
WiebeTech LLC
RedPort SCSI User’s Manual - 4 -
1. Determine whether you are using a single channel or dual channel host adapter model. One external
connector indicates a single channel host adapter; two external connectors indicate a dual channel host
adapter.
2. Determine if SCSI devices are going to be installed internally or externally.
•Total bus cable length varies by host adapter and type of attached devices. Refer to Exhibit 1 for
details on maximum cable length.
•If you combine Wide 16-bit and Narrow 8-bit devices on the same connector, connect the Wide
devices first (closest to the connector).
•Refer to the documentation for your SCSI devices to determine if they are Wide or Narrow,
UltraWIDE SCSI, Ultra2 SCSI, Ultra160 or Ultra 320.
3. Determine which terminator to use
•Use an LVD terminator if you are only using LVD devices. Although you can use a Single-Ended
terminator, all devices will be limited to Ultra SCSI speeds. Single-Ended devices require a Single-
Ended terminator. If you use an LVD terminator with Single-Ended devices, the system may hang
or devices may not be seen on the SCSI bus. Some termination manufacturers provide
automatically sensing terminators.
•External terminators should be attached to the last external device in the SCSI chain. Don’t use
any other termination on the external SCSI chain. The last device on an internal SCSI chain
should also be terminated in one of several ways. Many Single-Ended Ultra SCSI and earlier
devices provide a jumper setting for applying termination: place a jumper over the pins designated
for termination on the last device on the internal cable. Check with your drive manufacturer if you
are not sure which pins to use.
•LVD Ultra2 and Ultra160 SCSI devices cannot supply their own termination. Use an internal ribbon
cable which has a SCSI terminator attached to the end of it, connect the unterminated end of the
cable to the host adapter card and the internal drives to the subsequent connectors. The
terminator should be at the opposite end of the cable from the host adapter card.
•Wide (16-bit) and Narrow (8-bit) devices can be connected together on the same connector of the
host adapter card, but wide devices must be attached first, followed by narrow devices. To
terminate the SCSI bus, the cable or adapter used to convert from a wide (68-pin) connector to a
narrow (50-pin) connector provides partial termination, allowing upper 8-bits (or byte) of the wide
SCSI bus to be properly terminated. A narrow terminator should be used on the last narrow
device to terminate the rest of the SCSI bus. A SCSI bus without partial termination between the
wide and narrow devices may at first appear to work correctly, but occasional I/O errors occur
without proper termination.
•If you use both internal and external connectors and mix Single-Ended and LVD devices on the
same bus, even if using different connectors, the host adapter card will operate with Single-Ended
signaling at UltraSCSI speeds.
•Automatic termination – When both internal and external connectors are used, the host adapter
card detects the presence of devices and turns off termination. If devices are removed from one
connector of the card, the host adapter automatically detects the change, and enables its own
termination.
•Software controlled termination – You may have to override the host adapter’s automatic
termination if only narrow devices are attached to one connector and wide devices are attached to
the other connector on the same bus. The host adapter must supply partial termination to the
upper 8-bits (byte), but not automatically. Please refer to your ExpressPCI Utilities manual for
instructions on setting the host adapter’s termination to Upper Byte.
•Termination power – Host adapters supply termination power to the bus at all times and many
SCSI devices are also able to supply termination power. SCSI signal quality, particularly with long
or marginal quality cables, may be improved if the device supplies the termination power. Contact
your device manufacturer for more information on your device’s ability to supply termination
power.