NStor Technologies Computer Hardware CR8e User Manual

Regulatory Information  
FCC Radio Frequency Interference Statement  
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the  
FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential  
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy, and if not installed and used in  
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio or television communications. However, there is  
no guarantee that the interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful  
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is  
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:  
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.  
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.  
Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit other than that to which the receiver is connected.  
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.  
nStor Corporation, Inc. is not responsible for any interference caused by unauthorized modifications to this equipment. It is  
the users responsibility to correct such interference. You are also warned, that any changes to this certified device will void  
your legal right to operate it.  
CAUTION:  
Drives and controller/adapter cards described in this manual should only be installed in UL-listed and CSA  
certified computers that give specific instructions on the installation and removal of accessory cards (refer  
to your computer installation manual for proper instructions).  
ATTENTION:  
Les lecteurs et cartes contrôleurs décrits ici ne doivent être montés que sur des ordinateurs homologués (UL  
et CSA) et livrés avec des manuels contenant les instructions dinstallation et de retrait des accessoires.  
Reportez-vous au manuel dinstallation de votre ordinateur.  
Compliance Information Statement  
We,  
nStor Corporation, Inc.  
450 Technology Park  
Lake Mary, Florida 32746  
(407) 829-3500  
declare under our sole responsibility that the product,  
Type of Equipment:  
Model Number:  
Disk Array Enclosure  
CR8e  
to which this declaration relates is in conformity with the Title 47 of the US Code of Federal Regulations, Part 15 covering Class B  
personal computers and peripherals.  
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:  
1
2
This device may not cause harmful interference, and  
This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.  
Power Cord Selection  
This subsystem is intended for indoor use only.  
This subsystem is intended to be plugged into a 6A branch circuit in Europe.  
To select the proper power cord:  
For 110 Volt Operation – Use a UL Listed/CSA Labeled cord set consisting of a minimum 18 AWG, type SVT or  
SJT three conductor cord, terminating in a molded connector body having an IEC CEE-22 female configuration on  
one end and a molded-on parallel blade grounding type attachment plug rated 15A, 125V configuration (5 - 15P) at  
the other end.  
For 230 Volt Operation (North America) – Use a UL Listed/CSA Labeled cord set consisting of a minimum 18  
AWG, type SVT or SJT three conductor cord, terminating in a molded connector body having an IEC CEE-22  
female configuration on one end and a molded-on tandem blade grounding type attachment plug rated 15A, 250V  
configuration (6 - 15P) at the other end.  
For 230 Volt Operation (Europe) – Use a cord set marked “HAR”, consisting of a H05VV-F cord that has a  
minimum 0.75 square mm diameter conductors provided with an IEC 320 receptacle and a male plug for the  
country of installation rated 6A, 250V.  
NOTE: The subsystem automatically selects the proper settings for the input voltage. Therefore, no additional adjustments  
are necessary to connect the unit to any input voltage within the range marked on the drive.  
Das Laufwerk sollte nicht im Freien verwendet werden.  
In Europa, sollte das Laufwerk an einen 6A-Stromkreis angeschlossen werden.  
Zur Wahl des korrekten Netzkabels beachten Sie bitte folgendes:  
230V-Betrieb (Europa) Verwenden Sie Netzkabel der Bezeichnung “HAR” die H05VV-F-Kabel und einen  
Leitungsdurchmesser von mindestens 0,75 mm2 aufweisen. Ver Wenden Sie eine IEC 320-Buchse und einen für das  
Installationsland passenden Stecker, der auf 6A und 250V gesichert ist.  
Contents  
Preface  
v
Welcome  
Features  
v
vi  
vii  
vii  
Where to Find Answers  
Registering Your Product  
1 Getting Started  
1
CR8e Subsystem at a Glance  
Components  
2
4
Hot Swap Disk Drives  
Hot Swap Cooling Fans  
Hot Swap Power Supplies  
Power Switch  
4
4
5
5
Door Lock  
5
I/O Interface Card  
Power Cord Connector and Fuse  
Configuration Modules  
Controlling and Monitoring  
Operator Control Panel  
LEDs  
6
6
7
8
8
9
Alarm Speaker  
Fault LEDs  
SAF-TE Card  
11  
11  
11  
i
2 Installation  
13  
Setup  
System Requirements  
Guidelines  
Rack-Mount Subsystem Assembly  
Component Installation  
Cabling Configuration  
General  
Ultra Wide SCSI Mode  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Other Configurations  
13  
14  
14  
15  
17  
20  
20  
22  
26  
36  
3 Using the CR8e  
37  
Notifications and Error Conditions  
Power-On Self Test  
Firmware Error Conditions  
LED Descriptions  
37  
37  
38  
39  
40  
40  
41  
41  
42  
46  
49  
50  
51  
52  
Operator Control Panel  
Startup Screens  
Power Supply Error Conditions  
Subsystem Status Icon  
Main Menu  
Options Menu  
Heat Threshold  
SAFTE CHAIN ID  
Change Passcode  
Unlock Options  
4 Troubleshooting  
53  
Common Enclosure Problems  
53  
54  
56  
Common SCSI Bus Problems  
Common Problems and Interpreting the LED Indications  
5 Maintenance  
57  
Replacing a Disk Drive  
57  
58  
60  
61  
Replacing a Power Supply  
Replacing the Cooling Fans  
Replacing an I/O Interface Card  
ii  
Contents  
Replacing a Fuse  
62  
63  
Replacing the CR8e Cabinet  
A Glossary  
65  
69  
B Technical Information  
Specifications  
Connectors and Jumpers  
Connectors  
69  
70  
70  
72  
Jumpers  
Index  
77  
iii  
Contents  
iv  
Contents  
Preface  
Welcome  
Congratulations on the purchase of your new CR8e from nStor Corporation.  
The nStor CR8e provides a superior fault-tolerant network storage solution in a  
subsystem-based SAF-TE compliant RAID enclosure.  
The CR8e is an eight drive enclosure designed to support Ultra Wide SCSI  
(Fast-20) and Fast Wide SCSI protocols. The Ultra Wide SCSI (Fast-20) support  
maintains SCSI bus data transfer rates up to 40 Mbytes/sec. The subsystem  
supports both host system based RAID controllers, as well as an option for an  
onboard Ultra SCSI-to-SCSI RAID controller.  
The CR8e also provides an upgrade path to Ultra2 Low Voltage Differential  
(LVD) SCSI technology and easily connects to the network attach storage module  
to maintain its total cost of ownership.  
The intelligent enclosure is compliant with SAF-TE version 1.0, an industry  
standard, non-proprietary means to automatically integrate with peripheral  
packaging that supports status signals, hot swapping drives and enclosure  
monitoring. Combined with the enterprise-wide storage management software  
from nStor, additional levels of fault tolerance can be maintained.  
v
Preface  
Features  
The following are major features of the nStor CR8e disk array subsystem:  
RAID Level Support RAID levels 0, 1, 3, 5, 10 (1 + 0), 30, and 50.  
Conguration  
Deskside tower-based subsystem or rack-mount  
subsystem.  
Drive Support  
Up to eight 3.5-inch, half-height form factor, hot  
swappable high performance 7,200 and 10,000 RPM  
Ultra SCSI disk drives using SCA-II technology (4.2, 9.1,  
or 18.2 gigabyte capacities).  
Interface  
Ultra SCSI (Fast 20)/SCSI.  
Scalable Capacities  
Drive capacities are expandable to 145 GB using 18 GB  
disk drives and further expansion through  
daisy-chaining of multiple cabinets.  
Hot Swap Power Supplies  
Dual hot swap power supplies expandable to three, all  
with current sharing circuitry.  
Cooling  
Dual high capacity hot swap cooling fans.  
LEDs and audible alarms provide failure notifications.  
Notifications  
Front Panel  
A password protected Operator Control Panel (OCP) for  
administration control and monitoring functions.  
SCSI-to-SCSI Support Provides on-board Ultra SCSI-to-Ultra SCSI RAID  
processing via the Ultra S2S RAID Controller.  
Termination  
Locking Door  
SAF-TE  
Automatic SCSI-bus termination.  
A key-locking front door.  
SAF-TE v1.0 compliant enclosure.  
Cluster-ready subsystem.  
Cluster-Ready  
Storage Management Solution  
Enterprise-wide managing and monitoring using  
AdminiStor Manager and AdminiStor Agent software.  
vi  
Features  
Preface  
Where to Find Answers  
When you have questions about your nStor products there are several places you  
can look to find answers. Refer to the following:  
In this guide  
This users guide provides detailed information for  
installing and using the CR8e disk array subsystem. The  
manual assumes that the reader is already familiar with the  
operating system environments where the CR8e will be  
installed.  
Resource Guide  
Use this manual to locate telephone numbers for customer  
service and technical support, technical support email  
address, instructions to obtain an RMA number, and  
conditions of the limited warranty.  
AdminiStor Manager Users Guide  
Use this manual to install and use the nStor Java-based  
management and monitoring software.  
AdminiStor Agent Users Guide  
Use one of these manuals to install and use the nStor  
SNMP-based network RAID subsystem management  
software.  
On the software diskettes  
Review the README files for last minute information  
about the release of the software products.  
Via email  
You may email questions and comments to  
Registering Your Product  
Registering your product allows nStor to continue providing the highest quality  
technical support while keeping you informed about product developments.  
To register your product, complete and fax the Plan Registration/Upgrade Form  
found in the Product Registration kit.  
vii  
Where to Find Answers  
Preface  
viii  
R
Getting Started  
1
In this chapter we will provide a description of the components, and the control  
and onboard monitoring systems found in the CR8e enclosure.  
On the next two pages are illustrations that depicts the location of featured  
components of the CR8e. Familiarize yourself with the subsystems components  
and their descriptions prior to beginning the installation and using the CR8e.  
Following the Components section, a Control and Monitoring section describes  
the subsystems LEDs provides an explanation of the manner in which the CR8e  
presents normal and abnormal conditions. The Operator Control Panel (OCP)  
section describes in the general the features of the LCD panel and an illustration  
pictorially describes items found on the display. In chapter 3 a more detailed  
functional description of each OCP menu option is provided.  
1
Getting Started  
CR8e Subsystem at a Glance  
Operator Control  
Panel (OCP)  
Speaker  
Door Lock  
Status Indicator LEDs  
Channel Mode LED  
Power Supply LED  
Fan Status LED  
Power-On LED  
Status Indicator LEDs  
Note: LEDs normally visible  
Activity LEDs  
only when illuminated,  
shown here for identification.  
Status LEDs  
I/O Interface Card  
VHD SCSI Connectors  
Power Supply #3  
with PSU Cover Plate  
PSU “DC Good” LED  
Rear Door Fastener  
Rear Door Panel  
Fuse  
AC Power Cord  
I/O Interface Card  
Connector Module  
VHD SCSI Connectors  
2
CR8e Subsystem at a Glance  
Getting Started  
Bay for optional  
Ultra S2S RAID Controller  
SAF-TE Card  
Fault LEDs  
Power On/Off  
Switch  
Hard Disk Drive  
Drive Rails  
Note: Cover shown cut-away  
to illustrate recessed power switch.  
I/O Interface Card  
*
Cooling Fan #2  
*
Power Supply #3  
with PSU Cover Plate  
*
Cooling Fan #1  
*
Power Supply #2  
I/O Interface Card  
*
“DC Good” LED  
Power Supply #1  
* Power supplies and cooling fans must be replaced by qualified service personnel only.  
3
CR8e Subsystem at a Glance  
Getting Started  
Components  
This section provides a descriptive overview of each of the major components  
that comprise the CR8e subsystem.  
Hot Swap Disk Drives  
The CR8e uses either 4.2 gigabyte, 9.1 gigabyte, or 18.2 gigabyte high performance,  
3.5-inch form factor hot swap disk drives. The drives are designed to operate on  
the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) and are Ultra SCSI as well as SCSI-2  
command compatible.  
Each drive has an 80-pin Wide Single Connector Attachment (SCA-II) interface,  
designed to allow the drive to be inserted directly into the backplane thus making  
it possible to “hot swap” the drive without shutting down the subsystem.  
The drive mounting design uses a rail system with built-in connectors which  
allows for easy installation with minimal force. Latching clips ensure that the  
drive is secured once it is installed.  
Hot Swap Cooling Fans  
CAUTION: Cooling fans must be replaced by qualified service personnel only.  
The cooling system consists of two high-performance fans fitted to the rear panel.  
These fans draw air from a high pressure plenum, across the drives and  
electronics of the system and exhaust out through the rear door panel.  
The fan speed is thermally controlled to provide reduced operating noise levels. In  
the event of a fan failure or the cabinet temperature approaches the threshold  
limit, the remaining fan will switch to maximum operating speed.  
Cabinet temperature is measured within the drive bay area between drive slots 2  
and 3, and slots 7 and 8. The fans speed and alarm are keyed to the higher of the  
two temperatures. The SAF-TE processor monitors the performance of each of  
the fans via tach pulses which track the speed (RPM) of each fan impeller.  
The fans can be replaced during normal operation without having to power down  
the CR8e. In the event of a fan failure, the Fan Status LED will illuminate amber  
and an alarm will sound.  
4
Components  
Getting Started  
If an error occurs, access the Operator Control Panel to determine the cause and  
locate the failed component. For more information, see Operator Control Panel on  
page 40. The fans are identified on the rear door panel using a placard for “FAN 1”  
and “FAN 2.” For more information on changing a cooling fan, see Replacing the  
Cooling Fans on page 60.  
Hot Swap Power Supplies  
CAUTION: Power supplies must be replaced by qualified service personnel only.  
Up to three 150 watt hot swap power supplies are incorporated as part of a  
fault-tolerant design (N+ 1 power system). Each power supply unit (PSU) has  
current share circuitry which balances the load between the installed power  
supplies. In the event of a power supply failure, the load is transferred to the  
remaining power supplies without interruption to the CR8es normal operation.  
If a failure occurs, the Power Supply Status LED will illuminate amber and an  
alarm will sound. The user can identify the failed component by accessing the OCP  
and viewing the “Hardware Status.” The PSU “DC Good” LED will not be  
illuminated on the failed power supply. For more information, see Replacing a  
Power Supply on page 58.  
Power Switch  
The power switch is located inside the locking front door and controls AC power to  
all of the power supplies. This positioning of the switch deters unauthorized users  
from powering down the CR8e provided the door is locked. The switch is recessed  
to prevent inadvertent activation during service activities.  
The switch is labeled with a “I” for the ON condition and “O” for the OFF condition  
and is illuminated when the power is on for easy identification. Depending on the  
orientation of the subsystem (i.e., in the rack configuration) the “I” label will appear  
as a “” and should be interpreted as the ON condition.  
Door Lock  
The front door has an integral lock that also serves as a door handle. In addition,  
the door lock provides security to deter unauthorized access to the disk drives and  
SAF-TE card. Two keys are provided with the system.  
To unlock the door, insert the key and turn it in a counterclockwise direction. To  
lock the door, turn the key in a clockwise direction.  
5
Hot Swap Power Supplies  
Getting Started  
I/O Interface Card  
The I/O Interface card provides the connection from the subsystems bus to the  
host adapter. Located on the I/O Interface card are two 68-pin very high density  
(VHD) SCSI connectors. The connectors are labeled Channel 0 and Channel 1.  
The I/O Interface card incorporates built-in automatic SCSI termination. When a  
data cable is plugged in, the system automatically senses the connection and  
provides the required SCSI termination.  
Two sets of jumpers are provided on the card. One set of jumpers (JP1 and JP2)  
routes Term Power in the event that the host controller does not provide it. The  
default setting is the unjumpered condition (jumper offset on one pin only).  
JP3 and JP4  
Fault Bus Protocol  
Jumpers (Add to  
disable termination)  
Channel  
0
JP1 and JP2  
Channel 0 and 1  
Term Power Jumpers  
Channel  
1
The next set of jumpers, JP3 and JP4, addresses termination protocol for a specific  
set of controllers that use the DEC Fault Bus. If you are using a DEC system  
where the controller uses this protocol, you will need to jumper locations (jumper  
on both pins) JP3 and JP4 for each channel that has an external SCSI cable  
connected. This will disable termination at that point.  
If you are using a standard host adapter that provides Term Power, no change is  
required and SCSI bus termination will occur automatically.  
Power Cord Connector and Fuse  
The power cord connector supplies the AC power to the CR8e through a power  
cord connected to a conventional three-hole grounded outlet or power strip. A  
250V 10 amp fuse is provided to protect the system from any electrical fault.  
6
I/O Interface Card  
Getting Started  
Configuration Modules  
CAUTION: Conguration modules must be installed or replaced by qualified  
service personnel only.  
The CR8es SCSI bus design provides either of two bus configurations which is  
determined by the configuration module installed. The Dual-Bus module provides  
a split bus configuration where the enclosures top four drive slots and the lower  
four drive slots are on two independent SCSI buses. The Single-Bus module  
connects both SCSI buses together tying all drive slots to one SCSI bus.  
The Single-Bus module is larger in physical size than the Dual-Bus module and is  
easily identified by its description silkscreened on the module card. It is installed  
on the backplane printed circuit board, at location JP1, and is accessed from the  
rear door panel.  
The connector is keyed and the module will only install in one direction. For  
illustration purposes, the tower system is used to depict the location of the  
modules.  
Backplane PCB  
(JP1)  
NOTE: The cover is cut  
Dual-Bus Module  
away to demonstrate  
the location of the installed  
configuration module.  
Single-Bus Module  
7
Configuration Modules  
Getting Started  
Controlling and Monitoring  
An integral part of the CR8e is its control and monitor capabilities. The subsystem  
enclosure contains a series of redundant alert notifications in the form of LEDs,  
alarms, and an LCD Operator Control Panel. Each of these components are discuss  
in the following topics.  
Operator Control Panel  
The Operator Control Panel (OCP) provides control and monitoring capabilities  
through an LCD panel located on the front door of the CR8e. The disk drives,  
power supplies, fans, and processor can be monitored for their status by using the  
menu drive OCP interface. Also the user can maintain control of the subsystem  
components by providing the capability to change to the disk drive SCSI IDs and  
SAF-TE processor ID, and making changes to the temperature threshold for the  
thermal monitoring system.  
Other menu functions provide for viewing subsystem component status, silencing  
the audible alarm, establishing a password to protect the subsystem OCP access,  
establishing intra-cabinet communications (master/slave), and reading firmware  
information.  
The OCP uses a four line by twenty character LCD display. There are five  
function keys that define the menu driven interface.  
Appears When  
More Options are  
Available Above  
Menu  
Selector  
nStor  
TURN OFF ALARM  
Appears When  
More Options are  
Available Below  
HARDWARE MENU  
OPTIONS MENU  
Moves Menu  
Selector Up  
Animated  
Icon  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
firmware by lyle  
Moves Menu  
Selector Down  
Selects Menus Option or  
Returns to Main Menu  
Backs Up One Level  
or Cancels Action  
Selects the Option  
Indicated by Selector  
8
Controlling and Monitoring  
Getting Started  
An animated icon will appear on the display after 30 seconds of no OCP input  
activity and provides an “at-a-glance” look at system status. When a “happy”  
animated face appears, all systems are indicating a nominal state. When the  
animated face changes to a “sad” face, the system indicates that a problem has  
been detected and requires attention.  
The “power system” status will display the total power available per drive slot in  
redundant and non-redundant mode. A maximum supported value of 30 watts  
per drive bay is available in either mode. Also the user can view individual power  
supply status and configurations.  
The OCP displays information on each cooling fans speed. Each fans speed  
(RPM) is controlled via the internal cabinet thermal monitoring system,  
referenced from a user-established temperature threshold. Cabinet temperature is  
measured within the drive bay area between drive slots 2 and 3, and between slots  
7 and 8. By sensing cabinet temperature in these locations, the system provides  
the most sensitive measurement for maximum protection. The temperature is  
displayed in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. The SAF-TE processor monitors the  
performance of each fan via tach pulses which track the speed (RPM) of each fan  
impeller.  
LEDs  
Power-On LED  
The Power-On LED signifies that the CR8e system has power applied.  
Status Indicator LEDs  
There are three Status Indicator LEDs to assist the user in determining the current  
state of the CR8e subsystem. The following subsections describe each LED.  
Channel Mode  
The Channel Mode LED indicates the status of the subsystem array by changes in  
its color and state. Steady green indicates normal array activities.  
When the LED changes to amber (flashing or steady) it indicates abnormal  
activities. For more information see LED Descriptions on page 39.  
9
LEDs  
Getting Started  
Power Supply Status  
The Power Supply Status LED indicates the condition of the power supplies. The  
LED will illuminate steady green when all the power supplies are functioning  
normally and will change to amber if one of the power supplies should fail. The  
LED will also switch to amber if the power system is in a non-redundant state. A  
failed component can be identified via the Operator Control Panel and the lack of  
an illuminated “DC Good” LED located on each power supply unit.  
Fan Status  
The Fan Status LED indicates the condition of the cooling fans by changes in its  
color. The LED will illuminate green when all of the fans are functioning normally  
and will change to amber if any of the fans fail.  
When a failed component is present, use the Operator Control Panel to identify  
the failed fan. The fans are identified on the rear door panel via placarded  
markings. For more information see Hardware Menu on page 42.  
Status LEDs  
There are eight Status LEDs located in windows on the front panel (for the  
rack-mount system they are the lower set of LEDs and for the tower-based system  
they will be the set on the left hand side).  
These LEDs, in conjunction with an approved RAID controller, will indicate the  
status of a specific disk drive by their state (flashing or steady) and/or color  
(amber or green).  
For more information on interpreting these indications, see LED Descriptions on  
page 39.  
Activity LEDs  
There are eight Activity LEDs located in windows on the front panel (for the  
rack-mount system they are the upper set of LEDs and for the tower-based system  
they will be the set on the right hand side). These LEDs will flash indicating a  
specific drive is being accessed, either as reads or writes.  
10  
LEDs  
Getting Started  
Alarm Speaker  
An audible alarm will sound when any components condition changes to an  
abnormal state. The Status Indicator LEDs conditions (color and/or state) will  
provide a general area of failure, and the failed component can then be identified  
using the Operator Control Panel.  
To silence the alarm, access the control panel and select “Turn Off Alarm.” For  
more information see Main Menu on page 42.  
Fault LEDs  
When a disk drive is installed in a drive slot, it has a corresponding Drive Fault  
LED that will illuminate to aide in identifying a failed or problem disk drive.  
These LEDs are located on the inside front door panel and are aligned with their  
respective drive slot. If the LED is illuminated (amber), the condition indicates a  
failed or problem drive found in that drive slot.  
SAF-TE Card  
The SAF-TE card contains the control and monitoring electronics for the  
subsystem cabinet. It provides the central data link between the enclosure and the  
host system.  
Located in the tower-based systems’ top bay (the rack-mount systems’ far left bay)  
are two card slots. The SAF-TE card is installed in the lower (furthest right) of  
the two slots. The upper slot (furthest left slot) is not used.  
SAF-TE  
The CR8e is designed to be compliant with version 1.0 of the SAF-TE (SCSI  
Accessed Fault-Tolerant Enclosure) specification. Under this specification, the  
enclosure is implemented as an assignable SCSI target ID. This allows  
standardized alert detection and status reporting using the SCSI bus as the  
underlying transport mechanism.  
11  
Alarm Speaker  
Getting Started  
Disk drives, power supplies, cooling fans and temperature are continually  
monitored and these conditions are then reported over the SCSI bus to the host  
system.  
When used in conjunction with the AdminiStor Storage Management software, the  
CR8e can alert the user or LAN administrator of conditions requiring their  
attention. These alert notifications can be made via network broadcast or electronic  
pages, in addition to the LEDs and Operator Control Panel alerts found on the  
CR8e subsystem. This allows the administrator to receive remote notification of  
conditions that require corrective action to prevent data loss.  
12  
SAF-TE Card  
Installation  
2
Setup  
The installation of your nStor CR8e disk array subsystem is essentially a  
three-step process: the subsystem is setup and its components installed, the  
cabling is completed based on the supported configurations, and the array is then  
configured.  
This chapter is divided into two sections: Setup and Cabling Configuration. The  
Setup section provides the instructions for assembling the rack-mount subsystem,  
and installing the hardware components (controllers, disk drives, power supplies,  
etc.,) for both rack-mount and deskside tower-based subsystems.  
The Cabling Configuration section contains samples of cabling schemes and  
configurations. If your desired configuration is not shown in the samples, refer to  
the example most similar and follow the cabling topology scheme expanding the  
configuration example to fit your needs while conforming to the specific SCSI  
specification.  
The CR8e is designed with an open architecture that allows for many possible  
combinations of cabling schemes. Because of these possible combinations, we will  
provide a sampling of configurations in this chapter.  
Additional configurations are available through the use of nStors Ultra Extender  
or Differential Converter Feature cards. Refer to the nStor Feature Card Users  
Guide for information specific to each card and configuration. When configuring  
the array, refer to the users guide provided with your RAID controller.  
13  
Installation  
System Requirements  
The nStor CR8e disk subsystem is based on an open architecture design and can  
be connected to any host-based SCSI system. Refer to your adapter/controller and  
host system users manuals for information about the system requirements for  
the host system where the controller will be installed.  
Guidelines  
Before installation, you will need to consider the following:  
When referencing a component on the rear panel it is assumed the user is  
facing the rear panel and when referencing the front panel components the  
assumption is that the user is facing the front panel.  
Interior temperature of the rack cabinet should be maintained at ambient  
temperatures but must not exceed 117°F (47°C) during normal operation.  
Remove each piece from the shipping carton, leaving the disk drives in  
their anti-static protective packaging until you are ready to install them.  
Save the packing materials in case you need to ship the CR8e.  
Secure all cable connectors using the thumb screws (finger tight only).  
When connecting the data cable VHD connectors, be sure to exercise  
caution that the connector is inserted carefully and correctly. Otherwise it  
is very likely to bend the pins inside the connector.  
14  
System Requirements  
Installation  
Rack-Mount Subsystem Assembly  
You can install the CR8e into any standard IAE 19" rack cabinet.  
CAUTION: Ensure that the location of the CR8e does not create an unstable  
condition when installed in the rack cabinet enclosure.  
NOTE: Mount the subsystem into the rack enclosure before installing the disk  
drives. This will reduce the weight required to support during installation.  
1
Select an appropriate location in your rack cabinet for the CR8e. If you are  
installing multiple systems, review the cabling configuration section later in  
this chapter for your cable scheme to determine the optimum locations.  
8-32 Caged  
Nuts  
Washers  
8-32 Pan Head  
Screws  
Rear Rack Vertical  
A
Front Rack Vertical  
15  
Rack-Mount Subsystem Assembly  
Installation  
2
3
To aide in support bracket installation, remove the rack cabinet side panels.  
Locate the two support brackets. Mount the two brackets to the rack cabinet  
verticals using the four screws, four washers, and four caged nuts provided  
for each bracket. Refer to detail “A” in the illustration on the previous page.  
NOTE: The caged nuts are secured into the rack cabinet vertical slots by inserting  
one side of the nut into the slot and squeezing while pressing the opposite  
side in until it snaps into place.  
4
Remove the two (2) upper enclosure case screws as depicted below on the  
right side of the subsystem cabinet.  
NOTE: The enclosure is attached to the support bracket only on the right side.  
5
Slide the subsystem cabinet into the cabinet with the subsystem riding on top  
of the support brackets.  
6
Align the two upper case screw holes with those provided in the support  
bracket on the right side.  
8-32 Pan  
Head Screws  
Rail is installed to  
the front and rear  
rack cabinet verticals.  
7
8
Secure the subsystem cabinet to the right hand rail using the two (2) screws  
previously removed.  
Continue with the component installation on the next page.  
16  
Rack-Mount Subsystem Assembly  
Installation  
Component Installation  
CAUTION: Disk drives and printed circuit board components are sensitive to  
electrostatic discharge. To prevent operating failure or damage,  
observe the following: Establish a ground for yourself by using the  
wrist grounding strap, or by touching the metal chassis prior to  
handling or installing the drives or printed circuit board components.  
1
Down your server or power off your computer system in preparation for  
installing the host adapter (if applicable).  
2
Install the adapter into your host computer. For specific instructions, refer to  
your host systems manual and the host adapters user guide.  
CAUTION: Exercise care when handling any hard disk drive. Do not drop, jar, or  
bump the disk drives.  
3
4
Install the disk drives. Remove one of the disk drives from its anti-static  
protective packaging.  
Holding the drive by its edges, locate the Drive Latching Clips and pull out on  
the latches to unlock them.  
The Drive Latching Clips are placed in the locked position for shipping  
purposes.  
5
Insert the disk drive into the drive bay by aligning its rails into the drive bay  
slots, component side toward the right on rack-mount systems or component  
side down on tower-based systems.  
Dual-Bus module - The drive slots are split into two buses: one bus  
connects the left or upper four drive slots and the other  
bus connects the right or lower four drive slots.  
Depending on to which bus the drives will be configured,  
begin populating the drives starting with the far right  
slot or lowest slot for that bus.  
Single-Bus module - The Single-Bus module connects all eight drive slots to  
one bus. Begin populating the drive with the far right or  
lowest drive slot and work to your left or up.  
17  
Component Installation  
Installation  
Populate drive bays from  
the lower (right) slot first.  
Upper (left) bay,  
four drive slots  
Drive Label  
Lower (right) bay,  
four drive slots  
Component side  
6
7
8
Fully seat the drive by applying pressure with your thumb to the front of the  
drive.  
Press the Drive Latching Clips until they “snap” into place. The drive is now  
locked into position.  
Install the remaining drives repeating steps 3 through 7, until all the drives  
have been installed, as desired.  
NOTE: Verify that the power switch on the CR8e is in the OFF position (O).  
9
Connect one end of the power cord to the power connector on the rear panel  
and the other end to a three-hole grounded outlet or power strip. A UPS is  
recommended.  
10 Refer to the “Cabling Configuration” on page 20 to complete the data cable  
connections if you are using the AM RAID Controller card. If you are using  
the Ultra S2S RAID Controller, refer to the nStor Ultra S2S RAID Controller  
and PC Utilities User’s Guide for information about cabling configurations.  
18  
Component Installation  
Installation  
Installing the Third Power Supply  
If you will be installing five (5) or more disk drives you will be required to install  
the third power supply.  
CAUTION: Power supply installation is to be performed by qualified service  
personnel only. There is no need to power off the CR8e or the  
computer system. The power supplies are hot swappable.  
1
Loosen the two screws on the Power Supply #3 cover plate using a flat-blade  
screwdriver and remove the cover plate.  
2
3
Remove the power supply from its shipping package.  
Install the third power supply by sliding the PSU into the cabinet until it  
reaches its locked position. Orient the supply as indicated in the illustration.  
NOTE: Use care when inserting the power supply into its fully seated position.  
Do not use a strong force to seat the PSU into its mating connector.  
Power Supply #3  
4
5
Remove the blanking plug for the LED on the cover plate.  
Re-install the cover plate. Secure the cover plate with the two screws using a  
flat-blade screwdriver securing the power supply.  
19  
Component Installation  
Installation  
Cabling Configuration  
The Ultra Wide SCSI mode provides enhanced performances with data transfers  
up to 40 MBs per second (20 MHz), while the Fast Wide SCSI mode will provide  
transfers up to 20 MBs per second (10 MHz).  
The cabling configuration section is divided into two subsections, Ultra Wide  
SCSI and Fast Wide SCSI. These two sections provide the recommended cable  
configurations when operating the CR8e in a specific mode.  
The CR8e supports the American National Standard Ultra SCSI (Fast-20) parallel  
interface standards, referred to as Ultra Wide SCSI. This standard is backward  
compatible with Fast SCSI (SCSI-2 with the Wide option), also referred to as Fast  
Wide SCSI. This standard defines the mechanical, electrical, and timing  
requirements. In compliance with these interface standards, certain limitations  
apply when considering the configuration, lengths of cabling, and termination.  
The configuration samples and cables provided with the subsystem meet the  
requirements of the specifications. Modifications to any of these variables can  
have less than desirable results when operating any SCSI device.  
General  
Cables  
Cable length is a critical consideration when configuring the subsystems. There  
are different limitations for Ultra Wide SCSI and Fast Wide SCSI.  
When calculating the total length of your cabling, the internal subsystem length  
of cables and printed circuit board traces (known as the internal cable length)  
must be subtracted from your total cable length. The CR8e internal cable length is  
36 inches.  
For Ultra Wide SCSI, the total SCSI cable length is 3 meters (118 inches) with  
four drives and 1.5 meters (59 inches) with eight drives. After subtracting the  
internal length of 36 inches the remaining cable length is 82 inches or  
approximately 6.83 feet (2.08 meters) for four drives and 23 inches or  
approximately 1.9 feet (.58 meters) for eight drives.  
For Fast Wide SCSI, the total SCSI cable length is 6 meters (236 inches) with  
four drives and 3 meters (118 inches) with eight drives. After subtracting the  
internal length of 36 inches the remaining cable length is 200 inches or  
approximately 16.66 feet (5.08 meters) for four drives or approximately 6.83  
feet (2.08 meters) for eight drives.  
20  
Cabling Configuration  
Installation  
Because of the enhancements in the CR8e, its possible to extend beyond the limits  
set forth in the specification. However, a symptom from exceeding this cable limit  
is a SCSI bus lockup or “freeze.” If you experience a similar problem and are  
aware of a cabling limit issue, reducing the length of cabling and returning the  
total length to within the specified limit should resolve any problems.  
If you have a cabling issue and require more information, contact nStor Technical  
Support for further assistance. Data loss is possible under conditions of SCSI bus  
lockup.  
NOTE: Shielded data cables, such as those provided with the subsystem, must be  
used to prevent radio frequency interference. It is recommended that you  
use the cables provided by nStor. These cables have been tested and meet  
stringent guidelines set forth by SCSI-3 ANSI specifications.  
Termination  
Termination is required at both ends of the SCSI bus. There are two sets of  
jumpers on the I/O Interface card. One set of jumpers (JP1 and JP2) routes “Term  
Power” in the event that the host controller is not providing it. The default setting  
is the unjumpered condition (jumper offset on one pin only). The second set of  
jumpers addresses a specific set of controllers that use the DEC Fault Bus  
protocol. If your controller uses this protocol, you will need to jumper (jumper on  
both pins) at location JP3 and JP4 on the backplane for the indicated channel that  
will be used. A jumper at either of these locations will disable termination at that  
point on the SCSI bus.  
If you are using a controller that provides Term Power, no change is required and  
SCSI bus termination will occur automatically.  
Most RAID controllers provide termination for one end of the SCSI bus, while  
the I/O Interface card provide final termination at the other end of the bus.  
JP3 and JP4  
Fault Bus Protocol  
Jumpers (Add to  
disable termination)  
Channel  
0
JP1 and JP2  
Channel 0 and 1  
Term Power Jumpers  
Channel  
1
21  
General  
Installation  
Ultra Wide SCSI Mode  
Several possible configurations exist for the CR8e in Ultra Wide SCSI mode.  
However this manual will discuss the two possible configurations using the I/O  
Interface card in Ultra Wide SCSI mode: dual-bus module in a single enclosure and  
single-bus module in a single enclosure. Refer to the nStor Feature Card Users  
Guide for additional configurations when using the Ultra Extender or Differential  
Converter card.  
When configuring a dual-bus enclosure subsystem with an AM RAID Controller,  
one channel on the controller connects to Channel #0 on the I/O Interface card  
and the other channel on the controller connects to Channel #1 on the I/O  
Interface card – each channel addresses either the upper (right) or lower (left)  
bank of drives. When configuring the single-bus enclosure with an AM RAID  
Controller, one channel on the controller connects to the right or upper channel  
(Channel #1) connector on the I/O Interface card and addresses both banks of  
drives.  
From the front, the drives slots are divided into two banks. The left or upper four  
front drive slots, which are connected to “Channel 1” on the I/O Interface card,  
and the right or lower four front drive slots are connected to “Channel 0” on the  
I/O Interface card.  
Dual-Bus Enclosure  
With this configuration you will have a total storage capacity of up to 145 GB  
(using 18 GB disk drives) per subsystem enclosure.  
The SCSI IDs of the drives are set by the SAF-TE card defaults to IDs 0, 1, 2, and  
4, from the front beginning with the drive located on the right or lower slot of  
each bank. The SCSI IDs can be manually changed from the OCP, if required.  
Both banks of drives will normally use the same sequence of SCSI ID numbers  
when the Dual-Bus module is installed.  
NOTE: SCSI ID 3 is reserved for the SAF-TE card processor.  
CAUTION: Ensure that the power switch is in the OFF (O) position for both the  
host system and the CR8e subsystem before connecting any cables.  
1
Connect one end of a one meter data cable to the Channel #1 connector on  
the AM RAID Controller.  
22  
Ultra Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
2
3
4
Connect the other end of the data cable to the Channel #0 SCSI connector on  
the right side or upper I/O Interface card.  
If required, connect one end of the second one meter data cable to the  
Channel #2 connector on the AM RAID Controller.  
Connect the other end of the second data cable to the Channel #1 SCSI  
connector on the right side or upper I/O Interface card.  
TOP  
Ch 1  
Ch 0  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ultra SCSI  
RAID Controller  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ch 1  
Ch 2  
Ch 0  
Ch 1  
NOTE: SCSI termination is automatic and requires no user configuration. Refer  
to “Termination” on page 21 for information on systems using DEC  
Fault bus protocol.  
5
Turn on the power to the CR8e. After the power-on self-test has completed,  
Status and Channel Mode LEDs will be solid green.  
6
Access the Options menu on the Operator Control Panel and choose the  
SAFTE CHAIN ID selection. Choose the “None” selection, refer to “SAFTE  
CHAIN ID” on page 50.  
7
8
After setting the cabinet identifications you must power cycle the subsystem.  
Observe normal power cycling precautions by waiting a minimum of five (5)  
seconds before adding power again.  
This will reset the SCSI IDs to a default setting that prevents a SCSI ID  
conflict under normal conditions.  
Power up your computer system and run the configuration program.  
This completes the hardware installation.  
23  
Ultra Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
Single-Bus Enclosure  
With the Single-Bus module is installed, all of the disk drives in the CR8e  
enclosure are on the same SCSI bus. With this configuration you will have a total  
storage capacity of up to 145 GB (using 18 GB disk drives) per subsystem  
enclosure and have access to the drives independently or as a single large array.  
The SCSI IDs of the drives are set by SAF-TE card defaults to IDs 0 through 9,  
and are assigned sequentially beginning with the lowest or far right drive.  
NOTE: SCSI ID 3 is reserved for the SAF-TE card processor and ID 7 reserved  
for the RAID controller.  
CAUTION: Ensure that the power switch is in the OFF (O) position for both the  
host system and the CR8e subsystem before connecting any cables.  
1
2
Connect one end of a one meter data cable to the Channel #1 connector on  
the AM RAID Controller.  
Connect the other end of the data cable to the Channel #1 SCSI connector on  
the upper or right side I/O Interface card.  
NOTE: The Channel #1 connector located on the upper or right side I/O Interface  
card is the active connector when the Single-Bus module is installed.  
TOP  
Ch 1  
Ch 0  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ultra SCSI  
RAID Controller  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ch 1  
Ch 0  
Ch 1  
NOTE: SCSI termination is automatic and requires no user configuration. Refer  
to “Termination” on page 21 for information on systems using DEC  
Fault bus protocol.  
24  
Ultra Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
3
4
Turn on the power to the CR8e. After the power-on self-test has completed,  
Status and Channel Mode LEDs will be solid green.  
Access the Options menu on the Operator Control Panel and choose the  
SAFTE CHAIN ID selection. Choose the “None” selection, refer to “SAFTE  
CHAIN ID” on page 50.  
5
After setting the cabinet identifications you must power cycle the subsystem.  
Observe normal power cycling precautions by waiting a minimum of five (5)  
seconds before adding power again.  
This will reset the SCSI IDs to a default setting that prevents a SCSI ID  
conflict under normal conditions.  
6
Power up your computer system and run the configuration program.  
This completes the hardware installation.  
NOTE: For additional configuration options using Ultra Wide SCSI, refer to the  
nStor Feature Card Users Guide.  
25  
Ultra Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Several possible configurations exist for the CR8e in the Fast Wide SCSI mode:  
dual-bus with one or two enclosures, single-bus with one or two enclosures, and  
one dual-bus enclosure with two single-bus enclosures connected.  
When configuring a dual-bus enclosure subsystem with an AM RAID Controller,  
one channel on the controller connects to Channel #0 on the I/O Interface card  
and the other channel on the controller connects to Channel #1 on the I/O  
Interface card – each channel addresses either the upper (right) or lower (left)  
bank of drives. When configuring the single-bus enclosure with an AM RAID  
Controller, one channel on the controller connects to the right or upper channel  
(Channel #1) connector on the I/O Interface card and addresses both banks of  
drives.  
From the front, the drives slots are divided into two banks. The left or upper four  
front drive slots, which are connected to “Channel 1” on the I/O Interface card,  
and the right or lower four front drive slots are connected to “Channel 0” on the  
I/O Interface card.  
Single Dual-Bus Enclosure  
With the Single-Bus module is installed, all of the disk drives in the CR8e  
enclosure are on the same SCSI bus. With this configuration you will have a total  
storage capacity of up to 145 GB (using 18 GB disk drives) per subsystem  
enclosure and have access to the drives independently or as a single large array.  
The SCSI IDs of the drives are set by the SAF-TE card defaults to IDs 0, 1, 2, and  
4, from the front beginning with the drive located on the right or lower slot of  
each bank. The SCSI IDs can be manually changed from the OCP, if required.  
Both banks of drives will normally use the same sequence of SCSI ID numbers  
when the Dual-Bus module is installed.  
NOTE: SCSI ID 3 is reserved for the SAF-TE card processor.  
CAUTION: Ensure that the power switch is in the OFF (O) position for both the  
host system and the CR8e subsystem before connecting any cables.  
1
Connect one end of a one meter data cable to the Channel #1 connector on  
the AM RAID Controller.  
26  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
2
3
Connect the other end of the first data cable to the Channel #0 SCSI  
connector on the right side or upper I/O Interface card.  
If required, connect one end of the second one meter data cable to the  
Channel #2 connector on the AM RAID Controller.  
4
Connect the other end of the second data cable to the Channel #1 SCSI  
connector on the right side or upper I/O Interface card.  
TOP  
Ch 1  
Ch 0  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ultra SCSI  
RAID Controller  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ch 1  
Ch 2  
Ch 0  
Ch 1  
NOTE: SCSI termination is automatic and requires no user configuration. Refer  
to “Termination” on page 21 for information on systems using DEC  
Fault bus protocol.  
5
Turn on the power to the CR8e. After the power-on self-test has completed,  
Status and Channel Mode LEDs will be solid green.  
6
Access the Options menu on the Operator Control Panel and choose the  
SAFTE CHAIN ID selection. Choose the “None” selection, refer to “SAFTE  
CHAIN ID” on page 50.  
7
8
After setting the cabinet identifications you must power cycle the subsystem.  
Observe normal power cycling precautions by waiting a minimum of five (5)  
seconds before adding power again.  
This will reset the SCSI IDs to a default setting that prevents a SCSI ID  
conflict under normal conditions.  
Power up your computer system and run the configuration program.  
This completes the hardware installation.  
27  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
Two Dual-Bus Enclosures  
With this configuration you will have a total storage capacity of up to 290 GB  
(using 18 GB disk drives) which provides 145 GB per channel per subsystem  
enclosure.  
This configuration is similar to the “Single Dual-Bus Enclosure” except that the  
capacity is expanded with a second cabinet providing a total of eight drives per  
SCSI channel.  
CAUTION: Ensure that the power switch is in the OFF (O) position for both the  
host system and the CR8e subsystem before connecting any cables.  
1
2
3
4
Connect one end of a one meter data cable to the Channel #1 connector on  
the AM RAID Controller.  
Connect the other end of the first data cable to the Channel #0 SCSI connector on  
the right side or upper I/O Interface card.  
Connect one end of the second one meter data cable to the Channel #2 connector  
on the AM RAID Controller.  
Connect the other end of the second data cable to the Channel #1 SCSI connector  
on the right side or upper I/O Interface card.  
TOP  
TOP  
Ch 1  
Ch 1  
Ch 0  
Ch 0  
I/O Interface  
Card  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ultra SCSI  
RAID Controller  
I/O Interface  
Card  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ch 1  
Ch 2  
Ch 0  
Ch 0  
Ch 1  
Ch 1  
14-inch jumper cable  
14-inch jumper cable  
5
Locate the jumper cables. Connect one end of a jumper cable to the Channel #0  
SCSI connector on the left side or lower I/O Interface card in the first cabinet.  
28  
F
Installation  
6
7
8
Connect the other end of the jumper cable to the Channel #0 SCSI connector  
on the left side or lower I/O Interface card in the second cabinet.  
Connect one end of a second jumper cable to the Channel #1 SCSI connector  
on the left side or lower I/O Interface card in the first cabinet.  
Connect the other end of the second jumper cable to the Channel 1 SCSI  
connector on the left side or lower I/O Interface card in the second cabinet.  
NOTE: SCSI termination is automatic and requires no user configuration. Refer  
to “Termination” on page 21 for information on systems using DEC  
Fault bus protocol.  
9
Turn on the power to the CR8e. After the power-on self-test has completed,  
Status and Channel Mode LEDs will be solid green.  
10 Access the Options menu on the Operator Control Panel and choose the  
SAFTE CHAIN ID selection. For each subsystem, identify which subsystem  
will be the master cabinet and which will be the slave cabinet. (Generally, the  
master cabinet will the subsystem connected to the controller.) Refer to  
“SAFTE CHAIN ID” on page 50.  
11 After setting the cabinet identifications you must power cycle the subsystem.  
Observe normal power cycling precautions by waiting a minimum of five (5)  
seconds before adding power again.  
This will reset the SCSI IDs to a default setting that prevents a SCSI ID  
conflict under normal conditions.  
12 Power up your computer system and run your configuration program.  
This completes the hardware installation.  
29  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
Single-Bus Enclosure  
With the Single-Bus module is installed, all of the disk drives in the CR8e  
enclosure are on the same SCSI bus. With this configuration you will have a  
total storage capacity of up to 145 GB (using 18 GB disk drives) per subsystem  
enclosure and have access to the drives independently or as a single large array.  
The SCSI IDs of the drives are set by SAF-TE card defaults to IDs 0 through  
9, and are assigned sequentially beginning with the lowest or far right drive.  
NOTE: SCSI ID 3 is reserved for the SAF-TE card processor and ID 7 reserved  
for the RAID controller.  
CAUTION: Ensure that the power switch is in the OFF (O) position for both the  
host system and the CR8e subsystem before connecting any cables.  
1
2
Connect one end of a one meter data cable to the Channel #1 connector on  
the AM RAID Controller.  
Connect the other end of the data cable to the Channel #1 SCSI connector on  
the upper or right side I/O Interface card.  
NOTE: The Channel #1 connector located on the upper or right side I/O Interface  
card is the active connector when the Single-Bus module is installed.  
TOP  
Ch 1  
Ch 0  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ultra SCSI  
RAID Controller  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ch 1  
Ch 0  
Ch 1  
NOTE: SCSI termination is automatic and requires no user configuration. Refer  
to “Termination” on page 21 for information on systems using DEC  
Fault bus protocol.  
30  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
3
4
Turn on the power to the CR8e. After the power-on self-test has completed,  
Status and Channel Mode LEDs will be solid green.  
Access the Options menu on the Operator Control Panel and choose the  
SAFTE CHAIN ID selection. Choose the “None” selection, refer to “SAFTE  
CHAIN ID” on page 50.  
5
After setting the cabinet identifications you must power cycle the subsystem.  
Observe normal power cycling precautions by waiting a minimum of five (5)  
seconds before adding power again.  
This will reset the SCSI IDs to a default setting that prevents a SCSI ID  
conflict under normal conditions.  
6
Power up your computer system and run the configuration program.  
This completes the hardware installation.  
31  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
Two Single-Bus Enclosures  
This configuration is similar to the “Single-Bus Enclosure” except that the  
capacity is expanded with a second cabinet providing a total of fourteen drives per  
SCSI channel.  
In this configuration a total of 16 SCSI IDs are available, one ID is consumed by  
the AM RAID Controller, and ID 3 is taken by the SAF-TE processor, leaving the  
fourteen remaining SCSI IDs available for the disk drives. Since the two CR8e  
enclosures provide for sixteen drives, with only 14 IDs available two drive slots  
will remain empty under this configuration.  
CAUTION: Ensure that the power switch is in the OFF (O) position for both the  
host system and the CR8e subsystem before connecting any cables.  
1
2
Connect one end of a one meter data cable to the Channel #1 connector on  
the AM RAID Controller.  
Connect the other end of the data cable to the Channel #1 SCSI connector on  
the upper or right side I/O Interface card.  
NOTE: The Channel #1 connector located on the upper or right side I/O Interface  
card is the active connector when the Single-Bus module is installed.  
TOP  
TOP  
Ch 1  
Ch 1  
Ch 0  
Ch 0  
I/O Interface  
Card  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ultra SCSI  
RAID Controller  
I/O Interface  
Card  
I/O Interface  
Card  
Ch 1  
Ch 0  
Ch 0  
Ch 1  
14-inch jumper cable  
Ch 1  
Unavailable Drive  
Available Drive  
3
Locate the jumper cables. Connect one end of a jumper cable to the Channel #0  
SCSI connector on the left side or lower I/O Interface card in the first cabinet.  
32  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
4
Connect the other end of the jumper cable to the Channel #0 SCSI connector  
on the left side or lower I/O Interface card in the second cabinet.  
NOTE: SCSI termination is automatic and requires no user configuration. Refer  
to “Termination” on page 21 for information on systems using DEC  
Fault bus protocol.  
5
Turn on the power to the CR8e. After the power-on self-test has completed,  
Status and Channel Mode LEDs will be solid green.  
6
Access the Options menu on the Operator Control Panel and choose the  
SAFTE CHAIN ID selection. For each subsystem, identify which subsystem  
will be the master cabinet and which will be the slave cabinet. (Generally, the  
master cabinet will the subsystem connected to the controller.) Refer to  
“SAFTE CHAIN ID” on page 50.  
7
8
After setting the cabinet identifications you must power cycle the subsystem.  
Observe normal power cycling precautions by waiting a minimum of five (5)  
seconds before adding power again.  
This will reset the SCSI IDs to a default setting that prevents a SCSI ID  
conflict under normal conditions.  
Power up your computer system and run your configuration program.  
This completes the hardware installation.  
33  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
A Dual-Bus Enclosure with Two Single-Bus Enclosures  
With this configuration you will be able to expand the capacity of each SCSI  
channel of a Dual-Bus enclosure by adding a Single-Bus enclosure to each  
channel. This provides up to twelve drives per SCSI channel for a total capacity of  
218 GB (using 18 GB disk drives) on each channel.  
CAUTION: Ensure that the power switch is in the OFF (O) position for both the  
host system and the CR8e subsystem before connecting any cables.  
1
2
3
4
Connect one end of a one meter data cable to the Channel #1 connector on  
the AM RAID Controller.  
Connect the other end of the first data cable to the Channel #0 SCSI connector  
on the right side or upper I/O Interface card.  
Connect one end of the second data cable to the Channel #2 connector on the  
AM RAID Controller.  
Connect the other end of the second data cable to the Channel #1 SCSI  
connector on the right side or upper I/O Interface card.  
TOP  
TOP  
TOP  
Ch 1  
Ch 1  
Ch 1  
Ch 0  
Ch 0  
Ch 0  
Ultra SCSI  
RAID Controller  
Ch 1  
Ch 2  
Ch 0  
Ch 0  
Ch 0  
14-inch jumper cable  
Ch 1  
Ch 1  
Ch 1  
14-inch jumper cable  
5
Locate the jumper cables. Connect one end of one jumper cable to the  
Channel #0 SCSI connector on the left side or lower I/O Interface card  
installed in the Dual-Bus enclosure (master).  
34  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
6
7
8
Connect the other end of the first jumper cable to the Channel #0 SCSI  
connector on the left side or lower I/O Interface card installed in the  
Single-Bus enclosure (Slave #1).  
Connect one end of a second jumper cable to the Channel #1 SCSI connector  
on the left side or lower I/O Interface card installed in the Dual-Bus enclosure  
(master).  
Connect the other end of the second jumper cable to the Channel #0 SCSI  
connector on the left side or lower I/O Interface card installed in the  
Single-Bus enclosure (Slave #2).  
NOTE: SCSI termination is automatic and requires no user configuration. Refer  
to “Termination” on page 21 for information on systems using DEC  
Fault bus protocol.  
9
Turn on the power to the CR8e. After the power-on self-test has completed,  
Status and Channel Mode LEDs will be solid green.  
10 Access the Options menu on the Operator Control Panel and choose the  
SAFTE CHAIN ID selection. For each subsystem, identify which subsystem  
will be the master cabinet and which will be the slave cabinets. (Generally,  
the master cabinet will the subsystem connected to the controller.) Refer to  
“SAFTE CHAIN ID” on page 50.  
11 After setting the cabinet identifications you must power cycle the subsystem.  
Observe normal power cycling precautions by waiting a minimum of five (5)  
seconds before adding power again.  
This will reset the SCSI IDs to a default setting that prevents a SCSI ID  
conflict under normal conditions.  
12 Power up your computer system and run your configuration program.  
This completes the hardware installation.  
35  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode  
Installation  
Other Configurations  
There are many possible combinations of controllers and cabling schemes when  
configuring the CR8e subsystem enclosures. The sample configurations in the  
previous sections provide the basic configurations. However, the CR8e is based on  
an open-architecture expandable subsystem and allows for customization to fit  
your current or future needs.  
Some other possible schemes within SCSI bus length limitations for both Ultra  
Wide SCSI and Fast Wide SCSI are:  
A 3-channel AM RAID Controller where two channels connect to a  
dual-bus cabinet with two single-bus cabinets (Fast Wide). The third  
channel of the controller can be connected to another Single-Bus enclosure  
(Ultra Wide or Fast Wide).  
A 3-channel AM RAID Controller with a Single-Bus enclosure connected  
to each channel (Ultra Wide or Fast Wide).  
A 3-channel AM RAID Controller with two Single-Bus enclosures  
connected to each channel (Fast Wide).  
A 3-channel AM RAID Controller with two Single-Bus enclosures  
connected to two channels and a dual-bus cabinet connected to the third  
channel (Fast Wide).  
A 3-channel AM RAID Controller with four Single-Bus enclosures  
connected to two channels and a dual-bus cabinet connected to the third  
channel (Fast Wide).  
A 2-channel AM RAID Controller with two Single-Bus enclosures  
connected to each channel (Ultra Wide or Fast Wide).  
A 2-channel AM RAID Controller with one Single-Bus enclosure  
connected to each channel (Ultra Wide or Fast Wide).  
NOTE: For additional configuration options while operating under the Ultra  
Wide SCSI mode, refer to the nStor Feature Card Users Guide.  
36  
Other Configurations  
Using the CR8e  
3
In this chapter you will find information on the subsystems enclosure notifications  
systems, and the proper use and operation of the Operator Control Panel.  
Notifications and Error Conditions  
When the CR8e subsystem has powered applied, it will perform a power on self-  
test (POST) procedure. During the POST operation, in addition to the LED  
notifications, you can also monitor the operation of the subsystem tests and the  
subsystem component conditions all from the Operator Control Panel.  
Power-On Self Test  
During the diagnostic POST, a continuous tone will sound and the following will  
be observed:  
The Operator Control Panel will display “Testing ROM”, “NVRAM”, and  
“SCSI Access” followed by the startup mode screen and the Status OK (default)  
screen, provided no errors are detected. The Status Indicator LEDs will be as  
follows:  
Fan Status LED will be solid amber and change to solid green  
Power Supply LED will be solid green  
Channel Mode LED will be solid amber and change to solid green  
If no errors are detected, all of the Status Indicator LEDs will be illuminating  
solid green.  
37  
Using the CR8e  
Firmware Error Conditions  
NOTE: None of the following error conditions will compromise the data  
integrity on the CR8e drives.  
Any of these failures listed below will generate the following: Channel Mode LED  
blinks amber eight times and the alarm will sound eight tones. After the tones  
have sounded the Channel Mode LED will change to green and normal operations  
will be attempted. These error conditions indicate that the LEDs and alarm  
functions may not be reliable.  
RAM Read/Write Failure - This error condition indicates that one or more  
bytes of the microprocessor RAM failed a write/read test.  
ROM Checksum Failure - This error condition indicates that the  
microprocessor ROM failed to generate the proper checksum.  
Register Read/Write Failure - This error condition indicates that one or more  
of the microprocessors registers have become defective.  
If the errors occur constantly, the CR8e needs to be serviced. Contact nStor  
Technical Support.  
RAM Checksum Failure  
If this error condition occurs, the Channel Mode LED will alternately blink green  
and amber indefinitely. This indicates that the firmware stored in the non-volatile  
RAM has become corrupted and new firmware data will need to be downloaded  
from the SCSI bus to correct this problem. Contact nStor Technical Support.  
SCSI Bus Access Failure  
If this error condition occurs, the Channel Mode LED will blink amber four times  
and the speaker will sound four tones. This indicates that either the SCSI  
controller failed to respond to a reset command or another device has control of  
the SCSI bus.  
Note that this may be caused by other devices having control of the bus at the  
time the CR8e is powered ON. After the tones have sounded, there will be a two  
second delay, and the microprocessor will again attempt to initialize the SCSI  
controller. Turning the system OFF then ON again may help resolve this  
condition. Normal operations will be impossible while the SCSI controller  
remains unresponsive.  
38  
Firmware Error Conditions  
Using the CR8e  
All drive LEDs will illuminate solid green regardless of the error conditions. The  
CR8e needs to be serviced if this error occurs consistently and is not cleared by  
cycling the power on the CR8e. Contact nStor Technical Support.  
NOTE: The CR8e subsystem will not respond to the firmware if this error occurs.  
LED Descriptions  
Use the following LED matrix to interpret the CR8e LEDs when the SAF-TE card  
is installed and an accompanied SAF-TE compliant RAID controller is installed.  
SAF -TE LED Mat r ix  
STATUS LEDs  
CHANNEL MODE LEDs  
AT POWER UP  
Steady Green  
Steady Green  
DRIVE READY  
NOT ASSIGNED  
Blinking Green  
Steady Green  
Blinking Green  
Blinking Green  
Steady Green  
Steady Green  
Steady Green  
Steady Amber  
DRIVE READY  
ASSIGNED  
HOT SPARE READY  
ASSIGNED  
DRIVE ERROR  
NOT ASSIGNED  
DRIVE ERROR  
ASSIGNED  
Blinking Amber  
Steady Amber  
Steady Amber  
Steady Amber  
Steady Amber  
Steady Amber  
ARRAY CRITICAL  
REMAINING GOOD DRIVES  
HOT SPARE  
REBUILD MODE  
DRIVE MANUALLY  
DISABLED  
Blinking Amber  
Steady Amber  
STATUS LEDs  
ASSIGNED TO ARRAY  
Steady Green  
UNASSIGNED DRIVE  
HOT SPARE  
Blinking Green  
Blinking Green  
Off  
ALL EMPTY BAYS  
FAILED DRIVE  
Blinking Amber  
Steady Amber (all drives)  
REBUILD MODE  
CHANNEL MODE LEDs  
ARRAY IS FAULT-TOLERANT  
ARRAY IS IN REBUILD MODE  
Steady Green  
Steady Amber  
ARRAY HAS A FAILED DRIVE  
Steady Amber  
FIRMWARE CHECKSUM ERROR  
Alternating Amber and Green  
39  
LED Descriptions  
Using the CR8e  
Operator Control Panel  
In this section you will find an explanation of the Operator Control Panel screen  
displays, as well as a description and subsequent procedures for using each of the  
OCP menu functions.  
Startup Screens  
The following are sample screens that could occur during the startup POST  
operation for normal conditions and abnormal conditions:  
nStor  
nStor  
nStor CR8e  
STARTING DUAL-BUS  
CONFIGURATION  
STATUS : OK  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
Startup Screen  
Status OK Screen  
(You will see either Dual-Bus or  
Single-Bus, depending on the  
configuration module installed.  
Normal Screens  
nStor  
nStor  
nStor CR8e  
nStor CR8e  
STATUS : HARDWARE  
ERROR  
STATUS : HEAT  
THRESHOLD EXCEEDED  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
Hardware Error Screen  
Temperature Exceeded Screen  
Abnormal Screens  
If a subsystem error occur during the startup, you will hear a continuous tone  
from the alarm. Access the Component Status Menu to identify the suspected  
failed component.  
40  
Operator Control Panel  
Using the CR8e  
Power Supply Error Conditions  
During normal operation, anytime one of the required number of power supplies  
becomes inoperative, you will hear a continuous alarm and a warning message  
will appear on the display. This message is simply a notification that the state of  
the power system is no longer redundant. Use the Component Status menu to  
determine which power supply has failed and identify the failed unit by the  
absence of its “DC Good” LED on the PSU. Replace the failed component to  
return the subsystem to a redundant state.  
If you install five (5) or more disk drives and only have two (2) power supplies  
installed, an alarm will sound. The Power Supply LED will illuminate steady  
amber and the OCP display will indicate “Non-Redundant Power.” Install a third  
power supply and the error message will clear followed by the Power Supply LED  
returning to a steady green. For more information see Installing the Third Power  
Supply on page 19.  
Subsystem Status Icon  
A feature of the CR8e OCP is the “at-a-glance” animated icon that appears to  
indicate subsystem status. The icon will appear at the Main menu screen after 30  
seconds of no OCP input activity and provides an “at-a-glance” look at system  
status. The icon will be located where the cursor normally appears.  
The animated icon will have a “happy” face and looks “left and right”, if all the  
systems are operating normally. If an abnormality occurs within the subsystem,  
the icon will change to a “sad” face requesting your attention.  
Happy Icon  
(systems nominal)  
Sad Icon  
(systems abnormal)  
41  
Power Supply Error Conditions  
Using the CR8e  
Main Menu  
From the Main Menu selection the following options are available:  
Turn off the audible alarm  
Select the hardware menu  
Select the options menu  
To access the Main menu, press the Menu button. Use the up and down arrow  
buttons to make your selection and press the Enter button.  
nStor  
TURN OFF ALARM  
HARDWARE MENU  
OPTIONS MENU  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
Hardware Menu  
From the Hardware Menu selection the following options are available:  
Component Status  
Conguration Info  
POST Results (Power-On Self Test)  
Internal Temp  
nStor  
TURN OFF ALARM  
HARDWARE MENU  
OPTIONS MENU  
nStor  
COMPONENT STATUS  
CONFIGURATION INFO  
POST RESULTS  
INTERNAL TEMP  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
42  
Main Menu  
Using the CR8e  
Component Status  
The Component Status menu provides a view of the power supplies and fans  
installed in the CR8e and their current status. Component status can be either  
OK, Missing, or Failed.  
1
2
3
If you receive a Hardware Error, access the Main menu and choose the  
Hardware Menu.  
Use the up/down arrow buttons to select Component Status and press the  
Enter button.  
Use the up/down arrow buttons scrolling to view the complete list of the  
components.  
Fan speeds are expressed in % of RPM. The bus configuration will be  
displayed for the type of Configuration Module you have installed.  
4
Press the Escape button to return to the previous menu or the Menu button to  
return to the Main “Status OK” screen.  
nStor  
nStor  
COMPONENT STATUS  
CONFIGURATION INFO  
PWR SPLY 1...OK  
POST RESULTS  
INTERNAL TEMP  
PWR SPLY 2...OK  
PWR SPLY 3...MISSING  
FAN 1...........FAILED  
nStor  
FAN 2...........OK  
FAN 1 SPEED..79%  
FAN 2 SPEED..79%  
BUS CONFIG...SINGLE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
Configuration Info  
This selection provides information about the subsystems conguration  
including such items as the installed feature cards and firmware information.  
NOTE: Slot “x” Cards are the feature cards located on the subsystem rear panel.  
Slot 1 is the lower/left feature card slot and slot 2 is the upper/right  
feature card slot.  
43  
Main Menu  
Using the CR8e  
1
To view the current enclosure configuration, access the Main menu and  
choose Hardware Menu.  
nStor  
nStor  
COMPONENT STATUS  
CONFIGURATION INFO  
POST RESULTS  
INTERNAL TEMP  
PROD: CR8L  
SAF-TE  
SLOT 1 CARD:  
I/O INTERFACE  
nStor  
SLOT 2 CARD:  
I/O INTERFACE  
RAM REVISION: 0.23  
ROM REVISION: 1.05  
ID: FFFFFFFFh  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
2
Use the up/down arrow buttons to select Configuration Info and press the  
Enter button.  
3
4
Use the up/down arrow buttons scrolling to view the current configuration.  
Press the Escape button to return to the previous menu or the Menu button to  
return to the Main “Status OK” screen.  
POST Results  
This screen provides a list of the diagnostics performed during the POST procedure.  
If an error has occurred it will be displayed here in addition to the notification  
provided by the LEDs and alarms, see Power-On Self Test on page 37.  
nStor  
nStor  
COMPONENT STATUS  
POWER STATUS  
ROM CHKSUM ..OK  
RAM CHKSUM ..FAILED  
RAM R/W. . . . . . . OK  
SCSI BUS 0 . . . OK  
FW REVISION  
POST RESULTS  
nStor  
RAM R/W. . . . . . . OK  
SCSI BUS 0 . . . . OK  
SCSI BUS 1 . . . . OK  
MENU  
ENTER  
ESCAPE  
PROCESSOR.. . . . OK  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
44  
Main Menu  
Using the CR8e  
1
2
To view the POST results, access the Main menu and choose Hardware Menu.  
Use the up/down arrow buttons to select Post Results and press the Enter  
button.  
3
4
Use the up/down arrow buttons scrolling to view the complete POST results  
lists.  
Press the Escape button to return to the previous menu or the Menu button to  
return to the Main “Status OK” screen.  
Internal Temp  
This screen displays the current internal enclosure temperature (highest of the  
two sensors). To change the temperature threshold of the monitoring system, see  
Heat Threshold on page 49.  
nStor  
COMPONENT STATUS  
CONFIGURATION INFO  
nStor  
POST RESULTS  
INTERNAL TEMP  
CABINET INTERNAL  
TEMPERATURE  
75°F  
/
24°C  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
1
2
3
To view the cabinet internal temperature, access the Main menu and choose  
Hardware Menu.  
Use the up/down arrow buttons to select Internal Temp and press the Enter  
button.  
Press the Escape button to return to the previous menu or the Menu button to  
return to the Main “Status OK” screen.  
45  
Main Menu  
Using the CR8e  
Options Menu  
From the Options Menu the following are available:  
SCSI ID Menu  
Heat Threshold  
SAFTE Chain ID  
Change Passcode  
Unlock Options  
SCSI ID Menu  
From the SCSI ID Menu you can set SCSI IDs for drives attached to each of the  
SCSI channels (lower slot and upper slot), and set the CR8e SAF-TE processor ID  
(upper or lower bus if a Dual-bus module is installed).  
You can manually set SCSI IDs for each group of drives from a pre-defined table of  
IDs, see JP4 (SCSI ID Settings) on page 74 for a list of the possible ID combinations.  
The SCSI IDs which are currently set will be flashing. The IDs will be assigned  
sequentially beginning with the lowest device in the group.  
NOTE: Drive SCSI IDs cannot be set individually.  
1
To manually set the SCSI IDs for the drive sets found in the upper or lower  
slots, access the Main menu and choose Options Menu.  
nStor  
nStor  
SCSI ID MENU  
HEAT THRESHOLD  
SET LOWER SLOT IDS  
SAFTE CHAIN ID  
SET UPPER SLOT IDS  
CHANGE PASSCODE  
SET SAFTE ID  
RESET DEFAULT IDS  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
2
3
Use the up/down arrow buttons to select SCSI ID Menu and press the Enter  
button.  
Use the up/down arrow buttons to select either the Lower or Upper drive slot  
IDs, or the SAFTE ID, and press the Enter button.  
46  
Options Menu  
Using the CR8e  
4
Use the up/down arrow buttons to make your SCSI ID group selection and  
press the Enter button.  
Note the flashing set of IDs, if present. These will be the group currently  
configured.  
nStor  
nStor  
SET LOWER SLOT IDS  
SET UPPER SLOT IDS  
0
0
4
4
5
1
1
5
5
6
2
2
6
6
7
3
4
7
8
8
SET SAFTE ID  
LOWER 4  
RESET DEFAULT IDS  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
5
Press the Escape button twice or the Menu button to return to the Main “Status  
OK” screen, then power cycle the host computer and CR8e subsystem.  
NOTE: You must power cycle the subsystem for the SCSI IDs changes to take  
effect.  
To change the SAF-TE card SCSI ID, follow the five steps above, except select “Set  
SAFTE ID” in step 3 and choose from “Set ID on Lower Bus” or “Set ID on  
Upper Bus” in step 4. Use the up/down arrow buttons to change the ID value.  
nStor  
nStor  
SET ID ON LOWER BUS  
SET ID ON UPPER BUS  
ARROWS CHANGE ID  
ENTER TO SET NEW ID  
ESC TO EXIT  
PROCESSOR ID:  
3
MENU  
ENTER  
ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
Since the subsystem is available in either a split SCSI bus design or as a single  
SCSI bus, you can set the SAF-TE card SCSI ID for each bus if a conflict is  
occurring. The default setting is SCSI ID 3 for each bus. The setting for SCSI  
ID “OB” indicates Off Bus and is generally used when the subsystem is  
installed in a “Slave” subsystem in a Master/Slave environment.  
47  
Options Menu  
Using the CR8e  
NOTE: When the SAF-TE card is set to off bus, LEDs and other error reporting  
are not driven by the subsystems off bus SAF-TE card, but are reported  
and controlled from the “Master” subsystems SAF-TE card.  
Reset Default IDs Selection  
Choosing the “Reset Default IDs” option will reset all subsystem SCSI IDs to their  
factory default settings.  
The default drive ID settings when a dual-bus module is installed are 0, 1, 2, and  
4 for both the upper and lower drive groups.  
The default drive ID settings when a single-bus module is installed are 0, 1, 2, 4,  
5, 6, 8, and 9.  
The default SCSI ID for the SAF-TE card is ID 3. SCSI ID 7 is reserved for the  
host bus adapter.  
nStor  
SET LOWER SLOT IDS  
SET UPPER SLOT IDS  
SET SAFTE ID  
nStor  
ALL SCSI IDS SET TO  
DUAL BUS MODE  
(CYCLE POWER TO  
EFFECT CHANGES)  
RESET DEFAULT IDS  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
NOTE: You must power cycle the subsystem for the SCSI IDs changes to take  
effect. Also be sure to power cycle the host computer. If a PCI-based  
RAID Controller is being used and the host is not power cycled, it will  
“kill” all drives in the array.  
1
2
To reset the SCSI IDs, access the Main menu and choose Options Menu.  
Use the up/down arrow buttons to select SCSI ID Menu and press the Enter  
button.  
3
4
Use the up/down arrow buttons to select RESET DEFAULT IDS.  
Press the Escape button twice to return to the Main “Status OK” screen, then  
power cycle the host computer and CR8e subsystem.  
48  
Options Menu  
Using the CR8e  
Heat Threshold  
NOTE: The Heat Threshold value is pre-set at the factory and should not be  
changed unless directed by nStor Technical Support. The default setting  
is 116°F/47.°C.  
Choose the Heat Threshold Menu to change the temperature value for the  
thermal monitoring system. If the temperature exceeds the value set here, a  
“Temperature Threshold Exceeded” screen will appear, see Internal Temp on  
page 45.  
nStor  
SCSI ID MENU  
HEAT THRESHOLD  
SAFTE CHAIN ID  
nStor  
CHANGE PASSCODE  
ARROWS TO CHANGE  
ENTER TO SET  
ESC TO EXIT  
116°F / 47°C  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
1
2
Use the up/down arrow buttons to select Heat Threshold and press the Enter  
button.  
Using the up/down arrow buttons, change the temperature threshold setting.  
The up arrow button will increase the temperature and the down arrow  
button will lower the temperature threshold. The temperature value will  
change by 2°C increments.  
3
4
Press the Enter button the set the new temperature value.  
Press the Escape button twice or press the Menu button to return to the Main  
“Status OK” screen, then power cycle the host computer and CR8e  
subsystem.  
49  
Heat Threshold  
Using the CR8e  
SAFTE CHAIN ID  
This option allows the administrator to establish the intercabinet SAF-TE  
communication to support a master and slave cabinets. The master cabinet can  
report component failure for both the master cabinet and up to two slave cabinets  
to the AdminiStor Storage Management software. Each cabinets individual OCP  
will function normally for that cabinets components.  
Once the slave cabinets have been established, the administrator must use the slave  
cabinets OCP to manually take that slave cabinet SAF-TE card off bus, refer to  
“SCSI ID Menu” on page 46.  
1
2
Choose the SAFTE CHAIN ID selection and press the Enter button.  
Use the up/down arrow buttons and choose between the options: None,  
Master, Slave 1, and Slave 2, then press the Enter button.  
NOTE: Choose “NONE” when the cabinet is used in a stand-alone configuration  
or the master/slave option is not desired.  
3
You will be prompted to cycle the power on the CR8e for the changes to take  
effect.  
nStor  
SCSI ID MENU  
HEAT THRESHOLD  
SAFTE CHAIN ID  
nStor  
CHANGE PASSCODE  
NONE  
MASTER  
SLAVE 1  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
SLAVE 2  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
50  
SAFTE CHAIN ID  
Using the CR8e  
Change Passcode  
This option allows the administrator to create or change a passcode that will  
protect access to all the items under the selections SCSI ID Menu, Heat  
Threshold, and Change Passcode.  
1
Use the up/down arrow buttons to select Change Passcode and press the Enter  
button.  
nStor  
HEAT THRESHOLD  
SAFTE CHAIN ID  
CHANGE PASSCODE  
nStor  
UNLOCK OPTIONS  
ENTER NEW PASSCODE  
0 0 0 0  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER  
ESCAPnStor  
PASSCODE CHANGED  
(ESCAPE TO CONTINUE)  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
2
Use the up/down arrow buttons to change the code value (0-9) and the Enter  
button to move from one field to the next.  
3
4
Press the Enter button after you have made your selections.  
You will be prompted to press the Escape button after the passcode has been  
modified to enable the change to take affect. The default code is “0000.”  
NOTE: The passcode lock will not take effect until you have returned to the  
Main screen displaying “Status OK.”  
51  
Change Passcode  
Using the CR8e  
Unlock Options  
This option allows the administrator to unlock the items found under the SCSI ID  
Menu, Heat Threshold, and Change Passcode selections. This enables the user to  
change these values and protects these values from being changed by those not  
authorized to do so.  
nStor  
HEAT THRESHOLD  
SAFTE CHAIN ID  
nStor  
CHANGE PASSCODE  
ENTER 4 DIGIT  
UNLOCK OPTIONS  
PASSCODE  
0 0 0 0  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
MENU  
ENTER  
ESCAPE  
1
To change the Unlock Options, access the Main menu and choose Options  
Menu.  
2
3
Use the up/down arrow buttons to change the code value (0-9) and the Enter  
button to move from one field to the next.  
Press the Enter button after you have made your selections.  
You will be prompted that the SCSI ID Menu options are unlocked until you have  
cycled the menus back to the default “Status OK” screen. An “unlock” icon will  
appear in place of the cursor while the options remain unlocked.  
nStor  
OPTIONS WILL REMAIN  
UNLOCKED UNTIL YOU  
RETURN TO THE  
DEFAULT SCREEN  
MENU  
ENTER ESCAPE  
52  
Unlock Options  
Troubleshooting  
4
This chapter provides solutions for some of the problems you may encounter  
while using the CR8e subsystem.  
Common Enclosure Problems  
Symptom  
Reason  
Solution  
Fails to power on.  
Power cord not connected  
properly.  
Verify that the power cord is  
properly connected to the power  
module.  
If the CR8e is plugged into a  
three-hole grounded outlet,  
verify if power to the outlet has  
been interrupted. This can be  
accomplished by testing the  
outlet with a known working  
appliance, like a lamp.  
Power not available at the  
outlet.  
Be sure that the power switch is  
in the “ON” position, labeled “I.  
Power switch not in the  
proper position.  
Replace fuse, see Replacing a  
Fuse on page 62.  
Faulty fuse.  
Replace power cord.  
Faulty power cord.  
If the CR8e is not responding,  
contact nStor Technical  
Support.  
53  
Troubleshooting  
Symptom  
Reason  
Solution  
Operator Control  
Panel display  
indicates  
Possible component failure.  
From the Operator Control  
Panel, “Hardware Menu” from  
the Main Menu and select  
“Component Status.” Scroll  
down through the list to locate  
the failed component. Follow the  
procedures in the Maintenance  
chapter to replace the failed  
component.  
“Hardware Error.”  
LED and audible  
alarms indicate  
the system failed  
the diagnostic test.  
Power-on self-test failed.  
From the Operator Control  
Panel, “Hardware Menu” from  
the Main Menu and select  
“POST Results.” Scroll down  
through the list to locate the  
failed component, see Power-On  
Self Test on page 37.  
Operator Control  
Panel display  
indicates cabinet  
temperature  
threshold has been  
exceeded.  
Cooling fan failure.  
From the Operator Control  
Panel, “Hardware Menu” from  
the Main Menu and select  
“Component Status.” Scroll  
down through the list to locate  
the failed component. Follow the  
procedures in the Maintenance  
chapter to replace the failed  
component.  
Change the temperature  
threshold value, see Heat  
Threshold on page 49.  
Temperature threshold too  
low.  
Cooling fan vent blocked.  
Examine the cooling fan vents  
for blockage and clear.  
The location chosen for the  
CR8e probably has poor air  
circulation. Choose a better  
location.  
Inadequate ventilation  
around the CR8e.  
Common SCSI Bus Problems  
SCSI Bus problems can usually be attributed to cabling issues or faulty I/O  
Interface cards. Refer to the chart on the following page to review troublshooting  
and fault isolation procedures to assist you in identifying the suspect component.  
54  
Common SCSI Bus Problems  
Troubleshooting  
SCSI Bus Symptom  
Probable Cause  
Solution  
SCSI Bus hangs, SCSI  
Bus excessive retries,  
and/or drives drop  
offline.  
Faulty connectivity.  
Re-check the cables to the I/O  
Interface card and host adapter.  
Depending on how many  
Faulty I/O Interface card.  
subsystem are connected on the  
SCSI bus, you will need to  
perform some fault isolation.  
If all the drives on one bus are  
offline, start with the subsystem  
furthermost out on the chain.  
Disconnect the data cable. If the  
remaining drives return to a  
normal state it indicates that  
the isolated subsystem has the  
faulty component.  
If this does not return the  
remaining drives to a normal  
state, continue removing each  
data cable on that bus until the  
first subsystem is the remaining  
subsystem.  
If you had to remove all the data  
cables up to the first subsystem  
and the problem is still not  
resolved, this could indicate  
that the I/O Interface card in  
the first subsystem is the  
suspect faulty card. Use one of  
the cards from the previous  
subsystems or a “new” known  
good card. This should return  
the subsystem bus to a normal  
condition.  
Note: A return to a normal  
condition is indicated by the  
drives coming back online.  
After the faulty card is  
replaced, begin re-connecting  
the data cables on the  
remaining I/O Interface cards  
noting the bus remains in a  
normal state.  
55  
Common SCSI Bus Problems  
Troubleshooting  
Common Problems and Interpreting the LED Indications  
LED Status  
Reason  
Solution  
Status Indicator  
LEDs not  
functioning  
properly.  
SCSI data cable not properly  
connected.  
Verify that the SCSI data cable is  
properly connected to the CR8e  
SCSI-2 connector and to the  
controller card.  
A specific drives  
Status LED is  
blinking amber  
and the Channel  
Mode LED is  
An assigned drive has failed.  
The CR8e is in a non-fault  
tolerant mode.  
Replace the disk drive and begin  
rebuilding the array, see  
Replacing a Disk Drive on  
page 57.  
steady amber.  
A specific drives  
Status LED is  
An assigned drive has failed.  
The CR8e is in a non-fault  
tolerant mode and a rebuild  
operation is in progress.  
Replace the failed disk drive  
(Drives Status LED blinking  
amber).  
blinking amber,  
the remainder of  
the drives Status  
LEDs in that array  
are steady amber,  
and the Channel  
Mode LED is  
steady amber.  
A specific drives  
Status LED is OFF  
and the Channel  
Mode LED is  
The disk drive is missing.  
The CR8e is in a non-fault  
tolerant mode.  
Insert a disk drive and begin an  
array rebuild, see Replacing a  
Disk Drive on page 57.  
steady amber.  
A specific drives  
Status LED is  
blinking green and  
the Channel Mode  
LED is steady  
green.  
A drive has not been  
Assign the drive to an array,  
refer to the nStor AM RAID  
Utilities User’s Guide.  
assigned into an array or the  
drive is a hot spare, however  
it is in a ready state.  
56  
Common Problems and Interpreting the LED Indications  
Maintenance  
5
In this chapter you will find the maintenance procedures to replace individual  
components, as well as the entire subsystem enclosure.  
Replacing a Disk Drive  
CAUTION: Drives and printed circuit board components are sensitive to  
electrostatic discharge. To prevent operating failure or damage,  
observe the following: Establish a ground for yourself by using the  
wrist grounding strap, or by touching the metal chassis prior to  
handling or installing the drives or printed circuit board components.  
NOTE: There is no need to power OFF the CR8e or the computer system. The  
drives are hot swappable.  
1
1
2
Unlock and open the door on the CR8e cabinet.  
Identify the failed drive using the Status LEDs and the Fault LED.  
Using your thumbs, apply a slight pressure outward to release the drive latch  
clips, unlocking the failed drive and remove the drive.  
3
4
Remove your new disk drive from the shipping carton and inspect the  
shipment. Remove the anti-static protective packaging.  
Holding the drive by its edges, locate the Drive Latching Clips and pull out on  
the latches to unlock them. The Drive Latching Clips are placed in the locked  
position for shipping purposes.  
57  
Maintenance  
5
Insert the drive into the drive bay by aligning its rails into the drive bay slots,  
component side toward the right (rack) or down (tower). Seat the drive by  
applying pressure with your thumb to the front of the drive.  
6
7
Press the Drive Latching Clips until they “snap” into place.  
Using the packaging materials from the replacement disk drive, repackage the  
failed drive and return it to nStor Corporation, refer to the nStor Resource  
Guide for information on “Obtaining a Return Material Authorization.”  
Replacing a Power Supply  
CAUTION: Power supplies must be replaced by qualified service personnel only.  
1
Using the Operator Control Panel, identify the failed power supply.  
Select “Hardware Menu” from the Main Menu and choose “Component  
Status.” For more information, refer to “Component Status” on page 43.  
Power Supply #3  
Power Supply #2  
“DC Good” LED  
Power Supply #1  
58  
Replacing a Power Supply  
Maintenance  
NOTE: When locating the failed power supply, the “DC Good” LED will be OFF.  
2
Using a flat-blade screwdriver, loosen the rear door access screw. Open the  
door to gain access to power supplies #1 and #2.  
If you are replacing the #3 power supply, loosen the two PSU Cover Plate  
screws. Remove the cover plate and skip to step 3.  
3
Grasp the handle of the subject power supply and pull the supply out of the  
CR8e enclosure.  
NOTE: The orientation of the power supply being removed. This will facilitate  
the installation of the replacement supply.  
4
5
Remove the new power supply from the shipping carton and inspect the  
shipment. Save the packaging material.  
Slide the new power supply into the cabinet until it reaches its locked  
position.  
NOTE: Orient the power supply in the same manner as the removed power  
supply. (Air slots in the PSU case face toward the center of the cabinet.)  
The new power supplys LED should illuminate.  
6
7
Close the rear door panel. The door has a latch mechanism that holds the  
door in the open position. Squeeze the latch to release the door allowing it to  
be closed.  
If you are replacing the #3 power supply, re-install the PSU Cover Plate and  
then re-secure the power cord retainer.  
Using the packaging materials from the replacement power supply, repackage  
and return it to nStor Corporation, refer to the nStor Resource Guide for  
information on “Obtaining a Return Material Authorization.”  
59  
Replacing a Power Supply  
Maintenance  
Replacing the Cooling Fans  
CAUTION: Cooling fans must be replaced by qualified service personnel only.  
NOTE: There is no need to power off the CR8e or the computer system. The  
cooling fans are hot swappable.  
1
Use the Operator Control Panel to identify the failed fan, refer to the  
illustration below to locate the components.  
Select “Hardware Menu” from the Main Menu and choose “Component  
Status.” For more information, refer to “Component Status” on page 43.  
Fan #2  
Power Cable  
Fan #2  
Fan #1  
Power Cable  
Fan #1  
Door Latch  
Fan #1  
Power Cable  
You may need to scroll through the list with the arrows buttons to locate the  
failed component.  
2
Using a flat-blade screwdriver, loosen the rear door access screw. Open the  
door to gain access to the fans.  
3
4
Disconnect the failed fans power cable connector.  
Remove the failed fan by sliding it out from the door assembly.  
60  
Replacing the Cooling Fans  
Maintenance  
5
6
7
8
Remove the new cooling fan from the shipping carton and inspect the  
shipment. Save the packaging material.  
With the fan guard facing toward the inside of the cabinet, slide the new fan  
into its housing.  
Reconnect the fans power cable connector. The connector is keyed and will  
install only one direction.  
Close the rear door panel. The door has a latch mechanism that holds the  
door in the open position. Squeeze the latch to release the door allowing it to  
be closed.  
9
Secure the door with the access panel screw.  
10 Using the packaging materials from the replacement power supply, repackage  
and return it to nStor Corporation, refer to the nStor Resource Guide for  
information on “Obtaining a Return Material Authorization.”  
Replacing an I/O Interface Card  
1
Identify the failed I/O Interface card. Refer to the Troubleshooting chapter  
for information on identifying failed cards, “Troubleshooting” on page 53.  
2
Turn the power OFF to the CR8e subsystem. The cards are not hot swappable.  
I/O Interface Card  
Thumb Screw  
Thumb Screw  
61  
Replacing an I/O Interface Card  
Maintenance  
3
4
Loosen the two thumb screws that secures the card.  
Insert the new I/O Interface card and tighten the thumb screws. Do not  
overtighten the fasteners.  
5
Using the packaging materials from the replacement card, repackage the  
failed card and return it to nStor Corporation. Refer to the nStor Resource  
Guide for information on “Obtaining a Return Material Authorization.”  
Replacing a Fuse  
CAUTION: Power off the subsystem and disconnect the power cord before  
changing the fuse.  
1
Locate the fuse holder on the rear panel of the CR8e.  
Fuse Assembly  
Power Connector Module  
Fuse (250V 10A)  
Fuse Holder  
2
Using a small coin, turn the fuse holder counter-clockwise one quarter turn,  
releasing the holder from its locked position.  
62  
Replacing a Fuse  
Maintenance  
3
4
5
6
7
Using the tip of your finger nail, ease the holder away from the unit.  
Once removed, separate the fuse from the holder.  
Replace the fuse with one of identical type and rating (250V 10A).  
Insert the fuse into the holder.  
Insert the fuse holder into the unit and secure it. Push in while turning  
clockwise one quarter turn, locking it into place. Do not overtighten.  
Replacing the CR8e Cabinet  
CAUTION: Drives and printed circuit board components are sensitive to  
electrostatic discharge. To prevent operating failure or damage,  
observe the following: Establish a ground for yourself by using the  
wrist grounding strap, or by touching the metal chassis prior to  
handling or installing the drives or printed circuit board components.  
1
Remove your new enclosure cabinet from the shipping carton and inspect the  
shipment. Save the packaging material.  
2
Turn the power OFF to the computer system and the old CR8e enclosure.  
NOTE: Note the position of the data cables, disk drives, and the jumpers on I/O  
Interface cards prior to disconnecting or removing the items. To facilitate  
correct installation, you may want to tag the cables appropriately. The  
drives should have a drive label located on the front of each drive unit.  
3
4
5
Remove each drive noting its position and store them in a safe location.  
Disconnect the data and power cables from the old subsystem enclosure.  
(Rack Mount Systems Only) Remove the CR8e subsystem from the rack  
cabinet assembly.  
6
7
(Single-Bus Modules Only) Remove the Single-Bus configuration module from  
the old enclosure and install it into the new subsystem enclosure.  
(Rack Mount Systems Only) Install the new CR8e subsystem enclosure into the  
rack assembly.  
63  
Replacing the CR8e Cabinet  
Maintenance  
8
9
If you have a third power supply installed in the old subsystem, remove it and  
install the PSU into the new enclosure.  
Reconnect and secure the power cord and data cables.  
10 Install the drives into the new cabinet enclosure in exactly the same order as  
they were in the old subsystem.  
11 Power ON the new CR8e subsystem and the host computer system.  
12 Verify that all systems are operating normally.  
13 Using the packaging materials from the new cabinet, repackage the old cabinet  
enclosure and return it to nStor Corporation, refer to the nStor Resource Guide  
for information on “Obtaining a Return Material Authorization.”  
64  
Replacing the CR8e Cabinet  
Glossary  
A
The following terms are used throughout this manual and may be helpful  
background information on the technology.  
Asynchronous  
Operations  
Operations that bear no relationship to each other in time  
and can overlap. The concept of asynchronous I/O  
operations is central to independent access arrays in  
throughput-intensive applications.  
Cache Flush  
Refers to an operation where all un-written blocks in a  
Write-Back Cache are written to the target disk. This  
operation is necessary before powering down the system.  
Channel  
Refers to one of the SCSI bus connectors on the  
controllers or termination interface cards.  
Consistency Check  
Refers to a process where the integrity of redundant data  
is verified. For example, a consistency check of a mirrored  
drive will make sure that the data on both drives of the  
mirrored pair are exactly the same. For RAID level 3 and 5  
redundancy, a consistency check will involve reading all  
associated data blocks, computing parity, reading parity,  
and verifying that the computed parity matches the read  
parity.  
Disconnect/Reconnect  
Disconnect is a function that allows a target SCSI device  
(typically a disk drive that received a request to perform a  
relatively long I/O operation) to release the SCSI bus so  
that the controller can send commands to other devices.  
When the operation is complete and the SCSI bus is  
needed by the disconnected target again, it is reconnected.  
65  
Glossary  
Disk Mirroring  
Disk Spanning  
Data written to one disk drive is simultaneously written  
to another disk drive. If one disk fails, the other disk can  
be used to run the system and reconstruct the failed disk.  
Several disks appear as one large disk using this  
technology. This virtual disk can then store data across  
disks with ease without the user being concerned about  
which disk contains what data. The subsystem handles  
this for the user.  
Disk Striping  
Data is written across disks rather than on the same drive.  
Segment 1 is written to drive 0, segment 2 is written to  
drive 1, and so forth until a segment has been written to  
the last drive in the chain. The next logical segment is  
then written to drive 0, then to drive 1, and so forth until  
the write operation is complete.  
Duplexing  
This refers to the use of two controllers to drive a disk  
subsystem. Should one of the controllers fail, the other is  
still available to provide disk I/O. In addition, depending  
how the controller software is written, both controllers  
may work together to read and write data simultaneously  
to different drives.  
Fault-Tolerant  
Hot Spare  
When something is fault-tolerant it is resistent to failure.  
A RAID 1 mirrored subsystem, for example, is  
fault-tolerant because it can still provide disk I/O if one of  
the disk drives in a mirrored system fails.  
The “Hot Spare” is one of the most important features the  
controller provides to achieve automatic, non-stop service  
with a high degree of fault tolerance. This rebuild  
operation will be carried out by the controller  
automatically when a SCSI disk drive fails.  
Logical Drive  
Mapping  
A set of contiguous chunks of a physical disk. Logical  
disks are used in array implementations as constituents of  
logical volumes or partitions. Logical disks are normally  
transparent to the host environment, except when the  
array containing them is being configured.  
The conversion between multiple data addressing  
schemes, especially conversions between member disk  
block addresses of the virtual disks presented to the  
operating environment by the array management  
software.  
Mirroring  
Refers to the 100% duplication of data on one disk drive  
to another disk drive. Each disk will be the mirror image  
of the other.  
66  
Glossary  
An array virtual disk made up of logical disks rather than  
Partition  
physical ones. Also called logical volume.  
Physical Drive  
A physical array (or drive) is a collection of physical disks  
governed by the RAID management software. A physical  
drive appears to the host computer as one or more logical  
drives.  
RAID  
(Redundant Array of Independent Disks) An approach to  
using multiple low cost drives as a group to improve  
performance, yet also provide a degree of redundancy that  
makes data loss remote.  
RAID 0  
Block “striping” is provided, yielding higher performance  
than is possible with individual drives. This level does not  
provide any redundancy.  
RAID 1  
Drives are paired and mirrored. All data is 100%  
duplicated on an equivalent drive.  
RAID 10  
RAID 10 is a combination of RAID levels 0 and 1. The  
data is striped across disks as in RAID 0. Each disk has a  
mirror disk, as in RAID 1.  
RAID 3  
Data is striped across several physical drives. For data  
redundancy one drive is encoded with rotated XOR  
redundancy.  
RAID 30  
RAID 5  
Data striping of two or more RAID 3 arrays. RAID level  
30 is a combination of 0 and 3.  
Data is striped across several physical drives. For data  
redundancy drives are encoded with rotated XOR  
redundancy.  
RAID 50  
RAID level 50 is a combination of RAID level 0 and 5.  
AM RAID Controller  
This refers to the controller card that routes data to  
and/or from the CPU. Disk array controllers perform all  
RAID algorithms onboard the controller.  
Rebuild  
The regeneration of all data from a failed disk in a RAID  
level 1, 3, 5, or 6 array to a replacement disk. A disk  
rebuild normally occurs without interruption of  
application access to data stored on the array virtual disk.  
Rotated XOR  
Redundancy  
This term (also known as “parity”) refers to a method of  
providing complete data redundancy while requiring only  
a fraction of the storage capacity for redundancy. In a  
system configured under RAID 3 and 5, all data and  
parity blocks are divided between the drives in such a way  
that if any single drive is removed (or fails), the data on it  
can be reconstructed using the data on the remaining  
drives. (XOR refers to the Boolean “Exclusive-OR”  
operator.)  
67  
Glossary  
SAF-TE  
Is the acronym for SCSI Accessed Fault-Tolerant  
Enclosures. It is a monitoring and communication  
specification developed by Conner (nStor) and Intel for  
sending and receiving server and storage system status  
information via the SCSI bus.  
Session  
Refers to the period of time between any two consecutive  
system shutdowns. System shutdown may be either a  
power off/on, or a hardware reset.  
SCSI Drive  
A disk drive equipped with a small computer system  
interface (SCSI). Each disk drive will be assigned a SCSI  
address (or SCSI ID), which is a number from 0 to 15. The  
SCSI address uniquely identifies the drive on the SCSI bus  
or channel.  
Spanning  
Striping  
Disk spanning allows multiple disk drives to function like  
one big drive. Spanning overcomes lack of disk space and  
simplifies storage management by combining existing  
resources or adding relatively inexpensive resources.  
Disk striping writes data across multiple disks rather than  
on one disk. disk striping involves partitioning each drive  
storage space into stripes that can vary in size from one  
sector (1 KB) to several megabytes.  
Stripe Order  
The order in which SCSI Drives appear within a Physical  
Pack. This order must be maintained, and is critical to the  
controllers ability to “Rebuild” failed drives.  
Stripe Width  
Target ID  
Refers to the number of kilobytes per stripe block.  
A target ID is the SCSI ID of a device attached to the disk  
array controller. Each SCSI channel can have up to  
sixteen SCSI devices (target ID from 0 to 15) attached to  
it.  
Write-Through Cache  
Refers to a cache writing strategy whereby data is written  
to the SCSI Drive before a completion status is returned to  
the host operating system. This caching strategy is  
considered more “secure,” since a power failure will be  
less likely to cause loss of data. However, a Write-Through  
cache results in a slightly lower performance, in most  
environments.  
Write-Back Cache  
Refers to a caching strategy whereby write operations  
result in a completion signal being sent to the host  
operating system as soon as the cache (not the disk drive)  
receives the data to be written. The target SCSI Drive will  
receive that data at a more appropriate time, in order to  
increase controller performance.  
68  
Technical Information  
B
SPECIFICATIONS  
CR8e  
Operating Environment  
40°F to 94°F (+ 5°C to + 34°C)  
Relative Humidity  
Operating/Non-Operating  
5% - 95% (non-condensing)  
Power Requirements  
100 - 240 VAC (auto-sensing)  
50-60 Hz  
6.0 Amperes  
3 x 150 watts  
Rack Mount System  
Dimensions (HxWxD) w/o Handles  
Tower-Based System  
6.83" x 17.40" x 19.00"  
Dimensions (HxWxL)  
17.40" x 6.83" x 19.00"  
48.0 lbs without drives installed  
56.6 lbs with three drives installed  
-200 to 10,000 feet  
Weight (basic configuration of cabinet includes  
two cooling fans)  
Altitude  
Number of Drives Supported  
Total Capacity  
8
72.8 gigabytes (9.1 GB Drives)  
Up to 40 MB/sec  
Interface Transfer Rate  
Host Interface  
Fast/Wide SCSI-3  
Drive Interface  
Fast/Wide SCSI-3  
HDD Termination  
Automatic Termination  
Electromagnetic Emissions Requirements  
(EMI)  
FCC, Part 15, Class B  
EN55022-B  
69  
Technical Information  
CR8e (continued)  
Safety Requirements  
UL1950  
CSA C22.2 #950  
TUV/EN60950  
CE Compliance (EMC)  
89/336/EEC EMC Directive  
Shock  
Operating  
Non-Operating  
1.0 G, 2 - 50 ms  
20.0 G, 2 - 20 ms  
Vibration  
Operating  
Non-Operating  
5 - 500 Hz, 0.25 G (pk to pk)  
5 - 500 Hz, 1.0 G (pk to pk)  
CONNECTORS AND JUMPERS  
This section provides information about the connector pinouts on the  
termination interface card and jumper settings on the backplane printed circuit  
board for your nStor CR8e subsystem.  
Connectors  
Located on each termination interface card are two VDH SCSI connectors. They  
provide the input/output interface from the subsystem bus to the RAID controller  
or host adapter card.  
VHD/HD 68-pin SCSI  
P-Cable Connector  
Pin-out  
1
34  
35  
68  
Signal Name  
Pin  
Number  
Conductor  
Number  
Signal Name  
Pin  
Number  
Conductor  
Number  
+ DB(12)  
+ DB(13)  
+ DB(14)  
1
2
3
1
3
5
– DB(12)  
– DB(13)  
– DB(14)  
35  
36  
37  
2
4
6
70  
Connectors and Jumpers  
Technical Information  
Signal Name  
Pin  
Number  
Conductor  
Number  
Signal Name  
Pin  
Number  
Conductor  
Number  
+ DB(15)  
+ DB(P1)  
+ DB(0)  
+ DB(1)  
+ DB(2)  
+ DB(3)  
+ DB(4)  
+ DB(5)  
+ DB(6)  
+ DB(7)  
+ DB(P)  
GROUND  
DIFFSENS  
TERMPWR  
TERMPWR  
RESERVED  
GROUND  
+ ATT  
4
7
– DB(15)  
– DB(P1)  
– DB(0)  
– DB(1)  
– DB(2)  
– DB(3)  
– DB(4)  
– DB(5)  
– DB(6)  
– DB(7)  
– DB(P)  
GROUND  
GROUND  
TERMPWR  
TERMPWR  
RESERVED  
GROUND  
– ATN  
38  
39  
40  
41  
42  
43  
44  
45  
46  
47  
48  
49  
50  
51  
52  
53  
54  
55  
56  
57  
58  
59  
60  
61  
62  
63  
64  
65  
66  
67  
68  
8
5
9
10  
12  
14  
16  
18  
20  
22  
24  
26  
28  
30  
32  
34  
36  
38  
40  
42  
44  
46  
48  
50  
52  
54  
56  
58  
60  
62  
64  
66  
68  
6
11  
13  
15  
17  
19  
21  
23  
25  
27  
29  
31  
33  
35  
37  
39  
41  
43  
45  
47  
49  
51  
53  
55  
57  
59  
61  
63  
65  
67  
7
8
9
10  
11  
12  
13  
14  
15  
16  
17  
18  
19  
20  
21  
22  
23  
24  
25  
26  
27  
28  
29  
30  
31  
32  
33  
34  
GROUND  
+ BSY  
GROUND  
– BSY  
+ ACK  
– ACK  
+ RST  
– RST  
+ MSG  
– MSG  
+ SEL  
– SEL  
+ C/D  
– C/D  
+ REQ  
– REQ  
+ I/O  
– I/O  
+ DB(8)  
+ DB(9)  
+ DB(10)  
+ DB(11)  
– DB(8)  
– DB(9)  
– DB(10)  
– DB(11)  
71  
Connectors  
Technical Information  
Jumpers  
CAUTION: Jumper configuration to be performed by qualified service personnel  
only.  
Disconnect the AC power cord prior to accessing any component inside the rear  
cabinet.  
Located on the backplane printed circuit board are six jumper blocks. From these  
jumpers system integrators can manually configure the CR8e subsystem. To  
change the jumper setting, pull the jumper plug off its pin(s) and carefully fit in  
down onto the pin(s) as indicated. This allows the user to make reversible  
changes to the circuitry on the printed circuit board.  
The jumper settings are knows as “open” or “unjumpered” and “jumpered.”  
When unjumpering the setting remove the jumper plug from both pins and seat it  
over just one of the pins. This allows the jumper plug to be stored for later use.  
JP3  
JP3  
JP2  
S2S  
SCSI  
IDs  
8
1
8
JP4  
S2S  
CONFIG  
1
JP2  
16  
SCSI  
IDs  
1
JP4  
J15  
J17  
J15  
4
FAN  
1
4
OEM FAN  
1
JP5  
J17  
4
3
REMOTE  
DELAY  
2 1  
JP5  
Rear View of Backplane PCB  
72  
Jumpers  
Technical Information  
JP2 (SCSI-to-SCSI Conguration)  
CAUTION: Jumper configuration to be performed by qualified service personnel only.  
This jumper (JP2) is used to place the SCSI-to-SCSI RAID controller in a  
configuration that is known to the CR8e subsystem. This process is accomplished  
by adding jumpers to JP2. The jumper block is a four position dual-row header.  
8
S2S  
CONFIG  
1
Jumper  
SCSI-to-SCSI Settings  
JP2  
Positions  
1 & 2  
3 &4  
Reserved.  
Add this jumper to place the SCSI-to-SCSI controller  
into VT100 mode for the serial channel. Remove the  
jumper to place the SCSI-to-SCSI controller into the  
SLIP port mode.  
5 & 6  
7 & 8  
Add this jumper to place the SCSI-to-SCSI controller  
into the Fixed Baud Rate mode for the serial  
channel. Remove the jumper to place the SCSI-to-  
SCSI controller into the Variable Baud Rate mode  
for the serial channel.  
Add this jumper to place the SCSI-to-SCSI controller  
in a Master configuration. Remove the jumper to  
place the SCSI-to-SCSI controller in a Slave mode.  
JP3 (SCSI-to-SCSI IDs)  
CAUTION: Jumper configuration to be performed by qualified service personnel only.  
These jumpers (JP3) are used to manually set the SCSI-TO-SCSI IDs for the  
SCSI-to-SCSI RAID controller. JP3 is an four position dual-row header.  
JP3  
S2S  
SCSI  
IDs  
8
Jumper Positions  
1
1 & 2  
3 & 4  
5 & 6  
7 & 8  
SCSI-to-SCSI ID Settings  
ON  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
15  
14  
13  
12  
11  
10  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
73  
JP2 (SCSI-to-SCSI Configuration)  
Technical Information  
Jumper Positions  
1 & 2  
3 & 4  
5 & 6  
7 & 8  
SCSI-to-SCSI ID Settings  
ON  
OFF  
ON  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
ON  
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
ON  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
JP4 (SCSI ID Settings)  
CAUTION: Jumper configuration must be performed by qualified service personnel  
only.  
These jumpers (JP4) are used to manually set the SCSI IDs for all of the disk drive  
slots. JP4 is an eight position dual-row header.  
The tables for Drives 1, 2, 3, 4, and Drives 5, 6, 7, 8 found on this page and the  
following page also provides a list of the possible combinations of SCSI IDs that can  
be set when using the Operator Control Panel preset feature for each drive group.  
16  
SCSI  
IDs  
Jumper Positions for Drives 1, 2, 3, and 4 ID Settings  
1
JP4  
1 & 2  
3 & 4  
5 & 6  
7 & 8  
SCSI ID (1, 2, 3, and 4)  
ON  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
0, 1, 2, 3  
0, 1, 2, 4  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
4, 5, 6, 7  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
4, 5, 6, 8  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
5, 6, 7, 8  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
5, 6, 8, 9  
OFF  
OFF  
8, 9, 10, 11  
9, 10, 11, 12  
OFF  
74  
JP4 (SCSI ID Settings)  
Technical Information  
Jumper Positions for Drives 1, 2, 3, and 4 ID Settings  
1 & 2  
3 & 4  
5 & 6  
7 & 8  
SCSI ID (1, 2, 3, and 4)  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
OFF  
OFF  
10, 11, 12, 13  
10, 11, X, X  
OFF  
Jumper Positions for Drives 5, 6, 7, and 8 ID Settings  
11 & 12 13 & 14 15 & 16 SCSI ID (5, 6, 7, and 8)  
9 & 10  
ON  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
ON  
OFF  
OFF  
0, 1, 2, 3  
0, 1, 2, 4  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
4, 5, 6, 7  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
4, 5, 6, 8  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
5, 6, 7, 8  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
5, 6, 8, 9  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
8, 9, 10, 11  
9, 10, 11, 12  
10, 11, 12, 13  
10, 11, X, X  
OFF  
ON  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
JP5 (SCA Remote/Delay start)  
CAUTION: Jumper configuration to be performed by qualified service personnel only.  
The spin-up of the drive slots is determined by adding jumpers to JP5. JP5 is a two  
position dual-row header. Position 1 & 2 control the “Delayed_Start” signal and  
position 3 & 4 control the “Remote_Start” signal.  
4
3
REMOTE  
DELAY  
2 1  
Pins 1 and 2  
Pins 3 and 4  
Drive Spinup Mode  
JP5  
ON  
ON  
Motor spins up only on SCSI  
“start” commands.  
ON  
OFF  
Motor spins up after a delay of 12  
(may vary depending on drive  
type) seconds times the numeric  
SCSI ID setting of the associated  
drive.  
75  
JP5 (SCA Remote/Delay start)  
Technical Information  
Pins 1 and 2  
Pins 3 and 4  
Drive Spinup Mode  
OFF  
ON  
Motor spins up only on SCSI  
“start” commands.  
OFF  
OFF  
Motor spins up at DC power on.  
J15 (FAN) and J17 (OEM FAN)  
CAUTION: Jumper configuration to be performed by qualified service personnel only.  
There are two separate fan connectors that are located at J15 and J17. Fan  
connector J15 is used when a SAF-TE card is present in the CR8e. When the fans  
are plugged into J15, the SAF-TE card controls and monitors fan speed.  
Fan connector J17 is used in OEM applications when there is no SAF-TE card  
installed. Fan connector J17 supplies each fan with + 12 volts for full speed  
operation.  
J15  
4
FAN  
1
4
OEM FAN  
1
J17  
76  
J15 (FAN) and J17 (OEM FAN)  
Index  
Power Switch 5  
Power-On LED 9  
SAF-TE 11  
A
Activity LEDs 10  
Animated icon 41  
Audible Alarm 3  
SAF-TE Card 11  
Configuration Info 43  
Connectors and Jumpers 70  
Cooling Fan  
B
Backplane 72  
Replacement 60  
Cooling Fans 4  
CR8e Cabinet  
C
Cables 20  
Cabling Configuration 20  
Change Passcode 51  
Channel Mode LED 9  
Component Installation 17  
Component Status 43  
Components  
Replacement 63  
D
DC Good LED 59  
Dimensions 69  
Door Lock 5  
Activity LEDs 10  
Drive Latching Clips 17  
Audible Alarm 3  
Drive Replacement 57  
Channel Mode LED 9  
Configuration Modules 7  
Cooling Fans 4  
Dual-Bus Module (Single Cabinet) 22, 26  
Dual-Bus Module (Two Cabinets) 28  
Dual-Bus Module Cabinet with Two Single-Bus  
Module Cabinets 34  
Door Lock 5  
Fan Status LED 10  
Fault LEDs 11  
E
EMC 70  
EMI 69  
Hot Swappable Disk Drives 4  
I/O Interface Card 6  
Operator Control Panel 8  
Power Cord Connector 6  
Power Supply Status LED 10  
F
Failed Diagnostic Test 54  
77  
Fan Status LED 10  
Jumpers 72  
Fast SCSI 20  
L
Dual-Bus Module (Single Cabinet) 26  
Dual-Bus Module (Two Cabinets) 28  
Dual-Bus Module Cabinet w/Two Single-Bus  
Module Cabinets 34  
LED  
Channel Mode 9  
Descriptions 39  
Fan Status 10  
Power Supply Status 10  
LED Descriptions 39  
Logical Drive 66  
Single-Bus Module (Single Cabinet) 30  
Fast Wide SCSI 20  
Fast Wide SCSI Mode 26  
Fast Wide SCSI mode 20  
Fast-20 20  
Firmware Error Conditions 38  
Firmware information 43  
Fuse 6  
M
Mapping 66  
Mirroring 66  
N
Replacement 62  
Fuse type 63  
NVRAM 37  
G
O
Glossary  
OB (Off Bus) 47  
Disk Mirroring 66  
Disk Spanning 66  
Disk Striping 66  
Duplexing 66  
Fault-Tolerant 66  
RAID 67  
Operating Environment 69  
Operator Control Panel 8  
Options Menu 46  
Other Configurations 36  
P
Passcode 51  
H
Physical Drive 67  
POST 37  
Hardware Error 54  
Hardware Menu 42  
Heat Threshold 49  
Hot Spare 66  
POST Results 44  
Power Cord Connector 6  
Power Requirements 69  
Power Supplies 5  
Power Supply  
Replacement 58  
Power Supply Status LED 10  
Power Switch 5  
Hot Swappable Disk Drives 4  
I
I/O Interface Card 6  
Installing  
Third Power Supply 19  
Interface Transfer Rate 69  
Internal Temp 45  
Power-On LED 9  
Product Registration vii  
R
J
Rack-Mount Subsystem Assembly 15  
RAM Checksum Failure 38  
RAM Read/Write 38  
README vii  
Rebuild 67  
J15 76  
JP2 73  
JP3 73  
JP4 74  
JP5 75  
Register Read/Write Failure 38  
78  
Index  
Registration vii  
U
Replacing a Drive 57  
Replacing a Fuse 62  
Ultra SCSI  
Dual-Bus Module (Single Cabinet) 22  
Replacing a Power Supply 58  
Replacing the Cooling Fans 60  
Replacing the CR8e Cabinet 63  
Reset Default IDs Selection 48  
Resource Guide vii  
Fast 20 20  
Single-Bus Module (Single Cabinet) 24  
Ultra Wide SCSI Mode 22  
Ultra Wide SCSI mode 20  
Unlock Options 52  
ROM Checksum 38  
V
S
VDH SCSI connectors 70  
Vibration 70  
SAF-TE 68  
SAFTE CHAIN ID 50  
SCSI Access 37  
W
Weight 69  
Where to Find Answers vii  
SCSI Accessed Fault-Tolerant Enclosure 11  
SCSI Bus Access Failure 38  
SCSI Bus Hangs 55  
SCSI cable length  
limits 20  
SCSI ID Menu 46  
Self Test 37  
Setup 13  
Shielded data cables 21  
Shock 70  
Single-Bus module 17  
Single-Bus Module (Single Cabinet) 30  
Single-Bus Module (Two Cabinets) 32  
Specifications 69  
Startup Screens 40  
Status LEDs 10  
Stripe Order 68  
Stripe Width 68  
Striping 68  
System Requirements 14  
System Status Icon 41  
T
Technical Information 69  
Temperature Threshold Exceeded 54  
Termination 21  
Testing ROM 37  
Third Power Supply 19  
Troubleshooting  
Fails to Turn On 53  
LEDs Not Functioning 56  
79  
Index  
80  
Index  

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