KZTSA SCSI Storage Adapter Installation and User's Guide

Order Number: EK-KZTSA-UG

This document is an Installation and User's Guide for the Digital Equipment Corporation KZTSA SCSI Storage Adapter, identified by order number EK-KZTSA-UG.C01.

Overall Summary:

The KZTSA SCSI Storage Adapter is a high-performance TURBOchannel option module that serves as a pathway between a host system's TURBOchannel I/O bus and a 16-bit differential SCSI bus. It is designed to connect to various SCSI devices, including RAID subsystems, disks, and tapes, supporting both 16-bit and 8-bit differential SCSI devices directly. For compatibility with single-ended SCSI devices, a separate bus converter is required.

Key aspects covered in the guide include:

  1. Adapter Overview:

    • Purpose: Provides a high-performance link for mass-storage media, meeting demanding workstation and server I/O needs.
    • Features: 16-bit wide differential SCSI bus, downline loadable firmware, onboard diagnostics, CAM/SIMport/TURBOchannel/SCSI-2 compliance, support for warm swapping SCSI devices (with a "Y" adapter).
    • Physical Characteristics: Standard single-width TURBOchannel module with internal and external 68-pin SCSI p-connectors, status LEDs (Yellow: POST OK, Red: POST failed, Green: Terminator power OK), and user-configurable jumpers (e.g., for terminator power).
  2. System Configurations:

    • Installation Guidelines: Discusses host system constraints (workstation/server models and maximum adapter support) and emphasizes that only differential SCSI devices connect directly. If single-ended devices are used via a bus converter, the KZTSA adapter must be assigned a SCSI ID between 0 and 7.
    • Differential SCSI Bus: Explains priority arbitration (SCSI ID 7 highest, ID 8 lowest) and different configurations:
      • Mid-bus: The KZTSA adapter is in the middle of the bus, requiring removal of onboard terminators and use of a "Y" cable or tri-link connector. Termination occurs at the end SCSI device.
      • End-bus: The KZTSA adapter is at the end of the bus, typically using its onboard terminators, with the other end terminated at the final SCSI device.
    • Termination: Stresses the critical importance of proper termination at both ends of the SCSI bus to prevent data corruption. Termination can be active, supplied by the KZTSA (via jumper W3) or a SCSI device.
    • Sample Configurations: Illustrates common setups, including connection to a bus converter for single-ended devices, integration into a RAID subsystem, and configurations for a DECsafe Available Server Environment (ASE) with dual hosts sharing SCSI devices (which requires internal termination to be removed from the KZTSA adapter and bus converter).
  3. Installation and Verification:

    • Installation Procedure: Step-by-step instructions covering unpacking, preparing the host system (shutdown, antistatic precautions), determining configuration/cabling, assigning SCSI IDs, inserting the adapter into a TURBOchannel slot, and connecting SCSI cables.
    • Verification: Confirming proper installation by checking LED status indicators and verifying the KZTSA-AA subsystem appears in the host system's configuration display.
    • Diagnostic Self-Tests and Console Commands (for Alpha AXP based systems):
      • t tc# testname: Runs diagnostic self-tests (pst-q for quick, pst-t for thorough).
      • CNFG: Displays KZTSA adapter information and lists connected SCSI devices for configuration verification.
      • DEVSELF: Invokes resident self-tests on connected SCSI devices.
      • SETID: Allows setting the KZTSA adapter's SCSI ID (default is 7).
      • BOOT: Initializes the host system and starts the operating system.
      • INIT: Performs a complete hardware reset of the adapter.
      • RESET: Resets the KZTSA SCSI bus, useful for clearing a hung bus.
  4. Appendices:

    • Hardware Specifications: Details functional (e.g., Intel 80960CA and NCR 53C720 processors, 20 MB/s synchronous transfer rate) and environmental limitations.
    • Firmware Update Utility: Provides procedures for updating the adapter's Flash ROM firmware.
    • Device Parameter Disable Utility: Explains how to use a console utility (devparams) to enable or disable specific SCSI activities (like synchronous/wide data transfer negotiation, device disconnect privilege, and tag command queuing) for individual devices or the entire bus.
    • Troubleshooting: Offers solutions for common problems encountered during power-up and boot sequences, such as no response, display issues, self-test halts, and unrecognized SCSI devices, often recommending checking connections, SCSI IDs, or using INIT or RESET commands.

In essence, the document provides a comprehensive guide for the installation, configuration, testing, and maintenance of the KZTSA SCSI Storage Adapter, emphasizing proper SCSI bus management and utility usage for troubleshooting.

EK-KZTSA-UG-C01
May 1994
92 pages
Quality

Original
0.2MB
EK-KZTSA-UG
December 1994
92 pages
Quality

Original
0.3MB

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