Installation Guide AHA-2940Ultra/ 2940Ultra Wide PCI-to-UltraSCSI Host Adapter with SCSISelect R
1 Introduction The Adaptec AHA®-2940Ultra and AHA-2940Ultra Wide PCI-to-Fast SCSI host adapters provide a powerful multitasking interface between your computer’s PCI bus and SCSI devices (disk drives, CD-ROM drives, scanners, tape backups, removable media drives, etc.). Collectively, both host adapters are referred to as the AHA-2940Ultra/2940Ultra Wide. The following figures show the major components on the AHA-2940Ultra and AHA-2940Ultra Wide.
2 Installing the Host Adapter Follow these instructions to install the host adapter: 1 Turn OFF power to the computer and peripheral devices and disconnect the power cords. 2 Remove the cover from the computer case. 3 Locate an unused 32-bit PCI expansion slot (the slot must support Bus Master data transfers); unscrew and remove the metal bracket that covers the card-slot opening. (Save the screw to use when securing the host adapter in your computer.
your hard disk and other SCSI devices, refer to the device’s documentation. The host adapter supports the SCSI Configured AutoMatically (SCAM) protocol, which assigns SCSI IDs dynamically and resolves SCSI ID conflicts automatically at bootup. If your system includes SCSI disk drives or other devices that support SCAM, you do not need to manually assign SCSI IDs to these devices. To enable SCAM support, see Configuring the Host Adapter on page 7.
■ If the AHA-2940Ultra detects that a cable is connected to both its internal and external SCSI connector, then it disables its terminators (the AHA-2940Ultra lies between the ends of the SCSI bus). We recommend that you leave the AHA-2940Ultra set to its default setting of Automatic. If you want to manually enable or disable the AHA-2940Ultra termination setting, see Configuring the Host Adapter on page 7.
4 Installing SCSI Devices You can connect up to a total of seven internal and external 8-bit SCSI devices to the AHA-2940Ultra, and up to 15 devices (seven 8-bit internal and eight Wide (16-bit) internal or external SCSI devices, or 15 Wide internal and external SCSI devices) to the AHA-2940Ultra Wide. Choosing SCSI Cables The cables required to connect SCSI devices are determined by the type of devices you are installing, as described in the following table.
6 meters (19.7 ft). See your device’s documentation to determine if it is a Fast SCSI device. Connecting Internal SCSI Devices If you are connecting internal SCSI devices, make sure you have an internal SCSI cable with enough connectors to accommodate all of your devices. 1 Prepare each SCSI device for installation; configure the device SCSI ID and terminators (terminate the last internal device attached to the cable).
2 Plug the connector at one end of the external SCSI cable into the host adapter’s external SCSI connector. 3 Plug the connector at the other end of the cable to either one of the SCSI connectors on the external SCSI device. 4 To connect other external SCSI devices, daisychain each device to the previous device until all external SCSI devices have been connected. 5 Using the LED Connector (Optional) Most computers have an LED disk activity light on the front panel.
Your host adapter is ready for operation and you can proceed to Installing Device Drivers on page 10. For situations where you might want or need to change the settings, see the descriptions of each setting in the user’s guide. If you need to change any of the default settings, or if you would like to format or verify a disk, see Starting the SCSISelect Utility on page 9 to start the utility.
Starting the SCSISelect Utility You can start the SCSISelect utility by pressing Ctrl-A when the following prompt appears at boot time: Press for SCSISelect (TM) Utility! The first menu that appears displays the options Configure/View Host Adapter Settings and SCSI Disk Utilities. Using SCSISelect Menus SCSISelect uses menus to list options you can select. To select an option, use the ↑ and ↓ keys to move the cursor to the option, then press Enter.
Adaptec Format Disk utility is compatible with the vast majority of SCSI disk drives. ■ Verify Disk Media—This utility allows you to scan the media of a hard disk drive for defects. If the utility finds bad blocks on the media, it prompts you to reassign them; if you select yes, those blocks are no longer used. You can press Esc at any time to abort the utility.
9 Troubleshooting Checklist If you have a problem during installation, check these items first: ■ Have you installed the host adapter into a PCI Rev 2.
10 Adaptec Customer Support If you have questions about installing or using your Adaptec product, check this guide first—you will find answers to most of your questions here. If you need further assistance, please contact us. We offer the following support and information services: ■ For technical support (answers to technical questions, information about the Adaptec BBS, FTP and WWW Servers, and access to the Interactive Fax system), call 800-959-SCSI (7274) or 408-945-2550, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
FCC Compliance Statement This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in residential installations. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
