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NWPA.TXT
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This file describes the features and use of the Symbios
Logic SDMS, NWPA device drivers for the Novell NetWare v4.11
operating system environment. It is divided into the
following sections:
Introduction
Installing Your NWPA NetWare Driver
Command Line Options
Important Additional Information
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********************** Introduction ***********************
The Symbios Logic NWPA driver for the Novell NetWare operating
system allows you to utilize a Symbios Logic SCSI controller or
processor, controlled by a Symbios Logic SCSI BIOS, with NetWare.
The Symbios Logic NWPA software, coupled with a Symbios Logic SCSI
controller or processor and Novell or third party Custom Device
Modules (CDMs), provides a SCSI solution within the NetWare
environment.
A single driver is provided for the Novell NetWare 4.11 environment.
This document explains how to install and use the Symbios Logic NWPA
SCSI Host Adapter Module (HAM) driver for NetWare.
* Features *
o Provides synchronous negotiation, including Fast and
Ultra SCSI (Fast-20)
o Supports multiple host adapters
o Supports multiple logical unit numbers (LUN)
o Large LUN support (larger than 7.844 GBytes)
o Supports Disconnect/Reselect
o Supports scatter-gather
o Supports tagged command queuing
o Supports simple and ordered queue tags
o Supports shared interrupts
o Supports Wide SCSI (single-ended and differential)
o Supports NetWare 4.11 SFT-III
o Supports SDMS 4.XX BIOS
o Supports SDMS 3.XX BIOS with ASPI8XX.SYS
o Supports SDMS 4.XX DOS drivers
o Handles target initiated negotiation (wide and synchronous)
In conjunction with Novell software:
o Supports the ASPI interface via Novell's NWASPI.NLM
o Support for SCSI CD-ROM devices via Novell's SCSICD.CDM
o Support for removable media devices including SCSI Magneto-
Optical, and Bernoulli devices via Novell's SCSIMO.CDM
o Support for SCSI-2 Tape devices via Novell's SCSI2TP.CDM
Note: Other third party CDMs may also support these devices.
* Description *
The Symbios Logic NWPA solution consists of the device
driver, SYM8XXNW.HAM, and a NetWare 4.XX installation file
SYM8XXNW.DDI.
SYM8XXNW.HAM is an NWPA Host Adapter Module (HAM). In order
to support SCSI devices, you must load the HAM module in
conjunction with a SCSI Custom Device Module (CDM). Novell
has developed generic CDMs to support SCSI-2 Hard Drives,
SCSI CD-ROM devices, SCSI Magneto Optical devices, SCSI
tape devices, and SCSI changer devices. In addition, third
party vendors are developing CDMs to support their specific
devices.
* ASPI Support *
NWPA ASPI support is provided via Novell's NWASPI driver.
NetWare, or third party applications, may use this interface
to communicate with a SCSI device attached to a Symbios
Logic controller, including SCSI-2 tape devices.
*********** Installing Your NWPA NetWare Drivers ***********
Install NetWare as described in the Novell NetWare Installation
Manual. The following information is provided to assist in the
installation.
You must load the Symbios Logic NWPA NetWare driver once, for
each Symbios Logic controller present in the system.
* Preparing your system for NWPA drivers *
The Symbios Logic NWPA driver, SYM8XXNW.HAM, does not support
the older Symbios Logic 3.XX DOS drivers (DOSCAM.SYS, MINICAM.SYS,
CDROM.SYS, and SCSIDISK.SYS). Both the 3.XX BIOS (version 3.07.00)
and 4.XX BIOS (version 4.02.02 or later) are supported, but we
recommended that you use the 4.XX BIOS, if possible. If you are
using the 3.XX BIOS, then you must also load ASPI8XX.SYS.
The following DOS drivers are supported:
o ASPI8XX.SYS
o SYMCD.SYS
o SYMDISK.SYS
To Upgrade BIOS (Boot ROM) from 3.XX to 4.XX:
1) Load FLASH8X5.EXE
2) Select the BIOS file 8XX_32.ROM. You must use BIOS version
4.02.02 or later.
To Update DOS drivers:
1) Edit CONFIG.SYS.
2) If any of the following lines appear, delete them:
DEVICE=<path>\DOSCAM.SYS
DEVICE=<path>\MINICAM.SYS
DEVICE=<path>\CDROM.SYS /d:<name>
DEVICE=<path>\SCSIDISK.SYS
3) If CD-ROM support is required, then add the following
DEVICE=<path>\ASPI8XX.SYS
DEVICE=<path>\SYMCD.SYS /d:<name>
* For An Existing Installation Of NetWare With
Symbios Logic SDMS (DDFS) NetWare Drivers Installed *
If you currently have Symbios Logic SDMS (DDFS) NetWare
drivers (SDMSNETx.DSK and optionally NETASPIx.NLM)
installed on your system, then you must replace these files
with SYM8XXNW.HAM.
1) Change to the directory where NetWare files are installed.
This is NWSERVER for NetWare 4.11.
2) Copy the files in the NWPA subdirectory on the
distribution disk to the NetWare directory on
your hard drive.
3) Edit STARTUP.NCF (and/or AUTOEXEC.NCF if the SDMS
drivers are loaded in AUTOEXEC.NCF). Delete
any lines referring to SDMSNETx.DSK and/or
NETASPIx.NLM.
4) Add one load line per Symbios Logic controller or host adapter
present in the system, of the form:
LOAD SYM8XXNW.HAM SLOT=<slot no> <options>
Note:
The SLOT option is required for any load instance. To
determine the slot numbers for the controllers or host
adapters configured in your system, manually load the
driver, without a SLOT= option. You are prompted with
the slot numbers which are applicable to each Symbios
Logic HA/controller detected.
* For NetWare 4.11 New Installations *
1. Begin the file server installation according to the instructions in the file
server installation chapter in the Novell NetWare Installation Manual.
2. When the NetWare installation procedure prompts you for a Disk
Driver, insert the Symbios Logic device drivers diskette into
drive a: or b:. Then use the INS key to select an unlisted driver. A
dialog box appears. If you are installing the driver from the a: drive,
press Enter to continue. If you are installing the driver from the
b: drive, press F3 (to specify the path to search for the driver), and
enter the drive letter:
B:
The SYM8XXNW.HAM driver should appear as a selection.
Select the driver.
3. Next you are prompted with the available command line options
to load the driver. A description of each option appears in the
box at the bottom of the installation screen. A more detailed
description is also given later in this document, in the section titled
Command Line Options. Select any options needed for your
particular installation.
4. Load a separate instance of the driver for every Symbios Logic
controller or host adapter present in the system.
5. When prompted for a slot number, accept the slot numbers
displayed. Make sure to write these slot numbers down.
6. When asked to edit the STARTUP.NCF file, make sure
SYM8XXNW.HAM is loaded once per Symbios Logic controller or host adapter
present in the system. Add a SLOT=<slot no> to each load line in the
STARTUP.NCF, specifying the slot numbers written down in 5), one
per load instance.
* For NetWare 4.11 SFT-III Installations *
1. Install your primary server following procedures for the native 4.11
installation.
2. Begin the SFT-III installation as instructed by NetWare installation
procedures.
3. While installing the secondary server, you have the option of
copying the SYM8XXNW.HAM driver from the primary server.
Press F10 to accept.
* Reconfiguring driver options *
To reconfigure driver options, you must follow these steps:
1) Unload the driver.
UNLOAD SYM8XXNW.HAM
This unloads all instances of the driver.
2) Reload each instance of the driver with the desired option
settings.
LOAD SYM8XXNW.HAM SLOT=<slot no> <options>
3) If the changes made to the load options of one or more load
instance are permanent, and the driver is loaded automatically
at server boot time, you must specify these options in the
startup.ncf or autoexec.ncf file.
************** Command Line Options ***************
The SYM8XXNW.HAM driver has many tuning parameters. Following
is a list of tuning parameters available, including the default
option and a list of valid options. Following each parameter is
a description of when to use a parameter, and any impact its
use may have on your system.
If an option is specified but the assignment is not valid, then the
default value is used.
The options described below are used by placing the specified
characters on the load command line for the NWPA driver. For
example, if the Verbose Mode command line option is desired
the load command line should look like this:
load SYM8XXNW.HAM verbose=enable
IMPORTANT:
No spaces are allowed in specifying these command line options.
Spaces are required between different command line options.
* Information Options *
Using the Help Mode Option
Command line option: -? or -h
Function: Display the options available in
the driver.
Possible Impact: The driver will not load with -?
or -h specified.
This option is specified on the command line for a brief description
of each of the options available in the driver, as well as valid values
for each option. If the -? or -h option is specified along with other
options, the help screen is invoked, the other options are ignored,
and the driver is not loaded.
Using the Verbose Mode Option
Command line option: verbose=<option>
Default value: disable
Valid options: enable, disable
Function: Display the current settings of
all driver options.
This option shows all the command line option settings for this load
of the driver.
* NetWare NWPA Driver Customizable Options *
Using the Slot Option
Command line option: slot=<option>
Default value: None
Valid options: 0-10099
Function: Specify the slot instance number
of the Symbios Logic controller
the load instance applies to.
Possible Impact: This information may not be
known to the user at load/install
time.
The slot option specifies which Symbios Logic controller (embedded chip
or host adapter) the current load pertains to. This information is required to
load the driver. If this information is not specified on the load line,
the driver prompts for the slot number.
Using the Tagged Queuing Option
Command line option: qtags=<option>
Default value: enable
Valid options: enable, disable
Function: Enable/disable tagged
queuing for the devices
Possible Impact: Tagged queuing may result in
improved I/O throughput in devices
that support such an option.
Enabling this option results in the driver issuing tagged I/O requests
to the devices that support tagged queuing. Devices that do not
support tagged queuing are not issued tagged requests. Depending
on the drive controller, throughput of the device is increased by the
use of queue tags. However, the optimal number of queue tags is
based on the specific device type.
Using the Queue Tag Type Option
Command line option: qtag_type=<option>
Default value: ordered
Valid options: simple, ordered
Function: Specify the type of tagged
commands the device is issued.
Possible Impact: Ordered type is required for
certain devices to avoid I/O
starvation.
This option is valid only when tagged queuing (qtags) is enabled,
which it is by default. Simple qtags are typically the preferred tag
type. It is sometimes necessary to use ordered tags on certain
devices to avoid I/O starvation under extremely heavy I/O loads
such as a NetWare remirror process.
Using the Synchronous SCSI Option
Command line option: sync=<option>
Default value: enable
Valid options: enable, disable
Function: Enable/Disable support of
synchronous SCSI.
Possible Impact: No synchronous SCSI support available.
This option allows the user to enable/disable support of
synchronous SCSI data transfers. Synchronous data transfers
increase the I/O performance of a system, but there are a few
non SCSI compliant devices which cause problems on a system.
Using the Fast-20 (Ultra SCSI) Synchronous SCSI Option
Command line option: Fast20=<option>
Default value: enable
Valid options: enable, disable
Function: Enable/Disable support of
Fast-20 (Ultra SCSI) synchronous SCSI.
Possible Impact: No Fast-20 (Ultra SCSI) sync SCSI support available,
This option allows the user to enable/disable support of
Fast-20 (Ultra SCSI) synchronous SCSI data transfers when using a
Fast-20 (Ultra SCSI) SCSI controller. Unless synchronous data
transfer (sync) is also disabled, the controller performs up to
10MB/sec synchronous data transfers with any device capable of
synchronous negotiations.
Using the Wide SCSI Option
Command line option: wide=<option>
Default value: enable
Valid options: enable, disable
Function: Enable/Disable support of
wide SCSI.
Possible Impact: No wide SCSI support available.
This option allows the user to disable support of wide SCSI when
using a wide SCSI controller. Set this option to 'disable' if a wide
SCSI device is present on the system, but a narrow SCSI cable is
connected somewhere on the bus between the wide SCSI host adapter
and the wide device, thus prohibiting the transfer of wide data. If this
option is set to 'disable' the wide device still works, but all
data transferred to or from the device is narrow (8 bit). The driver does
not initiate a wide SCSI transfer request negotiation.
Using the Elevator Threshold Option
Command line option: elev=<option>
Default value: 7
Valid options: 0-250, or disable
Function: Specify the maximum number of I/Os
the HAM should queue before allowing
NWPA to filter and organize requests.
Possible Impact: You may affect performance by varying
the elevator threshold value.
Elevator queues are used by NWPA to determine how many I/Os are
queued to the HAM before organizing requests and generating
scatter gather lists. If this number is set to low, adapter I/O
starvation may result. If the number is too high, then sorting of
I/Os and/or generation of scatter gather lists may not occur.
Using the Scatter-Gather Option
Command line option: sg=<option>
Default value: enable
Valid options: enable, disable
Function: Enable/Disable the HAM's acceptance
of scatter gather lists from NWPA.
Possible Impact: You may affect performance by
enabling/disabling this option.
Scatter-Gather lists allow the driver to more efficiently
transfer
Using the LUNs Option
Command line option: luns=<option>
Default value: 1
Valid options: 1-32
Function: Specify the number of LUNs
the host adapter/controller
should scan for per SCSI id.
Possible Impact: Provides multi-LUN support via
Novell generic CDMs. Can cause
problems if non SCSI-2 compliant
devices are present on the bus.
The NWPA specification does not allow for multi-LUN
devices to be scanned for any LUN other than LUN 0.
This is addressed by device specific CDMs.
This option allows for support of multi-LUN devices
by the Novell provided generic CDMs. It is left to
the user to insure that all devices on the bus are
capable of properly accepting inquiries to each LUN
scanned.
************** Important Additional Information **************
* For Information Pertaining to a Specific Driver *
This document addresses options available on the Symbios Logic
NWPA NetWare driver, version 2.01.00. For information
pertaining to a specific driver, please do one of the following:
- For NetWare version 4.11, consult the SYM8XXNW.DDI file for
options available for SYM8XXNW.HAM. This is accessed via the
NetWare install utility.
- Load the driver specifying the -? option on the command line
of the SYM8XXNW.HAM driver. The driver does not actually load,
but available options are displayed.
* DOS Access Dependencies *
NetWare sometimes requires access to the DOS partition
(perhaps to load a file, or to down the system).
The SYM8XXNW.HAM driver supports several SDMS DOS
configurations.
SYM8XXNW.HAM detects whether an SDMS 3.XX or 4.XX BIOS
is present. It also detects if the SDMS 4.XX DOS driver
ASPI8XX.SYS is loaded. If you are using the SDMS 3.XX
BIOS, then ASPI8XX.SYS must also be loaded.
Note: SYM8XXNW.HAM does not support the SDMS 3.XX DOS
drivers (DOSCAM, MINICAM)
If there are DOS partitions present on any device
connected to a Symbios Logic controller, an SDMS 3.XX
or 4.XX BIOS and/or SDMS ASPI8XX DOS driver is required
for DOS support. The BIOS is either integrated into the
system BIOS or resides with the controller itself.
* Supported DOS Configurations *
The following are the DOS configurations supported by the
SYM8XXNW.HAM driver:
3.XX BIOS, ASPI8XX.SYS*
4.XX BIOS, No DOS Drivers
4.XX BIOS, ASPI8XX.SYS*
No SDMS BIOS, ASPI8XX.SYS*
*In addition to ASPI8XX.SYS, you may optionally load SYMCD.SYS
and/or SYMDISK.SYS for DOS CD-ROM and DOS MO support,
respectively. SYMCD.SYS and SYMDISK.SYS are NOT required
for CD-ROM or MO support under NetWare.
* When Using the 3.XX BIOS *
If the 3.XX BIOS is present, you must load ASPI8XX.SYS
in the CONFIG.SYS file. An optional driver for CD-ROM support
(SYMCD.SYS) works with these drivers in conjunction with
MSCDEX.EXE.
* When Using the 4.XX BIOS *
If you are using a version of the 4.XX BIOS that supports
non-volatile memory (NVM), you must disable SCAM on all Symbios
host adapters via the config utility. If there is no
NVRAM present, then any SCAM devices must be set to fixed IDs
so that SCAM always assigns those IDs.
* When Using ASPI8XX.SYS *
If you are using ASPI8XX.SYS, you must disable SCAM when
ASPI8XX.SYS is loaded on the command line. If you are using
ASPI8XX.SYS with the 4.XX BIOS, you must first disable SCAM
using the 4.XX config utility so that ASPI8XX.SYS accepts the
/SCAM=OFF switch. For example in config.sys, use the following:
device=c:\symbios\aspi8xx.sys /SCAM=OFF<>
Supported DOS Drivers
The SDMS 3.XX BIOS and SDMS 4.XX BIOS are both supported by
the SDMS 4.XX ASPI8XX DOS driver. Support for CD-ROM and MO
devices under DOS is provided by SYMCD.SYS and SYMDISK.SYS,
respectively. Neither SYMCD.SYS nor SYMDISK.SYS are required
for NetWare support of CD-ROM and MO devices.
The following is a list of DOS drivers currently supported
by the SYM8XXNW.HAM driver:
ASPI8XX.SYS
ASPI8XX provides an interface which allows for support of
non disk devices, and for DOS support of multiple Symbios
Logic controllers. ASPI8XX is not required for NetWare
support if you are not using the 3.XX BIOS. It is required
for NetWare installation, if you are using a SCSI CD-ROM
device attached that is attached to a Symbios Logic controller.
SYMCD.SYS
To install the NetWare operating system from CD-ROM, you must
load this driver with ASPI8XX.SYS. Once the NetWare operating
system installation is complete, CDROM.SYS is not needed. The
NetWare NWPA environment provides support for SCSI CD-ROMs under
NetWare.
MSCDEX.EXE
This driver (provided with DOS) is required in conjunction with
SYMCD.SYS to install NetWare from a CD-ROM. Due to a bug
in MSCDEX.EXE, the name assigned to the CD-ROM device not
match the base name of any file installed from the CD-ROM. A
recommended name to assign to the CD-ROM device is MSCD001.
SYMDISK.SYS
The SYMDISK.SYS driver provides support for removable media
devices under DOS. While you may load this driver in the
DOS environment, it is not required for NetWare support of
these devices.
Note:
The NetWare drivers can function independently of any DOS
drivers, with the following exceptions:
1. The installation of NetWare from a SCSI CD-ROM.
2. If you are using a 3.XX BIOS.
* When Using No SDMS BIOS *
The SYM8XXNW.HAM driver operates properly on a system when
no SDMS BIOS or SDMS DOS drivers are present. In this case,
DOS must reside on a device which is not connected to a Symbios
Logic controller based host adapter. As an example, DOS could
reside on an IDE drive.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.