IBM PC Server System/390 Hints and Tips / FAQ

Hints and Tips (FAQ):


IBM PC Server
System/390

Hints and Tips (FAQ)

S/390

Revision Date: 05/07/98

IBM PC Server System/390
Hints and Tips (FAQ):

S/390

050798

Preface


Welcome to the Hints & Tips (FAQ) Guide for the PC Server S/390.

Trademarks

The following trademarks and (*) registered trademarks of the IBM Corporation may appear in this document.
DB2*
DB2/2
EtherStreamer
GDDM*
IBM*
IBMLink
IMS
LAN Distance
LANStreamer
Micro Channel*
MVS/ESA
VSE/ESA
NetFinity
OfficeVision*
OfficeVision/VM
OS/2*
PS/2*
RACF
S/370
S/390*
ServerGuide*
ServeRAID*
Streamer
VisualAge
VisualGen
VM/ESA*
OS/390*
VTAM*
WIN-OS/2
The Following are trademarks of the indicated company:
Pentium
Intel Corporation
Pentium Pro
Intel Corporation
Pentium II
Intel Corporation
Windows
Microsoft Corporation
Windows/95
Microsoft Corporation
Windows/NT
Microsoft Corporation
PowerChute
American Power Conversion
PostScript
Adobe Inc.


Introduction and Overview

This document is intended to address many of the questions or problems that may occur during the installation and use of a PC Server S/390.

The information contained in this document is based on the experience of numerous people involved in the development and testing of the PC Server S/390. While we believe this information to be accurate and correc t it has not been subjected to any formal verification or testing process.

This guide contains the following sections:

What's new on the PB0

With the introduction of the 8640-PB0 as the PC Server 330 base, there are several changes and specific considerations. This section covers the most critical of these considerations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

A list of questions that are frequently asked about a PC Server S/390. When there is a quick and simple answer, it will be provided along with the question. When the answer is long or involves multiple components, a reference will be provided to a topic in the Hints and Tips section which covers that subject.

Usage:
If problems or questions are encountered in the installation and use of a PC Server S/390, check this section for a corresponding Question and answer.

Hints & Tips:

This section provides more extensive information and procedures than the FAQ section. Where necessary, complete procedures or relatively detailed information is provided on the topics.

Usage:
We suggest that this section be used much like a "Read-Me-First" document. Review the topics in this section which may be related to the installation of a system before actually starting the installation process.

Change Log

Changes implemented in each version are noted here.

04/07/1998
Several minor 'problems' and answers included. Changes for current software levels.

11/17/1997
Updates and changes primarily to reflect the adoption of the PB0 model and changes in P390 code 2.4 (fixpack 2.3.3).

09/20/1997
Minor updates regarding ConfigXpro, Fixpack 31, HPFS386 Cache size, and other minor items, such as web address changes.

08/08/1997
SCSI Configuration section updated with new information. Several Questions added (*2).

05/20/1997
Section on 330 PCI interrupts added. Information on SCSI cabling updated.

03/15/97
First edition distributed.

Here is what it looks like inside

'Exploded' view of PC Server 330



Table of Contents

Preface

  • Trademarks
  • Introduction and Overview
  • 8640-PB0 Restrictions and Considerations< /A>
  • Chapter 1. Frequently Asked Questions

  • Cannot 'Find' CDROM Drive
  • CHKDSK Fails or does not Complete
  • What Releases of OS/2 are supported? *1
  • Why is my Expansion Unit having problems?
  • What driver to use for the Integrated Eth ernet?
  • What is Maximum Disk Partition Size?
  • Configuring TCP/IP across a LAN
  • Intermittent "Pink Hangs" (Shared Interru pt)*1
  • PCI Slot Selection for PCI P/390 Adapter *1
  • System Seems to 'Hang'
  • Dial-In Access
  • CM/2 Session is Not Used
  • Other Useful Publications
  • S/390 memory Upgrade
  • Performance Improvement *1
  • Required/Recommended Files or Diskettes
  • S/370 Channel Card
  • "File Not Found" when "INSTALL CLIENT"
  • Strange, apparently unrelated SCSI errors
  • Performance: over time system slows to a crawl.
  • Chapter 2. Hints and Tips

  • Required SCSI and RAID Drivers
  • Material Available Electronically
  • OS/2 and PC Related Files
  • P/390 And S/390 Related files
  • PC Server S/390 Home Page
  • Large Partitions - CHKDSK Problems
  • PCI Slot Usage for P/390
  • Checking and Resetting PCI Interrupts
  • Checking For Shared Interrupts
  • Changing the PCI Interrupt Assignments< /A>
  • SCSI Configuration and Cabling
  • SCSI Configuration
  • PB0 SCSI Configuration Alternatives
  • Jumpering Backplane for "High-SCSI"
  • Miscellaneous SCSI Suggestions and Warn ings
  • Recommended Install/Setup Diskettes
  • P390 Diskettes
  • SCSI and RAID drivers
  • Suggested Diskettes
  • Obtaining Dial-In Access
  • AWSICP (AWSPBS) VTAM Tuning Tips
  • Optimizing Performance
  • PC Memory Considerations
  • PC Server S/390 Array considerations
  • OS/2 CONFIG.SYS tuning
  • OS/2 HPFS CACHE
  • DASD device drivers
  • TCP/IP Configuration Information

  • 8640-PB0 Restrictions and Considerations< /A>

    (Added 11/17/1997updated 2/28/98)

    With the introduction of the 8640-PB0 as the PC Server base for the PC Server S/390, there are several considerations and restrictions which must be observed.

    System BIOS Levels

    Early 8640-PB0s were shipped with BIOS levels 15a or earlier which were unsuitable for the PC Server S/390. The miminum level for proper operation is BIOS level 16a and level 18a has significant additional improvements for specific configurations. As of this date (5/07/98) the latest BIOS level is 21a. We recommend updating any Server 330 to at least level 18a, and preferably 21a, or other, more current, level.

    What PCI slots to use

    Allowable slots for the P/390 adapter are slots 4 and 5. Allowable slots for the S/390 Channel Adapter are slots 4, 5, and 6.

    The PC server 330 numbers it's slots from the bottom up. SLots 1, 2, and 3 are the "Primary" PCI slots while slots 4, 5, and 6 are the "Secondary" PCI slots. The P/390 adapter and the S/390 Channel Adapter must be plugged into the Secondary PCI slots only.

    A further, physical, restriction is that the P/390 Adapter cannot fit in slot 6 because it interferes with the PC Server diskette cage. A S/390 Channel Adapter will "just" fit in this slot, but avoid it unless you have two S/390 Channel Adapters.

    Integrated ServeRAID Diskette Level

    The new PC Server 330, 8640-PB0, uses a new integrated ServeRAID controller and a new ServeRAID II adapter. New levels of RAID controller diskettes are required to support these. The current (4/02/1998) version for the integrated (Onboard) ServeRAID controller and the ServeRAID II Adapter is 2.70. (The 2.70 level supports all versions of the ServeRAID controllers.) If a Server 330 comes with an earlier level installed, the most current level should be downloaded from the Web (PC Server file area) and installed.

    P/390 Program Level

    A new driver level, 2.5, is now available. This new level is required to support the Enhanced P/390 Microprocessor. It also has other enhancements (such as support for PCOMOS2). Anyone running P/390 code level 2.4 (or equivalent fixpack level 2.3.3) can upgrade to this latest level by applying Fixpack 2.4.1.

    Chapter 1. Frequently Asked Questions

    Headings with a *1 notation were added or updated in the Nov, 1997 update.

    Cannot 'Find' CDROM Drive

    Question:
    I'm installing Warp Server. After booting the installation diskettes, it instructs me to insert the CD, but it's already in the CDROM drive. The system doesn't seem to recognize the CDROM drive.

    Answer:
    This could be the result of three different (but related) problems. Either:
    1. The CDROM Drive is cabled to the ServeRAID adapter and the prope r IPSRAID.ADD driver has not been added to the Warp Server install diskettes, or
    2. The CDROM Drive is cabled to the internal channel of the integrated SCSI controller and the proper AIC7870.ADD driver has not been added to the Warp Server install diskettes.
    3. During later steps in the OS/2 install process, or during a subsequnet Selective Install process, the backlevel AIC7870.ADD from the Warp Server install CDROM replaced the (good) version on the install diskette.
    For further information and instructions, see "Required SC SI and RAID Drivers" in the Hints and Tips section.

    CHKDSK Fails or does not Complete

    Question:
    After a 'hard shutdown', such as a power failure, the system automatically runs CHKDSK, but it fails/never completes. How can I correct this?

    Answer:
    This is caused by a limitation of CHKDSK when running against large disk partitions. See"Large Partitions - CHKDSK Prob lems" for additional information.

    What Releases of OS/2 are supported? *1

    Question:
    What releases of OS/2 Warp and Communications Manager/2 are supported on the &pcs390.?

    Answer:
    For systems based on the PC Server 500 and PC Server 520, either OS/2 Warp V3.0 or OS/2 Warp Server (Basic or Advanced) are supported. For systems based on the PC Server 330, only Warp Server (Basic or Advanced) is supported. Systems which use other versions of Warp (such as "Warp Connect" or Warp Ver. 4, "Merlin") may work, but have not been officially tested.
    "eNetwork Personal Communications for OS/2 Ver 4.21" is the required and supported terminal emulation product. Earlier relases have known problems in the PC Server S/390 environment.
    Users who wish to upgrade to current levels of Warp Server are encouraged to install Warp Ver 3 Fixpack 35. This includes the new version of CHKDSK (for large partitions) and other fixes and enhancements. Users of Warp Server Advanced are also encouraged to install that product's fixpack IP_8508, especially if using HPFS386.

    Why is my Expansion Unit having problems?

    Question:
    I'm having various problems with my SCSI disks in the expansion unit going DDD (defunct). Sometimes drives in the 330 itself also show DDD.

    Answer:
    If the drives in an Expansion unit are not ready by the time the Server unit is up and ready to check drive status, it can result in various strange problems, including showing erroneous DDD drive status.

    If you have any expansion units or external devices, you should always power them up first. Allow any drives to come up to speed before powering up the Server. If you have just encountered this problem and have DDD drives or other problems, call the PC Server Help Center. They can guide you through the process of getting all drives back online without losing any data.

    What driver to use for the Integrated Eth ernet?

    Question:
    I'm configuring my LAN Adapter in MPTS and can't find a driver for the Integrated Ethernet Adapter. What driver should I use and where is it?

    Answer:
    The Integrated Ethernet adapter uses the 'AMD PCNet Family Ethernet Adapter Driver'. This driver is on the "PC Server 330 Ethernet MPTS Drivers" diskette 1. (See "Recommended Install/Setup Disk ettes")

    To 'install' this driver, go into the MPTS configuration to the panel where you select the drivers and protocals. Select the Other Adapters pushbutton. Put the above referenced diskette in the diskette drive and fill in the Path as A:\LANSRVR . The appropriate driver will be loaded and it will now be listed in the listbox of available drivers.

    What is Maximum Disk Partition Size?< /H3>

    Question:
    I need to have a very large disk configuration. What is the maximum size Logical Drive and Partition that I can use?

    Answer:
    The Logical Drive size is limited only by the size and number of disks in the array. However, if a drive fails (goes Defunct), large arrays will take longer to rebuild after drive replacement.

    Although OS/2 (HPFS) supports a maximum of a 64GB partition, there are some important limitations with the CHKDSK utility. You may want to consider limiting your partitions to 10-12GB to avoid these problems. See "Large Partitions - CHKDSK Prob lems" for additional information on this limitation.

    Configuring TCP/IP across a LAN

    Question:
    I'm having problems getting TCP/IP working between my PC Server S/390 and other systems connected to my LAN. Are there any general directions or suggestions to help?

    Answer:
    There are a number of considerations when configuring TCP/IP connections across a LAN. First, you need to have some knowledge of TCP/IP protocols and terminology, as well as some LAN implementation knowledge. A good general reference and starting point is provided in "TCP/IP Configuration Information".

    Intermittent "Pink Hangs" (Shared Interru pt)*1

    Question:
    My PC Server 330 based PC Server S/390 is experiencing intermittent 'Hangs" with the S/390 "System Activity Window" showing "Pink". What's wrong?

    Answer:
    One important thing to remember about the PCI P/390 adapter: it cannot share interrupts with other adapters. The default for PCI machines is to assign each adapter a unique interrupt level so this is not normally a problem. We have, however, occasionally seen the configuration program 'map' interrupts in a shared fashion. On our test floor, for example, a system with two ServeRAID adapters ended up with one of them configured at the same interrupt level as the P/390 adapter.

    If the P/390 shares interrupts, the failure mode is "Intermittent Pink Hangs" which result from a lost alert: The P/390 tries to signal the channel to do something (via this shared interrupt), but the channel never gets the alert, so the system hangs "Pink".

    If you are experiencing this problem, follow the procedure in "Checking and Resetting PCI Interrupts" to ensure the P39 0 adapter interrupt is not shared.

    This problem will be eliminated by changes in the latest P390 code. The 2.4 level of the P390 code will avoid this 'hang' problem. (Fixpack 2.3.3 will also provide the 2.4 level function.)

    PCI Slot Selection for PCI P/390 Adapter *1

    Question:
    I have five PCI slots in my PC Server 330; does it make any difference which slot I plug the P/390 adapter into?

    Answer:
    Yes. On ESx models of the PC Server 330, the 390 adapters (processor or channel adapters) must go into one of the top 3 PCI slots (3, 4, and 5) On PB0 models of the PC Server 330, the 390 adapters (processor or channel adapters) must also go into one of the top three PCI slots, which are now numbered slots 4, 5, and 6. (The P390 processor adapter will not fit in slot 6.) For further information on this restriction, see "PCI Slot Usage for P/390".

    System Seems to 'Hang'

    Question:
    The system starts to run OK, then shortly after IPLing my S/390 system, the entire system 'hangs'. What's wrong?

    Answer:
    There are several possible reasons for the system to 'hang' as described. Some of the more likely or common causes are noted below:

    OS/2 Print Queue is Required:
    If you have a printer defined to your S/390 system that is not explicitly redirected to an OS/2 file, you must define a OS/2 printer queue for this printer. For example, in the standard VM/ESA device map there is a 1403 defined at device number 00E and it defaults to using the OS/2 printer subsystem and LPT1 (logical printer 1). When you IPL VM/ESA it will normally attempt to start the 00E printer. If you do not have an OS/2 printer queue defined for LPT1, OS/2 does not know what to do with this print output and will 'hang'. To correct this problem, either:
    1. Delete (or "turn off") the printer definition from the S/390 Device Map, - or -
    2. Configure an OS/2 printer queue for LPT1 (drag a OS/2 'Printer' template from the 'Templates' folder and complete the definition of the printer and associated queue.)

    Interrupt Conflicts:
    There are several interrupt conflicts which can cause 'hang' symptoms. One of these is the 'Pink Hang' noted above. Sometimes other devices or adapters can 'steal' the interrupts from the P/390 processor or the S/390 Parallel Channel Adapters. To make sure this does not happen, make sure t he P/390 set of updates to the CONFIG.SYS is always at the end of the file. After installing any additional products (hardware or software) check the CONFIG.SYS to make sure no statements have been added or moved after the P/390 section. If any statements have been added or moved after the "This must be the last line in CONFIG.SYS" line, move them above the P390 section.

    S/390 Channel not Terminated:
    If it is installed, the S/390 Parallel Channel must be properly terminated. If there are no devices on the channel, use the terminator plug which is supplied. If there are devices on the channel, you must use appropriate Bus & Tag terminators at the end of the cahnnel.

    Dial-In Access

    Question:
    How can I (or other users) dial into my my PC Server S/390 from remote workstations or from home?

    Answer:
    There are several ways to provide dial-in access. Which one you choose would depend on your requirements and familiarity with the technologies involved with each. Some possibilities are: For further information on these alternatives, see "Obtaining Dial-In Access".

    CM/2 Session is Not Used

    Question:
    I have the normal configuration with five Communication Manager/2 sessions defined. However, the first session (A) never seems to be used. Instead my 'Operator' console is on session 'B', and I can never use the 'A' session. Is something wrong? How can I use the 'A' session?

    Answer:
    This symptom is caused by the default '3270 Logical Terminal' configuration provided in the pre-configured system Device Maps. For complete information on 3270 Logical Terminal configuration, see the PC Server S/390 Users Guide and Reference, Identifying LT Sessions . To quickly change your configuration to 'enable' session 'A',
    1. Start the P/390 Configurator (double click on the configurator i con)
    2. From the main menu, select F7, Update 3270 LT sessions
    3. The "list box" for session 'A' probably shows HOST. Change it to LOCAL.
    4. Click on "SAVE" and exit the configurator.
    5. Stop (CMSTOP) and restart (CMSTART) Communications Manager. The first (A) 3270 window should now be available for your "local" sessions. (We have seen a few instances where it was necessary to shutdown and reboot OS/2 to make this change effective.)

    Other Useful Publications

    Question:
    I've got the standard PC Server S/390 User's Guide and Reference, but I need additional information to configure my system. What other publications are available?

    Answer:
    There are a number of publications that may be of interest to anyone interested in learning more more about the PC Server S/390 and what it is capable of doing.
    Redbooks are an excellent source of 'real world' information based on actual use of the systems. Several 'Redbooks' are available about the PC Server S/390.
    Technical Application Brief The "TAB" (subtitled: "The PC Server S/390, is it Right for You?") is available as a publication (GK20-2763) or as a viewable and printable document linked off the PC Server S/390 home page.

    S/390 memory Upgrade

    Question:
    I have a PC Server S/390 with 32MB of S/390 memory. My system is now becoming memory constrained. What are my upgrade alternatives?

    Answer:
    The ability to upgrade depends on which version of the PC Server S/390 you have,
    PC Server 500/520
    The 500 and 520 based systems used a base P/390 card with 32MB of S/390 memory and an optional 'daughter card' with an additional 96MB of S/390 memory. If you have this version, you should be able to purchase the 96MB upgrade from your reseller.
    PC Server 330
    On the PCI version of the P/390 adapter used on the PC Server 330, all S/390 memory (either 32MB or 128MB) is contained on the same card as the P/390 CMOS microprocessor, occupying a single slot. Consequently, a memory upgrade is not possible. There is no plan to offer any kind of trade-in or exchange.

    Performance Improvement *1

    Question:
    I have heard that the PC Server 330 version of the PC Server S/390 will perform 40% better than the PC Server 500/520 based versions. I am not seeing this much improvement on my system. Why not?

    Answer:
    There are a number of actions that may provide improved performance, but first we need to understand where the 40% number came from. In some very I/O intensiveworkloads, improvements of up to 40% in the I/O throughput of the system were observed. On the other hand, workloads which were more balanced or which were S/390 memory or processor intensive showed relatively little improvement (less than 10%). The components of the 330 version of the PC Server S/390 which contributed to the improved I/O performance are: Most systems will see an overall improvement in the range of 10% to 30%, depending very much on specific workload characteristics and system configuration. Systems which make significant use of the S/390 Parallel Channel Adapter will usually see a more pronounced improvement ov er the old S/370 Channel Emulator.

    Also available in the 2.4 level of P390 code and Fixpack 2.3.3 (released 11/17/1997) is the ability to define some of the PC Server memory as S/390 Expanded Storage. For S/390 storage constrained systems, this may offer a significant performance boost. (Only available on PCI bus systems, the PC Server 330 series.)

    For more information and for some performance tuning recommendations, see "Optimizing Performance".

    Required/Recommended Files or Diskettes

    Question:
    I am planning on setting up a PC Server S/390 from 'scratch'. Are there any required or recommended files or diskettes, such as new drivers?

    Answer:
    Yes!! There are several new drivers and 'BIOS' updates that are available. In general, you should occasionally check the PC Company file download area (see "Material Available Electronically ".) for updated levels of related drivers. In the file download area, seach for
    Server 330 -and- Serveraid
    to get a list of the current files.

    For a list of recommended files as of the publication of this document, see "Recommended Install/Setup Diskettes".

    S/370 Channel Card

    (Note: This is about the 'old' S/370 Channel Emulator, not the new/current S/390 Parallel Channel Adapter.)

    Question:
    I have a P/390 machine with a S/370 channel (POSID E014) in Slot 4. I have run automatic configuration after installing the card.

    The IO Buffer Location is forced to "PROGRAMMED 64K > 1M" and shows as a conflict. Saving the configuration then booting the machine with the chan370 statements in CONFIG.SYS result in the card being detected but disabled.

    How can I fix this?

    Answer:
    The proper way to configure the S/370 channel card is to let the server autoconfigure on its own. Selecting the auto-config option is *not* the same.
    1. Make sure the ADF file you are using for the S/370 channel card is the one from the P/390 disk, don't use the one that came with the S/370 channel card itself. (That one has some options that are incompatible with the P/390. It sounds like you were using the right ADF, I just mention this in case somebody else is browsing this in the archives.)
    2. Remove the card from the machine and go through configuration.
    3. Shutdown the machine and re-install the S/370 channel card.
    4. Power up the machine and when it asks if you want to autoconfigure say 'yes'.
    5. Then when you look at the S/370 channel configuration it should be OK. You can make changes at this point (to the interrupt level, for example, or to other adapters) and save them and all will be fine. Its just the initial 'forced' autoconfiguration that does something unique that can't be reliably done any other way/time.
    You may be able to get it to work by moving other cards, etc. but this is the only 'sure' way to do it.

    "File Not Found" when "INSTALL CLIENT"

    Question:
    When I do an "INSTALL CLIENT " using version 2.3.2, it returns an error saying several DLLs were not found. What's the problem?

    Answer:
    The two files, AWSNTCA and AWSDFTS are no longer needed. They provided support for ES 1.0 (precursor to CM/2). Since ES 1.0 is no longer supported, the supporting DLLs are no longer shipped. The statements in INSTALL.CMD that install these DLLs should be commented out. If these two messages were the only errors received, you can ignore them and the client code should operate normally.

    Strange, apparently unrelated SCSI errors

    Question:
    I have a PC Server S/390 and attached 3518 expansion enclosure and am getting numerous and varied SCSI errors. What's wrong?

    Answer:
    Do you have a 'Repeater' card in the 3518? If not, this is probably you problem. Due to the short cables allowed with Ultra-SCSI, using the 3518 will usually exceed the maximum cable lengths. You should use an "Enhanced SCSI Repeater" for each channel/cable going into the 3518. If the repeater is not used, various SCSI errors may occur on any of the installed SCSI devices, not just the ones in the 3518.

    Performance: over time system slows to a crawl.

    Question:
    I have a PC Server S/390 with plenty of memory (96MB) but after several days of running, system slows to acrawl, like a memory shortage.

    Answer 1: HPFS386 Cache too large:
    It is possible the Warp Server Installation program set aside too much memory for the OS/2 data Cache. On a 96MB system I would recommend giving 64MB to the cache, and retaining 32MB for OS/2. While 16MB is sufficient for OS/2 on a 32MB system with a small cache, OS/2's memory requirements increase somewhat as the total system memory size increases and 16MB would not be enough for OS/2 on a 96MB system. Check the CACHESIZE parameter in C:\IBM386FS\HPFS386.INI . If it is larger than 60000, reduce it to that point. Also see "Optimizing Performance" for additional infor mation.

    Answer 2: Error Log file too large:
    There have been cases where the Communications Manager First Failure analysis intercepts and records a very large number of LAN errors of various types. When this happens, the error log file C:\OS2\SYSTEM\LOG0001.DAT can grow very large. At some point, the FFST (First Failure Support Technology) can start consuming large amounts of Pentium processor time, impacting S/390 performance. You will not be able to erase or 'reset' the log file whilt the system is running (the file is 'in use'). Instead, edit your 'CONFIG.SYS' and find the "hp2.RUN=C:\OS2\SYSTEM\LOGDAEM.EXE statement and add a "/E" parameter to cause it to use a different log file. The resulting statement should look like:
    RUN=C:\OS2\SYSTEM\LOGDAEM.EXE /E:C:\OS2\SYSTEM\LOG0002.DAT
    Now, shutdown and reboot your system. Now the system should be recording on a new (smaller) LOG0002.DAT file and you can erase the LOG0001.DAT file, freeing up the disk space.

    Chapter 2. Hints and Tips


    Required SCSI and RAID Drivers

    (Updated 11/17/1997 for PB0)

    The PC Server 330 includes several components which are not properly recognized and supported by WARP Server "out of the box". Both the ServeRAID adapter and the integrated SCSI controller require specific device drivers which are not included in WARP Server. Because of this, you must prepare the OS/2 Install diskettes with the proper device drivers before starting the install process.

    ServeRAID Driver: IPSRAID.ADD


    The ServeRAID adapter requires the presence of the IPSRAID.ADD device driver. To provide access to this driver during the Warp Server install process, do the following (using another PC):
    • Make a backup copy of the OS/2 Diskette 1
    • Make room on the OS/2 Diskette 1 by erasing one of the unused drivers, such as SONY535.ADD
    • The IPSRAID.ADD driver is on the ServeRAID Driver and Utility Diskette in the OS2 directory. Copy the file onto the OS/2 Diskette 1.
        copy a:\os2\ipsraid.add  b:
      
    • Add a BASEDEV entry for IPSRAID.ADD to the CONFIG.SYS which is on the OS/2 Diskette 1 The statement should look like:
        BASEDEV=IPSRAID.ADD
      
    This new IPSRAID should have a 'date stamp' of 1/21/97 or later. If not, get a more current copy of the ServeRAID Driver and Utility Diskette from the IBM PC Company web pages. (See "OS/2 and PC Related Files" for more information on the Web site.)

    Integrated SCSI Driver: AIC7870.ADD


    Note:
    If the CDROM and DAT tape are cabled to the Integrated SCSI adapter, the below process must be followed to allow the install process to 'find' the OS/2 install CDROM. If the CDROM and DAT are cabled to the ServeRAID via the hot/swap backplane, the AIC7870 driver is not needed for the install process and can be added to the system later, after initial OS/2 install.

    The integrated SCSI controller on the PC Server 330 system board requires an updated AIC7870.ADD device driver. The old AIC7870.ADD that comes on the OS/2 Diskette 1 will not recognize the controller. An updated AIC7870.ADD must be copied on the OS/2 Diskette 1. The correct AIC7870.ADD will have a date stamp of 1996 or later.

    To get a current AIC7870.ADD, access the Adaptec Web Pages (http://www.adaptec.com) and go to the Service and support area, OS/2, and download 7800OS2.EXE, or, via FTP, ftp.adaptec.com/pub/BBS/os2/7800OS2.EXE 7800OS2.EXE is a self-extracting compressed file, so just execute it to obtain it's component parts, including AIC7870.ADD.

    Copy this new AIC7870.ADD to the OS/2 Diskette 1. If there is insufficient space to copy the new driver, you can make room by erasing the AIC7770.ADD file and other AIC*.ADD

    Add two additional lines to the CONFIG.SYS on Diskette 1:

      BASEDEV=AIC7870.ADD
      SET COPYFROMFLOPPY=1
    
    These statements deserve some explaination:
    BASEDEV=AIC7870.ADD Note that this is an additional statement of this kind. There is also a BASEDEV=AIC7870.ADD about halfway down the CONGIF.SYS. Both instances of the statement are needed to insure the statement gets copied correctly to the final CONFIG.SYS.
    SET COPYFROMFLOPPY=1 This statement tells the OS/2 installation process to use drivers on the installation diskettes in preference to the drives which may be on the CDROM. This is necessary because there is a old, backlevel, version of AIC7870.ADD on the CDROM. Without this statement, the old version of AIC7870.ADD would be used in the final OS/2 system.

    Completing OS/2 Install

    As the OS/2 installation proceeds, a basic OS/2 will be loaded onto the system, then it will reboot. After this reboot, a "System Configuration" screen will be displayed where you can select:
    • Support for desired printer(s): You should always define at lea st one printer type / queue, even if you do not have a printer physically attached.
    • MultiMedia support: You probably will not have any 'sound cards' or other Multimedia devices, so this will be 'none'.
    • VGA Display adpter: Just accept the basic standard SVGA support. You will need to install the SVGA upgraded drivers later.
    • CD-ROM Device Support: Should default to "IBM CD-ROM II, Enhanced CD-ROM". This is the correct setting.
    • SCSI Controller: Make sure this says 'none', otherwise the wrong level of the AIC7870 driver will be loaded from the CDROM. (Having the second instance of 'BASEDEV=AIC7870.ADD' will insure the correct statements are placed in the target CONFIG.SYS.)

    In Summary

    In summary, you should:
    1. Make room on the Diskette 1
    2. Copy a recent version of AIC7870.ADD to the diskette
    3. Copy IPSRAID.ADD to the diskette
    4. Add the following statements to the top of CONFIG.SYS on Diskette 1
         BASEDEV=IPSRAID.ADD
         BASEDEV=AIC7870.ADD
         SET COPYFROMFLOPPY=1
      
    5. Specify None to SCSI Adapter Support on the "System Configuration" screen.
    Remember, if the CDROM and DAT are cabled to the hot/swap backplane and ServeRAID, only the IPSRAID.ADD has to be made available for the installation process.


    Material Available Electronically There are a lot of information files, device drivers, and 'fixes' available electronically from several sources. This section will list many of these files and the sources where they are available.

    OS/2 and PC Related Files

    Many files are available from the IBM PC Company BBS, FTP site and Web pages.

    IBM PC Company BBS

    The Bulletin Board System can be accessed by calling (919) 517-0001.

    FTP Site

    The FTP site is ftp.pc.ibm.com (all files are in the /pub directory). Logon as user anonymous. To go direct to the "PC Servers" directory, use ftp.pc.ibm.com/pub/pc_servers and to access the OS/2 Drivers directory, use ftp.pc.ibm.com/pub/os2_drivers Remember to transfer any program files in "Binary" mode and file names are case sensitive. The file allfiles.txt in the pub directory contains a complete listing of all files available and a brief description of each.

    PC Company Web Page

    The PC Company Web page is http://www.us.pc.ibm.com
    To directly access the "Files" section, use http://www.us.pc.ibm.com/files.html
    Files of interest to PC Server S/390 users will generally be available from the PC Server and OS/2 Drivers sections of the Files area. You can select the "PC Servers" or "OS/2 Drivers" links to view and download the available software.

    To find files related to the PC Server 330 and PC Server S/390, use the Searc h function, searching on:

    Server 330
    To find all files related to the PC Server 330
    ServeRAID
    To find all files related to the ServeRAID adapter
    Server 390
    To find all files related to the S/390 component of the PC Server S/390

    PC Company Configurator

    The PC Company provides a configurator tool, ConfigXprt which is now available to everyone in both Windows and OS/2 forms. More information and download instructions are available at: http://www.us.pc.ibm.com/configxprt
    Note that ConfigXprt does not include the S/390 specific parts such as the S/390 processor card or the S/390 Channel Adapter. These must be added to the configuration manually.

    P/390 And S/390 Related files

    The P/390 development group maintains an FTP site with the latest P390 fixes.

    Temporary fixes to correct specific problems may sometimes be made available. Users should only install these fixes under the specific direction of IBM Support, or P/390 developers. Such fixes may be available via diskette from IBM Support or via FTP from: ftp://P390.IBM.COM

          login in as user anonymous,
    password=your_net_id
    review the 'read.me' file

    PC Server S/390 Home Page

    Additional information and the latest 'news' is available from the PC Server S/390 "Home page". The Home Page for the PC Server S/390 is linked off the S/390 home page:
    http://www.s390.ibm.com
    From there, choose Gateway , then Products and Services, then Hardware
    You may also be able to reach it directly via:
    http://www.s390.ibm.com/products/p390/p390hp.html
    This page will contain various kinds of information, such as performance reports and recent changes/enhancements to the P390 device managers. Other sites will be linked off of this page for easy access to updated code or announcements.

    Online Discussions

    The resources noted below are very informative and participants can be very helpful. These resources are, however, informal and "unofficial"; information from these sources should not be considered as formal IBM support or statements.

    There is a "PC500390 CFORUM" available on IBM's "TALKLINK / DIAL IBM". (IBM employees can access this CFORUM on either IBMPC or IBMVM conference disks.)

    There is an Internet P/370 - P/390 Discussion group:
    P370-L @ PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU
    Send 'SUBSCRIBE' request to listserve@pucc.princeton.edu


    Large Partitions - CHKDSK Problems There is a known limitation in the current OS/2 CHKDSK program provided with Warp Server. This problem may appear in either of two ways:

    1. CHKDSK takes a very long time to complete (45 - 60 minutes is not unusual).

    2. CHKDSK fails or never completes
    The problem is caused by the current CHKDSK only using memory below 16 megabytes. Since CHKDSK uses a form of in-memory 'bit-map' of the partition information, large partitions can effectively exceed this 16MB limitation, causing CHKDSK to fail. In general, our experience indicates the following results for different partition sizes:

    01 - 10GB
    Generally no problem, although 8-10GB partitions may take up to 15 - 20 minutes to CHKDSK.

    10 - 14GB
    Will usually complete successfully, but may take up to 60 minutes.

    > 14GB
    Will frequently fail outright, or never complete.

    Recommendations:

    There are several circumventions available to avoid or minimize this problem.

    Do not AUTOCHECK large partitions:
    The IFS= statement in the CONFIG.SYS will normally include an AUTOCHECK parameter. This parameter specifies which partitions should be CHKDSK'ed when restarting the system after a 'hard shutdown' (power failure, etc.). If you have large partitions, you may choose to remove them from the AUTOCHECK parameter to allow your system to restart quickly. If you do this, you should attempt to run CHKDSK against these partitions as soon as possible to check for possible file structure damage. The recommended way to do this is to add the appropriate CHKDSK statements to your STARTUP.CMD For example, to run CHKDSK against the D, E, and F partitions:
    CHKDSK  D:  /C /F
    CHKDSK  E:  /C /F
    CHKDSK  F:  /C /F
    
    The /C parameter specifies that the CHKDSK command should only run if the partition is 'dirty'; that is, if the system was not shut down cleanly. The /F parameter tells CHKDSK to correct any file system structure errors it finds. Since the 'Boot' partition ('C') is normally a relatively small sise (200 - 300 MB), you should leave it in the Autocheck parameter so it can be checked and corrected prior to OS/2 startup.

    Avoid Large Partitions:
    To be reasonably safe and ensure quick restarts after 'hard shutdowns', avoid defining any partition greater than about 10GB. This will allow fast AUTOCHECK processing on a restart. Partitions of up to 12GB are reasonable if the partitions are removed from the AUTOCHECKparameter (and CHKDSK is run 'manually' after a restart).

    Other Comments

    If it is very important to use large partitions for any reason, they can be defined and will work up to the 64GB limit of OS/2. The only limitation is that CHKDSK can not be run against these partitions. In the PC Server S/390 environment the inability to run CHKDSK is not usually a major exposure. This is true because the file structure of a typical P390 partition is relatively stable. Very few files are either allocated, extended, or erased during operation of the S/390 environment. Once the S/390 'volumes' are allocated, they are very static as far as the file 'structure' is concerned. Since the file structure is not changing, there is very little chance for it to be damaged during a hard shutdown. This does suggest that files which are frequently allocated, extended, or erased should not be placed on a large (>16GB) partition. For example, emulated tape files (AWSTAPE) or printer output files (AWS2821) should not be directed to large partitions. Also, any system with very large partitions should definitely have a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) to protect the power supply to the system. If the system runs unattended, appropriate automated shutdown procedures should be in place to cause a clean system shutdown in case of an extended power outage. The APC (American Power Conversion) PowerChute software can be used to accomplish this and is provided as part of the ServerGuide package that comes with the PC Server 330.

    A 'FixPack' for CHKDSK

    A unpdated version of CHKDSK has been made available as part of a full OS/2 "FixPack". Warp (V3) FixPack 31 and later includes the new CHKDSK as well as many other fixes. Any P/390 users wanting to install a fixpack which includes the CHKDSK fix are urged to apply Fixpack 35 (or later). This fixpack includes a number of other enhancements which will be of use with upcoming changes to the P390 code. For those who do want to apply FixPack 35, it (and other service) can be downloaded from:
    ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/fixes/v3.0warp/english-us
    A word of warning, however: the FixPack is 17 diskettes in size, and entire FixPack (plus two 'Kicker' diskettes) must be downloaded and applied. Users who prefer, can order CDROM versions of the fixpacks, for a nominal charge, from BMT Micro, (800) 414-4268.


    PCI Slot Usage for P/390

    One of the 'restrictions' for the PCI P/390 adapter is that it must be placed in "Secondary PCI Slots" and the S/390 Parallel Channel Adapter should also be placed in one of these slots. On the ESx models, the Secondary PCI slots are 3, 4, and 5. On the PB0 model, the Secondary PCI slots are 4, 5, and 6. This item will provide some additional information on this restriction.

    The initial PCI bus design specified a maximum of three PCI slots. As use of the PCI bus grew, it quickly became apparent that three slots would not be sufficient for many systems, so a solution was devised. In effect, one of the three slots is used as a 'bridge' to another PCI bus, normally referred to as the 'Secondary PCI Bus'. This secondary bus is functionally equivalent to the primary PCI bus in most regards. There are, however, some considerations caused by this "bridged bus" design:

    • Adapters on the primary bus will experience slightly better performance / throughput than those on the secondary bus. Therefore, adapters which cause large amounts of data transfer should use the primary bus. For example, the ServeRAID adapter should always be on the primary bus since it normally experiences the highest data transfer rates in the system.
    • Due to timing characteristics, the PCI P/390 adapter must be installed in one of the secondary PCI bus slots (slots, 3, 4, 5 on the ESx or 4, 5, 6 on the PB0).
    • PCI Adapters that frequently transfer data between them should be placed on the same bus (primary or secondary). For example, the PCI P/390 adapter and the S/390 Parallel Channel Adapter should both be plac ed on the secondary PCI bus. (Note that, since the ServeRAID adapter should always be placed in slot 1 for performance reasons, the only way that the PCI P/390 adapter and one or two S/390 Parallel Channel Adapters could be placed on the sa me bus is to put them on the secondary bus.)
    If a SSA RAID Adapter is installed, it should be on the primary PCI bus (slots 1 or 2) for best performance.

    Note that the slot numbers (1 to 9) are numbered from the bottom of the system upward. Slot 1 is at the bottom of the system and slot 9 (ESx models) or slot 6 (PB0 model) are the top adapter slots.


    Checking and Resetting PCI Interrupts< /H2> (Updated 11/17/1997)
    In some configurations, the PC Server 330 will assign the same interrupt level to multiple PCI adapters. Many PCI adapters can use these shared interrupts with no problems, but attempting to use a shared interrupt on the P390 adapter may cause a problem. The specific symptom this sharing of an interrupt will cause is termed a "Pink-Hang": the system comes to a complete stop (hangs) and the P390 activity window is all "Pink". This symptom is intermittant and may not appear for several days at a time. If you have (or suspect you might have) this problem, follow the procedure below to check for shared interrupts and to reassign the interrupts to eliminate such sharing.

    One alternative to this process (below) will is to apply the new fixpack level 2.3.3. P390 code at Fixpack 2.3.3 should eliminate this shared interrupt exposure. (Fixpack 2.3.3 is functionally equivalent to P390 code level 2.4.) Even with the Fixpack or 2.4 version of P390 code, we recommend that the P/390 adapers not share interrupts unless absolutely necessary.

    Checking For Shared Interrupts

    Follow this procedure to check for a shared P390 interrupt. (Note that this section now refers to this process on a 8640-PB0. The slot numbers may be different on older models: ESx.)

    1. Shutdown and power-off the system.

    2. Remove the PC Server 330 cover and note what adapter cards are in what slots, especially the P390 adapter. (The P390 adapter will usually be in slot-4; the forth one from the bottom.) Replace the cover.

    3. From a completely powered off condition, power on the PC Server 330 As i t is going through the Power On Self Test (POST), press the F1 key to cause it to enter the Configuration and Setup Utility.

    4. From the main menu of the Configuration and Setup Utility:
         Select System Information    then
         Select   PCI Routing        
      
      You should now see a list of the integrated (planer) PCI adapters and adapters in PCI slots. For each adapter, there will be a notation of is routed to IRQn.

    5. Check the "routing" for the slot where the P390 adapter is located (again, usually slot 4).

    6. See if there are any other adapters/slots that are routed to this same interrupt (IRQ).
      • If any other adapters/slots are routed to this same interrupt, t hen you need to change the default interrupt settings to halt the sharing of the P390 interrupt.
      • If no other adapters/slots are routed to (share) this same interrupt then this system is not subject to the "Shared Interrupt Pink Hang". You can restart the system and resume normal operation.

    Changing the PCI Interrupt Assignments< /A>

    The first step in correctly resetting the Interrupt assignments is to determine the initial assignments of all interrupts. The following table is presented as an aid in this process. Reproduce it as necessary.


    Table 1. Interrupt Summary Table
    Interrupt # Type (EISA/PCI) Assigned use
    0 Fixed System Timer
    1 Fixed Keyboard
    2 Fixed Redirected to high INTs
    3 Fixed COM2
    4 Fixed COM1
    5

    6 Fixed Floppy Disk
    7 Fixed LPT1 (printer)
    8 Fixed Realtime Clock
    9

    10

    11

    12 Fixed Mouse
    13 Fixed Coprocessor
    14

    15

    The Interrupts marked as Fixed are standardized and pre-assigned interrupts. These should not be changed unless you understand exactly and completely what you are doing. (The COM2 interrupt is the one which could most easily and reasonably be reassigned to something else.)

    Your first step is to fill in the blank entries in the table based on your system. Most or all of the interrupts can be determined from the Configuration and Setup Utility. However, on ESx models of the PC Server 330, you may need to use the "EISA Configuration Diskette" to determine interrupts of any installed EISA adapters. To do this (for ESx models only):

    1. From a powered-off mode, place the "EISA Configuration Diskette" in the diskette drive and power the system on.

    2. When the system boots the diskette, reply 'Y' (yes) to continue into the configuration utility.

    3. From the Primary Menu, select "Step 3: View or edit details" .

    4. From the "View or Edit details" screen, press F7 for "Advanced"

    5. From the "Advanced Menu" popup, select: "View Additional System Information Menu"

    6. From the "View Additional System Information Menu" popup, select "Used Resources"

    7. The first screen of the "Used Resources" will be a list of all of the Interrupts which could possibly be reassigned.

    8. Now, use this information to complete the table above.
    In the list of used resources, 'imbedded' devices are the 'integrated' controllers, such as the integrated SCSI controller and the integrated Ethernet adapter.

    At this point, you will find one of three possible conditions:

    1. There is an interrupt unused and available

    2. There are no unused interrupts, but a embedded/integrated device or a 'Fixed' device can be disabled and the interrupt reassigned.

    3. Not enough interrupts can be freed up by the above process, and some sharing of interrups between PCI adapters is required.

    A Interrupt is Available:
    If you have a lightly configured system, an interrupt may be available (unassigned). If so, make a note of which interrupt is available and proceed to "Reassigning the P390 Adapter Interrupt".

    Can reassign a fixed or integrated Interrupt:
    On some systems, one or more of the integrated adapters may not be required. For example, if the system is used in a Token Ring LAN environment, the Ethernet LAN adapter is probably not required. If so, the Ethernet adapter can be disabled (via jumper) and the interrupt normally assigned to it can be reassigned. Other possibliities are the Integrated SCSI controller (careful..., the DAT tape and CDROM are normally controlled by this controller), and the COM2 or COM1 communications ports. You must make sure these 'devices' are not being used before disabling the device and reusing the interrupt. If you need help in this process, contact your reseller or the PC Server Support Desk. Once you have made an interrupt available, proceed to "Reassigning the P390 Adapter Interr upt".

    Must share Interrupts on other PCI devices:
    If the above actions do not result in enough available interrupts, you may be able to force the sharing of an interrupt between two PCI devices which do support interrupt sharing. To do this you will need to find out which of your PCI adapters do support or allow shared interrupts. You will probably need to contact your reseller or the PC Server Support Desk for assistance in this process.

    Reassigning the P390 Adapter Interrupt

    Once you have identified or 'created' an available interrupt for the P390 Processor adapter, you will need to change the configuration of your system to 'force' the P390 Adapter to use that interrupt.

    1. From a powered off condition, power on the PC Server 330 As it is going through the Power On Self Test (POST), press the F1 key to cause it to enter the Configuration and Setup Utility.

    2. From the main menu of the Configuration and Setup Utility:
         Select Advanced Setup        then
         Select   PCI Bus Control         then
         Select     PCI Interrupt Requests    then
         Select       PCI Bus Control    
      
      You should now see a list of the PCI devices and which interrupt they are assigned. Most, if not all, of the devices will have Automatic assignment of interrupts, indicating that the system will automatically assign an interrupt to that device. The P390 Adapter is probably set for 'Automatic'. Using the right and left cursor keys, change this to the interrupt you have identified or made available. Once it is changed, exit from the setup utility, making sure you Save Settings before exiting from the main menu screen.

    It is possible that the automatic assignment of interrupts could still cause a shared condition. To check, repeat the steps in "Checking For Shared Interrupts" to make sure the P390 Adapter has it's own, unshared, interrupt. In some cases, it may be necessary to set all PCI adapter interrupts 'manually' (not allow the 'automatic' assignment to be used).


    SCSI Configuration and Cabling

    Updated 11/17/1997

    The following information is actually of primary use in confguring and ordering a PC Server S/390. However, due to the many SCSI related problems Business Partners and customers have encountered, we are providing this information here also. If you, or your customer, are having any kind of SCSI problems, review this information carefully.


    SCSI Configuration

    (Updated/replaced 10/30/97)

    The PC Server 330 provides a very powerful and flexible base for a broard range of high speed I/O devices. This very flexibility, however, causes some complications which must be considered when configuring the PC Server 330 I/O subsystem, especially for use as a System/390. This section will address some of these considerations and suggest some alternatives to best meet most common objectives.

    PB0 SCSI Configuration Alternatives

    With the introduction of the PB0 model of the PC Server 330, the possible SCSI configurations have changed. These changes are due to the addition of the integrated ServeRAID controller and the elimination of the integrated SCSI controller's internal connector. Since the Integrated SCSI controller on the PB0 now has only a single connector and is stated/supported for controlling external devices only, we can no longer use it to support both internal and external devices. There are several possible alternative configurations which can be used. These will be described bridfly here, then additional information will be provided for some of these configurations.

    Note that the standard, default, configuration has the CDROM addressed as SCSI device 6, the internal Hot/Swap drives addressed as 0 - 5, and the controller as 7. This does not leave any address available for the 4mm DAT tape unit.

    Replug H/S backplane to High-SCSI (Preferred)

    The Hot/Swap backplane can be jumpered to use 'high-SCSI' addresses (08-14). This eliminates any SCSI addressing conflicts between the disks and the CDROM/DAT.
    Disadvantages:
    • Jumper is a bit difficult / tedious to get to.
    • Option and process is not documented in PC Server 330 manuals
    • Is not recommended by PC Server technical support
    recommended by P390 Development. They have tested this configuration extensively and feel it meets the requirements of most customers. Detailed instructions for this process is included later in this section

    Limit Internal Diskdrives to 5

    If the internal disk drive configuration is limited to a maximum of 5 drives, the DAT can be addressed as 0 and there should be no conflicts.
    Disadvantages:
    • Limits internal capacity to 5 drives
    • Performance: CD and DAT are same SCSI channel as disks

    Add SCSI adapter:

    If a SCSI adapter is added, it can be used to control the CDROM and DAT. Or, the adapter could control external devices and the CDROM and DAT could be connected to the integrated SCSI controller.
    Disadvantages:
    • Cost of SCSI adapter
    • Uses up a potentially valuable and scarce PCI slot
    use an IBM 3490-Fxx as it requires a OEM Differential SCSI controller such as the Adaptec 2944.

    Use Integrated Controller for CDROM & DAT

    Use an internal 4-drop cable and 16bit active terminator to cable the CDROM and DAT to the integrated SCSI controller.
    Disadvantages:
    • SCSI adapter is no longer available for external devices
    • Is not recommended or supported by PC Server Technical support

    Do not include / use 4mm DAT

    For systems which will include and use a SCSI attached 3480 type tape drive, the 4mm DAT is no longer required to be included. Cable the CDROM to the backplane/ServeRAID and the external 3480 tape drive to the integrated SCSI or to a "Differential SCSI Adapter" (if a IBM 3490 Fxx is used).
    Disadvantages:
    • Unable to make use of 4mm DAT flexibility and capabilities
    • Cost of SCSI 3480 tape drive (eliminating the requirement for, and cost of, the DAT does offset this cost, however.)

    Use external enclosure for DAT

    Mount the 4mm DAT in an external SCSI enclosure (3510) and cable to the integrated SCSI controller. If a SCSI attached 3480 is to be included, the 4mm DAT can daisy-chain to/from the 3480 tape.
    Disadvantages:
    • Expense and space requirements for external enclosure.
    • Some exposures created by additional SCSI cables (connections, cable length, etc.)

    Jumpering Backplane for "High-SCSI"

    If the integrated SCSI controller is to be reserved for external devices only, the CDROM and DAT will need to be cabled to the hot/swap backplane, using the integrated ServeRAID adapter. If all 6 hot/swap disk drive bays are being used, this would normally result in a duplicate SCSI address. The DAT is normally plugged as SCSI address 0, and one of the hot/swap positions is also SCSI address 0. This can be resolved by jumpering the backplane to "adjust" the backplane addresses to be "High-SCSI" (8 - 14) so they do not conflict with the CDROM and DAT.

    To set the backplane to "High-SCSI" addresses:

    1. Remove the PC Server 330 cover (observe all power-off and static-electricity cautions).
    2. Provide some additional light (flashlight, desklamp, etc.) to the very upper portion of the backplane.
    3. Locate the jumpers at the very top of the backplane. There will be several sets of jumpers. We're looking for four sets of jumpers (two pins each) in a vertical orientation in about the middle of the backplane and the jumper block is labeled J12. The bottom two jumpers should already be jumpered.
      (If you find it a bit difficult to see and get to this jumper, the Power Supply can be temporarily removed by removing only four screws and dropping it out of position. Place the server flat on it's back, remove 4 screws at the back of the PC Server, slide the power supply up, then lift out.)
    4. Get a suitable additional jumper. Using "long nosed pliers" or equivalent, place the jumper over the second set of pins, which is labeled HI_ID_N. The bottom three sets of pins should now be jumpered, and the top set open.
    If you have previously set up the RAID configuration, you have now changed it. (The ServeRAID will think you moved the drives from the low-SCSI positions to an external enclosure with High-SCSI.) The next time you boot the system, the ServeRAID will see the change and allow you to accept the new configuration. Just read the messages and options carefully and take the appropriate choice and your system will make the adjustments automatically. To avoid even this issue, set the jumper prior to defining your RAID configuration.

    Miscellaneous SCSI Suggestions and Warn ings

    Here are some miscellaneous suggestions and warnings which will apply to many PC Server S/390 systems. Review them carefully!

    Installing a ServeRAID II

    For systems which require a ServeRAID II adapter in addition to the integrated ServeRAID, additional considerations may apply.
    • It may be desireable to use the ServeRAID II to control the inte rnal disks (to take advantage of the battery backed-up cache and 'Data Scrubbing'). If so, we recommend using a different cable (P/N 94G3988) to connect the backplane to the ServeRaid II rather than reusing the integrated controller to backplane cable. (In most installations, reusing the standard cable results in a very tight or 'streched' fit which could cause problems later.) A new/different "drive Sense Cable" (76H5399) is also usually a good idea.
    • If the integrated controller is not used for the internal disks, it can still be effectively used for the CDROM and DAT.

    Using 3518 External Disk Enclosures

    The 3518 "Enterprise External Disk Enclosure" is used primarily to contain additional disk drives which will be connected to external connecters of the ServeRAID II adapter. Since the ServeRAID is an "Ultra-SCSI" adapter, the resulting combination frequently exceeds allowable cable lengths, causing miscellaneous and confusing SCSI errors. To avoid these problems, use a "PC Server Enhanced SCSI-2 F/W repeater" (P/N 94G7585) in the 3518. This repeater receives and amplifies the SCSI signals, allowing significantly longer cable lengths to be be used. If two banks of drives are daisy-chained inside the 3518, the repeater is an absolute necessity. We highly recommend a repeater on each channel going into a 3518 to protect against marginal or slightly long cables.


    Recommended Install/Setup Diskettes

    (Updated 05/07/1998)
    There are a number of files and diskettes images which you should use in setting up or installing a PC Server S/390. We also recommend that a set of diskettes be available at each installed location in case some or all of the components need to be re-installed or changed.

    This section has been updated and now refers specifically to the 8640-PB0 model. While most of the listed drivers and diskettes will also function properly on the ESx models, users should verify compatibility before applying new code to old systems (especially new levels of BIOS).

    These files can be obtained from the following sources:

    • IBM PC Company Web Pages, file download area
    • IBM S/390 Division ftp site
    • Adaptec Inc. Web site, service & support.
    "Material Available Electronically".

    P390 Diskettes

    Each P390 PCI Adapter should come with a set of P390 diskettes. There are currently six "Program Diskettes" and one "Diagnostic" diskette. As fixes are made available, individual fixes may be made available at the ftp site. When complete 'Fix-Packs' are released, they will generally be available from the ftp site and from the IBM PC Company files ares (under "OS/2 Drivers"). As of 5/07/1997, the current P/390 code is level 2.5. Current users can get the equivalent function by installing Fixpack 2.4.1.

    SCSI and RAID drivers

    The requirement for new RAID and SCSI drivers is documented in "Required SCSI and RAID Drivers". You must use an AIC7870.ADD dated May, 1996 or later. You should use an IPSRAID.ADD from a current (Version 2) level of the ServeRAID utility diskette (see below).

    Suggested Diskettes

    Here is a complete list, as of publication of this document, of what diskettes and files you should have available when setting up a PC Server S/390 'from scratch'. Note that this does NOT include additional driv ers or diskettes for other adapters or options, but only for the basic PC Server S/390. Some of these diskettes will ship with the PC Server 330 itself, but you should verify the shipped diskettes are at the current/latest level. Except for the P390 Diskettes and the Warp Server Install diskettes all these are available in diskette image format via download from the PC Company file download site.

    P390 Diskettes:
    As described above, currently at Version 2.5.

    OS/2 Warp related Diskettes:

    CHKDSK Upgrade Diskette:
    It is frequently a good idea to upgrade CHKDSK to the new level when installing OS/2. Download the CHKDSK.ZIP from the P390 FTP site (p390.ibm.com/os2) and unzip onto a diskette.

    Warp Server Installation Diskettes:
    The "Diskette 1" must be modified with the RAID and (possibly) SCSI drivers as noted in "Required SCSI and RAID Drivers".

    General PC Server 330 Diskettes

    PC Server 330 (PB0) BIOS Flash Update, V 18 (or greater ):
    The miminum level BIOS which should be used on a &p390 is BIOS level 18a. If a system is not at this level, or higher, it must be flashed to at least 18a. The diskette image to accomplish this is 10L9882.EXE As of 5/01/1998, the latest BIOS level is 21a and is available as file 24L7785.EXE. Both versions have accompanying "Read-Me" file with .TXT file extensions. We recommend using the latest available BIOS level.

    PC Server 330 OS/2 Video Disk
    Updated OS/2 S/3 TRIO 64V+ Ver 3.03.14 video drivers and install procedures. (4306788.exe )

    PC Server 330 Ethernet MPTS Drivers, V 3.1.1:
    This is the first diskette of a two diskette set. (The other diskette is for other operating systems or environments.) This diskette is required if the integrated Ethernet Adapter is to be used. (4306793.exe)

    PC Server 330 PB0 SCSI support Diskette, V 1.00: SCSI drivers and utilities, dated 10/09/1997, (05L1401.exe)

    PC Server 330 PB0 7800 (SCSI) Manager:
    This diskette set includes an AIC7870.ADD that can be used and it has other, utilities and information about installing and using the Adaptec driver. Version 1.31. (4306933.exe and 4306936.exe )

    PC Server 330 (ESx) EISA configuration diskette: Note that the new PC Server (PB0) does not have any EISA slots (only PCI and ISA), so the EISA configuration diskette is no longer needed. For users with ESx systems, the latest version of the EISA configuration diskette is V 6.01. (05L1458.exe)

    ServeRAID Diskettes

    All ServeRAID adapters are now supported by one set of diskettes. Version 2.70 of the ServeRAID code should support the initial ServeRAID, Integrated ServeRAID controller, and ServeRAID II adapter.

    ServeRAID (All) BIOS Firmware Update, V 2.70:
    Use this diskette to upgrade all ServeRAIDs to BIOS 2.70 level. Dated 04/02/1998. (24L7803.exe)

    ServeRAID (all) Driver and Utility Disk, V 2.70: "ServerRAID controller device drivers, local RAID administration and remote server services." This diskette has the latest IPSRAID.ADD and the RAID Administration programs. Dated 04/02/1998. (24L7807.exe)

    ServeRAID (all) Admin and Monitoring Utility V 2.70:
    "Onboard ServRAID controller administration and monitoring utility." This diskettes would normally be used by Windows/NT systems and will probably not be required for P/390 systems, but is included here for completeness. Dated 04/02/1998. (24L7802.exe)

    ServeRAID (all) Configuration Diskette, V2.70:
    Bootable Configuration Diskette for defining and initilaizing the RAID Arrays and Logical drives for the ServRAID. Dated 04/02/98. (24L7804.exe)

    ServRAID Hard Disk Update Diskette:
    Updated the Firmware on 4.5 and 9.1 GB drives to be compatible with the ServeRAID II controllers. Dated 11/12/97. (0512057.exe)


    Obtaining Dial-In Access

    (Updated 5/07/1998)
    Many customers have asked how to configure the PC Server S/390 to support dial-in access via phone lines. Typical uses would include 'work-at-home', mobile users, and off-site demo capabilities. While there are a number of ways to accomplish the dial-in objective, many users will also want full LAN connectivity to allow access to other resources on the LAN which the PC Server S/390 is connected to. IBM offers several ways to accomplish this dial-in requirement and one of them also provides full LAN connectivity and function.

    1. The 8235/DIALs product is primarily a 'hardware' solution that attaches to the LAN with little or no impact on the PC Server S/390 or other systems on the LAN. There is a corresponding component which runs in the 'remote' PC.

    2. The WAN3172 Device manager, running with a MultiPort model 2 adapter, will accept dial-in connections and act as an ASYNC-SDLC protocol converter. The remote workstation requires appropriate communications software, such as PCCOM.

    3. The LAN3274 Device Manager, combined with the systems TCP/IP support, will allow a inbound SLIP connection to appear to the S/390 operating system as a non-SNA 3270 device.

    8235 'Dial In Access to Lans' (DIALs)

    The 8235 product offers a independent unit that has it's own built-in LAN adapter connection and supports either internal or external modems for remote users to dial into. A full range of security features are available, including support for dialback and a TACAS client for DCE Kerberos users. Once connected to the 8235, remote users have full use of the LAN environment which the 8235 is a part of. A Wide range of configurations are possible, for both Ethernet and Token Ring LANs, supporting many different protocols and connection methods. Using the internal modems, multiple 8235 units can be stacked together, providing a very compact installation.

    WAN3172 Device Manager

    The MultiPort model 2 communications adapter includes support to do a form of ASYNC to SDLC protocol conversion. A PC dialing into the MultiPort-2 can use Async communications but will appear to the S/390 system as a SDLC connected 3270 terminal. This option does not provide full LAN connectivity/function, but is is relatively easy to set up and configure. See the WAN3172.DOC file for additional information. Here is a simple configuration that would support up to 8 concurrent users at speeds up to 28,800 bps.

    Connecting Via SLIP

    Another way to get 3270 dial connection to your PC Server S/390 without any additional equipment (other than modems) is to use the OS/2 TCP/IP SLIP support together with LAN3274's TN3270 datastream support.

    This document cannot provide full details, but in general:

    1. Configure the PC Server S/390 with 3270 sessions using LAN3274: Use the F2 (Update devices) and F12 (specify parameters) keys in the P390 Configurator to specify the /PORT=7490 parameter for the LAN3274 device manager.

    2. IPL the 390 system and vary on/enable the 3270 address(es).

    3. Enable the SLIP line by issueing the following 2 commands from an OS/2 window.

      • MODE COM3:19200

      • SLIP -COM3 -connect "ATANS.CMD"

    4. Configure a SLIP connection on the client TCP/IP workstation

    5. Dial/Connect from the client to the PC Server S/390, establishing the SLIP connection.

    6. Open a TN3270 window and connect to the host, specifying port 7490.

    7. The PC Server S/390 S/390 Logo should appear.
    Check the LAN3274.DOC file for additional information.

    AWSICP (AWSPBS) VTAM Tuning Tips

    This contribution was provided by John Burr of P/390 Development. It primarily addresses VTAM performance and tuning issues on a system emulating an ICA by using a "Wide Area Connector" and AWSICA device manager. It may be of some use and value for customers using a MultiPort adapter and AWSPBS.

    SDLC ICAs driven by VTAM use never-ending channel programs to poll the PU2 device (e.g. 3174). As the polls and responses are short (4 bytes, including CRC) SDLC RR frames, SDLC ICAs tend to present the "heaviest" load on the system when the link is technically "idle" (and just polling). Unfortunately, this is most of the time so running a large number of SDLC ICAs can consume a large portion of the OS/2 Pentium cycles available to the P/390 channel.

    There are two main VTAM tuning knobs which affect this. Both are specified on the VTAM LINE macro.

    PAUSE
    This parm is supposed to default to 0.1 seconds. However older VM and VSE VTAMs have a bug which causes a defaulted PAUSE to be seen as *zero*. So, it is always wise to specify PAUSE=0.1 just to insure this bug is avoided.

    The ICA will "pause" during the never-ending channel program. So, if you increase this value, the channel program will not run as fast, and the P/390 channel will not be so burdened by the polling. However, if you increase it too much, users' response time will be negatively affected. I would suggest first trying PAUSE=0.1 (to see if that helps, due to the old aforementioned VTAM bug). If that doesn't help, then try PAUSE=0.2. Try this on all of the ICA lines at one time.

    SERVLIM
    This parm defaults to 4.

    This parm controls how often the PAUSE above occurs. The default says to PAUSE after every 4 idle polls. To cut channel load, *decrease* this value. A SERVLIM of 1 says to PAUSE after every poll and would provide the maximum efficiency. As for PAUSE, this value may negatively impact performance. I would suggest trying it this way:

    1. PAUSE=0.1, SERVLIM=4
      Should be the default...do this to confirm/deny whether the PAUSE=0 bug has been hurting you and to provide a a baseline for the other tests.

    2. PAUSE=0.2, SERVLIM=4
      Are things any better?

    3. PAUSE=0.1, SERVLIM=1
      Probably the most you can try, without totally slowing down the users' response time. Even this *may* be noticeable. PAUSE=0.2, SERVLIM=1 is probably going too far although, if desperate, is worth a try.
    include the results of a study I did on their effects. The results below were with *AWSICA* (not AWSPBS) and used just a single 19.2Kbps line to a 3274-61C. The processor was a 60Mhz Pentium. So, keep in mind that many of these are important differences so this may not be directly useful in predicting the effects of tuning changes for a 14 9600-bps line AWSPBS-based system on a 200Mhz Pentium Pro.

    :               To:                 Change in     Change in
    PAUSE/SERVLIM/CPU   PAUSE/SERVLIM/CPU   Pentium CPU   Link response
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    0.1  / 4     /17%   0.0  / 4     /28%   +11%          -0.1 second
    0.1  / 4     /17%   0.2  / 4     /11%   - 6%          +0.2 second
    0.1  / 4     /17%   0.1  / 1     / 9%   - 8%          +0.3 second
    0.1  / 4     /17%   0.2  / 1     / 7%   -10%          +1.4 second
    

    PAUSE/SERVLIM of 0.1/4 was used as the departure point. The 0.0/4 test is to show the effects of the old VTAM bug (cost an extra 11% of the Pentium with only a slight improvement in response time). Response time, by the way, was measured using SCRTIME, an old VMTOOLS program that uses VM XEDIT and scrolls the screen up and down, timing how long this takes.

    My conclusion from this study was that the "sweet spot" for efficient Pentium consumption with acceptable response time was a PAUSE/SERVMLIM of 0.1/1. So, if there's no time to diddle, go directly to those settings on all lines in the configuration and see if that buys enough to make the system run acceptably.


    Optimizing Performance

    (Updated 11/17/1997)

    There are many aspects to configuring and tuning PC Server S/390 systems to provide optimun performance. This item will attempt to address some of these considerations.

    PC Memory Considerations

    OS/2 Cache

    One of the best ways to speed up I/O access performance is to keep the data in memory, rather than on disk. The best place to keep the data is in S/390 memory, avoiding any kind of I/O operation. You may be able to accomplish this by using emulated S/390 Expanded Storage (see below). Once this has been done, the next best place to have the data is in OS/2 memory; specifically in the OS/2 disk cache.

    Using the HPFS386 file system, you can define large OS/2 cache sizes. (Without HPFS386 the largest OS/2 cache size available is two megabytes.) The HPFS386 cache size is specified in the HPFS386.INI file in the IBM386FS directory. The parameters in this file are explained within the file, but the primary ones of interest for this discussion are CACHSIZE and USEALLMEM.

    To provide best performance, the large amount of PC memory should be allocated to the HPFS386 Cache. To determine the maximum memory available, use the following guidelines:

    • Assume OS/2 requires a minimum of 40MB to run effectively. So, on a base 64MB system (PB0) allocate a maximum 24MB to the cache.
    • Out of each additional 32MB memory increment, allocate 20MB for the cache, and leave 12MB for OS/2.
    • If any other non-S/390 related workloads are to be run on the OS/2 system, provide enough PC memory to allow that workload to run without causing swapping.
    So, on a system with 96MB of PC memory (and no non-S/390 workload), allocate 44MB to the cache (24 + 20), leaving 52MB to OS/2.

    Recommendations:
    Since the PC Server S/390 model PB0 comes with 64MB of PC memory as a base, many systems will benefit from an additional 32MB, allowing a 44MB cache size. Systems which will be subjected to high I/O workloads will probably benefit from a large, 44MB, cache, so they should be configured with 96MB of PC memory. We do not expect to see significant benefit for cache sizes beyond 60MB for most workloads.

    Note: Users considering HPFS386 should keep im mind that the use of HPFS386 is offically not supported by P/390 Support. If you do choose to use HPFS386, we recommend the following actions.

    • Apply Warp Ver 3 Fixpack 35 and Warp Server Advanced Fixpack IP_ 8508
    • Set and monitor the CACHESIZE and MAXHEAP values in HPFS386.INI For CACHESIZE, use the guidelines above. For MAXHEAP, use 4000.
    • If you experience any performance problems, recheck these values first. They can be changed by the automatic 'Tuning Assistant'.

    S/390 Expanded Storage

    The latest level of P390 support code (version 2.4 or the equivalent Fixpack 2.3.3) allows the emulation of S/390 Expanded Storage using PC Server memory. The availability of Expanded Storage (ES) allows the S/390 operating system to keep more data in memory and potentially avoid I/O operations. For systems that support ES, this can provide significant performance benefits. In one very preliminary benchmark, VM/ESA showed a 30% improvement in user response time when ES was made available to a storage constrained system. We expect storage constrained OS/390 systems to obtain significant benefits from the availability of ES. (VSE/ESA does not exploit ES.)

    Depending on the workload and S/390 operating system, Expanded Storage sizes of 64-256MB may be desireable. Since PC Server memory can be easily added and configured as Expanded Storage, it may be practical to start at a small (64MB) size and expand as workload and performance indicates. Memory reserved for ES is of course in addition to the memory used by OS/2 and any OS/2 (HPFS) caches.)

    PC Server S/390 Array considerations

    Array stripe unit size

    On in the disk arrays of the PC Server S/390, the customer sets the stripe unit size (amount of data written on a given disk before writing on the next disk). The default stripe unit size is 8K. Choices are 8K, 16K, 32K, and 64K. Sizes larger than 8K will probably yield better performance for S/390 workloads than the default 8K.

    Also consider the I/O characteristics of any other OS/2 applications that you may run concurrently on the PC Server S/390 when choosing a stripe unit size. For example, larger stripe sizes may not be the best performing choice for LAN file serving workloads. A compromise between larger and smaller stripe sizes might be appropriate depending on the overall system I/O characteristics.

    Warning: Once the stripe unit is chosen and data is stored in the logical drives, the stripe unit cannot be changed without destroying data in the logical drives.

    Write Policy

    There are two choices for write policy with the ServeRAID adapter. The default write policy is write-through (WT), where the completion status is sent after the data is written to the hard disk drive.

    To improve performance, you can change this write policy to write-back (WB), where the completion status is sent after the data is copied to the RAID adapter's cache memory, but before the data is actually written to the storage device. There is 4MB of cache memory of which more than 3MB are available for caching data.

    Warning: If you use lose power before the data is actually written to the storage device, data in cache memory is lost. See also section "LAZY writes" for related information.

    You can achieve a performance improvement by using WB, but you run a far greater risk of data loss in the event of a power loss than if you use WT. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) can help minimize this risk and is highly recommended for this reason and for the other power protection benefits it supplies as well.

    Users who are very concerned about data integrity (with or without UPS) and who want to take advantage of WriteBack caching may want to consider using the ServeRAID II adapter. It has an option for an 8MB "hp2.battery backed-up cache. Using the ServeRAID II for all (internal and external) disks can improve performance while providing very high levels of data integrity.

    OS/2 CONFIG.SYS tuning

    MAXWAIT

    MAXWAIT in CONFIG.SYS defines the number of seconds that an OS/2 thread waits before being assigned a higher dispatching priority. Applications that are I/O intensive could benefit from setting MAXWAIT=1 in CONFIG.SYS. Since the S/390 operating system running on the PC Server S/390 is likely to be I/O intensive, setting MAXWAIT=1 is generally recommended on the PC Server S/390. The valid ranges for MAXWAIT are 1 to 255. The OS/2 default is 3 seconds. Tuning this setting may only show results when there is other OS/2 work being performed in addition to the S/390 workload.

    FAT DISKCACHE

    If your PC Server S/390 has no FAT formatted partitions, then the DISKCACHE= device driver can be commented out (REM) of the PC Server S/390's CONFIG.SYS in order to save some memory. By default, OS/2 places this device driver in CONFIG.SYS. The size of the DISKCACHE may be tuned. Enter HELP DISKCACHE for information on the parameters that may be specified on DISKCACHE.

    Priority_disk_IO

    This command in the CONFIG.SYS file controls whether or not an application running in the foreground of the OS/2 desktop receives priority for its disk accesses over an application running in the background. Because the S/390 operating system is probably serving multiple clients accessing the system over LAN or other communication methods, you would not want users of the S/390 operating system to receive secondary access for the S/390 I/Os in the event someone opens an OS/2 application or window in the foreground.

    Specifying PRIORITY_DISK_IO=NO is recommended. NO specifies that all applications (foreground and background) are to be treated equally with regard to disk access. The default is YES. YES specifies that applications running in the foreground are to receive priority for disk access over applications running in the background.

    OS/2 HPFS CACHE

    Base OS/2 system HPFS Cache size

    The HPFS.IFS device driver delivered with the base Warp Server (not Advanced) has a maximum cache size of 2048K (2 Megabytes). The /CACHE:nnnn parameter of the IFS device driver specifies the size of the cache. The default is 10% of available RAM (if not specified) with a maximum of 2048K. The specified value after an install of OS/2 is dependent on installed RAM at the time of installation. If you are using the standard OS/2 provided IFS device driver, then specifying /CACHE:2048 is highly recommended. Enter HELP HPFS.IFS at the OS/2 command prompt for further explanation of the parameters.

    /CRECL on IFS HPFS cache

    The /CRECL parameter of the HPFS IFS driver allows you to specify the size of the largest record eligible for this cache. The OS/2 default is 4K. From a S/390 perspective, increasing this value may increase cache read hits if the S/390 operating system is performing repetitive I/Os of the same data in blocks bigger than the default 4K. You can use performance analysis tools for each S/390 operating system to understand the characteristics of I/Os that are being performed by the S/390 operating system and applications. Most S/390 workloads will benefit from a CRECL value of 64 (64K). If the PC Server S/390 is using CKD disk emulation, CRECL should definitely be set to 64(k) since the AWSCKD device manager reads and writes a full track (49K) of data at a time.

    Enter HELP HPFS.IFS at the OS/2 command prompt for further explanation of the parameters.

    LAZY writes

    Lazy writes are defaulted to ON with OS/2's HPFS. If lazy writes are enabled then when a write occurs for a block of data that is eligible for the HPFS cache, the application is given completion status before the data is actually written to the hard drive. The data is actually written to the hard drive during idle time or when the maximum age for the data is reached. Lazy writes are a significant performance enhancement.

    Warning: There is a risk to the data in the event of a OS/2 software failure or power loss before the data is written from the cache to the hard drive. See section "Write Policy " for related information. You can control whether lazy writes are enabled or not with the OS/2 CACHE command (or the CACHE386 command if using HPFS386) as well as maximum age and idle times for the disk and cache buffers. Enter HELP CACHE at the OS/2 command prompt for further information. (Enter CACHE386 ? for help with CACHE386.)

    DASD device drivers

    Functional differences

    The AWSCKD device driver has some functional differences when compared with the AWSFBA device driver. The AWSCKD device driver reads and writes a full track when an I/O is performed. The device driver has an internal cache where the track is kept until it must be flushed. As the AWSFBA device driver does not implement an internal cache, the performance characteristics between the two can be different depending upon the I/O workload. VM/ESA ESA Feature's block paging methodology seemed to benefit from the internal cache of the AWSCKD device driver in controlled laboratory experiments. You should consider using 3380 volumes for VM/ESA ESA Feature paging volumes for this reason.

    You should not generalize this observation into a statement that AWSCKD performs better than AWSFBA. In fact, AWSFBA dasd volumes performed extremely well in laboratory experiments and offer some benefits over AWSCKD including finer granularity on OS/2 file allocation sizes and a close mapping to the underlying sectors of the dasd media. VM/ESA and VSE/ESA utilize FBA dasd in a very efficient manner. The flexibility of the PC Server S/390 in supporting both CKD and FBA emulated volumes in a mixture allows you to easily have both types in your configuration.


    TCP/IP Configuration Information

    Note:
    Casual readers beware! This topic of the Hints and Tips is intended for the more technical readers who are familiar with LAN terminology and technologies.

    Judging from the number of outside questions we are receiving, some elaboration about TCP/IP, LCS3172, and Ethernet seems appropriate. While the primary thrust here is Ethernet, some Token Ring considerations are also provided.

    For the purposes of this discussion, one doesn't need to differentiate between VM and MVS since both are configured in a similar manner.

    LCS3172 (the 3172 TCP/IP manager) links HOST (VM/ESA, VSE/ESA, MVS/ESA, or OS/390) TCP/IP software to OS/2 LAN software (LAPS (LAN Adapter and Protocol Support) or the LAPS component of MPTS (Multi-Protocol Transport Services)). There are two interfaces (HOST and LAPS) involved. Each interface must be configured to be consistent with the other. The MPTS configuration must also be consistent, at the Ethernet IP frame level, with the MPTS configuration of workstations you need to communicate with.

    Fortunately, there are only a couple of parameters to configure, at least with regard to aspects of the configuration governing the behavior of LCS3172 and MPTS.

    The MPTS configuration ...

    • One of the differences between LCS3172 and a 3172 is that LCS3172 uses LAPS (or the LAPS component of MTPS) to interface with the Ethernet adapter, whereas the original 8232/3172 interfaced directly to an Ethernet device driver.

    • Modern versions of LAPS use NDIS (Network Device Interface Specification) to interface to an NDIS Ethernet driver (usually supplied by the Ethernet adapter manufacturer). The MPTS/LAPS application interface to which LCS3172 is written is independent of the underlying network, whether it be Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, etc. The LAN independent nature of the LAPS interface has the following four implications for users of the PC Server S/390:

      1. Any network specific knowledge must be imparted directly to LAPS by LAPS (since, by definition, it cannot come from LCS3172).

        The MPTS/LAPS parameter which you need to be most concerned about is what frame format (DIX or IEEE 802.3) to use on your Ethernet. The frame format is set when selecting the "type of Ethernet driver support" parameter in the "IBM IEEE 802.2" protocol section of the LAPS adapter configuration.

        Much of the IEEE 802.X standard was underwitten by IBM, so most IBM software, including LAPS, defaults to the IEEE 802.3 ("I") setting. Most users, however, use the alternative standard, "DIX". You should always start your problem resolution by changing the parameter to "D" (for DIX).

        Contributing to the confusion is the fact that Novell LAN administrators are used to seeing 802.3 in Novell configuration files. But, this is used in the context of tolerating the IEEE 802.3 frames as opposed to operating in the IEEE 802.3 frame format. This has been at the root of more than one customer's insistence that they absolutely, positively were running an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet network when they weren't.

        Instances where you can observe traffic is flowing (via lights or via the LCS3172 watch window) yet nothing answers pings (and sometimes snifters cannot see any frames) are almost always due to this parameter being set incorrectly to "I" (IEEE 802.3).

        Although other things like duplicate IP addresses can cause similar problems, you should change this parameter to "D" before changing or adjusting any other parameter. Only if you are very, very sure you know what you are doing, should you change "type of Ethernet driver support" to "I" (IEEE 802.3) (or accept the default).

        Token Ring does not have a similiar problem because there is only one frame format standard (IEEE 802.5).

      2. Certain aspects of Ethernet frames and frame sizes must be considered. The LAPS application interface is designed to handle frames for any type of network. In practical terms, this means that the interface is essentially in Token Ring (IEEE 802.5) format. In other words, an interface able to handle a Token Ring frame can handle an Ethernet frame (but not the other way around).

        The original 8232/3172 Ethernet used a device driver written for the only Ethernet adapter then available. Also, the HOST TCP/IP code, when configured for Ethernet, formatted frames in exactly the format required by that Ethernet adapter device driver.

        With LCS3172, Ethernet frames are accepted from the HOST in Ethernet format, are mapped to LAPS (Token Ring) format, and passed to LAPS for transmission. This mapping adds a SNAP DLC header and usually reduces the maximum length of a frame that could otherwise have been transmitted. Also, different NDIS driver implementations may calculate the maximum Ethernet frame size differently. The worst case combination of these two reductions has not yet exceeded eight bytes.

        So, if you would ordinarily specify 1500 bytes in the HOST TCP/IP configuration file, reduce it to 1492 bytes and run LCS3172 with the watch text window (change "AWSSTART LCS3172.EXE N" to "AWSSTART LCS3172.EXE T" in IPL.CMD). As long as there are no "(XSIDE ERROR) DIR.TRANSMIT.FRAME INVALIDLENGTH" errors reported, then the value for maximum frame size is acceptable.

        Again, Token Ring users will not be subject to a difference in maximum frame size, since the frames sent from the HOST TCP/IP are in exactly the format required by LAPS for transmission.

        Users of the LAN Streamer Token Ring adapters may notice HOST TCP/IP messages concerning rejection of frames with a route length field exceeding 18 bytes. The routing field length might be a problem only on networks on which a frame could pass through more than eight bridges. This is because previous Token Ring (shared memory) adapters were limited to an 18 byte routing field. But, Streamers are able to handle routing fields to the architected length (which is more than 18 bytes). Since later 3172 models allow LAN Streamer Token Ring adapters and would presumably receive these frames as well, a fix for HOST TCP/IP may be required.

      3. To run TCP/IP for OS/2 concurrently with LCS3172, then you will need two different LAN adapters (or one of the dual LAN adapters). The usual LCS3172 conflict is with TCP/IP for OS/2 which has the same IP layer requirement (and the same need for the LAPS DIRECT interface). Since both LCS3172 and TCP/IP work at the Ethernet IP layer, both of them must use the LAPS DIRECT interface. The LAPS DIRECT interface can be considered a special (SAP=0) case of the general LAPS 802.2 DLC interface. A Service Access Point (SAP) is the mechanism by which different OS/2 applications share the same LAN adapter. Since the SAP is the sharing mechanism, it follows that only one OS/2 application can have the same SAP open at a time. Specifically, only one OS/2 application can use the LAPS DIRECT (SAP=0) interface at a time.

        IBM Token Ring users may also note a conflict with TRMON (an IBM internal Token Ring monitor utility) which also uses the LAPS Direct interface.

      4. LCS3172 can be used with any LAN adapter for which there is an OS/2 LAPS NDIS compliant driver available.

    The HOST (VM and/or MVS) configuration

    There are several choices possible on the HOST TCP/IP LINK statement. The best advice is to keep it simple. Always specify ETHERNET. If you really, really want to use IEEE 802.3 Ethernet, then let LAPS handle the conversion for you by spcecifying "I" (IEEE 802.3) as the value for the LAPS "type of Ethernet driver support" parameter. This way:

    • Ethernet (DIX) frame formats are passed between HOST and LCS3172

    • LCS3172 and LAPS exchange the frames in the LAPS network independent format

    • LAPS presents/interprets Ethernet frames according to how LAPS is configured.

    The Bottom Line

    The bottom line for LCS3172 and Ethernet problem determination is to:

    1. Change the LAPS default value for "type of Ethernet driver support" from "I" to "D"

    2. Code ETHERNET in the HOST TCP/IP LINK statement and use 1492 as the maximum frame value on all of the HOST TCP/IP statements that require it in reference to that Ethernet link. Naturally, if your Ethernet topology limits you to a value smaller than 1492, then code that smaller value.

    3. If there are still problems, you should then go ahead and try the easy fix and change the LAPS "type of Ethernet driver support" parameter to "I". Although this is unlikely to correct your problems, it is an easy change to make and test.

    4. If there are still problems, insure the LAPS "type of Ethernet driver support" parameter is set to "D" and turn your attention away from LCS3172 and LAPS. Then focus on your Ethernet topology (ie., away from the HARDWARE definition section of the HOST TCP/IP configuration file and towards the HOME and GATEWAY sections of the HOST TCP/IP configuration file).