PCchips A15G Series User manual

i
Motherboard User’s Guide
This publication, including photographs, illustrations and software, is under the
protection of international copyright laws, with all rights reserved. Neither this
guide, nor any of the material contained herein, may be reproduced without the
express written consent of the manufacturer.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice. The manufac-
turer makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents hereof
and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for
any particular purpose. Further, the manufacturer reserves the right to revise this
publication and to make changes from time to time in the content hereof without
obligation of the manufacturer to notify any person of such revision or changes.
Trademarks
IBM, VGA, and PS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Ma-
chines.
AMD, Athlon 64 Sempron are registered trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices
Inc.
Microsoft, MS-DOS and Windows XP/Vista/7 are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation.
Award is a registered trademark of PhonexAward.
Other names used in this publication may be trademarks and are acknowledged.
Static Electricity Precautions
1. Don’t take this motherboard and components out of their original static-
proof package until you are ready to install them.
2. While installing, please wear a grounded wrist strap if possible. If you
don’t have a wrist strap, discharge static electricity by touching the bare
metal of the system chassis.
3. Carefully hold this motherboard by its edges. Do not touch those compo-
nents unless it is absolutely necessary. Put this motherboard on the top of
static-protection package with component side facing up while installing.
Pre-Installation Inspection
1. Inspect this motherboard whether there are any damages to components
and connectors on the board.
2. If you suspect this motherboard has been damaged, do not connect power
to the system. Contact your motherboard vendor about those damages.
Copyright © 2009
All Rights Reserved
A15G Series, V3.0
Nov. 2009

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Motherboard User’s Guide
Table of Contents
Trademark............................................................................................................i
Chapter 1: Introduction..................................................................................... 1
Key Features.................................................................................................................... 1
Package Contents ...........................................................................................................4
Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation ..............................................................5
Motherboard Components ............................................................................................ 6
I/O Ports ..........................................................................................................................7
Installing the Processor ................................................................................................. 7
Installing Memory Modules .......................................................................................... 8
Jumper Settings ............................................................................................................10
Install the Motherboard ............................................................................................... 11
Connecting Optional Devices .....................................................................................12
Install Other Devices ....................................................................................................14
Expansion Slots ............................................................................................................16
Chapter 3: BIOS Setup Utility....................................................................... 18
Introduction ..................................................................................................................18
Running the Setup Utility ......................................................................................... ..18
Standard CMOS Setup Page.......................................................................................19
Advanced SetupPage ...................................................................................................21
Advanced Chipset Setup Page ....................................................................................24
Integrated Peripherals Page..............................................................................25
Power Management Setup Page ................................................................................26
PnP/PCI Setup Page....................................................................................................28
PC Health Status Page ................................................................................................28
Frequency/Voltage Control Page ...............................................................................30
Load Default Settings...................................................................................................31
Supervisor Password ....................................................................................................31
User Password...............................................................................................................32
Save & Exit setup .........................................................................................................32
Exit without saving .......................................................................................................32
Chapter 5: Setting Up NVIDIA RAID Configuration .................................. 36
Setting Up a Non-Bootable RAID Array ...................................................................36
Setting Up a Bootable RAID Array.................................................................. 38
Chapter 4: Software & Applications .............................................................. 33
Introduction ..................................................................................................................33
Installing Support Software ........................................................................................33
Bundled Software Installation ....................................................................................35

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Motherboard User’s Guide
Notice:
1. Owing to Microsoft’s certifying schedule is various to every supplier, we
might have some drivers not certified yet by Microsoft. Therefore, it might
happen under Windows XP that a dialogue box (shown as below) pops out
warning you this software has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify
its compatibility with Windows XP. Please rest assured that our RD de-
partment has already tested and verified these drivers. Just click the “Con-
tinueAnyway” button and go ahead the installation.
Chapter 6: Trouble Shooting Tips ................................................................. 45
Start up problems during assembly................................................................. 45
Start up problems after prolong use................................................................ 46
Maintenance and care tips............................................................................... 46

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Motherboard User’s Guide
Chapter 1 Introduction
This motherboard has a socketAM2+/AM2 supporting the newest and advanced
AMDPhenomTM II/AMDPhenomTM /AthlonTM 64 X2Dual-Core/AthlonTM 64/
SempronTM CPUs with 2000 MT/s Hyper TransportTM (HT) interface Speeds.
This motherboard is based on NVIDIA®MCP61P/MCP61S that supports the
Serial ATA interface for high-performance and mainstream desktop PCs, and the
built-in USB 2.0 providing higher bandwidth, implementing USB 2.0 EHCI and
USB 1.1 OHCI. It supports High DefinitionAudio Codec and provides one IDE
Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33 channel. It has one PCI Express x16 slot (MCP61S
only supports PCI Express x8), one PCI Express x1 slot and two 32-bit PCI slots.
There is a full set of I/O ports including two PS/2 ports for mouse and keyboard,
one parallel port, one serial port, VGA1, one LAN port, four back-panel USB2.0
ports, and audio jacks for microphone, line-in and 6/8-channel (optional) line-out.
Onboard USB header(s) can provide extra ports by connecting the Extended USB
Module to the motherboard.
This motherboard is a MicroATX size motherboard and has power connectors for
an ATX power supply.
Key Features
The key features of this motherboard include:
Socket-AM2+/AM2 Processor Support
•Supports socket AM2+/AM2 for AMD PhenomTM II/AMD PhenomTM/
AthlonTM 64 X2 Dual-Core/AthlonTM 64/SempronTM processors
•Supports up to 2000 MT/s HyperTransportTM interface Speeds
Note: HyperTransport Technology is a point-to-point link between two devices,
it enables integrated circuits to exchange information at much higher speeds
than currently available interconnect technologies.
• 1 GHz HyperTransport x16 up and down links to the AM2+/AM2 CPUs
• PCI Express 16 lane link interface for external graphics processors
(MCP61S only supports PCI Express 8 lane link interface for
other peripherals)
• PCI 2.3 interface at 33 MHz
• Integrated SATA3.0 Gb/s Host Controller
• USB 2.0 ports supported
• Fast ATA-133 IDE controller
Chipset
The NVIDIA®MCP61P/MCP61S is a single-chip with proven reliability and
performance.

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Motherboard User’s Guide
Memory Support
•Two 240-pin DIMM slots for DDR2 SDRAM memory modules
•Supports Dual Channel DDR2 800/667/533/400 memory bus
•Maximum installed memory is 16* GB
(* Duo to the DRAM maximum size is 2 GB at present, the memory
maximum size we have tested is 4 GB.)
Expansion Slots
•One PCI Express x16 slot (MCP61S only supports PCI Express x8)
•One PCI Express x1 slot
•Two 32-bit PCI slots
Onboard IDE channels
•One IDE Connector
•Supports PIO (Programmable Input/Output) and DMA (Direct Memory
Access) modes
•Supports IDE Ultra DMAbus mastering with transfer rates of 133/100/66/
33 MB/sec
SerialATA
•Four Serial ATA Connectors
•Compliant with the SATA2 with 3.0 Gb/s per direction per channel
• 7.1+2 Channel High DefinitionAudio Codec
• All DACs support 192K/96K/48K/44.1KHz DAC sample rate
• Software selectable 2.5V/3.75V VREPOUT
•Meets Microsoft WHQL/WLP 2.x audio requirements
• Direct Sound 3DTM compatible
7.1 Channel High DefinitionAudio Codec
ADC support 148K/96K sample rate
High quality differential CD input
Power Support: Digital: 3.3V;Analog: 5.0V
Meets Microsoft WHQL/WLP 2.0 audio requirements
Direct Sound 3DTM compatible
5.1 Channel Hifh DefinitionAudio Codec
ADCs support 44.1/48k/96k sample rate
Meets Microsoft WHQL/WLP 3.0x audio requirements
Direct Sound 3DTM compatible
5.1 Channel Hifh DefinitionAudio Codec
ADCs support 44.1/48k/96k sample rate
Meets Microsoft WLP 3.08 Vista premium and mobile PCs audio
requirements
Direct Sound 3DTM compatible
•
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Audio Codec (optional)

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Fast Ethernet LAN
•10Base-T/100BASE-TX IEEE 802.3u fast Ethernet transceiver
•Low-power mode
•MII and 7-wire serial interface
USB 2.0
•Compliant with Universal Serial Bus Specification Revision 2.0
•Compliant with Open Host Controller Interface Specification Revision 1.1
BIOS Firmware
This motherboard uses AMI BIOS that enables users to configure many system
features including the following:
•Powermanagement
•Wake-up alarms
•CPU parameters and memory timing
•CPU and memory timing
The firmware can also be used to set parameters for different processor clock
speeds.
Dimensions
•Micro-ATX form factor of 244 x 214 mm
Note: Hardware specifications and software items are subject to change without
notification.
•One LAN port
•Audio jacks for microphone, line-in and 6/8-channel (optional) line-out
Onboard I/O Ports
•Two PS/2 ports for mouse and keyboard
•One parallel port
•One serial port
•One VGA port
•Four back-panel USB2.0 ports

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Motherboard User’s Guide
Package Contents
Your motherboard package ships with the following items:
The motherboard
The User’s Guide
One diskette drive ribbon cable (optional)
One IDE drive ribbon cable
The Software support disk
Optional Accessories
You can purchase the following optional accessories for this motherboard.
The Extended USB module
The SerialATAcable
The SerialATA power cable
Note: You can purchase your own optional accessories from the third party,
but please contact your local vendor on any issues of the specification
and compatibility.

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Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation
Chapter 2 Motherboard Installation
To install this motherboard in a system, please follow these instructions in this
chapter:
Identify the motherboard components
Install a CPU
Install one or more system memory modules
Make sure all jumpers and switches are set correctly
Install this motherboard in a system chassis (case)
Connect any extension brackets or cables to headers/connectors on the
motherboard
Install peripheral devices and make the appropriate connections to headers/
connectors on the motherboard
Note:
1 Before installing this motherboard, make sure jumper CLR_CMOS is
under Normal setting. See this chapter for information about locating
CLR_CMOS and the setting options.
2 Never connect power to the system during installation; otherwise, it
may damage the motherboard.

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Motherboard User’s Guide
Motherboard Components
ITEM LABEL COMPONENTS
Socket AM2+/AM2 for AMD PhenomTM II/AMD
PhenomTM/AMD X2 Dual-Core/AthlonTM 64/
SempronTM processors
2 DIMM1~2 240-pin DDR2 SDRAM slots
3 FDD Floppy disk drive connector
4 PWR1 Standard 24-pin ATX power connector
5 IDE1 Primary IDE connector
6 SPK1 Speaker header
7 SATA1~4 Serial ATA connectors
8 CLR_CMOS Clear CM OS jumper
9 PANEL1 Front panel switch/LED header
10 USBPWR_F Front Panel USB Power Select Jumper
11 F_USB1~3 Front Panel USB headers
12 SYS_FAN System cooling fan connector
13 SPDIFO1 SPDIF out header
14 CD_IN Analog audio input header
15 F_AUDIO Front panel audio header
16 PCI1~2 32-bit add-on card slots
17 PCIEX1 PCI Express x1 slot
18 PCIEX16 PCI Express x16 slot for graphics interface
19 USBPWR_R Rear Panel USB PS/2 Power Select Jumper
20 PWR2 4-pin +12V power connector
1 CPU Socket

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Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation
I/O Ports (optional)
The illustration below shows a side view of the built-in I/O ports on the
motherboard.
PS/2 Mouse Use the upper PS/2 port to connect a PS/2 pointing
device.
PS/2 Keyboard Use the low er PS/2 port to connect a PS/2
keyboard.
Parallel Port
(LPT) Use the Parallel port to connect printers or other
parallel communications devices.
Serial Port
(COM1) Use the COMport to connect serial devices such
as mice or fax/modems.
VGA1 Port Use the VGA1 port to connect the VGA devices.
LANPort Connect an RJ-45 jack to the LANport to connect
your computer to the Network.
USB Ports Use the USB ports to connect USB devices.
Audio Ports
(optional) Use these three audio jacks to connect audio
devices. The first jack is for stereo Line-In signal,
the second jack for stereo Line-Out signal, and the
third jack for Microphone.
Use these audio jacks to connect audio devices.
The Aport is for stereo Line-In signal, w hlie the C
port is for microphone in signal. The motherboard
supports 8-channel audio devices that correspond
to A, B, Dand Eport respectively. In addition, all of
the three ports, A, B and Dprovide users with
both right & left channels individually.

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Motherboard User’s Guide
CPU Installation Procedure
Follow these instructions to install the CPU:
1 Unhook the locking lever of the CPU socket.
Pull the locking lever away from the socket
and raising it to the upright position.
2 Match the pin1 corner marked as the beveled
edge on the CPU with the pin1 corner on the
socket. Insert the CPU into the socket. Do
not use force.
3 Push the locking lever down and hook it un-
der the latch on the edge of socket.
4 Apply thermal grease to the top of the CPU.
5 Install the cooling fan/heatsink unit onto the
CPU,and securethem all onto the socketbase.
6 Plug the CPU fan power cable into the CPU
fan connector (CPU_FAN) on the
motherboard.
Note: To achieve better airflow rates and heat dissipation, we suggest that you
use a high quality fan with 4800 rpm at least. CPU fan and heatsink
installation procedures may vary with the type of CPU fan/heatsink supplied.
The form and size of fan/heatsink may also vary.
Installing the Processor
This motherboard has anAM2+/AM2 processor socket. When choosing a proces-
sor, consider the performance requirements of the system. Performance is based on
the processor design, the clock speed and system bus frequency of the processor,
and the quantity of internal cache memory and external cache memory.

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Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation
Memory Module Installation Procedure
These modules can be installed with up to 16* GB system memory. Refer to the
following to install the memory module.
1. Push down the latches on both sides of the DIMM socket.
2. Align the memory module with the socket. There is a notch on the DIMM
socket that you can install the DIMM module in the correct direction.
Match the cutout on the DIMM module with the notch on the DIMM
socket.
3. Install the DIMM module into the socket and press it firmly down until it
is seated correctly. The socket latches are levered upwards and latch on to
the edges of the DIMM.
4. Install any remaining DIMM modules.
Over its predecessor, DDR2-SDRAM offers greater bandwidth and density in a
smaller package along with a reduction in power consumption. In addition, DDR2-
SDRAM offers new features and functions that enable a higher clock rate and data
rate operations of 800/667/533/400 MHz. DDR2 transfers 64 bits of data twice
every clock cycle.
Installing Memory Modules
This motherboard accommodates two 240-pin DIMM sockets (Dual Channel
MemoryModule) forunbufferedDDR2 800/667/533/400 memorymodules (Double
Data Rate SDRAM), and maximum 16* GB installed memory.

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Motherboard User’s Guide
CLR_CMOS: Clear CMOS Jumper
Use this jumper to clear the contents of the CMOS memory. You may need to clear
the CMOS memory if the settings in the Setup Utility are incorrect and prevent
your motherboard from operating. To clear the CMOS memory, disconnect all the
power cables from the motherboard and then move the jumper cap into the CLEAR
setting for a few seconds.
Function Jumper
NORMAL Short Pins 1-2
CLEAR CMOS Short Pins 2-3
Note: To avoid the system unstability after clearing CMOS, we recommend users
to enter the main BIOS setting page to “Load Optimal De-faults” and then
“Save Changes and Exit”.
Jumper Settings
Connecting two pins with a jumper cap is SHORT; removing a jumper cap from
these pins, OPEN.
Note for dual-channel DDR2:
1. You CAN NOT use only one DIMM2 for it might cause the system shutdown.
2. You need to use DIMM1 and DIMM2 with the same size of memory modules.
USBPWR_F:FRONT PANELUSB POWER SELECT Jumper
Function Jumper Setting
VCC5 Short Pins 1-2
VCC5_DUAL Short Pins 2-3
CLR_CMOS
1
Use this jumper to set the Front Panel USB Power function.
USBPWR_F
1

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Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation
Install The Motherboard
Install the motherboard in a system chassis (case). The board is an micro-ATX size
motherboard.You can install this motherboard in anATX case. Make sure your case
has an I/O cover plate matching the ports on this motherboard.
Connect the power connector from the power supply to the PWR1 connector on
the motherboard. PWR2 is a +12V connecotr for CPU Vcore power.
If there is a cooling fan installed in the system chassis, connect the system cooling
fan cable to the SYS_FAN fan power connector on the motherboard.
Connect the case switches and indicator LEDs to the PANEL1 header.
Install the motherboard in a case. Follow the case manufacturer’s instructions to
use the hardware and internal mounting points on the chassis.
USBPWR_R: REAR USB PS/2 POWER SELECT Jumper
Use this jumper to set the Rear USB PS/2 Power function.
Function Jumper Setting
VCC5 Short Pins 1-2
VCC5_DUAL Short Pins 2-3
USBPWR_R
1
Note:1. Make sure the power supply provides enough VCC5_DUAL voltage
before selecting the VCC5_DUAL function.
2.It is required that users place the USBPWR_F & USBPWR_R cap onto
2-3 pin rather than 1-2 pin as default if you want to wake up the
computer by USB/PS2 KB/Mouse.

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Motherboard User’s Guide
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1 HD_LED_P(+) 2 FP PWR/SLP(+)
3 HD_LED_N(-) 4 FP PWR/SLP(-)
5 RESET_SW_N(-) 6 POWER_SW_P(+)
7 RESET_SW_P(+) 8 POWER_SW_N(-)
9RSVD 10KEY
SPK1: Speaker Header
Connect the cable from the PC speaker to the SPK1 header on the motherboard.
F_AUDIO: Front Panel Audio Header (optional)
This header allows the user to install auxiliary front-oriented microphone and line-
out ports for easier access.
Pin Signal
1VCC
2Key
3GND
4 Signal
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1PORT1L 2GND
3 PORT 1R 4 PRESENCE#
5 PORT 2R 6 Sense1_return
7 SENCE_SEND 8 KEY
9 PORT 2L 10 Sense2_return
Connecting Optional Devices
Refer to the following for information on connecting the motherboard’s optional
devices:
Here is a list of the PANEL1 pin assignments.

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Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation
Here is a list of USB pin assignments.
1. Locate the F_USB1~3 header on the motherboard.
2. Plug the bracket cable onto the F_USB1~3 header.
3. Remove a slot cover from one of the expansion slots on the system chassis.
Install an extension bracket in the opening. Secure the extension bracket to
the chassis with a screw.
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1 USBPWR0 2 USBPWR0
3 USB_FP_P0(-) 4 USB_FP_P1(-)
5USB_FP_P0(+) 6USB_FP_P1(+)
7GND 8GND
9KEY 10USB_FP_OC0
F_USB1~3: Front Panel USB Headers
The motherboard has USB ports installed on the rear edge I/O port array.Addition-
ally, some computer cases have USB ports at the front of the case. If you have this
kind of case, use auxiliary USB headers F_USB1~3 to connect the front-mounted
ports to the motherboard.
Pin Signal
1SPDIFOUT
25VA
3Key
4GND
SPDIFO1: S/PIF Out Header
S/PDIF (Sony/Plilips Digital Interface) is a standard audio transfer file format and
allows the transfer of digatal audio signals from one device to another without
having to be converted first to an analog format. Via a specific audio cable, you can
connect the SPDIFO1 header (S/PDIF output) on the motherboard to the S/PDIF
digital input on the external speakers orAC Decode devices.

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Motherboard User’s Guide
Floppy Disk Drive
The motherboard ships with a floppy disk drive cable that can support one or two
drives. Drives can be 3.5" or 5.25" wide, with capacities of 360K, 720K, 1.2MB,
1.44MB, or 2.88MB.
Install your drives and connect power from the system power supply. Use the
cable provided to connect the drives to the floppy disk drive connector FDD.
IDE Devices
IDE devices include hard disk drives, high-density diskette drives, and CD-ROM
or DVD-ROM drives, among others.
The mainboard ships with an IDE cable that can support one or two IDE devices.
If you connect two devices to a single cable, you must configure one of the drives
as Master and one of the drives as Slave. The documentation of the IDE device will
tell you how to configure the device as a Master or Slave device. The Master device
connects to the end of the cable.
Install the device(s) and connect power from the system power supply. Use the
cableprovided to connect the device(s)to the Primary IDE channelconnector IDE1
on the motherboard.
Install Other Devices
Install and connect any other devices in the system following the steps below.

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Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation
SerialATA Devices
TheSerialATA(AdvancedTechnologyAttachment)is the standard interface for
the IDE hard drives, which is designed to overcome the design limitations while
enabling the storage interface to scale with the growing media rate demands of PC
platforms. It provides you a faster transfer rate of 3.0 Gb/s. If you have installed a
SerialATAhard drive, you can connect the SerialATAcables to the SerialATAhard
drive or the connector on the motherboard.
On the motherboard, locate the Serial ATA connectors SATA1-4, which support
newSerialATAdevices for thehighest data transfer rates, simplerdisk drive cabling
and easier PC assembly.
It eliminates limitations of the current ParallelATAinterface, but maintains register
compatibility and software compatibility with Parallel ATA.
Analog Audio Input Header
If you have installed a CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, you can connect the
drive audio cable to the onboard sound system.
When you first start up your system, the BIOS should automatically detect your
CD-ROM/DVD drive. If it doesn’t, enter the Setup Utility and configure the CD-
ROM/DVD drive that you have installed. On the motherboard, locate the 4-pin
headerCD_IN.

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Motherboard User’s Guide
Pin Signal
1 CD_L
2GND
3GND
4CD_R
Here is a list of CD_IN pin assignments.
Expansion Slots
This motherboard has one PCI Ex16 slot (MCP61S only supports PCI Express
x8), one PCI Ex1 slot and two 32-bit PCI slots.

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Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation
Follow the steps below to install an PCI Express x16/PCI Express x1/PCI expan-
sion card.
1. Locate thePCI Expressx16, PCI Expressx1 and PCI slots onthe mainboard.
2. Remove the blanking plate of the slot from the system chassis.
3. Install the edge connector of the expansion card into the slot. Ensure the
edge connector is correctly seated in the slot.
4. Secure the metal bracket of the card to the system chassis with a screw.
PCI Slots
You can install the 32-bit PCI interface expansion cards in the slots.
PCI Express x16 slot
The one PCI Express x16 slot is fully compliant to the PCI Express Base Specification
revision 1.1 as well.
PCI Express x1 Slot
The one PCI Express x1 slot is fully compliant to the PCI Express Base Specification
revision 1.1 as well.