PCIe Expansion System User's Manual ExpressBox2 PCI Express® to PCI Express® Expansion Model: EB2 Model: EB2R
Copyright © 2008 Mission Technology Group, Inc. - DBA Magma This publication is protected by Federal Copyright Law, with all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, translated, transmitted or transcribed, in any form or by any means manual, electric, electronic, electro-magnetic, mechanical, optical or otherwise, in whole or in part without prior written consent from Magma.
M A G M A Table of Contents PREFACE ............................................................................................. III Advisories ..............................................................................................iii Safety Instructions..................................................................................iv When Working Inside a Computer .........................................................iv Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge ..............................
M A G M A Video Card expansion solutions.................................................................. 36 High Throughput storage solutions ............................................................. 38 CHAPTER 5 TROUBLESHOOTING................................................ 40 Locate the Problem .............................................................................. 40 My Computer Can’t Find the PCIe Expansion System ............................... 41 When Nothing Works ...................
M A G M A Preface Advisories Five types of advisories are used throughout this manual to provide helpful information, or to alert you to the potential for hardware damage or personal injury. They are Note, Important, Caution, Warning, and Danger. The following is an example of each type of advisory. NOTE Used to amplify or explain a comment related to procedural steps or text.
M A G M A Safety Instructions Always use caution when servicing any electrical component. Before handling the Magma PCI-Express Expansion chassis, read the following instructions and safety guidelines to prevent damage to the product and to ensure your own personal safety. Refer to the “Advisories” section for advisory conventions used in this manual, including the distinction between Danger, Warning, Caution, Important, and Note. ♦ Always use caution when handling/operating the computer.
M A G M A In addition, take note of these safety guidelines when appropriate: ♦ To help avoid possible damage to systems boards, wait five seconds after turning off the computer before removing a component, removing a system board, or disconnecting a peripheral device from the computer. ♦ When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on its strain-relief loop, not on the cable itself. Some cables have a connector with locking tabs.
M A G M A ♦ Handle all sensitive components at an ESD workstation. If possible, use anti-static floor pads and workbench pads. ♦ Handle components and boards with care. Don’t touch the components or contacts on a board. Hold a board by its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Rack-Mount Instructions Elevated Operating Ambient - If installed in a closed or multi-unit rack assembly, the operating ambient temperature of the rack environment may be greater than room ambient.
M A G M A Chapter 1 Introduction General Specifications The Magma 2 Slot PCI Express® to PCI Express® Expansion System is a general-purpose bus expansion chassis for the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) local bus. The expansion chassis is fully compliant with the PCI Express Local Bus Specification. This system consists of a PCI Express host card, a 3-meter iPass cable, the 2-slot PCIe expansion chassis and a set of rack-mount brackets.
M A G M A Pre-Installation Information Before using the Magma expansion chassis you should perform the following steps: • • • Inventory the shipping carton contents for all of the required parts Gather all of the necessary tools required for installation Read this manual Parts List The following parts are provided in the EB2 model. The EB2R model includes a rack installation kit as well.
M A G M A Chapter 2 Hardware Installation The following steps will guide you through the installation of your Magma expansion system. Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Warning All PCI cards are susceptible to electrostatic discharge. When moving PCI cards, it is best to carry the cards in anti-static packaging. If you need to set a PCIe card down, be sure to place it inside or on top of an anti-static surface. For more information, see “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the Preface.
M A G M A Before you Begin The system’s ATX power supply is auto-switching. This means that it will automatically switch to match whatever source power you are using. Since all products ship with a US/Canadian Standard 125V power cord, you will need to use a locally available power cord for non-US Standard power sources. Install PCI Express Host Card Begin the installation of your PCI Express (PCIe) host card by first powering down your computer.
M A G M A STOP YOU MUST ONLY INSTALL THE PCIe HOST CARD INTO A PCI EXPRESS SLOT. Only use cards WITH brackets. This will ensure that your PCIe host card can only be inserted into a PCIe slot. Although PCI Express cards without brackets may fit into conventional PCI slots, you run the risk of damaging the PCI Express host card if you insert it into a PCI slot. Please ensure that your host computer has PCI Express slots and install the host card only into a PCI Express slot.
M A G M A Next check the DIP switch settings on the Magma Host Card as shown: The DIP switch can be set to either the x4 or x8 position as can be seen in the photo. Since EB2 supports x8 speeds, it is recommended to set it in the x8 position for optimized performance and compatibility. It should only be set to x4 if one is certain that the PCIe slot on the host PC is x4.
M A G M A CAUTION All cables attached to the expansion chassis must be securely fastened. When you hear a “click,” it is properly secured. If not securely connected, the connectors may cause intermittent or lost connections. NOTE If at all possible, plug all power cords from the expansion chassis and your host computer into a shared power strip, preferably one that has surge and noise suppression circuitry built into it.
M A G M A Tighten the thumbscrews connecting the ExpressCard to the cable on one end and verify the other end is properly latched into the iPass connector of the chassis. In spite of the standardized design of the TDP interface, it is not impossible to connect the male and female connectors upside-down.
M A G M A Before inserting the Magma ExpressCard, power down your laptop computer. Use the procedures for shutting down and powering off your system provided in your owner’s manual or system documentation. Insert the Magma ExpressCard module with the logo side up, into the ExpressCard slot on your computer. Gently push the card until it is firmly seated. NOTE The Magma ExpressCard module can only be used in a computer system that contains an ExpressCard slot.
M A G M A Recheck the Installation Check your installation before powering up the Magma expansion chassis for the first time. Although the power supply has an over voltage protection device built into it, it may not "trip" in time to fully protect a device that has been improperly connected, or whose power cable has been damaged. CAUTION This product is provided with a power supply that automatically adjusts to input voltages between 100 to 240 Vac. A U.S.
M A G M A Applying Power Correctly Starting Up: It is recommended that you apply power to the Magma expansion chassis prior to powering up your computer. This will allow the PCIe bus hierarchy to be in a stable state when the host system issues its master power-on bus reset. This will also allow the software driver to recognize the PCI bus hierarchy and any attached devices. The system’s On/Off switch is located on the front panel, as well as an LED indicator to indicate power status.
M A G M A RedHat 9 Linux Start Up Similarly, RedHat9 OS computers will boot up without any visible indicators that the Expansion System is connected. Proceed to: Chapter 3 Verify Installation. Software Installation (Optional, for ExpressCard): A driver is NOT required for Windows Vista, but may be required for a rd Windows XP installation. You should first install your 3 Party card and connect the system as described in Chapter 2.
M A G M A 3 Click on the Winzip button to unpack the files into the C:\ExpressBox folder. 4 Click on the OK button to confirm the files are unpacked. 5 Click on the Close button to close WinZip. 6 Go to the C:\ExpressBox folder and double-click on the Setup.exe file to start the driver installation. 7 Follow instructions on the screen during the installation. 8 Reboot your computer. The setup program will prepare the necessary files and present the following window to start the driver installation.
M A G M A Review the licensing agreement. If you agree, click Yes to continue. If you do not agree, click No to exit. Rather than restarting your computer, it is recommended that you click “No, I will restart my computer later.”, and then click Finish. You will be instructed to SHUT DOWN your computer in the next step.
M A G M A Shutting Down: STOP DO NOT TURN OFF THE MAGMA EXPANSION CHASSIS UNTIL YOU HAVE SHUT DOWN YOUR COMPUTER COMPLETELY! It can cause a system lockup and loss of any unsaved data. When shutting your system down, it is recommended that you first shut down the computer correctly, and then power down the Magma expansion chassis to avoid ‘computer lock-up’ and potential data loss.
M A G M A If your rack has holes too large for the screws, you can use the Bar Nut to secure your mounting by inserting the Panhead screw through the rack hole and screwing it into the Bar Nut on the reverse side of the rack post, as shown: NOTE Notice that the holes on the Bar Nut are spaced unevenly to accommodate different racks.
M A G M A Attach Chassis to Slide Rail Rack slide The chassis mounts into the rack from the rear. Before you can attempt to insert the chassis’s rack slide into the half of the rack slide you just mounted to the rack, you must first fold the hinged mounting brackets to a forward position as shown. Next, insert the chassis into the rack slide and press it forward until the chassis stops.
M A G M A CHAPTER 3 Verify Installation Windows To verify a successful installation on Windows, find the ‘My Computer’ icon and “right-click” on it. Then select ‘Manage’ from the pop-up menu. Next, click on ‘Device Manager’ in the leftmost Computer Management window. Finally, click on the View Menu and select View Devices by Connection. Open ACPI (BIOS) Æ Open PCI BusÆ Click the ‘+’ sign several times until your reach a PCI Express Root Port with a PCI Standard PCI-toPCI Bridge beneath it.
M A G M A If the verification is successful, you may now proceed to Chapter 4 and rd install 3 Party PCIe Cards as well as auxiliary peripherals, such as hard drives into the chassis. If, however, the installation was unsuccessful, you may not see the PCI to PCI Bridge, or it will have a small yellow below: in front of it as shown In that case proceed to Chapter 5 for Troubleshooting installation problems. Mac OS X When using Mac OS X no additional software or drivers are needed.
M A G M A In this example, the Magma host card is installed in slot 4 and appears as “Intel PCI-to-PCI Bridge Card”. If your computer did not automatically prompt you to choose a PCI Express profile, you can locate this utility under System Æ Library Æ CoreServices Æ Expansion Slot Utility.app. Apple System Profiler When using Mac OS X no additional software or drivers are needed. As long as you are using Mac OS X Version 10.
M A G M A Then click the “More Info” button Æ click on the Devices tabÆ you should see a pci-bridge device listed under PCI as shown below: Any PCIe Cards you install in the expansion chassis will appear behind the pci-bridge device. Mac OS 10.5.x If any of these devices are not displayed as shown above, you should shut down your system (computer first, then the expansion chassis) and reconnect the cables and the PCIe expansion host card to ensure that you have a solid connection.
M A G M A RedHat 9 Linux Once the EB2 has been installed in a RedHat9-based system, its installation can be verified by typing the following command lines: lspci –t Displays the overall structure of the PCIe expansion system lspci –vv Lists additional information about the PCIe switch (in our case it will list the Integrated Device Technology (IDT) information. Ispci –vvv Displays the most comprehensive information about the expansion system.
M A G M A 00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GB/GR (ICH7 Family) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 01) 00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801GB/GR/GH (ICH7 Family) Serial ATA Storage Controller IDE (rev 01) 00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 01) 01:00.0 PCI bridge: Integrated Device Technology, Inc. Unknown device 802f (rev 0d) 02:01.0 PCI bridge: Integrated Device Technology, Inc. Unknown device 802f (rev 0d) 02:02.
M A G M A Chapter 4 Install Cards and Drives This chapter provides information on how to install 3rd Party PCIe cards or hard drives into your Magma expansion chassis. More details on the installation of individual cards are provided by the card’s manufacturer. This chapter is provided as a simple guide to help you install your PCIe cards, or hard drives, in the chassis. For the purpose of installation, the Magma EB2 functions exactly as a standard desktop computer chassis.
M A G M A The second portion, covering the power supply and other circuitry being less frequently accessed is secured with seven (7) regular screws. To remove that portion of the cover use a regular Phillips–head screwdriver. Install 3rd Party PCIe Cards When installing 3rd Party PCIe cards into the Magma expansion chassis, it makes no difference which PCIe slot you place your cards in.
M A G M A Make sure that all PCIe cards are fully seated in their connectors. When correctly seated in its connector, you will notice a firm resistance when you pull up gently on the card. To keep the cards in place, secure them in the enclosure with their retaining screws (supplied with the Magma expansion chassis). If your PCIe card is too short for the adjustable card slot guides, you can rotate the slot guard to make if fit.
M A G M A Installing Double-Wide PCIe Video Cards Double-wide PCIe video cards require special attention when being installed into the EB2 chassis. Not only do they require proper cooling, but we must also ensure adequate power for them to operate optimally.
M A G M A Install Hard Drive(s) The EB2 chassis can accommodate up to two 3.5” or 2.5” hard drives. Before installing hard drives in your system you should locate the brackets on which they will be installed.
M A G M A Note that a PCIe hard drive controller card must be installed in one of the two PCIe slots for the hard drive(s) to interface with the host system. However that controller card should be no longer than PCIe half-length in order to accommodate a second (optional) hard drive in the area designated as zone 2 below: Zone 1: 2.5”/3.5” drive (Unrestricted) Use these holes to mount a 3.5” drive instead of the 2.5” shown Zone 2: 2.5”/3.
M A G M A System Should Be Up and Running As noted previously, apply power to the Magma expansion chassis first, then power up the computer. Use the procedures detailed in Chapter 3 to confirm proper card installation(s). When everything is functioning correctly, your Windows Device Manager should look something like this for any given slot: If you discover that any of your 3rd Party PCIe cards contains a (exclamation mark) you have a problem with that card.
M A G M A “Hot-Swappable” PCIe Card Installations New PCI Express technology allows you to remove your 3rd Party PCIe cards for maintenance or replacement – without shutting down the system. The EB2 expansions system supports Hot Plugging/Hot Swapping of cards as defined by the PCI express specifications. By design, this feature allows the host PC to gracefully remove power to a slot, so that a PCIe card can be removed and replaced.
M A G M A For this feature to work, you need to install the Magma software driver. See Chapter 6 for instructions on how to download the latest software for your system, should you require this feature. Each of the PCIe slots is controlled by a Hotplug Button as seen below: SLOT 2 SLOT 1 Simply press the button corresponding to the slot you wish to “powerdown.” The power will now be removed from that slot so that the card can be replaced.
M A G M A on the OK button to close the new dialog. 4. The properties dialog should close and the original “Safely Remove Hardware” dialog should remain. Click on the Stop button of the dialog. 5. A dialog with the title “Stop a Hardware device” should appear. This device is used to confirm that the user wishes to stop this device. Click on the OK button of the new dialog. 6.
M A G M A 8. After 5-6 seconds the LED will stop flashing and turn off completely. Remove the card and replace it with a new one, then press the button again. Remove and replace the respective PCIe card Ideally the PCIe card that was removed from the system will be replaced with an identical, working card. Replacing that card with one that has a different function or purpose may cause the system to crash due to a mismatch in the resources pre-allocated by the operating system. 9.
M A G M A PCIe Expansion Solutions with the EB2 In the following section we will take a look at possible PCI Express expansion solutions using Magma’s EB2 chassis. Digi Design Pro Tools® Pro Tools® is a comprehensive solution for professional music editing. It offers advanced capabilities for recording and manipulation of music by controlling a large number of music tracks. This is done using at least one PCIe card with multiple Digital Signal Processor (DSP) chips onboard.
M A G M A Note that the maximum number of tracks is achieved with all PCIe cards inserted directly into the PC. Using the EB2 expansion chassis we note the difference in track counts is no larger than 20% compared to a scenario where all cards reside in the PC, taking up all available slots.
M A G M A Since the built-in video chipset doesn’t support 3D rendering needed to run 3DMark® , we first established a baseline by installing an entry level PCIe card into an EB2 expansion chassis (Nvidia Quadro NVS440). All subsequent benchmarks were completed using higher performing video cards and documented in the table below: Tested Video Card SM2.0 Benchmark Score SM3.
M A G M A High Throughput storage solutions The growing demand for storage solutions in the past few years was one of the major catalysts behind the exponential growth in hard drive capacity. Moreover, a new breed of faster and more efficient interfaces have emerged in order to provide higher throughput while maintaining the lowest possible delays in accessing our data. One such solution is ATTO Technology’s FC-44ES Fibre Channel PCIe controller.
M A G M A Iometer® is a software-based I/O exerciser capable to test and characterize stand-alone as well as clustered storage systems. Developed originally by Intel as a proprietary tool, it eventually became part of the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL) from which point it has undergone several revisions and updates.
M A G M A Chapter 5 Troubleshooting Locate the Problem If you are having trouble with the Magma expansion system, first verify that all cards and cables are seated properly. Be sure you followed the instructions in earlier sections of this User Guide. Always remember to power On and Off correctly when rechecking your installation.
M A G M A My Computer Can’t Find the PCIe Expansion System If the expansion system is not visible in your Windows Device Manager or your Apple System Profiler at all, you will need to turn off your computer (first) and then the Magma expansion chassis (second) and test all cords and cables to ensure you have everything connected correctly.
M A G M A Windows If the PCI-to-PCI Bridge is now visible, but contains a in front of it, it has a problem that must be fixed. (exclamation) To identify this problem, right-click on the line with the “Properties” from the pop-up menu. and select Resolve the identified problem or go to Chapter 6 to get additional help. MAC Go to Chapter 6 to get additional help. RedHat9 Linux Go to Chapter 6 to get additional help.
M A G M A When Nothing Works The following troubleshooting steps will help you when the computer or chassis won’t turn on or “nothing seems to work” correctly: NOTE Review Chapters 3 (Verify Installation) and 4 (Install Cards and Drives) as necessary to verify that you have a valid installation of the Magma expansion system and that you rd have correctly installed your 3 Party PCIe card(s) and their associated drivers (as required).
M A G M A My Computer Hangs During Power Up If your computer “hangs” while being turned on and you can’t even start, follow the following steps to try to fix this problem: 1. Shut off the computer (first) and then the Magma expansion system and verify that all cards and cables are connected and seated correctly. 2.
M A G M A My PCIe Card Doesn’t Work The following flowchart describes a general approach to resolve PCIe card issues: The following additional steps might also help when the above troubleshooting steps fail to resolve your problem: 45
M A G M A 1. Shut down the computer followed by the Magma expansion chassis 2. Remove the PCIe card displaying a problem 3. Replace the “problem card” with a simple PCIe card, such as an Ethernet card that has drivers built into the operating system. (Using this “type of card” will avoid any future questions about drivers possibly being installed incorrectly.) 4. Turn on the Magma expansion chassis, and then turn on the computer. Windows 5.
M A G M A Support for 3rd Party PCIe Cards Magma will provide reasonable technical support to with 3rd Party PCIe cards. However, if you have verified a successful installation of the Magma PCIe Expansion System (as defined in Chapter 4), but rd experience difficulty installing your 3 Party PCIe cards, the card manufacturer should be able to provide the best support. IMPORTANT The Magma PCIe Expansion System is designed to function exactly like your desktop computer.
M A G M A Error Code Description/Action rd This code indicates that there is a problem with the 3 Party PCIe Card driver. 10 If necessary, contact the card’s manufacturer for updated software drivers. If all else fails, contact Magma Technical Support for further assistance. On the Bridge: If you receive error code 12 on the first PCI to PCI Bridge, call Magma Technical Support. 12 Error Code 28 1 On the Card: This usually means the memory, I/O, or prefetch is more than has been allocated.
M A G M A The System Fans Don’t Appear To Spin Fast Enough The EB2 chassis is equipped with three fans: One for the power supply and two for the chassis. The power supply fan should always rotate at full speed, while the two chassis fans are thermally controlled both for acoustic and increased reliability reasons. In other words, those fans can adjust their rotation speed based on the user’s preference as well as the amount of heat dissipated by the components inside the chassis.
M A G M A SW11 Position: By default, the EB2 system comes with the two switches in the OFF position (meaning, that their speed is thermally controlled automatically). By switching them ON, the user can effectively bypass this circuitry and set the fans’ rotation speed to maximum. This setting is particularly recommended if one plans on using doublewide PCIe video cards or other peripherals known to generate excessive heat, while the additional noise generated by the fans is not a concern.
M A G M A Chapter 6 How to Get More Help Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) You can visit the Magma Technical Support FAQ pages on the Internet at: www.magma.com/support/ Contacting Technical Support Our support department can be reached by fax at (858) 530-2733 or by phone at (858) 530-2511. Support is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PT.
M A G M A Magma Debug Utility Occasionally, Technical Support may request Windows users to produce and email a Magma debug log file to help them resolve your problem. This file should be included as an attachment when submitting a Technical Support request at www.magma.com/support. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Locate a file called dbgview.exe on the Magma CDROM. Double-click on the file dbgview.exe While the dbgview screen is open, locate and double-click on a file called dump.exe on the Magma CDROM.
M A G M A PCIScope Software Utility PCIScope is a powerful tool for Windows users. It was designed by a Germany company called APSoft. This software utility is a valuable resource to explore, examine and debug the PCI subsystem of your computer. It was made to fit the requirements of the most demanding users, especially engineers, programmers, and system administrators, and to integrate all advanced functions and tools into one product. Please visit www.tssc.
M A G M A You should save this data as a file on your computer. Please include your name and date as part of the file name with an extension of “.bpd.” This file should be included as an attachment when submitting a Technical Support request at www.magma.com/support.
M A G M A Returning Merchandise to MAGMA If factory service is required, a Service Representative will give you a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. Put this number and your return address on the shipping label when you return the item(s) for service. Magma will return any product that is not accompanied by an RMA number. Please note that Magma WILL NOT accept COD packages, so be sure to return the product freight and duties-paid.
Appendix A Need More PCIe Slots? Multiple PCIe Expansion System Configurations The PCI Express Local Bus Specification defines the bus as hierarchical, where logical PCI to PCI Bridges (PPBs) may be used to add "levels" to the PCI bus hierarchy within a PCIe switch. Because hierarchies are organized systems arranged into different levels, you can take advantage of this automatic organizing and layering to expand the number of available PCIe slots beyond the number available in your computer’s motherboard.
M A G M A 2. Most computers allow multiple logical bridges (and thus PCIe buses) to be correctly configured. Some computers, unfortunately, place an arbitrary limit on the number of bridge levels that can be traveled during power-on configuration. Your computer “power-on-software” should be compliant with the PCIe bus specification 1.1 in order to effectively use a Magma PCIe Expansion System.
Fan-Out For reasons described in bullet #3 above, we recommend using a fanout configuration when you need to add successive PCIe expansion systems to the host computer. This addition to the PCI bus hierarchy is at the "peer" level of other existing expansion buses, thus adding "breadth" to the PCI bus hierarchy, since these buses will be at the same hierarchical level within the system configuration.
M A G M A Verify your configuration Before you start installing your PCIe cards (refer to Chapter 4 Install Cards and Drives for more information), you should confirm that everything is in proper working order. Refer to Chapter 3 Verify Installation for guidance in verifying the proper installation of your Expansion System. For example, the following image shows the division within the Windows Device Manager display between two Expansion Systems connected in a “Fan-Out” configuration.
Daisy-Chaining Recognizing the typical insignificance of the performance variance between the “Fan-Out” and “Daisy-Chaining” configurations, the primary reason for using this one would be limitations on physical space. This could be the number of available slots on the host computer motherboard, or a lack of desk or rack space.
M A G M A Combination Configurations Depending on your business requirements, and your physical space limitations, you can add additional Expansion System in multiple configurations, such as these. These combinations are only limited by the availability of PCIe slots (both in the host and in subsequent chasses). Obviously, you will need to keep an eye on your overall system’s performance and make any required adjustments in an incremental manner such that the end result is a robust expansion solution.
PCI e Card Conflicts If you determine that one PCIe card is interfering with the operation of another card, first try reorganizing the cards on the motherboard. Moving the cards around can change the order in which the cards are configured by the system during power-on. This will go a long way toward resolving module conflicts.
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Finding the Problem Card Windows If you need help to determine which PCIe card, or which expansion chassis, has the problem, you can “right-click” on the card with the and check the information contained in the “Location:” field. Look for the “Error Code” in the box in the center of the Properties Window and then go to the Windows Error Code section for information on how to resolve this issue.
M A G M A APPENDIX B Compliance FCC NOTE: 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. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
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