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WIN9598.TXT
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INSTALLATION GUIDE FOR THE SDMS DRIVERS: SYMC8XX.MPD V4.09.00
SYM_HI.MPD V4.10.00
This file describes the features and use of the Symbios SDMS device drivers
for the Windows 95/98 operating system environment. It is divided into the
following sections:
Introduction for Windows 95/98
Features
Symbios Devices Supported
Description
Installing Your SYMC8XX.MPD/SYM_HI.MPD Driver(s)
Preparing a Symbios Driver Diskette
New System Installation
Existing System Installation
Existing System Using ASPI8XX.SYS DOS ASPI Driver
Verifying Correct Driver Installation
Command Line Options
Troubleshooting
Important Additional Information
Enabling/Disabling Ultra SCSI Support
Disabling Auto Request Sense Support
Enabling SCAM Support
Multiple Symbios Host Adapter Considerations
************************ Introduction for Windows 95/98 ************************
Windows 95/98 is an operating system designed to run on Intel processors
using current technology. It provides a graphical user interface environment
incorporating many high-level features (refer to the Microsoft Windows 95/98
documentation for details). An I/O manager handles I/O requests in
Windows 95/98.
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 95/98. Other class drivers, provided by
peripheral manufacturers, are added to support new devices.
Symbios/Microsoft provide miniport drivers, called SYMC8XX.MPD and SYM_HI.MPD,
to complete the path to a Symbios controller or processor with an optional SDMS
SCSI BIOS. The following sections describe these drivers and their installation.
* * * * * * * * * * * Features * * * * * * * * * * * *
o Synchronous negotiation (including Fast/Ultra SCSI/Ultra2 SCSI)
o Wide negotiation
o Auto Request Sense
o Supports multiple host adapters
o Supports multiple Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs)
o Disconnect/Reselect
o Scatter-Gather
o Differential Support
o Supports SCSI pass-through functionality
o SCAM Support (SCSI Configured AutoMatically)
o Target initiated negotiation support
o NVRAM support (wide/sync parameters, SCSI Host ID, SCAM on/off)
* * * * * * * * Symbios Devices Supported * * * * * * * * *
The SYMC8XX.MPD driver 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)
The SYM_HI.MPD driver supports the following device and associated Symbios host
adapter:
o SYM53C896 (SYM22910)
* * * * * * * * * * * Description * * * * * * * * * * *
SYMC8XX.MPD and SYM_HI.MPD are designed to Microsoft's specification 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 95/98 architecture requires that a class driver for
that type device is present (usually supplied by Microsoft, or possibly by the
peripheral manufacturer). No changes to SYMC8XX.MPD or SYM_HI.MPD are required.
This driver is only supported under Windows 95/98.
SCSI commands are passed directly from a Windows application to the SCSI
devices by using the SCSI pass-through facility (refer to Microsoft
Windows 95/98 documentation for details). This facility allows applications to
directly control and access SCSI devices by filling in a data structure and
calling in to the port driver.
The SYMC8XX.MPD and SYM_HI.MPD 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 SCSI protocol,
providing quadruple the raw data transfer rate of Fast SCSI.
Caution: Ultra SCSI requires more stringent SCSI bus cabling setups than
Fast SCSI. Ultra2 SCSI requires low-voltage differential (LVD)
termination.
**************** Installing Your SYMC8XX.MPD/SYM_HI.MPD Driver ****************
* * * * * * * * Preparing a Symbios Driver Diskette * * * * * *
Copy the files listed below for the appropriate driver (supplied to you on
diskette) to the root directory of a clean floppy diskette, and use this
Symbios Driver diskette during installation.
For the SYMC8XX.MPD driver: SYMC8XX.MPD
SYMC8XX.INF
For the SYM_HI.MPD driver: SYM_HI.MPD
SYM_HI.INF
* * * * * * * * * New System Installation * * * * * * * * *
This procedure installs the SYMC8XX.MPD or SYM_HI.MPD driver onto a
Windows 95/98 system for all new system installations. Use this procedure when
initially upgrading to Windows 95/98. Windows 95/98 automatically adds the
driver to the registry and copies the driver to the appropriate directories.
NOTE: Some Symbios PCI SCSI host adapters are supported by a driver
bundled in Windows 95/98. For these adapters, the bundled driver is
automatically installed during Windows 95/98 Setup. To change to the
SYMC8XX.MPD driver, follow the instructions under "Existing System
Installation" after the Windows 95/98 installation is completed.
1. Start the Windows 95/98 Setup according to the Microsoft instructions.
2. Setup enters the hardware detection phase after a system reboot. The "Setting
up Hardware" message box appears. If the message "Symbios PCI
SCSI Host Adapter" appears, then the host adapter supports the bundled
driver, and it installs automatically. After the Windows 95/98 installation
completes, you can install the SYMC8XX.MPD and/or SYM_HI.MPD drivers
according to the "Existing System Installation" instructions.
3. If the bundled driver does not support the host adapter, Setup displays
a New Hardware Found - PCI SCSI Bus Controller dialog box. Select "Driver
from disk provided by hardware manufacturer" and click OK.
Note: If ASPI8XX.SYS (the Symbios SDMS 4.0 DOS ASPI driver) is loaded
when beginning the Windows 95/98 installation, no messages about
PCI SCSI Bus Controllers are displayed. The installation completes,
but real-mode disk drivers are used. See the section below on
"Verifying Correct Driver Installation." To install the SYMC8XX.MPD
or SYM_HI.MPD drivers, (which disable loading of the ASPI8XX.SYS driver
under Windows 95/98) see the section on "Existing System Using
ASPI8XX.SYS DOS ASPI Driver" below.
4. Insert the Symbios Driver diskette into drive A: (or B:) (the one prepared
in * Preparing a Symbios Driver Diskette *) and click OK. If using drive
B:, you must select it from the pick list.
5. Windows 95/98 automatically copies the appropriate driver files and rebuilds
its driver database.
6. A "System Settings Change" dialog box is displayed. Remove the diskette
from the drive and click Yes to restart the computer.
At this point, Windows 95/98 Setup completes and the new driver is operational.
To verify this, see the section "Verifying Correct Driver Installation."
* * * * * * * * * Existing System Installation * * * * * * * *
This procedure installs the SYMC8XX.MPD or SYM_HI.MPD driver onto an existing
Windows 95/98 system. These instructions indicate where specific information
applies to Windows 95 or Windows 98. Otherwise unless noted, the instructions
apply to both operating systems. Please review the steps below before beginning
the installation.
1. Boot Windows 95/98.
2. Click Start. Move to Settings, Control Panel, and click.
3. Double-click on the System icon.
4. Click on the Device Manager tab.
Note: If the SCSI controllers entry, or the PCI Symbios C8XX SCSI
Host Adapter entry do not exist, the system is probably using the
ASPI8XX.SYS DOS ASPI driver. See the "Existing System Using
ASPI8XX.SYS DOS ASPI Driver" section below.
5. Either double-click on the SCSI controllers entry, or click once on the
plus sign to the left of it.
6. Select the PCI Symbios C8XX SCSI Host Adapter entry. Click the
Properties button.
7. Click the Driver button. In Windows 95, the version of the currently active
driver should display in the File details section. In Windows 98, press the
DRIVER FILE DETAILS button to get this information displayed.
Note: In certain versions of Windows 95, the version of the active driver
appears as NOT available. This is an operating system issue and is
fixed in later versions of Windows 95. To verify the version of the
driver, click on the Properties field of the SYMC8XX.MPD file under
the Version tab. The MPD driver is generally found in the
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS\ directory.
8. Click the Change Driver... button.
* * * * * For Windows 95 * * * * *
9. Even though you may have previously installed the SYMC8XX.MPD or SYM_HI.MPD
drivers, click the Have Disk... button to install a newer version.
10. Insert the Symbios Driver diskette in drive A: (or B:) (the one prepared
in * Preparing a Symbios Driver Diskette *) and click OK. If using drive
B:, you must select it from the pick list.
11. The Select Device dialog box should display "Symbios 8xxxx PCI SCSI
Host Adapter," where 8xxxx matches the installed adapter. Click OK.
12. The Driver tab is updated to display the new driver files. To install
these driver files, click OK. (Do NOT click the Change Driver... button.)
The driver files are copied and a new driver database is built.
* * * * * For Windows 98 * * * * *
"Update Device Driver Wizard" starts and provides several windows with choices.
Follow the steps below to correctly install the device driver for Windows 98.
9. After the Intro window appears, click on the NEXT button.
10. The Wizard provides a choice between having the Wizard search for a better
driver than the one in use or displaying a list of drivers from a specific
location. Choose "search..." and click on the NEXT button.
11. The next window allows the user to specify which device(s) will be searched,
such as a Floppy, CD-ROM, or specify a specific path.
Mark "Floppy disk drive" only and click on the NEXT button.
12. The next window advises that the you continue using the currently
installed driver.
Mark "Install one of the other drivers" and click on the
"View List" button.
13. The next window displays a list of drivers from the specified search
devices and the currently installed driver. Highlight the driver of choice
and click OK.
14. The previous window appears with the selected driver displayed as the driver
to install. Click on the NEXT button.
15. The summary window displays the driver of choice and the path to be installed
from is brought up. Click on the NEXT button.
16. The Wizard summary window appears. Click on the Finish button.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A "System Settings Change" dialog box appears. Remove the flex disk
from the drive and click on the Yes choice to restart the computer.
At this point, the new driver is operational. To ensure the correct driver
has been installed, see the section "Verifying Correct Driver Installation."
* * Existing System Using ASPI8XX.SYS DOS ASPI Driver * *
This procedure installs the SYMC8XX.MPD or SYM_HI.MPD drivers onto an existing
Windows 95/98 system which is using the ASPI8XX.SYS DOS ASPI driver. You can check
this by using the Verifying Correct Driver Installation instructions below.
1. Boot Windows 95/98.
2. Click Start. Move to Settings, Control Panel, and click.
3. Double-click on the System icon.
4. Click on the Device Manager tab.
5. Either double-click on the Other entry, or click once on the plus sign to
the left of it.
6. Select the PCI SCSI Bus Controller entry. Click the Properties button.
7. Click the Driver button. A message should state that no drivers are
installed for this device.
8. Click the Change Driver... button.
9. In the Select Hardware Type dialog box, select SCSI Controllers.
10. In the Select Device dialog box, click the Have Disk button.
11. Insert the Symbios Driver diskette in drive A: (or B:) (the one prepared
in * Preparing a Symbios Driver Diskette *) and click OK. If using drive
B:, you must select it from the pick list.
12. The Select Device dialog box should display "Symbios 8xxxx PCI SCSI
Host Adapter", where 8xxxx matches the installed adapter. Click OK.
13. The Driver tab is updated to display the new driver files. To install
these driver files, click OK. (Do NOT click the Change Driver... button.)
The driver files are copied and a new driver database is built.
14. A "System Settings Change" dialog box is displayed. Ignore the message
saying to turn off your computer and change hardware settings. Remove the
diskette from the drive and click Yes to shut down the computer. Press
Ctrl-Alt-Delete or the system reset button to restart the system.
At this point, the new driver is operational. To verify this, see the section
"Verifying Correct Driver Installation"
* * * * * * * Verifying Correct Driver Installation * * * * * *
After installing/updating with the SYMC8XX.MPD or SYM_HI.MPD drivers, you
should verify proper operation of the driver.
1. Check that all devices on the SCSI bus are available via My Computer.
Double click on the My Computer icon. Check that all logical SCSI hard
drives and CD-ROM drives are shown.
2. Click on the Start button. Move to Settings, Control Panel, and click. Double
click on the System icon. Click the Device Manager tab. Check that no host
adapter is displayed with a yellow or red symbol under the SCSI controllers
entry. If there is, continue with the steps below to help determine the
problem.
3. Either double-click on the SCSI controllers entry, or click once on the
plus sign to the left of it. One entry for each host adapter installed in
the system is displayed. Select an entry, then click the Properties
button. The Device Status message should read "This device is working
properly." If any other messages appear, continue with the steps below to
get more information on the problem.
4. Click the Driver tab. For Windows 98, next hit Driver File Details. Two
entries should appear, one for the INF and one for the MPD file. The INF
file does not contain embedded version information, so the File Details
are all Not Available. Select the MPD file. The file version of the driver
is displayed.
5. Click Cancel to leave the Host Adapter Properties dialog box. Click on the
Performance tab. A list of performance attributes is displayed. Below the
list, you should see the message "Your system is configured for optimal
performance." If any other messages appear, select each message and click
the Details button. This provides more information on why the system is
not performing optimally and methods to correct the problem.
If no problems are encountered in the above steps, the new driver is operating
properly. Otherwise, consult the section on Troubleshooting for additional
information.
* * * * * * * * * * Troubleshooting * * * * * * * * * * *
The following are some problems their suggested solutions:
* * * Problem * * *
During Installation, No SCSI Devices Are Found.
* * * Solution * * *
a. Ensure that all devices are powered on and terminated correctly.
b. Check that no devices have duplicate SCSI IDs.
c. Make sure INT A is assigned for the PCI slot(s) where your SCSI host
adapter(s) are installed.
d. Be sure that all devices appear properly 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 bus adapter board to
use a different interrupt.
* * * 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, an Ultra SCSI device is on the SCSI bus, and Ultra
SCSI support by the SYMC8XX.MPD or SYM_HI.MPD driver is enabled,
intermittent problems and possible system crashes can occur if the SCSI
bus cable and terminators do not conform to the Ultra SCSI specification.
b. If the system is bootable, disable Ultra SCSI support using the procedure
described below.
c. If the system is not bootable to Windows 95/98, hold down F8 when Starting
Windows 95/98... is displayed. At the menu, select Safe Mode. Once the system
is booted, disable Ultra SCSI support using the procedure described below.
d. 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 hardware
manual for information on Ultra SCSI cabling requirements.
e. Verify that the devices appear with the proper value for speed in the SDMS
SCSI BIOS banner at boot time. Please see Chapter 2, "SCSI BIOS," for
additional details.
* * * Problem * * *
Problems With Scanners
a. If a scanner is not operating properly (either the scanner is not found or
a SCSI interface error occurs during scanning), it is possible that the
third-party scanner 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 scanner operation again.
**************************** Command Line Options ****************************
* * * * * * Enabling/Disabling Ultra SCSI Support * * * *
Ultra SCSI support is controlled by settings in the adapter NVRAM.
These settings can be viewed or changed via the Configuration Utility. During
system boot, after the Symbios PCI BIOS banner, the message "Press Control-C
to start Configuration Utility" appears for a few seconds. Press Control-C to
start this utility.
Select one of the adapters displayed, then "Device Selections". This shows
the Sync Rate for each device and the selected adapter. To set a device to
Ultra, the speed should be set to 20 MegaBytes/second (for width of 8) or
40 MegaBytes/second (for width of 16). To disable Ultra, the speed should be
no higher than 10 MegaBytes/second (for width of 8) or 20 MegaBytes/second
(for width of 16). If the speed of the adapter itself is changed, the speed
for all devices will be set no higher than the adapter speed.
* * * * * * * Disabling Auto Request Sense Support * * * * * * *
When the SYMC8XX.MPD and/or SYM_HI.MPD drivers are installed, support for auto
request sense is enabled. Auto request sense is a feature of the adapter where
certain device information is obtained automatically without system control,
thereby increasing overall performance. However, some third-party peripheral
drivers do not support the use of auto request sense, resulting in perceived
device failures. Therefore, to allow these devices to operate properly, the
auto request sense feature can be disabled using the Device Manager on a per
adapter basis.
Use this procedure for disabling auto request sense support:
1. Click on the Start button. Move to Settings, Control Panel, and click. Double
click on the System icon. Click the Device Manager tab.
2. Either double-click on the SCSI controllers entry, or click once on the
plus sign to the left of it. One entry for each host adapter installed in
the system is displayed. Select the adapter desired, then click the
Properties button. Click the Settings tab.
3. In the Adapter settings entry, type "DisableAutoReqSense=1;", without
the quotes. If there is already an entry displayed, type the above at the
end of the existing entry. Be sure to include the semi-colon.
4. Click OK to exit the Settings tab.
5. Click OK again. If the entry was changed, the "System Settings Change"
dialog box is displayed. Click Yes to restart the computer.
After the system reboots, auto request sense is disabled for the
selected adapter. To re-enable auto request sense, delete the entry that was
made above. If other entries exist, be sure to leave them intact.
* * * * * * * * * Enabling SCAM Support * * * * * * * * *
SCAM (SCSI Configured AutoMatically) is a protocol that allows SCAM-compliant
peripherals to assign their SCSI IDs dynamically at boot time, eliminating
the need for the user to check and set unique SCSI IDs. This feature is
disabled by default in the Symbios PCI BIOS and the SYMC8XX.MPD and SYM_HI.MPD
drivers. Some legacy (non-SCAM) peripherals have problems with the SCAM
protocol, resulting in the device either not being seen by the operating
system, or not working correctly. However, if usage of the SCAM protocol is
desired, there are two methods for enabling SCAM: Method 1 and Method 2.
* * * Method 1 * * *
Use this method when the adapter has NVRAM. During system boot, after the
Symbios PCI BIOS banner, the message "Press Control-C to start Configuration
Utility" is displayed for a few seconds. Press Control-C to start this utility.
Select the desired adapter, then "Adapter Setup". On the Adapter Setup menu,
highlight "S-SCAM Support" and press Enter. Use the up/down arrows to select
the ON setting, and press Enter. Exit from the menus and save the settings.
This will turn on SCAM for both the PCI BIOS and the SYMC8XX.MPD or SYM_HI.MPD
driver (whichever is controlling the selected adapter). To disable SCAM, repeat
the above procedure to change the setting to OFF.
* * * Method 2 * * *
For adapters that do not have NVRAM, SCAM can be enabled within Windows 95/98:
1. Click on the Start button. Move to Settings, Control Panel, and click. Double
click on the System icon. Click the Device Manager tab.
2. Either double-click on the SCSI controllers entry, or click once on the
plus sign to the left of it. One entry for each host adapter installed in
the system appears. Select the adapter desired, then click on the
Properties button. Click on the Settings tab.
3. In the Adapter settings entry, type in "do_SCAM=1;", without the quotes. If
there is already an entry displayed, type the above at the end of the
existing entry. Be sure to include the semi-colon.
4. Click OK to exit the Settings tab.
5. Click OK again. If the entry was changed, the "System Settings Change"
dialog box appears. Click Yes to restart the computer.
After the system reboots, SCAM is enabled for the selected adapter. To
disable SCAM, delete the entry that was made above. If other entries exist,
be sure to leave them intact.
* * * * * * Multiple Symbios Host Adapter Considerations * * * * * *
If multiple Symbios PCI SCSI host adapters are installed in the system, special
actions are sometimes required to install or change drivers. This is due to the
fact that some Symbios host adapters are supported by the bundled driver, and
also that one Symbios driver can support multiple Symbios host adapters installed
in the system.
With multiple Symbios adapters, it is possible to have a situation where one
adapter is assigned to one driver, and another is assigned to a different
version of the same driver. This can cause conflicts that may cause the system
to switch to real mode drivers, affecting performance and access to CD-ROM or
tape drives.
There are two methods for ensuring that all Symbios host adapters are
controlled by only one version of the appropriate driver (when installing
additional boards or updating drivers).
* * * Method 1 * * *
Using the Device Manager, change the driver for a particular host adapter to
the desired driver. When asked to reboot the system for the new settings
to take effect, click No. Change drivers for all Symbios host adapters
in the system supported by that same driver to the new driver, and reply No to
rebooting until the final adapter is changed. If booting from a SCSI device,
ensure that the adapter controlling this device is the last one changed.
* * * Method 2 * * *
Determine which driver file is active for all adapters through the Properties
tab in Device Manager. Go to the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS directory and
rename the driver file to an extension other than MPD. Reboot the system.
While booting, the system may ask to load the bundled driver file from the
Windows 95/98 installation disk. Click OK. When the system says it cannot
find the file, click Skip File. Do this for all adapter messages while
booting. After the system is booted, use the Device Manager to change the
driver for each adapter to the desired driver. Do NOT reply Yes to reboot the
system until the final adapter has been changed.
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.