Installing And Configuring Scsi Drivers; The Scsiselect Utility; Scsi Select Default Settings - Dell 6100 User Manual

Chapter 3

Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers

T
his chapter describes how to install and configure the
Dell small computer system interface (SCSI) device driv-
ers included with your Dell PowerEdge 6100 computer
system. These device drivers are designed to work with
the Adaptec AIC-7880 Ultra/Wide SCSI controller chips
on the system board. One AIC-7880 supports up to six
internal SCSI hard-disk drives via a standard SCSI back-
plane board (SCSI A), while the other AIC-7880 supports
up to four externally-accessible internal SCSI devices in
the system's external drive bays (SCSI B). You can also
cable external SCSI devices to the controllers.
The AIC-7880 controller chips and the optional AHA-
2940 SCSI controller card are all part of the Adaptec
78xx series of SCSI controllers, and all use the 78xx
series of SCSI drivers provided by Dell. The Adaptec
SCSI basic input/output system (BIOS), which is stored
in your computer system's flash memory or on the
optional AHA-2940 SCSI controller card, links these
SCSI device drivers to the AIC-7880 SCSI controller
chips or the optional AHA-2940 SCSI controller card.
For instructions on installing SCSI hardware devices
such as hard-disk drives, tape drives, or CD-ROM drives,
trained service technicians should see Chapter 9, "Install-
ing Drives in the External Bays," and Chapter 10,
"Installing Drives in the Internal Bays," in the Installa-
tion and Troubleshooting Guide. After the SCSI devices
you plan to use are installed, you may need to install and
configure one or more SCSI device drivers so that your
SCSI devices can communicate with your operating
system.
SCSI device drivers are provided for the following oper-
ating systems:
•
Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51 and 4.0
•
Novell NetWare 4.1, 4.1 SMP, and 4.11
See Chapter 2, "Using the Dell Server Assistant CD," for
instructions on creating a diskette of drivers for your
operating system. For instructions on configuring the
SCSI device drivers, see the appropriate sections in this
chapter.
T
he SCSI Select Utility
The BIOS for the built-in Adaptec AIC-7880 SCSI
controllers includes the menu-driven SCSISelect configu-
ration utility, which allows you to change SCSI controller
settings without opening the computer. SCSISelect also
contains SCSI disk utilities that let you low-level format or
verify the disk media of your SCSI hard-disk drives.

SCSI Select Default Settings

Default settings for the optional Adaptec AHA-2940
SCSI controller and the built-in AIC-7880 SCSI control-
lers are shown in Table 3-1. These default settings are
appropriate for most Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) systems. Run SCSISelect only if you need to
change any of the default settings.
NOTES: The SCSISelect utility must be run for both of
the AIC-7880 SCSI controllers if you need to change the
configuration settings.
The term host adapter is used throughout this chapter to
refer to the built-in AIC-7880 SCSI controllers or the
optional AHA-2940 SCSI controller card.
For situations in which you might want or need to change
the settings, see the descriptions of each setting in the fol-
lowing subsections. To change any of the default settings
or to format or verify a disk, see "Starting the SCSISelect
Utility" later in this section.
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers 3-1