User Guide

You must have the following:

• a PERC 2/DC Controller,
• a host computer with an available 32 or 64-bit, 5V PCI expansion slot,
• the PERC 2/DC installation diskettes,
• the necessary SCSI cables and terminators (this depends on the number and type of SCSI devices to be attached), and
• SCSI hard disk drives.

Dell strongly recommends that you have an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for the entire system.

You may also want to install SCSI cables that connect PERC 2/DC to external SCSI devices.

Step 1 Unpack

Unpack and install the hardware in a static-free environment. The PERC 2/DC is packed inside an anti-static bag between two sponge sheets. Remove the controller card and inspect it for damage. If the card appears damaged, or if any item listed below is missing, contact Dell support representative. The PERC 2/DC Controller is shipped with:

• the PERC 2/DC User's Guide,
• a license agreement, and
• the PERC 2/DC Configuration Utilities diskette.

Step 2 Power Down

Turn off the computer and remove the cover. Make sure the computer is turned off and disconnected from any networks before installing the controller.

Step 3 Configure Motherboard

Make sure the motherboard is configured correctly for PERC 2/DC. PERC 2/DC is essentially a SCSI controller. Each PERC 2/DC you install requires an available PCI Interrupt Request (IRQ.) Make sure an IRQ is available for each controller.

Step 4 Install Cache Memory

Insert one memory module in the cache memory socket

Install cache memory Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs) on the PERC 2/DC controller card in the cache memory socket. Use a 64-bit 3.3V single-sided or double-sided 168-pin unbuffered DIMM. Lay the controller card component-side up on a clean static-free surface. The memory socket is mounted flush with the PERC 2/DC card, so the DIMM is parallel to the PERC 2/DC card when properly installed. The DIMM clicks into place, indicating proper seating in the socket. The PERC 2/DC card is shown laying on a flat surface below.

Step 5 Set Jumpers

Make sure the jumper settings are correct. The jumpers and connectors are:

J4, J5, J6, and J15 are 3-pin bergs that set the SCSI termination for each SCSI channel. The Dell default is termination always enabled.

J1, J10, J11, and J14 are 2-pin bergs that enable TERMPWR to the SCSI bus for each SCSI channel:

J9 attaches to a serial cable. The pinout is:

J5 is a four-pin connector that attaches to a cable that connects to the hard disk LED mounted on the computer enclosure. The LED indicates data transfers.

J12 is a 2-pin berg which enables or disables PERC 2/DC onboard BIOS. The onboard BIOS should be enabled (J12 jumpered) for normal board position.

J16 and J21 are 3-pin bergs that set the i960 processor mode when initially powered up. Mode 3 is used for normal operation (short pins 1-2 on both J16 and J21.)

You must terminate the SCSI bus properly. Set termination at both ends of the SCSI cable. The SCSI bus is an electrical transmission line and must be terminated properly to minimize reflections and losses. Termination should be set at each end of the SCSI cable(s), as shown below. Termination is always enabled, regardless of the configuration. However, you can override this setting by setting another state. The Dell default is termination by jumper.

The SCSI bus is an electrical transmission line and it must be terminated properly to minimize reflections and losses. You complete the SCSI bus by setting termination at both ends.

You can let PERC 2/DC automatically provide SCSI termination at one end of the SCSI bus. You can terminate the other end of the SCSI bus by attaching an external SCSI terminator module to the end of the cable or by attaching a SCSI device that internally terminates the SCSI bus at the end of the SCSI channel.

Use standard external SCSI terminators on a SCSI channel operating at 10 MB/s or higher synchronous data transfer.

Set the termination so that SCSI termination and termination power are intact when any disk drive is removed from a SCSI channel, as shown below:

Choose a 5 V PCI slot and align the PERC 2/DC bus connector to the slot. Press down gently but firmly to make sure that the card is properly seated in the slot. The bottom edge of the controller card should be flush with the slot.

Insert the PERC 2/DC card in a PCI slot as shown below:

Screw the bracket to the computer frame.

Step 9 Connect SCSI Cables

Connect SCSI cables to SCSI devices. PERC 2/DC provides internal SCSI connectors, J2 and J3, the SCSI channel internal high-density 68-pin connector for Wide (16-bit) SCSI and J7, the SCSI channel external ultra high-density 68-pin connector for Wide (16-bit) SCSI.

When connecting SCSI devices:

System throughput problems can occur if SCSI cable use is not maximized. You should:

• use cables up to 12 meters for LVD devices.
• for single ended SCSI devices, use the shortest SCSI cables (no more than 3 meters for Fast SCSI, no more than 1.5 meters for an 8-drive Ultra2 SCSI system and no more than 3 meters for a 6-drive Ultra2 SCSI system),
• use active termination, and
• use only Dell-approved cables.

Set target identifiers (TIDs) on the SCSI devices. Each device in a specific SCSI channel must have a unique TID in that channel. See the documentation for each SCSI device to set the TIDs. The PERC 2/DC controller automatically occupies TID 7 in the SCSI channel. Eight-bit SCSI devices can use only the TIDs from 0 to 6. 16-bit devices can use the TIDs from 0 to 15. The arbitration priority for a SCSI device depends on its TID.

Step 11 Power Up

During boot, the PERC 2/DC BIOS message appears:

PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller BIOS Version x.xx date

Copyright (c) American Megatrends, Inc.

The firmware takes several seconds to initialize. During this time the adapter will scan the SCSI channel. When ready, the following appears:

Host Adapter-1 Type: PERC 2/DC Firmware Vx.xx DRAM Size 16 MB

0 Logical Drives found on the Host Adapter

0 Logical Drives handled by BIOS

Press <Ctrl><M> to run PERC 2/DC BIOS Configuration Utility

The PERC 2/DC BIOS Configuration utility prompt times out after several seconds. The PERC 2/DC host adapter (controller) number, firmware version, and cache DRAM size are displayed in the second portion of the BIOS message. The numbering of the controllers follows the PCI slot scanning order used by the host motherboard.

This chapter discussed hardware installation. Configure the RAID system via software configuration utilities. See Chapters 7, 8, and 9 for all information about PERC 2/DC software utilities. The utility programs for configuring PERC 2/DC are: