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AM-990 Universal Enclosure Owner`s Manual

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1. FRONT PANEL 555555555555 DISPLAY dbdosadosedonasacnsescessadess J17 A J16 O less85852555552525d O0 60 PIN ESDI gt J15 gt J14 9 J18 gt see ee J12 MEMORY EXPANSION wes g CPU W15 0144 FLOATING POINT CO PROCESSOR 2225955555 SOCKET 950 E 5 Uu lt J10 m Pn U130 6 23 i 96 BOOT PROMS 99 5 8 98 8 lt 36 PIN FLOPPY ae 9 8 5 50 PIN SCSI CONNECTOR 8 CONNECTOR 2 88 99 22 lt 28 2 8 3 011 88 4 ALB U97 wi4 w13 10 9 9 rol chy 10 ia E PR POWER CONNECTOR gt H Ws 1d REMOTE RESET 10 JUMPER IN ENABLED 590 SOCKET J18 JUMPER OUT DISABLED Y NSS Py ee ee ER 60 PIN CONNECTORS 1 el wossosUosessascosnsgsoxsadense Gb Cem smel
2. TOP ACCESS TO OPTIONAL POWER SUPPLY AUXILIARY PANEL r PERIPHERAL MOUNTING AREA O O O s s O g y COOLING FANS Y O O KY 573 TYPICAL SYSTEM CPU BOARD REAR PANEL ACCESS TO I O CONNECTORS Figure 2 6 Inside the SBC Enclosure Side View SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation Page 2 17 CONNECTING A VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER To use a VCR for data backup on your computer you must have two good quality VOR dubbing cables to connect the Video In and Video Out connectors on the VCR to the CPU chassis These cables should be 75 Ohm shielded coaxial cables with RCA plugs on the computer end The VCR end of the cables should contain the type of plugs usually RCA required by your particular VCR Such cables are usually available where you bought your VCR One cable connects the Videoln outlet of your VCR to the ToVideoln connector on the SBC and the other connects the VideoOut outlet of your VCR to the ToVideoOut connector on the SBC See Figure 2 7 It doesn t matter which of the cables you use for the video out signal and which for the video in signal Just make sure that both ends of the same cable are used for video out and that both ends of the other cable are used for video in It s very important that these cables make a good connection so press the cable connectors firmly into the outlets
3. MAC575 TYPICAL SYSTEM CPU BOARD Figure E 1 SBC Peripheral Mounting Area Slots 3 4 5 and 6 are used for installing peripherals that will be accessed through the opening in the computer door This includes devices like floppy disk drives and magnetic tape drives that use removable media For example Figure 1 1 in Chapter 1 shows an SBC with one 51 4 half height floppy disk drive one half height 1 4 streaming tape drive and one full height 8mm magnetic tape drive For this installation the floppy disk drive occupies slot 3 the 1 4 streaming drive occupies slot 4 and because it is a full height device the 8mm magnetic tape drive occupies slots 5 and 6 The first hard disk drive is mounted in slot 12 or slots 11 and 12 if it is a full height device A second hard disk drive would be mounted in the next available slot above the first disk drive The hard disk drives are mounted in the lower part of the chassis for two reasons to make sure the weight in the chassis is properly distributed and to provide easy access for both power and interface cables SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 SBC Peripheral Installation Page E 3 Plastic Mounting Rails The plastic mounting rails are the key to installing peripheral devices in the SBC Two rails are required to mount a peripheral device The rails DWF 20652 00 are universal they can be mounted on either the right or left hand si
4. 5 4 Adding JODS 35 gic eve e tsm e PA OE EIC tages 5 6 BACKING UP YOUR cope or ERR EXERCERE RES 5 8 ANALYZING THE DISK sete d Ee eet ORO dS 5 9 The REDALL Command 5 9 The DSKANA Command 5 10 DOSISANA ODUOIS ak dE E clare ee YE ee EE eee 5 11 The CHECK Option and Automatic 5 5 12 FORMATTING AND INITIALIZING A DISKETTE 5 12 CHAPTER 6 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE CARE OF DISKETTES VIDEO CASSETTES 6 1 CARE OF STREAMING TAPE CARTRIDGES 6 2 DISKETTE DRIVE VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER MAINTENANCE 6 2 1 4 STREAMING TAPE DRIVE CLEANING PROCEDURES 6 3 CLEANING THE AM 645 TAPE DRIVE READ WRITE HEADS 6 3 MAIN ENGLEOSUHE A cou Oa eo et cea du e ME 6 3 CHAPTER 7 TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURES SYMPTOMS outset EE ek ok eue ci 7 1 THE TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURES 7 2 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page iv Table of Contents CHAPTER 8 FRONT PANEL STATUS DISPLAY CODES FRONT PANEL STATUS DISPLAY CODES 8 1 SELF TEST FEATURE oy eee RIS bee ges Se eee 8 4 APPENDIX A SPECIFICATIONS SUMMARY GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS xs 2 ete tied eges EROR Meer gh
5. 8 232 422 5 e a 000000000000000000000000000000 esoe eseese u WO See NS C ws EL O LINK TERMINATION E 23212220 w8 7 JUMPER w4 Lo JUMPER IN ENABLED w3 j am w11 x w1 JUMPER OUT DISABLED I UE ers 7 W10 J3 ma J5 J4 J2 J1 sw J6 o o E gt SAIC MAC478 0 SERIAL SERIAL SWITCH VIDEO VIDEO REMOTE WITCH OUT PORT PORT LINK Figure F 1 Option Locations on the Main Logic Board SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 APPENDIX G AM 145 USER CONFIGURABLE OPTIONS SBC AM 145 CPU BOARD d The AM 145 is 33Mhz main logic board available for the SBC Most of the AM 145 specifications are covered in Appendix A however the following list highlights some of the key features on the AM 145 board eMemory expansion up to 16 megabytes el O expansion up to 34 serial ports eOn board floppy controller 68020 Processor chip The sections that follow include information on user configurable options for the AM 145 board Most of the jumpers on the AM 145 board are factory configured and should not be moved Only the features discussed in the next sections have jumpers that are user configurable REMOTE RESET CAPABILITY As discussed in Appendix it is possible to reset the SBC remotely through serial I O Port 0 If properly configured you can use a push button switch to
6. 2 8 Static cosciente Tw ote Be ee Coie ens 2 9 Power and Cable Connections 2 9 SELF CONFIGURING POWER SUPPLY 2 10 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page ii Table of Contents INSIDE THE COMPUTER PEE RI EDDIE 2 11 Opening the Front 2 13 Opening the Top 2 13 Opening the Side Door 2 13 Reinstalling the Top Cover and Side 2 14 RFE Shielding es ett a em a ER Be Sead eee iced td 2 15 CONNECTING A VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER 2 17 TURNING POWER THE SBC Ehe eae e tton 2 19 INSTALLING THE OPERATOR TERMINAL 2 19 Setting the Terminal s Baud Rate and Parameters 2 20 Connecting the Cable 2 20 INETIAESTES ehe Ne ee peek ee ese 2 21 BOOTING UNDER AMOS mao ecard e eap dan 2 21 INSTALLING ALPHA MICRO SOFTWARE 2 21 TURNING THE COMPUTER OFF 4 edu nri xps eae ngs Eres 2 22 EXPANDING YOUR COMPUTER 2 23 GETTING ASSISTANGOE i 10v babe the 2 23 CHAPTER 3 GETTING STARTED BOOTING THE COMPUTER 252322 er v Ret WES PETER 3 1 DEVIC
7. 2 19 7 2 Outlets 2 10 PAL NTSC JuripBlS Gein ed mr ew ute RR Resa F 2 G 2 video F 2 G 2 PasSWOLIGS sts a Rh dhe Gee eas 5 2 Peripheral devices accessible from front E 2 iristalling teni meta E 1 E 3 to E 4 mounting rails E 3 Peripheral mounting area E 1 E 3 to E 4 DICIUIC 2 16 2 15 Ports baud rates allowed A 7 i sce ex A 2 Power conditioner 5 2 9 Power connections 2 9 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 AM 3000M Owner s Manual Index Power cord 2 2 Power light esa s vasi rete t ep aat 7 3 Power requirements 2 9 7 5 12 12 Programming languages 4 1 to 4 2 Project programmer number 3 3 PROM rud tie v c 3 1 Prompt symbols 1 3 AMOS iba dete ma t lote ds eto eaten 1 3 Rails peripheral mounting E 3 REDALL chicane Ee ete ea hes 5 9 to 5 10 Remote reset B 5 F 1 G 1 Removing side panel 2 13 TOP COVE eb Re ees 2 13 Replacing side panel
8. 7 6 7 8 Turning 2 21 program 4 2 2 2 UPS tre dotem d ated 2 9 User names 3 4 Utility lt 4 2 PEE ids 2 17 B 12 backing up data C 1 BACKUP command C 1 CODING it scc COM 2 17 certifying backup C 2 interfaces oases aie aes 1 9 maintaining 6 2 PAL or SECAM formats F 2 G 2 remote port A 3 video A 5 F 2 G 2 Video cassettes 5 8 maintaining 6 1 Video network F 2 G 2 VIDEO AX ede Rae 1 9 2 17 C 1 Warm boot 2 22 3 3 2 21 Workstation B 10 10 Write protecting tape 3 15 WRMGEN 2 22 5 8 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00
9. 2 14 TOP COVE inde DU 2 14 Reshipping the computer 2 3 RF shielding 2 15 RS 232 cabling for AM 62A B 7 cabling for printers B 12 DB 9 connector signals B 7 definition B 1 Standard oes ste tee eae B 1 nexis n ROD B 2 balanced lines B 2 cable length B 2 cabling for 65 B 8 cabling for 75 B 8 data Tate oe eed hind wh kota ace eee B 2 DB 9 connector signals B 7 Hun light cos wid Gate Gone eee Sens 7 3 Safety procedures general Mitte sted 2 11 streaming tape 3 14 SBC MAITAINING ee are Ce eq 6 3 Specifications A 1 turning on power 2 19 2 21 turning the computer off 2 22 SGDL DONE iro ey Oar ie HERE OR RR 1 9 Self lest icc t ee ete comand 7 9 8 1 8 3 to 8 4 SET DSKEHH 5 9 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page Index 5 Page Index 6 SETJOB statement SHELL command Shield covering motherboard covering peripheral mounting area Shipping damage Side panel picture replacing Site preparation physical requirements required environment SLEEPR command Slew rate Software SSD Software Security Device location
10. 3 4 JOBS command 5 4 LOG command 3 5 MEMORY command 5 4 MOUNT command 3 13 PRINT command 3 9 SLEEPR command 5 8 SYSACT command 5 2 Connector hood B 5 Control characters D 1 to D 2 GRIGIO ER ER 2 22 GRT620 s esr Ema noi 2 22 5 2 10 Device System 3 2 Device names 3 2 to 3 3 Diagnostic tests DSKANRAv 5 Deme hat n en 5 10 to 5 11 REDALL 2 RE 5 9 to 5 10 Bil roD EP 3 4 Disk accountS 3 3 to 3 4 5 1 to 5 2 adding new accounts 5 2 to 5 3 organization 5 2 passwordS 5 2 Disk drive ERA eios E 2 Diskette drive 1 8 maintaining 6 2 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 AM 3000M Owner s Manual Index specifications Diskettes drive formatting and initializing inserting diskette maintaining mounting Disks analysis blocks diagnostic programs maintenance procedures Display panel picture Door front Drain wires DSKANA CHECK option default mode options Electrical noise Electrical requirements Expansion slots picture Extension cords Fan Floppy disk drive installing Front door Graph
11. If your VCR is a Videotrax computer controlled VCR plug the remote control cable between the recorder remote connector and the remote connector on top of the SBC The connectors are keyed so they will only plug in when they are oriented correctly See Figure 2 7 for the location of the remote connector and for connecting the cables The connector for the remote control cable should plug in easily If it doesn t do not force it You probably have the connector oriented improperly Turn it over and try again Forcing the connection can damage the connector and or your computer Your VCR interface has been set up at the factory for NTSC video format If your VCR is a PAL or SECAM type you must set the CPU board within your SBC chassis to the proper format For PAL or SECAM set the NTSC PAL jumper in the PAL position for NTSC place it in the NTSC position See Appendix F for more information SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 2 18 Chapter Two VIDEO VIDEO OUT IN 572 Figure 2 7 Connecting a Video Cassette Recorder SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation Page 2 19 TURNING ON POWER TO THE SBC Once you turn on power to your SBC you must be very careful never to move the d
12. SIGNAL Pins 1 6 and 8 on the workstation connector are jumpered SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Purchasing or Constructing Terminal and Printer Cables Page B 11 Table B 5 Pinouts for Workstation to Computer Cable Cont IBM PC XT and Compatibles Workstation Computer End Serial I O Port DB 9 Connector SIGNAL PIN DIRECTION SIGNAL Pins 5 6 and 8 on the workstation connector are jumpered PRINTER CABLES This section provides the specific cable requirements for the printers most frequently con nected to the Alpha Micro computer system You can purchase the appropriate cables from Alpha Micro or construct them according to the following specifications If you make your own cables use twisted pair cable and pair the signals as shown below Remember to connect the shell to the cable shield as shown in Shielding the Cable SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page B 12 Appendix B AM 301 AM 304 and AM 306 Printers The AM 301 AM 304 and AM 306 printers use the same RS 232 cabling The pinouts are Table B 6 Pinouts for RS 232 Printer to Computer Cable Printer End Computer End DB 25 Connector DB 9 Connector SIGNAL PIN DIRECTION SIGNAL SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 APPENDIX C VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER DATA BACKUP This appendix contains instructions to help you begin using your video cassette recorder to perform system backup As we mentioned in Chapter 3 it is very important that you make
13. If you see C on the screen your computer is communicating with the terminal Type SYSTAT If you see a status display your computer is probably up and running fine and your problem is fixed C Checking terminal cables 1Make sure the terminal cables are firmly connected to the correct ports The terminal the computer boots on is usually connected to Port 0 2Make sure the cables are firmly connected to the terminals If a terminal has two ports make sure the cable is plugged into the correct one usually labeled MAIN not the AUX or PRINTER port 3For printers make sure the correct ends of the cable are attached to the computer and the printer cable ends are usually not interchangeable for printers 4Jf there is a problem with the terminal cables correct the problem and reset the computer If it comes up normally and the terminals seem to work all right your problem is fixed D Disconnect all terminals except the terminal you are testing EReset the computer If it comes up normally and there is no problem with the termi nal you know one of the other terminals may be the problem FConnect another terminal and go to Step D again Repeat until you find the problem terminal GCheck the terminal option settings against the terminal manufacturer s manual Check for 1Correct baud rate Note The SBC as shipped from Alpha Micro assumes the terminal it boots on is set for 9600 baud 2Set for full duplex not half dup
14. Sheet metal Minimum of 4MB of RAM with byte parity error detect expandable to either 32 or 64 megabytes depending on the CPU board Clock Calendar with Battery Backup Front Panel with Status and Diagnostic Display Programmable Interval Timer AC Powerfail Detect Remote Reset Page A 2 CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT Microprocessor Clock Speed Number of Instructions Architecture Addressing Modes Memory Addressing Flags Interrupt Capability Floating Point Arithmetic INPUT OUTPUT Serial Ports Number of Ports Characteristics Control Interface Supported Baud Rates Stop Bit Word Length Parity Appendix A MC68020 or MC68030 depending on the CPU board 33Mhz or 50Mhz depending on the CPU board more than 70 mips 32 bit data path 8 16 and 32 bit operands Two stacks and one status word register 11 32 bit 4 gigabyte range N Negative X Extend Z Zero V Overflow C Carry T Trace S Supervisor 8 vectored interrupts Optional 25MHz MC68881 coprocessor Two ports standard expandable to either 34 or 66 ports depending on the CPU board All asynchronous serial communication ports configurable for RS232 or RS422 68681 SIO DB 9 Connector For DB 9 connector signals for RS 232 and RS 422 see Appendix B 50 75 110 134 5 150 200 300 600 1050 1200 1800 2000 2400 4800 7200 9600 19200 38400 57600 See note at end of this appendix 2 stop bi
15. 3Scan through the file until you come to the ATTACH statement that attaches the terminal to the job whose memory you want to change Following the ATTACH statement are several other statements among which is the MEMORY statement The number after the MEMORY statement is the amount of memory currently allocated to the job You can increase this number or decrease it as long as you keep in mind how much total memory your computer has and how much memory the other jobs on the computer need 4 The last statement in the AMOS32 INI file is MEMORY 0 This statement allocates to the System Operators job all the memory not specifically assigned to other jobs Therefore if you want to increase the amount of memory assigned to the job attached to the operator terminal the terminal the computer boots on connected to Port 0 all you need to do is subtract memory from some other job 5When you ve changed the MEMORY statements you need to reboot the computer to put them into effect When everyone who might be using the computer is either logged off or at AMOS command level press the key to get to AlpghaVUE command level type the letter G and press fer The computer automatically reboots using the TEST INI 6After the computer finishes booting use the SYSTAT command to see how much memory is assigned to each job on the computer If it meets with your approval log back into DSKO 1 4 and rename the TEST INI to AMOS32 INI RENAME D AMOS32 INI TEST
16. A d emission de bruits radioelectriques pour les appareils numeriques tells que perscrites par le Reglement sur le brouillage radioelectrique etabli par le ministere des Communications du Canada L exploitation faite en milieu residentiel peut entrainer le brouillage des receptions radio et tele ce qui obligerait le proprietaire ou l operateur a pendre les dispositions necessaires pour en eliminer les causes Battery Warning This equipment contains a battery which may explode if mistreated Do not recharge disassemble or dispose of in fire Replace only with an identical battery or authorized replacement Use of another battery may present a risk of fire or explosion Contact your Alpha Micro dealer if you need a replacement battery Electrical Warning This equipment contains components that can be damaged by static electricity Follow all electronic discharge precautions when handling the equipment For example touch the metal back panel of the CPU or peripheral chassis to dissipate any electrical charge before touchig the circuit boards or equipment within the chassis After turning off power before you open your computer chassis unplug the cord from the electrical outlet to guard against electrical shock Software Security Device Identification Number The Alpha Micro Software Security Device SSD is a customized integrated circuit that can be inserted into any Alpha Micro computer system The purpose of this device is to personalize the comp
17. Appendix A the individual data sheet appropriate for your drive Maximum Number Physical Size Interface 5 1 4 Diskette Drive The SBC enclosure supports four SCSI and two ESDI hard disk drives 31 2 and 51 4 SCSI Small Computer Standard Interface ESDI Enhanced Small Drive Interface NOTE Specifications subject to change without notice Physical Size Data Capacity Diskettes Transfer Rate Latency Average Access Time Track to track Average Access Time Track Density Recording Density MTBF Soft Read Error Rate Hard Read Error Rate Seek Error Rate 51 4 1 2 megabytes formatted 51 4 10 sectors track 80 tracks side double sided double density 250K bits second 100 msec 5 msec 150 msec 96 TPI 5922 bits inch 9200 Power on hours or more 25 duty cycle 1x10 9 1x10 12 1x10 6 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Specification Summary Page A 5 3 1 2 Diskette Drive NOTE Specifications subject to change without notice Physical Size Data Capacity Diskettes Transfer Rate Latency Average Access Time Track to track Average Access Time Track Density Recording Density MTBF Soft Read Error Rate Hard Read Error Rate Seek Error Rate Video Cassette Recorder Data Capacity Video I O Voltage Levels Video Recorder Compatibility Recording Format SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 31 2 1 44 megabytes formatted 3 1 2 18 sectors track 80 tr
18. E Lists files and blocks in which any errors occur L Lists all files and blocks on the disk To use one of these options place it after the DSKANA command like this DSKANA DSK1 C As mentioned above you need to use the L or E option to find the location of any file errors DSKANA detects The C option is discussed in the next section To see the list of DSKANA options type DSKANA without specifying a device name The CHECK Option and Automatic Backups At times you may want to have DSKANA examine a disk without re writing the bitmap especially when using an automatic backup method such as a command file or the Task Manager to perform the backup The reason for this is simple assume you run DSKANA at night as part of an automatic backup procedure If anyone on your computer leaves a file such as an AlphaVUE or AlphaWRITE document open on the device DSKANA is checking DSKANA doesn t take the open file into account when it rewrites the bitmap for the device When the person returns in the morning and writes the file to the disk it causes a bitmap error because the system didn t know the file was open This could corrupt the disk causing you to lose data To run DSKANA without rewriting the bitmap use the C option switch You see DSKANA s normal display when you use the C option except for the Rewriting BITMAP Message FORMATTING AND INITIALIZING A DISKETTE Before you use a new diskette for the first t
19. ERSATZ INI SYSTEM SYSMSG USA SYSTEM CMDLIN SYS SYSTEM SCNWLD SYS ETJOB JOB2 TERM2 512K JOB2 INI S MEMORY 0 Changing User Memory Exactly how many jobs are defined on your computer is determined by the JOBS command and how much of the computer s total supply of memory is assigned to each job is determined by the MEMORY command If you or the System Operator of your computer decide to add jobs or alter memory allocations you should first refer to the System Operator s Guide To see a display of the current memory allocations on your computer type the SYSTAT command SYSTAT N In addition to many other pieces of information about the status of the computer SYSTAT shows how much memory is assigned to each job The SYSTAT command is explained in detail in the System Commands Reference Manual If you decide to change the amount of memory allocated to a job you can modify the AMOS32 INI file following the instructions below SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 System Administration Page 5 5 NEVER change the AMOS32 INI file directly Always make a copy of it and modify the copy as described below Briefly here is a summary of what you need to do 1 Log into DSKO 1 4 and make copy of the AMOS32 INI file COPY TEST INI AMOS32 INI 2Use the AlphaVUE text editor to see the contents of the test file VUE TEST INI CEW If you are unfamiliar with AlphaVUE refer to the Alpha VUE User s Manual
20. If you are connecting your SBC as the last computer in your network chain install the LINK TERM shorting block on the main logic board This jumper is called W17 See Figure G 1 CONFIGURING SBC MEMORY There are four connectors shown in Figure G 1 designed for SBC memory expansion J5 J6 J7 and J8 The memory expansion board is called the AM 715 10 and has four megabytes of memory The maximum memory capacity of 16 megabytes is achieved by installing four memory boards See the AM 715 Memory Board Installation Instructions for detailed information on installing memory boards If your computer includes an AM 522 ESDI controller board the maximum memory capacity is reduced to 12 megabytes The AM 522 board requires one of the memory expansion slots for installation SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 User Configurable Options Page G 3 SBC EXPANSION I O The AM 145 board has one 60 pin connector located at J9 designed to support a maximum of 32 serial ports These ports are in addition to the two standard AM 145 serial I O ports 0 and 1 shown in Figure G 1 AM 355 I O boards attached to connector J9 use the same interface driver used by the two serial ports on the CPU board AM145 IDV AM 358 I O boards use an interface driver called AM358 IDV Other types of boards designed to be used on the AM 355 I O bus have their own unique drivers For information on jumper settings port numbering and l O addresses see the installa
21. In general you should install your computer in an area where people do not eat drink or smoke since all of these activities can cause contamination problems For information on cleaning your computer and taking care of its components refer to Chapter 6 Preventive Maintenance When you select a location for your SBC remember that it operates within certain temperature and humidity ranges See Appendix A Specifications for detailed requirements It is very important for the health of your SBC that you do not obstruct its cooling system The SBC takes air in from the bottom and exhausts air at the top rear Therefore you must place it on a tile floor or an anti static floor mat not carpeting The mounting feet of the SBC give it adequate ventilation space below Allow at least six inches at the rear of the unit for ventilation The bottom vents must be free of all obstacles and nothing should sit on top of the unit SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation Page 2 9 Static Electricity Slight problems with the computer can often be traced to problems with static electricity or improper grounding If you have problems on dry and windy days when humidity is low static electricity could be your problem If however your problems occur when equipment near the computer is powered on for example if your computer locks up when someone uses the photocopier improper grounding could be your problem See the next section One
22. RED and GREEN LEDs are both turned on indicating the drive is performing power on self test diagnostics The time required to complete self test diagnostics and initialization routines is 120 seconds maximum When the diagnostics are complete both LEDs are turned off If self test fails both the GREEN and RED LEDs flash Power Up Indicator After completion of the self test diagnostics the GREEN LED indicates the drive status When a tape is loaded and the drive is ready for use the GREEN LED will be on SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 3 16 Chapter Three Cartridge Load Procedure To load the 8mm cartridge into the drive 1Ensure the write protect tab on the 8mm tape has been set correctly for the desired operation The next section describes the write protect switch 21 the tape door is closed press the UNLOAD button to open the tape door located on the front of the drive 3Insert the 8mm tape label side up with the pivoting lip that protects the tape facing the drive 4Gently close the drive door The tape will do a quick tape positioning routine and the GREEN LED will come on Write Protect Tab The 8mm tape cartridge is equipped with a write protect switch to prevent accidental writing to the tape The write protect switch is a small sliding tab located on the rear of the tape cartridge When the red tab is visible in the recessed area of the write protect switch this indicates the tape is write protected Slide the
23. Read Total Copies Read Total CRC Errors Total Hard Errors Reliability Ratio 1 When the cassette has advanced to the beginning of the data non zero numbers replace the zeros in the display CRT610 updates the displays every few seconds with new information When the certification is finished you see something like this SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Video Cassette Recorder Data Backup Page C 3 Total Blocks Read 55676 Total Copies Read 551425 Total CRC Errors 1341 Total Hard Errors 0 Reliability Ratio 411 1 Certification is complete The message Certification is complete tells you CRT610 has reached the end of the data on the cassette Some number of CRC errors are expected and are perfectly acceptable However a hard error indicates some data was lost when the backup was performed A Reliability Ratio of 100 1 or less may indicate possible problems with the cassette or recorder see the AMOS User s Guide for advice Certifying a cassette takes as long as the original backup If you do not want to tie up your terminal that long you can tell the CRT610 command to send its display to a disk file you can examine later at your convenience See the AMOS User s Guide for more in formation SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 APPENDIX D THE CONTROL CHARACTERS Your terminal keyboard allows you to type control characters which perform special functions A control character is the signa
24. an Alpha Micro computer It gives you an upwardly compatible path for growth as your needs change The SBC s standard software is the same operating system and software as that supplied with all Alpha Micro 32 bit computers This gives you these advantages elf you decide at a later time to move on to one of the larger Alpha Micro computers you can transfer your application programs and files to the new computer with little or no conversion or translation necessary eThe large number of applications packages and programming languages dealers and systems houses develop for the complete family of Alpha Micro computers are available for your SBC too Read on for more information on the tool that is going to make life easier for you SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 1 2 Chapter One Ed y 574 Figure 1 1 SBC Enclosure ABOUT THIS BOOK The purpose of this book is to get you started with your SBC After you have followed the instructions in this book your SBC will be set up and running And you will have a good idea of where to go next for information on the software you want to use on your SBC This chapter contains a software and hardware overview of the SBC It also discusses the SBC configurations available and service information Chapter 2 tells you how to unpack and set up your SBC It also contains information on choosing an installation site for the SBC Chapter 3 discusses turning on and resetting
25. and store data Some of the standard hardware components provided with your SBC are eSeveral different types of 32 bit CPU boards are available in the SBC See Appendix F for more details on your CPU specifications erhe SBC comes with a minimum of four megabytes of memory with parity error detection Memory expansion ranges from 32 to 64 megabytes depending on the CPU board you order See Appendix F for information on installing memory boards See your Alpha Micro dealer for information on ordering memory upgrades eThe SBC comes with at least two asynchronous RS 232 serial I O ports Serial port expansion ranges from 32 to 64 ports depending on the CPU board you order All of these ports include RS 422 compatibility eThe time of day clock calendar has a battery backup so your SBC keeps track of the current date and time even when the computer is turned off SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 1 6 Chapter One eThe front panel contains a status and diagnostic display to aid in system troubleshooting See Chapter 8 for details eThe SBC provides a self test mode you can enable when you power up the computer See Chapter 8 and the System Self Test User s Guide shipped separately with your computer eThe computer provides both AC powerfail detection handling and a remote reset capability erhe SBC supports both ESDI and SCSI disk drives as well as a number of other SCSI peripheral devices eThe standard Video Cassette Controlle
26. first 100 blocks on DSK2 3REDALL now tells you the number of blocks it is reading For example REDALL DSK2 REN Reading 13800 blocks EXIT 4REDALL ends when it finishes reading the blocks If any errors occur REDALL displays the appropriate error message on your screen The DSKANA Command The DSKANA command is an important part of your disk maintenance routine DSKANA analyzes the data on a specified disk and reports lost and mislinked disk blocks inconsistent block counts and other file errors Each file on the disk is stored in one or more disk blocks AMOS keeps track of which disk blocks are currently used in files and which are not by means of a special structure called a bitmap Each disk has its own bitmap DSKANA compares the information in the bitmap with the actual data on the disk to make sure the bitmap is accurate For example if DSKANA finds a disk block that is part of a file but the bitmap shows the block not in use DSKANA reports an error When DSKANA finishes analyzing the disk it usually rewrites the bitmap Use DSKANA frequently on all of your disks It is a good practice to use DSKANA on every disk just before you back up the files on that disk For more information on DSKANA see the System Commands Reference Manual NEVER use DSKANA unless you are using the C option described below while other users are accessing the specified disk doing so may damage the bitmap and the files on the disk To u
27. from your tapes Even weak magnets such as those in paper clip holders can erase data on a cartridge tape DISKETTE DRIVE VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER MAINTENANCE Both the VCR and the diskette drive require periodic cleaning of the read write heads A regular cleaning schedule can prevent problems such as data loss which can result from dirty heads If you do start noticing data loss with either of these two devices cleaning the heads will probably take care of it You can clean diskette drives using a special head cleaning kit available from computer supply stores Although products are available from video stores for cleaning VCR heads we recommend you follow the head cleaning procedure suggested in the manufacturer s manual that accompanied your VCR SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Preventive Maintenance Page 6 3 1 4 STREAMING TAPE DRIVE CLEANING PROCEDURES It is very important to clean the read write head of your tape drive periodically Cleaning the tape drive read write head is the user s responsibility If you use your cartridge tape drive to do one or more backups per day you should clean the heads at least once a week For more frequent use keep in mind the following guidelines eWhen you use new tapes exclusively or often clean the head after every two hours of tape drive running time elf you reuse tapes most of the time clean the head after every eight hours of running time For the AM 625 and AM 626 streaming tap
28. lists the available disk devices Decide what device you want to add the accounts to 2Log into account 1 2 on any hard disk device for example DSKO Type LOG DSKO0 1 2 If you weren t already logged into another account you ll need to enter your user name after the LOG command If there s a password for this account you ll be asked for it too the SYSACT command followed by the name of the device you want to add the accounts to For example SYSACT DSK1 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 System Administration Page 5 3 4SYSACT responds with its prompt symbol an asterisk If you d like to see a list of all the things SYSACT can do type for Help and press GWN H GETUN 5From the list you see next you can select different functions to perform You want to add a new account so type A and the account number you want to add For example A 100 5 ETA 6SYSACT responds Password SYSACT asks if you want to protect the new account with a password You can enter a password of up to six characters or you can just press the key if you don t want to assign a password If you do enter a password whenever anyone tries to log into that account they have to type the password If they don t know the password they aren t allowed to log in 7You can see a list of all the account numbers on the disk device and their passwords by selecting the L List function like this LEN 8When you are finished using th
29. nae eed A 1 CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT fice mee La iowa e ete een A 2 N UTO SED buda da Meere ENS cox ia date cta A 2 STORAGE AND A 4 SOFTWARE iier ohne aes A 6 BAUD RATE NOTE 2s cc 0 c6 25ers Ex Ye ERR A 7 APPENDIX B PURCHASING OR CONSTRUCTING TERMINAL AND PRINTER CABLES WV RS 23927 aks gue toto ees m Ed a els Rd b a Estan B 1 WHA TIS ass esed tacts OF de oct ede ed esca d Gaia beth B 2 CABLING CONSTRUCTION GUIDELINES B 2 Cable Lengit as RR SEVERE B 3 able Tye ox ae sut vane oed UNES S ANM elu eee eid ek B 3 GCONNEGION tes abe eot Sce dr led QU eben B 4 MAKING THE GABLE notior he EY See xp m Baad ee ORG CP taf B 4 SHIELDING THE CABLE xor PR alowed Ae B 5 DB 9 CONNECTOR SIGNALS FOR RS 232 AND 5 422 B 7 TERMINAL CABLES RU EDD ERR XR RR B 7 AM 65 and AM 75 Terminals and RS 422 Cabling B 8 Workstatloni sse RA eL AER RR EY B 10 PRINTER CABLES a me xta ett ebd Shale ee ag eS t B 11 APPENDIX C VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER DATA BACKUP MAKING A BACKUP Ee Ste bit Re ar be tene BOE Rue C 1 CERTIFYING A BACKUP CASSETTE C 2 APPENDIX D THE CONTROL CHARACTERS uiri s
30. of the greatest enemies of computers terminals and printers is static electricity The chief villain is climate dry winds and dry seasons You should also be aware that both carpets and the plastic mats often used under desks are a prime source of static electricity If possible you should place your computer in an uncarpeted area If you must place it in a carpeted area where static electricity could be a problem you should place the SBC on an anti static floor mat Several anti static sprays on the market can be of considerable help during days when static electricity is a problem Also using an air conditioner that controls humidity can greatly reduce a static electricity problem Power and Cable Connections Before selecting a site for your SBC you should determine if the area where you want to place the computer has adequately regulated AC power If you request it many power companies will install test equipment to determine if there is a need for additional line regulation Testing line voltages may also be done through the use of a high speed line transient recorder If over a period of several days of testing the line voltage varies more than 10 percent from the rated line voltage you may need to install a line regulator or a new separate line A transient free or smooth and consistent power source and a properly installed earth ground can significantly improve the reliability of your SBC While the computer is in use it
31. or restriction you must know about before continuing This symbol marks a hint and identifies a shortcut or an easier way to do something This symbol says Don t forget and signals information to remember A dot on your terminal screen shows you re talking to the Alpha Micro Operating System and AMOS is waiting for you to enter a command AMOS allows you to define your own prompt symbol so you may see a different prompt on your screen Text that looks like this in our examples shows the characters the computer displays on your terminal screen such as prompts and information messages SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 1 4 Chapter One SYMBOL DESCRIPTION Text that looks like this in our examples shows the characters you type on the computer keyboard For example LOG OPR This symbol tells you when to press the indicated key on your terminal keyboard For example DIRf tells you to press the RETURN key at the end of the DIR command This combination of symbols tells you to hold down the first key indicated and press the second key For example to type a e J C c Control C press the key and while holding it down press the key This book often refers to other Alpha Micro publications You may order books from your dealer or from the Alpha Micro Sales Administration Department Chapter 4 lists some of the Alpha Micro manuals that may interest you COMPUTER OVERVIEW All a computer does is shi
32. regular backups of your data NOTE The information in this appendix applies to AMOS 32 versions 2 0 and later If you have an earlier version of AMOS refer to the document AMOS Video Cassette Recorder Backup Software for instructions on backing up your data Although we discuss the basics here there is a lot more information you should be familiar with concerning the VCR backup software For more detailed information on using the video cas sette recorder for backup refer to the AMOS User s Guide and the appropriate commands in the AMOS System Commands Reference Manual MAKING A BACKUP 1 Place your backup cassette into the video cassette recorder 2Rewind the cassette Look to make sure the cassette is rewound all the way to the clear plastic leader section of the cassette If you have a computer controlled Videotrax VCR it will rewind automatically when you start the backup 3Use the BACKUP command to back up all of the data on all disk devices on your system If you have diskettes on your system remember to place the diskettes containing the data you want to save in the drives and close the drive doors If your system boots from a diskette drive remember Drive 0 must contain a System Disk If you are using a computer controlled Videotrax VCR you do need to operate the recorder controls BACKUP does so for you Type BACKUP ALL 4BACKUP displays a list of the backup devices available Choose the VCR SBC Owner s M
33. short Pin 1 in that connector to Pin 7 Signal Ground resetting the computer To enable remote reset you must install a shorting block in the REMOTE RESET position on the SBC main logic board See Figure G 1 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page G 2 Appendix G SERIAL I O PORT CONFIGURATION Ports 0 and 1 on the SBC are factory configured for RS 232 compatibility You can configure either or both of these ports for RS 422 compatibility if desired For each port three jumpers on the main logic board control whether it is set for RS 232 or RS 422 compatibility You must set all three to either 232 or 422 For Port 0 the jumpers are W3 W4 and W5 for Port 1 they are W6 W7 and W8 See Figure G 1 VIDEO BACKUP DATA FORMAT CONTROL The VCR Interface contained in your SBC system is factory configured to support NTSC video format U S standard If you want to convert your system to the PAL or SECAM video formats European standards set the PAL NTSC jumper to the PAL shorting position The jumper that controls this option is W13 which is shown in Figure G 1 To return to NTSC configuration return the jumper to the NTSC shorting position VIDEO NETWORK TERMINATOR If you have purchased the AlphaNET product and want to add your SBC to your Video Network you must make sure only the systems at the extreme ends of the network have network terminators installed All SBC systems are factory configured with the net work terminator removed
34. tab in the opposite direction and the tape is write enabled SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 CHAPTER 4 WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE Your Alpha Micro computer is extremely versatile it can do so many different things that at this point you might be somewhat undecided as to where to start Your next step is to learn something about the software you can run on your SBC This chapter deals with some of the questions you may be asking What software is available for Alpha Micro computers What Alpha Micro documents should read next INTRODUCTION TO AMOS SOFTWARE This section will give you an idea of some of the software available for your SBC The Operating System AMOS AMOS the Alpha Micro Operating System supervises all of the programs that run on your computer Regular updates to the AMOS operating system and its accompanying system software are available from your dealer Programming Languages The AlphaBASIC programming language is a standard part of the software for your SBC AlphaBASIC is an enhanced version of BASIC and contains many business oriented features not found in standard BASICs such as mapped variables which allow record definition automatic string numeric mode conversion and easy to use random and sequential file handling AlphaBASIC also provides an ISAM Indexed Sequential Access Method interface AlphaBASIC PLUS which is available with AMOS 2 0 and later contains even more features such as sophisticate
35. tape cartridge be sure the tape activity light is out To unload press the tape door release button and remove the tape from the drive Write protecting a Tape Cartridge The tape cartridge has a write protect switch you can set to avoid inadvertently writing over data already on the tape To enable this feature turn the write protect switch so the arrow points to SAFE You can use a paper clip or a coin to do this When the arrow points the other way data can be written on the cartridge OPTIONAL 8MM MAGNETIC TAPE BACKUP DEVICE The AM 645 8mm high capacity SCSI tape drive incorporates helical scan technology which affords a very high recording density and data storage capacity It uses an industry standard 8mm tape cartridge which is removable and rewriteable The cartridge stores approximately two gigabytes of user formatted data The drive conforms to industry standard form factor specifications for full height 51 4 devices The order number which includes the drive mounting kit and installation instructions is PDB 00645 10 All operator controls are located on the front panel of the drive The following sections discuss the various controls and indicators Unload Button The unload switch is a button located on the front of the drive It rewinds unloads and ejects the data cartridge Drive Status LEDs There are two status LEDs on the front panel of the drive e Power up Initialization Indicators During power up initialization the
36. the computer using the terminal keyboard and diskettes and turning the computer off Chapter 4 is an overview of the various software available for the SBC and lists the Alpha Micro documentation you can order to learn more about each subject Chapter 5 discusses computer maintenance It shows how to allocate computer resources by entering the system initialization file commands to set up terminals and jobs for multi user operation SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Introducing Your Computer Page 1 3 Chapter 6 contains information on the care and feeding of the SBC Chapter 7 is a handbook of troubleshooting procedures you can follow to isolate the problem should something go wrong with your computer Chapter 8 discusses SBC status codes you may see on the front panel display Several appendices contain hardware specifications technical information on constructing terminal cables and a glossary Reader s Comments Form We are very interested in making sure our documentation meets the needs of our readers We would greatly appreciate your taking a moment after you have read this book to fill out the Readers Comments form at the back to let us know if you found the book helpful Graphics Conventions Like other documents in the Alpha Micro documentation library this book contains a number of standard symbols to make our text easier to read and understand SYMBOL DESCRIPTION This symbol means STOP and signals an important warning
37. the digits 8 and 9 aren t used and the highest possible number is 377 376 The two part structure of the account number allows you another level of organization Besides grouping files into accounts you can group related accounts in the same project For example all accounts containing files dealing with payroll may be in project 50 50 0 50 1 etc You can also assign a password to each account if you wish as a security measure Anyone who doesn t know the password cannot log into the account See Chapter 5 for how to assign passwords SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 3 4 Chapter Three Accounts are called disk accounts because each account is specific to a particular device usually a disk For example you may have the account 63 1 on both DSKO and DSK1 Though these accounts have the same account number since they are on different devices they are different accounts and contain different files You can see a list of all the accounts on any device on your computer using the PPN command Type PPN and the name of the device you want the list for For example to see all the accounts on DSKO type PPN DSKO You can also see a list of all the files in any account using the DIR short for directory command To see a list of the files in the account you are currently in type DIR W RETURN While you can use DIR to list the files from any account to access the files in an account you must log into it as des
38. the jumper block of the serial port to RS 422 Then the terminal must be set to RS 422 in setup mode See the documentation that comes with the terminal See Table B 1 for the signal to pin orientation of the RS 422 interface Tables B 3 and B 4 list the RS 422 pinouts for the AM 65 and AM 75 terminals SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Purchasing or Constructing Terminal and Printer Cables Page B 9 If you make your own cables use twisted pair cable and pair the signals as shown below Remember to connect the shell to the cable shield as shown in Shielding the Cable ol You must use twisted pair cable for RS 422 to work correctly 9 Table B 3 95 422 Cabling for AM 65 Terminal Terminal End Computer End DB 9 Connector DB 9 Connector SIGNAL PIN DIRECTION SIGNAL Table B 4 RS 422 Cabling for AM 75 Terminal Port A Terminal End Computer End DB 25 Connector DB 9 Connector SIGNAL PIN DIRECTION SIGNAL SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page B 10 Appendix B Workstation RS 232 pin assignments for connecting an IBM PC compatible Workstation to the Alpha Micro computer are listed below If you make your own cables use twisted pair cable and pair the signals as shown below Remember to connect the shell to the cable shield as shown in Shielding the Cable Table B 5 Pinouts for Workstation to Computer Cable IBM PC AT and Compatibles Workstation Computer End Serial I O Port DB 9 Connector SIGNAL PIN DIRECTION
39. what the results were RECORDING THE SSD IDENTIFICATION NUMBER The Software Security Device SSD is a customized integrated circuit located on the CPU board The SSD uniquely identifies your computer to customized software that has been configured to run only on your computer If you purchase customized software from Alpha Micro or other software vendors you need to give them your SSD identification number printed on the SSD chip itself before they can key the software to your computer The SSD identification number is written on the System D label on the back panel of the computer in the section titled SSD Serial No Please note the identification number of your SSD at this time and enter the number at the front of this book SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 2 4 Chapter Two VERIFYING THE BOOT ID SWITCH SETTINGS The Boot ID switches on the back panel of your computer are usually set for you at the factory or by your dealer The switch settings define what hard disk drive backup device combination your computer uses to boot from When you press the reset button the computer reads the system initialization command file and the operating system to get itself up and running You can select which device the computer reads these files from by changing the Boot ID Switches These eight toggle switches are accessible through a small opening in the back panel of your computer As you look directly at the back panel the Boot ID swit
40. with its exceptional reliability However if a problem should occur look at the list of symptoms below to find practical information on diagnosing and correcting the problem Some of the problems below are the result of improper installation while others can occur through user error To make troubleshooting your computer as simple as possible we have defined several proced ures to use in tracking down problems These procedures should either guide you to finding and fixing the problem or take you to a point where you can verify a major hardware failure or software problem has occurred A hardware failure should be handled by your dealer A software problem on the other hand might be something you can handle yourself However we do not give software checkout procedures in the sections below This is because such pro cedures require you to be a fairly experienced user of the computer With experience you should have no problem in tracking down and fixing such problems For information on soft ware procedures refer to the AMOS System Operator s Guide For now we recommend you contact your dealer if you have a software problem you cannot fix easily THE SYMPTOMS Symptom 1 No Display on the Operator Terminal Screen If you see no characters on the screen at all when you boot the computer perform the fol lowing troubleshooting procedures in the order given Check Power Run Memory Lights Procedure 1 Check the Computer Statu
41. 1 5 2You store information for later use by placing it in filing cabinet drawers This permanent storage function is performed on the SBC by disk drives 3You have desk top area for temporary storage of information where you can work on it In the computer this temporary work area is called memory 4You use your hands to write information down on paper so you can file it and your eyes to read existing information The computer uses its input output devices printers and terminals in the same way 5Finally you need an entity to control and supervise all of these functions making sure files are correctly transferred to the desk top from the filing cabinet and updated copies are returned to the cabinet when you are finished with the files For you your brain makes sure things are done the way you want in the SBC this supervisor is the Central Processing Unit the CPU working under the direc tion of the operating system software which is called AMOS For example when you edit a report the CPU under control of the computer operating system software AMOS brings a copy of the file you want to work on from the disk drive into memory Using your terminal keyboard you work on that file Then when you are finished the CPU returns the updated copy to the disk Hardware Overview The computer hardware consists of the physical components that make up your com puter These components provide the ability to process input display
42. AM 990 Universal Enclosure Single Board Computer Owner s Manual ALPHA MICROS YSTEMS RIGHT FROM THE ST DSM 00162 01 FIRST EDITION Jan 1992 ALPHA MICROSYSTEMS To re order this document request part number DSO 001 62 00 FCC NOTICE This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual may cause harmful interference to radio communications Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense Canadian Department of Communications Compliance Statement This equipment does not exceed Class A limits per radio noise emissions for digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications Operation in a residential area may cause unacceptable interference to radio and TV reception requiring the owner or operator to take whatever steps are necessary to correct the interference Avis de Conformite aux Normes du Ministere des Communications du Canada Cet equipment ne depasse pas les limits de Classe
43. AlphaFIX eObject File Librarian LIBLIT eBackground Task Manager eObject File Patching Utility PATCH eindexed Sequential Access Method Data Access Package ISAM eV CR File Backup Support Software eOver 150 other utility programs eAlphaBASIC programming language eMacro assembly programming language eScreen Oriented Text Editor Alpha VUE eText Formatter TXTFMT Other software packages are available from your dealer BAUD RATE NOTE The baud rate 57600 is exempt from the restrictions discussed in this section and may be used for any port regardless of what other baud rates are chosen On the SBC the baud rates for each pair of serial ports are controlled by a single chip One chip controls ports 0 and 1 on the main CPU board another controls ports 2 and 3 on the first AM 355 paddle board another 4 and 5 and so on Because of this the baud rates for the ports in a pair must be compatible with each other That is they must come from the same table below SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page A 8 Appendix A Table 1 Table 2 When assigning baud rates to a pair of ports follow these rules 1 Choose the baud rate you want for the first port of the pair 2lf this baud rate appears in both tables above for example if it s 9600 you can take the baud rate for the second port from either table however the first baud rate appears only in one table such as 1050 the rate for the second port mu
44. Appendix D Control l is a tab character It moves the cursor to the next tab stop your terminal display Many terminals have a key you can use instead of typing Control l A program or command often displays more data on your terminal than fits on one screen To stop the screen display type a Control S You can now read the data on the screen at your leisure Not only does the display freeze but AMOS actually stops sending data to your terminal until you type a Control Q see below at that point AMOS resumes sending information where it left off While a Control S is in effect AMOS stores but does not act upon anything you type except for a Control Q There is however a limit to how much can be stored The exact number of characters depends upon your initial system set up When you type a Control S described above to freeze the screen display you must type a Control Q to resume the screen display If you have typed anything while the Control S was in effect a Control Q tells AMOS it can now go ahead and act upon that input If the line editor is enabled Control R recalls commands you have already typed bringing them back so you can use them again or modify them before resubmitting them After you bring the command back you can use the terminal keyboard arrow keys to move forward and back on the command line and the alphanumeric keys to change command text When you are ready to enter the recalled and modified command
45. B Table B 2 Pinouts for RS 232 Terminal to Computer Cables Terminal End Computer End DB 25 Connector DB 9 Connector SIGNAL PIN DIRECTION SIGNAL The DTR connection pin 20 to the computer pin 4 can serve as READY NOT BUSY handshake line to prevent overrunning the terminal with data This protocol is also effective for several printers used by Alpha Micro degrade system performance with other types of terminals and printers if they do not provide a compatible DTR on pin 20 In such cases the connection to pin 4 at the computer end should be disconnected m While this cable configuration enhances the use of the Alpha Micro terminals it may If itis necessary to operate the terminal with a cable over 50 feet in length the specified maximum or more than 20K baud we recommend you use the RS 422 interface The Alpha Micro RS 422 is a balanced voltage digital interface that eliminates noise problems and allows maximum performance for distances up to 1000 feet For a diagram of a typical cable configuration for RS 422 see the discussion of the AM 65 and AM 75 terminals below RS 422 peripheral device terminal printer etc used with an Alpha Micro SBC must M also have an RS 422 interface capability or an RS 232 RS 422 converter must be used with the terminal AM 65 and AM 75 Terminals and RS 422 Cabling To use the AM 65 or AM 75 terminal as an RS 422 device you must use an RS 422 interconnecting cable and set
46. CKUP DATA FORMAT CONTROL G 2 VIDEO NETWORK TERMINATOR G 2 CONFIGURING SBC MEMORY 25 epa tur Rer REA eed G 2 SBC EXPANSION IO 40 aa MEA au ea C ce AB stk G 3 INDEX SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCING YOUR COMPUTER Here you are the new owner of an Alpha Micro AM 990 Universal Enclosure Single Board Computer SBC You may own a small business and find that keeping track of inventory is taking time you could be using for product development You may manage a department in a large company and see a need for stand alone word processing systems for the secretarial staff and a need for executive information stations You may be an educator or scientist who needs a computer for data processing mathematical analysis and computer training You may be a doctor who needs a medical billing computer for your office Whoever you are there is one thing you have in common with all other Alpha Micro computer owners you need the power and versatility a business computer can offer And you do not want your growth in the years ahead limited by the choices you make today Alpha Micro offers a complete line of 16 and 32 bit computers ranging from three to 240 users and offering up to hundreds of megabytes of memory and thousands of megabytes of disk storage The SBC encompasses the kind of sophisticated multi user capabilities you ve come to expect from
47. Connecting the Cable Refer to the FCC warning concerning electromagnetic interference at the front of this gt book The terminal cables you use must be shielded to minimize such interference Also see the suggestions in Power and Cable Connections in this chapter Make sure you have appropriate cables for connecting the terminal to the computer See Appendix B Purchasing or Constructing Terminal and Printer Cables in this manual for cable guidelines If you do not have the proper cables please contact your dealer Plug one end of the finished cable into the proper connector on the back of the terminal and the other end into the appropriate connector on the back of the CPU chassis Alpha Micro cables are labeled at each end to indicate which end plugs into the CPU and which end goes to the terminal SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation Page 2 21 INITIAL TESTING Before you boot the computer under AMOS or hook up any printers and additional terminals you should use the SBC self test feature to verify that the computer hardware is working correctly For full information on self test refer to the System Self Test User s Guide shipped separately with your computer Perform self test now before proceeding to the next section BOOTING UNDER AMOS Normally the AMOS system software is installed on your SBC by Alpha Micro before the computer leaves the factory If this is the case all you need to do to bring the system u
48. E NAMES echec natnra kh RR oru tes 3 2 The Systerm DISK eR e RC TUR E de 3 3 DISK ACCOUNTS ieee ieee dye e PARV RUNS dares 3 3 USER NAMES it Sass saws Re EN Snes See eb ees 3 4 LOGGING acere TERR ECCE PRI ette m d ORO eas 3 5 THE MAIN COMMAND MENU ssesere e eh 3 6 What Yol SOC ose iss meu Ru aea Rari ESO bg E Re Seine ds 3 6 Making Selection 3 7 Getting IC Disc eee dese E inne n nd dee etree 3 7 Exiting Menu Display 3 7 THE TERMINAL KEYBOARD 22022060 24 3 7 Correcting Typing Mistakes 3 9 A WORD ABOUT DISKETTES E e RR RE 3 9 USING Diskettes xoc nter uo prx Ere RARE COUR HR 3 10 Mounting Diskettes 3 13 TA STREAMING tue beau he pease 3 13 1 4 Tape Drive Storage Capacity 3 13 Read Write Compatibility for 1 4 Tape Drives 3 14 Loading and Unloading Tape 3 14 Write protecting a Tape Cartridge 3 15 OPTIONAL 8MM MAGNETIC TAPE BACKUP DEVICE 3 15 Unload BUllon date bee ee La ee behead 3 15 Drive status LEDS 3 15 Cartridge L
49. INI Be careful not to rename your TEST INI too soon You might want to let the com puter run awhile to test out the new memory allocations before you rename it Then if you decide you don t want to keep the new memory allocations you can always press the RESET button to reboot with your former AMOS32 INI file SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 5 6 Chapter Five Adding Jobs When you increase the number of terminals connected to your computer you also need to modify the AMOS32 INI file so the system software knows what ports they are connected to and what jobs they are attached to 1 To add jobs to your computer once again log into DSKO 1 4 make a copy of your AMOS32 INI file COPY TEST INI AMOS32 INI 2Use the AlphaVUE text editor to look at the TEST INI file VUE TEST INI 3At the beginning of the TEST INI file is a JOBS statement The number following the JOBS statement represents the total number of jobs on your computer If your computer has three jobs now and you want to add two more jobs change the number in the JOBS statement to 5 or more For example JOBS 5 4On the lines following the JOBS statement there are one or more JOBALC state ments You can define each job in a separate JOBALC statement or you can define several jobs in the same JOBALC statement by separating the jobnames with commas For example JOBALC JOB4 JOB5 Each jobname which can have up to six characters defines a job on your compu
50. Manual Rev 00 Page 5 14 Chapter Five SYSACT now asks you to confirm this command Initializing the disk clears all files enter Y to confirm Initializing the diskette erases any data on it so be sure the correct diskette is in the drive and you entered the correct device name before you answer Type a Y and press ea Now SYSACT asks you Reserve space for how many accounts The default is 64 accounts which is probably more than enough Press the key to accept this number 5Finally on AMOS 2 0 and later systems SYSACT asks Creat xtended directory structure Type v UN to use extended disks or to use traditional format disks 6Now use the E command to leave SYSACT E RETURN You have now left SYSACT and are at AMOS command level The diskette is now ready to use In order to log into the diskette and write data to it you need to add accounts to the diskette Use the SYSACT command again and use the A Add option as described earlier For example to add accounts 100 2 and 120 0 on the diskette in device FLVO type the following commands SYSACT FLVO A 100 2 Password RETURN A 120 0 Password MINE RETURN E RETURN In this example one of the new accounts 100 2 is not protected by a password and the other 120 0 is protected by the password MINE For more information on FMTFLP LOG and SYSACT refer to the System Commands Reference Manual For more information on disk ac
51. NNECTOR gt o Eo pur SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Figure 2 3 SBC Back Panel 5 571 2 7 Page 2 8 Chapter Two PREPARING THE SITE For the SBC to do its best job for you you must place it in an environment it is comfortable in Extreme temperature or humidity can cause system failure The SBC is not very demanding its environmental needs are similar to your own Physical Requirements The SBC s dimensions are Height 28 71 1 cm Width 9 22 8 cm Depth 30 5 77 4 cm Weight up to 100 Ibs 45 kg The first step then is to make sure the place you want to put your SBC is large enough and sturdy enough for it Also leave enough room for any terminals and printers you want to use Make sure the AC power cord will reach from the SBC back panel to an electrical outlet and that there are enough electrical outlets for all terminals and printers You should also make sure you have enough terminal cabling to reach from the SBC back panel to your terminals and printers See Power and Cable Connections below Environmental Requirements It is important to remember that the cleaner the environment the more efficiently the SBC performs Treat your SBC with respect For example do not place coffee cups or soda cans on top of the main enclosure where they can spill If spilled liquid happens to reach the circuit boards inside the SBC it could cause system failure
52. Static electricity Status display Status display codes front panel self test Streaming tape drive Switches 8mm tape drive Boot ID SYSACT command SYSTAT command System Disk definition System initialization file changing user memory System operator Tape cartridge 8mm maintenance 8mm using 8mm write protecting using write protecting Tape drive 1 4 8mm 8mm installing capacity cleaning compatibility installing Task Manager Terminal parameters AM 3000M Owner s Manual Index 2 6 3 13 1 8 3 13 to 3 15 1 8 8 15 to 3 16 E 2 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 AM 3000M Owner s Manual Index Page Index 7 Terminals B 7 Cables u esas iss et tae wads 7 7 cabling erbe Ween th s B 7 keyboard 3 7 to 3 8 D 1 to D 2 TRMDEF statement 5 6 Testing line voltages 2 9 Text preparation 4 2 TOD COVED Ls ater dux ere re esse Eng a 2 13 DICIUIB Er eO MA 2 12 replacing 2 14 TRMDEF statement 5 6 to 5 7 Troubleshooting 7 1 to 7 10 alternate 1 7 9 to 7 10 powerup reset 7 5 selftest 7 9 status 7 4 to 7 5 status lights 7 3 to 7 4 symptoms 7 1 to 7 2
53. Sx Clear to Send RTSx Request to Send RTSx Request to Send N C no connection TXDx Transmitted Data GND Signal Ground GND Signal Ground DCDx Data Carrier Detect RXDx Received Data DSRx Data Set Ready DSRx Data Set Ready NOTE x channel number For example RXDx RXD3 or Received Data channel 3 The RS 232 or RS 422 interface is configurable independently for each connector 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 TERMINAL CABLES This section tells you which pins to connect to construct cables for particular terminals supported by Alpha Micro For information on cabling to an AM 358 I O controller refer to the AM 358 Serial Controller Installation Instructions PDI 00358 00 When using twisted pair cables it is important to assign signals to conductor pairs properly to reduce crosstalk For best results pair high frequency and low frequency signals such as TXD DTR and RXD GND as shown in the tables in this appendix The AM 60 AM 62 and AM 70 terminals are all RS 232 devices and use the same cabling The AM 62A AM 65 AM 72 and AM 75 terminals when used as RS 232 devices also use these pinouts Table B 2 gives the pinouts required in cables connecting a terminal to the computer If you make your own cables use twisted pair cable and pair the signals as shown below Remember to connect the shell to the cable shield as shown in Shielding the Cable SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page B 8 Appendix
54. TJOB JOB4 TRM4 512K JOBA INI This statement attaches JOB4 to TRM4 assigns JOB4 512K bytes of memory and tells the operating system to execute the commands in JOBA4 INI The format for the JOBA INI file would look like this FORCE JOB4 LOG DSK6 200 2 JOHN SMITH VER The JOBA INI file uses the FORCE command to log JOB4 into a user account This is followed by the user name applicable to that account The user name is followed by the VER command which unlocks the keyboard You will need to repeat this process for each of the jobs you wish to add to your computer If everything goes all right and the new terminals and jobs work to your satisfac tion you can rename the TEST INI to AMOS32 INI RENAME D AMOS32 INI TEST INI If there was something wrong with the changes you made do not rename the TEST INI file Press the reset button to reboot the computer with the original AMOS32 INI file Now you can use AlphaVUE to correct the TEST INI and try again SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 5 8 Chapter Five BACKING UP YOUR DATA Once you begin using the SBC you will soon find yourself operating it with confidence and ease However no matter how smoothly everything goes please remember one important thing you must keep current copies of the data you are working on This copy is your backup Computers and data storage devices are very reliable but nobody can guard against an unforeseen occurrence like a power outa
55. Your terminal keyboard Working with diskettes Working with streamer tape BOOTING THE COMPUTER Booting is the process the computer goes through whenever you turn the power on or press the reset button When you boot a pre programmed circuit built into the SBC called a PROM Programmable Read Only Memory tells the CPU where to look on the disk for the software necessary to get the computer up and running The CPU reads this software from the disk loads it into the computer s internal storage area its memory and executes its instructions Among the files transferred into system memory when you boot is the system initialization command file AMOS32 INI AMOS32 INI is a special command file containing commands that define to the operating system AMOS all the hardware connected to your computer As the SBC boots it reads these commands and builds the operating system in memory correctly for your configuration of hardware You can change the AMOS32 INI file easily whenever you want to add more hardware to your computer SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 3 2 Chapter Three If you want to learn more about the AMOS32 INI file and how to modify it read Chapter 5 of this book Read the System Operator s Guide to the System Initialization Command File for details As the SBC processes the commands in AMOS32 INI each line of the file displays on the operator terminal When all of the commands in the AMOS32 INI have been processe
56. ackages screen oriented text editor provides an easy to use tool for creating documents text formatting program aids in document preparation eAlphaMENU s interactive menu of system functions gives a user not yet familiar with the entire range of AMOS commands an easy way to select functions Also AIphaMENU lets you define your own menu of system or application func tions by modifying the supplied menu or creating an entirely new one elSAM Indexed Sequential Access Method a machine language file management system callable from AlphaBASIC or assembly language programs provides a method for quick information organization and retrieval simple system initialization procedure allows you to quickly change the types of peripheral devices connected to the computer change user memory allocations and customize the computer to your exact needs eAMOS provides support for many different kinds of printers and terminals and gives you the ability to define your own type of terminal or printer to the computer For an introduction to the SBC software refer to Chapter 4 Where Do Go From Here SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 1 8 Chapter One COMPUTER COMPONENTS AND AVAILABLE CONFIGURATIONS Several different configurations of the SBC are available These SBCs differ only in the number of terminals and printers you can attach and the types of storage devices interfaced to the computer For exact configuration informatio
57. acks side double sided double density 500K bits second 100 msec 3 msec 94 msec 135 17434 bits inch 10000 Power on hours or more normal duty cycle 1x10 9 1x10 12 1x10 6 80 megabytes on a two hour tape 1 Volt peak to peak typical into 75 Ohm termination Standard commercially available VCRs either VHS or Beta format NTSC video format U S standard PAL and SECAM format compatability is provided Page A 6 Appendix A 1 4 Streaming Tape Drive AM 625 and AM 626 Physical Size Data Capacity Tape Cartridge Interface Tape Format Soft Error Rate Hard Error Rate 51 4 AM 625 250Mb max AM 626 525Mb max AM 625 DC6037 DC6150 DC600 XTD DC6250 AM 626 DC6037 DC6150 DC6250 DC6325 DC6525 SCSI AM 625 Write read QIC 150 read only QIC 24 and QIC 120 AM 626 Write read QIC 320 or QIC 150 read only QIC 24 and QIC 120 1X 104 8 1X10 10 8mm Streaming Tape Drive AM 645 Physical Size Data Capacity Interface Tape Format Hard Error Rate SOFTWARE 51 4 Maximum 2 gigabytes SCSI Proprietary 1X 10 12 Standard AMOS 32 Software Release contains eOperating System AMOS 32 A multi user multi tasking timesharing monitor eMultiple Printer Spoolers eParameterized Command File Processor eMulti pass Macro Assembler M68 el inkage Editor LNKLIT SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Specification Summary Page A 7 eSymbolic Debugger
58. ake up the interface Basically implementing this standard involves assigning standardized signal definitions for the various pins of the RS 232 connector at either end of your terminal or printer cables For example the wire attached to Pin 2 carries the signal interpreted on the computer end as Input Data from Terminal and on the terminal end as Transmit Data To Computer You enable these specific signals by attaching cable wires to certain connector pins If a terminal or printer manufacturer says their device is RS 232 or RS 232C compatible it will probably be easy for you to connect it to your Alpha Micro computer system SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page B 2 Appendix B Before constructing the cable to connect a printer or terminal to your Alpha Micro computer system you need to consult the manufacturers manual accompanying the device It will tell you how to wire the connector on your device end Few devices use all of the defined signals In most cases you need to connect only three or four pins Although printer cables are sometimes a little more complicated on the printer end terminal cables are often the same on both computer and terminal ends Alpha Micro uses both the DB 25 pin connector and the DB 9 pin connector in RS 232 interfaces The SBC uses only DB 9 connectors at the computer end The maximum length of RS 232 cables is 50 feet between devices WHAT IS RS 422 Because of rapid technological advancements it
59. ame and erase files sort the data inside files use a task management system to schedule and perform background tasks that run without operator control print files while you per form other tasks at the same time use the ISAM system to organize and retrieve information quickly and back up data automatically at a convenient time when nobody is using the computer in the middle of the night for example Application Programs Your local Alpha Micro dealer has a variety of programs available for your SBC many of which are aimed at specific business needs such as general accounting dental office legal office real estate management manufacturing inventory control educational learning systems restaurant management medical office billing laboratory analysis and many others Please see your dealer for details SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Where do I go from Here Page 4 3 Office Information Products Several Office Information Products are available separately from your local Alpha Micro dealer The Office Information Products series includes AlphaCALC an electronic spreadsheet program that prepares what if financial models quickly and easily eAIphaWHITE a sophisticated word processing package that provides spelling checking hyphenation form letter preparation automatic outlining and much more eAIphaNET is a low cost way to transfer files exchange information and share resources between different Alpha Micro computer
60. anual Rev 00 Page C 2 Appendix C 5Now follow BACKUP s instructions pushing the video cassette recorder s con trols and pressing the key when instructed to do so BACKUP asks you for some information e g Volume Installation This is for your later reference only if you do not wish to label the cassette with this information press the key in answer to these questions 6When BACKUP is finished it tells you The transfer is now complete Press STOP on the VCR If you have a great deal of data to save e g you want to back up a 40 megabyte hard drive you may want to automate your backup procedures By using the programmable capabilities of your recorder and an appropriate command file you can instruct your SBC and recorder to work together to perform an automatic backup without operator help at a convenient time for example in the middle of the night The AMOS User s Guide contains samples of backup command files That book also tells you how to use the RESTOR command to restore data from a backup cassette back to a disk CERTIFYING A BACKUP CASSETTE After you perform a backup it is very important to certify the cassette to make sure the backup is good Use the CRT610 C command Enter CRT610 C Now follow CRT610 s instructions pushing the VCR s controls and pressing the key when requested to do so You now see a display on the terminal screen that looks something like this Total Blocks
61. are within the system SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Front Panel Status Display Codes Page 8 5 The diagnostic routines that make up your system self test are incorporated into the SBC s boot PROMS You can bring up self test when you turn on power to the computer In order to understand both the front panel display codes and the terminal output displayed by self test you need to follow the instructions in the System Self Test User s Guide shipped separately with your computer This guide contains detailed information about diagnostic routines error codes and test looping The self test document is included with the documentation shipped with your computer SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 APPENDIX A SPECIFICATIONS SUMMARY GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS Temperature Humidity Power Requirements Maximum Power Consumption Electromagnetic Interference System Dimensions Enclosure Composition Memory Additional Features SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 60 to 90 degrees F 15 6 to 32 2 degrees C 10 degrees C per hour maximum fluctuation 2096 to 8096 humidity noncondensing United States 115 VC 93 5 to 132 VAC 47 to 63 Hz International 230 VAC 187 to 253 VAC 47 to 63 Hz User selectable 115 volts at 5 amps or 230 volts at 2 5 amps Complies with U S FCC rules and regulations Class A Height 28 in 71 1 cm Width 9 in 22 8 cm Depth 30 5 77 4 Weight Approximately 100 lbs 45 kg
62. assette Recorder Backup Soft ware Because both backup and diagnostic procedures discussed below usually must be done when only one job is accessing the disks it is wise to run them when other users are off the system for example at night or on weekends By using the Task Manager or the SLEEPR command within a command file you can run backups and tests in the middle of the night when they won t interfere with other users See the Task Manager User s Manual for details on how to do this SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 System Administration Page 5 9 ANALYZING THE DISK A disk diagnostic program reads data from a disk If it cannot read an area of the disk it reports the problem to you Checking your system frequently with disk diagnostic pro grams helps prevent data loss the sooner you catch a malfunction the less data is likely to be affected The type of problem found by disk diagnostics is known as a hard error because it means data is lost A soft error means the computer had trouble reading the data but data was not lost Disk diagnostics do not report soft errors If a diagnostic program indicates problems you may need to restore data from a backup copy or reconstruct the data on a damaged disk If you have this type of problem con sult the section Recovering From Disk Errors in the System Operator s Guide Before running any of the disk diagnostic tests especially if you suspect a problem it is a good idea to u
63. became necessary to extend the RS 232 standard The EIA adopted three related standards that permit higher data signaling rates greater distances between devices balanced interface circuits and loop back testing The standards are RS 422 RS 423 and RS 449 For Alpha Micro computers we need be concerned with only RS 422 and RS 232 The RS 422 interface uses balanced signal lines in a twisted pair cable It has greater immunity to electrical noise and can run over longer cables The maximum length of Alpha Micro RS 422 cables is 1000 feet Alpha Micro has set the maximum data rate of both RS 232 and RS 422 at 57600 All SBC serial I O ports can be configured for RS 422 operation In addition your serial peripherals must be able to operate using RS 422 signal levels The Federal Communications Commission FCC has established rules regarding allowable emission levels of Class A computing devices ref Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules The Alpha Micro systems to which this manual applies have been determined to be in compliance with the FCC rules However you should be aware that if other devices such as terminals and printers are attached to these systems even if the devices are attached in accordance with the instructions contained in this manual the resulting configuration may not be in compliance with the referenced FCC rules Corrective measures if any are required are the responsibility of the user Information on emission levels of per
64. boot from the VCR or streaming tape drive For a VCR 1Load the warm boot video cassette you received from Alpha Micro into your video cassette recorder Rewind the cassette checking it visually to make sure it is rewound all the way to the clear plastic tape leader Make sure all video cable connections are tight 2Push the VCR button and immediately push your computer s reset button In about 30 seconds you should see a message giving the version number of the operating system Then you see a dot the AMOS prompt symbol SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 7 10 Chapter Seven If you do see the operating system message and a dot you have successfully warm booted Because this is a warm boot you do not see the system initialization command file on the operator terminal Go to the next step If you do not see the operating system message and a dot try performing the warm boot once more If you still do not see the message call your dealer for help Stop 3Enter the following command DIR SYS AMOS REUN If your terminal displays a list of files including two with INI and MON extensions you know at least some of your System Disk is intact Although once you are familiar with the computer you can easily restore the System Disk yourself we recommend that as a new user you contact your dealer for help at this point Stop For a streaming tape 1 Load the warm boot tape you received into your tape drive 2Push your
65. changing the AMOS32 INI file For information on modifying the AMOS32 INI file refer to the documentation on the system initialization command file in the System Operator s Guide Please read that document carefully modifying the AMOS32 INI file without understanding its elements is very dangerous a serious mistake could damage the AMOS32 INI file and leave your computer unable to boot from your System Disk NEVER modify the AMOS32 INI file directly Make a copy of the file then change and test the copy GETTING ASSISTANCE If you have followed all of the instructions in this chapter but for some reason your SBC is not working you probably want help First of all please turn to Chapter 7 Troubleshooting and see if one of the problems listed in The Symptoms is one you are experiencing If the solution in that chapter does not cure your problem or if your problem is not listed it s time to get some outside help call your dealer or the Alpha Micro service number listed in Service Information in Chapter 1 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 CHAPTER 3 GETTING STARTED This chapter contains two types of information basic concepts about the way your SBC is set up and operates and general procedures for working with it Specific topics include eBooting the computer eDevice names and the System Disk eDisk accounts and user names _ogging on to the SBC and transferring between disk accounts eUsing the main command menu e
66. ches are grouped into two separate device sectors one for your normal or MAIN boot device and another for the alternate or ALT boot device REMOTE 570 Figure 2 1 Boot ID Switch Location SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation Page 2 5 The switches are numbered from top to bottom The top four switches 1 4 are for the alternate boot device the bottom four 5 8 select the main boot device The following diagrams show the various switch settings you can select Alternate Device The computer tries to boot from removable tape or diskette on your alternate device first in case one or more necessary files on your primary device are missing Set switches 1 through 4 for the alternate device you want according to this table Switch Device 1 2 3 4 No Alternate Device Diskette drive VCR Streaming Tape Standard factory setting The primary boot device is the one you normally want to boot from Your computer will boot from the system software on the primary device if it does not find the software it needs on the alternate device or if no alternate device was selected Set the primary boot device switches like this Primary Device Diskette SCSI Hard Disk ESDI Hard Disk Standard factory settin
67. computer s reset button In about 30 seconds you should see a message giving the version number of the operating system Then you see a dot the AMOS prompt symbol If you do see the operating system message and a dot you have successfully warm booted Because this is a warm boot you do not see the system initialization command file on the operator terminal Go to the next step If you do not see the operating system message and a dot try performing the warm boot once more If you still do not see the message call your dealer for help Stop 3Enter the following command DIR SYS 5 1 If your terminal displays a list of files including two with INI and MON extensions you know at least some of your System Disk is intact Although once you are familiar with the computer you can easily restore the System Disk yourself we recommend that as a new user you contact your dealer for help at this point Stop SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 CHAPTER 8 FRONT PANEL STATUS DISPLAY CODES The SBC provides various tools for you to use to assure yourself your system is healthy and operating as it should For instance your computer is capable of testing itself and checking most of its own internal components for proper operation Besides letting you know when things are working correctly if a problem should occur these tools help you find the cause This chapter describes these diagnostic tools eStatus codes normal and
68. computer while power is still on doing so could damage the disk drives inside the unit See Turning the Computer Off in this chapter for information on how to correctly turn the computer off before moving it 1Verify once again that your computer has been configured correctly for the AC power service in your region 2Place the SBC in the site you have chosen for it Insert the socket end of the AC power cord firmly over the three prongs in the power cord receptacle located at the upper left hand area of the back panel See Figure 2 3 Then plug the pronged end of the cord into an electrical outlet 3Remove the cardboard packing material from any diskette drives Remember to put this packing material back into the drives if you should have to move the computer 4 Turn on the power by pushing the Power Switch on the top of the SBC to On or 1 m 5Now check to make sure the computer is powered on aAre the Power and Run Lights on the front panel lit See Figure 2 2 bls the cooling fan running To check the fan place your hand behind the fan opening in the back panel you should feel air blowing out If the Power and Run lights and the fan are not on you have a problem Refer to Chapter 7 for troubleshooting help If the fan and the Power and Run Lights are on you can proceed with installing the operator terminal First turn the computer off INSTALLING THE OPERATOR TERMINAL The terminal you use when installing software and r
69. counts see the AMOS User s Guide SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 CHAPTER 6 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE The SBC requires little care However preventive maintenance is an integral part of keeping any computer system running at peak efficiency To safeguard your investment we recommend you establish a regular maintenance schedule for your equipment This chapter contains some recommended maintenance procedures for eDiskettes video cassettes streaming tape cartridges eThe video cassette recorder disk drive tape drive erhe main enclosure CARE OF DISKETTES VIDEO CASSETTES Because they are both magnetic recoding media diskettes and video cassettes are somewhat similar in the kind of care and environment they require Here are some hints to remember 1 The recording surface for both cassettes and diskettes is contained within a protect ive enclosure never try to remove this enclosure or touch the recording media within 2 lreat cassettes and diskettes gently Fingerprints scratches spills and dirt can ruin them 3Keep diskettes stored in their paper or plastic envelopes and in a box Keep cas settes stored in their cardboard or plastic cases This helps them stay clean 4Never expose diskettes or cassettes to an electromagnetic field doing so could cause your data to disappear For example do not leave diskettes on top of the SBC since various items within the SBC enclosure emit a strong magnetic field 5Avoid tem
70. cribed later in this chapter Now that you have a general idea of what disk accounts are and how to use them you can decide how you want to organize your own files into accounts If you want to create more accounts on your diskette or hard disk see Chapter 5 You can find more information on the PPN and DIR commands in the System Commands Reference Manual USER NAMES Your user name is how you identify yourself to AMOS The user name system helps you control system security allows you to send messages between users and performs other functions You must enter your user name when you first log on to the computer as described in the next section You do not have to re enter your user name when you switch between disk accounts There are three user names set up when the SBC is shipped from Alpha Micro DEMO SYSTEM SERVICE and NETWORK SERVICE For more information on user names and instructions on adding new ones see the AMOS System Operator s Guide SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Getting Started Page 3 5 LOGGING ON The LOG command serves two purposes it identifies you to the computer and lets you choose what disk account you want to access When you first log on to the computer either after logging off or after booting the computer you must tell the computer who you are and what account you want to use You can do this by entering the disk account you want For example LOG 25 1 LOG then asks for your user name Type i
71. ctrical interference sources of electrical noise such as air conditioners copiers electric typewriters or cleaning equipment should not be connected to the same circuit as the computer All outlets providing power to the computer should have a common grounding point restricted to only those connections coming from the computer installation Data cables should not be located near high voltage power lines telephone cables or in elevator shafts They should not cross walkways If you must cross walkways cover the cables with a bridge You must also take cable lengths into consideration Single ended circuits are susceptible to all forms of electromagnetic interference As line length increases beyond fifty feet the reliability of the RS 232C cable connected to the terminal and printer decreases rapidly If local terminals are to be located further than fifty feet from the computer we recommend you use signal conditioning equipment to improve the signal or use RS 422 signal level options See Appendix B for more information SELF CONFIGURING POWER SUPPLY d Different parts of the world use different standards for electricity For example most areas of the United States use 115 Volt electricity Many other areas of the world use 220 240 Volt electricity Your SBC has a self configuring power supply that is compatible with 230 Volts or 115 Volts It will accept 50 or 60 Hz at either voltage Alpha Micro ships the SBC to your dealer w
72. d data structures and program control constructs SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 4 2 Chapter Four Please see your dealer for information on other programming languages available for your SBC such as AlphaCOBOL 74 AIphaFORTRAN 77 AlphaC and AlphaPASCAL Text Preparation If you are going to be creating documents on your computer you will be interested in the word processing programs available AlphaVUE a screen oriented text editor allows you to use your terminal to create and change documents You see the text of your letter or report on the terminal screen as you enter it on the keyboard With AlphaVUE you can move quickly through the document correcting and adding words inserting or deleting lines moving paragraphs and so on The TXTFMT program processes the documents you create using AlphaVUE and automatically formats them according to your commands TXTFMT provides features such as right margin justification page numbering and titling automatic list creation and automatic index and table of contents creation Also see the section on Office Information Products below for information on the AlphaWRITE word processing package Utility Programs The standard AMOS release contains over 150 utility programs and device drivers In addition because of the unique way AMOS handles commands you can easily create your own utility programs Some of the standard utility programs allow you to do such functions as copy ren
73. d successfully the computer is up and running The last command in any AMOS32 INI file is MEMORY 0 When you see that on the operator terminal and the front panel status display goes blank the computer has finished booting DEVICE NAMES Device names are how AMOS identifies the different pieces of equipment that make up your computer Each disk drive and other storage device has its own device name terminals and printers are defined somewhat differently These device names are defined in the system initialization file AMOS32 INI for your computer Alpha Micro device names conform to a specific format to make it easy for you and the computer to refer to the same piece of equipment All device names contain three letters and a number and end with a colon For example DSK where is a number is usually the name for a hard disk device and STRO is the name of a streaming magnetic tape drive Having names for each device lets you specify which device you want to use for a specific command For example you can see a list of files from just one of your disk drives or copy data from your hard disk to a diskette You can set up your computer to use each hard disk drive as if it were two or more separate devices In this case the actual disk drive is called the physical device and each portion of it is a logical device This is an important distinction since in most cases with AMOS you refer to the logical device name For exampl
74. de Panel 1Install the side panel before you install the top cover The side panel has twelve small tabs and four screws that hold it in place To remove the panel you pushed it toward the front of the computer as shown in Figure 2 5 creating about a 1 2 gap between the front lip of the side panel with the four screw holes and the threaded holes in the cabinet 2 To reinstall the panel hang the side panel in the forward position and press down on the panel making sure both the top and bottom tabs slide into position 3At this point the panel should be in position vertically but with a 1 2 gap between the front lip of the side panel with the four screw holes and the threaded holes in the cabinet 4Using the palm of your hand firmly strike the front edge of the side panel this will cause the side panel to slide back into its proper mounting position 5Reinstall the four screws Top Cover 1Like the side panel the top cover has alignment tabs to hold it in position 2When setting the top cover in position make sure each tab is aligned with a corresponding slot on the top of the cabinet Press the top cover down into position 3Make sure each of the tabs is fully inserted with the top cover sitting flush on top of the cabinet SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation Page 2 15 4Like the side panel there will be a gap of about a 1 2 between the front lip of the top cover with the two screw holes and the threaded holes on th
75. de of the peripheral Figure E 2 shows an illustration of the rail and explains how it is installed on various types of peripherals PERIPHERAL MOUNTING RAIL DWF 20652 00 r SHORT 4 LONG END END i t t gt O O O Use the top holes for mounting Use the bottom holes for full height devices mounting half height devices SHORT END For Tandberg 1 4 streaming tape drives and all hard disk drives mount the rails with the short end pointing toward the rear of the computer cabinet LONG END For Exabyte 8mm drives floppy drives and other drives except Tandberg with removable media mount the rails with the long end pointing toward the rear of the computer cabinet Figure E 2 SBC Peripheral Mounting Rail Figure E 3 shows the basic peripheral rail assembly Besides the rails the peripheral mounting kit includes both standard and metric screws for compatibility with all of Alpha Micro s 51 4 peripherals SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page E 4 Appendix E DWF 20652 00 MOUNTING RAIL xc Qu _ HALF HIGH 5 1 4 PERIPHERAL MAC471 Figure E 3 Attaching Mounting Rails to Peripheral Additional Documentation Each peripheral device sold by Alpha Micro is shipped with its own set of installation instructions The installation instructions include information on jumper settings termination and cabling Before installin
76. e a single 145 megabyte hard disk drive could contain the devices named DSKO DSK1 DSK2 DSK3 DSK4 and DSK5 The disk device containing your AMOS32 INI file and other system software the device AMOS boots from is always called DSKO Normally this is the first logical device on the hard disk but if for some reason you boot from your diskette drive the diskette drive becomes DSKO When you change the device you boot from it may also change the names of other devices on your computer since you are using a different AMOS32 INI file the devices may be defined differently For example if your computer contains one 145 megabyte hard disk drive and one diskette drive eWhen your computer boots from the hard drive the usual state of affairs the hard drive is referenced as six disk devices named DSKO DSK1 DSK2 DSK3 DSK4 and DSK5 The diskette drive is named FLVO SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Getting Started Page 3 3 elf you modify your computer to boot from the diskette drive the hard disk drive might be referenced as six disk devices named HRDO HRD1 etc and the diskette drive is named DSKO Remember this is only an example Your computer may be set up to reference the hard disk as more or fewer than six logical devices At some time in the future you might decide to change the number of logical devices on your hard disk This is a sophisticated procedure so for detailed instructions see the documen
77. e Compatibility for 1 4 Tape Drives Streaming tape drives use many different data formats The tape drives for the SBC can use the following formats eAM 625 Reads and writes in QIC 150 18 track format Can also read QIC 120 15 track QIC 24 9 track and QIC 11 4 track formats AM 626 Reads and writes in QIC 320 26 track and QIC 150 18 track format Can also read QIC 120 15 track QIC 24 9 track and QIC 11 4 track formats AM 627 Reads and writes in QIC 1000 30 track QIC 320 26 track and QIC 150 18 track format Can also read QIC 120 15 track QIC 24 9 track and QIC 1 1 4 track formats This information is based on hardware capabilities Some software may have further D restrictions on tape format Loading and Unloading Tape Cartridges To load a tape cartridge into the drive To avoid static discharge which could damage your computer always ground yourself by touching the metal chassis before loading or unloading a tape cartridge 1 Press the button on the drive s front panel to open the tape door 2Hold the cartridge with the metal side down The end of the tape cartridge with the write protect switch will enter the drive first 3Insert the cartridge into the drive Keep pushing until the cartridge stops and then close the door After the door closes the drive performs a quick tape positioning routine after which it is ready for use SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Getting Started Page 3 15 Before unloading the
78. e SYSACT command and are ready to return to AMOS command level select the E end option E FER SYSACT returns you to AMOS command level and the AMOS prompt symbol appears on your screen For complete information on using the SYSACT command see the SYSACT reference sheet in the System Commands Reference Manual MODIFYING THE AMOS32 INI FILE The system initialization command file for your computer is named AMOS32 INI This special file in account DSKO 1 4 defines to the AMOS operating system all of the devices connected to your SBC the jobs that will run on the computer and special programs which need to be loaded into system memory As requirements change or as devices are added on to your computer you must modify the AMOS32 INI file A very simple sample AMOS32 INI file is shown below You will become more familiar with it as you read the discussion following it SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 5 4 Chapter Five Warning Do not change any lines in the AMOS32 INI file other than those discussed here until you re familiar with the documentation on the system initialization file in the System Operator s Guide JOBS 5 JOBALC MASTER JOB2 RMDEF TERM1 AM140 0 9600 ALPHA 100 100 100 RMDEF TERM2 AM140 1 9600 ALPHA 100 100 100 DEVTBL DSK1 DSK2 DSK3 DSK4 DEVTBL TRM RES MEM DEVTBL VCRO B ITMAP DSK 3540 0 1 2 3 4 ERSATZ
79. e drives follow these cleaning procedures The head is a brass colored metal square that can be seen in the tape slot Use a lint free cotton swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol at least 91 strength to rub the surface of the head Then rub the head with a dry swab to prevent residue buildup Do not use 70 rubbing alcohol CLEANING THE AM 645 TAPE DRIVE READ WRITE HEADS Exabyte the drive manufacturer recommends cleaning the read write heads after every 30 hours of tape motion which is approximately every 30 to 50 gigabytes of data transferred Following this program using the special Exabyte 8mm Cleaning Cartridge will result in a cleaner drive resulting in fewer read write problems The Exabyte Cleaning Cartridge is available through Exabyte s direct sales To order a cleaning cartridge use the following address and telephone number Exabyte Corporation 1685 38th Street Boulder Colorado 80301 1 800 767 TAPE MAIN ENCLOSURE The SBC main enclosure is sturdy painted sheet metal You can clean it as you would any other painted surface using a gentle detergent Remember however that if any liquid makes its way inside the enclosure severe damage to the system could result So a light dusting is the safest cleaning procedure and probably all the main enclosure will require SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 CHAPTER 7 TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURES We believe you will find your Alpha Micro computer easy to install and use and be pleased
80. e front of the computer cabinet 5 Each corner of the top cover has notched tab designed to hold the cover in its mounting position Use the palm of your hand to push the top cover back into position which will close the gap between the front lip of the top cover and the threaded holes in the cabinet 6Install the two screws that secure the top cover to the computer cabinet RF Shielding The computer has several RF shields that do not appear in Figures 2 5 and 2 6 The purpose of these shields is to prevent radiated electronic noise from leaving the computer cabinet In order to comply with FCC regulations these shields should always be in place when the computer is operated The shields are held in place with Phillips head screws There is a large shield covering the computer s motherboard which you will need to temporarily remove when installing optional expansion cards Similiar shields are used to cover openings in the peripheral mounting area and to cover openings in the top of the computer cabinet designed for optional equipment Be sure to reinstall them when you are done making changes to insure your computer is in compliance with FCC regulations SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 2 16 Chapter Two
81. each port three jumpers on the main logic board control whether it is set for RS 232 or RS 422 compatibility You must set all three to either 232 or 422 For Port 0 the jumpers are W2 W3 and W4 for Port 1 they are W5 W6 and W7 See Figure F 1 VIDEO BACKUP DATA FORMAT CONTROL The VCR Interface contained in your SBC system is factory configured to support NTSC video format U S standard If you want to convert your system to the PAL or SECAM video formats European standards set the PAL NTSC jumper to the PAL shorting position This jumper is located just above U45 on the main logic board as Figure F 1 shows To return to NTSC configuration return the jumper to the NTSC shorting position VIDEO NETWORK TERMINATOR If you have purchased the AlphaNET product and want to add your SBC to your Video Network you must make sure only the systems at the extreme ends of the network have network terminators installed All SBC systems are factory configured with the net work terminator removed If you are connecting your SBC as the last computer in your network chain install the LINK TERM shorting block on the main logic board This jumper is located just above J6 link connector See Figure F 1 CONFIGURING SBC MEMORY Installing memory boards in the SBC couldn t be easier There are no jumpers to configure no switches to set and no concerns with beginning or ending memory addresses There are four connectors shown in Figure F 1 design
82. ed for SBC memory boards J12 J13 J14 and J15 The first memory board is installed in J12 the second memory board is installed in J13 the third goes in J14 and the fourth goes in J15 If you are going to mix 4MB and 16MB memory boards in your SBC make sure you install the 16MB boards first followed by the 4MB memory boards SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 User Configurable Options Page F 3 SBC EXPANSION I O There are two 60 pin connectors on the SBC CPU board each capable of supporting 32 serial ports The first 32 ports are controlled by connector J7 and the second 32 ports are controlled by connector J8 Connector J7 supports the standard interface drivers for all of Alpha Micro s paddle card devices designed for the AM 355 I O bus AM 355 I O boards attached to connector J7 use the same interface driver used by the two serial ports on the CPU board AM140 IDV AM 358 I O boards and any other AM 355 I O bus paddle cards attached to the J7 connector will use the drivers designed for those specific devices The J8 connector only supports AM 355 and AM 358 I O boards AM 355 and AM 358 l O boards attached to connector J8 use special interface drivers AM355B IDV and AM358B IDV For information on jumper settings port numbering and addresses see the installation guide shipped with the AM 355 I O bus device you are installing SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page F 4 Appendix F PARITY Y Y STATUS 1
83. eem ORI E 5 6 TRMDEF statement 5 6 Application programs 4 2 ATTACH 5 5 Backing up data 5 8 scheduling 5 8 SLEEPR command 5 8 Task Manager 5 8 Bandwidth B 3 Baud ratos Aoi use AP eed 2 19 7 7 allowed ei 2 ost eid kalendas ups A 7 ay Peay 5 10 Boot ID 5 2 3 Booting the computer 3 1 from video cassette tape 3 3 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page Index 2 AM 3000M Owner s Manual Index warm boot 2 21 to 2 22 3 3 e 1 AM 62A 7 cable length 2 10 B 3 GMBz us co B 3 CMR ern 3840 re AE A B 3 connecting terminals 2 20 connector hood B 4 connector signals B 7 connector type B 3 construction B 2 B 4 low capacitance B 3 BRE DS B 11 rang MN UTE T B 3 5 terminal ind umet B 7 lyDe usce tae id dutem B 3 10 Command menu 3 6 to 3 7 Commands 5 4 DIR command
84. envelope and place it in a box where it is protected from dust SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 3 12 Chapter Three To insert a 5 1 4 diskette hold it so the side with the label is up and the oval cutout is pointing away from you Then open the diskette drive door by turning the lever so it points toward the red indicator light Insert the diskette so the oval cutout is on same side as the lever Close the drive door by turning the lever 90 degrees clockwise _ gt SS MAC205 Figure 3 4 Inserting a 5 1 4 Diskette To insert a 3 1 2 diskette push the diskette into the door until it is seated in the drive with the label up and the sliding metal door pointing away from you To remove the diskette push the eject button on the front of the drive wm AUTOSHUTTER Sm MICRO FLOPPY DISK Ar 3 1 2 HIGH DENSITY MAC204 Figure 3 5 Inserting a 3 1 2 Diskette SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Getting Started Page 3 13 Mounting Diskettes Whenever you insert a diskette into the disk drive you need to tell the computer by using the MOUNT command This is true even if you re insert the same diskette you just took out If you forget to use the MOUNT command AMOS won t know which diskette is in the drive and when you want to write on the diskette it might scramble the data When you boot the computer that process automatically mounts your boot device DSKO You must mount any other disk devices in ord
85. er can help you restore these files If the computer does not boot from the alternate device either something more serious may be wrong Again contact your dealer for help Stop Status Code 2d or remains on the display panel your computer has encountered an error perhaps due to faulty memory or addressing Perform Pro cedure 5 Self Test If your computer does not pass the self test call your dealer with the information from the test Stop the status code is 80 through 8C you are in the self test mode Perform Procedure 3 Powerup Reset If the computer boots normally your problem is fixed if it doesn t call your dealer Jf the Status Code is a number not discussed above your computer is probably a victim of random noise on the power lines or a software error Perform Procedure 5 Self Test If the computer does not pass the self test call your dealer with the information from the test If the computer passes the self test perform Procedure 3 Powerup Reset if the computer comes up normally your problem is probably fixed If it does not come up normally call your dealer Procedure 3 Powerup Reset Alf the computer is already powered up skip down to Step B To power up the computer follow the instructions in Chapter 2 Remember DO NOT hold in the reset button while you turn the Power Switch on or you will enable the self test The computer should now boot up Skip down to C below for in
86. er to use them For example if your computer contains your boot device DSKO and a diskette drive called FLVO you need to type the following MOUNT command at AMOS command level to access a diskette in the drive MOUNT FLVO Whenever you change the diskette in the drive you must use MOUNT again 1 4 STREAMING TAPE There are three different 1 4 streaming tape drives available for the SBC the AM 625 AM 626 and AM 627 For information on transferring data to and from streaming tape see the AMOS System Commands Reference Manual For information on cleaning tape drive heads see Chapter 6 1 4 Tape Drive Storage Capacity The storage capacity is based on both the drive you have and the type of tape cartridge you use The following table shows the different tape cartridges available and the corresponding storage capacity for the AM 625 AM 626 and AM 627 drives The cartridge tapes shown in the storage capacity tables are the ones specified for use d by the manufacturer Using tapes other than those recommended in the storage capacity tables may result in excessive head wear Data Cartridge Type Maximum Capacity DC6037 DC6150 DC600 XTD DC6250 DC6037 DC6150 DC6250 DC6320 DC6525 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 3 14 Chapter Three Storage Capacity Table cont Device Data Cartridge Type Maximum Capacity DC6037 40Mb DC6150 150Mb DC6250 250Mb DC6320 320Mb DC6525 525Mb MAGNUS 1 0 1000Mb Read Writ
87. error status codes that appear on the front panel display when you boot your computer system or run the self test eThe self test feature a powerup diagnostic test that checks all major hardware components in the main chassis FRONT PANEL STATUS DISPLAY CODES During normal operation when you are not using the self test the front panel status display is blank When you boot your computer a series of codes appears in rapid succession on the display as the AMOS operating system gets itself up and running If an error occurs during booting one of these codes may remain on the status display This can tell you what was happening when the error occurred In Table 8 1 the first digit of many status codes is shown as x This digit is either 2 or 3 and identifies the device the computer is attempting to boot from The alternate boot device The primary boot device If you have an alternate boot device selected the first few status codes will always begin with 2 since the computer checks the alternate device first If there is a bootable tape or diskette in the alternate boot device the first digit of the status codes remains 2 If there is no bootable medium in the alternate device the computer boots from the primary device and the first digit of the status codes changes to 3 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 8 2 Chapter Eight Table 8 1 Front Panel Status Codes CODE MEANING Blank System is functioning normally A
88. ers we recommend you read the AMOS User s Guide This book is a practical introduction to the Alpha Micro computer containing instructions for many of the procedures you ll use everyday It expands on many of the topics discussed in Chapter 3 I Want to Learn How to Maintain My Computer If you are going to be responsible for making data backups adding new terminals or printers to the computer running disk diagnostics and otherwise managing and maintaining the system we highly recommend you read the System Operator s Guide and obtain a copy of the System Commands Reference Manual The first book explains how to perform the maintenance and diagnostic procedures required by the Alpha Micro system software The second book will prove an invaluable reference tool it contains short reference sheets on over 150 AMOS programs Want to Use a VCR for File Backup For instructions on using a Video Cassette Recorder to back up your data see the AMOS Video Cassette Recorder Backup Software manual Want to Do Text Processing If you want to use your computer to prepare documents there are several manuals you should look at The AlphaVUE User s Manual for information on the AlphaVUE screen oriented text editor the TXTFMT User s Manual for information on the TXTFMT text formatting program and the AlphaVUE TXTFMT Training Guide a tutorial manual on document preparation for the computer novice Although AlphaVUE and TXTFMT are the tex
89. et RS 422 is recommended when extra long cables must be used high baud rates 38 4K or greater are used or equipment is used in electrically noisy environments 2Signal conditioning equipment for example a short haul modem can improve signal quality Cable Type We recommend you use an overall shielded twisted pair low capacitance jacketed cable The cable shield should terminate at the terminal end Using such a cable helps minimize electromagnetic interference Reducing this interference not only protects your system from signal noise but protects other devices around your Alpha Micro computer system such as a TV or radio from interference radiated by an improperly shielded system Two ratings used by cable manufacturers to distinguish cables are CMP and CMR CMP cables are fire resistant and are the best type for long length use because of their low capacitance Many building codes require the use of CMP cables if cables are routed above the ceiling CMR cables are PVC jacketed and non fire resistant and are best for short length use such as within the computer room Please see Shielding the Cable for instructions on creating an adequately shielded cable that will provide satisfactory protection from interference Please see the Important Note above for information on your responsibilities concerning electro magnetic interference SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page B 4 Appendix B Connector Type All of the ser
90. ette Dive osse ex Rer m Rn chr e 1 8 1 4 Streaming Tape 1 8 8mm Tape Drive iata vetas de tam ne duco e PA 1 8 Video Cassette Recorder Interface 1 9 Memory Capacity Expansion Option 1 9 Front Panel Status Display 1 9 Serial VO 1 9 External SCSI POT sr deiecta bapa CU E da ROVER RD micis 1 10 SERVICE INFORMA TION eoru dete bred eie 1 10 Post Sales Support 1 10 For Further Assistance 1 10 CHAPTER 2 INSTALLATION UNPACKING GUIDELINES gan event RE eed deem RA 2 2 What You Will 2 2 Reporting Shipping Damage 2 3 Instructions for Reshipping the Computer 2 3 RECORDING THE SSD IDENTIFICATION NUMBER 2 3 VERIFYING THE BOOT ID SWITCH SETTINGS 2 4 Alternate Device 2 5 Primary Device ia marte eda ee haeo beens 2 5 OVERVIEW OF INSTALLATION PROCEDURES 2 6 PREPARING THE SITE ebore EX E enews REDE AA ene des 2 8 Physical Requirements 2 8 Environmental Requirements
91. eturn to the next highest level of menu To leave the Main Command Menu entirely and return to AMOS command level select option 55 Exit to AMOS For more information on the Main Command Menu see the A phaMENU User s Manual THE TERMINAL KEYBOARD The first step in communicating with AMOS is to be able to type your instructions on the terminal keyboard The keyboard is very similar to a standard typewriter s but it has a few extra keys with special functions Take a moment to look at your keyboard so you can easily locate these keys later SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 3 8 Chapter Three DESCRIPTION sometimes labeled is the carriage return key Just as you type a carriage return on a type writer to begin a new line on the page a tells the computer you are ending a line of input and you want to begin a new line The computer does not normally process an instruction from you until you type a to let it know you are finished with that line is the deletion key it backspaces AND deletes It may be labeled or If you make a mistake while typing an instruction to AMOS you can erase it using the key The key on most keyboards acts much like the shift key a typewriter By holding down you can type upper case letters and the symbols on the upper half of the keys with two symbols CAPS While the CAPS LOCK key is locked down letters LOCK you type appear in upper case Keys other than letters are
92. f the Memory Light is on perform Procedure 3 Powerup Reset ONCE If that procedure does not clear the Memory Light proceed 2Perform Procedure 5 Self Test Call your dealer with the results of the self test and ask for help Stop D No problem was found in this section Please perform the next procedure on your checklist Procedure 2 Check the Computer Status Codes The section below assumes your computer is not running the self test For information on the status codes you can see when running the self test refer to the System Self Test User s Guide shipped separately with your computer Look at the front panel Status Display Alf the Status Code is blank everything is normal As the computer boots itself a series of status codes appears on the display panel in rapid succession None of the codes should remain on the display longer than a second or two without being replaced by a blank display No problem was found in this procedure Return to the current procedure or continue with the next procedure on your checklist one of the Status Codes 20 21 22 or 2E remains on the display panel the computer did not boot because of a problem with the boot PROM Perform Procedure 6 Alternate Boot If the computer does not come up correctly something serious may be wrong Call your dealer for help Stop Clf Status Code 23 2 33 or remains on the display panel you might have a problem with your boot device se
93. ft electrical impulses that represent information from one internal location to another and then transfer that data between itself and input output devices such as terminals or printers Granted this electronic sleight of hand occurs incredibly quickly millions of times a second but in general the computer can t do anything you couldn t do yourself if you had a lot of paper pencils thick instruction books and years of spare time Time that s the key word The purpose of a computer is not to replace people but to free them from tedious and time consuming tasks by performing those tasks for them quickly and perfectly accurately A computer should help you perform your everyday tasks in much less time than usual As you use the computer more and more and save more and more time you may find yourself inspired to evaluate more information prepare better looking documents and research more information than you ever had time for in the past This section contains an overview of the computer components that help you do your job better and faster If you are not familiar with the way a computer works you may find it a helpful analogy to compare the way a computer processes data with the way you yourself handle information 1You organize information into manageable groups such as files Not by coin cidence the groups of data the computer deals with are also called files SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Introducing Your Computer Page
94. g a peripheral make sure you read the documentation shipped with the device SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 APPENDIX F AM 140 USER CONFIGURABLE OPTIONS SBC AM 140 CPU BOARD d The AM 140 is a 50Mhz main logic board available for the SBC Most of the 140 specifications are covered in Appendix A however the following list highlights some of the key features on the AM 140 board eMemory expansion up to 64 megabytes el O expansion up to 66 serial ports eOn board intelligent ESDI controller 68030 Processor chip The sections that follow include information on user configurable options for the AM 140 board Most of the jumpers on the AM 140 board are factory configured and should not be moved Only the features discussed in the next sections have jumpers that are user configurable REMOTE RESET CAPABILITY As discussed in Appendix it is possible to reset the SBC remotely through serial I O Port 0 If properly configured you can use a push button switch to short Pin 1 in that connector to Pin 7 Signal Ground resetting the computer To enable remote reset you must install a shorting block in the REMOTE RESET position on the SBC main logic board See Figure F 1 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page F 2 Appendix F SERIAL I O PORT CONFIGURATION Ports 0 and 1 on the SBC are factory configured for RS 232 compatibility You can configure either or both of these ports for RS 422 compatibility if desired For
95. ge spilled cup of coffee fire or hardware malfunction Such disaster can happen to anyone Your data is probably one of your most valuable possessions How long would it take to re enter the entire company payroll all of your accounts receivable invoices or your research journal article if they were lost And what if you could not reconstruct the infor mation no matter how much time you had All SBC s come with some type of data backup device Whether your backup device is a video cassette recorder diskette drive or streaming tape drive learn to use it Develop regular backup procedures and follow them If disaster strikes you ll be glad you had a little foresight You should back up some or all of the data on your computer at regular intervals How often you need to back up depends on how often you add or change data If you add important data every day you should back up your system each night If the data changes only once a week back up once a week etc As mentioned in Chapter 2 you should be especially sure to make at least one copy of your System Disk onto a medium that will let you boot your system if for some reason you cannot boot from your System Disk Keep this warm boot tape in a safe place in case you need it You can use the WRMGEN program to create a warm boot monitor streamer tape or VCR cassette For more information on the VCR and on warm boot monitors see the System Operator s Guide or the manual AMOS Video C
96. gs depending on type of disk used SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 2 6 Chapter Two OVERVIEW OF INSTALLATION PROCEDURES Now that you ve unpacked your SBC and have everything you need to hook it up you can begin to physically install it Installing your SBC is a matter of 1 Choosing and preparing a location for it 2Making sure it is configured correctly for your local electrical requirements 3Running an initial diagnostic test to make sure the computer is working correctly 4Connecting terminals and printers Some of the sections below refer to various locations on the front and back panels of the SBC It might be a good idea to familiarize yourself now with these areas by taking a look at the following illustrations TWO DIGIT Y STATUS DISPLAY STATUS SELECT RESET m LIU MEMORY SELECT POWER Ey L1 DISPLAY A DISPLAY B CI DISPLAY C i L MAC534 Figure 2 2 SBC Display Panel SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation POWER SWITCH CABLE EXIT FOR 0 OFF AUXILIARY I O PANEL 1 ON AC POWER OUT AC POWER HN I O EXPANSION SLOTS TO VID OUT REMOTE E CPUSERIAL o PORTS o ON or BOOT SWITCH ale PORT x 3 EXTERNAL SCSI CO
97. h end goes to the computer Please be sure Pin 1 is open unless you are using the remote reset feature of your Alpha Micro computer system serial port 0 When pins 1 and 7 are shorted by a remote switch the system will be reset if the remote reset jumper on the CPU board is installed Unless a remote reset switch is installed on the cable shorting those pins together on a cable connected to port 0 can prevent your system from booting See Appendix F for further details on the remote reset feature SHIELDING THE CABLE There are different techniques for shielding a terminal or printer cable but the method we recommend as best satisfying FCC shielding requirements is to use a metal con nector hood that connects to the cable shield Alpha Micro has pre made cables available using this shielding technique The shielded cable consists of several layers On the inside are the colored wires that carry the data signals Surrounding these wires is a metal foil covering On the outside of the foil covering are small uncoated drain wires Completely surrounding all of the above elements is the plastic coating that forms the outside of the cable SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page B 6 Appendix B da CONNECTOR e e 4 f METAL CONNECTOR SIGNAL WIRES HOOD FOIL BRAIN WIRES PLASTIC CABLE JACKET p d PLASTIC SHELL MAC200 Figure B 1 Shielding a Cable The technique f
98. have to generate new warm boot tapes to reflect the change Use the WRMGEN program to generate a warm boot monitor and the appropriate backup command to place the monitor onto a tape See the AMOS User s Guide and the System Commands Reference Manual for details on these procedures TURNING THE COMPUTER OFF You need to power the computer down whenever eYou add to or modify the circuit board configuration eYou move the computer SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation Page 2 23 eGervicing is required To power down the computer always follow these steps 1Make sure all users have exited all programs and are logged off the computer 2Remove any backup media such as diskettes from the computer 3 Turn off all external devices such as printers and terminals 4 Turn the AC power switch on the top panel to the OFF or 0 position If you are going to open the computer chassis first unplug the cord from the electrical outlet to guard against electrical shock EXPANDING YOUR COMPUTER Once your computer is configured with the basic components you may want to install any additional subsystems purchased with your computer Or you may want to change your computer configuration to add more users change memory allocations etc Part of adding new hardware to the computer involves changing the system initialization command AMOS32 INI to define the new hardware to it Changing the allocation of computer resources also requires
99. i 3 i gt HO AERC URNA ERE J9 ows L 60 PIN I O CONNECTORS barron 0 2 l 232 422 232 422 5 O e wE EN C l J13 J12 J15 J14 J21 J20 SW1 2 HH 576 ion SERN SERIAL SWITCH REMOTE Cap Ree PORT PORT LINK Figure G 1 Option Locations on the Main Logic Board SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 AM 3000M Owner s Manual Index Page Index 1 INDEX SMM tape 1 8 ACCOU S 5 1 to 5 3 Adding JODS eoa e eh dates eva ad 5 6 AlphaCALC 4 3 oie St 4 3 AIPNAMENG 3 7 AIPMANET 4 3 F 2 G2 Alpha OFFICE ere aren a 4 3 AIBha VUE and exeun en 4 2 Alpha WRITE 4 cates ER REDE 4 3 Alternate boot 7 9 to 7 10 AM 60 terminal cabling B 7 AM 62 terminal cabling B 7 AM 62A terminal cabling B 7 AM 65 terminal cabling B 8 HS 422 4 Phe kt tad Maleate ed wee B 8 AM 70 terminal cabling B 7 AM 75 terminal cabling B 7 to B 8 Suas Le etek hl pod ae eRe De B 8 AMOS prompt 5 1 3 AMO OS32 INI file 2 23 3 1 to 3 2 5 3 to 5 7 adding JODS s viae Fors
100. ial I O connectors on the back panel of your computer are DB 9 receptacles An interconnecting cable must have a DB 9 connector on the computer end and usually a DB 25 connector on the terminal or printer end Use a good quality DB 9 pin connector and a 25 pin connector and wire to implement RS 232 or RS 422 The connector should have a metal hood and cable clamp both of which should be connected to the cable shield to minimize signal noise MAKING THE CABLE If you look carefully at the RS 232C connector you will see very small numbers printed on the side of the connector to which you will be soldering cable wires these are the pin numbers If the instructions for the cable for a particular terminal or printer tell you to connect Pin 3 for example then 1 Notice the cable consists of several typically three to six colored wires in twisted pairs Pick a color It doesn t matter which color wire goes to what pin as long as each end of the same colored wire goes to the proper pin on both ends of the cable You will need to make sure that incompatible signals are not combined in the same twisted pair however See the pairing diagrams in Terminal Cables below 2Strip about 1 16 of the insulation off the end of the wire you have chosen leaving bare wire Tin the wire with a small amount of solder and trim it back to 1 16 if necessary 3Melt a small amount of solder into the solder cup of Pin 3 4Heat Pin 3 until the solder
101. ics conventions Hard disk disk diagnostic programs Hard disk drive installing I O expansion I O Ports RS 422 RS 232 serial I O terminal parameters Installation Installing peripheral devices Installing system software Jobs SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page Index 3 A 4 to A 5 3 11 2 6 2 11 to 2 16 E 1 E 3 to E 4 2 21 Page Index 4 AM 3000M Owner s Manual Index 5 6 JOBALC statement 5 6 JOBS 5 4 5 6 Key 1 4 Keyboard 3 7 to 3 8 D 1 to D 2 Keys ALT MODE key 3 8 CAPS LOCK key 3 8 CONTROL 3 8 ia Exe ps 3 8 ESOAPENKBV icta Nea 3 8 RETURN Key e xn 3 8 ota 3 8 SHIFT Key eda dax 3 8 LOG command 5 2 1 9 3 1 5 4 to 5 5 installation F 2 G 2 eed e IP Mt apa ah 7 3 Menu maincommand 3 6 to 3 7 Motherboard Shieldirfg a segara bed once bru 2 15 a De eU Ces 4 3 Office information products 4 3 Opening front door 2 13 side panel 2 13 top cover ii eee kee AL 2 13 Operator terminal
102. ime you must format it Formatting config ures the diskette so it is ready to receive and hold data in the pattern your SBC uses Then you must initialize the diskette which sets up its initial account structure Follow the steps below to format and initialize a diskette SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 System Administration Page 5 13 These steps erase any data already on a diskette Make sure the diskette is empty or does not contain files you need before you format it You can use the command DIR Devn where Devn is the device name of the diskette drive to see if there are files on the diskette 1Use the LOG command to log into the System Operator accountaccount 1 2 on DSKO Type LOG OPR Logged into OPR If you weren t already logged in enter your user name when the prompt for it displays 2Insert the diskette into the drive as described in Chapter Do not use the MOUNT command Instead enter FMTFLP Devn where Devn is the name of your drive probably FLVO Chapter discusses device naming conventions You now see the message BEGIN FORMATTING When it is finished FMTFLP displays EXIT The diskette is now formatted Before you can use the diskette you need to initialize it 3Now use the SYSACT command to initialize the diskette Type SYSACT Devn 4You now see the SYSACT prompt symbol an asterisk Type an the SYSACT Initialize command and press EWN 1E SBC Owner s
103. inside the pin melts and insert the tinned wire into the pin while removing heat from the pin Remember the color of the wire attached to Pin 3 you will solder the same color wire on the other end of the cable to Pin 3 on the other connector 5Now solder the wires to the other pins per the instructions for your particular terminal or printer Write down what colored wires go to what connector pins 6Remember to put the connector hood on that protects wires soldered to the con nector from being pulled loose If there is a strain relief mechanism supplied with the connector hood put that on as well to further protect the wires from being pulled loose Connect the cable shield to the connector hood as directed in Shielding the Cable below SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Purchasing or Constructing Terminal and Printer Cables Page B 5 7Label the connector hood so you remember what terminal or printer it is for and so you know which end goes to the device and which end goes to the computer 8Go to the other end of the cable and solder the cable s wires to the connector on that end using the corresponding wires on the proper pins 9Connect the cable shield to the connector hood as directed in Shielding the Cable below Attach the connector hood Always label the connector hoods on both ends of the cable so you know what device the cable is for what port number it should be connected to which end goes to the device and whic
104. ipheral devices should be obtained from the manufacturer of the device CABLING CONSTRUCTION GUIDELINES If you want to construct your own cables perform the procedures in this section Here are a few things you should keep in mind before soldering the cable connectors SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Purchasing or Constructing Terminal and Printer Cables Page B 3 Cable Length We strongly recommend that RS 232C cables not be more than fifty feet long if you don t use twisted pair overall shielded cables otherwise you can go beyond fifty feet The actual length depends on the capacitance rating of the cable As you increase the cable length beyond fifty feet the reliability of the data signal decreases The cable s susceptibility to noise and cross talk is proportional to its length and bandwidth so RS 232C restricts both The following restrictions apply 1Slew rate The slew rate is the speed with which the signal changes from high to low The higher the slew rate the more likely you are to create noise interference on other devices To control interference on neighboring circuits the slew rate of drivers is limited to 30V us 2Bandwidth The bandwidth is limited on receivers to reduce cross talk the effect of one line on another These are some things you can do if the cables absolutely must be longer than fifty feet 1Alternatives to the RS 232 standard RS 422 and RS 423 allow communication over cables longer than fifty fe
105. is important to maintain a constant line voltage free of power surges fluctuations and impulses Ideally a separate power source should be available for use only by the computer However if this is not possible you may need a line conditioner capable of suppressing transients or spikes to eliminate power surges and noise Alpha Micro can provide a power conditioner or UPS Uninterruptable Power Supply system contact your dealer for more information Be sure the power rating for the power lines the computer will be connected to is adequate for your SBC or any future computers you may be planning to install In North America a standard 15 amp 115 volt grounded connector type outlet is required for the CPU chassis In some other countries the requirement is a 230 volt AC power source SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 2 10 Chapter Two The maximum power requirements for the SBC are 115 Volt AC at 5 amps or 230 Volt AC at 2 5 amps Additional outlets are required for each drive and or peripheral connected to the computer Alpha Micro computers come with a standard six foot power cord If this is not long enough be sure any extension cords used are rated for the full 15 amps cotherwise the full voltage will not reach your computer This can affect the efficient operation of your computer A point to remember is that the closer you get to either end of the AC voltage power range the less efficient the computer will be To avoid ele
106. ith one three prong 115 Volt AC power cord If your dealer has not already supplied you with the proper type of power cord for your geographical area ask your dealer for one now SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation Page 2 11 INSIDE THE COMPUTER Figure 2 5 shows important features of the SBC The computer cabinet has a removable top cover and one removable side panel allowing access to your computer The removable top cover allows access to an optional auxiliary I O panel the side panel once removed allows access to all the components located inside the computer cabinet as shown in Figure 2 6 Cables from terminals and other devices are plugged into connectors located on the computer s rear panel The door on the front of the computer cabinet makes it easy to install or remove disk storage and backup devices During normal operation of course you shouldn t need to open the computer cabinet at all Your computer operates at hazardous voltages Before you attempt to remove or replace the computer s cover observe the following precautions to protect yourself and prevent damage to delicate computer components eTurn off the computer power switch eUnplug the AC power cord eRemove any jewelry from your hands wrists and neck eUse only insulated or nonconductive tools Static electricity can damage electronic components The best ground is the chassis cabinet that houses the boards Touch the cabinet prior to picking up ins
107. ith the cable repair it or call your dealer for help If you have repaired the cable try hooking the terminal up again and performing Proced ure 3 Powerup Reset If the computer comes up normally and the terminal works all right you have fixed the problem Jlf the terminal has a self test mode use it to determine the problem with the terminal Use the manual provided by the terminal manufacturer for instructions on interpreting the terminal self test If the test mode tells you what the problem is correct the problem and reset the computer If it comes up normally and the terminal works all right you have fixed the problem KYou were not able to find a specific problem with the terminal Call your dealer if you still suspect a problem with your terminal L Return to the current procedure or go on to the next procedure on your checklist SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Troubleshooting Procedures Page 7 9 Procedure 5 Self Test The diagnostic routines that make up your computer self test are incorporated into the SBC s boot PROMS You can bring up self test when you turn on power to the computer In order to understand both the front panel display codes and the terminal output displayed by self test you need to follow the instructions in the System Self Test User s Guide shipped separately with your computer The System Self Test User s Guide contains detailed information about diagnostic routines error codes and test looping The
108. king to see the voltage setting is correct on the voltage switch on the back panel of your computer Caution If you have operated the computer with the improper input voltage you may have damaged the computer If your computer is configured incorrectly change the voltage switch to the proper setting and perform Procedure 3 Powerup Reset only ONCE If the computer not come up correctly shut off the power and contact your dealer for help stop If it does your problem is fixed If your computer is configured correctly proceed 4Jf the voltage configuration is correct and the power cord is OK and in place correctly but the Power Light is still not on call your dealer for help Stop BOK the Power Light is on Is the Run Light on If so skip down to Step C 1If the Run Light is off then perform Procedure 2 Check the Computer Status Codes If the procedure does not find and correct any problems pro ceed 2Perform Procedure 3 Powerup Reset ONCE If that procedure does not correct the problem proceed 3Perform Procedure 5 Self Test Call your dealer with the results of your self test and ask for help Stop C The Power Light and the Run Light are both on Is the Memory Light on If the Memory Light is not on skip to D below SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 7 4 Chapter Seven 1 Note If the Memory Light is on more than once in a great while contact your dealer you probably have memory problems I
109. l transmitted to the computer when you hold down the key and press another key at the same time The following list contains the most important control characters The AMOS User s Guide contains a complete list of control characters and their functions Control C Control U Control C is the system interrupt command You use it to interrupt whatever program is in progress and return to AMOS command level After typing a Control C to interrupt a program you cannot resume execution of that program you must start it over from the beginning You may usually interrupt programs even when they are displaying data Some programs such as AlphaVUE do not recognize a Control C as an exit command instead you must use the exit command for that program if you want to return to AMOS command level Other programs do recognize a Control C however if an exit command exists for a program it is usually better to use that command than to enter a Control C Many programs perform various closing functions when you use their normal exit commands and would not have a chance to perform those procedures for an orderly exit if you bypass them by using a Control C At AMOS command level if the line editor is enabled typing a Control U causes the cursor to return to the beginning of the line if the line editor is not enabled a Control U erases the current line SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page D 2 Control Control S Control Q Control R
110. l while it s on the diskette use light pressure and a soft pointed writing instrument like a felt tip pen otherwise you run the risk of damaging the diskette If you are using 3 1 2 diskettes note the small sliding tab that opens or closes a small square hole in the diskette case this is the disk lock By sliding the tab so it uncovers the hole you write protect the disk so it can be read but not changed By sliding the tab so it covers the hole you allow the disk to be written on 4 3 m AUTO SHUTTER N MICRO FLOPPY DISK 3 1 2 HIGH DENSITY SLIDING TAB WRITE PROTECT LOCK IS LOCATED ON REVERSE SIDE gt MAC195 Figure 3 3 3 1 2 Diskette When using diskettes be sure to follow these precautions eOnly insert a diskette into the drive when the computer is powered up likewise do not leave a diskette in the drive when you turn off power to the computer Powering the computer on and off can cause power spikes that can damage the data on your diskette Whenever you insert a diskette be sure to use the MOUNT command discussed below to tell your computer a new diskette is in the drive eNever change diskettes if the drive is busy doing so could damage the data on the diskettes There is a small light on the front of the diskette drive that is lit if the drive is busy eWhen you remove a diskette from the drive store it in its
111. lection Verify that the Boot Device Selector Switches on the back panel of your computer are set correctly according to the instructions in Chapter 2 Perform Procedure 3 Powerup Reset If the computer does not boot normally at this point call your dealer Stop DJf Status Code 24 through 28 or 34 through 39 remains on the display panel your System Disk might be the source of the problem Perform Procedure 6 Alternate Boot If the computer boots up correctly then you can suspect something is wrong with the System Disk Your dealer can help you restore your System Disk If the computer does not boot up something more serious may be wrong In either case call your dealer for help Stop Elf you see Status Code 29 on the display panel the computer is trying to warm boot from a tape device and is searching for a label on the tape If this status code remains on the display panel for more than a minute or so verify the correct tape is mounted in the drive If you have a known good warm boot tape in the drive and the computer will not boot from it contact your dealer for help Stop SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Troubleshooting Procedures Page 7 5 Status Code 2A 2b or 3b remains on the display panel your computer is having a problem loading or executing the system monitor program Perform Procedure 6 Alternate Boot If the computer boots correctly you might have a problem with the files on your System Disk Your deal
112. les to your hard disk The installation instructions in the Release Notes give you all the details for getting your computer up and running SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 2 22 Chapter Two To install the system software from a VCR tape to a new SBC you need to 1Make sure power to the computer is turned on Check that the Boot ID switches are set to VCR See Verifying the Boot ID Switches earlier in this chapter 21 the warm boot tape into the VCR Push Cw 3Press the reset button on the front panel of the computer 4When the following message and cursor appear on the screen about a half minute later it means the computer booted successfully from the warm boot tape AMOS32 Version xx x 5 Remove the warm boot tape Insert the system software release tape Transfer data from the tape onto the disk with this command VCRRES DSKO ALL When the installation finishes push the reset button on the front of the SBC The computer should boot and you should see the system initialization file commands on the operator terminal screen as described above The Warm Boot Monitor The warm boot monitor is used in case of an emergency when the computer cannot find the system software files it needs to boot from on the hard disk As you become more familiar with your computer we strongly recommend you create several warm boot tapes In addition if you ever change the configuration of your computer you will almost certainly
113. lex operation 3Set for remote not local operation SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 7 8 Chapter Seven 4Set for a data word length of 8 data bits 5Set for no parity 6Set for 2 stop bits if the terminal works at 110 baud 1 stop bit if it works at any other baud rate 7 Set for conversational not block mode 8For a printer make sure it is on line If the option settings are wrong correct them and reset the computer If it is up and running and the terminal works all right your problem is fixed you have a known good terminal similar enough to the problem terminal to work in its place substitute it for the questionable one and reset the computer If the computer is up and running and the terminal works all right you know the problem lies with the terminal not the terminal cable Put the original terminal back on and proceed to Step J If the problem is still there with the new terminal put the original terminal back on and reset the computer Continue with Step I ICheck the terminal cable If you suspect it might be damaged try substituting another cable and resetting the computer If it comes up normally and the terminal works you can assume the original cable is bad Remove the cable hoods from both ends of the bad cable and look for broken wires If you feel comfortable doing so review the cable constructions in Appendix B to see if there are any errors in cable construction If there is a problem w
114. lthough you see a blank display this is actually Status Code 00 System is out of QUEUE blocks A C power dropped below an acceptable level Memory parity error An interface driver IDV defined in a TRMDEF statement in the system initialization command file was not found in account 1 6 on the boot device A terminal driver IDV defined in a TRMDEF statement in the system initialization command file was not found in account 1 6 on the boot device AMOSL INI on AMOS L based systems or AMOS32 INI on AMOS 32 based systems was not found System is now clearing and sizing memory The system is beginning to execute the boot PROM An error at this point indicates your computer has a faulty PROM Contact your dealer The system is transferring the instructions from the PROM into its Random Access Memory RAM If an error occurs here your computer might have a bad PROM or bad memory The system is generating a checksum of the instructions in Random Access Memory If this calculated checksum doesn t match the checksum coded into the instructions themselves you see a 2E error code SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Front Panel Status Display Codes Page 8 3 Table 8 1 Front Panel Status Codes CODE MEANING The system is initializing the boot device If the boot stops at this point it may indicate a hardware problem with the boot device For disk devices when turning power on this code might remain on the display fo
115. ludes an external SCSI Small Computer Standard Interface port to which you can attach additional SCSI compatible storage devices such as additional hard disk drives or laser disk drives The SBC supports a total of four SCSI hard disk drives SERVICE INFORMATION Post Sales Support Alpha Micro provides a comprehensive post sales service and support program for its entire product line Our service organization is structured to provide you with immediate access to support assistance and information Our customer commitment is maintained through the expertise and skills of our competent professional staff whose dedication assures all Alpha Micro customers the maximum benefits of quality support Support is available through Alpha Micro Field Operations Our nationwide field service organization provides direct repair services to Alpha Micro computer owners Some of the many services available through Alpha Micro are site evaluation computer installation computer integration problem diagnosis and field repair Alpha Micro Field Engineers are factory trained to ensure continuity of product servicing Should you select hardware service from your servicing Alpha Micro Dealer you can be assured he or she is backed by and in close touch with Alpha Micro for full factory support For Further Assistance If you are unable to contact your dealer Alpha Micro will be glad to refer you to a dealer If you relocate and want to learn the name and addre
116. n please see your local Alpha Micro dealer The following sections discuss some of the components that might make up your Alpha Micro SBC For technical specifications on these devices refer to Appendix A Specifica tions Summary Hard Disk Drive s Your SBC contains at least one hard disk drive Both ESDI and SCSI hard disk disk drives are supported Various capacities of hard disk drives are available in the SBC The SBC cabinet has mounting locations for 11 half high 5 full high peripheral devices Diskette Drive The SBC can accommodate both 5 1 4 and 3 1 2 diskette drives A diskette drive offers the convenience of inexpensive removable disk media that are easy to transport and store the diskettes See Care of Diskettes Video Cassettes in Chapter 6 for important information on taking care of and storing diskettes Each 5 1 4 diskette can store up to 1 2 megabytes of data and each 3 1 2 diskette can store up to 1 44 megabytes 1 4 Streaming Tape Drive The SBC may contain a SCSI compatible 1 4 streaming tape drive allowing you to copy and restore files using special tape cartridges similar in appearance to audio cassettes Storage capacities for 1 4 streaming tape drives ranges from 150 to 1000 megabytes depending on the model of tape drive and the cartridge used See 1 4 Streaming Tape Drives in Chapter 3 for information on using streaming tape devices Also see Chapter 6 for information on care of tape cart
117. not affected by the CAPS LOCK key on most keyboards This key may be labeled ESCAPE or ALT MODE It is used with several application programs such as AlphaVUE to signal the end of input or to switch between command modes however you do not use at AMOS command level You use the or CONTROL key with other keys to enter a different kind of character a control character AMOS and much of the software on the SBC interpret control characters as special instructions To enter a control character hold down the key and press the other key For example to type a Control C hold down the key and type the letter C In this book we indicate control characters this way Appendix D lists some of the control characters AMOS recognizes SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Getting Started Page 3 9 Correcting Typing Mistakes You can correct any mistakes you may make while typing a command line as long as you have not yet pressed the key You can ePress to erase single characters Type to return the cursor to the beginning of the current line to tell AMOS to ignore the line See the table above for explanations of and control characters If you press the key before correcting your mistake and the command you entered was not a valid AMOS command AMOS lets you know it did not understand the command For example PRIMT PRIMT You meant to say PRINT After letting you know it does not unders
118. oad Procedure 3 16 Write Protect Tabs eor bas S cade aa pee Er nS hand 3 16 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Table of Contents Page iii CHAPTER 4 WHERE DO GO FROM HERE INTRODUCTION TO AMOS SOFTWARE 4 1 The Operating System AMOS 4 1 Programming Languages 4 1 Text Prepafaorb22c 2 o4 ELE SEM 4 2 Utility Prograrms s esce eme mh heroe RR RR tiered be RU 4 2 Application lt 4 2 Office Information Products 4 3 ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION 4 3 Want to Start at the Beginning 4 4 Want to Learn How to Maintain My Computer 4 4 Want to Use a VCR for File Backup 4 4 I Want to Do Text 5 0 4 4 Want to Write Computer lt 4 4 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION DISICANOOOBUNIESI 54 oru seta th Len ca ee AA 5 1 PASSWOMS ikea eR Wurde eese Ret eR oie 5 2 Organizing the DISK 5 2 Adding New Accounts 5 2 MODIFYING THE AMOS32 INIFILE 5 3 Changing User Memory
119. or dr p Baa ae D 1 CONN M sd see edo de eu see ae I RO Re Ree doa RE ae sei et aat D 1 Iss acere dra e ate RO ER SANT toe at e b E dt Bra D 2 tc Rep ee de ar c e DATAE D 2 Controles queis edite m ve tdt e bd ada hare OR ee SES Ra See ue D 2 CIO SPESE S e ecd ec ate wakes Neto Sade Heu ta uet D 2 APPENDIX E SBC PERIPHERAL INSTALLATION INSTALLING PERIPHERAL DEVICES E 1 Plastic Mounting Ralls E 3 Additional Documentation E 4 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Table of Contents Page v APPENDIX F AM 140 USER CONFIGURABLE OPTIONS SBC 140 CPU 1 REMOTE RESET CAPABILITY oe Re Re aes F 1 SERIAL I O PORT CONFIGURBAT ION Euh Ere ry tite ed F 2 VIDEO BACKUP DATA FORMAT CONTROL F 2 VIDEO NETWORK TERMINATOR 1 mem Re RRhe ER RIS F 2 CONFIGURING SBC MEMORY NASA RE ER EE Y F 2 SBC EXPANSION iei attt d tdi ab CR LR n RC ER tete tinet d F 3 APPENDIX G AM 145 USER CONFIGURABLE OPTIONS SBC AM 145 CPU G 1 REMOTE RESET CAPABILITY ect at t e QUEE G 1 SERIAL I O PORT CONFIGURATION G 2 VIDEO BA
120. or making an adequately shielded cable involves connecting the metal cable hood to the cable drain wires to ensure electrical continuity Please refer to Figure B 1 When you strip the end of the shielded cable to allow access to the signal wires also strip a small amount of the plastic coating back from the interior foil layer of the cable Trim the drain wires and bend them down over the plastic coating of the cable Make the signal wire connections by soldering the proper signal wires to the appropriate con nector pins as discussed in the preceding section Then place the metal connector hood in place enclosing the cable Bend the drain wires back up over the outside of the connector hood neck and solder them into place Crimp the supplied strain relief ring over the connector hood cable connection as shown in Figure B 1 If a plastic outer shell is provided for the metal connector hood put it in place now SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Purchasing or Constructing Terminal and Printer Cables Page B 7 DB 9 CONNECTOR SIGNALS FOR RS 232 AND RS 422 The following table shows the signal to pin orientation for each of the DB 9 connectors used in external serial I O interfaces to the SBC Table B 1 Hear Panel DB 9 Connector Signals PIN Direction RS 232 Signal Name RS 422 Signal Name N C no connection N C no connection RXDx Received Data RXDx Received Data TXDx Transmitted Data TXDx Transmitted Data CTSx Clear to Send CT
121. ower Run Memory Lights Check the Computer Status Codes Powerup Reset Self Test Check Terminal Printer Alternate Boot THE TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURES Procedure 1 Procedure 2 Procedure 3 Procedure 5 Procedure 4 Procedure 6 The following pages define the various troubleshooting procedures listed in the previous section We assume you are familiar with the placements of various buttons and switches on the computer such as the reset button and the Power Switch if not refer to the illustrations in Chapter 2 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Troubleshooting Procedures Page 7 3 Procedure 1 Check Power Run Memory Lights AAre the Power Light and fan on If yes go to Step B If the fan is on but the Power Light isn t your Power Light may be burnt out Go to Step B 1 Turn the power switch off Make sure the power cord is not damaged and is the correct type for your geographical area Make sure it is plugged in firmly on both ends If there is a problem with the cord correct it and go to Procedure 3 Power up Reset If the computer comes up correctly your problem is fixed 2 Check the electrical source by plugging something else into the outlet such as a lamp If there is a problem with the outlet correct it and go to Proced ure 3 Powerup Reset If the computer comes up correctly your problem is fixed 3Check to make sure your computer is configured for the proper input voltage by chec
122. p under AMOS is power up the computer Follow these steps 1 on the power to your terminal and any other peripheral devices such as a video cassette recorder 2 Turn on the AC power switch located on top of the computer If the system software is already on your hard disk within a few seconds you will see a succession of boot codes on the front panel status display then system initialization file commands appear in rapid succession on the operator terminal screen as they are executed If nothing appears on the status display or the terminal screen after a minute s wait follow the instructions in Installing Alpha Micro Software for loading operating system software onto your System Disk INSTALLING ALPHA MICRO SOFTWARE If the AMOS software is not already installed on your hard disk you should have received a system software tape from your dealer along with the SBC you did not contact your dealer for help If you do have the system software tape you need both it and the warm boot tape supplied by Alpha Micro in order to install your system software Installing the software on your computer involves copying the latest system software from a tape cassette to your hard disk The tapes are accompanied by the Release Notes for the particular software release shipped with your computer This document describes the most recent features incorporated into the software and contains current instructions for transferring the fi
123. perature extremes Do not expose diskettes and cassettes to tempera tures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit 10 degrees Celsius or above 125 degrees Fahrenheit 52 degrees Celsius SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 6 2 Chapter Six The diskettes and cassettes should be at about the same temperature as your SBC or spurious device errors could result So if the place you store the media has a very different temperature than the area where your SBC is installed place the diskette or cassette near your SBC and give it a few minutes to adjust to the new temperature before using it CARE OF STREAMING TAPE CARTRIDGES Cartridge tapes can store data from an entire disk so they are worth taking care of properly Here are a few tips cartridges in their boxes when not in use eCartridge tapes should be acclimated to computer room conditions before use Substantial differences in temperature or humidity may cause problems If the cartridge has been stored out of the computer room it should be returned to the computer room at least eight hours before use If the cartridge has been in a different environment for less than eight hours it should be kept in the computer room for at least as long as it was outside it eDon t expose a tape to extreme temperatures above 110 degrees Fahrenheit or below 40 degrees or humidity above 80 or below 20 eStore cartridges with the write protect switch in the SAFE position eKeep magnets away
124. press RETURN If the line editor is not enabled Control R shows commands that you have entered but which have not yet been accepted by the computer because it is still busy processing another command SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 APPENDIX E SBC PERIPHERAL INSTALLATION INSTALLING PERIPHERAL DEVICES Mounting peripheral devices in the SBC is simply a matter of attaching the plastic rails to the side of the peripheral and sliding the device into its mounting position The SBC chassis has mounting locations for 11 half high or five full high 5 1 4 peripherals The front door on the computer has a cutout which allows access to peripheral devices using removable media This cutout will accommodate up to four half high 5 1 4 peripherals The following illustration shows the peripheral mounting area for the SBC with the slots numbered 1 through 12 Slot number 7 shown in Figure E 1 is occupied by a metal support designed to gt reinforce the peripheral mounting bracket No peripheral device be mounted in slot number 7 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page E 2 Appendix E PERIPHERAL MOUNTING AREA COOLING FANS
125. r Interface lets you use a VCR for data backup file transfer and networking VideoNET eDepending on the configuration of your SBC your computer may have one or more of these optional storage bootup devices an additional hard disk a 51 4 or 31 2 diskette drive a 1 4 streaming tape drive or an 8mm high capacity streaming tape drive eThe SBC enclosure also has rear panel external connectors that allow you to attach additional SCSI compatible storage devices and diskette drives eThe optional AM 324 Parallel Printer Interface board lets you attach a parallel interface printer to your SBC eThe optional AM 362 Ethernet board lets you attach your SBC to Alpha Micro s AlphaNET networking environment eThere is also an optional AM 121 Virtual Personal Computer VPC Co Processor available for the SBC The AM 121 is a small add on board which allows you to use 68030 and 386 CPU chips in the same computer With the AM 121 and related software installed users will be able to switch between AMOS and DOS operating systems eAn optional math co processor 25MHz MC68881 is also available For more detailed information on the hardware components of the SBC refer to Appendix A Specifications Summary and Appendix F User Configurable Options The only thing you need to add are terminals These allow users to input and display the data processed and stored by the components discussed above You will also want to add one or more printer
126. r a short time while the disk drive spins up to operating speed The system is reading the Master File Directory MFD from disk An error at this point indicates disk problems Searching for the User File Directory UFD account 1 2 on the boot device Searching for BADBLK SYS Valid only on disk drives that use a BADBLK SYS file Loading BADBLK SYS Valid only on disk drives that use a BADBLK SYS file The system is searching for account DSKO 1 4 An error at this point may indicate disk problems Try reloading the latest version of the system software The system is looking for the system monitor file AMOS32 MON in DSKO 1 4 If this file is missing reload the latest version of the system software If your computer is trying to boot from a tape device this code indicates the system is searching for a label block on the tape The system is loading the AMOS monitor from the boot device This code might indicate a disk problem SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 8 4 Chapter Eight Table 8 1 Front Panel Status Codes CODE MEANING The system is beginning to execute the AMOS monitor program If an error occurs at this point try reloading the latest version of the system software System bootup failed because of a time out error This code may indicate faulty memory or an addressing problem System bootup failed because of a bootstrap loader program checksum error This code may indicate a bad PROM or bad memo
127. rations 43 Warm Boot Generation File Maintenance 63 Set Carriage Control Account Maintenance Exit to AMOS Enter menu selection type for help 10 Figure 3 1 The Main Command Menu SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Getting Started Page 3 7 Making a Selection There are two different ways you can select a menu option Either eType the number of the selection you want and press The six major options are numbered 10 to 60 eUse the arrow keys to move the cursor to the choice you want then press When you move the cursor it wraps around the screen When you press a key that would move the cursor off the screen it goes to the opposite side of the menu For example pressing the down arrow with the cursor at the bottom of the menu moves it to the top This makes it easy to reach any place on the menu with just a few keystrokes Whichever method you use when you press the choice you selected is performed Depending on the selection this may display another menu move you to an application program such as AIphaWRITE or perform an AMOS command Getting Help To get a display of helpful information place the selection marker on the function you want information about or type the number of the option and press Exiting a Menu Display To go back to a previous menu press the key often labeled ESC or ALT MODE Or hold down the key and type C You will r
128. ridges and tape drives 8mm Tape Drive The SBC may contain an 8mm SCSI compatible Exabyte tape drive allowing you to copy and restore files using special 8mm tape cartridges like those used in video cameras One 8mm tape cartridge can hold up to two gigabytes of data See Optional 8mm Magnetic Tape Backup Device in Chapter 3 for information on using streaming tape devices Also see Chapter 6 for information on care of tape cartridges and tape drives SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Introducing Your Computer Page 1 9 Video Cassette Recorder Interface The SBCs built in video cassette recorder interface with remote control allows you to use a standard video cassette recorder as a backup device Although not the device the computer regularly boots from if something does happen to your system disk you can boot your computer from a special video cassette You can also use video cassettes to transport data from one Alpha Micro computer to another You can schedule automatic backups so a copy of the data on your disk storage devices is made at a time convenient for you such as the middle of the night when nobody is accessing the computer Memory Capacity Expansion Option The SBC comes with a minimum of four megabytes of memory You may expand this amount to either 32 or 64 megabytes depending on the model of CPU you order See your local Alpha Micro dealer for more information Front Panel Status Display Every SBC has a status displa
129. ring the computer down powering it up again 1 f your computer has a diskette drive remove any diskette in the drive 2 Turn off the power to any terminals printers and other peripheral devices connected to the computer 3 Turn off the computer and wait a few seconds 4 on all of the terminals printers and peripheral devices connected to the computer 5 Turn on the computer Do not hold in the reset button while you do so 6Return to Step C above to see if the computer is up and running Return to the current procedure or go on to the next procedure on your checklist whether or not the computer is up and running Procedure 4 Check Terminal Printer Note Various steps in the procedure below tell you to reset the computer If you are not familiar with this procedure refer to Step B in Procedure 3 Powerup Reset AMake sure each terminal is turned on 1For video display terminals do you see anything on the screen If so the power is on skip to B below For printers is the Power Light on If so the power is on skip to B below SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Troubleshooting Procedures Page 7 7 2See the terminal manufacturers manual to find out how to troubleshoot power or fuse problems for the device Correct the problem and reset the computer If it comes up normally and your terminals seem to work all right your problem is fixed Blf you do not see anything on the screen type then
130. ry System bootup failed because of an invalid boot device selection Check the boot ID switches on the back panel of your computer See Chapter 2 for the proper settings The front panel boot enable lock is in the LOCK position Turning the lock the the OPEN position will allow the system to boot NOTE If an error occurs while the computer is trying to boot from a diskette it tries to boot a maximum of eight times before giving up If this happens the display alternates between x3 and some other code depending on where the error occurs For full information on the status codes above and for information on how your own programs can send a number to the status display please refer to the System Operator s Guide Other status codes can appear during the SBC self test these codes are discussed in the section below SELF TEST FEATURE One of your computer s most helpful features is its ability to test itself and check its major hardware components for proper operation The major purpose of this diagnostic test is to check all hardware whose failure might prevent your system from operating properly and to assure all your hardware components are working correctly If the diagnostic test reports a problem you can contact your Alpha Micro dealer for help Tell your dealer the information displayed by the diagnostic test it will help the technicians give you quick service by narrowing the problem down to a specific piece of hardw
131. s eAlphaMAIL is an electronic mail system for sending and receiving messages and reminders among multiple users eMULTI is a window based environment manager letting you use multiple programs on one terminal at the same time and providing a number of desk accessory features including a phone list alarm clock notepad and others eAlphaOFFICE combines many of these products into an easy to use system that allows you to easily switch between functions See your dealer for more information on these and other Alpha Micro Office Information Products ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION Now that your system is up and running you are ready to start exploring the world of Alpha Micro Your guide to the new territory is the Alpha Micro software documentation This section gives you an idea of which documentation to consult for directions depending on the path you want to take Your SBC is a member of the AMOS family of Alpha Micro computers and the software documentation that applies to other AMOS based computers applies to yours too You may purchase any book mentioned in this chapter separately in addition a multi volume software documentation library is available containing all the AMOS soft ware manuals listed below You can order any of these books by calling your dealer Here s an idea of what to look at next SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 4 4 Chapter Four Want to Start at the Beginning If you are new to Alpha Micro comput
132. s Codes Procedure 2 Powerup Reset Procedure 3 Check Terminal Printer Procedure 4 Self Test Procedure 5 Alternate Boot Procedure 6 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 7 2 Symptom 2 Scrambled Characters on the Terminal Screen Chapter Seven If the characters you see on the screen after you boot up are not legible text perform the procedures listed below in the order given Check Power Run Memory Lights Check the Computer Status Codes Check Terminal Printer Powerup Reset Self Test Alternate Boot Procedure 1 Procedure 2 Procedure 4 Procedure 3 Procedure 5 Procedure 6 Symptom 3 Computer Does Not Finish Booting The operator terminal displays the system initialization command file AMOS32 INI as the computer boots The last command in AMOS32 INI is MEMORY 0 If the terminal display stops before reaching MEMORY 0 and more than a minute or so goes by the computer did not finish booting Perform these procedures in the order given Check Power Run Memory Lights Check the Computer Status Codes Powerup Reset Self Test Alternate Boot Procedure 1 Procedure 2 Procedure 3 Procedure 5 Procedure 6 Symptom 4 Job on Computer Locks Up After Bootup If after the computer has finished booting it does not respond to your commands we say it has locked up or crashed Perform these procedures in the order given Check P
133. s to provide printed copies of your data Your dealer may have provided these items as part of your computer SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Introducing Your Computer Page 1 7 Software Features Computer hardware is all potential and no action until the software programs instruct it to do something Some of the features of the standard system software accompanying the SBC are listed below Your dealer can provide software packages specifically suited to your needs such as accounting software other programming languages mathematical packages and so on These packages are not included in this list See your dealer for information on service and support for such packages operating system AMOS performs many functions one of which is to man age the computer s resources so multiple users can run on the computer at the same time The operating system also includes all support software for the hardware devices mentioned above ePrograms called print spoolers let you use one or more printers at the same time without tying up a user terminal Task Manager lets you schedule multiple background tasks to run without operator control at preset times and dates sophisticated Command Language allows you to invoke a stream of commands and program input predefined by you by entering a single command eThe business oriented AlphaBASIC programming language is uniquely suited to the programming of business applications software p
134. s two ways for you to perform AMOS commands You can either type the commands after the AMOS prompt symbol as in the DIR and LOG examples in the preceding sections or you can use the Main Command Menu The Main Command Menu is designed to make using AMOS easier for people who aren t yet familiar with all the options it offers Instead of typing a command name you choose the option you want from an interactive menu displayed on your screen Your computer may be set up so the Main Command Menu displays on your screen either when the computer boots or when you log on If your terminal doesn t run the menu automatically you can call up the menu yourself by entering this command at the AMOS prompt SHELL What You See The Main Command Menu consists of six boxes some or all containing numbered choices Depending on your terminal you may see an area highlighted in reverse video display this is the cursor also called the selection marker There is a prompt at the bottom of the screen followed by the number of the option where the cursor is located AMOS Main Command Menu Tuesday September 5 1991 10 45 09 AM AlphaBASIC 1 AlphaVUE AlphaPASCAL J AlphaWRITE AlphaASSEMBLER d AlphaCALC FORTRAN 77 a AlphaMail ANSI 74 COBOL Print file Maintenance Utilities System Utilities A rdiet 41 Backup 1 System Status 61 Remote Job Entry 42 Certification Device Definitions 62 Set Configu
135. se DSKANA follow these steps 1Log into OPR by typing LOG OPR SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 System Administration Page 5 11 2 Type DSKANA followed by the device name of the disk you want to analyze For example to analyze DSK1 type DSKANA DSK1 3 You now see Begin analysis of DSK1 As DSKANA checks the disk it displays the disk account numbers and when it finishes it displays the results of its analysis For example DSKANA DSK1 Begin analysis of DSK1 14 21 100 20 The following blocks were marked in use but not in a file 1767 1772 2562 3456 6265 The following blocks were in a file but not marked in use Rewriting BITMAP No file errors If you see the No file errors message the file structure on the disk is intact If DSKANA lists a number of file errors there is a problem with the disk s file structure Your next step is to run DSKANA again using either the L or E option discussed below to see where the errors are on the disk For the complete procedure to follow if DSKANA finds any file errors see Recovering From Disk Errors in the System Operator s Guide DSKANA Options DSKANA has several options allowing you to select exactly what information you want to see Your choices are SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 5 12 Chapter Five OPTION FUNCTION None Displays account numbers on disk and summary only C Same information as default but does not rewrite bitmap
136. se the SET DSKERR command SET DSKERR EU SET DSKERR causes the system to report the location of any hard errors the diagnostic program finds If you don t use SET DSKERR the diagnostic tells you only that an error occurred not where on the disk it happened You must run the diagnostic program from the same job where you used SET DSKERR The next two sections discuss two very useful diagnostic programs REDALL and DSKANA You can find more information on disk diagnostic programs in the System Operator s Guide and the AMOS User s Guide The REDALL Command REDALL reads every block of data or the number of blocks you choose on the disk you specify and reports any hard errors It does not alter the data on your disk REDALL works on both hard disks and diskettes It is a good idea to run REDALL for each disk on your SBC occasionally possibly once a week That way if any disk problems develop you can be sure of detecting them quickly To use REDALL perform these steps 1 read all the blocks on a disk enter REDALL followed by the device name of the disk you want to read For example REDALL DSK2 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 5 10 Chapter Five 21 you don t want REDALL to read all blocks on the disk follow the disk specifi cation with the number of blocks you want read REDALL DSK2 100 tUm Do not put a space between the device specification and the number of blocks The command above tells REDALL to read the
137. self test document is included with the documentation shipped with your computer Procedure 6 Alternate Boot You perform this procedure when previous procedures indicate something may be wrong with the software on your System Disk The object of this procedure is to see if the computer can boot off some other device whether or not you are successful in booting tells your dealer quite a bit about what might be wrong with your computer First verify the Boot Device Switches on the back panel of the computer are set for the correct alternate device Refer to Chapter 2 for the Boot ID switch settings When you are sure the switches are set for the device you want to attempt the boot from proceed Alf your computer does not contain a diskette drive skip to Step B If your computer contains a diskette drive and you usually boot from a hard drive place a diskette containing the system software usually labeled System Disk in the diskette drive Push the reset button If the computer boots there is probably some scrambled data on your hard disk preventing the computer from booting from it Although once you are familiar with the computer you can easily restore the System Disk yourself we recommend that as a new user you contact your dealer for help Stop If the computer does not boot you may have a more serious problem Contact your dealer for help Blf your computer does not contain a diskette drive you need to perform a warm
138. sing the SYSACT command described below Organizing the Disk Because there is the danger of logging into the wrong account if you have accounts with the same account numbers on different disks you may want to establish a numbering scheme to prevent duplicates You may want to reserve accounts 1 through 77 for DSKO accounts 101 0 through 200 377 for DSK1 and so on If you find assigning and remembering account numbers cumbersome you can substitute a predefined ersatz name for the account number One of the files in your system software is called ERSATZ INI Its located on DSKO in account 1 4 and contains several predefined ersatz names but you can add more of your own if you wish For example one of the predefined ersatz account names is OPR for DSKO 1 2 So whenever you need to log in the account DSKO 1 2 you can type LOG OPR instead The AMOS User s Guide contains more information on ersatz names and how you can use them Adding New Accounts There is no specific number of accounts you must have you can add as many as you wish as long as there is room on the disk When your computer is brand new the only accounts are the ones the system software is stored in You l want to add more accounts from time to time as your business grows To do so use the SYSACT command following these steps 1 f you want to see a list of the disk devices on your computer type SYSTAT and press The end of the display
139. ss of an Alpha Micro dealer near you please call or write to Alpha Micro For information and the location of the Alpha Micro service location nearest you call our toll free service number 800 548 4848 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 CHAPTER 2 INSTALLATION This chapter gives general installation information for your computer It discusses the following topics the computer einstructions for reshipping the computer eRecording the SSD identification number eVerifying the Boot ID switch settings ePreparing the site for your computer eVerifying AC power requirements eTurning on power to the computer einstalling the operator terminal einitially testing the computer eBooting under AMOS einstalling Alpha Micro software eTurning the computer off eExpanding your computer SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 2 2 Chapter Two UNPACKING GUIDELINES gf Unpack the computer and save all packing material and cartons in case you ever need to transport the computer The shipping material was carefully designed to provide optimum cushioning and protection When reshipping or otherwise transporting your computer you must use the original packaging to ensure safe shipment The SBC is shipped on a wooden pallet When moving your computer handle it gently The hard disk drive in the main unit has moving parts and delicate read write heads Rough handling could damage the drive If the SBC enclosure con
140. st be from the same table you assign a baud rate from the wrong table to the second port the corre sponding rate from the correct table is substituted and used instead of the rate you specified For example you choose 7200 baud for port 0 This selects table 1 for ports 0 and 1 If you then specify a baud rate of 2000 which is found only in table 2 for port 1 the computer substitutes the corresponding rate from table 1 and uses 1050 for port 1 The baud rates for each pair of ports are independent of any other pair You may use table 1 for ports 0 and 1 table 2 for ports 2 and 3 and so on SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 APPENDIX B PURCHASING OR CONSTRUCTING TERMINAL AND PRINTER CABLES Alpha Micro SBC s can handle both RS 232 and RS 422 devices The serial I O ports are factory set to RS 232 This appendix covers the following topics RS 232 and RS 422 standards ePin assignments to connect specific terminals and printers einstructions for making and shielding cables ePurchasing pre made cables from Alpha Micro eConnector signals for SBC ports WHAT IS RS 232 RS 232 is the name of a standard developed by the Electronic Industry Association EIA to encourage standardized interfacing of devices to computer systems The letters RS stand for Recommended Standard The RS 232 interface standard specifies electrical signal characteristics and names and defines the functions of the signal and control lines that m
141. structions on how to tell if the computer is up B To reset the computer 1 Before you reset the computer make sure everybody is at AMOS command level they see the AMOS prompt usually a dot f you reset while someone is working on the computer they will lose whatever they were in the middle of Also if any files are being written or transferred to the disks wait until that process is finished if you reset while data is being written to the disk you might damage the data on that disk terminal is locked up go ahead and reset the computer Then after you are up and running run DSKANA on the disk they were working on to check for disk errors See Chapter 5 for instructions on using DSKANA m If anyone has files open and cannot exit the program because his or her SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 7 6 Chapter Seven 2Now push the reset button C Check to see if the computer is up If you see the system initialization command file displayed on the operator terminal and the last command is MEMORY 0 the computer has booted To make sure type the following command SYSTAT RUN Your terminal should display computer status information If MEMORY 0 was the last command in the system initialization command file and the SYSTAT command works the computer booted successfully and you can return to the procedure you are performing or to the next procedure on your checklist the computer did not boot successfully try powe
142. t Configuring Disk Drivers in the System Operator s Guide and follow the FIXLOG reference sheet in the System Commands Reference Manual The System Disk The System Disk is always called DSKO This is where the system software is stored and where the computer looks for it when the computer boots Usually DSKO is on your hard disk but you can also set up your computer to boot from a diskette drive in which case the diskette would be DSKO If you have a video cassette recorder or streaming tape device as part of your computer you also have the option of booting the computer from this device if you are unable to boot from your hard system disk Booting from a tape medium is known as a warm boot and is usually reserved for special circumstances when it s not possible to boot the computer from your normal System Disk on the hard disk drive DISK ACCOUNTS Disk accounts are an organizational feature your Alpha Micro computer uses to help you keep track of your data Instead of making you search through one enormous list of files for the specific one you re looking for the AMOS operating system is designed to group files into accounts Accounts are identified by a two part account number The two numbers are separated by a comma and enclosed in brackets The first number is called the project number the second part the programmer number 1 2 200 0 and 34 11 are examples of account numbers Since they are actually octal numbers
143. t and press E You can also enter your user name in the LOG command instead of an account number This logs you into the root account defined when your user name was set up For example LOG LEE JOSEPH This logs you into Lee Joseph s root account You can assign passwords to both user names and disk accounts If the name or gt account you enter has a password AMOS asks you for the password before logging you in Once you re logged on to the computer you use LOG to switch to a different account You don t need to enter your user name again just the account you want For example LOG 36 14 If the account has a password assigned you are asked for the password before you transfer to the account The account number list for each device on your computer is separate so you may have duplicate account numbers on different disks Therefore to completely specify what account you want you may need to enter both the device and account number For example LOG DSKO0 7 12 You only have to enter the device name if the same account exists on more than one device If the account you enter does not exist you see a message on your screen indicating you ve typed an invalid account number For more details about the LOG command see the System Commands Reference Manual For information about user names see the System Operators Guide SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 3 6 Chapter Three THE MAIN COMMAND MENU The SBC offer
144. t processing programs included with the standard AMOS software you may want to investigate the other word processing packages your dealer has available for your computer such as AlphaWRITE I Want to Write Computer Programs If you have programmed in BASIC before and want to learn how to use the Alpha BASIC programming language refer to the AlphaBASIC User s Manual If you are an experienced assembly language programmer who wants to write machine language programs for your Alpha Micro computer we recommend you read these manuals SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Where do I go from Here Page 4 5 e Alpha Micro Instruction Set which contains information on the assembly language instruction set used by the Alpha Micro computers e AMOS Assembly Language Programmer s Manual which contains information on the assembler linkage editor object file librarian and global cross reference program used by the assembly language programmer e AMOS Monitor Calls which contains information on the interfaces to the AMOS operating system available to the assembly language programmer e AlphaFIX User s Manual which contains information on the screen oriented debugger program AlphaFIX SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION Many of our manuals refer to the System Operator and you may wonder who this person is System Operator is the title we give the person whose job it is to make sure the computer runs efficientl
145. tains a diskette drive the drive contains cardboard packing material Do not remove this packing material until you have installed the computer and are ready to start using it The diskette drive may be damaged if you move the computer and the drive does not contain this packing material Unpack the terminal which will serve as the operator terminal and set it aside for now What You Will Need When you unpack your computer you should find the following items This manual and warranty cards The main enclosure One 115 Volt AC 3 conductor AC power cord One system accessory kit VCR cassette containing a bootable copy of the system software __ System Self Test User s Guide In addition to the equipment Alpha Micro has provided and the operator terminal you will need the following 1Properly configured cables for connecting your terminal and VCR if included to the computer If you want to construct your own terminal cables you need various tools and connectors as well as the actual cable material See Appendix B for information on constructing terminal cables 2 The manufacturer s operator manuals for your terminals and printers you need to convert your computer to 230 Volt AC operation you need a 230 Volt AC power cord with the correct plug for your geographical area Your local dealer may already have included this power cord with your computer if not contact your dealer for information on where
146. talling or removing PC boards SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 2 12 Chapter Two LOCKING TABS 442 TO REMOVE THE TOP COVER REMOVE THESE TWO SCREWS TO REMOVE THE SIDE PANEL REMOVE THESE FOUR SCREWS Figure 2 5 SBC Removable Top Cover and Side Panel SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation Page 2 13 Opening the Front Door The factory ships the SBC with the door locked The keys are tiewrapped to your computer s rear panel near the power switch Insert the key open the lock and the door will swing open Opening the Top Cover In order to remove the side panel you must first remove the computer s top cover The procedure for removing the top cover is as follows 1Swing the front door open to expose the screws that hold the top cover in place 2Using a Phillips head screwdriver remove the two screws that connect the top cover to the chassis as shown in Figure 2 5 3Don t worry about the display panel it is not attached to the top cover However make sure the key for the keyboard lock is not inserted in the lock when you attempt to remove the top cover 4 The top cover is held in place with four locking tabs one at each corner In order to release the locking tabs the top cover must be slid forward as indicated by the arrow in Figure 2 5 The best way to do this is to use the palm of your hand to firmly strike the rear corners of the top cover This will ca
147. tand PRIMT AMOS displays its prompt symbol You can now try again Your particular terminal undoubtedly has many features we haven t covered in this section For complete information on using your terminal refer to the owner s manual that accompanied your terminal A WORD ABOUT DISKETTES If your computer contains a diskette drive it uses 5 1 4 or 3 1 2 diskettes When you buy 5 1 4 diskettes ask for 2DD double sided double density double track 96 certified diskettes When you buy 3 1 2 diskettes ask for 2HD high density diskettes A diskette consists of a hard or flexible plastic jacket enclosing a thin disk of magnetically treated mylar on which your data is recorded Never try to remove this plastic jacket doing so will ruin the diskette Your dealer has ready to use diskettes available containing software designed for Alpha Micro computers If you want to use empty brand new diskettes to hold your own data you need to perform a couple of simple steps before using an empty diskette for the first time Please see Formatting and Initializing a Diskette in Chapter 5 for more information SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 3 10 Chapter Three You should always have at least one diskette containing the AMOS system software which you can use to boot your SBC in the unlikely event you aren t able to boot from your System Disk This is called a bootable diskette Take special care of your bootable diskettes since if
148. ter The total number of jobs defined in the JOBALC statements must be equal to or less than the number in the JOBS statement above 5You also need to define the terminals you re going to attach to these jobs The TRMDEF statement defines the terminal characteristics and tells the computer which port on the back panel it s connected to Here is a sample TRMDEF statement TRMDEF TRM4 AM140 4 9600 AM65 100 100 100 Using this sample let s go over the kinds of information you must tell AMOS about a terminal e TRM4 is the terminal name SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 System Administration Page 5 7 AM140 is the name of the interface driver for the circuit board the terminal is connected to See Appendix F for details on what interface drivers to use on the SBC Whenever you define a new terminal use the AM140 interface driver 4 is the I O port address for the interface controller board the terminal is attached to 9600 is the baud rate of the terminal See Appendix A for information on the baud rates supported on the SBC AM65 is the type of terminal 100 100 100 are buffer sizes expressed in number of characters For a more extensive explanation of what each of these items represents see the part of the System Operator s Guide on the system initialization command file 6Now you can use the SETJOB statement to attach the terminal defined in the TRMDEF statement with the job defined in the JOBALC statement SE
149. tion guide shipped with the AM 355 I O bus device you are installing SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page G 4 Appendix G pucri qua l W18 d REMOTE RESET JUMPER IN ENABLED FRONT PANEL JUMPER OUT DISABLED DISPLAY 5968909058259 1 g s gt Ojessssescesssasss Oli 2 ff or ER E m Op On B Revison artwork and earlier W100 is MEMORY i hard wired EXPANSION fa mm w100 mnm FLOATING POINT 1 CO PROCESSOR 9 o BE CONNECTOR gt SOCKET CEU TOR E m lt ssp SOCKET U128 ET U127 U126 U125 wi PROMS 516 les 5 10 36 PIN FLOPPY 1 CONNECTOR 10 POWER CONNECTOR gt 31H 3 10 ors 10 MI Om w12 WIA o o Aude M alas andy x o wiz E S lus LINKTERMINATION JUMPER N P JUMPER IN ENABLED JUMPER OUT DISABLED E UU 1
150. to get it SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Installation Page 2 3 Reporting Shipping Damage If there is any damage to the shipping container or the main enclosure or if you are missing any items on the unpacking checklist please call your dealer immediately Instructions for Reshipping the Computer gf If shipping damage has occurred or the self test indicates a problem with the computer your dealer may recommend that you ship the computer back If for some reason you cannot contact the dealer you bought your SBC from please call the Alpha Micro Marketing Department they will give you the name and address of an Alpha Micro dealer near you who can help you When reshipping or otherwise transporting your computer you must use the original packaging to ensure safe shipment For full credit on the returned computer or component remember to ship back everything that was in the shipping carton s including this manual Please include a note to the person who will receive the computer containing the following information your name address phone number the date you shipped the computer back and the reason for return Be as specific as possible about the problem you experienced the more information you provide the easier it will be for the service technician to determine the reasons for any problems If you performed any trouble shooting procedures let the person receiving the computer know exactly what procedures you have done and
151. ts if 110 baud 1 stop bit all others 8 data bits No parity SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Specification Summary Page A 3 VCR Remote Port See Backup and Storage below for more information Eight Bit Status and TLL compatible remote control port Command Port Control Host 68030 or 68020 depending on the CPU board Interface 20 pin AMP connector J101 VCR Interface NTSC video format U S standard PAL and SECAM video format compatibility is also provided ESDI Enhanced Small Device Interface On board Controller The AM 145 board uses a add in board as an intelligent ESDI disk controller interface The AM 140 has an on board ESDI intelligent controller containing its own 68000 CPU running at 8MHz 1MB of dynamic RAM and 4KB of ROM Physical Interface 60 pin connector for attachment to AM 528 ESDI interface card Maximum Number of Two both drives must be mounted internally drives supported Bus Control Internal 24 bit address bus 16 bit bidirectional data bus SCSI Small Computer Standard Interface Port Physical Interface 50 pin connector at rear panel Maximum External Bus 10 feet Length Maximum Number of Four including internal drive controller s Ports Implementation Single host only Multiple host architecture not supported SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page A 4 STORAGE AND BACKUP Hard Disk Drive Detailed specifications for SBC System drives depend on the model purchased Consult
152. unning diagnostic programs is called the operator terminal There are two basic things you must do to install the operator terminal set its parameters and connect a cable between it and Port 40 on the SBC SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 2 20 Chapter Two Setting the Terminal s Baud Rate and Parameters The AMOS system software requires an ASCII RS 232 or an RS 422 terminal attached to Port 40 on the back panel of the computer chassis AMOS initially assumes the operator terminal is an Alpha Micro or compatible terminal using RS 232 signal levels It also assumes the terminal is working at 9600 baud The baud rate is the rate at which the terminal and computer transfer information between themselves if the terminal is not set at the baud rate the operating system thinks it should be using the text displayed on the terminal is not legible See Appendix A for information on the baud rates supported on the SBC AMOS also assumes the following terminal parameters Data Word Length Eight data bits Parity No parity Stop Bit for 9600 baud One stop bit Refer to the documentation accompanying your terminal for information on setting its baud rate and the parameters above Once the computer is booted with a compatible terminal you can define your own type of terminal and tell the computer to use that terminal from now on For information on defining your own terminal to the operating system refer to the System Operator s Guide
153. use the top cover to slide forward To protect your hand place some sort of padding over the rear corners of the top cover 5Once the top cover slides forward pull straight up to remove it 6Place the top cover out of the way so it will not get damaged Make sure you do not bend the locking tabs Opening the Side Door To install optional cards disk drives backup devices or to service the computer you ll need to remove the left side panel as shown in Figure 2 5 1 Remove the four screws shown in Figure 2 5 that secure the left side panel to the chassis 2Like the top cover the left side panel must be slid forward in order to be removed 3Using the palm of your hand firmly strike the rear edge of the side panel as indicated by the arrow in Figure 2 5 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 2 14 Chapter Two 4Once the panel slides forward it can be removed by lifting straight up 5As with the top cover make sure none of the alignment tabs on the side panel get damaged Reinstalling the Top Cover and Side Panel If you removed the top cover and side panel as described in the two previous sections you probably noticed the panels are a snug fit The snug fit helps the computer meet FCC requirements In order to avoid misalignment problems it is very important that you do not bend any of the alignment tabs on either the top cover or side panel Use the following instructions when reinstalling the side panel and top cover Si
154. uter providing identity verification for it Certain Alpha Micro and non Alpha Micro software may require that your computer contain an SSD in order to run software that has been customized to run only on your computer Please enter the identification of your SSD above The SSD identification number should be on your computer I D label under SSD Serial No Another way of finding the number is to look at the SSD itself The SSD is located in an integrated circuit location on the CPU board its identification number is printed on the SSD itself Software vendors may ask you for the SSD number if they are customizing software to run only on your computer This document may contain references to products covered under the following U S Patent Number s 4 530 048 ALPHA MICROSYSTEMS 2722 S Fairview St P O Box 25059 Santa Ana CA 92799 SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Table of Contents Page i TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCING YOUR COMPUTER ABOUT THIS BOOK 42i eget sade PERPE PIA bv bL A 1 2 Reader s Comments 1 3 Graphics Conventions 1 3 COMPUTER OVERVIEW 2 pect xut Ea re RT beter 1 4 Hardware Overview 1 5 Software Features 1 7 COMPUTER COMPONENTS AND AVAILABLE CONFIGURATIONS 1 8 Hard Disk Drive S8 unes ex egre hes wan x Rede teu 1 8 Disk
155. y and who has access to the files and programs that comprise the system software AMOS provides many program tools to support system administration functions This chapter covers many of these procedures including eAllocating disk accounts eModifying the system initialization command file AMOS32 INI eDefining logical devices eBacking up your data eDisk diagnostic procedures eFormatting and initializing diskettes DISK ACCOUNTS Theoretically everyone could store their files on the disk without any type of organization A list of all the files the system software your special application programs memos everything might be several pages long and would be a nightmare to decipher As discussed in Chapter 3 a better technique to organize your files is to create accounts in which to store as many files as you wish An account is just an arbitrary designation for a group of files Your system software is already organized into various accounts and you can add as many or as few additional ones as you need The following paragraphs describe how to add accounts to your disks SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 5 2 Chapter Five Passwords You can assign a password to any account if you wish The password acts as a mild security measure to prevent a casual user from accidentally logging into the wrong account Passwords do not prevent files from being copied into or out of an account and can be easily changed or erased u
156. y on the front panel This display lets you know what is going on inside the machine even when no messages appear on your terminal Some normal functions of the machine e g clearing memory when the computer boots up cause codes to appear on the display as do certain system errors In addition the SBC self test feature uses the status display to let you know how the test is progressing and if any errors have occurred The SBC self test checks the major hardware components in the computer for proper operation including memory disk con trollers and drives video cassette recorder interface interval timer and the serial I O ports Instructions for running self test are included in the System Self Test User s Guide shipped separately with your computer For information on all meaningful codes that can appear on the front panel display see Chapter 8 Front Panel Status Display Codes That chapter also tells you how to use the SBC self test feature Serial I O Capability The SBC comes with from two to 34 or 66 serial I O ports depending on the model All of these ports are RS 232 compatible and can be user configured for RS 422 compatibility if desired See Appendix F for details See Appendix B for a discussion of RS 232 and RS 422 cabling Depending on the I O interface used ports on the SBC use 9 or or 50 pin Telco shielded connectors SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Page 1 10 Chapter One External SCSI Port The SBC inc
157. you do have problems with your System Disk they may be the only way you can boot your computer Diskettes have a finite lifetime so be sure to make backup copies of your diskettes from time to time The AMOS System Operator s Guide explains the procedures and commands for backing up data onto diskettes Using Diskettes If you haven t used diskettes before take a few minutes to look at one before you insert itin the drive If you are using 5 1 4 diskettes notice the oval cutout in the plastic jacket this is the window through which the disk drive reads the data on the diskette as the inner disk rotates within the plastic jacket Also note the small notch in the side of the diskette this is the write protect notch When this notch is covered with a small self adhesive tab the drive cannot write on that diskette Remember to write protect any disks that contain valuable data such as a bootable diskette so they are guarded against accidental erasure If you want the drive to write on a diskette make sure there is no write protect tab on that diskette 5 1 WRITE PROTECT NOTCH DOUBLE SIDE DOUBLE DENSITY 96TPI O MAC196 Figure 3 2 5 1 4 Diskette SBC Owner s Manual Rev 00 Getting Started Page 3 11 Always remember to label your diskettes by placing a self adhesive label on them We recommend you write on the label first before you place it on the diskette If you have to write on the labe

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