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Alpha Microsystems AM-1600 Upgrade Instructions

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For Authorized Service
Upgrade Instructions
Eagle 100/300/500
Personnel Only:
AM-1600 or
to Eagle 450
PDI-03500-21, A00

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Summary of Contents for Alpha Microsystems AM-1600

  • Page 1                   For Authorized Service      Personnel Only:          Upgrade Instructions   AM-1600 or       Eagle 100/300/500         to Eagle 450                       ...
  • Page 2 © 1998 ALPHA MICROSYSTEMS FIRST EDITION: October 1998 To re-order this document, request part number PDI-03500-21. FCC Notice This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT Graphic Conventions CHAPTER 2 - COMPATIBILITY SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY SCSI TAPE AND HARD DISK DRIVE REQUIREMENTS The SCSI Floppy Drive SCSI Tape Drives SCSI Hard Disk Drives SCSI-2 Dispatcher CHAPTER 3 - UPGRADING EAGLE 450 ON-BOARD MEMORY ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT HANDLING PRECAUTIONS INSTALLING THE EXTERNAL CACHE SIMM MODULE...
  • Page 4 PREPARING THE AM-138 BOARD INSTALLING THE NEW REAR PANEL AND AM-138 HOOKING UP THE AM-138 FINISHING UP CHAPTER 8 - AM-1600 UPGRADE HARDWARE INSTALLATION PREPARING FOR THE UPGRADE REMOVING THE CHASSIS COVER REMOVING THE ROADRUNNER BOARD (IF PRESENT) REMOVING THE AM-135 BOARD...
  • Page 5 Table of Contents Page iii CHAPTER 9 - TESTING THE NEW SYSTEM RUNNING A SELF-TEST SET YOUR CMOS CONFIGURATION AND BOOT RENAMING THE SYSTEM MONITOR AND INITIALIZATION FILES BACK UP AND MAKE A NEW WARM BOOT TAPE ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION APPENDIX A - SCSI TERMINATION SCSI TERMINATION USING EXTERNAL TERMINATOR ATTACHING EXTERNAL DEVICES TERMINATOR POWER...
  • Page 6 Figure 7-6: Removing the Old Rear Panel....................38 Figure 7-7: Eagle 450 Rear Panel .......................40 Figure 8-1: Deskside Chassis Cover Removal....................44 Figure 8-2: Roadrunner Mounting in AM-1600 ..................45 Figure 8-3: AM-135 Mounting Bracket Removal ..................46 Figure 8-4: Removing the Old Rear Panel....................48 Figure 8-5: Eagle 450 Rear Panel .......................50...

  • Page 7: Chapter 1 - Introduction

    • Eagle 100, 300, or 500 • AM-1600 in deskside chassis The AM-138 board is supported only in the AM-1600/Eagle deskside chassis, either old or new (introduced in the spring/summer of 1998) style. Please contact your dealer or Alpha Microsystems for information on the different upgrade kits used for each of these system types.

  • Page 8: Graphic Conventions

    Page 2 Chapter One Graphic Conventions Like other Alpha Micro documents, this manual uses some standard symbols and special typefaces to make our examples and explanations easier to read and understand: Symbol Description This means STOP!, and signals an important warning or restriction. Be sure to read the text next to this symbol carefully, as it could help you avoid serious problems.

  • Page 9: Chapter 2 - Compatibility

    You cannot attach peripherals to both busses in the same computer! Either SCSI bus will support the SCSI disk and tape devices in your current AM-1600 or Eagle. In addition, you can attach Wide SCSI-2 drives to either bus, using the appropriate adapter to attach them to the narrow bus.

  • Page 10: The Scsi Floppy Drive

    5.25” mounting bay. SCSI Tape Drives Any SCSI tape drive which works in your current AM-1600 or Eagle will also work in your upgraded Eagle 450. No firmware revisions are necessary. In order to warm boot from a Tandberg streaming tape drive, make sure you enter it as the alternate boot unit ID in the CMOS Configuration Menu.

  • Page 11: Chapter 3 - Upgrading Eagle 450 On-Board Memory

    Chapter 3 - Upgrading Eagle 450 On-Board Memory The AM-138 has two on-board SIMM (single inline memory module) expansion slots, which support 60ns DRAMs. Because the memory is located on-board, it can be accessed much faster than memory accessed over the VME bus—i.e., AM-730 and AM-740 memory boards used with earlier CPU boards. The AM-138 also supports one 64KB cache SIMM (the AM-701).

  • Page 12: Installing The External Cache Simm Module

    Page 6 Chapter Three INSTALLING THE EXTERNAL CACHE SIMM MODULE The external cache SIMM must only be installed in the J12 slot, labeled CACHE SIMM. Never install memory expansion SIMMs in J12, or the cache SIMM at any other location. See Figure 4- 1 for the location of J12.

  • Page 13: Installing Memory

    Upgrading Eagle 450 On-board Memory Page 7 INSTALLING MEMORY The Eagle 450 supports from 4MB to 256MB of main memory: either one or two memory SIMMs of 4MB, 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, 64MB, or 128MB. Use 60ns SIMMs only; 70ns SIMMs will not work. Unlike the AM-6000, SIMMs do not have to be installed in pairs: you can use either one or two SIMMs;...

  • Page 14: Changing Memory Simms

    Page 8 Chapter Three Memory Module Size Total Bank0 Bank1 Combinations: Memory Settings Settings 2 x 4MB 8 MB 8 MB 8MB + 4MB 12MB 2 x 8MB 16MB 16MB 16MB 16MB + 4MB 20MB 16MB + 8MB 24MB 2 x 16MB 32MB 32MB 32MB...

  • Page 15: Chapter 4 - Configuring The Am-138

    Chapter 4 - Configuring the AM-138 This chapter contains information you may need both before and after installing your Eagle 450. It covers: • Jumpers and connectors on the AM-138 board • CMOS setup • Ethernet interface options • Remote reset capability •...

  • Page 16: Figure 4-1: Am-138 Board

    Page 10 Chapter Four Remote reset jumper On-board serial ports SSD goes here Wide SCSI connector Narrow SCSI connector Serial I/O expansion slots Memory jumpers Remote reset adapter attaches here. First memory SIMM Cache SIMM goes here. Second memory SIMM Figure 4-1: AM-138 Board Eagle 450 Upgrade Instructions, Rev.
  • Page 17 Configuring the AM-138 Page 11 AM-138 Jumpers Jumper Default Number Jumper Name Setting Notes RR-EN When IN, enables remote reset through serial port 0 (this is not supported through AM-90 card); when out, allows remote reset cable attachment at P8. See page 13. Level7 Select 3-pin jumper;...
  • Page 18 Page 12 Chapter Four AM-138 Connectors The following table provides a brief overview of the connectors on the AM-138 board. Connector Connector Connector Number Name Type Cable Description and How to Use 9-pin Cable pin-1 up, use keyed cable Parallel port 25-pin Cable pin-1 up, use keyed cable Ethernet...

  • Page 19: The Cmos Menu

    Configuring the AM-138 Page 13 THE CMOS MENU The Eagle 450 does not use boot ID switches; instead it has a CMOS configuration menu to let you choose primary and secondary boot devices, as well as set other system options, such as the system monitor file to use.

  • Page 20: Installing The Ssd Chip

    If you are upgrading from an Eagle 100, 300 or 500, you must remove the SSD chip from your existing computer and install it in on the AM-138. If you are upgrading from an AM-1600, your upgrade kit includes a new SSD chip, which you must install in the AM-138.

  • Page 21: On-Board Serial Ports

    Configuring the AM-138 Page 15 Before installing the SSD chip in the AM-138, write the SSD number in a secure place for future reference. Install the SSD at its clearly marked socket at U34 (see Figure 4-1), by inserting and pressing down gently on the chip.

  • Page 22: Chapter 5 - Beginning An Eagle 450 Upgrade

    Chapter 5 - Beginning an Eagle 450 Upgrade When you upgrade your computer to an Eagle 450, it’s important that you perform the proper hardware and software steps in the correct order, taking all the necessary precautions to protect your data in case of a problem.

  • Page 23: Step 1 - Protecting Your Data

    Page 18 Chapter Five STEP 1 - PROTECTING YOUR DATA Perform a Complete Back Up When doing a major upgrade to a computer, you want to be absolutely sure you have a recent and complete system backup. Although it is very unlikely that data stored on your hard disk drive would be corrupted when upgrading your computer, you should be prepared for anything.

  • Page 24: Step 4 - Create A New System Monitor

    Beginning an Eagle 450 Upgrade Page 19 STEP 4 - CREATE A NEW SYSTEM MONITOR Because of the Eagle 450’s CMOS configuration, you can give the system monitor file any name you want. So, you can create a monitor to use after the AM-138 board is installed without affecting the way your system performs now.
  • Page 25 Page 20 Chapter Five For example, if the QUEUE statement in your system initialization command file is currently set to 200 and the JOBS statement is set to 50, the resulting formula would look like this: New Queue Block Requirement = 200 + (13 x 50) This example results in a setting of 850 queue blocks.

  • Page 26: Step 6 - Create New Subsystem Disk Drivers

    Beginning an Eagle 450 Upgrade Page 21 The most common of the other switches is /EW, to enable Wide SCSI operation when using the optional Wide SCSI bus. If you have both Wide and narrow SCSI devices attached to the Wide bus, enable Wide SCSI operation only for the Wide devices.

  • Page 27: Step 7 - Network Configuration

    The hardware installation procedure differs depending on the type of system you are upgrading from. For specific installation instructions, please turn to the correct chapter for your upgrade: • Eagle 100 — Chapter 6 • Eagle 300 or 500 — Chapter 7 • AM-1600 — Chapter 8 Eagle 450 Upgrade Instructions, Rev. A00...

  • Page 28: Chapter 6 - Eagle 100 Upgrade Hardware Installation

    Chapter 6 - Eagle 100 Upgrade Hardware Installation In this upgrade the AM-138 replaces the AM-137 CPU board. This upgrade procedure involves removing the old CPU and rear panel and installing the AM-138 and a new rear panel. The following instructions walk you through this process.

  • Page 29: Removing The Am-137 Board

    Page 24 Chapter Six Figure 6-1: Deskside Chassis Cover Removal REMOVING THE AM-137 BOARD 1. Label all cables between the AM-137 and the rear panel, then unplug them from both the rear panel and the AM-137. 2. Remove the two male-female standoffs on either side of the parallel port connector which attach the AM-137 to the back panel.

  • Page 30: Figure 6-2: Am-137 Mounting Bracket Removal

    Eagle 100 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 25 POWER SUPPLY MAIN ELECTRONICS BOARD MOUNTING BRACKET To remove the board mounting assembly, you must remove these two screws. Figure 6-2: AM-137 Mounting Bracket Removal 5. Carefully lift the mounting plate up and forward, toward the front of the chassis, then out. The mounting plate helps to stabilize the chassis.

  • Page 31: Preparing The Am-138 Board

    Page 26 Chapter Six PREPARING THE AM-138 BOARD 1. Use eight of the mounting screws you just removed to attach the AM-138 to the mounting plate. 2. If you haven’t yet, check the jumpers on the AM-138 board to make sure they are set correctly. Refer to the table in Chapter 4.

  • Page 32: Figure 6-3: Removing The Old Rear Panel

    Eagle 100 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 27 REMOVE THE TWO SCREWS HOLDING THE SCSI CONNECTOR TO THE REAR PANEL MAIN BOOT SCSI REMOVE THESE FIVE REAR PANEL SCREWS Figure 6-3: Removing the Old Rear Panel 2. Attach the new Eagle 450 rear panel (DWF-20753-08) to the back of the chassis using the five screws you just removed.

  • Page 33: Hooking Up The Am-138

    Page 28 Chapter Six 4. Attach the AM-138 to the back panel using the provided male/female standoffs at the UPS status port and the parallel port. 5. Use the slide latch assembly to mount the Ethernet connector to the rear panel. 6.

  • Page 34: Figure 6-4: Eagle 450 Rear Panel

    Eagle 100 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 29 NOTE: You can use either Ethernet port, but not both. EXTERNAL SCSI PORT 10-BaseT ETHERNET PORT 15-PIN AUI ETHERNET PORT SERIAL I/O EXPANSION SLOTS 25-PIN PARALLEL PORT 8 STANDARD 9-PIN UPS SERIAL PORTS STATUS PORT BOOT PORT...

  • Page 35: Finishing Up

    Page 30 Chapter Six 6. Install cabling from any other serial I/O boards to the back panel, following the installation instructions for the I/O board. If you’re using AM-90 cards for the back panel connections (which we recommend), insert the bottom AM-90s first and work your way up the back panel. Make sure pin-1 orientation is correct for all cable connections.

  • Page 36: Chapter 7 - Eagle 300/500 Upgrade Hardware Installation

    Chapter 7 - Eagle 300/500 Upgrade Hardware Installation In this upgrade the AM-138 replaces the AM-172 or AM-174 Roadrunner board and the AM-319 system board. This upgrade procedure involves removing these two boards and the rear panel and installing the AM-138 and a new rear panel.

  • Page 37: Removing The Roadrunner Board

    Page 32 Chapter Seven Figure 7-1: Deskside Chassis Cover Removal REMOVING THE ROADRUNNER BOARD Where your Roadrunner board is located in your chassis depends on when you purchased your computer. On early-model Eagle computers, the Roadrunner board is mounted vertically on a special bracket. Later model Eagle computers have their Roadrunner boards mounted horizontally on the chassis bottom.

  • Page 38: Figure 7-2: Roadrunner Mounting Bracket, Early-Model Eagles

    Eagle 300/500 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 33 F - 2 0 7 5 4 - 0 F - 2 0 7 5 4 - 0 The Roadrunner board is mounted on the DWF-20754-00 bracket shown.To remove the board, remove these four Phillips-head screws. You can then fold down the mounting bracket and board assembly onto your work surface to unplug the cables.

  • Page 39: Figure 7-3: Roadrunner Removal, Early-Model Eagles

    Page 34 Chapter Seven ROADRUNNER 030 OR 040 BOARD Before removing the Roadrunner board, unplug the two cables from the X-Bus connectors, the SCSI cable, and the 4-pin power cable. Then, remove the entire Roadrunner board/mounting bracket assembly. Figure 7-3: Roadrunner Removal, Early-Model Eagles 3.

  • Page 40: Removing A Horizontally-Mounted Roadrunner

    Eagle 300/500 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 35 Removing a Horizontally-mounted Roadrunner The Roadrunner is attached to a screen on the bottom of the chassis using four male/female standoffs and four 6-32 Phillips-head screws. To remove it: 1. Unplug all cables from the Roadrunner board, including the SCSI cable, power cable, X-bus cables, etc.

  • Page 41: Removing The Am-319 Board

    Page 36 Chapter Seven REMOVING THE AM-319 BOARD 1. Label all cables between the AM-319 and the rear panel, then unplug them from both the rear panel and the AM-319. 2. Remove the two male-female standoffs attaching the AM-319 to the back panel. 3.

  • Page 42: Preparing The Am-138 Board

    Eagle 300/500 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 37 5. Carefully lift the mounting plate up and forward, toward the front of the chassis, then out. The mounting plate helps to stabilize the chassis. With it removed, You will be able to rock the chassis back and forth slightly.

  • Page 43: Figure 7-6: Removing The Old Rear Panel

    Page 38 Chapter Seven REMOVE THE TWO SCREWS HOLDING THE SCSI CONNECTOR TO THE REAR PANEL MAIN BOOT SCSI REMOVE THESE FIVE REAR PANEL SCREWS Figure 7-6: Removing the Old Rear Panel 3. The new rear panel is smaller, so the fan attaches directly to the back of the chassis. Use the same four screws to reattach it in the same position it previously occupied.

  • Page 44: Hooking Up The Am-138

    Eagle 300/500 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 39 5. Reinstall the CPU mounting plate, which now has the AM-138 attached. First slide the connector end of the AM-138 into place in the rear panel. Then, move the other end into the proper orientation and press down over the small locating bumps in the chassis bottom.

  • Page 45: Figure 7-7: Eagle 450 Rear Panel

    Page 40 Chapter Seven NOTE: You can use either Ethernet port, but not both. EXTERNAL SCSI PORT 10-BaseT ETHERNET PORT 15-PIN AUI ETHERNET PORT SERIAL I/O EXPANSION SLOTS 25-PIN PARALLEL PORT 8 STANDARD 9-PIN UPS SERIAL PORTS STATUS PORT BOOT PORT Figure 7-7: Eagle 450 Rear Panel Eagle 450 Upgrade Instructions, Rev.

  • Page 46: Finishing Up

    Eagle 300/500 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 41 6. Install cabling from any other serial I/O boards to the back panel, following the installation instructions for the I/O board. If you’re using AM-90 cards for the back panel connections (which we recommend), insert the bottom AM-90s first and work your way up the back panel. Make sure pin-1 orientation is correct for all cable connections.

  • Page 47: Chapter 8 - Am-1600 Upgrade Hardware Installation

    AM-138 and a new rear panel. The following instructions describe this process. These instructions are for an AM-1600, with or without a Roadrunner upgrade, in a deskside chassis. You cannot upgrade an AM-1600 in a desktop chassis. It can, however, be traded in for an Eagle 450.

  • Page 48: Removing The Roadrunner Board (If Present)

    REMOVING THE ROADRUNNER BOARD (IF PRESENT) In an AM-1600, the Roadrunner board is mounted on a bracket which is attached to a flange on the rear panel and to two standoffs on the AM-135 board. Before you can remove the AM-135 board, you must remove the Roadrunner board and the mounting bracket.

  • Page 49: Removing The Am-135 Board

    2. Remove the two male-female standoffs attaching the AM-135 to the back panel. 3. Unplug all cables still attached to the AM-135 (or to the AM-986 if your AM-1600 had a Roadrunner installed). Label the power and display cables, as they’ll be used in the Eagle 450. If you will be using the Wide SCSI-2 bus on the AM-138, disconnect the narrow SCSI cable from all devices and the external connector and remove the cable.

  • Page 50: Figure 8-3: Am-135 Mounting Bracket Removal

    Page 46 Chapter Eight 4. If present, unplug the AM-968 Front Panel Display Adapter. Unplug all cables and wires attached to it. You’ll later reattach the ribbon cable and these wire pairs: red/white, yellow/white, green/white, and green/black. The other wire pairs will not be needed in the Eagle 450. 5.

  • Page 51: Preparing The Am-138 Board

    AM-1600 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 47 7. If the computer contains a floppy controller, remove it and the diskette drive. Only SCSI diskette drives are supported with the Eagle 450. PREPARING THE AM-138 BOARD 1. Use eight of the mounting screws you just removed to attach the AM-138 to the mounting plate.

  • Page 52: Figure 8-4: Removing The Old Rear Panel

    Page 48 Chapter Eight REMOVE THE TWO SCREWS HOLDING THE SCSI CONNECTOR TO THE REAR PANEL MAIN BOOT SCSI REMOVE THESE FIVE REAR PANEL SCREWS Figure 8-4: Removing the Old Rear Panel 3. The new rear panel is smaller, so the fan attaches directly to the back of the chassis. Use the same four screws to reattach it in the same position it previously occupied.

  • Page 53: Hooking Up The Am-138

    AM-1600 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 49 5. Reinstall the CPU mounting plate, which now has the AM-138 attached. First slide the connector end of the AM-138 into place in the rear panel. Then, move the other end into the proper orientation and press down over the small locating bumps in the chassis bottom.

  • Page 54: Figure 8-5: Eagle 450 Rear Panel

    Page 50 Chapter Eight NOTE: You can use either Ethernet port, but not both. EXTERNAL SCSI PORT 10-BaseT ETHERNET PORT 15-PIN AUI ETHERNET PORT SERIAL I/O EXPANSION SLOTS 25-PIN PARALLEL PORT 8 STANDARD 9-PIN UPS SERIAL PORTS STATUS PORT BOOT PORT Figure 8-5: Eagle 450 Rear Panel Eagle 450 Upgrade Instructions, Rev.

  • Page 55: Finishing Up

    AM-1600 Upgrade: Hardware Installation Page 51 6. Install cabling from any other serial I/O boards to the back panel, following the installation instructions for the I/O board. If you’re using AM-90 cards for the back panel connections (which we recommend), insert the bottom AM-90s first and work your way up the back panel.

  • Page 56: Chapter 9 - Testing The New System

    Chapter 9 - Testing the New System After you’ve installed the new hardware, you need to test the system to make sure it works properly in its new configuration. To do so: 1. Run self-test. 2. If the system passes the self-test, access the CMOS Configuration menu to define your configuration, then boot the computer.

  • Page 57: Renaming The System Monitor And Initialization Files

    Page 54 Chapter Six To check on the status of all jobs, we recommend that you type: STAT ENTER RENAMING THE SYSTEM MONITOR AND INITIALIZATION FILES Once the system has passed the self-test and you have made sure that all jobs are up and running: 1.

  • Page 58: Appendix A - Scsi Termination

    Appendix A - SCSI Termination SCSI TERMINATION USING EXTERNAL TERMINATOR The preferred method of terminating the SCSI bus in an AMOS based computer is the installation of an external terminator. In April 1993, the external SCSI bus terminator became standard on all AMOS computers.

  • Page 59: Attaching External Devices

    Page 56 Appendix A Figure A-1 shows an extended active external narrow SCSI connector and bail locks for holding the terminator in place. The terminator is installed by sliding it over the connector and then latching the bail locks into the notches in the terminator. ATTACHING EXTERNAL DEVICES To attach an external SCSI device, you must remove the terminator from the external SCSI port.

  • Page 60: Appendix B - Read-Ahead And Write Buffering

    Appendix B - Read-ahead and Write Buffering The AM-138 board uses a programmable RISC DMA controller for SCSI bus communications and for data transfer to and from the AM-138's SCSI bus. The ColdFire CPU is only involved with setup before and cleanup after a SCSI command is sent to a devicethe rest of the command, including data transfer, is handled by the RISC processor.
  • Page 61 Page 58 Appendix B FIXLOG ENTER FIXLOG.LIT Version x.x(xxx) 1. Change the number of logicals. 2. Create a sub-system driver. Enter choice: 2 ENTER Enter name of generic driver to be used: SCZ138 ENTER Enter number of logical units per physical unit: 10 ENTER Enter SCSI id (0-15): 0 ENTER...

  • Page 62: Potential Pitfalls

    Read-ahead and Write Buffering Page 59 Potential Pitfalls Obviously, there can be problems with write buffering, especially if the system either crashes or is powered off while writes are pending in the write buffer. If that happens, all pending writes are lost. Though this sounds like a major problem, it can also happen if write buffering is not enabled.

  • Page 63: Final Notes

    Page 60 Appendix B When specifying write buffering for a device, two files are placed into system memory: .DVR (loaded from disk) and .WRC (directly created in system memory), which are the driver and cache buffer. This is true for all SCSI disk devices except the DSK device. For the DSK device, the file DSK.DVR does not need to be created because it is already loaded into the system monitor.

This manual is also suitable for:

Eagle 100Eagle 300Eagle 500Eagle 450

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