RadiSys EPC - 6A Application guide

Artisan Technology Group is your source for quality
new and certied-used/pre-owned equipment
• FAST SHIPPING AND
DELIVERY
• TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
IN-STOCK ITEMS
• EQUIPMENT DEMOS
• HUNDREDS OF
MANUFACTURERS
SUPPORTED
• LEASING/MONTHLY
RENTALS
• ITAR CERTIFIED
SECURE ASSET SOLUTIONS
SERVICE CENTER REPAIRS
Experienced engineers and technicians on staff
at our full-service, in-house repair center
WE BUY USED EQUIPMENT
Sell your excess, underutilized, and idle used equipment
We also offer credit for buy-backs and trade-ins
www.artisantg.com/WeBuyEquipment
REMOTE INSPECTION
Remotely inspect equipment before purchasing with
our interactive website at www.instraview.com
LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION?
Visit us on the web at www.artisantg.com for more
information on price quotations, drivers, technical
specications, manuals, and documentation
Contact us: (888) 88-SOURCE | [e-mail] | www.artisantg.com
SM
View
Instra

EPC - 6A
Hardware Reference
RadiSys Corporation
5445 NE Dawson Creek Drive
Hillsboro, OR 97124
[phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.radisys.com
07-0082-05 October 1998
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

EPC - 6A Hardware Reference
ii
EPC, iRMX, INtime, Inside Advantage and RadiSys are registered trademarks of
RadiSys Corporation. Spirit, DAI, DAQ, ASM, Brahma and SAIB are trademarks
of RadiSys Corporation.
† All other trademarks, registered trademarks, service marks, and trade names
are the property of their respective owners.
October 1998
Copyright 1998 by RadiSys Corporation
All rights reserved.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

iii
Contents
Chapter 1: Product Description
Specifications.................................................................................................................................................... 2
EPC-6A Hardware Features.............................................................................................................................. 2
Differences between the EPC-6 and the EPC-6A............................................................................................. 3
Additional References....................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2: Installation
Determine whether to use the EPC-6A as a system controller......................................................................... 5
Jumpers...................................................................................................................................................... 6
EPC-6A Insertion.............................................................................................................................................. 6
EXM Module Insertion.............................................................................................................................. 7
VME Backplane Jumpers .......................................................................................................................... 7
Serial Port Cap........................................................................................................................................... 8
Connecting Peripherals to the EPC-8....................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 3: Operation
Initialization Sequence...................................................................................................................................... 9
ROM DOS Interaction...................................................................................................................................... 11
System Reset..................................................................................................................................................... 12
Generating VMEbus SYSRESET.............................................................................................................. 12
Responding to VMEbus SYSRESET........................................................................................................ 12
Front Panel Indicators....................................................................................................................................... 12
Toggle Switch................................................................................................................................................... 13
Setup Utilities ................................................................................................................................................... 13
Remote Setup Utility ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Remote Setup Utility Screens (RSU)................................................................................................................ 13
Main RSU Screen ..................................................................................................................................... 14
Clock/Calendar................................................................................................................................... 14
Drive Configuration................................................................................................................................... 15
VME Control............................................................................................................................................ 16
EXM Bus................................................................................................................................................... 17
Exit Menu .................................................................................................................................................. 17
Chapter 4: Programming Interface
Memory Map .................................................................................................................................................... 19
I/O Map............................................................................................................................................................. 19
EPC-6A Registers............................................................................................................................................. 23
VMEbus Accesses ............................................................................................................................................ 23
D32 Accesses............................................................................................................................................. 24
Byte Ordering ............................................................................................................................................ 24
Read-Modify-Write Operations................................................................................................................. 25
Slave Accesses from the VMEbus.................................................................................................................... 25
Self Accesses Across the VMEbus............................................................................................................ 25
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

EPC-6A Hardware Reference
iv
Read-Modify-Write Operations................................................................................................................. 25
VMEbus Interrupt Handler............................................................................................................................... 26
VMEbus Interrupt Response............................................................................................................................. 27
VMEbus Mapped Registers.............................................................................................................................. 28
Chapter 5: Theory of Operation
Processor, Coprocessor, and Memory .............................................................................................................. 29
Application Flash Memory or RFA.................................................................................................................. 29
Flash Boot Device............................................................................................................................................. 30
Nonvolatile SRAM Memory ............................................................................................................................ 30
Battery............................................................................................................................................................... 30
Interrupts........................................................................................................................................................... 31
Watchdog Timer............................................................................................................................................... 31
EXMbus............................................................................................................................................................ 31
VMEbus Interface............................................................................................................................................. 32
VMEbus System Controller Functions............................................................................................................. 32
VMEbus Timing ............................................................................................................................................... 33
Chapter 6: Error Messages
Seven-Segment Display Codes......................................................................................................................... 35
Phoenix NuBIOS Checkpoints ......................................................................................................................... 36
Support Software .............................................................................................................................................. 39
Chapter 7: Support and Service
In North America.............................................................................................................................................. 41
Technical Support...................................................................................................................................... 41
World Wide Web....................................................................................................................................... 41
Repair Services.......................................................................................................................................... 41
Warranty Repairs................................................................................................................................ 42
Non-Warranty Services...................................................................................................................... 42
Arranging Service............................................................................................................................... 42
Other Countries.......................................................................................................................................... 43
Appendix A: Connectors
Front Panel LEDs.............................................................................................................................................. 45
Speaker Connector............................................................................................................................................ 45
Keyboard Connector......................................................................................................................................... 46
Serial port connectors ....................................................................................................................................... 46
VMEbus Connectors......................................................................................................................................... 46
Appendix B: About the Flash Boot Device
Forced recovery ................................................................................................................................................ 48
When to Reflash the FBD.......................................................................................................................... 49
Before You Begin............................................................................................................................... 49
Reflashing Processes.......................................................................................................................... 49
Force Update ...................................................................................................................................... 49
Appendix C: Registers
Overview........................................................................................................................................................... 54
Memory Control Register (81004h) ................................................................................................................. 54
VME A21–16 Address Register (8130h).......................................................................................................... 55
ID Registers (8140h and 8141h)....................................................................................................................... 55
Device Type Registers (8142h and 8143h)....................................................................................................... 55
Status/Control Registers (8144h and 8145h).................................................................................................... 55
Slave Offset Registers (8146h and 9147H) ...................................................................................................... 56
Protocol Registers (8148h and 8149h).............................................................................................................. 57
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Contents
v
Response Registers (814Ah and 814Bh) .......................................................................................................... 57
Message High Registers (814Ch and 814Dh)................................................................................................... 58
Message Low Registers 814Eh and 814Fh) ..................................................................................................... 58
VME Modifier Register (8151h) ...................................................................................................................... 58
VME Interrupt State Register (8152h).............................................................................................................. 59
VME Interrupt Enable Register (8153h) .......................................................................................................... 59
VME Event State Register (8154h).................................................................................................................. 59
VME Event Enable Register (8155h)............................................................................................................... 59
Module Status/Control Register (8156h).......................................................................................................... 60
Interrupt Generator Register (815Fh)............................................................................................................... 60
FSA Address Registers 8380h)......................................................................................................................... 60
Flash Data Register (8383h) ............................................................................................................................. 61
SRAM Data Register 8384h)............................................................................................................................ 61
LED Register (8385h)....................................................................................................................................... 61
Register State after Reset.................................................................................................................................. 61
Index.......................................................................................................................................................................... 63
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

EPC-6A Hardware Reference
vi
Figures
Figure 2-1. Jumper locations..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 3-1. Boot Process. .......................................................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 5-1. Block Diagram........................................................................................................................................................ 29
Figure B-1. EPC-6A FBD Memory Map................................................................................................................................... 47
Figure B-2. Null Modem Cable Connection.............................................................................................................................. 50
Tables
Table 1-1. Specifications.......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Table 2-1. Jumper locations..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Table 3-1. Main Menu Selections............................................................................................................................................ 14
Table 3-2. Clock/Calendar ....................................................................................................................................................... 14
Table 3-3. Drive Configuration................................................................................................................................................ 15
Table 3-4. Configure Floppy Drive A and B ........................................................................................................................... 15
Table 3-5. Configure Fixed Disk C and D............................................................................................................................... 15
Table 3-6. Edit Subtype............................................................................................................................................................ 16
Table 3-7. VME Control .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Table 3-8. ULA Setup.............................................................................................................................................................. 17
Table 3-9. Slave Memory Base................................................................................................................................................ 17
Table 4-1. I/O Map.................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Table 4-2. VME mapped registers .......................................................................................................................................... 28
Table 5-1. Interrupts................................................................................................................................................................. 31
Table 5-2. VMEbus timing...................................................................................................................................................... 33
Table 6-1. Seven-segment display failure codes...................................................................................................................... 35
Table 6-2. Phoenix‘ NuBIOS Auxiliary Checkpoint Codes.................................................................................................... 36
Table 6-3. Phoenix‘ NuBIOS Checkpoint Codes..................................................................................................................... 38
Table 6-4. Phoenix‘ NuBIOS Boot Block Checkpoint Codes................................................................................................. 39
Table A-1. LEDs....................................................................................................................................................................... 45
Table A-2. Speaker Connector.................................................................................................................................................. 45
Table A-3. Keyboard Pin-out.................................................................................................................................................... 46
Table A-4. COM1 Connector.................................................................................................................................................... 46
Table A-5. COM2 Connector.................................................................................................................................................... 46
Table B-1. FBD object placement ............................................................................................................................................ 48
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

1
Chapter 1
Product Description
This manual contains the information you need to install and use the EPC-6A VMEbus
controller. Additional user and programmer manuals discuss the use of software packages
available with the EPC-6A.
The EPC-6A, a high-speed VMEbus module based on the Intel 80486DX2 processor, is a
redesign of the EPC6 VMEbus module which is based on Intel 80386SX processor.
You can use the EPC-6A to:
• Perform VMEbus master accesses.
• Act as a VMEbus slave (by having its dual-port DRAM mapped onto the VMEbus).
• Configure as the VMEbus SLOT-1 system controller.
• Act as an interrupter and interrupt handler.
The EPC-6A computer is also compatible with the IBM PC hardware architecture. The
standard version of the EPC-6A contains, in ROM, a PC-compatible BIOS and a
ROM-based version of Datalight ROM-DOS. The EPC-6A also includes on-board
nonvolatile flash memory supported as a DOS-compatible solid-state disk and file system.
You can store one or more embedded applications on the processor board and
automatically invoke them at system start-up.
The EPC-6A also includes one slot for an EXM expansion module. This allows some of
the I/O of the EPC-6A to be customized for a particular application.
1
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

EPC-6A Hardware Reference
2
Specifications
This table defines the power and environmental specifications of the EPC-6A.
Table 1-1. Specifications
EPC-6A Hardware Features
• Intel 486DX2 CPU at 66MHZ (internal clock speed); external bus speed at 33MHz.
• 8KB On-Chip Cache
• Integrated Floating Point Unit (DX2 option only)
• RadiSys R400EX highly integrated single chip system controller
• 4 MB dual ported DRAM on board
• Two PC compatible serial ports with 16-Byte FIFO (only one is brought out to
the faceplate)
• 1MB of application flash memory
• 128K x 8Bit of battery-backed SRAM
• Keyboard port
• Seven-segment display
Characteristic Value
Temperature operating 0 – 60°C ambient
storage –40 – 125°C (without battery; 85°C max with battery
Humidity operating 0 – 90% noncondensing
storage 0 – 95% noncondensing
Altitude operating 0 – 10,000 ft. (3000 m)
storage 0 – 50,000 ft. (15,000 m)
Vibration operating 0.015 inch (0.38 mm) P-P displacement with 2.5 g peak
(max) acceleration over 5–2000 Hz
storage 0.030 inch (0.76 mm) P-P displacement with 5.0 g peak
(max) acceleration over 5–2000 Hz
Shock operating 30 g, 11 ms duration, half-sine shock pulse
storage 50 g, 11 ms duration, half-sine shock pulse
Current typical 5V @ 3.4A, 12V @ 5 mA, –12V @ 10 mA
VME master address A16, A24
master transfer D08(EO), D16, RMW
slave address A16, A24
slave transfer D08(EO),D16,RMW
interrupter (1–7)
interrupt handler D08(O),D16 IH(1–7)
requester ROR,RONR
arbiter RRS,PRI
system controller SYSCLK, IACK daisy chain, bus timer
VXI device type message based
protocols cmdr/master/interrupter
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 1: Product Description
3
• A24/A16/D16/D08 VME master/slave support
• Slot 1 system controller functions
• One EXM expansion slot
It should be noted that, due to mechanical limitations, the EPC-6A cannot support EXMs
such as EXM-9, EXM-MX, EXM-16, EXM-23, EXM-19, EXM20, EXM-17.
Differences between the EPC-6 and the EPC-6A
The EPC-6A differs from the EPC-6 in the following ways:
EPC-6 EPC-6A
20Mhz 80386SX PCAT design 486DX2 [66Mhz internal speed] with 33Mhz
external bus speed PCAT design
External 16K byte 2 way set-associative
cache 8K- Byte On-Chip Cache
External cache controller
External co-processor option Integrated floating-point unit
AT chip set [ATU + DPU] and separate
memory controller RadiSys R400 highly integrated single chip system controller [low cost 208 pin PQFP]
MB dual ported DRAM 4 Megabytes dual ported DRAM on board
Two serial ports Two PC compatible serial ports with 16-Byte FIFO
Up to 512K bytes of programmable flash
memory (for DOS/user applications). 1MB of application flash memory contains Datalight ROM-DOS 6.22 [rev2]
Up to 512K EPROM (for BIOS, ROM). Separate boot device with reflash option
Award BIOS The System BIOS is based on Phoenix
Technologies NuBIOS revision 4.05.
The Flash File System can be installed as a DOS
device driver.
Flash File System (FFS) support for flash is based
on Phoenix Technologies PicoFlash and includes
read/write capability.
The Xformat based FFS is no
longer supported for Flash.
IRQ12 is not available on EXM bus
VMEbus and Memory Controller Configuration
register (8104h) semantics changed.
System BIOS does not share space in the FBD with
ROMDOS. DOS now resides in the RFA.
EXM-2 and EXM-2A are no longer supported.
32 KB of battery-backed SRAM 128KX8Bit of battery backed SRAM with software
supports only 32KB SRAM.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

EPC-6A Hardware Reference
4
Additional References
PhoenixBIOS† 4.05 Developer’s Reference, Phoenix Technologies, Ltd., 5/22/95 (NOTE:
This document cannot be distributed to customers).
PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Technical Reference, Phoenix Technologies, Ltd., 3/15/94 (NOTE: This
document can be distributed to customers only upon receipt of written permission from
Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.).
PhoenixBIOS PICO OAK Porting Guide, Phoenix Technologies, Ltd., 9/95 (NOTE: This
document can be distributed to customers only upon receipt of written permission from
Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.).
Plug and Play BIOS Specification 1.0A, Compaq Computer Corp., Phoenix Technologies
Ltd., Intel Corp., May 5, 1994.
Memory Products Data Manual, Intel Corporation, 1993.
Intel486† Microprocessor Family Programmer’s Reference Manual, Intel Corporation,
1992.
R400EX Development Specification, Version 3.23, RadiSys Corporation, 1996.
EPC-6A Hardware Specification, RadiSys Corporation, 1997.
Technical Reference, Personal Computer AT, International Business Machines
Corporation, 1985.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

5
Chapter 2
Installation
Before installing your EPC-6A, you should unpack and inspect it for shipping damage.
Avoid causing ESD damage:
• Remove modules from their antistatic bags only in a static-free environment.
• Perform the installation process (described later in this chapter) only in a
static-free environment.
EPC-6A modules, like most other electronic devices, are susceptible to ESD
damage. ESD damage can cause a partial breakdown in semiconductor devices
that might not immediately result in a failure.
Determine whether to use the EPC-6A as a system controller
Before installing the EPC-6A in a VMEbus chassis, you need to decide whether the EPC-
6A will be the VMEbus Slot 1 System controller. Every VMEbus system needs a module
that performs the system controller functions, including generation of the 16 MHz
SYSCLK signal, arbitration of the bus, detection of Bus time-out conditions, and initiation
of the interrupt-acknowledge daisy chain. The EPC-6A can serve as the system controller.
To use the EPC-6A as the system controller:
• Make sure the jumper labelled SLOT1 is installed on the EPC-6A processor board to
connect the two pins. For information about jumper locations, see Figure 2-1, Jumper
locations on page 6.
• Install the EPC-6A in the leftmost slot on the chassis.
If you do not plan to use the EPC-6A as the system controller:
• Make sure the jumper labelled SLOT1 on the EPC-6A processor board is removed.
• Install EPC-6A in a slot other than slot 1 in the chassis.
Other jumpers and headers on the board are shown in the next table.
2
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

EPC-6A Hardware Reference
6
Jumpers
The jumpers located on the EPC-6A are used for the following functions:
Table 2-1. Jumper locations
EPC-6A Insertion
Insert the EPC-6A into a VME chassis as follows:
Make sure that power to your VME system is off. The module is not designed to be
inserted or removed from a live backplane.
When inserting the EPC-6A module, avoid touching the circuit board and
connector pins, and make sure the environment is static-free.
Jumper Function Description
FLASHWE (JP2(1-2)) FBD write-enable Install this jumper to enable writes to
the FBD.
BB_ENB (JP2(3–4)) FBD boot block write enable Install this jumper to enable writes to the
boot block of the FBD.
POSTLP (JP2(5–6)) Manufacturing loop enable Install this jumper to enter the
manufacturing POST loop.
FRCUPDT (JP2(7–8)) Force BIOS recovery Install this jumper to force a BIOS
recovery during the boot process.
SLOT1 (H2) Slot 1 Functionality Install this jumper to enable Slot 1
functionality
SPEAKER (JP3) Speaker Speaker header
COM2 header
VMEbus P1
System controller jumper—Install if
EPC-6A is VMEbus system controller
Battery
Speaker header
write enabled 1
RFA write enable
JP2
1
Figure 2-1. Jumper locations
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 2: Installation
7
1. Make sure the ejector handles are in the normal non-eject position. (Push the top
handle down and the bottom handle up so that the handles are not tilted.)
2. Slide the EPC-6A module into the VME chassis, making sure the top and bottom
board edges are in the chassis’ card guides. Use thumb pressure on the handles to mate
the module firmly with the VME backplane connector.
3. Tighten the two screws in the top and bottom of the front panel to ensure proper
connector mating and prevent loosening of the module via vibration.
EXM Module Insertion
You can optionally install one EXM through the front panel of the EPC-6A. To install an
EXM:
Make sure that power to your VME system is off. EXMs are not designed to be
inserted or removed from live systems.
When inserting an EXM, avoid touching the circuit board, and make sure the
environment is static-free.
1. Remove and save the blank face plate from the EXM slot in the EPC-6A face plate.
2. Slide the EXM into place in the card guides. Push firmly on the EXM front panel to
insert its rear connector.
3. Tighten the thumb screws on the EXM’s face plate.
The EPC-6A can accept most EXM types excluding those that either require a disk BIOS
in the EPC or do not fit by form factor.
Once an EXM is installed, you must to run the BIOS setup program to describe how the
specific EXM should be dynamically configured upon power-up. This is described in 3,
Operation.
VME Backplane Jumpers
The VMEbus contains several daisy-chained control signals. Almost all VMEbus
backplanes contain jumpers for these control signals to allow systems to operate with
empty slots. Failing to install these jumpers properly is a common source of problems in
building a new VMEbus system.
There are five jumpers per VME slot, one for each of the four bus-grant arbitration levels
and one for the interrupt-acknowledge daisy chain. Depending on the backplane
manufacture, the jumpers may be on the rear pins of the J1 connector, or may be alongside
it on the front or rear side of the backplane.
For the slot that contains the EPC-6A, remove the jumpers. Leave the jumpers inserted for
all empty slots. For slots otherwise occupied, consult the documentation from the
manufacturers of the modules.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

EPC-6A Hardware Reference
8
Serial Port Cap
Your EPC-6A may have been shipped with a plastic cap over the serial port connector.
This cap is a conductive cap that shields the exposed pins in the connector from ESD
(electrostatic discharge). You should leave it installed when nothing is connected to the
serial port.
Connecting Peripherals to the EPC-8
Do not:
• Plug any cable or connector into the front panel connectors while the system is
powered up.
• Plug in a serial or parallel device, keyboard, transceiver, monitor, or other
component while the system is ON.
In general, electronics equipment are not designed to withstand damage that may
arise from fluctuations in power.
The next step of installation is connecting peripherals, typically a video display and
keyboard, but also perhaps a mouse, modem, printer, etc.
Pin-outs for the EPC-6A front-panel connectors are specified in Appendix A, Connectors.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

9
Chapter 3
Operation
This chapter contains information about user operation and BIOS setup of the EPC-6A.
Initialization Sequence
The EPC-6A and its BIOS go through these major initialization steps: The seven-segment
display shows information about the EPC-6A’s initialization state.
No
Display
Config
errors?
Catastrophic
Errors? Yes
No
1. Display
2. Run selftests;
display number
of test
Figure 3-1. Boot Process.
3. Shadow PicoFlash RFA
BIOS extension
failure
number
Log EXM errors
to SRAM
4. Attempt to boot
from RFA
Done
Yes
Reset
3
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

EPC-6A Hardware Reference
10
The EPC-6A performs these major initialization steps:
1. Display
At power-up, this display reads 8. When the system begins the POST (Power On Self
Test), this number changes.
2. Run selftests; display
At various times during the POST, a new code displays in the 7-segment display. For
detailed information about displayed codes, see the POST code description. To see a
list and explanation of these codes, see Chapter 6, Error Messages.
3. Shadow PicoFlash RFA BIOS extension
To access the RFA (Resident Flash Array) as a DOS disk, you must shadow a BIOS
extension that chains the INT13 disk interface. This checkpoint essentially starts a
flash disk driver.
a. Check for catastrophic errors
Any error that prevents the system from reaching INT 19 (which attempts to boot
the OS) halts the system. The 7-segment LED displays the last completed POST
task and the initialization sequence terminates.
If the EPC-6A has a problem that prevents the POST program from running, the
7-segment LED displays the number “8”.
b. Check for configuration errors
Errors that do not prevent the system from booting that the CMOS configuration
can correct are considered configuration errors. An example of a configuration
error is an incorrect EXM ID entered for an EXM card.
If the selftest completes successfully, the system is configured using configuration
information maintained by the BIOS in a small battery-backed CMOS RAM.
If a problem is encountered, it causes the BIOS to load MS-DOS from RFA and
then give DOS control. This allows the user to alter the boot process.
MS-DOS always loads from flash, which is a read-write file system. It is
recommended that you embed ABORTSWI.EXE your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to
allow users to alter the machine’s boot process. During development, users may
find it convenient to expose the keyboard connector so they can press the F8 key
to step through the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.
The method for interacting with DOS is described in the next section. Problems at
this point are regarded as non-catastrophic, and include loss of the configuration
information due to a battery failure or change, and a mismatch between the type of
installed EXM versus the type expected. Information about non-catastrophic
errors is saved in the upper 2K bytes of the SRAM for use by the setup program.
If there are no errors, the BIOS looks for a boot device with a valid boot image.
The boot device can be the on-board flash memory or a source specified in the
CMOS configuration information (using the setup program) If a boot device is not
present, the BIOS invokes the ROM DOS.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 3: Operation
11
4. Attempt to boot from RFA
If the BIOS proceeds down the flash memory path, the flash memory is viewed as a
bootable disk device and the BIOS starts the bootstrap process by loading the first 512
bytes into memory location 07C0:0000 and passing control to it. The display blanks
before the bootstrap process begins.
Once the system completes POST, an INT19 is attempted. This attempts to read the
boot sector from the disk. In the EPC-6A’s case, this is routed through an INT13
handler which reads the boot sector from the RFA.
For more information about the bootstrap process and how to create a bootable image in
the flash memory, see the EPControl Programmer’s Guide.
In the event that an invalid CMOS setup is saved or the disk image becomes un-bootable it
will be necessary to go into forced recovery. From forced recovery, it is possible to restore
CMOS values to there factory defaults. It is also possible to reload the factory default
bootable DOS image into the RFA should it become corrupt or mis-configured. For more
on these items, see Forced recovery section on page 48.
ROM DOS Interaction
Although you can use a standard PC-compatible keyboard, the EPC-6A is used more as a
dedicated controller than an embedded PC-compatible computer. When using the EPC-6A
without a keyboard, you can interact with the ROM DOS on the EPC-6A in these ways:
• Connect a standard ASCII terminal with an RS-232 interface to the serial port
connector on the front panel.
The EPC-6A’s customized CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files redirect the
command input and output streams to the COM1 serial port. Connecting a terminal
and invoking ROM DOS displays the standard DOS prompt on the terminal. By
typing the DOS DIR command, you can see available programs. You can use the SETUP
program in ROM to display and change the configuration information maintained by
the BIOS.
• Use a separate full EPC (having keyboard and monitor) on the same VMEbus with
supplied software that uses this EPC as a virtual console to the EPC-6A(s).
The software needed to use another EPC as the human interface for an EPC-6A is part
of the EPControl software product. For detailed information about this software, see
the EPControl software’s documentation.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

EPC-6A Hardware Reference
12
System Reset
The reset switch performs a hardware reset of the EPC-6A and any EXM module, and
then invokes the BIOS initialization process discussed in the previous sections. Removing
and reapplying power to the EPC-6A also causes a hardware reset. Note that if the dot, or
decimal point, in the lower right corner of the 7-segment LED display is illuminated, an
EPC-6A program disabled the reset toggle switch. To reset the EPC-6A in this case, you
must externally signal the VMEbus SYSRESET (unless the EPC-6A program has disabled
this also) or by a power-off/on cycle.
Generating VMEbus SYSRESET
Upon power on, the EPC-6A drives the VMEbus SYSRESET signal in accordance with
the VMEbus specification. Resetting the EPC-6A via the reset switch does not cause the
EPC-6A to assert SYSRESET. The EPC-6A does contain a software-controllable register
bit to allow software to assert SYSRESET.
Responding to VMEbus SYSRESET
A software-controllable register bit in the EPC-6A controls whether or not a hardware
reset of the EPC-6A occurs when the VMEbus SYSRESET signal is asserted.
Front Panel Indicators
The front panel contains a seven-segment LED display. The front-panel display has these
purposes:
1. During BIOS initialization it describes the current stage of the initialization. If a test
fails in the selftest phase, it displays a code indicating the test that caused the BIOS to
abort the normal initialization flow. These codes are described in Chapter 6, Error
Messages.
2. After initialization, the display is available for use by the application program.
3. The display shows whether software disabled the reset function of the front-panel
switch. If the decimal point in the lower right corner of the display is lit, the reset
function of the switch is disabled.
The EPC-6A also contains the following LEDs:
• RUN
•SYSFAIL
• MASTER
• SLAVE
For detailed information about the LEDs, see Front Panel LEDs on page 45.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 3: Operation
13
Toggle Switch
The front-panel toggle switch has these positions:
•Inactive (normal position):
•Reset: Suspends the EPC-6A; releasing the switch causes a hardware reset.
•Abort: Generates the IRQ11 interrupt.
The interrupt position has two purposes. An application program can install an IRQ11
interrupt handler and thus define the switch in an application-specific fashion. The
second purpose is a special interpretation of the switch during BIOS initialization after
a reset.
Moving the switch to the interrupt position during the five-second operator-override
period (when the display shows a circling light), causes the BIOS to load MS-DOS
from ROM and give control to DOS.
Setup Utilities
Unlike other RadiSys products, the EPC-6A uses, as its primary CMOS setup utility, a
remote setup utility (either serial or across the VMEbus) rather than a monitor/keyboard
based approach. This is due to the EPC-6A’s default configuration, where no keyboard or
video is available. For debug purposes, an EXM video card is installed and the PS/2
keyboard port is available. This means you can use the standard Phoenix CMOS setup
utility.
Remote Setup Utility
The EPC-6A has DOS, remote setup, and other utilities located in a read/write flash disk
which (however unlikely) can be corrupted. If the RFA can no longer boot DOS, the
DOS-based setup program is not available.
The remote setup controls a subset of all the possible Phoenix Setup options. Only those
CMOS tokens absolutely necessary for booting are manipulated by the setup utility. The
number of tokens modified are limited to reduce the FFF impact of the EPC-6A versus
EPC-6.
Remote Setup Utility Screens (RSU)
The Remote Setup Utility Screens appear the same, whenever possible, as those of the
EPC-6. Menu selections are driven by typing the character listed in the key column.
Pressing the ESC key from a sub-menu returns to the previous menu. Pressing the ESC
key from the Main Screen starts the exits procedure.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com