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BOOTROM.TXT
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This file presents general information about the Symbios SCSI BIOS and
Configuration Utility Version 4.16.00 and greater.
This text file is divided into these sections:
SCSI BIOS
Features
Boot Initialization with SCSI BIOS Boot Specification
CD-ROM Boot Initialization
Starting the SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility
Using the Configuration Utility
Main Menu
Boot Adapter List
Global Properties
Adapter Properties
Device Properties
Quitting the SCSI Configuration Utility
* * * * * * * * * * * * SCSI BIOS * * * * * * * * * * *
A SCSI BIOS is the bootable ROM code that manages SCSI hardware resources. It
is specific to a family of Symbios SCSI controllers or processors. A Symbios
SCSI BIOS integrates with a standard system BIOS, extending the standard disk
service routine provided through INT13h.
During the boot time initialization, the SCSI BIOS determines if there are
other hard disks, such as an IDE drive, already installed by the system BIOS.
If there are, the SCSI BIOS maps any SCSI drives it finds behind the drive(s)
already installed. Otherwise, the SCSI BIOS installs drives starting with the
system boot drive. In this case, the system boots from a drive controlled by
the SCSI BIOS. For 4.05 versions and higher, LSI Logic supports the BIOS Boot
Specification (BBS).
The next section, "Boot Initialization with BIOS Boot Specification (BBS),"
discusses selecting boot and drive order.
* * * * * * * * * * * Features * * * * * * * * * * * *
o Supports configuration for up to 256 adapters-any 4 can be chosen for
INT13 (bootrom) support
o Supports all SYM53C8xx devices including SYM53C895A
o Support for SYM53C1510 device
o Support for SPI-3 Parallel Protocol Request (PPR)
o Support for Basic Domain Validation
* * * * Boot Initialization with BIOS Boot Specification (BBS) * * *
The Symbios SCSI BIOS provides support for the BIOS Boot Specification (BBS),
which allows you to choose which device to boot from by selecting the priority.
To use this feature, the system BIOS must also be compatible with the BBS. If
your system supports the BBS, then you will use the system BIOS setup menu to
select the boot and drive order. In the system BIOS setup, the Boot Connection
Devices menu appears with a list of available boot options. Use that menu to
select the device and rearrange the order. Then exit to continue the boot
process.
* * * * * * * * * CD-ROM Boot Initialization * * * * * * * * *
The Symbios SCSI BIOS supports boot initialization from a CD-ROM drive.
The five types of emulation are:
o No emulation disk
o Floppy 1.2 Mbyte emulation disk
o Floppy 1.44 Mbyte emulation disk
o Floppy 2.88 Mbyte emulation disk
o Hard disk emulation
The drive letter for the CD-ROM is assigned based on the type of emulation.
For example, if a 1.44 Mbyte floppy emulation CD was loaded, then the CD-ROM
drive would become the designated A: drive, and the existing floppy would
become drive B:.
* * * * * * Starting the SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility * * * * * *
If you have SCSI BIOS version 4.XX, and it includes the Symbios SCSI BIOS
Configuration Utility, you can change the default configuration of your SCSI
host adapters. You may decide to alter these default values if there is a
conflict between device settings or if you need to optimize system performance.
You can see the version number of the SCSI BIOS in a banner displayed on
your computer monitor during boot. If the utility is available, this message
also appears on your monitor:
Press Ctrl-C to start Symbios Configuration Utility...
This message remains on your screen for about five seconds, giving you time
to start the utility. If you decide to press "Ctrl-C", the message changes
to:
Please wait, invoking Symbios Configuration Utility...
After a brief pause, your computer monitor displays the Main Menu of the
Symbios PCI SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility.
To make changes with this menu driven utility, one or more Symbios SCSI host
adapters must have NVRAM (NonVolatile Random Access Memory) to store the
changes.
These messages may appear during the boot process:
1. "Adapter removed from boot order, parameters will be updated accordingly"
appears when an adapter is removed from the system or relocated behind a
PCI bridge.
2. "Configuration data invalid, saving default configuration!" appears
if none of the information in the NVRAM is valid.
3. "Found SCSI Controller not in following Boot Order List, to Add: Press
Ctrl-C to start Symbios Configuration Utility..." appears when less than
four adapters are in the boot order and more adapters exist than are
shown.
IMPORTANT: The SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility is a powerful tool. If, while
using it, you somehow disable all of your controllers, pressing
Ctrl-A (or Ctrl-E on version 4.04 or later) after memory
initialization during reboot allows you to re-enable and
reconfigure.
Note: Not all devices detected by the Configuration Utility can be
controlled by the BIOS. Devices such as tape drives and scanners
require that a device driver specific to that peripheral be loaded.
The SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility does allow parameters to be
modified for these devices.
* * * * * * * Using the Configuration Utility * * * * * * * *
* * * Screen Format * * *
All Configuration Utility screens are partitioned into the fixed areas. An
example is shown below:
X 0 79
Y ----------------------------------------
0 | Header Area |
----------------------------------------
1 | Menu Area |
----------------------------------------
2 | |
| |
... Main Area ...
| |
21 | |
----------------------------------------
22 | |
| Footer Area |
24 | |
----------------------------------------
Header Area
This area provides static information text, which is typically
the product title and version.
Menu Area
This area provides the current Main Area's menu, if any.
This area has a cursor for menu item selection.
Main Area
This is the main area for presenting data. This area has a cursor for item
selection, horizontal scrolling, and vertical scrolling. The horizontal and
vertical scroll bars appear here.
Footer Area
This area provides general help information text.
* * * User Input * * *
Throughout the GUI, selections that are not permissible are grayed out.
F1 = Help
Context sensitive help for the cursor-resident field.
F2 = Menu
Sets cursor context to the menu selection area.
Select a menu item and press Enter.
Arrow Keys = Select Item
Home/End = Select Item
Up, down, left, right movement to position the cursor.
+/- = Change [Item]
Items with values in [] brackets are modifiable.
Numeric keypad '+' and numeric keypad '-', update a modifiable field to
its next relative value.
Esc = Abort/Exit
Escape aborts the current context operation and/or exits the current
screen. User confirmation is solicited as required.
Enter = Execute <Item>
Items with values in <> brackets are executable.
Press Enter to execute the field's associated function.
* * * * * * * * * * * Main Menu * * * * * * * * * * * *
When the Symbios SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility is invoked, the Main Menu
appears. This screen displays a scrolling list of up to 256 Symbios PCI to
SCSI host adapters in the system and information about each of them.
Use the arrow keys to select an adapter, then press Enter to view and modify
the selected adapter's properties (and to gain access to the attached devices).
Only adapters with Symbios Control enabled can be accessed. Adapters with no
NVM will show default settings and cannot be changed.
When an adapter is selected and Enter is pressed, the adapter's SCSI bus is
scanned and the Adapter Properties screen appears. An example is shown below.
The Main Menu is also displayed. F2 positions the cursor on the menu.
Two menu items appear are included on the Main Menu: Boot Adapter List and
Global Properties.
Boot Adapter List allows selection and ordering of boot adapters. Refer to
the section on Boot Adapter List below.
Global Properties allows changes to global scope settings. Refer to the
section on Global Properties below.
To execute an item, select it and press Enter. Here is an example of
the Main Menu:
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| Symbios PCI SCSI Configuration Utility Version x.xx |
| <Boot Adapter List> <Global Properties> |
| |
| SYM53C8XX Host Bus Adapters |
| Adapter PCI Dev/ Port IRQ NVM Boot Symbios |
| Bus Func Number Order Control |
| <SYM53C815 0 98> ---- -- --- 2 Disabled |
| <SYM53C875 0 88> F400 10 Yes 0 Enabled |
| <SYM53C875 0 90> F800 9 Yes 1 Enabled |
| <SYM53C875 0 A0> E800 11 Yes 3 Enabled |
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
* * * Field Descriptions * * *
Adapter Indicates the specific SYM53C8XX Host Adapter.
PCI Bus Indicates the PCI Bus number (range 0x00 - 0xFF, 0 - 255 decimal)
assigned by the system BIOS to an adapter.
Dev/Func Indicates the PCI Device/Function assigned by the system BIOS to
an adapter.
An 8-bit value mapped as follows:
Bit # 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
|___________| |_____|
| |> Bits 2-0: Function (range 0 - 7)
|> Bits 7-3: Device (range 0x00 - 0x1F, 0 - 31 decimal).
Port Number The I/O Port Number used to communicate with an adapter, which is
assigned by the system BIOS.
IRQ The Interrupt Request Line used by an adapter.
This is assigned by the System BIOS.
NVM Indicates whether an adapter has non-volatile memory (NVM)
associated with it. An adapter's configuration is stored in its
associated NVM. NVM can refer to NVRAM that is resident on a
host adapter or to system NVS.
Boot Order Indicates the relative boot order (0 to 3) of an adapter.
The Symbios SCSI BIOS traverses up to four adapters in the
specified order in search of bootable media. Access the
"Boot Adapter List" Menu to modify this item.
Symbios Indicates whether an adapter is eligible for Symbios software
Control control or is reserved for control by non-Symbios software.
Global Indicates global properties that are not associated with a
Properties specific adapter or device.
* * * * * * * * * * Boot Adapter List * * * * * * * * * *
The adapter boot order specifies the order in which adapters will boot when
more than one Symbios adapter is in a system.
Up to four of the total adapters in a system may be selected as bootable.
To add an adapter to the boot list, press Insert while on the Boot Adapter
List. This puts the cursor on the adapter select list. Use the arrow keys to
select the desired adapter and press Enter to add it to the end of Boot
Adapter List.
To remove an adapter from the boot list, press Delete while on the desired
adapter in the Boot Adapter List. Here is an example of the Boot Adapter
List screen:
|----------------------------------------------------------|
| Symbios PCI SCSI Configuration Utility Version x.xx |
| |
| Boot Adapter List |
| Insert=Add an adapter Delete=Remove an adapter |
| |
| Adapter PCI Dev/ Boot Current Next |
| Bus Func Order Status Boot |
| <SYM53C875 0 88> [0] On [On] |
| <SYM53C875 0 90> [1] On [On] |
| <SYM53C815 0 98> [2] Off [Off] |
| <SYM53C875 0 A0> [3] On [On] |
| |
| Press Insert to select an adapter from this list: |
| <SYM53C815 0 98> |
| <SYM53C875 0 88> |
| <SYM53C875 0 90> |
| <SYM53C875 0 A0> |
|----------------------------------------------------------|
* * * Field Descriptions * * *
Adapter Indicates the specific SYM53C8XX Host Bus Adapter.
PCI Bus Indicates the PCI Bus number (range 0x00 - 0xFF, 0 - 255 decimal)
assigned by the system BIOS to an adapter.
Dev/Func Indicates the PCI Device/Function assigned by the System BIOS to
an adapter.
An 8-bit value mapped as follows:
Bit # 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
|___________| |_____|
| |> Bits 2-0: Function (range 0 - 7)
|> Bits 7-3: Device (range 0x00 - 0x1F, 0 - 31 decimal).
Boot Order Specifies the relative boot order (0 to 3) of an adapter.
- : decreases an adapter's relative boot order.
+ : increases an adapter's relative boot order.
Current Indicates whether an adapter in the boot list was enabled during
Status the most recent boot.Disabled adapters and their attached devices
are ignored by the Symbios PCI SCSI BIOS, they are still visible
to the Configuration Utility.
Next Boot Specifies whether to enable an adapter upon the next boot. The
Symbios SCSI BIOS ignores disabled adapters and their attached
devices although they are still visible to the Configuration
Utility.
* * * * * * * * * * Global Properties * * * * * * * * * *
The Global Properties option on the Main Menu allows the user to set Display
and Video modes as well as a pause if an alert message has been displayed.
Here is an example of the Global Properties screen:
|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Symbios PCI SCSI Configuration Utility Version x.xx |
| |
| Global Properties |
| |
| Pause When Boot Alert Displayed [Yes] |
| Boot Information Display Mode [Verbose] |
| Negotiate with devices [Supported]|
| Video Mode [Color] |
| |
| <Restore Defaults> |
|-------------------------------------------------------|
* * * Field Descriptions * * *
Pause When Boot Alert Displayed
This option specifies whether to pause for user acknowledgement after
displaying an alert message during boot. The Boot Alert setting can be
either No or Yes.
To continue after displaying a message, specify No.
To wait for any key after displaying a message, specify Yes.
Boot Information Display Mode
This option specifies the information display mode of the BIOS during
boot. It controls how much information about adapters and devices
are displayed during boot. The Display Mode setting can be either Terse
or Verbose.
To display minimum information, specify Terse mode.
To display detailed information, specify Verbose mode.
Negotiate with devices
This option sets the default value for synchronous and wide
negotiations with specified devices. Options are: All, None, or
Supported.
Video Mode
This option specifies the default video mode for the Configuration
Utility. The Video Mode setting can be either Color or Monochrome. The
monochrome setting enhances readability on a monochrome monitor.
<Restore Defaults>
Press Enter to obtain default settings.
* * * * * * * * * Adapter Properties * * * * * * * * * *
The Adapter Properties screen allows the user to view and modify adapter
settings. It also provides access to an adapter's device settings. Here is
an example of the Adapter Properties screen:
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Symbios PCI SCSI Configuration Utility Version x.xx |
| |
| Adapter Properties SYM53C875 0 A0 |
| |
| <Device Properties> |
| |
| SCSI Parity [Yes] |
| Host SCSI ID [ 7] |
| SCSI Bus Scan Order [Low to High (0..Max)] |
| Removable Media Support [None] |
| CHS Mapping [SCSI Plug and Play Mapping] |
| Spinup Delay (Secs) [ 2] |
| Secondary Cluster Server [No] |
| Termination Control [Auto] |
| |
| <Restore Defaults> |
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
* * * Field Descriptions * * *
<Device Properties>
To view and modify device properties, press Enter.
SCSI Parity
This field indicates whether SCSI parity is enabled for an adapter.
When disabled, it is also necessary to disable disconnects for all
devices, as parity checking for the reselection phase is NOT disabled.
If a non-parity generating device disconnects, its operation will never
complete because the reselection fails due to parity error.
Host SCSI ID
This field indicates the SCSI identifier of an adapter [0-7] or [0-15].
It is recommended that this field be set to the highest priority SCSI
identifier, which is 7.
Note: 8-bit SCSI devices cannot see identifiers greater than 7.
SCSI Bus Scan Order
This field indicates the order in which to scan SCSI identifiers on an
adapter. Changing this item will affect drive letter assignment(s) if more
than one device is attached to an adapter.
Note: Changing this item may conflict with an operating system that
automatically assigns drive order.
Removable Media Support
This field specifies the removable media support option for an adapter.
Three settings are allowed:
None indicates no removable media support whether the drive is selected as
first (BBS), or is first in the scan order (non-BBS).
Boot Drive Only provides removable media support for a removable hard drive
if it is first in the scan order.
With Media Installed provides removable media support wherever the drive(s)
actually resides.
CHS Mapping
This field defines how the Cylinder Head Sector values are mapped onto a disk
without pre-existing partition information. CHS Mapping allows two settings:
SCSI Plug and Play Mapping (default value) and Alternate CHS Mapping.
SCSI Plug and Play Mapping automatically determines the most efficient
and compatible mapping.
Alternate CHS Mapping utilizes an alternate, possibly less efficient mapping
that may be required if a device is moved between adapters from different
vendors.
Note: Neither of these options has any effect after a disk has been
partitioned using the FDISK command. The FDISK /MBR command erases
all partitioning and data that has been mapped.
CAUTION: Use care to ensure that the correct disk is the target of an
FDISK /MBR command.
Note: After clearing the partition data, it is necessary to reboot to clear
memory or the old partitioning data will be reused, thus nullifying
the previous operation.
Spinup Delay (Secs)
This field indicates the number of seconds to wait between spinups of
devices attached to an adapter. Staggered spinups will balance the total
electrical current load on the system during boot. The default value is 2
seconds with choices between 1 and 10 seconds.
Secondary Cluster Server
This field indicates whether an adapter has one or more devices attached
that are shared with one or more other adapters and therefore, the Symbios
PCI SCSI BIOS should avoid SCSI Bus resets as much as possible.
This option allows the user to enable an adapter to join a cluster of
adapters without doing any SCSI bus resets. This is a requirement for
Microsoft Cluster Server. The default value is No with an alternate option
of Yes.
Termination Control
This field indicates whether an adapter has automatic termination control,
and if so, its current status. Two settings are:
Auto : The adapter automatically determines whether it should
enable or disable its termination.
Off : Termination at the adapter is off, the devices at the
ends of the SCSI bus must terminate the bus.
Note: If Auto is grayed out, it means that termination is automatic, not
programmable.
Restore Defaults
To obtain default settings, press Enter.
* * * * * * * * * * Device Properties * * * * * * * * * *
The Device Properties screen provides viewing and updating of individual
device settings for an adapter.
Changing a setting for the host device (for example, SCSI ID 7) changes
the setting for all devices. Here is an example of the Device Properties
screen:
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Symbios PCI SCSI Configuration Utility Version x.xx |
| |
| Device Properties SYM53C875 0 A0 |
| |
| SCSI Device Identifier Sync Data Scan Scan Dis- |
| ID Rate Width Id LUNs > 0 connect |
| 0 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 1 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 2 NEC CD-ROM DRIVE:4621.15 [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 3 SEAGATE ST31055N 0594 [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 4 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 5 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 6 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 7 SYM53C875 [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 8 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 9 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 10 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 11 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 12 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 13 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 14 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| 15 - [20] [16] [Yes] [Yes] [On] |
| << Scroll Indicator >> |
| |
| SCSI Device Identifier SCSI Queue Boot Format |
| ID Timeout Tags Choice |
| 0 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 1 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 2 NEC CD-ROM DRIVE:4621.15 < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 3 SEAGATE ST31055N 0594 < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 4 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 5 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 6 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 7 SYM53C875 < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 8 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 9 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 10 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 11 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 12 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 13 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 14 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| 15 - < 10> [On] [No] <Format> |
| << Scroll Indicator >> |
| |
| SCSI Device Identifier Verify Restore |
| ID Defaults |
| 0 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 1 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 2 NEC CD-ROM DRIVE:4621.15 <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 3 SEAGATE ST31055N 0594 <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 4 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 5 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 6 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 7 SYM53C875 <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 8 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 9 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 10 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 11 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 12 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 13 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 14 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| 15 - <Verify> <Defaults> |
| << Scroll Indicator >> |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
* * * Field Descriptions * * *
SCSI ID
This field indicates the device's SCSI Identifier.
Device Identifier
This field indicates the ASCII device identifier string extracted from
the device's Inquiry Data.
Sync Rate
This field indicates the maximum synchronous data transfer rate, in
Mega Transfers per second.
Mega Transfers/ Data Data Synchronous
Second Width= 8 Width=16 Period nsec
MBytes/s MBytes/s
--------------- -------- -------- -----------
0=Async 0=Async 0=Async 0=Async
5 5 10 200
10 10 20 100
20 20 40 50
40 40 80 25
Data Width
This field indicates the maximum data width in bits.
Scan ID
This field indicates whether to scan for this SCSI identifier at boot time.
This item can be used to ignore a device and to decrease boot time by
disabling the inquiry of unused SCSI identifiers.
Set this option to "No" if there is a device that you do not want to be
available to the system. Also, on a bus with only a few devices attached,
the user can speed up boot time by changing this setting to "No" for all
unused SCSI IDs.
Scan LUNs > 0
This field indicates whether to scan for LUNs greater than zero for a
device. LUN zero is always queried. This option should be used if a
multi-LUN device responds to unoccupied LUNs or if it is desired to reduce
the visibility of a multi-LUN device to LUN zero only.
Set this option to "No" if you have problems with a device that responds to
all LUNs whether they are occupied or not. Also, if a SCSI device with
multiple LUNs exists on your system but you do not want all of those LUNs to
be available to the system, then set this option to "No." This will limit
the scan to LUN 0 only.
Disconnect
This field indicates whether to allow a device to disconnect during SCSI
operations. Some (mostly newer) devices run faster with disconnect enabled,
while some (mostly older) devices run faster with disconnect disabled.
SCSI Timeout
This field indicates the maximum amount of time [0 to 9999] in seconds to
wait for a SCSI operation to complete.
Since timeouts provide a safeguard that allows the system to recover
should an operation fail, it is recommended that a value greater than
zero be used. A value of zero allows unlimited time for an operation
to complete and could result in the system hanging (waiting forever)
should an operation fail.
Press Enter, type in a value, and then press Enter again to specify a new
timeout value.
Queue Tags
This field indicates whether to allow the use of queue tags for a device.
Currently the BIOS does not use queue tags. This item specifies queue tag
control to higher level device drivers.
Boot Choice
This field indicates whether this device may possibly be selected as the
boot device. This option is only applicable to devices attached to adapter
number zero (in the boot list) on non-BBS systems. It provides primitive BBS
flexibility to non-BBS systems.
Format
Press Enter to low-level format the device.
If enabled, this option allows low-level formatting on a disk drive.
Low-level formatting will completely and irreversibly erase all data on the
drive.
Note: Formatting will default the drive to a 512-byte sector size even if
the drive had previously been formatted to another sector size.
Verify
Press Enter to verify all sectors on the device and to reassign defective
Logical Block Addresses (LBAs).
Restore Defaults
Press Enter to obtain default settings.
* * * * * * Quitting the SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility * * * * * *
Since some changes only take effect after your system reboots, it is
important that you exit this configuration utility properly. To exit, press
Esc (Escape key) and respond to the verification prompts that follow.
Important: If you reboot the system without properly exiting from this
utility, some changes may not take effect.
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.