AB 152 INFORMATION RELEASE
NCR 3259
1.This is to release information on the NCR 3259 system shown below.
It will be supplied in two options:
a) SCO Unix based.
b) Windows based.
Below is a Mini-Tower System using SCSI discs and has a CD-Rom drive.
2.The NCR 3259 motherboard has support for the Intel Pentium processors running in
speed from 75mhz up
200mhz. The 200mhz will normally be the standard. It also has an onboard
video subsystem with 1MB or 2MB of
dedicated video memory 1MB being standard. There are four 72-pin SIMMs
sockets allowing for 8MB to 128MB
of system memory. It also has the following features 256KB of write back
second-level cache, a Universal Serial
Bus providing true Plug and Play capability for external serial devices, AMI
BIOS on a 2MB Flash memory device
supporting system setup and PCI auto-configuration, system BIOS for up to
four enhanced IDE hard drives or
other IDE devices, a floppy disc controller, and 3 ISA and 3 PCI slots and
support for Advanced power
management.
3.The NCR motherboard has jumpers to set the frequency for the various processors. All
processors are inserted
onto the motherboard via a Type 7,321 PGA ZIF (zero insertion force) socket.
4.RAM
The motherboard has:
Four 72 pin SIMM sockets.
A total memory capacity ranging from 8 MB to 128 MB using the above four SIMMs sockets.
Support for 70ns fast page and 60ns extended data out (EDO) DRAM
Support for parity, non-parity; and error change and correction (ECC)
ECC only in Group Configuration.
The parity and ECC mode requires `x36' modules; non-parity may use either `x36' or the standard `x32'. Parity mode allows the memory controller to detect single-bit errors. The ECC mode provides single-bit error correction, double bit error detection and detection of all errors confined to a single nibble for the DRAM memory subsystem. The system BIOS will automatically detect and configure the type and size of the main memory.
5.Second-Level Cache.
The second-level cache is controlled by the intergrated Triton HX chipset. The chipset supports a direct mapped, write-back
caching scheme. Write-back allows the system to minimize the frequency of unnecessary and slow DRAM updates. A write-back cache design allows the write-hit cycles to be completed in zero wait state accesses without updating the main system memory.
6.Video Memory
The motherboard has 1MB of video memory installed. An expansion socket is provided for an additional 1MB.
7.IDE Peripheral Interface
The 3259 support 2 independent interfaces, each of which supports 2 local Master Mode PCI IDE devices. The controller supports the following functions:
32-bit controller to host transfer
Mode-4 data transfer (>16MB/s)
All mode 2,3,4 Hard Disk Drives are supported, by this IDE Controller.
The system BIOS supports Logical Block Addressing (LBA) and Extended Cylinder Sector Head (ECHS) translation modes, as well as ATAPI devices on both IDE interfaces. This allows for IDE devices over 528MB as well as compliant devices such as IDE CD-ROMS. The system automatically detects the translation mode and transfer rates of the connected IDE devices.
Universal Serial Bus (USB)
This is a plug and play option to connect serial devices such as monitors and keyboards etc. At present this is not used. There are two USB serial connections at the back of the NCR 3259.
When installing the NCR 3259 mini tower you must rotate the feet mounted at the bottom of cabinet outwards to ensure adequate stability during use.
The option for a second floppy drive is not used.
Removing System Cover
Before removing cover disconnect the power cord and any cable devices connected to the peripheral devices.
1) Remove the 5 retaining screws from the chasis. Lay the unit on it's side before removing cover.
2) Slide the cover towards the rear of the chasis until the front edge is free from the front panel.
3) Lift the cover straight up to remove it from the chasis.
Installing front cover.
Make sure that all cables and cards are properly installed and that screws are tightened and lay the unit on it's side then follow the instructions above in reverse order.
Adding Boards.
ISA-compatible boards can be installed in any of the system board ISA slots. PCI-compatible add-in boards can be installed in any of the PCI slots.
The system is designed to provide 2.0 amps for each board in the system. The total +5V current draw in a fully loaded system must not exceed 12.00A.
Removing slot covers.
Remove expansion slot screw from the top of the slot cover. Lift the top of slot cover. Lift the slot cover up and out. The expansion slots on the right hand cover have a clamp in place to hold the slot cover in place. If cards are removed from the system then insert a blanking slot cover. This is to keep the correct airflow to ensure proper cooling of the system components.
SCSI Devices (and cable supplied)
The internal SCSI cable supplied with the NCR 3259 has a terminator before the last SCSI connector/plug. This renders the last connector obsolete so be careful when assembling a unit. This also means that when another SCSI device is added to a NCR 3259 i.e. a 3rd disc drive or another tape unit in the spare bay then another cable will have to be supplied with termination at the end.
Set to 6 secs for SCSI drives.
Serial Port 2 IR Mode
Makes serial port 2 available to front panel infrared applications. This option is not currently supported.
Set option to disabled.
Parallel Port Address
Selects the printer port, I/O address and IRQ of the parallel port. The options are:
LPT1378IRQ7DMA3
LPT2278 7 3
LPT1378 5 3
LPT2278 5 3
LPT1378 7 1
LPT2278 7 1
LPT1378 5 1
LPT2278 5 1
AUTO
If set to Auto, the Setup program assigns LPT1, 378 IRQ7 as the parallel port address.
Hot Key
Sets the hot key for power-managed mode. Press the hot key while holding down the
and keys to enter power managed mode. All alphabetic keys are valid entries for this field. Field left blank.
SECURITY SCREEN
Administrative and User Access Modes.
The options on the security screen menu make it possible to restrict access to the Setup program by enabling the user to set passwords for the following access modes:
* Administrative mode.
* User mode.
In general, Administrative mode has full access to Setup options, whereas User mode has restricted access. Thus, by setting separate Administrative and User passwords, a system administrator can limit access to critical Setup values. The actual limitations depend on whether only one password or both are set.
Setting the User password will limit access to booting the computer. This is the password that the computer requests before booting. If only the Administrative password is set, the computer boots up without requesting a password. If both passwords are set, the user can enter either password to boot the computer. The standard is:- passwords are not set.
Exit.
The Exit menu allows the user to exit Setup. The options are:
* Exit, discard changes.
* Exit, saving changes.
* Restore default settings.
Before commencing any work inside the machine, ensure that the power cord is disconnected.
Full ESD precautions must be employed.
REMOVING THE MOTHERBOARD.
Ensure the power cord is disconnected. Full ESD precautions must be employed.
1) Disconnect all internal cables connected to any add-in boards installed in the expansion slots.
2) Remove all add-in boards.
3) Remove the Riser card retaining bar from the chassis.
4) Remove the Riser card.
5) Disconnect all cables connected to the motherboard.
6) Remove the retaining screws and set aside.
7) Carefully pop the board off the snap-in standoffs, being careful not to flex the board. Lift the board out of the chassis.
The metal standoffs which hold the board in are very tight and it may be necessary to have a special tool to remove the board.
Software Support Disk
If the system was ordered with a preloaded operating system (OS), NCR installed all required hardware drivers (except network cards). If the system was ordered without an operating system, the required drivers were shipped on floppy diskettes in the accessory box.
On a system with preloaded software, NCR provides drivers for system peripherals such as a mouse, CD-ROM, video and power management. If the system was ordered with a preloaded operating system, the driver diskettes can be created by the following steps:
From the DOS prompt:
1. Type: cd C:\NCRHELP
2. Type: MAKESSD.BAT
3. Follow the on-screen instructions
To create the disk for the audio drivers:
From the DOS prompt:
1. Type: cd C:/NCRHELP
2. Type: ESS.BAT
3. Follow the on-screen instructions
The above should be done in production before machines are shipped to users.
For those 3259 for Unix, mouse driver/cd driver are not necessary.
Devices are addressed uniquely with jumpers or switches on each drive. The host adapter is addressed as device #7. The first and second hard drives are usually addressed as devices 0 and 1 respectively. A drive must be addressed as device 0 if it is to be used as a boot drive. The adapter, BIOS, or driver software may require that additional disk drives be numbered in succession. CD-ROM and tape drives may use any device ID from 2 to 6 that is not in use by another device.
EDP follows a standard addressing scheme for SCSI devices to conform with other Unix systems and SCO open server. These are typical devices assigned to each ID:
0 Hard Drives
1 Hard Drives
2 Tape Drives
3 Hard Drives
4 Available for use
5 CD-ROM
6 Tape Drive
7 Host Adapter.
The SCSI connections must be terminated with terminating resistors at the host adapter and the last device connected to the cable. These terminating resistors are required. Failure to install or activate them may result in unpredictable operation of the device(s). NCR provides a terminator on the end of the supplied SCSI cable. Disable or remove the terminators, if any, that came with the new drive.
The SCSI host adapter supplied with this system was configured for internal devices. The use of external SCSI devices is not recommended (as configured) as performance may be degraded.