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Using the Resource Configuration Utility: Dell™ PowerEdge™ 2400 Systems User's Guide

Overview • Starting the Resource Configuration Utility • Main Menu • Advanced Menu • Resolving Resource Conflicts

Overview

The Resource Configuration Utility (RCU) is used to tell the system what expansion cards are installed and which expansion slots they occupy. With this information, the system automatically configures Plug and Play expansion cards and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) expansion cards and can tell you how to configure non-Plug and Play Industry-Standard Architecture (ISA) expansion cards manually by setting jumpers or switches. Before your system was shipped from Dell, a technician used the RCU to enter the correct information for the expansion cards initially installed in your computer.

The RCU also monitors the resources required by any installed PCI expansion card. After installing or moving a PCI expansion card, you should run the RCU to update the system's database of available system resources stored in nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM).

NOTICE: Whenever you make changes to the System Setup program, add or remove ISA expansion cards, add or remove memory, or change settings for integrated devices, you must run the Resource Configuration Utility, make any necessary changes, and save the system configuration information. Failure to do so may cause resource conflicts between PCI devices (such as PCI expansion cards, the integrated video controller, or the integrated small computer system interface [SCSI] host adapter). See "Configuring ISA and PCI Expansion Cards" for more information about how PCI devices are configured based on settings in the Resource Configuration Utility.

Configuring ISA and PCI Expansion Cards

Whenever you add or remove an ISA expansion card, use the RCU to reconfigure your system. The utility reads the card's corresponding configuration file (.cfg file), which describes the card's characteristics and required system resources, and then uses this information to create a conflict-free configuration.

The RCU is PCI-aware and can also be used to configure PCI expansion cards. Configuration information for PCI expansion cards is contained within the card, so no additional .cfg file is required. You should run the RCU after installing or moving a PCI expansion card to keep the system's database of available resources accurate.

If the RCU is not aware of an installed ISA expansion card, resource conflicts can arise. For this reason, it is extremely important to enter information about ISA expansion cards into the RCU. In addition, certain ISA graphics adapter cards and multiport serial cards require some memory or caching reconfiguration provided by the RCU.

How to Run the Resource Configuration Utility

The RCU is included on the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD shipped with your system. This CD includes an RCU directory that contains the main program plus a directory of .cfg files for many—but not all—ISA expansion cards.

You can run the RCU directly from the CD or from a diskette that you create using the CD's main menu. Dell recommends that you run the RCU from a diskette because the RCU is not compatible with all operating systems. Also, using a diskette to run the utility allows you to copy any system configuration changes to the diskette for safekeeping. See "Using the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD" for instructions on creating an RCU diskette.

When you buy an ISA expansion card, copy the appropriate configuration file (contained in the cfg directory on the diskette) to your RCU diskette. If the cfg directory does not contain a configuration file for your ISA expansion card, use the generic ISA card configuration file, which is included in the cfg directory on the CD. Instructions for using the generic .cfg file are included in "Adding an Expansion Card."

PCI expansion cards do not require a configuration file. The PCI configuration utility in ROM automatically uses the information maintained by the RCU to assign resources for PCI expansion cards.

NOTE: You must use the RCU when you add an ISA expansion card to your computer. For an ISA card, use the specific configuration file for your expansion card, if one is available, rather than the generic ISA card configuration file. The generic ISA card configuration file cannot be used to identify potential resource conflicts or proper jumper and switch settings.

When to Run the Resource Configuration Utility

Whenever you add or remove non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards, you must run the RCU to ensure that no two cards attempt to use the same resources (such as interrupt request [IRQ] lines).

Run the program before adding or removing any non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards. The RCU can identify and resolve any resource conflicts and indicate the proper jumper and switch settings for each expansion card to avoid such conflicts. Running the program first helps you determine how to configure a non-Plug and Play ISA expansion card before you install it in your computer.

After you have run the RCU for your non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards and it has configured all your Plug and Play and PCI expansion cards, you can use the utility to lock the configuration of your Plug and Play and PCI expansion cards so that they are always assigned the same resources.

NOTE: If your system detects a card configuration problem during operation, you receive a warning message directing you to run the RCU to correct the problem.

Making Selections in the RCU

The RCU uses menus to guide you through the configuration process. The menus and their options are accessed through keyboard commands.

To make a menu selection, press the up- or down-arrow key to highlight the desired option, and then press <Enter>. In the Help menu or Advanced menu, you can also select an option by pressing the key that corresponds to the highlighted letter in the selection list.

To scroll up or down a screen, press the <Page Up> or <Page Down> key, respectively.

Using Online Instructions

The RCU has online instructions for each of its procedures. If you need help at any time, press <F1> to see a help screen that offers more details about the task you are doing.

Starting the Resource Configuration Utility

NOTES: Your system's default hardware configuration allows you to update the configuration information. However, if the ISA_CLR jumper on the system board is installed, the configuration information cannot be updated until the jumper plug is removed. If you think the jumper setting has been changed, check the jumper before attempting to make a configuration change. For information on the ISA_CLR jumper location and settings, see Figure 1 and Table 1, respectively, in "Jumpers, Switches, and Connectors" in the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.

If you are running the RCU from your hard-disk drive, remove any terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs from memory before starting the utility. These programs take up space in system memory even when they are not running, thus reducing the amount of memory available to the RCU. See the documentation that accompanied these programs for instructions on removing them from memory.

If you start the utility and there is not enough memory to run it, a message is displayed. If you receive such a message, run the utility from a diskette.

Perform the following steps the first time you use the RCU. Later, if a card is added, removed, or repositioned, you must follow the procedure described in "Step 2: Add or Remove Boards."

1. To run the program from a diskette, insert the RCU diskette that you created from the CD into drive A. Then either turn on your computer or reboot it by pressing the <Ctrl><Alt><Del> key combination or the reset button.
   To run the program from your hard-disk drive, switch to the c:\rcu subdirectory, type sd at the operating system prompt, and press <Enter>.
   To run the program from the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD, restart the system from the CD. Select Run RCU from the CD's main menu.
2. When the Welcome screen appears, read the information on the screen and press <Enter>.
   The Main Menu appears:
   
   Main Menu

   Learn about configuring your computer
   Configure computer
   Set date
   Set time
   Maintain system configuration diskette
   Exit from this utility

   The first option in the menu is already highlighted.

3. Press <Enter> to read the online overview of the RCU.
   After reading the online overview, you are ready to use the program to configure your computer for any PCI expansion cards currently installed or any ISA expansion cards that will be installed in your computer's expansion slots.

Main Menu

The following sections describe each of the menu options in the Main Menu and the submenus for those options.

Learn About Configuring Your Computer

The Learn about configuring your computer option presents an overview of the configuration process. As you finish reading a screen, press <Enter> to view the next screen. Press <F10> to return to the Main Menu.

Configure Computer

The Configure computer option takes you through the configuration process step by step. Use this option the first time you configure your system and every time you change your configuration through the RCU.

When you select Configure computer, the following menu appears on the screen:

Steps in configuring your computer

Step 1: Important resource configuration information
Step 2: Add or remove boards
Step 3: View or edit details
Step 4: Examine switches or print report
Step 5: Save and exit

Step 1: Important Resource Configuration Information

The Step 1: Important resource configuration information option uses seven information screens to explain the configuration process. After you read the first screen, press <Enter> to see the next one. When you finish reading all seven screens, press <Esc> to return to the Steps in configuring your computer menu.

To review the information screens at any time while you are in the RCU, press <F1> and select Resource Configuration from the Help menu.

Step 2: Add or Remove Boards

When you select the Step 2: Add or remove boards option, the RCU lists all the expansion slots in your computer. (You may have to press <Page Down> to view the entire list.)

If you copied a card's configuration file to your RCU diskette or to the RCU configuration subdirectory (rcu) on your hard-disk drive, the card name appears in the expansion slot in which the card is installed.

The first time you run the RCU, select Step 2: Add or remove boards to verify that the system has detected and acknowledged any expansion cards Dell installed when you purchased your system. Use this option whenever you add or remove an expansion card and every time you reposition a card from one expansion slot to another in your computer.

To add, reposition, or remove an expansion card, highlight the corresponding expansion slot and press <Ins> to add, <F7> to reposition, or <Del> to remove the card. The utility guides you through the steps required to add, reposition, or remove a card's configuration file within the RCU. If there are no resource conflicts, the system configuration information is saved to a system configuration (.sci) file when you exit the utility.

Adding an Expansion Card

Before you add an ISA expansion card, you must add the card's .cfg file to the utility. Configuration information for PCI expansion cards is contained within the card, so no .cfg file is required.

Perform the following steps before you install an ISA expansion card. See "When to Run the Resource Configuration Utility" for more detailed information.

1. Start the RCU.
2. At the Main Menu, select Configure computer.
3. At the Steps in configuring your computer menu, select Step 2: Add or remove boards.
   A list of expansion slots and the cards installed in them appears on the screen.
4. Highlight the expansion slot in which the card will be installed, press <Ins>, and follow the online instructions.
   If the utility asks for the option configuration diskette, insert the diskette that accompanied your expansion card.
   If the utility asks for the system configuration diskette, insert your RCU diskette.
   If the utility asks for the .cfg file library diskette, insert the diskette of .cfg files.
5. From the list of configuration files listed by the utility, choose the one that corresponds to the card that you want to add.
   The utility asks you to confirm your choice, and then it prompts you to select the expansion slot in which the card will be installed.
   If you are adding an ISA expansion card, insert your .cfg diskette to find the .cfg file for that card. If the .cfg file for the expansion card that you are installing is not on the diskette, select Generic ISA Board from the list of configuration files.

   NOTE: Alternatively, if you know the resources used by the expansion card, you can press <F5> for a menu that lets you create the .cfg file.

   For all ISA expansion cards, use the Step 4: Examine switches or print report option (under the Steps in configuring your computer menu) to check the switch and jumper settings on the new card. Configure the new card as indicated before it is installed in your computer.

6. Press <F10>, select Step 5: Save and exit, and follow the online instructions to save the current system configuration information.
7. Remember to save a printout or written copy of your new configuration. The utility may prompt you to check the jumper and switch settings on the new card. Follow the online instructions to see an illustration of the new card's settings.

Repositioning an Expansion Card

Use the following procedure after a PCI expansion card is repositioned. See "When to Run the Resource Configuration Utility" for more detailed information. 

1. Start the RCU.
2. At the Main Menu, select Configure computer.
3. At the Steps in configuring your computer menu, select Step 2: Add or remove boards.
   A list of expansion slots and the cards in them appears on the screen.
4. Highlight the name of the card that you want to reposition, press <F7>, and follow the online instructions.
5. Press <F10>, select Step 5: Save and exit, and follow the online instructions to save the current system configuration information.
   Remember to save a printout or written copy of the new information.

Removing an Expansion Card

Perform the following steps before you remove an ISA expansion card but after you remove a PCI expansion card. See "When to Run the Resource Configuration Utility" for more detailed information.

1. Start the RCU.
2. At the Main Menu, select Configure computer.
3. At the Steps in configuring your computer menu, select Step 2: Add or remove boards.
   A list of expansion slots and the cards installed in them appears on the screen.
4. Highlight the name of the card you want to remove, press <Del>, and follow the online instructions.
5. Press <F10>, select Step 5: Save and exit, and follow the online instructions to save the current system configuration information.
   Remember to save a printout or written copy of the new information.
   If there are no resource conflicts, the configuration information is saved to a system configuration (.sci) file when you exit the utility. If there is a resource conflict, you must resolve it before completing the configuration.

Step 3: View or Edit Details

The RCU lets you set a variety of system options through the .sci file. Through this file, you can notify the system of changes to your hardware and memory configuration, manage input/output (I/O) ports, and set other system operating parameters.

Some of the categories do not offer options, but reflect installed hardware that is detected by the system. These items are displayed for your information only; you cannot change them through the utility.

To display the list of system board options, perform the following steps:

1. Start the RCU.
2. At the Main Menu, select Configure computer.
3. At the Steps in configuring your computer menu, select Step 3: View or edit details.
   A list of system board options appears on the screen. Figure 1 shows settings typical for your system.

   NOTE: Whenever you add an expansion card to the computer, its presence is reflected by changes to the System Board Options screen.

4. To select a category on the list of system board options, press the up- or down-arrow key to highlight the category and press <Enter>.
   A pop-up menu appears, listing the options for that category. To select an option, press the up- or down-arrow key to highlight the option and press <Enter>.

NOTES: Several system board categories allow you to edit such resources as memory address, I/O ports, IRQs, and direct memory access (DMA) channels. It may be necessary to edit these resources to resolve a configuration conflict. To view the resource screen for any category, highlight the option and press <F6>. The edit resources feature is intended for users who are technically knowledgeable. Do not change resource settings from their defaults if you do not understand how such a change will affect system performance. While in the Step 3: View or edit details menu, you can press <F7> to enter the Advanced menu.

When you have finished making changes, perform the following steps to save the new system configuration information and exit the utility:

1. Press <F10>, and select Step 5: Save and exit from the Steps in configuring your computer menu.
2. Select Save the configuration and restart the computer from the menu that appears.

Figure 1 shows the system board options that are available on the View or edit details screen.

NOTE: You can clear the system configuration parameters from NVRAM by placing a jumper on the ISA_CLR jumper pins and then booting the system with the jumper in place. See Table 1 in "Jumpers, Switches, and Connectors" in the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for information about the jumper.

Figure 1. View or Edit Details Screen (Example)

Step 4: Examine Switches or Print Report

The Step 4: Examine switches or print report option lists the required switch and jumper settings for each expansion card in your computer. To view the settings, highlight the card and press <Enter>. For ISA expansion cards, it is important to compare the jumper and switch settings listed on the screen to the actual settings on the card.

Press <F7> to make a copy of or print the settings. If your computer is attached to a printer, you can print the information or copy it to a file.

Step 5: Save and Exit

The Step 5: Save and exit option allows you to save or cancel the configuration changes that you have made. When you select this option, follow the directions on the menu that displays.

If you save your changes, the utility saves the new configuration in your system's NVRAM and in a file on your RCU diskette. The utility automatically reboots your system.

If you cancel your changes, you can remain in the utility to make other changes or exit the utility without saving any changes.

Maintain System Configuration Diskette

Using the Maintain system configuration diskette option, you can create a backup copy of the .sci file or use a previously saved .sci file to reconfigure your system or to identically configure many other systems. You can also copy .cfg files and delete .sci and .cfg files from your RCU diskette, your diskette of .cfg files, or the configuration diskette(s) for any hardware option.

Exit From This Utility

The Exit from this utility option allows you to exit from the RCU and reboot your computer system.

Advanced Menu

The Advanced menu lets you lock or unlock cards in a configuration, view detailed information about the system, and maintain .sci files.

To see the Advanced menu, press <F7> while in the Step 3: View or edit details menu. The following menu appears:

Advanced menu

Lock/unlock boards
View additional system information menu
Set verification mode menu
Maintain SCI files menu

Highlight the menu category that you want, and press <Enter>. Then follow the online instructions.

The following subsections describe each category.

Lock/Unlock Boards

When you lock an expansion card, the RCU cannot change the resources allocated to that card. Unlocking the card allows the system to change the resources automatically as new cards are added. The default setting for the Lock/unlock boards category is Unlocked. Dell recommends that you keep your cards unlocked so that the RCU can do its job properly.

NOTE: The RCU ignores the Lock/unlock boards setting for the PCI host bridge and the PCI-to-PCI bridge devices.

View Additional System Information Menu

The RCU contains detailed information about the system board, the ISA expansion cards installed in your computer, and the used and available resources. The options for the View additional system information menu category are:

• Board Specifications
• System Specifications
• Used Resources
• Available Resources

The Used Resources and Available Resources options contain detailed information about resources such as IRQs, DMA channels, and I/O ports, which may be useful if you need to resolve a resource conflict.

Set Verification Mode Menu

The settings for the Set verification mode menu category are Automatic (the default) and Manual. When this category is set to Automatic, the RCU automatically checks for resource conflicts and tries to resolve them. Unless you are technically knowledgeable, leave this category set to Automatic.

Maintain SCI Files Menu

Each time you use the RCU to configure your system, the system configuration information is saved in a .sci file and in system memory. You should save the system configuration information to a backup file that can be used to restore the information if the .sci file is damaged or lost. The options for the Maintain SCI files menu category are Open (the default) and Save As.

The Open option creates a backup file that overwrites the existing configuration. The Save As option allows you to select the filename under which you want the .sci file saved.

Resolving Resource Conflicts

The RCU automatically resolves resource conflicts between PCI expansion cards. It is extremely unusual for the RCU to fail in resolving a resource conflict between two PCI expansion cards. If the RCU fails to resolve the conflict, see "Getting Help" in your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for information on obtaining technical assistance.

However, resource conflicts between ISA expansion cards are routine. If the Set verification mode menu category is set to Automatic, the RCU tries to resolve the conflict. If the utility cannot resolve the conflict, the card that you just installed is deactivated and the following message is displayed:

Caution

The last board added caused an un-resolvable conflict in your computer's configuration. This board has a 'De-activated' status. You must remove this board or the one(s) it is in conflict with in order to save a correct configuration.

If the caution message appears, press <Enter> to display a list of all cards installed in your computer. The deactivated card is enclosed by < > symbols.

You can remove the card(s) with which it is in conflict, or change the resources on one or more cards.

If you want to remove the card, press <Del> and follow the online instructions. Remove the card from your computer when the utility prompts you to do so. (For instructions on removing the expansion card, see "Removing an Expansion Card" in the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.)

If you remove the card(s) with which the new card is in conflict, or if you want to change the resources of one or more cards, use the procedure described in the next subsection.

NOTE: Locked cards may cause resource conflicts.

To unlock a card, perform the following steps:

1. Press <F7> in the Step 3: View or edit details menu (from the Steps in configuring your computer menu).
2. Select Lock/unlock boards and press <Enter>.
3. Select the card(s) that you want to unlock, and press <Enter>.
4. Press <F10> to exit the Advanced menu.

Removing a Card That Conflicts With the Card You Just Installed

If there is a resource conflict between two ISA expansion cards and you want to remove the card that conflicts with the one that you just installed, perform the following steps:

1. From the Steps in configuring your computer menu, select Step 2: Add or remove boards and press <Enter>.
   From the list of expansion slots and cards, select the card in conflict with the one installed, and press <Del>. When the utility asks you to confirm your command, press <Enter>. Then press <Esc> to return to the Steps in configuring your computer menu.
2. Select Step 5: Save and exit and press <Enter>.
3. Select Save the configuration and restart the computer and press <Enter>.
   The system reboots with the new system configuration information.
4. If you deleted an expansion-card configuration file from the previously saved system configuration information, remove the card from your computer. For instructions on removing the expansion card, see "Removing an Expansion Card" in the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.

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