About The Icu; Icu Database; When To Run The Icu - Dell Precision 400 User Manual

4. Add, modify, or remove a card, or view resources
for a card or other device.
Depending on what you need to accomplish with the
ICU, you may need to perform one or more of these
tasks:
•
If you are adding a non-Plug and Play ISA
expansion card, see "Adding a Listed Card"
found later in this chapter for detailed instruc-
tions. If the card you are adding does not have a
configuration file, see "Adding an Unlisted
Card" found later in this chapter for detailed
instructions.
•
If you are modifying a card that is already
installed, see "Modifying a Card" found later in
this chapter for detailed instructions.
•
If you are removing a card, see "Removing a
Card" found later in this chapter for detailed
instructions.
•
If you want to examine the resources already
assigned in the system, see "Viewing
Resources" found later in this chapter for
detailed instructions.
5. Save your configuration, and exit the utility.
See "Saving the System Configuration" and "Exiting
From the ICU" found later in this chapter for
detailed instructions.
A
bout the ICU
Before your system was shipped from Dell, a technician
used the ICU to enter the correct information for the
expansion cards initially installed in your computer.
If your system was shipped with Dell-installed software,
the ICU diskette image (from which you can make an
ICU diskette) is installed on your hard-disk drive. (Your
system may also be accompanied by an ISA Configura-
tion Utility Diskette.)
The ICU is also available through online services such as
Dell's TechConnect bulletin board service (BBS). See the
chapter titled "Getting Help" in your Diagnostics and
Troubleshooting Guide for information on accessing the
BBS.
4-2 Dell Workstation Midsize Systems User's Guide
Whenever you add or remove a non-Plug and Play ISA
expansion card, use the ICU to reconfigure your system.
The utility reads the card's corresponding configuration
file (.cfg file), which describes the card's characteristics
and required system resources. After the resources
identified in these configuration files are assigned to all
non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards, the system
assigns resources to all Plug and Play expansion cards, as
well as PCI expansion cards, thereby creating a conflict-
free configuration.

ICU Database

The ICU provides a database of configuration files for a
large variety of non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards.
The database is located in the \db subdirectory. Listed
cards are non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards that
have configuration files stored in this database.
Unlisted cards are non-Plug and Play ISA expansion
cards that do not have configuration files stored in the
ICU database. Unlisted cards are not displayed in the list
of cards provided for the various card categories. The
unlisted cards may be cards for which no configuration
file exists or new cards that include a manufacturer-
supplied configuration file on diskette.
When you supply a configuration file and the ICU is run-
ning from the hard-disk drive, the configuration file is
copied to the directory that contains the rest of the ICU
database.
W
hen to Run the ICU
Whenever you add or remove non-Plug and Play ISA
expansion cards, you must run the ICU to ensure that no
two cards attempt to use the same resources (such as
interrupt request [IRQ] lines).
Run the program before adding or removing any non-
Plug and Play ISA expansion cards. The ICU can identify
and resolve any resource conflicts and indicate the proper
jumper and switch settings for each expansion card to
avoid such conflicts. Running the program first helps you
determine how to configure a non-Plug and Play ISA
expansion card before you install it in your computer.
After you have run the ICU for your non-Plug and Play
ISA expansion cards and it has configured all your Plug
and Play and PCI expansion cards, you can use the utility