***************************************************************************
					FCINTRO.TXT
***************************************************************************

This file presents general information about the LSI Logic FC software 
product.

This file is divided into the following sections:

General Description
Overview
	FC BIOS
	FC Device Drivers
Before You Begin
	Basic Rules For FC Host Adapter and Device Installation
**************************************************************************


*************************** General Description **************************

This software is a complete software  package that solves the increasingly
complex problem of managing system I/O. It seamlessly addresses hardware and
software interfaces by supporting LSI Logic's family of FC processors and
controllers, and a wide range of peripheral devices, while offering
interoperability across application  programs, operating systems, and host
platforms. The software consists of a resident FC BIOS that manages all FC
controller or processor specific functions, and a series of FC device drivers
that provide operating system and  peripheral specific support.

SDMS provides a standard method to interface SCSI I/O subsystems with
devices, operating systems, and application software. It also enhances
system capabilities already provided by SCSI controllers and processors
by facilitating multi-threaded I/O support, system-wide SCSI device access,
and creation of new applications.


******************************** Overview ********************************

An LSI Logic FC controller or processor can control peripherals such as hard 
disk drives, CD-ROM drives, tape drives, and removable media. FC peripherals 
are intelligent devices that do not need the constant attention required by 
non-intelligent devices.

* FC BIOS *

An FC BIOS is the bootable ROM code that manages FC hardware resources. It 
is specific to an LSI Logic family of FC controllers or processors. The FC 
BIOS integrates with a standard system BIOS, extending the standard disk 
service routine provided through INT13h. It is also responsible for processing
and executing FC requests communicated from a FC device driver or application. 

An important feature of the FC BIOS is that it is completely operating system 
independent. All ROM-based FC BIOS support booting from a FC hard disk and can 
be ported to a variety of hardware platforms. They also support 16-bit and  
32-bit operating systems running under real or protected addressing modes. 

The FC BIOS provides a hardware independent interface which isolates the
operating system drivers and FC application programs from the underlying 
hardware. This enables a single driver to work with any host adapter or FC 
controller which has an FC BIOS.

During its boot time initialization, the FC BIOS determines if another hard 
disk is already installed. If there is, the FC BIOS will map any FC drives 
it finds behind the drive already installed. Otherwise, the FC BIOS will 
install drives starting with the system boot drive. In this case, the system 
will boot from a drive controlled by the FC BIOS.

* FC Device Drivers *

The FC device drivers translate an operating system I/O request into a data 
structure, and transport the structure to the FC BIOS. An LSI Logic FC
device driver is operating system specific, but completely hardware
independent. The hardware specifics are addressed by the FC BIOS.

Although a driverless solution exists for some operating systems, and 
provides adequate support for many applications, loading a driver (or drivers 
in some cases) will provide additional features. Connecting peripherals other 
than hard disk drives, for example, requires loading the appropriate 
driver(s). 


**************************** Before You Begin ********************************

This software requires an IBM PC/AT or compatible computer with an 80386
or higher microprocessor. An understanding of basic operating system commands
is assumed. 

Before using this software, the LSI Logic FC controller should be configured 
into your system, taking into account the configuration of other host adapters 
and system resources.

LSI Logic recommends that all data be backed up before making any changes 
or installing any software, including LSI Logic FC controllers and software.
Failure to adhere to this accepted computer practice may lead to loss of data.