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Conference mvblab::alphaserver_4100

Title:	AlphaServer 4100

Moderator:	MOVMON::DAVISS

Created:	Tue Apr 16 1996
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	648
Total number of notes:	3158

512.0. "KZPDA and Alphabios 5.28 issues" by KAOU93::HUTT () Thu Feb 27 1997 17:14

    I have a customer with an Alpha 4000 5/300 running windows NT 3.51
    Server with the following configuration.
    
    
    bus		slot	device
    PCI 1	5	
    		4	Qlogic or Symbios NCR SCSI controller
                3	
    		2	de500-xa
    
    PCI 0	5	KZPDA-AA
    		4	DUOCOMM CARD
    		3	
    		2	PB2GA-JB
    
    The systems are now running Alphabios 5.28
    
    The customer is having 2 problems:
    
    1. With alphabios 5.28 the customers core application, the OEM version of 
       ScripWorks from Harlequin, the system will hang randomly during the 
       RIP's startup initialization stage. It does not hang every startup,
       and when it does startup, it would hang if the operator attempts to 
       feed a job (i.e. PostScript files) through the RIP.
       The problem was reproducable on a known good working system (running 
       AlphaBios 5.24) we have in the lab when 5.28 was loaded.
                                             
    2. The system drives are connected to the kzpda and the qlogic/NCR card
       is used by the customer to connect a raid set.  Windows NT is loaded
       without the raid set connected. 
       When the customer connects a raid set, the address for the kzpda
    changes and they have to manually change the address to boot NT.  This
    can be solved apparently by putting the kzpda in PCI bus 1 and the raid
    controller in PCI bus 0.  When we tried this under bios 5.28 it worked
    fine, BUT, the customer wants us to downgrade the system to 5.24 so
    that there print application will work.  When we do this we get an
    error on bootup that the controller failed, the system goes through a
    search, and finally boots.  
    
    How do we correct this error on boot?
    
    Does anyone have any suggestions on the Alphabios 5.28 hanging with the
    customers application?
    
    I cant find a procedure to downgrade the bios?
    
    what are the configuration requirements for the listed boards in the
    4100, do I have something in the wrong slot?
    
    PS: this customer buys 2 4000's a day, plus other systems, so keeping
    him happy is important.  Any assistance would be appreciated.
    
    Brian

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
512.1	Doesn't ring a (qualified) bell...	MOVMON::DAVIS		`Thu Feb 27 1997 17:27`	3
	What's a DUOCOMM CARD? Todd
512.2	duocomm card	KAOU93::HUTT		`Fri Feb 28 1997 10:20`	4
	A duocom card is Sea-level dual comm port expansion card, ISA based. Brian
512.3	Downgrade the BIOS	TAINO::JFUSTE	JOSE FUSTE	`Fri Mar 07 1997 14:02`	5
	To download the bios you need the Firmware Update CD prior to the one you already have. The procedure is the same as upgrade. It will get rid of the one installed and will blast the old. Jos�
512.4		HARMNY::CUMMINS		`Fri Mar 07 1997 18:00`	56
	Matthew provided his DTN and mail address if you want to work with him directly. Matt is my counterpart in DECwest (AlphaBIOS development). From: RUST::"[email protected]" 7-MAR-1997 17:46:08.19 To: "'[email protected]'" <[email protected]> CC: Subj: RE: Any input on these problems? Bill, Tell me if I understand this correctly. The DUOCOM card works with AlphaBIOS 5.24 but not with AlphaBIOS 5.28. Assuming this is the case, the only major change in AlphaBIOS 5.28 was the new QLogic (KZPDA) driver. Since the DUOCOM and the KZPDA are on the same bus, the new driver might be causing a problem. Have the customer try moving the KZPDA to PCI 1 if they have not already done so. ARC path names for the OS boot selection include the SCSI port number. Each SCSI adapter is assigned a SCSI port number during the SCSI miniport adapter load. Drivers are loaded in the following order: AH154x AH174x Ncr8xx Aic78xx Dac960 Ql1020 Kzpsx Atapi The SCSI miniport driver for each device does a bus scan looking for instances of the device. The bus scan is done in ascending order starting with PCI 0, slot 0. The SCSI device number is not stored, but reassigned with each boot. If a new SCSI device type was added that was before the boot device type in the SCSI miniport load order, then the SCSI device number of the boot device would change. This would result in an invalid boot selection. At this point, the customer is required to manually change the boot selection from the Utilities\OS Loader menu. AlphaBIOS will automatically correct the boot selection in this menu. The user will merely have to save the changes when they exit by pressing F10. I'm not sure if this is the behavior the customer is experiencing. The note claimed they had to change the address. What did they mean by changing the address. The note also says that the problem was "reproduced in the lab". What was meant by this? Was this "lab" a Digital site? If so, we can hook up a debugger to determine where the system hang occurs. Norm Commo is the debugger guru on the East coast. Once setup, I can remotely connect and debug the system. I am also checking to see if DECWest has a DUOCOM card in stock. If so, I will try to reproduce the problem at DECWest. Matthew Buchman DTN 548-8781 [email protected]