CITCA Installation and Operating Information

This document, titled "CITCA Installation and Operating Information" (Order Number: EK-CITCA-OM. 001), was published by Digital Equipment Corporation in August 1992.

Purpose: It describes the CITCA (Computer Interconnect to TURBOchannel Adapter) option, which provides a hardware interface between the Computer Interconnect (CI) bus and the TURBOchannel bus in a TURBOchannel-based system.

Intended Audience: Digital Customer Service engineers and licensed customers responsible for installing and maintaining this option.

Key Content Areas:

1. Introduction: Provides a general overview, physical description, features (e.g., resequencing dual path operation, 62.5 Mbyte/second packet buffer, diagnostic loopback capability), and environmental and electrical specifications of the CITCA module.
2. Site Preparation and Installation: Details steps for preparing the installation site, configuring the module's switch settings (for CI node address, arbitration mode, quiet slot time), routing ThinWire CI cables, and the physical installation and removal procedures of the CITCA module, emphasizing electrostatic discharge (ESD) precautions.
3. Verification and Acceptance: Outlines procedures to verify the successful installation and operation of the CITCA, including self-tests (TCAST), CI external loopback tests, and CI node configuration tests using console commands (cnfg, boot slot/l, boot slot/c). It also includes troubleshooting flowcharts and descriptions of PDFLT error codes.
4. Diagnostics: Describes various diagnostic tools:
   • TCAST: CITCA power-up self-test.
   • PST CITCA: MIPS-based power-up self-test subtest.
   • CI Verification: Functional testing for CI connectivity.
   • FLASH_CITCA: A standalone diagnostic and utility for testing module logic and function, and for updating the FLASH PROM microcode.
5. Functional Description: Explains the logical architecture of the CITCA, including its TURBOchannel interface, Packet Buffer RAMs, Control Store, Microprocessor, and CI receive/transmit logic. It details the sequence of events for sending and receiving packets to and from CI nodes via TURBOchannel transactions.

Appendices: Provide detailed information on CITCA registers, boot error codes and their descriptions, and part numbers for field replaceable units (FRUs).