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WINNT.TXT
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Installation Guide for the Symbios SDMS Drivers: SYMC8XX.SYS V4.13.00
SYM_HI.SYS V4.13.00
LSI_U3.SYS V5.01.00
This file describes the features and use of the Symbios SDMS device
drivers for the Windows NT 3.5x/4.x operating system environment. It is
divided into the following sections:
Introduction for Windows NT 3.5x/4.x
Features
Symbios Devices Supported
Description
Installing the SYMC8XX.SYS/SYM_HI.SYS/LSI_U3.SYS Driver(s)
New System Installation
CD-ROM Installation
Boot Floppy Disk Installation
Existing System Installation
Windows NT 4.x
Windows NT 3.5x
Performance Tuning for NT 4.0
Large Block Size Support
Maximum Number of Concurrent I/Os
Disk Mirroring
Troubleshooting
******************** Introduction for Windows NT 3.5x/4.x ********************
Windows NT is an operating system designed to run on processors using current
technology. It provides a graphical user interface environment incorporating
many high-level features (refer to the Microsoft Windows NT documentation
for details). An I/O manager handles I/O requests in Windows NT. To address
a SCSI peripheral, the I/O manager goes through the appropriate drivers.
Class drivers for hard disk, floptical, CD-ROM, printer, and scanner
peripherals are provided in Windows NT.
Other class drivers, provided by peripheral manufacturers, may be added to
support new devices. Tape device support is built into the operating system
itself and does not require a class driver. LSI Logic and Microsoft provide
miniport drivers, called SYMC8XX.SYS, SYM_HI.SYS, and LSI_U3.SYS to complete
the path to a Symbios controller or processor with an optional SDMS SCSI
BIOS. The next sections describe these drivers and their installation.
* * * * * * * * * * * Features * * * * * * * * * * * *
o Supports Ultra3 Data Transfers (for chips that support this feature)
o Supports Domain Validation (for LSI_U3.SYS driver only)
o Synchronous negotiation (including Fast SCSI/Ultra SCSI/Ultra2 SCSI)
o Wide negotiation
o Tagged command queuing
o Supports multiple host adapters
o Supports multiple Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs)
o Allows Disconnect/Reselect
o Supports Scatter-Gather
o Provides Differential support
o Supports SCSI pass-through functionality
o Supports disk array configurations with no LUN 0
o Supports disk array configurations with non-contiguous LUNs
o Supports target initiated negotiation
o Auto request sense
o Maximum block size support: NT 4.0 - 1 MB, NT 3.5x - 256K
o NVRAM support (wide/sync parameters, SCSI Host ID)
* * * * * * * * Symbios Devices Supported * * * * * * * * *
The SYMC8XX.SYS driver is named "Symbios PCI (53C8XX)" for driver
installation. It supports the following devices and Symbios host adapters
based on those devices:
o SYM53C810, SYM53C810A, SYM53C810AE (SYM8100S, SYM8100ASP)
o SYM53C815 (SYM815XS, SYM8150SP)
o SYM53C825, SYM53C825A (SYM8250S, SYM8251S, SYM8251D, SYM8250ASP,
SYM8251ASP, SYM8251AD)
o SYM53C860, SYM53C860AE (SYM8600SP)
o SYM53C875, SYM53C875E (SYM8750SP, SYM8751SP, SYM8751D)
o SYM53C876 (SYM22801, SYM22802)
o SYM53C885
o SYM53C895, (SYM8951U, SYM8952U)
The SYM_HI.SYS driver is named "Symbios PCI High Performance Driver" for
driver installation. It supports the following devices and associated Symbios
host adapters:
o SYM53C895A (SYM8953U)
o SYM53C896 (SYM22910, SYM21002)
The LSI_U3.SYS driver is named "LSI Logic Ultra3 PCI SCSI Driver" for
driver installation. It supports the following device and associated Symbios
host adapter:
o SYM53C1010 (SYM8955U)
* * * * * * * * * * * Description * * * * * * * * * * *
SYMC8XX.SYS, SYM_HI.SYS, and LSI_U3.SYS are designed to Microsoft's speci-
fication for miniport drivers. These drivers allow connection of SCSI devices
including disk drives, CD-ROMs, and tape drives for PCI-based machines. To
support a new SCSI device, the Windows NT architecture requires that a class
driver for that type device be present (usually supplied by Microsoft, or
possibly by the peripheral manufacturer). No changes to SYMC8XX.SYS,
SYM_HI.SYS, or LSI_U3.SYS are required. These drivers are only supported under
Windows NT 3.51 and later versions (including NT 4.0). They do not run under
earlier versions of Windows NT.
SCSI commands are passed directly from a Windows application to the SCSI
devices by using the SCSI pass-through facility (refer to the Microsoft
Windows NT 3.5x/4.x documentation for details). This facility allows
applications to directly control and access SCSI devices by filling in a
data structure and calling into the port or class driver.
The SYMC8XX.SYS and SYM_HI.SYS drivers support Ultra SCSI protocol, providing
twice the raw data transfer rate of Fast SCSI for disk drives and Symbios host
adapters that support Ultra SCSI. These drivers also support Ultra2 protocol,
providing quadruple the raw data transfer rate of Fast SCSI. The LSI_U3.SYS
driver supports Ultra3 SCSI protocol providing 80 Mbytes/s of data transfer and
up to 160 Mbytes/s data transfer for double transition.
CAUTION: Ultra SCSI requires more stringent SCSI bus cabling setups than Fast
SCSI. Ultra2 and Ultra3 SCSI require low-voltage differential (LVD)
termination.
NOTE: The Symbios driver bundled in Windows NT 3.51 is named NCRC810.SYS.
When Windows NT selects the bundled Symbios driver during setup, the
driver information (that is, "NCR C810 PCI SCSI Host Adapter") appears.
Although this implies that the driver only supports the SYM53C810, it
actually supports the SYM53C810, SYM53C810A, SYM53C815, SYM53C825, and
SYM53C825A. In fact, the Symbios bundled driver controls all of the
controllers listed that are in the system.
Keep in mind that the Windows NT 3.51 setup only displays the
driver information, and not every controller found by that driver.
The Symbios driver bundled in Windows NT 4.0 is named SYMC810.SYS.
When Windows NT selects the bundled Symbios driver during setup,
the driver information (that is, "Symbios C810 PCI SCSI Host
Adapter") appears. Although this implies that the driver only
supports the SYM53C810, it actually supports the SYM53C810, SYM53C810A,
SYM53C815, SYM53C825, SYM53C825A, SYM53C860, SYM53C875, and SYM53C876.
This driver does not "see" or support the SYM53C885, SYM53C895,
SYM53C896 and any newer host adapters that Symbios currently produces.
Keep in mind that the Windows NT 4.0 setup only displays the
driver information, and not every controller found by that driver.
*********** Installing the SYMC8XX.SYS/SYM_HI.SYS/LSI_U3.SYS Driver ************
* * * * * * * * * * New System Installation * * * * * * * * *
This procedure installs the SYMC8XX.SYS, SYM_HI.SYS, or LSI_U3.SYS driver onto
a Windows NT system. Use this procedure when installing Windows NT onto an
unused SCSI drive. Windows NT automatically adds the driver to the registry
and copies the driver to the appropriate directory.
There are two methods for installing Windows NT on a new system. One method
uses boot floppy disks, and the other boots directly from the Windows NT CD-ROM.
Different steps are required depending on the method used. For Compaq/DEC
systems based on the Alpha processor, CD-ROM installation is the only method
available. The CD-ROM Installation and Boot Floppy Diskette Installation
procedures are listed below. Select the appropriate installation for your
system.
CD-ROM Installation
1. The driver that is bundled with Windows NT 4.0 is SYMC810.SYS. This driver
supports controllers that are listed in the "NOTE" above. Proceed to step 2.
For an installation to a Multi-Processor system using Windows NT 3.51,
follow steps A through D:
A. On installation diskette #1 remove the file HAL486C.DLL.
B. Copy HALMPS.DLL from the NT 3.51 CD to this diskette.
(This file can be found under the /i386 directory on the CD.)
C. Rename HALMPS.DLL to HAL486C.DLL.
D. Continue to install Windows NT 3.51 with step 2.
IMPORTANT: Read Steps 2 and 3 before performing the instructions
contained within these steps.
2. Start the Windows NT installation by booting from the Windows NT CD-ROM:
For Intel-based systems, the system BIOS must support booting from a CD-ROM.
Symbios BIOS settings may need to be changed to allow CD-ROM booting.
For Alpha-based systems, from the firmware Boot menu, select Supplimentary
menu, then select Install Windows NT from CD-ROM.
3. When the screen displays "Windows NT Setup", press the F6 key. This must be
done or else the new driver installed from the Symbios Driver diskette will
not be recognized.
Note: If F6 is not pressed, the user is still given the opportunity to load
additional drivers later in the installation process. However, any
driver loaded at this later time is not recognized and no devices
controlled by that driver are available during Windows NT Setup.
4. When the screen displays "Setup could not determine the type of one or more
mass storage devices...", choose S to specify an additional device.
NOTE: If this screen is not displayed as the first user input, then the F6
keypress was not seen by the setup program. Reboot the system and
try again.
5. When prompted for the manufacturer-supplied hardware support disk, insert
the appropriate Symbios Driver diskette containing the Windows NT driver
required to support your Symbios adapter(s) and press Enter. The diskettes
are distributed with the adapters. Current Windows NT drivers can also be
downloaded from the LSI Logic Web Site at: www.lsilogic.com. After being
connected to this web site, click on the Drivers link (yellow box). The
PCI-SCSI software section for chips and boards appears. Click on the
Select PCI Software or Drivers link. Read the agreement and click on the
agree button. The PCI-SCSI Drivers and Utilities page appears. On this page,
you may select the driver or utility needed and download it to your machine.
NOTE: If more than one Symbios driver needs to be installed, they can be
installed one after the other using steps 4 through 6. Installation
order is not important.
6. Depending on the driver being installed, either "Symbios PCI (53C8XX)",
"Symbios PCI High Performance Driver", or "LSI Logic Ultra3 PCI SCSI Driver"
is shown highlighted. Press Enter to proceed.
7. Windows NT should now recognize the Miniport driver(s) and the SCSI
hardware. Press Enter to continue.
At this point, simply follow the Microsoft Windows NT installation
procedure.
Boot Floppy Disk Installation
1. The driver that is bundled with Windows NT 4.0 is SYMC810.SYS. This driver
supports controllers that are listed in the "NOTE" above.
If the bundled driver will support the Symbios chip which is being used,
please skip to step 3. Otherwise, continue with step 2.
For an installation to a multi-processor system using Windows NT 3.51,
follow steps A through D:
A. On installation diskette #1 remove the file HAL486C.DLL.
B. Copy HALMPS.DLL from the NT 3.51 CD to this diskette.
(This file can be found under the /i386 directory on the CD.)
C. Rename HALMPS.DLL to HAL486C.DLL.
D. Continue to install Windows NT 3.51 with step 2.
IMPORTANT: Read Step 2 before performing the instructions
contained within this step.
2. Start the Windows NT installation by booting from the Microsoft Setup
floppy disk.
3. Press Enter when the Welcome to Setup screen appears. The Windows NT
Workstation Setup window appears next.
4. Press S to skip automatic detection and do manual selection. A screen
displays the message "Setup has recognized the following mass storage
devices in your computer..."
NOTE: Steps 5 & 6 occur with Win 3.51; for Win 4.0, go to Step 7.
5. With floppy diskette 2, an initial setup screen appears that prompts the
user to continue by pressing Enter. Press Enter to see the additional setup
screens: Custom Setup or Express Setup. LSI Logic recommends that the user
choose the Custom Setup option by pressing C to skip the automatic scan of
SCSI adapters and drivers, which is done by the Express Setup option.
NOTE: If Express Setup is chosen, the installation program scans for SCSI
adapters and finds the Symbios PCI (53C810) driver (NCR810.SYS for
NT 3.5x, SYMC810.SYS for NT 4.0), which is an older version of the
SYMC8XX.SYS driver. Let the installation continue. When installation
completes, change the driver. See the "Existing System Installation"
section of these procedures to change the driver.
6. Press S to skip mass storage device detection. (If Enter is pressed, the
installation program scans for SCSI adapters and finds the Symbios PCI
(53C810) driver (NCRC810.SYS for NT 3.5x, SYMC810.SYS for NT 4.0), which
is an older version of the SYMC8XX.SYS driver. Let installation continue.
When the installation completes, change the driver. To change the driver,
see the "Existing System Installation" section.)
7. When a screen displays the SCSI adapters found, choose S to configure
additional SCSI adapters.
8. Move the highlight bar to Other and press Enter.
9. When prompted for the manufacturer-supplied hardware support disk, insert
the appropriate Symbios Driver diskette containing the Windows NT driver
required to support your Symbios adapter(s) and press Enter.
Note: Current Windows NT drivers can also be downloaded from the LSI Logic
Web Site at: www.lsilogic.com. After being connected to this web site,
click on the Drivers link (yellow box). The PCI-SCSI software section for
chips and boards appears. Click on the Select PCI Software or Drivers link.
Read the agreement and click on the agree button. The PCI-SCSI Drivers and
Utilities page appears. On this page, you may select the driver or utility
needed and download it to your machine.
NOTE: If more than one Symbios driver needs to be installed, they can be
installed one after the other using steps 7 through 10. Installation
order is not important.
10. Depending on the driver being installed, either "Symbios PCI (53C8XX)",
"Symbios PCI High Performance Driver" or "LSI Logic Ultra3 PCI SCSI Driver"
is shown highlighted. Press Enter to proceed.
11. The Windows NT Workstation Setup window reappears. If using an IDE
CD-ROM for installation, press S to load additional drives. Another
window appears. Scroll up and select:
"IDE CD-ROM (ATAPI 1.2)/PCI IDE Controller"
Press Enter.
-or-
If you have completed configuring additional SCSI adapters, press
Enter.
12. Upon exiting, a screen displays the message "Setup will load support for
the following mass storage devices(s). Press Enter to continue. This
message implies that Windows NT recognizes the miniport driver and the
SCSI hardware.
At this point, simply follow the Microsoft Windows NT installation
procedure.
* * * * * * * * * Existing System Installation * * * * * * * *
This procedure installs the SYMC8XX.SYS, SYM_HI.SYS, or LSI_U3.SYS driver onto
an existing Windows NT system.
NOTE: Windows NT 4.x uses the Windows 95/98 user interface, resulting in minor
changes to the procedure for updating SCSI drivers. Procedures for both
NT 4.x and NT 3.5x are listed.
* * * Windows NT 4.x * * *
1. Boot Windows NT and log on as Administrator.
2. Click on the Start button. Move to Settings-->Control Panel and click.
3. Double click on SCSI Adapters.
4. Click on the Drivers tab. If NCRSDMS.SYS, NCRC810.SYS, NCRC8XX.SYS, or
SYMC810.SYS drivers are listed, and you are installing the SYMC8XX driver,
select the driver(s) and choose Remove before adding the new SYMC8XX driver.
Also, if the name of the driver you are installing (SYMC8XX.SYS, SYM_HI.SYS,
or LSI_U3.SYS) is listed, remove it before adding the new driver. Select OK
when the Remove Driver message prompts, "Are you sure you want to remove
this driver?". Another message may appear and prompt for a response, "The
SCSI Adapter has been marked as a boot device ...". If so, click on the OK
button.
5. Click Add. A list of installed adapters is displayed.
6. Click the Have Disk button.
7. When prompted, insert the appropriate Symbios Driver diskette containing
the Windows NT driver required to support your Symbios adapter(s). For the
path to copy manufacturer's files from, enter
A:\WINNT\MINIPORT
Select OK.
8. Depending on the driver being installed, either "Symbios PCI (53C8XX)",
"Symbios PCI High Performance Driver", or "LSI Logic Ultra3 PCI SCSI Driver"
is shown highlighted on the Install Driver menu. If it is not highlighted,
select it. Choose OK.
At this point, the following message may occur:
"The driver(s) for this SCSI Adapter are already on the system. Do you
want to use the currently installed driver(s) or install new one(s)?"
Selecting Current uses the driver already on the system, and selecting New
uses the driver on the floppy diskette. Unless you want to use the older
version already on the system, choose New. If you chose Current, go to
step 10.
9. For the path to the OEM SCSI Adapter files, A:\WINNT\MINIPORT should be
displayed. Select Continue. Then remove the floppy diskette from the
A: drive.
10.The System Settings Change message displays "You must restart your computer
before the new settings take effect. Do you want to restart your computer
now?" Click on the Yes button to restart and reboot NT. If you choose Cancel,
remember that you must restart the computer to load the new driver.
11.If more than one Symbios driver needs to be installed, they can be installed
one after the other without rebooting for each one. Installation order is
not important.
12.Rebooting loads your new miniport driver(s).
Windows NT 3.5x
1. Boot Windows NT and log on as Administrator.
2. Open the Main window in the Program Manager.
3. Double click on Windows NT Setup.
4. Choose Options, then choose Add/Remove SCSI Adapters.... If NCRSDMS.SYS,
NCRC810.SYS, NCRC8XX.SYS, or SYMC810.SYS drivers are listed, and you are
installing the SYMC8XX driver, select the driver(s) and choose Remove before
adding the new SYMC8XX driver. Also, if the driver name of the driver you
are installing (SYMC8XX.SYS, SYM_HI.SYS, or LSI_U3.SYS) is listed, remove it
before adding the new driver. Select OK when the Setup Message prompts, "Are
you sure you want to remove the selected SCSI Adapter?"
5. Then choose Add, and select OK when the Setup Message prompts, "Are you
sure you want to add a SCSI Adapter?"
6. On the SCSI Adapter list, go to the bottom and choose Other.
7. When prompted, insert your Symbios Driver diskette containing the
appropriate Windows NT driver required to support your Symbios adapter(s).
For the path to copy manufacturer's files from, enter
A:\WINNT\MINIPORT
Select OK.
8. Depending on the driver being installed, either "Symbios PCI (53C8XX)",
"Symbios PCI High Performance Driver", or "LSI Logic Ultra3 PCI SCSI Driver"
is shown highlighted on the Select OEM Option menu. If it is not
highlighted, select it. Choose OK.
9. On the Select SCSI Adapter Option menu, choose Install with the appropriate
driver highlighted.
At this point, the following message may be displayed:
"The driver(s) for this SCSI Adapter are already on the system. Do you
want to use the currently installed driver(s) or install new one(s)?"
Selecting Current uses the driver already on the system, and selecting New
uses the driver on the floppy diskette. Unless you want to use the older
version already on the system, choose New. If you chose Current, go to
step 11.
10. For the path to the OEM SCSI Adapter files, A:\WINNT\MINIPORT should be
displayed. Select Continue.
11. On the SCSI Adapter Setup menu, choose Close.
12. If more than one Symbios driver needs to be installed, they can be
installed one after the other without rebooting for each one. Installation
order is not important.
13. Rebooting loads your new miniport driver(s).
* * * * * * * * * Performance Tuning for NT 4.0 * * * * * * *
Windows NT 4.0 has registry entries that can be used to improve the performance
of SCSI I/O for certain configurations. The tunable parameters are large
transfer block size support and a guaranteed number of concurrent I/Os for a
particular SCSI bus.
* * * Large Block Size Support * * *
The SYMC8XX.SYS, SYM_HI.SYS, and LSI_U3.SYS drivers can support up to a 1 MB
transfer size in NT 4.0 and a 256K transfer size in NT 3.5x. This larger
transfer size in NT 3.5x is enabled by default and cannot be changed. However,
in NT 4.0 the default transfer size is 64K. To enable a larger transfer size,
an entry must be added to the registry, using the file sym_256K.reg
(SYMC8XX.SYS and SYM_HI.SYS) or lu3_256K.reg (LSI_U3.SYS). This file will set
a 256K maximum, but it can be edited to set other desired maximum transfer
sizes. There are two methods to add this registry setting.
1. Locate the sym_256K.reg or lu3_256K.reg data file (supplied with the driver
files) using Windows Explorer and double-click on the file.
-OR-
2. Type at the command prompt:
regedit sym_256K.reg ( or regedit lu3_256K.reg)
This inserts an entry in the registry to enable 256K block size support.
Editing the sym_256K.reg or lu3_256K.reg file can set any maximum block size
between 64K and 1 MB (-8 KB). The formula to calculate the proper value for
MaximumSGList is:
MaximumSGList = (Maximum Block Size)/4K +1
For 256K: 256K/4K = 64, add 1 for 65 (decimal) or 0x41(hexadecimal). The
maximum value allowed for MaximumSGLIst is 255 or 0xFF. This denotes an
absolute maximum transfer size of 1040384, which is 8K less than 1 MB
(1040384/4K = 0xFE, add 1 for 0xFF or 255). Be sure to read the information
in the sym_256K.reg or lu3_256K.reg data file before editing it.
The system must be rebooted for the new registry setting to be effective.
To reset the maximum block size to the default of 64K, follow the instructions
above, except use symdfblk.reg or lu3dfblk.reg as the data file.
* * * * * * Maximum Number of Concurrent I/Os (Guaranteed) * * * * * *
Both Windows NT 3.51 and 4.0 only guarantee a maximum of 32 concurrent I/Os
active on a particular SCSI bus. However, due to the method of memory
allocation, the actual limit of concurrent I/Os can vary greatly between
various drivers or versions of drivers. This can have a huge impact on
performance benchmarking between different driver versions or adapter vendors.
In effect, one adapter may actually be able to have 70 or 80 I/Os outstanding,
while another adapter could only have 32. This can also affect systems with
high performance storage subsystems, such as disk arrays.
Note: Windows NT 3.51 cannot be tuned for this parameter. Only Windows NT 4.0
uses this setting.
In order to have a guaranteed number of concurrent I/Os, an entry must be
added to the registry, using the file sym100io.reg (SYMC8XX.SYS or SYM_HI.SYS)
or lu3100io.reg (LSI_U3.SYS).
There are two methods to add this registry setting. One is to locate the
sym100io.reg or lu3100io.reg data file (supplied with the driver files)
using Windows Explorer and double click on the file. The other method is to
type at the command prompt:
regedit sym100io.reg (or regedit lu3100io.reg)
This inserts an entry in the registry to guarantee a maximum of 100
concurrent I/Os per adapter.
If a maximum other than 100 is desired, the sym100io.reg or lu3100io.reg file
can be edited. However, setting this value to a high number uses increasing
amounts of non-paged pool memory, a critical NT resource. High values for this
setting can degrade system performance. Be sure to read the information in the
sym100io.reg or lu3100io.reg data file before editing it.
The system must be rebooted for the new registry setting to be effective.
To reset the guaranteed number of concurrent I/Os to the default of 32,
follow the instructions above, except use symdefio.reg or lu3defio.reg as
the data file.
* * * Auto Request Sense * * *
Enabling and Disabling Auto Request Sense is found in the section titled
"Troubleshooting."
* * * * * * * * * * * Disk Mirroring * * * * * * * * * *
Note: This section applies only to Intel x86-platforms where the Symbios 4.XX
PCI SCSI BIOS is used.
Symbios 4.XX PCI SCSI BIOS loads only one image into the system memory at boot
time regardless of how many host adapters are used in the system. All of the
disk drives on all host adapters will be recognized through the INT13h function
call. Because of this implementation, disk mirroring under NT needs to be done
by following instructions which might be different from Microsoft's
documentation.
To create an NT Fault Tolerant (FT) floppy diskette so that you can boot from
the mirrored partition in case the primary partition fails, follow these steps:
1. Format a floppy diskette in drive A: using NT (File Manager or Windows
Explorer) for use as a Fault Tolerant boot floppy.
2. From the root directory of the primary partition, copy NTLDR,
NTDETECT.COM, and BOOT.INI to this floppy diskette.
3. Temporarily remove the read-only attribute of the BOOT.INI file so that it
can be modified and saved.
4. Edit the BOOT.INI file on the FT floppy diskette and modify the following
line where you want to boot the mirrored partition:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(x)partition(y)\<winnt_directory>
where
multi(0) and disk(0) should always remain same.
x = the drive number of the mirrored partition in the INT13 chain minus 80h.
The drive number of the mirrored partition can be found during system
bootup of the Symbios 4.XX PCI SCSI BIOS when the primary partition does
not exist. It should say either BOOT (=80h), 81h, 82h, and higher.
Therefore, the value of x would be 0 when BOOT, 1 when 81h, 2 when
82h, etc.
y = the partition number on the drive (starts at 1 which equals single
partition on the drive)
The next example provides a scenario to better illustrate the above
information.
EXAMPLE: Two Symbios 8xx host adapters are in the system.
The first HBA, HBA #0 which is the boot path, has two SCSI hard drives on
ID 0 and ID 5. The second host adapter,HBA #1, has two SCSI hard drives on
ID 2 and ID 4. Assuming that the SCSI bus scan starts from ID 0 and goes up,
the drive number of INT13h will look like this:
HBA #0, ID 0= BOOT (which is 80h)
HBA #0, ID 5= 81h
HBA #1, ID 2= 82h
HBA #1, ID 4= 83h
Now Windows NT is installed on the boot drive, HBA #0 ID 0, and a mirrored
partition is established on HBA #1 ID 2. If the primary partition fails,
for example due to power failure, then the drive number of INT13h will
change:
HBA #0, ID 5= BOOT (which is 80h)
HBA #1, ID 2= 81h
HBA #1, ID 4= 82h
Therefore, the following line should be used in the BOOT.INI file on the NT
Fault Tolerant boot floppy to boot from the mirrored partition, HBA #1
ID 2. Note that rdisk(1) was calculated from x=81h minus 80h.
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\<winnt_directory>
6. Save the BOOT.INI and restore the "read-only" attribute.
* * * * * * * * * * Troubleshooting * * * * * * * * * * *
The following are some potential problems and their suggested solutions:
* * * Problem * * *
During installation, no SCSI devices are found.
* * * Solution * * *
a. Ensure that the custom setup is chosen on the Setup Method screen.
b. Ensure that all devices are powered on and terminated correctly.
c. Check that no devices have duplicate SCSI IDs.
d. Make sure INT A is assigned for the PCI slot(s) where your SCSI host
adapter(s) are installed.
e. Ensure that all devices can be seen in the display banner of the SDMS
SCSI BIOS at boot time.
* * * Problem * * *
System crashes during installation with a message indicating inaccessible
boot device.
* * * Solution * * *
a. This error is usually associated with an IRQ, DMA channel, I/O (chip)
address, or BIOS address conflict. Set the SCSI host adapter to use a
different interrupt.
b. A virus sometimes causes this error that infects the Master Boot Record
of the boot device. Use a write-protected DOS bootable flex containing
virus scanning and cleaning software to check for any viruses on the boot
device, and remove if any are found.
* * * Problem * * *
A disk drive is recognized as seven different devices when only one is
physically connected to the SCSI bus.
* * * Solution * * *
a. Older SCSI devices that incorrectly indicate to Windows NT that they support
multiple LUNs usually cause this error. Contact the device manufacturer for
a firmware upgrade.
- -
* * * Problem * * *
Problems with SCSI devices installation or operation
* * * Solution * * *
a. If a SCSI device is not operating properly (either the device is not found
or a SCSI interface error occurs during scanning), it is possible that the
third-party device drivers do not support the auto request sense feature
of Symbios host adapters. Disable the auto request sense feature as
described below and try the device operation again.
Using the file symno_ar.reg (SYMC8XX.SYS or SYM_HI.SYS) or lu3no_ar.reg
(LSI_U3.SYS) (supplied with the Symbios NT driver files), either double
click the file in Windows Explorer or File Manager or type "regedit
symno_ar.reg" or "regedit lu3no_ar.reg" at the command prompt. This inserts
a registry entry that disables the auto request sense feature. The system
must be rebooted for this change to take effect.
To re-enable the auto request sense feature, use the file "sym_auto.reg" or
"lu3_auto.reg" and perform one of the update methods described in the
preceding paragraph.
* * * Problem * * *
Problems with certain SCSI devices when using an Ultra SCSI adapter.
* * * Solution * * *
a. Some SCSI devices do not function properly when the adapter attempts to
negotiate Ultra SCSI transfer rates. If a device is not operating
properly, check the transfer speed setting using the SDMS 4.XX PCI SCSI BIOS
Configuration Utility (press Ctrl-C when the Symbios PCI BIOS banner appears
during the system boot process). Devices that do not support Ultra SCSI
should be set to a maximum of 10 Mbytes/s for 8-bits, and 20 Mbytes/s for
16-bits.
* * * Problem * * *
Problems with Ultra SCSI devices using Ultra SCSI protocol.
* * * Solution * * *
a. If the system is configured with a Symbios host adapter that supports Ultra
SCSI and an Ultra SCSI device is on the SCSI bus, intermittent problems and
possible system crashes can occur if the SCSI bus cable and terminators do
not conform to the Ultra SCSI specification.
b. Disable Ultra SCSI support for all devices via the SDMS 4.XX PCI SCSI BIOS
Configuration Utility (press Ctrl-C when the Symbios PCI BIOS banner is
displayed during the system boot process).
c. If the system operates properly without Ultra SCSI enabled, it is highly
likely that the SCSI bus cable and terminators are not configured
correctly for Ultra SCSI. See the Symbios host adapter User's Guide
for information on Ultra SCSI cabling requirements.
* * * Problem (for LSI_U3.SYS only) * * *
At Ultra3 speed (160MB/sec) system hangs, has long boot time, or SCSI device
not available
Some older SCSI devices do not tolerate Domain Validation operations. At
system boot time, Domain Validation is performed to test the data integrity of
the SCSI bus between the host adapter and each target device. With some older
SCSI devices, these operations can cause the device to stop responding to SCSI
commands.
* * * Solution * * *
Disable Domain Validation, either for a specific SCSI target or all adapters
controlled by the driver.
a. Disable Domain Validation for a specific SCSI target. Use the SDMS4.XX PCI
SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility to set the sync rate to 0 (async) and the
data width to 8. This target will be running in async/narrow mode and no
Domain Validation operations will be performed on it.
b. Disable Domain Validation for all host adapters controlled by this driver.
Using the file lu3no_dv.reg (supplied with the Symbios NT driver files),
either double click the file in Windows Explorer or File Manager or type
"regedit lu3no_dv.reg" at the command prompt. This inserts a registry entry
that disables Domain Validation operations. The system must be rebooted for
this change to take effect.
To re-enable the Domain Validation feature, use the file "lu3_domv.reg" and
perform one of the update methods described in the preceding paragraph.
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.