Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers 3-21
Chapter 3
Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers
This chapter describes how to install and configure the
Dell small computer system interface (SCSI) device driv-
ers included with your Dell PowerEdge 2100 computer
system. These device drivers are designed to work with the
Adaptec AIC-7880 Ultra/Wide SCSI controller chip on the
system board.
Both the built-in AIC-7880 and the optional
AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card are all part of the
Adaptec 78xx series of SCSI controllers, and use the 78xx
series of SCSI drivers Dell provides. The Adaptec SCSI
basic input/output system (BIOS), which is stored in your
computer system’s flash memory or on the optional
AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card, links these SCSI
device drivers to the built-in AIC-7880 or the optional
AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card.
For instructions on installing SCSI hardware devices such
as hard-disk drives, tape drives, or CD-ROM drives, see
Chapter 8, “Installing Drives in the External Bays,” and
Chapter 9, “Installing Drives in the Internal Bays.” For
information on SCSI configuration guidelines (SCSI iden-
tification [ID] numbers and termination requirements), see
“SCSI Configuration Guidelines” in Chapter 9.
After the SCSI devices you plan to use are installed, you
may need to install and configure one or more SCSI device
drivers so that your SCSI devices can communicate with
your operating system.
SCSI device drivers are provided for the following oper-
ating systems:
•Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
•Novell NetWare 3.12 and 4.x
See Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server Assistant CD,” for
instructions on creating a diskette of drivers for your
operating system. For instructions on configuring the
SCSI device drivers, see the appropriate sections in this
chapter.
The readme.txt File
The readme.txt file that is included with your SCSI
device drivers (in the \scsi directory on the CD) provides
updates to the information in this chapter.
Use the editor included with your operating system to
view or print the readme.txt file or any other readme
file.
The SCSISelect Utility
The BIOS for the built-in Adaptec AIC-7880 controller
includes the menu-driven SCSISelect configuration util-
ity, which allows you to change SCSI controller settings
without opening the computer. SCSISelect also contains
SCSI disk utilities that let you low-level format or verify
the disk media of your SCSI hard-disk drives.
SCSISelect Default Settings
Default settings for the optional Adaptec AHA-2940UW
SCSI controller and the built-in AIC-7880 SCSI control-
ler are shown in Table 3-1. These default settings are
appropriate for most Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) systems. Run SCSISelect only if you need to
change any of the default settings.
NOTE: The term host adapter is used throughout this
chapter to refer to the built-in AIC-7880 SCSI controller
or the optional AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card.
For situations in which you might want or need to change
the settings, see the descriptions of each setting in the fol-
lowing subsections. To change any of the default settings
or to format or verify a disk, see “Starting the SCSISelect
Utility” found later in this chapter.