****************************************************************************
NTCONFIG.TXT
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This file presents general information about the Symbios NTCONFIG Utility,
version 1.05.00.
It is divided into the following sections:
NTCONFIG
General Information
Configuration changes
Domain Validation
Installing the NTCONFIG utility
x86 platforms
Alpha platforms
Starting the NTCONFIG utility
Main Menu
File
Options
Help
Save/Exit
Cancel
Adapter Settings Menu
Device Selections Menu
Domain Validation
To exit the NTCONFIG Utility
* * * * * * * General Information (Configuration changes) * * * * * * *
If you have Windows NT version 4.0, and you have installed the latest Symbios
Windows NT driver (Flint, SYM_HI or LSI_U3) to match your hardware, you can
change selected configuration parameters of your Symbios SCSI host adapters
by using the NTCONFIG utility. You may decide to alter these values if there is
a conflict between device settings or if you need to optimize system perfor-
mance. The system must be rebooted for the changes to take effect.
Note: During boot, the version number of Windows NT appears in a banner on the
computer monitor.
Since Windows NT and the Symbios Windows NT drivers do not need the adapter's
BIOS to operate, only a limited number of the configuration parameters that can
be changed by this utility will have any impact on the system once rebooted.
These parameters are:
o SCSI ID of the adapter
o Wide data bits setting
o Synchronous rate (Mbytes/s)
* * * * * * * General Information (Domain Validation) * * * * * * *
If you have Windows NT version 4.0 and are using the Symbios LSI_U3.SYS driver,
the NTCONFIG utility allows you to do Domain Validation testing on the
installed Symbios SYM53C1010 host-based adapter and connected devices. This
testing was designed to allow the user to verify that the installed Symbios
hardware functions correctly with the configuration information (synchronous
speed and bus width) set through either the SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility or
by using the capabilities of this utility.
Changes to the wide data bit setting and/or synchronous rate can be made during
this testing to ensure functionality. These settings can also be saved in a
similar way as when doing the configuration settings. The difference when
saving these new values during Domain Validation testing is that they are in
effect immediately, no system reboot necessary.
.
* * * * * * * Installing the NTCONFIG utility (x86 platforms) * * * *
To install the NTCONFIG utility using the x86 platforms, follow these steps:
1. Insert the NTCONFIG utility setup diskette into drive A.
2. Click the Start button on the taskbar and choose Run.
3. Type A:\SETUP.EXE in the Open field.
4. Click the OK button and follow the on-screen instructions
to install the NTCONFIG Utility.
A shortcut icon is automatically placed on the desktop at the end of the
installation process.
* * * * * * Installing the NTCONFIG Utility (ALPHA platforms) * * * * *
The executable program, NTCONFIG.EXE, can be copied to a directory of the users
choice. It can then be executed from a command line or a shortcut can be created
for it and placed on the desktop.
* * * * * * * * * Starting the NTCONFIG utility * * * * * * * *
To start the NTCONFIG utility, double click on the shortcut icon. After a brief
pause, your computer monitor displays the Main Menu of the utility.
To make changes with this menu driven utility, one or more Symbios SCSI
host adapters installed in the system must have NonVolatile Random Access
Memory (NVRAM) to store the changes. Also, due to Windows NT constraints,
each of the adapters must have at least one hard drive attached to it so
that NTCONFIG can properly identify the adapter.
IMPORTANT: The NTCONFIG Utility is a powerful tool. The system can be rendered
inoperable if care is not taken when reconfiguring the parameters.
* * * * * * * * * * * * Main Menu * * * * * * * * * * *
When you start the Symbios NTCONFIG Utility, the Main Menu appears. This menu
displays a summary list of all Symbios PCI to SCSI host adapters in your
system and information about each of them.
Here is an example of the Main Menu:
+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Symbios NVRAM Configuration Utility |
| File Options Help |
| |
| SYMBIOS |
| PCI-SCSI adapter solutions |
| |
| |
| Devices Port Irq NvRAM |
| Found Num Level Found |
| |
| SYM53C895 FC00 9 Yes |
| SYM53C896 F800 9 Yes |
| SYM53C896 F400 11 Yes |
| |
| |
| |
| Accept Cancel |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
* * * * * * * * * * * * Main Menu Bar * * * * * * * * * * *
The menu bar offers three items: File, Options, and Help. Each item has a
drop-down menu displaying more choices. To familiarize you with this menu bar,
a brief description of the menu items are discussed.
* * * File * * *
To display the menu path for Save and Exit choices, click on the File menu
selection.
o To save NVRAM data pertinent to the adapters using the NTCONFIG Utility,
select Save. If changes have been made and saved/accepted during
Domain Validation testing, this step is not needed as the new values
have already been saved.
o To exit the NTCONFIG Utility, select Exit.
Note: No automatic update to the adapter(s) is done. All changes
are lost if not already saved by clicking on the Save menu
choice above or clicking on the Accept button. Exception
to this is as described above.
* * * Options * * *
To display utility or adapter configuration options, click on the Options
menu selection. In previous releases, the user could change the language
used for the interface by selecting a language from the list displayed
when the Language option is selected. This list is dynamic and is based
on the number/type of language DLLs found in the directory with the
executable.
Note: The NTCONFIG display defaults to the English language for versions with
the Domain Validation option. For earlier versions, if the display
language is to be Czechoslovakian, Russian, Korean, or Japanese, you
must install Windows NT into the corresponding language so that the
display is readable. This is not applicable to other languages that
use the Roman Alphabet.
When the values of the adapters in the NVRAM Found column indicate YES, then
changes are allowed. If the value is NO, the adapter can be selected and
default values are displayed, but no changes are allowed. The three choices
available at this time are Adapter Settings and Device Selections.
o To change settings for adapters, select Adapter Settings.
o To change settings for SCSI devices, select Device Selections.
o To execute Domain Validation on an installed SYM53C1010 based adapter,
select Domain Validation.
In each case, the selected option displays a menu with adapters found. Click
on the adapter whose related values are to be changed. Depending on the
selection, either the Adapter Settings Menu, Device Selections Menu or
Domain Validation - Current Negotiated Settings Menu appears.
See below for further information regarding these menus.
* * * Help * * *
To display information pertinent to a particular menu screen, click on the Help
menu selection.
* * * Main Menu Button Options * * *
At the bottom of the Main Menu screen, two button options are available:
Accept and Cancel.
o To save the configuration change(s) and exit from the Main Menu, click
on the Accept button. If concluding Domain Validation testing and new
values were saved, it is not necessary to click on the Accept button.
o To exit from a particular menu level and discard any changes that may have
been made, click on the Cancel button. Changes are not discarded once changes
have been saved during Domain Validation testing. Exiting from previous
menu levels does not affect changes made and saved at the Domain Validation
Test level.
* * * * * * * * * * Adapter Settings Menu * * * * * * * * * *
When you click on an adapter, the corresponding menu appears. Here is an example
of the Adapter Settings Menu:
+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Adapter Settings |
| Help |
| |
| Current Adapter settings for: SYM53CXXXX |
| |
| SCAM Support Off |
| Parity Enabled |
| Host SCSI ID 7 |
| Scan Order Low to High <0..Max> |
| |
| Set Defaults Ok Cancel |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
To change a setting, double click on it. For example, if you double
click on SCAM Support which is set to Off in the example above, then
it would change to On. The Host SCSI ID option displays a window
with choices. Once you select a choice, this window closes and the
new values appear on the Adapter Settings screen.
To set default values, click on the Set Defaults button, and then click on
the Ok button to accept the values. To set changed values, click on the Ok
button. To abort any changes made on this screen, click on the Cancel button.
When you click on the Ok or Cancel button, the system returns to the Main Menu.
The settings in this menu are global settings that affect the selected host
adapter and all SCSI devices attached to it. A brief description of each
setting follows.
* * * SCAM Support * * *
This BIOS issues or does not issue SCSI Configured AutoMatically (SCAM)
negotiations during initialization based on this parameter.
Note: Windows NT does not support the use of SCAM. Turn this selection
off. Turning SCAM on may have adverse effects on the system.
* * * Parity * * *
This option allows the user to disable parity checking, since the Symbios PCI
to SCSI host adapters always generate parity. However, some older SCSI devices
do not generate parity.
Note: When disabling parity checking, the user must also disable disconnects
for all devices. This is necessary since parity checking for the
reselection phase is not disabled. If a device does not generate parity,
and it disconnects, the I/O never completes because the reselection
never completes.
* * * Host SCSI ID * * *
This option refers to the host adapter's SCSI ID, which is a unique number
used to identify the device on the SCSI bus.
Note: In general, it is suggested that you do not change your host adapter ID
from the default value of 7, as this gives it the highest priority on the
SCSI bus. Please also note that if you have 8-bit SCSI devices, they
cannot see host IDs greater than 7.
* * * Scan Order * * *
This option allows you to tell your device drivers to scan the SCSI bus from
low to high (0 to max) SCSI ID, or from high to low (max to 0) SCSI ID. If you
have more than one device on the SCSI bus, changing the scan order changes the
order in which drive letters are assigned by the system.
Note: This scan order option may conflict with operating systems that
automatically assign a drive order.
* * * * * * * * * * Device Selections Menu * * * * * * * * *
When you select the Device Selections option, the corresponding menu appears.
Here is an example of the Device Selections Menu:
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Device Selections |
| Help |
| |
| |
| Sync Data Disc Time Scan Queue |
| Rate Width Out Bus LUNS Tags |
| +-------------------------------------------------------------------+--+ |
| | 00-Dev0 N/A 80 16 On 10 Yes Yes Enabled |-| |
| | 01-Dev1 N/A 80 16 On 10 Yes Yes Enabled | | |
| | 02-Dev2 N/A 80 16 On 10 Yes Yes Enabled | | |
| | 03-Dev3 N/A 80 16 On 10 Yes Yes Enabled | | |
| | 04-Dev4 N/A 80 16 On 10 Yes Yes Enabled | | |
| | 05-Dev5 N/A 80 16 On 10 Yes Yes Enabled | | |
| | 06-Dev6 N/A 80 16 On 10 Yes Yes Enabled | | |
| | 07-SYM53C895 80 16 On 10 Yes Yes Enabled |-| |
| +-------------------------------------------------------------------+-+ |
| |
| Ok Cancel |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
The settings in this menu affect individual SCSI devices attached to the
selected host adapter. Double click on one of the displayed devices to change
the listed options. Use the scroll bar on the right side of the Device
Selections menu to scroll down the list of possible SCSI IDs/devices.
After clicking on a device, the Setup for ALL devices on this Adapter window
appears. Here is an example of this window:
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|Setup for ALL devices on this Adapter |
|Help |
| |
| |
| Current Setup Values for Device at Id: 07 |
| |
| Sync Rate (MB/sec) ..... 80 |
| Bus Width ..... 16 |
| Disconnect ..... On |
| Read/Write I/O Timeout (secs) ..... 10 |
| Scan for Device at Boot Time ..... Yes |
| Scan for SCSI LUNs ..... Yes |
| Queue Tags ..... Enabled |
| |
| |
| |
| Set Defaults OK Cancel |
| |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
Double click on the field that requires changing and a window appears
with choices. Select the appropriate value and it appears in this
window. Click OK to save the new value. Below is a descriptions of
the fields on the Device Selections Menu.
* * * Sync Rate (Mbytes/s) * * *
This option defines the maximum data transfer rate the host adapter will attempt
to negotiate. The host adapter and a SCSI device must agree to a rate they can
both handle. The width column affects this value.
* * * Width (bits) * * *
This option defines the maximum SCSI data width the host adapter will attempt
to negotiate. The host adapter and a SCSI device must agree to a width they can
both handle. Only host adapters that can do 16-bit data transfers have this
option enabled.
* * * Disconnect * * *
This option tells the host adapter whether or not to allow a device to
disconnect. SCSI devices have the ability to disconnect from the initiator
during an I/O transfer. This disconnect frees the SCSI Bus to allow other I/O
processes. Some devices run faster with disconnects enabled (mostly newer
devices), while some run faster with disconnects disabled (mostly older
devices).
* * * Read Write I/O Timeout (secs) * * *
This option sets the amount of time the host adapter waits for a read, write,
or seek command to complete before trying the I/O transfer again. Since this
provides a safeguard allowing the system to recover if an I/O operation fails,
it is recommended that you always set the timeout to a value greater than
zero. 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.
* * * Scan for Device at Boot Time * * *
This option can be set to "No" when the user does not want a specific device
available to the system. Also, on a bus with only a few devices attached, you
can speed up boot time by changing this setting to "No" for all unused SCSI
IDs.
* * * Scan for SCSI Logical Units (LUNs) * * *
This option can be set to "No" if you have problems with a device that
responds to all LUNs whether they are occupied or not. For example, if there
is a SCSI device with multiple LUNs 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 LUN0 only.
* * * Queue Tags * * *
This option enables or disables the issuing of queue tags during I/O requests
when your device driver can do this.
* * * * * * * * * * Domain Validation Menu * * * * * * * * *
When you select the Domain Validation option, the Domain Validation - Current
Negotiated Settings Menu appears.
Here is an example of this menu:
+---------------------------------------------------+
| Domain Validation - Current Negotiated Settings |
| Help |
| |
| |
| Sync Data |
| Rate Width |
| +---------------------------------+-+ |
| | 0-Quantum Atlas 40 16 | | |
| | 1-Dev1 N/A N/A N/A | | |
| | 2-Dev2 N/A N/A N/A | | |
| | 3-IBM DDRS-3 80 16 | | |
| | 4-Dev4 N/A N/A N/A | | |
| | 5-Dev5 N/A N/A N/A | | |
| | 6-Dev6 N/A N/A N/A | | |
| | SYM53C895 N/A N/A | | |
| +-----------------------------------+ |
| |
| Ok Cancel |
| |
+---------------------------------------------------+
The values displayed reflect the current negotiated synchronous speed and bus
width settings between the driver (LSI_U3.SYS) and the individual SCSI devices
attached to the selected host adapter. These values may be different than those
displayed in the Device Selections Menu as those values are the starting values
to be used during negotiations. Double clicking on the Adapter entry will have
no effect.
* * * * * * * * * * Test Selection Menu * * * * * * * * * *
When you double click on a device in the Domain Validation - Current
Negotiated Settings Menu, the Test Selection menu appears with the Sync Speed
and Bus Width values pre-set to the current negotiated settings of the
selected device. Here is an example of the Test Selections Menu:
+----------------------------------------------------+
| Test Selection |
| Help Code Defs. |
| |
| |
| Adjustments: |
| +-----------------------------------+ |
| | Sync Speed (MB/s) 40 | |
| | Bus Width (in bits)0 16 | |
| | | |
| | LVD Driver Signal Nominal | |
| | Req/Ack Skew Nominal | |
| | Data Pattern 0x00000000 | |
| +-----------------------------------+ |
| |
| Test Procedures: Status [code]: |
| +-----------------------+ +---------------+ |
| |Back-to-Back Inquiries | | | |
| |Write/Read Buffers | | | |
| |Stress Pattern IOs | | | |
| | | | | |
| +-----------------------+ +---------------+ |
| |
| |
| Apply Cancel |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------+
Adjustments:
This box contains values that are changeable by the user, and passed to
the Windows NT miniport driver when the tests are executed. Double
click on an entry to change its value. The only values that can be
permanently changed at this level are the Sync Speed and Bus Width
values. Once all three test proceedures have passed with the specified
values, these new values can be saved by clicking on the Apply button
and exiting thus from this menu. The miniport driver will begin using
these new values immediately.
A description of the fields within this box follows:
Sync Speed: Indicates starting Synchronous value to be used by the
miniport driver when negotiating with the drive to test.
Bus Width: Indicates starting bus width value, in bits, to be used
by the miniport driver when negotiating with the drive
to test.
LVD Driver Signal: LVD Driver Signal strength requested for this test
run. A value other than Nominal will adjust this
signal in order to run the requested test at a
slightly altered LVD signal level. This field is
only applicable during the Stress Pattern IO test.
Req/Ack Skew: Req/Ack Skew value requested for this test run. A
value other than Nominal will adjust this timing in
order to run the requested test with a slightly
altered bus timing environment. This field is
only applicable during the Stress Pattern IO test.
Data Pattern: Allows the user to select one of 3 data patterns to be
used for the Write/Read buffers test.
Test Procedures:
This box contains the test sequences which can be executed on the selected
device. Double click on the sequence name to execute.
NOTE: During test executions, the adapter channel on which the
specified device resides is blocked from all other activity.
For the SYM53C1010 based card(s), the second channel is also
blocked during execution of the Stress Pattern IO test if the
LVD Driver Signal or the Req/Ack Skew values are anything except
Nominal. This could have a negative impact in the performance
and/or stability of the system under high loads.
A description of the fields within this box follows:
Back-to-back Inquiries:
This test issues two Inquiries to the selected device. The
first inquiry occurs after negotiating Async/Narrow, while
the second inquiry occurs after negotiating with the passed
values. The Inquiry data from the two are then compared. If
a miscompare is noted, the test fails. I/O errors can also
cause this test to fail. The user may wish to execute the
test again after stepping down the Sync Speed and/or Bus
Width negotiation value(s).
Write/Read Buffers:
This test issues Write Buffer commands to the device using the
data pattern the user has chosen. A read buffer command is then
issued to read the data back. A data comparison is then done to
verify data transfer. If a miscompare is noted, the test fails.
The negotiation values used for both commands are the user
specified values. I/O errors can also cause this test to fail.
The user may wish to execute the test again after stepping down
the Sync Speed and/or Bus Width negotiation value(s).
Stress Pattern IOs:
This test also issues Write/Read buffer command pairs. Instead of
using the pattern specified by the user, this test loops through
sending IO pairs and doing data compares using each of the
possible patterns. Each pattern will have been used 10 times by
the end of this loop. If a miscompare is noted, the test fails.
The test finishes by doing 32 random reads to the device media to
further stress the bus. The negotiation values used for the
commands are the user specified values. The values specified for
the LVD driver signal and Req/Ack Skew value are also passed to
the miniport driver during this test. I/O errors can cause this
test to fail. The user may wish to execute the test again after
stepping down the Sync Speed and/or Bus Width negotiation
value(s) and/or altering the LVD Driver Signal or Req/Ack Skewing
value(s).
Status:
This box reflects the outcome of the test executed. If the test failed,
a status code appears along with the "Failed" status. To understand the
code's meaning, click on the Code Defs. button on the menu bar.
* * * * * * * * * To exit the NTCONFIG Utility * * * * * * * *
Since changes only take effect after your system reboots, it is important that
you exit this configuration utility properly. Return to the Main Menu and exit
either by clicking on the Accept button, or follow the menu path: File-->Save
and then click on the Exit choice. If you reboot the system without properly
exiting the utility, these changes may not take effect.
* * * * * * * * * * * Troubleshooting * * * * * * * * * * *
The following is a potential problem and its suggested solution:
If a user selected the Save option under the File menu item, and then proceeds
to attempt more changes, the system becomes hung up. To avoid this situation,
exit from this utility after saving and then re-execute if more changes are necessary.
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.