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Using the Dell Server Assistant CD: Dell PowerEdge 2300 Systems User's Guide
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This section describes the bootable Dell Server Assistant CD
and tells you how to use the utilities, diagnostics, documentation, drivers, and other
items included on the CD. Most of the functions available on the Dell Server Assistant
CD are also available using a bootable utility partition that is installed on your
hard-disk drive. This section describes the utility partition and provides instructions
for reinstalling the partition (if necessary) and information about using the utility
partition menu.
This section also describes how to install various software drivers
for the supported operating systems.
The system must be running to insert
the CD. To boot from the CD, insert it into the PowerEdge 2300 system's CD-ROM drive and
press the reset button. When the system boots, the CD main menu appears.
If the CD does not boot, check the
following:
- In the system setup program, the Secondary SCSI category must be set
to On and the Boot Sequence category must be set to Diskette First (both of these options
are the defaults for their respective categories). See Using the
System Setup Program, for more information.
- In the SCSI Select utility, the BIOS Support For Bootable
CD-ROM category must be set to Enabled. See Installing and Configuring
SCSI Drivers, for more information.
Selections can be made from the CD
menus using either a keyboard or mouse. Associated help information is displayed in the
help box at the bottom of the screen in the currently selected language (specified via a
menu option).
Click Back to return to the previous
menu. Click Exit (or press <Alt><x>) to exit the program. Exiting the program
causes the system to reboot to the standard operating-system boot partition.
The Dell Server Assistant main menu
includes the following categories, each of which has one or more options. The subsections
that follow describe the options within each menu category. (The options displayed on your
system may vary depending on the configuration.)
Choose Language
- Deutsch
- English
- Español
- Français
Configure the System
- Run the Resource Configuration Utility
- Configure the RAID Subsystem
Run System Utilities
View Online Documents
- View the System User's Guide
- View the System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
- View the PowerEdge SDS 100 User's Guide
- View the PowerEdge SDS 100 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Create Diskettes
- Create Blank Formatted Diskette
- Create Utility Diskettes
- Create Resource Configuration Utility Diskette
- Create RAID Configuration Utility Diskette
- Create Diagnostics Diskette
- Create Operating System Support Diskettes
- Create Windows NT Server 4.0 Diskettes
- Create Driver Diskette
- Create RAID Driver Diskette
- Create NetWare 4.x Diskettes
- Create Driver Diskette
- Create Adaptec EZ-SCSI Diskette
When the system boots, you are given
the option of choosing one of the following languages for the menus, help screens,
messages, and online documentation:
- Deutsch
- English
- Español
- Français
After you choose a language, the main
menu appears in the chosen language.
The options within the Configure the
System category enable you to do the following:
- Configure the system's Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
and Industry-Standard Architecture (ISA) devices, using the Resource Configuration Utility
- Configure a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID)
subsystem, if one is installed on your system
The following subsections describe
these options.
From the Configure the System screen,
you can run the Resource Configuration Utility, which enables you to view or modify your
system's configuration information. The Resource Configuration Utility is used to tell the
system what expansion cards are installed and which expansion slots they occupy. With this
information, the system automatically configures PCI and Plug and Play ISA expansion cards
and can tell you how to configure non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards manually by
setting jumpers or switches.
See Using the
Resource Configuration Utility, for more information.
This option is available only when a
Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller is installed in the system. The system checks
for the presence of the PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller, and if one is present, this
option is visible and functional. The system reboots automatically if you change the RAID
configuration. See your PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller documentation for more
information.
The Run System Utilities category
allows you to create the utility partition on the hard-disk drive of your system. The
following subsection describes this option.
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NOTE: The Run System
Utilities category under the utility partition contains the Run System Diagnostics option.
The system diagnostics must be run from the utility partition or from diskette. See Utility Partition for more information. |
The utility partition is a bootable
partition on the hard-disk drive that provides most of the functions that are available on
the Dell Server Assistant CD. Dell has installed the utility partition on your
hard-disk drive; however, reinstalling the utility partition and/or its contents may be
necessary if the version installed by Dell becomes damaged or is removed from the
hard-disk drive.
Reinstall the utility partition and/or
its contents using the Dell Server Assistant CD as follows:
1. Close any open
application programs.
2. Insert the Dell Server Assistant CD into the CD-ROM drive, and reboot the system
by pressing the
reset button or <Ctrl><Alt><Del>. If the system does not boot from the
CD, see the Dell Server
Assistant documentation or see "Booting From the CD" found earlier in this
chapter.
3. From
the Dell Server Assistant main menu, select Run System Utilities and then select Create
Utility Partition.
4.
Click OK on the Welcome screen.
The installation program surveys your system to determine the
appropriate method and location for
the utility partition installation. During this examination of your system, messages may
be
displayed, depending on your system configuration. If a utility partition already exists
on your
system, you are prompted to specify if you want to overwrite the existing partition; click
OK to
continue or Cancel to return to the utility partition menu. If other messages are
displayed, note the
information; then click OK.
If your system meets all of the requirements, the utility
partition is installed and a message is
displayed indicating that the installation was successful.
5.
Click OK to return to the Run System Utilities menu.
6.
Remove the Dell Server Assistant CD from the CD-ROM drive, and click Exit in the
Run System
Utilities menu.
7.
Click OK when you are prompted to confirm that you want to exit the Dell Server Assistant
program, and reboot your system; then click OK again.
You can now access the utility partition by pressing
<Ctrl><Alt><F10> during the POST.
For more information about the utility partition, see Utility Partition.
The Use Online Documents
category includes all available online manuals. Selecting one of the online manuals
launches the Adobe Acrobat viewer (included on the CD) and allows you to view or
print the online manual in the language that you selected earlier.
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NOTE: You can also view the portable document
format (PDF) files from the HTML interface on the CD-ROM, or you can copy the PDF files
from the CD and use them under your native operating system.
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The following subsections
describe the options available in this category.
This option allows you to view the
online System User's Guide.
This option allows you to view the
Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.
This option allows you to view the
online PowerEdge SDS 100 User's Guide.
This option allows you to view the PowerEdge
SDS 100 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.
The Create Diskettes category allows
you to create blank formatted diskettes as well as diskettes of system utilities and
operating system-specific drivers. The following subsections describe the options
available in this category.
This option allows you to create blank
formatted diskettes.
This option allows you to create
bootable utility diskettes for running the system configuration utility and the PowerEdge
Expandable RAID Controller configuration utility. The following subsections describe the
choices available with this option.
This option allows you to create a
bootable system configuration utility diskette (or diskettes). Dell recommends running the
system configuration utility from a diskette so you can copy your configuration
information to the diskette any time you change system configuration parameters.
This option allows you to copy the
configuration utility for the optional PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller from the CD to
a bootable diskette.
This option allows you to create a
bootable troubleshooting diskette.
This option allows you to create a
diskette that contains the software drivers for a specific operating system. You can
create a diskette of drivers for one of the following supported operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
- Novell NetWare 4.11
The following drivers are available on
the CD:
- Small computer system interface (SCSI) drivers
- RAID drivers (for the optional PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller)
- Network interface controller (NIC) drivers
The following subsections describe the
choices available with this option.
Following are the choices available for
the Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 operating system. You must create a separate diskette
for each option.
- Create Driver Diskette -- This option allows you to create a diskette
that contains SCSI and NIC drivers for Windows NT Server 4.0.
- Create RAID Driver Diskette -- This option allows you to create a
diskette that contains drivers for the optional PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller for
Windows NT Server 4.0.
This option allows you to create a
driver diskette and an Adaptec EZ-SCSI configuration utility diskette for use with the
Novell NetWare 4.x operating system. Following are the choices available with this option:
- Create Driver Diskette -- This option allows you to create a diskette
that contains SCSI and NIC drivers as well as drivers for the optional PowerEdge
Expandable RAID Controller for Novell NetWare 4.x.
- Create Adaptec EZ-SCSI Diskette -- This option allows you to
create a diskette that contains the configuration utility for Adaptec SCSI controllers.
The configuration utility works with the optional Adaptec AHA-2940U2W and the built-in
Adaptec 78xx series SCSI controllers when used with Novell NetWare 4.x.
The utility partition is a bootable
partition on the hard-disk drive that provides most of the functions available on the Dell
Server Assistant CD. Most of the application programs found on the CD are contained in the
utility partition, occupying approximately 10 megabytes (MB) of space on the system's
hard-disk drive. When invoked, the partition boots and provides an executable environment
for the partition's utilities. When the partition is not invoked, it is designated as a
non-DOS partition.
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NOTE: The utility
partition provides only limited DOS functionality and cannot be used as a general-purpose
DOS partition.
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To start the utility partition, press
the <Ctrl><Alt><F10> key during power-on self-test (POST).
Like the Dell Server Assistant CD, the utility partition
provides a menu-driven interface from which you invoke the partition's utilities.
Selections can be made using either a keyboard or a mouse. Menu options and the associated
help are displayed in the currently selected language (specified via a menu option).
As you move your cursor over an option in a menu, information about
that option is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Click
Back to return to the previous menu. Click Exit (or press <Alt><x>) to exit
the utility partition. Exiting the utility causes the system to reboot to the standard
operating-system boot partition.
Table 1 provides
a generic list and explanation of the options on the utility partition menu even when the Dell
Server Assistant CD is not in the CD-ROM drive. The options displayed on your system
may vary depending on the configuration.
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NOTE: Although most options are available
from both the Dell Server Assistant CD and the utility partition, some options, such as
accessing online documentation, are available only from the CD. The Run System Diagnostics
option is only available from the utility partition.
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The system diagnostics can be run from
the utility partition or from a diskette, but not from the Dell Server Assistant CD.
From the Utility Partition menu, select Run System Utilities and then select Run System
Diagnostics. To run the diagnostics from a diskette, select the Create Diagnostics
Diskette category from the Utility Partition menu.
Before running the diagnostics, insert a blank diskette in the
diskette drive so the diagnostics programs can record critical messages and information as
necessary. Use the Create Blank Formatted Diskette option to create the formatted
diskette. The system hardware diagnostics are described in "Running the Dell
Diagnostics," of the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.
| Table 1. Utility Partition Menu Options |
| Option
|
Description
|
| Choose a
language: |
| Deutsch,
English, Español, Français |
Allows the
user to select the language in which to display menus and messages. |
| Configure the
system: |
| Run Resource
Configuration Utility |
Runs the
Resource Configuration Utility. |
| Configure RAID
subsystem |
Runs the Dell
PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller configuration utility if the controller card is
present on your system. |
| Run system
utilities: |
| Run system
diagnostics |
Runs the
system hardware diagnostics. |
| Upgrade
utility partition |
Allows the
user to update the utility partition (for example, adding, removing, or changing features
installed on the partition). |
| Create
diskettes: |
| Create blank
diskette |
Creates a
blank, formatted diskette. |
| Create utility
diskettes: |
| Create
Resource Configuration Utility library diskette |
Creates a
diskette containing the configuration (.cfg) files for commonly used ISA expansion cards.
This diskette is used with the bootable Resource Configuration Utility diskette. |
| Create RAID
configuration diskette |
Creates a
bootable diskette for running the Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller configuration
utility (if the controller card is present on your system). The RAID Configuration Utility
provides an alternative method for configuring the card. |
| Create
Diagnostics diskette |
Creates a
bootable diskette from which the hardware diagnostics can be run. |
| Create System
utility diskette |
Creates a
bootable diskette from which utilities, such as the Asset Tag utility, can be run. |
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NOTE: The options displayed on your system are
dependent on your system configuration and may not include all of those listed here.
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You will need to install the video
drivers for the operating system you install on your PowerEdge 2300 system, unless they
were installed by Dell. Use the following procedure to install the video drivers for
Windows NT 4.0. NetWare provides a textual interface and does not require video drivers.
Select the Create Diskettes category
from the Dell Server Assistant CD Main Menu, and create a diskette of software
drivers for Windows NT 4.0. After you make the diskette of drivers, use the following
procedure to install the video drivers:
1.Start
Windows NT.
2.Log in
as the administrator or as a user with administrative privileges.
For information
on system administration, see the reference documentation for Windows NT.
3. Click
the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
4.
Double-click the Display icon.
The
Display Settings window appears.
5.
Select the Settings tab.
6. Click
Display Type, and then click Change in the Adapter box.
A list of
available video drivers is displayed.
7.Click
Have Disk.
8.
Insert the ATI Installation Disk into drive A; then click OK in the Install From Disk
window.
9.Make
sure that ATI Technologies Inc. 3D Rage Pro (the default option) is selected in the video
driver list, and click Install.
The
Installing Drivers dialog box appears.
10. Click Yes
to proceed.
After the files are copied from the diskette, Windows
NT prompts you to restart your system. Click OK and close all open windows.
11. Remove the
video drivers diskette from drive A, and restart Windows NT.
When you
restart Windows NT, you can change the display resolution and color depth.
12. Open the
Program Manager, access the Control Panel, and select the Display icon.
The
Display Settings window appears.
13. Select the
desired resolution, number of colors, and refresh rate.
The Asset Tag utility allows you to
enter an asset tag number for your computer. The default System Setup screen does not show the asset tag number unless you enter one
using this utility.
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NOTE: The Asset Tag utility
works only on systems running MS-DOS ®. |
Use the following procedure to create a
system utility diskette and boot the system:
1. If you have not already done so,
create a bootable system utility diskette from the CD.
2. Insert the diskette into drive A, and
reboot the system.
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NOTE: The Asset Tag utility diskette contains
CD-ROM drivers that provide access to the CD-ROM drive when you boot from the diskette.
After you boot the system with the system utility diskette, you can use the Asset Tag
utility to enter an asset tag number that you or your organization assign to the computer.
You can also use the Asset Tag utility to reenter the computer's service tag number if
that becomes necessary. You can view the asset tag number using
the System Setup program as described in "Using the System
Setup Program."
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An asset tag number can have up to ten
characters; any combination of characters, excluding spaces, is valid. To assign or change
an asset tag number, type asset and a space followed by the new number; then press
<Enter>. For example, type the following command line and press <Enter>:
asset 1234567890
When prompted to verify the asset tag
number, type y and press <Enter>. The system then displays the new or
modified asset tag number and the service tag number.
To delete the asset tag number without
assigning a new one, type asset /d and press <Enter>.
Table 2 lists the
command-line options you can use with the Asset Tag utility. To use one of these options,
type asset and a space followed by the option.
| Table 2. Asset Tag Command-Line Options |
| Asset Tag
Option
|
Description
|
| /d |
Deletes the
asset tag number |
| /? |
Displays the
Asset Tag utility help screen |
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