Adaptec AHA-1540B Installation Guide download pdf (Page 2)

1 Getting Started

This guide provides the steps required for basic in-

stallation of the AHA-1540CF and AHA-1542CF

ISA-to-SCSI Host Adapters. Procedures are the

same for both adapters except when regarding the

AHA-1542CF on-board floppy controller.

Installation Of Your Host Adapter Includes:

1. Installing the AHA (Adaptec Host Adapter) board

in your computer

2. Installing your SCSI cable(s) and SCSI peripherals

3. Terminating the SCSI cabling bus

4. Using the built-in SCSISelect utility to adjust

host adapter configuration settings if necessary

5. Loading software if necessary

Caution

Turn OFF and disconnect power to the system and exter-

nal equipment. Always refer to your personal computer’s

documentation for instructions on opening the system

cover and adding option boards.

You May Not Need To Change Your Host

Adapter Settings

Your host adapter is already configured for the ma-

jority of ISA (AT compatible) or EISA class comput-

ers. Read Sections , and to determine

whether to alter the adapter’s default settings.

•

A table identifying the adapter board switch

block settings can be found in Section at the

end of this Installation Guide.

You May Not Need To Load Any Software

Your host adapter comes equipped with an on-

board BIOS that allows you to use up to seven

SCSI disk drives without additional software under

MS-DOS

version 5.0 and above. Refer to Section

for your specific software requirements.

For those installing Floptical

drives, Adaptec sup-

plies special utility programs to provide functions

not provided by DOS and Windows. Refer to Sec-

tion for more information.

2 Installing the Host Adapter

Board Installation

1. Turn OFF and disconnect power to the system

and external equipment. Follow your ISA (or

EISA) personal computer’s instruction manual

to remove the system cover and expose the

expansion slots and external access covers.

2. Locate an unused expansion slot. Any standard

ISA or EISA expansion slot will work.

3. Remove the corresponding expansion board

access cover on the computer chassis.

4. Align and insert the ISA I/O bus connector on the

bottom of the AHA-1540CF/1542CF into the

chosen slot. Use the screw from the removed

expansion slot cover to secure the AHA-1540CF/

1542CF bracket to your ISA system chassis.

5. Do not replace the system cover or reconnect

power yet!

When to Set the Switches

In most cases, you will never have to change the

switch block settings. There are, however, certain

options which do require adjustment to the switch

block on the adapter board.

The switch block is on the upper left-hand corner of

the host adapter board.

•

A table identifying the switch block settings can

be found in Section at the end of this Installa-

tion Guide.

Here are some cases in which the switch block set-

tings should be changed:

Controlling Floppy Drives

•

If your floppy diskette drives are already run-

ning under another controller, use the switch to

disable the AHA-1542CF floppy controller.

•

If you want to use the AHA-1542CF floppy con-

troller you must disable your existing one; refer

to your computer or floppy controller user docu-

mentation.

(You do not need to disable the existing PC

floppy controller if you only plan to use Floptical

drives connected to the SCSI bus cable, and are

not connecting floppies to an AHA-1542CF host

adapter floppy connector.)

•

SW5 on the AHA-1540CF must remain in the

On/Closed position, even though there is no

floppy controller on that host adapter.

Multiple Host Adapters

•

Select a different I/O port address for each host

adapter installed. You must know the port ad-

dress of each installed host adapter in order to

adjust it’s settings with the SCSISelect utility.

•

Make sure that each host adapter is set to a

separate BIOS address. Or, disable the BIOS on

all but one of the host adapters.

Not Controlling SCSI Disk Drives

•

If you do not want to use the host adapter to con-

trol hard disk drives, disabling the BIOS may

save up to 60 seconds of boot-up time. This

would be useful when running only SCSI tape or

CD-ROMs, for example.

3 Connecting Peripherals

Setting SCSI IDs

Each SCSI device connected to a host adapter must

be set to a separate SCSI ID.

Your SCSI peripheral manufacturer’s instructions

should contain directions on how to check and ad-

just the SCSI IDs of those devices.

1. Make sure each device to be connected to the host

adapter is set to a separate SCSI ID.

2. The AHA-1540CF/1542CF is set to ID 7 by

default. This can easily be changed with the

SCSISelect utility, as described in Section .

3. Your first two SCSI hard disk drives are best set

to SCSI ID 0 and ID 1.

Connecting Cables

SCSI devices are cabled together in a single con-

tinuous daisy-chain of devices, called the SCSI bus.

The bus may have no branches, and must run from

device-to-device in a continuous series. The host

adapter need not be at the end of the SCSI bus, un-

less only one other device is on the bus.

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Adaptec AHA-1540B Installation Guide Page 2

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