DAC960M
@8F6C.ADF - DAC960M RAID Adapter

Mylex DAC960M
   Function of NVSRAM
   Cable Parts
HD LED Does Not Work
Cyrix/Non-SOD Type 1 Incompatibility?
Cache Size
   Generic 30 Pin SIMMs for Cache
Slots DAC960M Fits
   More than one DAC960M in a System?
LVD on DAC960M
Running RAID Without Trays 'n Bays
Passplay Under W95 (it works!)
Mylex DAC960M Firmware
Specifications For FWR
ADF Sections

Stuff that is relevant, but chaotic... (fits, doesn't it?)
Hotswap bays for 95A



Mylex DAC960M
F1  SCSI channel 1 PTC Fuse
F2 SCSI Channel 2 PTC Fuse
J1 Status LED header
J5 Not a clue, probably factory use
J6 Not a clue
P1 Solder pads for external port
U5 Firmware
U16 EEPROM configuration
U17,18 NCR 53C720
U31,44,52,60 30 pin  SIMMs
U55 i960CA-25
U57 34G1521 (Used on Cheetah!)
X1 40.0000 MHz osc
X2 25.0000 MHz osc
There is NO soldered on external port on the DAC960M! Just the solder pads for one.

Notes:
   28 pin 8Kx8 NVSRAM is a Benchmarq, bq4010YMA-200, Spec sheet
Another equivalent is a Dallas DS1225Y-200, spec sheet

DAC960 Trivia
   Jumper JPl is a 6-pin header that provides a connection for three status LEDs. Pin 1 is to the left end of the board. In each case the odd-numbered pin is the +5V source. An  external series resistor is not required for the LEDs.

Indicator _____ Meaning if ON
Pin
Name
Meaning
1-2 SCSI Activity One or two SCSI channels xmitting or recving data.
3-4
Write Pending
DAC960 xmitting / recving data to/from host system.
5-6
DAC960 Cache has data more current than on HDs.

DAC960 LED Error Flashes

  When any DAC960 controller is powered up, the 960 CPU performs a sequence of tests on its hardware. Failure in any of these tests is indicated by an error-code by flashing the Write Pending  LED on the DAC960 controller. It is also accompanied by an appropriate BIOS error message on the system. The memory parity error  (irrecoverable), during the operation of the card, is also indicated by the same LED.
DAC960 Write Pending
LED post on DAC960
1 or 2 Channel
Header J2 (non-populated)
3 Channel
Pin 5-6 of 6 pin header J1
5 Channel
Pin 5-6 of 6 pin header J1

The LED blinks will always be repeated at regular intervals.
 
#  LED Pattern Error Indicated
1. Constant ON/OFF  at 50% duty cycle Parity error on DRAM. FATAL Error. Check DRAM.
2. 2 blinks DRAM error. FATAL Error. Check   DRAM.  DRAM support logic failure is likely.
3. 3 blinks BMIC I/F failure. FATAL Error. 
4. 4 blinks Firmware checksum error. Try loading the Firmware using the DAC960FL utility.
5. LED stays on at power-up Controller dead.



NVSRAM Function
  Each NV SRAM has a self–contained lithium energy source and control circuitry which constantly monitors VCC for an out–of–tolerance condition. When such a condition occurs, the lithium energy source is automatically switched on and write protection is unconditionally enabled to prevent data corruption.

Cable Parts
   The mini C68 for the Channel edgecard connectors is the Molex 71660i, part# 15-92-3068, called a half pitch Centronics, or a VESA Media Connector. Suprise! AMP makes a similar part (mini-C68) AMP Part 1-557089-2 Any cable with a .025 pitch, 28 to 30 AWG will work with either connector.

A Better Cable Hack?
Allen Brandt wrote:
> A small, shotty attempt to get something uploaded concerning the PS/2. HERE

My Take on it:
   I am starting to have neurons fire. Actually, Allen provided the push. Al went and slit the conductors for better flexibility (in pairs).
   Could you slit the flat cable up towards the controller and get the very flexible cable bundle of the IBM original? The black sheathing is available from Jameco for about $1 a foot. Well worth it, IMHO. (Start the slit with an X-Acto and use the reverse of the blade to finish parting the conductors???)
   The sheathing is Techflex Cable Sleave, looks to be the 3/8" size. Sold in a 25' spool. Part #162157, Product # CCPT2X per spool $14.95  Techflex is HERE
   What kind of signal degredation might occur? Each signal pair hopefully cancels it's noise out. If the Brandt manuever can be done from the top drive connector to theadapter, it might be a close match to the real thing

HD LED Doesn't Work
>Is i a fact that the HD LED does not work on a 9595A with a PassPlay RaidAdp.?
   The fixed disk light is non-functional with both the Server 95 A "Passplay" and Streaming-RAID "Cheetah" MCA RAID adapter.  I suspect this is also the case with other OEM'ed Mylex RAID adapters.

Cyrix/Non-SOD Incompatibility?
Tim Clarke
Hi gang,
      Just thought that I'd better warn you. After checking out the Cyrix 5x86 at 4x clocking (in Type-1 non-SOD w/cache) my PassPlay RAID adapter seems to have been "duffed up". I only get a part of the BIOS v1.05 initialisation/installation message and the machine hangs (with *any* CPU) at CP:96. Looks as though the Flash ROM has been partially overwritten (just a guess).



Cache Size
  Go HERE for the details

IBM or Generic SIMMs?
   They are 30-pin standard industrial ("generic") SIMMs. Since the original concept allowed 4x1MB, 4x4MB and even 4 x 16MB cache Simms they *must* be generic, because IBM only coded the 256K, 512K and 1MB modules. The 4MB and 16MB are not on IBM's list.



NOTE:All systems, except the 95-466, 95-560, 95 A-466, 95 A-560 and 9585-0Kx, require that the standard SCSI adapter or system board resident SCSI controller remain connected to the IML and/or boot hard file.


Saving a Passplay Flashed With Cheetah Microcode
From Peter
   During an IBM technical class after the introduction of the Server 500 the instructor told us that you *could* accidently flash a Passplay with the Cheetah firmware - and make it non-functional with that.
   He said: "You need a Cheetah adapter to flash back to Passplay level. The Passplay with the Cheetah-firmware will refuse to re-flash. Remove both - the Flash-ROM and the EEprom - and stuff it into a Cheetah adapter. Then run the Passplay Flash diskette to reprogram it to level 1.6x (Ed.: or 1.99 actually). Then re-install the two chips on the Passplay and it will work again."

Never tried it myself however.



Slots DAC960M will Fit
  The Passplay is a Type 5 form factor card (it's big). There are cutouts in 95 and 95A cases that will allow the edge of the card at the bracket end to fit. Dennis Smith turned me on to them. Slots 2-4 have these cutouts- The 95s don't have a cushion in them, 95As do.

More Than One DAC960M?
>An interesting note is that the 9595 has three enlarged slots to fit in three passplay adapters. Or, I guess, to move the one passplay adapter to the desired slot.

From Peter
   The machine has slotted rear wall in the positions 2, 3 and 4 that allowes installation of the oversized cards like Passplay. Since there are limitations in the MCA "package dense" I would say the positions are made to move cards around rather than installing 3 of them. As far as I know the MCA cooling densing does not allow more than 2 cards of that size to be installed - and even then the middle slot must stay free to allow sufficient airflow between the cards.
   But the Cheetah isn't an oversized card. It is a standard full size 32-bit card - but it does not exceed the average card *height* - and that's the most sensible criteria in a 95A box regarding airflow. Not speaking of DC-load on a single MCA slot. That's another criteria that might forbid using too many of the "Big" cards in a machine.
   Not everything that *could* be installed is supported - and not every amount of cards is a) practicable, b) supported and/or c) works reliable. Even if the 400W PSU on the 95A might appear as a bottomless pit (current-wise) the base planar and the slots have physical limits on what current you can draw among it.



LVD on DAC960M
>What kind of drives does the RAID take? Is F/W DIFFERENTIAL SCSI the right kind? Or are LVD (low voltage differential) different and it needs them instead? I've never dealt with RAID before.

 From Peter
   It it an ordinary F/W indended for single-ended SCSI devices. It does however take U/W LVD drives, because these are downward-compatible to single-ended, which the old "high-voltage differential" are *not*. 
      If you get - for example - a set of U/W "Low Voltage Differential" (LVD) IBM DDRS 4.5 or 9.1GB drives then they will nicely run with the DAC960M. I have some of them in "Starship" - my Server 520 attached to the Fast/Wide RAID Adapter PCI. No problem. You can even mix them with "ordinary" F/W or U/W drives. Same for the Cheetah and even the older Passplay.

RAID without Bays 'n Trays
   Go HERE for Peter's experiences.

Passplay under W95
   First, I am shocked. But, live and let live...

Helmut P. Einfalt  Wrote:
   Pete Rickard got me onto the right track:

   You need to install IBMRAID.SYS (in DOS directory of RAID Diskette 1) even if and when the controller does fine under DOS. I installed it 
manually, although I presume that Uinstall.exe would do as well, however
after all the time I spent with the machine I wanted to have a manual go at
it...
   What no Readme (by IMB) tells you is hidden in the Mylex DAC960 Readme: To work properly under Win9x, this driver must be installed *before* any memory manager such as Himem.sys....
   Did that, booted, and up came Win95 continuing the installation procedure it broke off at the first "real" Windows start...

Transplanted the whole system (Raid cage w/3 drives, passplay) to the
9595-ALF (= EMEA version of -0LF).

Same setup:
(1) Spock (+ the famous 1 Gig Fujitsu brick and a CDROM)
(3) Passplay (+ 3 drives RAID5)
(5) XGA-2
(6) IBM ISDN 2000
(8) some NIC.

   The Fujitsu (set to SCSI 6 !!!) contains nothing but the IML -- the rest is
formatted, no OS, nothing. The Passplay array still has DOS 7 and Win95 (basic installation w/o knickknack for the moment -- the installation completed on the 95A after so many woes)...
   And now comes the surprising part: Powered up the machine -- and up came Win95 without a hitch. The Win95 I had installed on the passplay RAID.

Here we are.
Contrary to what the first experiments showed, it *is* possible to install
the Passplay on a 9595-xLx machine running Win95.
Prerequisites:
(1) Spock or similar with a HD of any size that contains the IML track.
(2) The appropriate driver sequence in config.sys:

DOS=HIGH
device=c:\RAID\IBMRAID.sys (or wherever this thing is set
Device=c:\win95\HIMEM.SYS
... etc.

Probably you could put the IBMRAID.SYS even before the DOS=HIGH statement, but since it ain't borke I don#t want to fix it right now...



Mylex DAC960M Firmware
The Mylex Manufacturing Part ("D040") number can be located on the back of the DAC960 controller, and uniquely identifies the model and number of channels on the controller.  It does not identify the amount of memory installed, or the FW/BIOS versions, since these can be updated.

When referring to this D040 number, please use the entire number, since this will help Technical Support identify specific features.

  Mfg.No.        Mylex Model
  D040322        DAC960M
  D040325        DBX960M
  D040331        DAC960M-2

I have an older controller with version 2.xx FW, can I update the FW to the 3.xx?
   Not all boards will support the upgrade to 3.xx firmware. If the controller has a revision number of D040347 or greater, the board will support the upgrade. This revision label is usually found on the back (non-component side of the board).



Specifications for FW RAID
SCSI type   SCSI-2 Fast/Wide
SCSI bus path / speed 16 bit / 20 MB/sec
I/O bus path / speed 32 bit / 40 MB/sec streaming
I/O features Streaming data transfer
Address parity and data parity
RAID levels RAID 0, 1,  Hybrid 1, 5
4 ind (A, B, C, D)  / 8 logical arrays
Tagged Command Queuing Yes
Processor i960 at 25 MHz
Size  Type 5 (only fits Model 85 or 95)
Channels Two (both internal)
Connectors Two internal only
Devices supported 7 devices per adapter
Cache std / max 4 MB / 64 MB (with parity)
Cache method 4 sockets for 30 pin 80ns SIMMs
Cache configurations 4, 16, or 64 MB only
Cache write policy Write-through or write-back

AdapterID 8F6C  DAC960M RAID Adapter

Interrupt Level
   Interrupt level for the adapter
    <"Level E"  (IRQ15)>, A (IRQ10), B (IRQ11)

BIOS Base Address
   BIOS base address for adapter. Each adapter needs a unique address range.
   <"C0000-0C1FFF">, C2000-0C3FFF, C4000-0C5FFF, C6000-0C7FFF, C8000-0C9FFF, CA000-0CBFFF, CC000-0CDFFF, CE000-0CFFFF, D0000-0D1FFF, D2000-0D3FFF, D4000-0D5FFF, D6000-0D7FFF, D8000-0D9FFF, DA000-0DBFFF, DC000-0DDFFF, DE000-0DFFFF

I/O Address
   I/O address for adapter. Each adapter must have a unique address range.
    <"1C00-1C1F">, 3C00-3C1F, 5C00-5C1F, 7C00-7C1F, 9C00-9C1F, BC00-BC1F, DC00-DC1F, FC00-FC1F

DMA Arbitration Level
   DMA channel used to transfer data.
    <"Level 8">, 9, A, B, C, D, E, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7

Data Parity Exception Handling Support
   Enable or disable the Micro Channel data parity generation capability of this adapter ( M class and up). Does not show if system doesn't support it.
   <"Enabled ">, Disabled

Micro Channel Streaming
   Enable or disable the Microchannel streaming capability of this adapter
   <"Enabled ">, Disabled

INT 13 Support
   This provides limited support for BIOS INT 13 function calls and is required if boot devices are connected to RAID Adapter.
  If system is Flash,  then <"Enabled ">, Disabled
 else <"Disabled">, Enabled
 
 

9595 Main Page