ASPI8XX.SYS is an Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) manager that provides standard ASPI compatibility between your SCSI host adapter hardware and ASPI compatible applications. This document includes these topics:

• Features
• Description
• Installing the ASPI8XX.SYS Driver
• Command Line Options
• Troubleshooting

Features

• ASPI applications
• Allows up to eight host adapters
• Releases initialization code for smaller runtime size
• Works with or without an SDMS 3.0 or 4.0 BootROM
• Synchronous negotiation
• Wide SCSI
• Has full Virtual DMA Services (VDS) support, including scatter/gather
• Disconnect/Reselect
• Adapter exclusion
• Allows shared interrupts
• Single-threaded I/O
• Can read device configuration information from DMI NonVolatile Storage (NVS) when NonVolatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) on a host adapter is not present
• LSI Logic usage of PCI Subsystem ID to control various features and configuration settings (See PCI Subsystem ID Definitions for SCSI Class, Revision 1.03, dated 5/28/97)
• Allows booting from a CD-ROM
• A 66 MHz PCI bus
• Up to Ultra160 SCSI (160 Mbytes/s when using Wide SCSI) including:
Parallel Protocol Request, Double Transition data transfers, and Cyclic Redundancy Check

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Description

The ASPI8XX.SYS driver is an ASPI manager that provides an interface to popular ASPI applications. Use the ASPI8XX.SYS driver in conjunction with the  SYMDISK.SYS or SYMCD.SYS driver, or whenever you want to run an ASPI application. 

This interface replaces an SDMS BIOS (if present), and fully supports all devices supported by the BIOS. If the SDMS BIOS is not present, only an ASPI interface is provided.

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To install the ASPI8XX.SYS driver, either:

1. Copy the ASPI8XX.SYS driver from the DOS directory on the SDMS Software Device Drivers and Utilities CD-ROM to your boot disk:

{CD-ROM Drive Letter}:\DRIVERS\8XX-1010\DOS

2. Add this line to your system's CONFIG.SYS file:

DEVICE=C:[PATH]ASPI8XX.SYS

or

1. Make an SDMS DOS Driver Diskette using the Build Driver Diskettes page. (Select DOS.)

2. Run the Installation Utility from the diskette you built in step 1 by typing:

A:\INSTALL.EXE

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Command Line Options

The ASPI8XX.SYS driver has several configurable features that are set by using switches on the command line in the CONFIG.SYS file.

The command line options are listed below:

The following conventions are used:

path refers to the adapter number (boot order designation)

id refers to the SCSI ID

[] items in brackets are optional

* means repeat item 0 or more times

IMPORTANT: No spaces are allowed within a single command line option, but spaces are required between different command line options. Use these command line options to override the settings in the SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility.

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Using the /NORST Option

This option prevents a SCSI bus reset during loading of the ASPI8XX.SYS driver.

Option Syntax: /NORST

For example, to prevent a SCSI bus reset during load, the line in the CONFIG.SYS file that loads ASPI8XX.SYS should look like this:

DEVICE=C:[PATH]ASPI8XX.SYS /NORST

Using the /ASK Option

This option prompts you at system boot-up time whether to load the ASPI8XX.SYS driver.

Option Syntax: /ASK

For example, to activate this option, the line in the CONFIG.SYS file that loads ASPI8XX.SYS should look like this:

DEVICE=C:[PATH]ASPI8XX.SYS /ASK

For example, if your first host adapter (boot order designation = 0) is a 16-bit adapter, and you wish to force 8-bit transfers to a device at SCSI ID 2, the line in the CONFIG.SYS file that loads ASPI8XX.SYS should look like this:

Using the /DISCONNECT (or /DC) Option

This option allows a device to disconnect since SCSI devices have the ability to disconnect from the bus during an I/O transfer. If a particular host adapter has parity checking disabled, all devices attached to it must have disconnects disabled, since parity is required during the reselection phase. Valid options are ON (allow disconnects) or OFF (do not allow disconnects). The default value is ON for all devices.

Option Syntax: /DISCONNECT=n<path[:id]>[,n<path[:id]>]*

For example, to disable disconnects on the device attached to the first host adapter (boot order designation = 0) at SCSI ID 2, the line in the CONFIG.SYS file that loads ASPI8XX.SYS should look like this:

DEVICE=C:[PATH]ASPI8XX.SYS /DISCONNECT=OFF<0:2>

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Using the /SYNCH_RATE (or /SR) Option

This option sets the maximum synchronous transfer rate (in mega transfers per second) to negotiate with a particular device. The allowable values are 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 providing the host adapter is capable of the specified speed. Specify 0 to turn off synchronous transfers for a particular device. The default value is the fastest rate supported by your host adapter.

Option Syntax: /SYNCH_RATE=n<path[:id]>[,n<path[:id]>]*

For example, to turn off synchronous transfers to the device attached to the first host adapter (boot order designation = 0) at SCSI ID 3, the line in the CONFIG.SYS file that loads ASPI8XX.SYS should look like this:

DEVICE=C:[PATH]ASPI8XX.SYS /SYNCH_RATE=0<0:3>

Note: When you are doing synchronous transfers using an 8-bit SCSI bus, Mbytes/s = mega transfers per second. When you are doing synchronous transfers using a wide SCSI bus (16 bit), Mbytes/s = 2 * mega transfers per second.

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Using the /SYNCH_OFFSET (or /SO) Option

This option sets the maximum synchronous offset in bytes to negotiate with a particular device. The maximum allowable values are 0, 8, 16, and 31 provided the host adapter is capable of the specified offset. Specify 0 to turn off synchronous transfers for a particular device. The default value is the fastest rate supported by your host adapter.

Option Syntax: /SYNCH_OFFSET=n<path[:id]>[,n<path[:id]>]*

For example, to turn off synchronous transfers to the device attached to the first host adapter (boot order designation = 0) at SCSI ID 3, the line in the CONFIG.SYS file that loads ASPI8XX.SYS should look like this:

DEVICE=C:[PATH]ASPI8XX.SYS /SYNCH_OFFSET=0<0:3>

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Using the /EXCLUDE (or /X) Option

This option allows you to exclude support for an adapter that does not currently have BIOS support. You may not exclude an adapter that is supported (included) by the BIOS when you boot your system. This option has three required parameters:

1. PCI Device ID
2. PCI Bus Number
3. PCI Device/Function Number

These parameters identify the specific adapter you want to exclude. To obtain these parameters, boot your system using the /VERBOSE command line option (explained later in this section). Your monitor displays the parameters for the adapter or path you wish to exclude.

Option Syntax: /EXCLUDE<a:b:c>[,<a:b:c>]*

For example, if you found the adapter to exclude has PCI Device ID 3, PCI Bus Number 0, and PCI Device/Function Number 68, then the line in the CONFIG.SYS file that loads ASPI8XX.SYS should look like this:

DEVICE=C:[PATH]ASPI8XX.SYS /EXCLUDE<3:0:68>

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Using the /HOST_ID (or /ID) Option

This option allows you to alter the SCSI ID for a host adapter. On an 8-bit adapter, the SCSI IDs are 0-7. On a 16-bit adapter, the SCSI IDs are 0-15 (LSI Logic recommends that IDs 8-15 not be used for your adapter). This option does not allow anyone to select a SCSI ID already in use.

If the host adapter allows connection of both 8-bit and wide devices to the same bus, and the adapter number is changed to greater than 7, then the 8-bit SCSI devices will not be able to reselect the initiator.

Note: You are not allowed to change the SCSI ID of any adapter currently supported by the BIOS.

Option Syntax: /HOST_ID=n<path>[,n<path>]*

For example, to change the SCSI ID of your second host adapter (path=1) to ID=6 (providing that adapter is not controlled by the BIOS), the line in the CONFIG.SYS file that loads ASPI8XX.SYS should look like this:

DEVICE=C:[PATH]ASPI8XX.SYS /HOST_ID=6<1>

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Using the /TIMEOUT (or /T) Option

This option provides a timeout mechanism to detect certain errors.  When the driver issues a command to a SCSI device, a timer is started. If the timer expires before the command completes, the driver assumes something has gone wrong, and takes steps to recover. The default for this option is 10 seconds, if the device is BIOS controlled. If the device is not BIOS controlled, the default is 0. Also, NonVolatile Memory settings can alter these defaults. The maximum setting is 0, which is no timeout. The range of allowable values is 0-65535 seconds.

Option Syntax: /TIMEOUT=n<path[:id]>[,n<path[:id]>]*

For example, you might have a particularly slow device (with SCSI ID 3) on the first host adapter (boot order designation = 0). To extend the timeout for this device to 60 seconds, the line in the CONFIG.SYS file that loads ASPI8XX.SYS should look like this:

DEVICE=C:[PATH]ASPI8XX.SYS /TIMEOUT=60<0:3>

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Using the /VERBOSE (or /V) Option

This option causes more detailed information to appear on your monitor during a system boot, after the ASPI8XX.SYS driver has been initialized. This is useful if you have multiple adapters in your system and need to know the PCI Device ID, the PCI Bus number, and the PCI Device/Function number for each adapter. For example, this information is required to use the /EXCLUDE option already described in this section.

Option Syntax: /VERBOSE

For example, to see more detailed adapter information displayed when you boot, the line in the CONFIG.SYS file that loads ASPI8XX.SYS should look like this:

DEVICE=C:[PATH]ASPI8XX.SYS /VERBOSE

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Troubleshooting

Solution:

1. Check for conflicts with other ASPI managers.

2. Check for correct loading sequence in the CONFIG.SYS file.

3. Boot the system.

Solution:

1. Make sure the drivers were installed in the correct sequence.

2. Make sure the drivers' entries in the CONFIG.SYS file have the correct path to the drivers.

3. Power down all units in the system.

4. Make sure all SCSI devices have unique ID numbers.

5. Make sure both ends of the SCSI bus are terminated.

6. Check all cable and power connections.

7. Boot the system.

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