K8T Master2-FAR7 MS-9617 (v1.X) Workstation Board English Version G52-S9617X1 i 9617v1.0-Preface.
Copyright Notice T he material in this doc ument is the intellec tual property of M ICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL. We take every care in the preparation of this document, but no guarantee is given as to the correctness of its contents. Our products are under continual improvement and we reserve the right to make changes without notice. Trademarks All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. AMD, Athlon™, Athlon™ XP, Thoroughbred™, and Duron™ are registered trademarks of AMD Corporation.
Safety Instructions 1. Always read the safety instructions carefully. 2. Keep this User’s Manual for future reference. 3. Keep this equipment away from humidity. 4. Lay this equipment on a reliable flat surface before setting it up. 5. The openings on the enclosure are for air convection hence protects the equipment from overheating. DO NOT COVER THE OPENINGS. 6. Make sure the voltage of the power source and adjust properly 110/220V before connecting the equipment to the power inlet. 7.
FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement T h is eq uip men t h as been tested and found to c omply 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 a residential installation. 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.
WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement v 9617v1.0-Preface.
vi 9617v1.0-Preface.
vii 9617v1.0-Preface.
CONTENTS Copyright Notice .............................................................................................................. ii Trademarks ....................................................................................................................... ii Revision History .............................................................................................................. ii Technical Support .........................................................................................
Fan Power Connectors: CFAN1/2, SFAN1, NBFAN1 .............................. 2-17 IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1 ........................................................... 2-18 Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1 ...................................................... 2-18 Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1 .............................................. 2-19 CD-In Connector: JCD1 ............................................................................. 2-19 Front Panel Connectors: JFP1, JFP2 ....
Software Configuration ...................................................................................... B-4 Sound Effect ................................................................................................ B-5 Speaker Configuration ................................................................................ B-7 3D Audio Demo ............................................................................................. B-9 General .........................................................
Getting Started Cha pter 1 . Getting Started Getting Started Thank you for choosing the K8T Master2-FAR7 (MS-9617 v1.x), an excellent ATX workstation board from MSI.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Mainboard Specifications CPU † Supports dual Socket 940 for AMD OpteronTM processors, from 1.4 ~ 3.6 GHz (For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.msi. com.tw/program/products/server/svr/pro_svr_qvl.php) Chipset † VIA® K8T800 Pro Northbridge - HyperTransport link to the AMD OpteronTM CPU - 800/600/400/200 MHz “Double Data Rate” operation both direction - AGP v3.
Getting Started † 1 x RJ-45 port (with LEDs) † 8 x USB ports (front*4 and rear*4) † 2 x SATA ports Networking † Broadcom BCM5705 Gigabit Ethernet controller Audio † AC’97 link controller integrated in VIA VT8237R † 8-channel audio codec Realtek ALC850 - Compliance with AC97 v2.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board D DR 4 D DR 3 JPR 1 D DR 2 Top: Mouse Bottom : Keyboard D DR 1 Mainboard Layout CFAN1 Top : Parallel Port Bottom: C OM A C OM B C FAN 2 Top: SPD IF O ut Bottom: U S B Ports T: Line-In M: Line-Out B: Mic T: R S-O ut M : CS-Out B: SPDIFO ut NBFAN 1 JPW R1 Top: LAN Jack Bottom: U SB Ports A G P1 JPW R2 VIA K8T800 Pro JFP2 PCI1 JFP1 BIOS PCI2 JCI1 W83627 TH F ID E1 PCI3 VIA VT8237R ID E2 J7 PCI4 ALC 850 JC D 1 FDD 1 JAUD1 SATA1 SATA2 JIR 1 JLED JBAT1
Getting Started MSI Special Features Core Center The Core Center is a new utility you can find in the CD-ROM disk. The utility is just like your PC doctor that can detect, view and adjust the PC hardware and system status during real time operation. In the left side it shows the current system status, including the Vcore, 3.3V, +5V and 12V. In the right side it shows the current PC hardware status such as the CPU & system temperatures and all fans speeds.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Left-side: Current system status In the left sub-menu, you can configure the settings of FSB, Vcore, Memory Voltage and AGP Voltage by clicking the radio button in front of each item and make it available (the radio button will be lit as yellow when selected), use the “+” and “-” buttons to adjust, then click “ok” to apply the changes. Then you can click Save to save the desired FSB you just configured.
Hardware Setup Chapter 2. Hardware Setup Hardware Setup This chapter provides you with the information about hardware setup procedures. W hile doing the installation, be careful in holding the c omponents and follow the installation procedures . For s ome components, if you install in the wrong orientation, the components will not work properly. Use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer components. Static electricity may damage the components.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Quick Components Guide CFAN1, p.2-17 JPR1, p.2-10 DDR1~4, p.2-7 CFAN2, p.2-17 I/O Ports, p.2-11 CPU1, p.2-3 CPU2, p.2-3 JPWR1, p.2-9 JPWR2, p.2-9 NBFAN1, p.2-17 AGP1, p.2-24 JUSB1, p.2-22 JUSB2, p.2-22 JFP2, p.2-19 PCI Slots, p.2-24 JFP1, p.2-19 JCI1, p.2-19 IDE1/2, p.2-15 J7, p.2-17 JBAT1, p.2-23 JCD1, p.2-19 FDD1, p.2-15 JAUD1, p.2-18 SATA1/2, p.2-16 JIR1, p.2-18 SFAN1, p.2-17 JLED, p.
Hardware Setup Central Processing Unit: CPU The mainboard supports dual AMD ® Opteron processors. The mainboard uses two CPU sockets called Socket 940 for easy CPU installation. You can install SINGLE or DUAL CPUs on the mainboard to meet your own needs. Keep the following points in mind before installing CPU(s). 1. If SINGLE CPU is intended, always install the CPU on the CPU1 socket. CPU1 CPU2 2. To install DUAL CPUs on the board, you must use the same type of CPUs running at the same frequency.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board CPU Installation Procedures for Socket 940 Open Lever 1. Make sure that the computer is turned off, and the power cord disconnected before installing the CPU. Slid in g te Pla 2. Pull the lever s ideways away from the socket, and raise it up to a 90-degree angle. Cut edge 3. Locate the cut edge of the CPU. W hen the CPU is installed into the socket, this cut edge should be aligned with the corner marking an arrow on the Socket 940.
Hardware Setup Installing AMD OpteronTM CPU Cooling System W hen you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and a cooling fan attached on the top to prevent overheating. If you do not find the heat sink and cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before turning on the computer. MSI Reminds You... Please refer to the recommended CPU fans at AMD ® official website or consult the vendors for proper CPU cooling fan. u For CPU2 1. Locate the 4 screws of the heatsink 2.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board u For CPU1 1. Locate the CPU and its retention modules on the motherboard. 2. Position the heatsink/cooler onto the retention modules. Connect the wires to the fan power connector (CFAN1), then press down the fan until its four clips get wedged in the holes of the retention modules. retention modules fan power 3. Hook one end of the clip into the hole of the retention module, then push down the handle to hook the other end to the retention module. handle 2-6 4.
Hardware Setup Memory T h e m a i n b o ar d p r ov i d es f ou r s l ot s f o r 1 8 4 - p i n D D R S D R A M D I M M (Double In-Line Memory Module) modules and supports up to 8GB memory size. You can install PC3200/DDR400, PC2700/DDR333, PC2100/DDR266, or PC1600/DDR200 modules on the DDR DIMM slots (DDR 1~4). DDR DIMM Slots (DDR1~4) Installing DDR Modules 1. The DDR DIMM has only one notch on the center of module. The module will only fit in the right orientation. 2.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Memory Population Rules The mainboard supports DDR200/266/333/400 memory interface. Each DIMM slot supports up to a maximum size of 2GB. Users can install either singleor double-sided modules depending on their needs.
Hardware Setup Power Supply The mainboard supports SSI power supply for the power system, while ATX power supply is also available for this mainboard. Before inserting the power supply connector, always make sure that all components are installed properly to ensure that no damage will be caused. SSI 4-Pin VGA Power Connector: JPWR2 (Optional) This connector is used to provide +12V power output to AGP Pro add-on card.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board SSI 24-Pin System Power Connector: JPR1 This connector allows you to connect an SSI power supply. To connect the SSI power supply, make sure the plug of the power supply is inserted in the proper orientation and the pins are aligned. Then push down the power supply firmly into the connector. JPR1 24 13 12 1 JPR1 Pin Definition PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL 1 2 +3.3V +3.3V 13 14 +3.
Hardware Setup Back Panel SPDIF Out (Coaxial) Parallel M ou se Keyboard COM Port COM Port L-In RS-Out LAN USB Ports L-Out CS-Out Mic SPDIF Out (Optical) Mouse Connector (Green) / Keyboard Connector (Purple) The mainboard provides a standard PS/2® mouse/keyboard mini DIN connector for attaching a PS/2® mouse/keyboard. You can plug a PS/2® mouse/keyboard directly into this connector.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Serial Ports The mainboard offers two 9-pin male DIN serial ports. The ports are 16550A high speed communications ports that send/receive 16 bytes FIFOs. You can attach a serial mouse or other serial devices directly to them.
Hardware Setup RJ-45 LAN Jack The mainboard provides 1 standard RJ-45 jack for connection to single Local Area Network (LAN). This Giga-bit LAN enables data to be transferred at 1000, 100 or 10Mbps. You can connect a network cable to it.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Parallel Port Connector: LPT1 The mainboard provides a 25-pin female centronic connector as LPT. A parallel port is a standard printer port that supports Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) and Extended Capabilities Parallel Port (ECP) mode.
Hardware Setup Connectors The mainboard provides connectors to connect to FDD, IDE HDD, case, LAN, USB Ports, CPU/system power supply fans, ... and etc. Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1 The mainboard provides a standard floppy disk drive connector that supports 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy disk types.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Serial ATA/Serial ATA RAID Connectors: SATA1, SATA2 SATA1 & SATA2 are dual high-speed Serial ATA interface ports. Each supports 1st generation serial ATA data rates of 150 MB/s. Both connectors are fully compliant with Serial ATA 1.0 specifications. Each Serial ATA connector can connect to 1 hard disk device. Please refer to Appendix VIA VT8237 Serial ATA RAID for detailed software installation procedures.
Hardware Setup SCSI LED Connector: J7 Connect the J7 to the LED connector on the add-on SCSI adaptor and the HDD LED will blink when add-on SCSI device is active. Pin Definition J7 1 PIN SIGNAL 1 VCC5 2 3 SCSI LED HDD LED 4 VCC5 Fan Power Connectors: CFAN1/2, SFAN1, NBFAN1 SENSOR +1 2V GND The fan power connectors support system cooling fan with +12V.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1 The connector allows you to connect to IrDA Infrared module. You must configure the setting through the BIOS setup to use the IR function. JIR1 is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.
Hardware Setup Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1 This connector is connected to a 2-pin chassis switch. If the chassis is opened, the switch will be short. The system will record this status and show a warning message on the screen. To clear the warning, you must enter the BIOS utility and clear the record. GND 2 1 CINTRU JCI1 CD-In Connector: JCD1 JCD1 The connector is for CD-ROM audio connector.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board D-Bracket™ 2 Connector: JLED The mainboard comes with a JLED connector for you to connect to D-Bracket™ 2. DBracket™ 2 is an external USB Bracket that supports Pin Definition both USB1.1 & 2.0 spec. It integrates four LEDs and Signal allows users to identify system problems through 16 Pin 1 DBG1 (high for green color) various combinations of LED signals.
Hardware Setup 1 2 3 4 Decompressing BIOS image to RAM for fast booting. Initializing Keyboard Controller. Testing VGA BIOS This will start writing VGA sign-on message to the screen. Processor Initialization This will show information regarding the processor (like brand name, system bus, etc...) Testing RTC (Real Time Clock) Initializing Video Interface This will start detecting CPU clock, checking type of video onboard. Then, detect and initialize the video adapter.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Front USB Connectors: JUSB1, JUSB2 The mainboard provides two standard USB 2.0 pin headers. USB 2.0 technology increases data transfer rate up to a maximum throughput of 480Mbps, which is 40 times faster than USB 1.1, and is ideal for connecting high-speed USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras, MP3 players, printers, modems and the like. Pin Definition PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL 1 VCC 2 VCC 3 USB0- 4 USB1- JUSB1, JUSB2 5 USB0+ 6 USB1+ (USB 2.
Hardware Setup Jumper The motherboard provides the following jumpers for you to set the computer’s function. This section will explain how to change your motherboard’s function through the use of jumpers. Clear CMOS Jumper: JBAT1 There is a CMOS RAM on board that has a power supply from external battery to keep the data of system configuration. With the CMOS RAM, the system can automatically boot OS every time it is turned on.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Slots This mainboard provides one AGP Pro slot and four 32-bit/33MHz PCI slots. AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) Pro Slot AGP Pro is a Hardware Interface for high-power graphics cards which can deliver more electrical power than the standard AGP Hardware Interface. It is simply an extended slot that adds power pins to both ends of the slot to facilitate certain graphics cards' added power requirements. Because of its added pins, an AGP Pro card won't fit into a standard slot.
BIOS Setup Chapter 3. BIOS Setup BIOS Setup This chapter provides information on the BIOS Setup program and allows you to configure the system for optimum use. You may need to run the Setup program when: ² An error message appears on the screen during the system booting up, and requests you to run SETUP. ² You want to change the default settings for customized features. MSI Reminds You... 1.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Entering Setup Power on the computer and the system will start POST (Power On Self Test) process. W hen the message below appears on the screen, press key to enter Setup. Press DEL to enter SETUP If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to enter Setup, restart the system by turning it OFF and On or pressing the RESET button. You may also restart the system by simultaneously pressing , , and keys.
BIOS Setup Getting Help After entering the Setup menu, the first menu you will see is the Main Menu. M ain M enu The main menu lists the setup functions you can make changes to. You can use the control keys ( ↑↓ ) to select the item. The on-line description of the highlighted setup function is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board The Main Menu Once you enter Phoenix-Award WorkstationBIOS CMOS Setup Utility, the Main Menu will appear on the screen. The Main Menu allows you to select from several setup functions and two exit choices. Use arrow keys to select among the items and press to accept or enter the sub-menu. Standard CMOS Features Use this menu for basic system configurations, such as time, date etc.
BIOS Setup Load Fail-Safe Defaults Use this menu to load the BIOS values for the best system performance, but the system stability may be affected. Load Optimized Defaults Use this menu to load factory default settings into the BIOS for stable system performance operations. Set Supervisor Password Use this menu to set Supervisor Password. Set User Password Use this menu to set User Password. Save & Exit Setup Save changes to CMOS and exit setup. Exit Without Saving Abandon all changes and exit setup.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Standard CMOS Features The items in Standard CMOS Features Menu are divided into 11 categories. Each category includes no, one or more than one setup items. Use the arrow keys to highlight the item and then use the or keys to select the value you want in each item. Date The date format is . [day] [month] [date] [year] Day of the week, from Sun to Sat, determined by BIOS. Readonly. The month from Jan. through Dec.
BIOS Setup [Cylinder] [Head] [Precomp] [Landing Zone] [Sector] Number of cylinders. Number of heads. W rite precompensation. Cylinder location of the landing zone. Number of sectors. Halt On The setting determines whether the system will stop if an error is detected at boot. Available options are: [All Errors] The system stops when any error is detected. [Disabled] The system doesn’t stop for any detected error. [All, But Keyboard] The system doesn’t stop for a keyboard error.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Advanced BIOS Features Hard Disk Boot Priority Press and the following sub-menu appears: Select the hard disk priority (from the 1st to the 8th) in this list. Use the arrowup and arrow-down keys to select a device, then press <+> to move it up or <-> to move it down. Quick Power On Self Test Select Enabled to reduce the amount of time required to run the power-on self-test (POST). A quick POST skips certain steps. We recommend that you normally disable quick POST.
BIOS Setup Security Option This specifies the type of BIOS password protection that is implemented. Settings are described below: O p ti o n Setup De sc ription The password prompt appears only when end users try to run Setup. System A password prompt appears every time when the computer is powered on or when end users try to run Setup. Video BIOS Shadow This allows you to copy Video BIOS to shadow RAM. W hen setting to [Enabled], the performance improves. Settings: [Enabled] and [Disabled].
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Advanced Chipset Features MSI Reminds You... Change these settings only if you are familiar with the chipset. DRAM Configuration Press and the following sub-menu appears: Current FSB Frequency, Current DRAM Frequency Those two items are read-only to show the current FSB and DRAM Frequency information.
BIOS Setup Timing M ode This field has the capacity to automatically detect all of the DRAM timing. If you set this field to [Manual], the following fields will be selectable. The settings are: [Auto], [Manual]. M emclock index value (M hz) W hen it is set to [Manual] in Timing Mode, user can place an artificial memory clock on the system. Please note that memory is prevented from running faster than this frequency. CAS# Latency (Tcl) W hen the Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board MTRR M apping Mode This setting controls the MTRR mapping mode. To install the W inXP64, this setting should be set to [Continuous]. Setting options: [Continuous], [Discrete]. DRAM ECC Feature Control If all memory in the system supports ECC, enabling this will initial scrub dram and enable system requests to dram to be checked and/or corrected. Options: [Enabled], [Disabled]. ECC MCE Enable This setting enables/disables the ECC MCE function. Options: [Enabled], [Disabled].
BIOS Setup PCI1/PCI2 M aster 0 WS Write W hen [Enabled], writes to the PCI bus are executed with zero wait state. PCI1/PCI2 Post Write You can enable or disable the ability of the chipset to use a buffer for posted writes initiated on the PCI bus. Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled]. PCI Delay Transaction The chipset has an embedded 32-bit posted write buffer to support delay transactions cycles. Select [Enabled] to support compliance with PCI specification version 2.1.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Integrated Peripherals VIA OnChip IDE Device Press and the following sub-menu appears. Serial ATA Controller This allows you to enable or disable onchip Serial ATA controller. Settings: [Disabled] and [Enabled]. IDE DMA Transfer Access Setting to [Enabled] will open DMA bus master and execute DMA action in DOS, which will make the data transferring faster. Settings: [Disabled], [Enabled].
BIOS Setup Primary/Secondary IDE Channel The chipset contains a PCI IDE interface with support for two IDE channels. Select [Enabled] to activate the first and/or second IDE interface. Select [Disabled] to deactivate an interface, if you install a primary and/or secondary add-in IDE interface. IDE Prefetch M ode The onboard IDE drive interfaces support IDE prefetching, for faster drive accesses.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board AC97 Audio [Auto] allows the motherboard’s BIOS to detect whether you’re using any audio device. If so, the onboard audio controller will be enabled. If not, the onboard audio controller will be disabled. If you want to use different controller cards to connect audio connectors, set the field to [Disabled]. Setting options: [Disabled], [Auto]. USB Controller Select [Enabled] if your system integrates a Universal Serial Bus (USB) controller and you have USB peripherals.
BIOS Setup SuperIO Device Press and the following sub-menu appears. Onboard FDC Controller Select [Enabled] if your system has a floppy disk controller (FDD) installed on the system board and you wish to use it. If you install add-on FDC or the system has no floppy drive, select [Disabled] in this field. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled]. Onboard Serial Port 1/2 These items specify the base I/O port address and IRQ for the onboard Serial Port A (COM A)/Serial Port B (COM B).
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board ECP Mode Use DMA The ECP mode has to use the DMA channel, so choose the onboard parallel port with the ECP feature. After selecting it, the following message will appear: “ECP Mode Use DMA.” At this time, the user can choose between DMA channel [3] or [1]. Power Status LED This item sets how the system uses Power LED on the case to indicate the suspend/ sleep state. Settings are: [Single] The Power LED blinks to indicate the suspend/sleep state.
BIOS Setup Power Management Setup Suspend M ode If system activity is not detected for the length of time specified in this field, all devices except CPU will be shut off. Settings: [Disable], [1 Min], [2 Min], [4 Min], [6 Min], [8 Min], [10 Min], [20 Min], [30 Min], [40 Min], [1 Hour]. PWRON After PWR-Fail This item specifies whether your system will reboot after a power failure or interrupt occurs. Available settings are: [Off] Leaves the computer in the power off state.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Hammer Vid Control This item lets you adjust the CPU VID. Setting to [Startup] enables the CPU running at the default VID which is detected by system. Setting options are: [Startup], [0.825V], [0.850V], [0.875V],~, [1.550V]. IRQ/Event Activity Detect Press and the following sub-menu appears.
BIOS Setup IRQs Activity Monitoring Press and the following sub-menu appears. Primary INTR Setting [ON] will cause the system to wake up from power saving modes if activity is detected from any enabled IRQ channels. Setting options: [ON], [OFF]. IRQ3~IRQ15 IRQ3~IRQ15 enable or disable the monitoring of the specified IRQ lines. If set to [Enabled], the activity of the specified IRQ line will prevent the system from entering power saving modes or awaken it from power saving modes. MSI Reminds You..
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board PC Health Status This section shows the status of your CPU, fan, overall system status, etc. Monitor function is available only if there is hardware monitoring mechanism onboard. Shutdown Temperature If the CPU temperature reaches the limit preset in this setting, the system will shotdown automatically. Setting options: [Disabled], [85C/185F], [90C/194F], [95C/203F].
BIOS Setup CPU Fan1/CPU Fan2/SYS Fan Tolerance Value You can select a fan tolerance value here for the specific range for the Smart CPU Fan1/CPU Fan2/SYS Fan Temperature items. If the current temperatures of the 3 fans reach to the maximum threshold (the temperatures set in the Smart CPU Fan1/ CPU Fan2/SYS Fan Temperature plus the tolerance values you set here), the fans will speed up for cooling down.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Frequency/Voltage Control Use this menu to specify your settings for frequency/voltage control. Spread Spectrum W hen the motherboard’s clock generator pulses, the extreme values (spikes) of the pulses creates EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). The Spread Spectrum function reduces the EMI generated by modulating the pulses so that the spikes of the pulses are reduced to flatter curves.
BIOS Setup Load Fail-Safe/Optimized Defaults The two options on the main menu allow users to restore all of the BIOS settings to the default Fail-Safe or Optimized values. The Optimized Defaults are the default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifically for optimal performance of the mainboard. The Fail-Safe Defaults are the default values set by the BIOS vendor for stable system performance.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Set Supervisor/User Password W hen you select this function, a message as below will appear on the screen: Type the password, up to eight characters in length, and press . The password typed now will replace any previously set password from CMOS memory. You will be prompted to confirm the password. Retype the password and press . You may also press to abort the selection and not enter a password.
VIA VT8237R SATA RAID Appendix A: VIA VT8237R SATA RAID The Southbridge VT8237 provides a hybrid solution that combines two independent SATA ports for support of up to two Serial ATA (Serial ATA RAID) drives. Serial ATA (SATA) is the latest generation of the ATA interface. SATA hard drives deliver blistering transfer speeds of up to 150MB/sec. Serial ATA uses long, thin cables, making it easier to connect your drive and improving the airflow inside your PC. The key features of VT8237 SATA RAID are: 1. 2.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Introduction This section gives a brief introduction on the RAID-related background knowledge and a brief introduction on VIA SATA RAID Host Controller. For users wishing to install their VIA SATA RAID driver and RAID software, proceed to Driver and RAID Software Installation section. RAID Basics RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a method of combining two or more hard disk drives into one logical unit.
VIA VT8237R SATA RAID BIOS Configuration W hen the system powers on during the POST (Power-On Self Test) process, press key to enter the BIOS configuration. The Serial ATA RAID volume may be configured using the VIA Tech. RAID BIOS. Always use the arrow keys to navigate the main menu, use up and down arrow key to select the each item and press to call out the list of creation steps.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Create Disk Array Use the up and down arrow keys to select the Create Array command and press . MSI Reminds You... The “Channel”, “Drive Name”, “Mode” and “Size (GB)” in the following example might be different from your system. Select Array Mode and press , a list of array modes will appear. Highlight the target array mode that you want to create, and press to confirm the selection.
VIA VT8237R SATA RAID After array mode is selected, there are two methods to create a disk array. One method is “Auto Setup” and the other one is “Select Disk Drives”. Auto Setup allows BIOS to select the disk drives and create arrays automatically, but it does not duplicate the mirroring drives even if the user selected Create and duplicate for RAID 1. It is recommended all disk drives are new ones when wanting to create an array.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board MSI Reminds You... Even though 64KB is the recommended setting for most users, you should choose the block size value which is best suited to your specific RAID usage model. 4KB: For specialized usage models requiring 4KB blocks 8KB: For specialized usage models requiring 8KB blocks 16KB: Best for sequential transfers 32KB: Good for sequential transfers 64KB: Optimal setting Use the arrow key to highlight Start Create Process and press . A warning message will appear.
VIA VT8237R SATA RAID Create and Delete Spare Hard Drive If a RAID 1 array is created and there are drives that do not belong to other arrays, the one that has a capacity which is equal to or greater than the array capacity can be selected as a spare drive for the RAID 1 array. Select Create/Delete Spare and press , the channel column will then be activated. Select the drive that you want to use as a spare drive and press , the selected drive will be marked as Spare.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Duplicate Critical RAID 1 Array W hen booting up the system, BIOS will detect if the RAID 1 array has any inconsistencies between user data and backup data. If BIOS detects any inconsistencies, the status of the disk array will be marked as critical, and BIOS will prompt the user to duplicate the RAID 1 in order to ensure the backup data consistency with the user data. If user selects Continue to boot, it will enable duplicating the array after booting into OS.
VIA VT8237R SATA RAID 1. Power off and Check the Failed Drive: This item turns off the computer and replaces the failed hard drive with a good one. If your computer does not support APM, you must turn off your computer manually. After replacing the hard drive, boot into BIOS and select Choose replacement drive and rebuild to rebuild the broken array. 2. Destroy the M irroring Relationship: This item cancels the data mirroring relationship of the broken array.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Installing RAID Software & Drivers Install Driver in Windows OS † New Windows XP Installation The following details the installation of the drivers while installing W indows XP. 1. Start the installation: Boot from the CD-ROM. Press F6 when the message "Press F6 if you need to install third party SCSI or RAID driver" appears. 2. W hen the W indows Setup window is generated, press S to specify an Additional Device(s). 3.
VIA VT8237R SATA RAID Installation of VIA SATA RAID Utility The VIA SATA RAID Utility is the software package that enables high-performance RAID 0 arrays in the W indows* XP operating system. This version of VIA SATA RAID Utility contains the following key features: † Serial ATA RAID driver for W indows XP † VIA SATA RAID utility † RAID0 and RAID1 functions Insert the MSI CD and click on the VIA Serial ATA to install the software. MSI Reminds You...
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board The InstallShield Wizard will begin automatically for installation. Click on the Next button to proceed the installation in the welcoming window. Put a check mark in the check box to install the feature you want. Then click Next button to proceed the installation.
VIA VT8237R SATA RAID Using VIA RAID Tool Once the installation is complete, go to Start ---> Programs --->VIA --->raid_tool. exe to enable VIA RAID Tool. After the software is finished installation, it will automatically started every time W indows is initiated. You may double-click on the icon shown in the system tray of the tool bar to launch the VIA RAID Tool utility. The main interface is divided into two windows and the toolbar above contain the main functions.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Click on o r button to determine the viewing type of left window pane. There are two viewing types: By controllers and by device. Click on the object in the left window pane to display the status of the object in the right windowpane. The following screen shows the status of Array 0---RAID 0. Click on the plus (+) symbol next to Array 0---RAID 0 to see the details of each disk.
VIA VT8237R SATA RAID You may also use the same --RAID 1. o r button to view the statuses of Array 0- Click on the plus (+) symbol next to Array 0---RAID 1 to see the details of each disk.
Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function Appendix B: Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function The mainboard is equipped with Realtek ALC850 chip, which provides support for 8channel audio output, including 2 Front, 2 Rear, 1 Center and 1 Subwoofer channel. ALC850 allows the board to attach 2, 4, 6 or 8 speakers for better surround sound effect. The section will tell you how to install and use 2-, 4-, 6- or 8-channel audio function on the board.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Installing the Audio Driver You need to install the driver for Realtek ALC850 codec to function properly before you can get access to 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio operations. Follow the procedures described below to install the drivers for different operating systems. Installation for Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP For W indows ® 2000, you must install W indows ® 2000 Service Pack2 or later before installing the driver.
Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function 3. Click Next to install the AC’97 Audio software. Click here 4. Click Finish to restart the system.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Software Configuration After installing the audio driver, you are able to use the 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio feature now. Click the audio icon from the system tray at the lower-right corner of the screen to activate the AC97 Audio Configuration. It is also available to enable the audio driver by clicking the Sound Effect Manager from the Control Panel.
Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function Sound Effect Here you can select a sound effect you like from the Environment list. Edit You may also edit the properties for an environment as you wish by clicking the “Edit” button, then just scroll the bar in the bottom for each property to adjust.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board You may c hoose the provided s ound eff ects , and the equalizer will adjus t automatically. If you like, you may also load an equalizer setting or make an new equalizer setting to save as an new one by using the “Load EQ Setting” and “Save Preset” button, click “Reset EQ Setting” button to use the default value, or click “Delete EQ Setting” button to remove a preset EQ setting.
Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function Speaker Configuration In this tab, you can easily configure your multi-channel audio function and speakers. 1. First you have to select the audio configuration below which is identical to the audio jack on your mainboard. In this model it uses Realtek ALC850 codec which supports 8-channel S/PDIF, therefore you should choose 8CHS/PDIF (Optical & Coaxial). 2 1 3 2. Select a desired multi-channel operation here. a. Headphone for the common headphone b.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Select the speaker by clicking it to test its functionality. The one you select will light up and make testing sound. If any speaker fails to make sound, then check whether the cable is inserted firmly to the connector or replace the bad speakers with good ones. Or you may click the “Auto Test” button to test the sounds of each speaker automatically. C en te r Front Left Front Right Subwoofer Side Left Rear Left Side Right Rear Right 3.
Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function 3D Audio Demo In this tab you may adjust your 3D positional audio before playing 3D audio applications like gaming. You may also select different environment to choose the most suitable environment you like.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board General In this tab it provides some information about this AC97 Audio Configuration utility, including Audio Driver Version, DirectX Version, Audio Controller & AC97 Codec. You may also select the language of this utility by choosing from the Language list. Also there is a selection Show icon in system tray. Switch it on and an icon will show in the system tray.
Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function SPDIF In this tab it provides options about SPDIF-Out for you to configure. † No Output: W ith this option, there is no S/PDIF output signal while playing analog and digital audio. † Output digital only: W ith this option, only digital audio will be allowed to play via SPDIF out while playing analog and digital audio.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board Microphone Effect In this tab you may add special effects to the connected microphone.
Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function Using 2-, 4-, 6- & 8- Channel Audio Function Connecting the Speakers W hen you have set the Multi-Channel Audio Function mode properly in the software utility, connect your speakers to the correct phone jacks in accordance with the setting in software utility. n 2-Channel M ode for Stereo-Speaker Output Refer to the following diagram and caption for the function of each phone jack on the back panel when 2-Channel Mode is selected.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board n 4-Channel M ode for 4-Speaker Output 1 4 7 2 5 3 6 4-Channel Analog Audio Output 1 Line In 2 Line Out (Front channels) 3 MIC 4 Line Out (Rear channels) Description: Connect two speakers to back panel’s Line Out connector and two speakers to the real-channel Line Out connector.
Using 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- Channel Audio Function n 6-Channel M ode for 6-Speaker Output 1 2 4 5 3 6 7 6-Channel Analog Audio Output 1 Line In 2 Line Out (Front channels) 3 MIC 4 Line Out (Rear channels) 5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel) 6 Optical SPDIF jack 7 Coaxial SPDIF jack Description: Connect two speakers to back panel’s Line Out connector, two speakers to the rear-channel and two speakers to the center/subwoofer-channel Line Out connectors.
MS-9617 ATX Workstation Board n 8-Channel M ode for 8-Speaker Output 1 4 2 5 3 6 7 8-Channel Analog Audio Output 1 Line Out (Side channels) 2 Line Out (Front channels) 3 MIC 4 Line Out (Rear channels) 5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel) 6 Optical SPDIF jack 7 Coaxial SPDIF jack B-16 Description: Connect two speakers to back panel’s Line Out connector, two speakers to the rear-channel, two speakers to the c enter/ subwoofer-channel Line Out connectors, and two speakers to the sid
