100 transfers of up to 100 Megabytes per second. The 810E chip
set is capable of supporting PIO mode 0-4 devices and IDE DMA mode 0-4 devices,
and ATA 66 transfers of up to 66 Megabytes per second.
The IDE devices receive their power through a four-position power cable containing
+5 v dc, +12 v dc, and ground voltage. When devices are added to the IDE interface,
one device is designated as the master (primary) device and another is designated as
the slave (secondary) device. These designations are determined by jumpers on
each device. Two connectors are provided on the system board for the IDE interface.
One connector is designated Primary, and the other connector is designated
Secondary. Each connector allows two devices to be attached, allowing up to four
devices to be attached to the IDE interface. For information on the connector pin
assignments, see “IDE connectors” on page 33.
For the IDE interface, no resource assignments are given in the system memory or
the direct memory access (DMA) channels. For information on the resource
assignments, see Table 36 on page 49.
USB interface USB technology is a standard feature of the computer. The A40 and A40p system
boards provide the USB interface with two dual channels integrated into the chip set.
The A20 system board provides the USB interface with one dual channel integrated
into the chip set. A USB-enabled device can attach to a connector, and if that device
is a hub, multiple peripheral devices can attach to the hub and be used by the system.
The USB connectors use Plug and Play technology for installed devices. The speed
of the USB is up to 12 MBps with a maximum of 127 peripheral devices. The USB is
compliant with
Universal Host Controller Interface Guide 1.0 .

8 NetVista™ Technical Information Manual
Features provided by USB technology include:
• Support for hot-pluggable devices
• Support for concurrent operation of multiple devices
• Suitability for different device speeds
• Support for cable length of up to five meters (16 ft. 5 in) from host to hub or from
hub to hub
• Wide range of packet sizes
• Limited power to hubs
For information on the connector pin assignments for the USB interface, see “USB
port connectors” on page 29.
Super I/O controller
Control of the integrated I/O and diskette drive controllers is provided by a single
module. This module, which supports Plug and Play, controls the following features:
• Diskette drive interface
• Serial port
• Parallel port
• Keyboard and mouse ports
• MIDI/joystick port (A20 models only)
Diskette drive interface
The NetVista computer diskette drive subsystem supports the following devices:
• 1.44 MB, 3.5-inch diskette drive
• 1.44 MB, 3.5-inch 3-mode drive for Japan (no BIOS support for 3-mode drive)
• 1.2 MB, 5.25-inch diskette drive
• 1 Mbps, 500 Kbps, or 250 Kbps internal tape drive
Note: A 2.88 MB 3.5-inch diskette drive is not supported.
One 34-pin connector is provided on the system board for diskette drive support. For
information about the connector pin assignments, see “Diskette drive connector” on
page 32.
A setting in the Configuration/Setup Utility program enables or disables diskette write
protection.
Serial ports Two UART serial ports are integrated into the system board of A40 and A40p models.
A20 models come with one serial port. The serial ports include 16-byte, first-in first-out
(FIFO) buffers and have programmable baud rate generators. The serial ports are
NS16450 and PC16550A compatible.
For information on the connector pin assignments, see “Serial connector” on page 30.
Note: The current loop interface is not supported.
The following figure shows the default serial port assignments in the configuration.

Chapter 2. System board features 9
Parallel port Integrated into the system board is support for ECP, EPP, and standard parallel port
(SPP) modes. The modes of operation are selected through the Configuration/Setup
Utility program with the default mode set to SPP. The ECP and EPP modes are
compliant with IEEE 1284.
The following table shows the possible parallel port assignments used in the
configuration.
The default setting for the parallel port is Parallel 2 ECP mode.
The system board has one connector for the parallel port. For information about the
connector pin assignments, see “Parallel connector” on page 31.
Keyboard and mouse ports
The keyboard and mouse subsystem is controlled by a general purpose 8-bit
microcontroller that is compatible with 8042AH and PC87911. The controller consists
of 256 bytes of data memory and 2 KB of read-only memory (ROM).
The controller has two logical devices: one controls the keyboard, and the other
controls the mouse. The keyboard has two fixed I/O addresses and a fixed interrupt
request (IRQ) line and can operate without the mouse. The mouse cannot operate
without the keyboard because, although it has a fixed IRQ line, the mouse relies on
assignments given in the system memory addresses or DMA channels. For
information on the resource assignments, see Table 35 on page 49 and Table 36 on
page 49.
The system board has one connector for the keyboard port and one connector for the
mouse port. For information on the connector pin assignments, see Table 36 on page
49.
Low pin-count bus
The low-pin-count (LPC) bus enables device connections to the Super I/O without
industry standard architecture (ISA) or X-Bus. The NetVista A40 and A40p computer
uses the LPC47M133 Super I/O chip. The NetVista A20 computer uses the
Windbond 83627HF Super I/O chip. The chip includes the following:
• Diskette drive controller
• Keyboard and mouse controller
• IEEE 1284 parallel port
Table 1. Default serial port assignments
Port assignment Address range (hex) IRQ level
Serial 1 03F8–03FF IRQ 4
Serial 2 (A40 and A40p models only) 02F8–02FF IRQ 3
Table 2. Parallel port assignments
Port assignment Address range (hex) IRQ level DMA
Parallel 1 03BC–03BE IRQ 7 3
Parallel 2 0378–037F IRQ 7 3
Parallel 3 0278–027F IRQ 7 3

10 NetVista™ Technical Information Manual
• Two UART serial ports
• Fan tacit monitoring
• MIDI/joystick port (A20 models only)
• PC99 compliance
• Advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) compliance
Video subsystem
The NetVista computer comes with one of the following graphics adapters:
• Intel 815E/810E integrated graphics subsystem with 3D capability
• NVidia 4x AGP adapter with 16 MB synchronous dynamic random access
memory (SDRAM)
Features of the Intel 815E/810E integrated graphics subsystem
The Intel 815E/810E integrated graphics subsystem is a 2D/3D video subsystem that
includes a random access memory and digital-to-analog converter (RAMDAC), video
POST and BIOS code and a DDC2B monitor connector.
The Intel 815E/810E GMCH graphics subsystem is compatible with video graphics
adapter (VGA) function, supports all VGA video modes, and contains the following
advanced features:
• Integrated video subsystem on the chip includes 2D and 3D graphics engines
• Integrated hardware motions compensation engine
• Intel dynamic video memory (DVM) technology
• Direct3D optimized 3D engine
• 230 MHz, internal RAMDAC that supports up to 85 Hz refresh rate at 1280 x 1024
resolution
• Full MPEG-2 motion compensation for software assisted DVD video playback
• Multiple monitor support
• Compliance with the following standards:
— VESA VBE V2.0
— DDC2B
• Advanced power-management (APM) support
• Complete Plug and Play support