ADLINK NuPRO-900A Dual Xeon ePCI-X Motherboard Deployment Guide

2. Memory installation

The memory must be installed in pairs, with two identical capacities and densities.

If only one pair is installed, priority should be given to inserting DM1 and DM2 (A1/B1 channels), and then expanding with DM3/DM4.

When installing, insert the DIMM module vertically into the slot, ensuring that the foolproof notch is aligned, and press down until the two side buckles automatically lock.

3. IDE device connection

Connect the IDE hard drive or optical drive using an ATA-100 ribbon cable, and set the master/slave jumper according to the device instructions.

Onboard two IDE interfaces (CN1 main channel, CN2 secondary channel), each supporting two devices.

4. Front panel connection

It is necessary to correctly connect the PWRON (power on), PWRSW (power button), and 5VSB on CN13 in order to achieve ATX soft power on/off.

If the backplane does not provide+5Vaux, the PWRBT # and PSON # functions will be unavailable and an external power switch will be required.

5. Power requirements

The board is powered by the CN17 standard ATX power supply and needs to provide+5V,+3.3V,+12V, -12V, and+5VSB.

It is recommended to use a high-power power supply (such as dual Xeon 3.06GHz+8GB memory+full load network card, power consumption may exceed 150W).

Core points of BIOS configuration

BIOS is based on Award/Phoenix, press<Del>to enter when booting up. The key configuration items include:

1. Standard CMOS

Set system date/time to automatically detect IDE devices. Hard disk parameters (cylinder, head, sector, etc.) can be manually set, supporting LBA mode.

2. Advanced BIOS features

Startup sequence: can be set to boot from hard drive, CDROM, USB, LAN (PXE), etc.

Quick Power On Self Test: Enable to accelerate POST.

Gate A20 Option: Recommend Fast.

Security options: Setup or System level password protection can be set.

Console redirection: Supports remote display of POST information through serial port (baud rate needs to be set).

3. Advanced chipset

System BIOS Cacheable, Video BIOS Cacheable: It is recommended to enable.

DRAM Data Integrity Mode: Displays ECC status.

Delay Prior to Thermal: Utilizing Xeon's built-in thermal monitoring function, the delay for entering thermal control mode can be set.

4. Integrate peripherals

IDE controller: can enable/disable primary/secondary channels, set PIO mode (recommended by Auto) and UDMA support.

USB controller: Enable/disable USB port and Legacy USB support (required for DOS).

Super I/O: Set the base address and IRQ of serial port 1/2.

Hardware monitoring: displays CPU/system temperature, fan speed, and various voltages.

5. PnP/PCI configuration

Resources Controlled by: Auto (ESCD) or Manual (Manual allocation of IRQ).

PCI/VGA Palette Snoop: Non standard VGA cards need to be enabled.

6. Frequency/Voltage Control

Spread Spectrum: Enabling can reduce EMI.

7. Load Fail Safe default value

When the system fails to start due to incorrect settings, loading can restore the basic operating state.

8. Password setting

Administrator and user passwords can be set, up to a maximum of 8 characters. Clearing the CMOS (short circuiting pins 1-2 of JP2) can remove the password.

Driver installation process (Windows 2000/XP)

Suggest installing in the order of "chipset → VGA → network":

Chipset driver (Intel E7501): Run  CHIPDRV  Chipset  E7500  Setup. exe from the CD, follow the prompts to complete and restart.

VGA driver (ATI Rage XL): Run  HIPDRV  VGA  ATISETUP.EXE and install automatically.

Network card driver (Intel 82546EB): Run  HIPDRV  LAN  82546EB  pro2kxpme.exe, unzip and click "Install Now" to update all Intel network card drivers and restart.

For Linux systems, please refer to the README file in the corresponding directory on the CD.

Principle and use of watchdog timer (WDT)

The WDT of NuPRO-900A is implemented on programmable logic devices and configured through the control/status registers (CRF5, CRF7) of logic device 8. Main features:

Timeout period: 1-255 seconds or 1-255 minutes;

Enable/disable, load, and refresh software;

Generate hardware reset after timeout.

Usage steps (example code located in  HIPDRV  WDT  DOS  NP900  WDT. CPP):

Enter the configuration space through I/O port 02Eh/02Fh (Winbond Super I/O);

Select logical device 8;

Set timeout values (CRF5/CRF7);

Enable WDT and start counting;

The application needs to periodically 'feed the dog' (refresh the counter);

If the refresh is not completed within the specified time, the system will automatically reset.

This feature is crucial for unmanned systems and can effectively prevent system crashes caused by software deadlocks.

Characteristics of ePCI-X bus and key points of backplane design

NuPRO-900A provides two independent PCI-X buses (Bus-A and Bus-B), both supporting 64 bit/133MHz operation, with a total bandwidth exceeding 1GB/s. Backboard design should pay attention to:

Signal voltage: Both buses have a 3.3V signal level, so the devices connected to the backplane must be 3.3V or Universal PCI (supporting 3.3V/5V). If a 5V dedicated PCI card is required, a PCI-PCI bridge must be added to the backplane for isolation.