SDMS™ NTCONFIG Utility

This document provides instructions for running the NTCONFIG Utility and includes these topics:

• Introduction
• Installing the NTCONFIG Utility (x86 platforms)
• Starting the NTCONFIG Utility
• Main Menu
• Adapter Settings Menu
• Device Selections Menu
• Domain Validation Menu
• Test Selection Menu
• Exiting the NTCONFIG Utility
• Troubleshooting

Introduction

If you have Windows NT version 4.0, and you have installed the latest SDMS Windows NT driver (SYMC8XX.SYS, SYM_HI.SYS, or SYM_U3.SYS) to match your hardware, you can change selected configuration parameters of your LSI Logic SCSI host adapters by using the NTCONFIG Utility. You may decide to alter these values if there is a conflict between device settings or you need to optimize system performance. The system must be rebooted for the changes to take effect.

Note: During boot, the version number of Windows NT appears in a banner on the computer monitor.

Since Windows NT and the SDMS Windows NT drivers do not need the adapter's BIOS to operate, only a limited number of the configuration parameters that can be changed by this utility will have any impact on the system once rebooted. These parameters are:

• SCSI ID of the adapter
• Wide data bit setting
• Synchronous rate (Mbytes/s)

If you have Windows NT version 4.0 and are using the SYM_U3.SYS driver, the NTCONFIG Utility allows you to do Domain Validation testing on the installed LSI Logic LSI53C1010 host-based adapter and connected devices. This testing was designed to allow you to verify that the installed LSI Logic hardware functions correctly with the configuration information (synchronous speed and bus width) set through either the SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility or by using the capabilities of this utility.

Changes to the wide data bit setting and/or synchronous rate can be made during this testing to ensure functionality. These settings can also be saved in a similar way as when doing the configuration settings. The difference when saving these new values during Domain Validation testing is that they are in effect immediately, as no system reboot is necessary.

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Installing the NTCONFIG Utility (x86 platforms)

If you are not using Internet Explorer:

The SDMS Software Device Drivers and Utilities CD-ROM contains the  SETUP.EXE program.  If your CD-ROM is mapped to drive D:, the setup utility is located at:

D:\UTILITY\WINDOWS\NTCONFIG\I386\SETUP.EXE

If you are using Internet Explorer:

• Click here to install the I386 NTCONFIG Utility.
• The software is safe. If you are asked whether you wish to download the file or run it from its current location, choose the latter. If you get a security warning stating that the object is unknown to the trust provider, simply click Yes to proceed.

A shortcut icon is automatically placed on the desktop at the end of the installation process.

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Starting the NTCONFIG Utility

To start the NTCONFIG Utility, double click on the shortcut icon. After a brief pause, your computer monitor displays the Main Menu of the utility.

To make changes with this menu-driven utility, one or more LSI Logic SCSI host adapters installed in the system must have NonVolatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) to store the changes. Also, due to Windows NT 4.0 constraints, each of the adapters must have at least one hard drive attached to it so that NTCONFIG can properly identify the adapter.

IMPORTANT: The NTCONFIG Utility is a powerful tool. The system can be rendered inoperable if care is not taken when reconfiguring the parameters.

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Main Menu

When you start the SDMS NTCONFIG Utility, the Main Menu appears as shown below. This menu displays a summary list of all LSI Logic PCI to SCSI host adapters in your system and information about each of them. Formerly, the prefix for LSI Logic adapters was SYM.

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Main Menu Bar

The menu bar offers three items and each item has a drop-down menu displaying more choices.

• File
• Options
• Help

File

To display the menu path for Save and Exit choices, click on the File menu selection.

To save NVRAM data pertinent to the adapters by using the NTCONFIG Utility, select Save. If changes have been made and saved/accepted during Domain Validation testing, this step is not needed as the new values have already been saved.

To exit the NTCONFIG Utility, select Exit.

Note: No automatic update to the adapter(s) is done. All changes are lost if not already saved by clicking on the Save choice above or clicking on the Accept button. The exception to this is described above.

Options

To display utility or adapter configuration options, click on the Options selection. The NTCONFIG Utility defaults to the English language for versions with Domain Validation. For earlier versions, you may change the language used for the interface by selecting a language from the list displayed when the Language choice is selected. This list is dynamic and is based on the number/type of language DLLs found in the directory with the executable.

Note:  For earlier versions, if the display language is to be Czechoslovakian, Russian, Korean, or Japanese, you must install Windows NT for the corresponding language so that the display is readable. This is not applicable to other languages that use the Roman Alphabet.

When the values of the adapters in the NVRAM Found column indicate YES, then changes are allowed. If the value is NO, the adapter can be selected and default values are displayed, but no changes are allowed. The three choices available at this time are Adapter Settings, Device Selections, and Domain Validation.

To change settings for adapters, select Adapter Settings.

To change settings for SCSI devices, select Device Selections.

To execute Domain Validation on an installed LSI53C1010 based adapter, select Domain Validation.

In each case, the selected choice displays a menu with adapters found. Click on the adapter whose related values are to be changed. Depending on the selection, either the Adapter Settings Menu, Device Selections Menu, or Domain Validation - Current Negotiated Settings Menu appears. See below for further information regarding these menus.

Help

To display information pertinent to a particular menu screen, click on the Help selection.

Main Menu Button Options

At the bottom of the Main Menu, two button options are available: Accept and Cancel.

To save the configuration change(s) and exit from the Main Menu, click on the Accept button. If concluding Domain Validation testing and new values were saved, it is not necessary to click on the Accept button.

To exit from a particular menu level and discard any changes that may have been made, click on the Cancel button. Changes are not discarded once changes have been saved during Domain Validation testing. Exiting from previous menu levels does not affect changes made and saved at the Domain Validation Test level.

Adapter Settings Menu

• SCAM Support
• Parity
• Host SCSI ID
• Scan Order

When you click on an adapter, the Adapter Settings Menu appears. Here is an example of this menu:

To change a setting, double click on it. For example, if you double click on SCAM Support (set to Off in the example above), then it would change to On. When double clicking on Host SCSI ID, a window appears with choices.  Select the appropriate value and the window closes. The new value appears on the Adapter Settings screen.

To set default values, click on the Set Defaults button, and then click the OK button to accept the values. To set changed values, click the OK button. To abort any changes made on this screen, select Cancel. When you click OK or Cancel, the system returns to the Main Menu. 

The settings in this menu are global settings that affect the selected host adapter and all SCSI devices attached to it. A brief description of each setting follows.

SCAM Support

The BIOS issues or does not issue SCSI Configured AutoMatically (SCAM) negotiations during initialization based on this parameter. The default value is On.

Note: Windows NT 4.0 does not support the use of SCAM. Turn this selection Off. Turning SCAM On may have adverse effects on the system.

Parity

This option allows you to disable parity checking, since some older SCSI devices do not generate parity.  Therefore, you are offered the option of disabling parity checking.  

Note: When disabling parity checking, the user must also disable disconnects for all devices, as parity checking for the reselection phase is not disabled. If a device does not generate parity, and it disconnects, the I/O never completes because the reselection never completes.

Host SCSI ID

This option refers to the host adapter's SCSI ID, which is a unique number used to identify the device on the SCSI bus. Do not change your host adapter ID from the default value of 7, which gives it the highest priority on the SCSI bus.

Scan Order

This option allows you to tell the device drivers to scan the SCSI bus from low to high (0 to max) SCSI ID, or from high to low (max to 0) SCSI ID. If you have more than one device on the SCSI bus, changing the scan order changes the order in which drive letters are assigned by the system.

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Device Selections Menu

• Sync Rate
• Bus Width
• Disconnect
• Read Write I/O Timeout (secs)
• Scan for Device at Boot Time
• Scan for SCSI Logical Units (LUNs)
• Queue Tags

When you select the Device Selections option, the corresponding menu appears. Here is an example of the Device Selections Menu:

The settings in this menu affect individual SCSI devices attached to the selected host adapter. Double click on one of the displayed devices to change the listed options. Use the scroll bar on the right side of the Device Selections Menu to scroll down the list of possible SCSI IDs/devices.

After clicking on a device, the "Setup for ALL devices on this Adapter" window appears. Here is an example of this window:

Double click on the field that requires changing and a window appears with choices. Select the appropriate value and it appears in this window. Click OK to save the new value. Below are descriptions of the fields on the Device Selections Menu.

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Sync Rate (Mbytes/s)

This option defines the maximum data transfer rate the host adapter will attempt to negotiate. The host adapter and a SCSI device must agree to a rate they can both handle.

Bus Width (bits)

This option defines the maximum SCSI data width the host adapter will attempt to negotiate. The host adapter and a SCSI device must agree to a width they can both handle. Only host adapters that can do 16-bit data transfers have this option enabled.

Disconnect

This option tells the host adapter whether or not to allow a device to disconnect. SCSI devices have the ability to disconnect from the initiator during an I/O transfer. This disconnect frees the SCSI bus to allow other I/O processes. Some devices run faster with disconnects enabled (mostly newer devices), while some run faster with disconnects disabled (mostly older devices).

Read Write I/O Timeout (secs)

This option sets the amount of time the host adapter waits for a read, write, or seek command to complete before trying the I/O transfer again. Since this provides a safeguard that allows the system to recover if an I/O operation fails, it is recommended that you always set the timeout to a value greater than zero. A value of zero allows unlimited time for an operation to complete and could result in the system hanging (waiting forever) should an operation fail.

Scan for Device at Boot Time

This option can be set to No when the user does not want a particular device to be available to the system. Also, on a bus with only a few devices attached, change this setting to No for all unused SCSI IDs to speed up boot time.

Scan for SCSI Logical Units (LUNs)

This option can be set to No if you have problems with a device that responds to all LUNs whether they are occupied or not. For example, if there is a SCSI device with multiple LUNs but you do not want all of those LUNs  to be available to the system, then set this option to No. This limits the scan to LUN 0 only.

Queue Tags

This option enables or disables the issuing of queue tags during I/O requests when your device driver can do this.

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Domain Validation Menu

When you select the Domain Validation option, the Domain Validation - Current Negotiated Settings Menu appears. Here is an example of this menu:

The values displayed reflect the current negotiated synchronous speed and bus width settings between the driver (SYM_U3.SYS) and the individual SCSI devices attached to the selected host adapter. These values may be different than those displayed in the Device Selections Menu as those values are the starting values to be used during negotiations. Double clicking on the Adapter entry will have no effect.

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Test Selection Menu

When you double click on a device in the Domain Validation - Current Negotiated Settings Menu, the Test Selection Menu appears with the Sync Speed and Bus Width values pre-set to the current negotiated settings of the selected device. Three areas appear on this menu: Adjustments, Test Procedures, and Status. Here is an example of the Test Selections Menu:

A description of all fields on the Test Selection Menu follows.

ADJUSTMENTS

• Sync Speed
• Bus Width
• LVD Driver Signal
• Req/Ack Skew
• Data Pattern

Sync Speed

This option indicates the starting synchronous value that the miniport driver uses when negotiating with the drive to test.

Bus Width

This option indicates the starting bus width value, in bits, that the miniport driver uses when negotiating with the drive to test.

LVD Driver Signal

This field represents the LVD Driver Signal strength requested for this test run. A value other than Nominal will adjust this signal in order to run the requested test at a slightly altered LVD signal level. This field is only applicable during the Stress Pattern IO test.

Req/Ack Skew

This field represents the Req/Ack Skew value requested for this test run. A value other than nominal will adjust this timing in order to run the requested test with a slightly altered bus timing environment. This field is only applicable during the Stress Pattern IO test.

Data Pattern

This field allows you to select one of three data patterns to be used for the Write/Read buffers test.

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TEST PROCEDURES

• Back-to-Back Inquires
• Write/Read Buffers
• Stress Pattern IOs

This box contains the test sequences that can be executed on the selected device. Double click on the sequence name to execute.

Note: During test executions, the adapter channel on which the specified device resides is blocked from all other activity. For the LSI53C1010 based card(s), the second channel is also blocked during execution of the Stress Pattern IO test if the LVD Driver Signal or the Req/Ack Skew values are anything except nominal. This could have a negative impact in the performance and/or stability of the system under high loads.

Back-to-Back Inquiries

This test issues two inquiries to the selected device. The first inquiry occurs after negotiating Async/Narrow, while the second inquiry occurs after negotiating with the passed values. The inquiry data from the two are then compared. If a miscompare is noted, the test fails. I/O errors can also cause this test to fail. You may wish to execute the test again after stepping down the Sync Speed and/or Bus Width negotiation value(s).

Write/Read Buffers

This test issues Write Buffer commands to the device using the data pattern you have chosen. A Read Buffer command is then issued to read the data back. A data comparison is then done to verify data transfer. If a miscompare is noted, the test fails. The negotiation values used for both commands are the user specified values. I/O errors can also cause this test to fail. You may wish to execute the test again after stepping down the Sync Speed and/or Bus Width negotiation value(s).

Stress Pattern IOs

This test also issues Write/Read buffer command pairs. Instead of using the pattern you have specified, this test loops through sending I/O pairs and doing data compares using each of the possible patterns. Each pattern will have been used ten times by the end of this loop. If a miscompare is noted, the test fails. The test finishes by doing 32 random reads to the device media to further stress the bus. The negotiation values used for the commands are the user specified values. The values specified for the LVD Driver Signal and Req/Ack Skew value are also passed to the miniport driver during this test. I/O errors can cause this test to fail. You may wish to execute the test again after stepping down the Sync Speed and/or Bus Width negotiation value(s) and/or altering the LVD Driver Signal or Req/Ack Skewing value(s).

STATUS

This box reflects the outcome of the test executed. If the test failed, a status code appears along with the Failed status. To understand the code's meaning, click on the Code Defs. button on the menu bar.

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Exiting the NTCONFIG Utility

Since changes only take effect after your system reboots, it is important that you exit from this configuration utility properly. Return to the Main Menu and exit either by clicking on the Accept button, or follow the menu path: File-->Save and then click on the Exit choice. If you reboot the system without properly exiting from this utility, these changes may not take effect.

Troubleshooting

A potential problem could occur if you select the Save option under the File selection, and then proceed to attempt more changes. This could cause the system to hang (wait forever). The solution for this problem is to exit from this utility after saving and re-execute if more changes are necessary.

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