= AST RESEARCH, INC. TECHNICAL BULLETIN # 1209 6-6-95 = DACADM.NLM AND DACMON.NLM FOR NETWARE V4.1 PROBLEM The Mylex DAC960 NetWare Loadable Modules (DACADM.NLM, DACMON.NLM) cause Netware v.4.1 to either hang or abend when viewing disk drive information in DACADM.NLM. CAUSE The existing DACADMN.NLM and DACMON.NLM files do not support Netware 4.1. SYSTEMS AFFECTED AST PART NUMBER AND DESCRIPTION 501133-002 FIVE CHANNEL EISA SCSI DISK ARRAY CTLR 520082-002 FIVE CHANNEL EISA SCSI DISK ARRAY CTLR 221134-001 FRU FIVE CHANNEL EISA SCSI DISK ARRAY CTLR SOLUTION Update the BIOS and firmware on the DAC960 to BIOS v1.19, firmware v2.14, and NetWare disk drivers. With the new BIOS, firmware, and drivers, the system will be able to use the new DACADM.NLM and DACMON.NLM. This procedure requires the "DACCFNEW" diskette contained in file name DACCFNEW.EXE. This file is located on AST’s BBS (817) 230-6850, in the "Systems" file area. AST's BBS supports modem speeds up to 28.8k bps. The above file will also be posted on: CompuServe Go ASTSUPPORT AST Worldwide Web Site http://www.ast.com PREREQUISITES Although, if performed correctly, the firmware update should not disturb any data on the drives, AST highly recommends a backup of all the data before performing this firmware update. CAUTION Use an ESD ground strap when handling hard drives or circuit boards. Instructions for upgrading the DAC960 CTLR to BIOS 1.19 and firmware v2.14. WARNING THIS UPGRADE SHOULD ONLY BE PERFORMED ON SYSTEMS THAT WILL BE RUNNING NETWARE V4.1. THE UPGRADE MAY CAUSE THE FOLLOWING LOSS OF FUNCTIONALITY: DRIVE SIZING IS NOT SUPPORTED WITH THIS BIOS AND FIRMWARE VERSION. IF A DRIVE FAILS, IT MUST BE REPLACED WITH A LITERALLY IDENTICAL DRIVE. IF YOU HAVE ANY SYSTEM-DRIVE WHICH IS SPANNED ACROSS PHYSICAL-PACKS (> 1 SPAN), YOU MUST BACKUP THE DATA ON THE SYSTEM DRIVE BEFORE LOADING THE NEW FIRMWARE, AND RESTORE AFTERWARDS ! THE UPGRADE WILL INVOLVE LOSS OF DATA IF A STRIPE SIZE OTHER THAN 8K IS TO BE USED. EVEN IF THE STRIPE SIZE IS LEFT AS 8K, THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURE IS TO BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED, IF DATA LOSS IS TO BE AVERTED. CONTENTS PART I: Procedure to upgrade the DAC960's Firmware and BIOS. PART II: Procedure for installing NetWare v4.1 with the DAC960. PART III: Procedure for updating the DAC960's drivers on an existing NetWare v4.1 Server PART I UPGRADING THE DAC960 BIOS AND FIRMWARE The new firmware download utility, version 3.00, should be run from a floppy disk drive. If it is run from a boot hard drive connected to a DAC960 controller, once the controller has been flushed, it is reset and the program will not continue. This can be overcome by flashing this controller last. It is advisable to run the utility from a floppy disk drive. 1. After downloading file DACCFNEW.EXE from AST’s BBS, install the "DACCFNEW" diskette and reboot the system. 2. If you do not wish to save the existing data on your drives, or you are performing an initial installation, continue with step 4. 3. If you wish to save all the data on the drives, and your existing configuration meets the criteria in the above Warnings and Notes, then you must save the existing controller configuration to a floppy diskette by using the TOOLS/BACKUP CONFIG options of DAC960CF.BAT. A> DAC960CF.BAT Select Option 7 "Tools". Select Option 6 "Backup/Restore conf". Select "Backup Configuration". Type in a name for the backup file. After saving the configuration, press several times to exit. 4. Upgrade the firmware using the firmware flash utility. A> NEWFIRM.BAT (NOTE: THE DAC960 MAY REPORT THE FOLLOWING ERROR "ERROR STATUS FROM DAC = 104H" IGNORE THIS ERROR) Press any key to continue. Answer "Y" to the Download Verification Prompt. The system will need to be rebooted after completing the update. (Press the key.) (NOTE: The DAC960 will report errors after Reset. Press any key to continue) 5. Boot the system as in step 1 and upgrade the BIOS using the BIOS flash utility. A> NEWBIOS.BAT The system will need to be rebooted after completing the update. (Press any key to reboot.) 6. Boot the system as in step 1 and restore the configuration, or reconfigure the controller using the DAC960 Configuration Utility. A> DAC960CF.BAT If the system prompts to press "S", press to save the default configuration and reboot the system again. Run DAC960CF.BAT after rebooting. For new configurations, go to Step 7. Select Option 7 "Tools". Select Option 6 "Backup/Restore conf". Select "Restore Configuration". Type in the name of the backup file from Step 3. After restoring the configuration, press several times to exit. Reboot the system. Go To PART III 7. The new DAC960 Configuration Menu is slightly different from the old one. For example, in the new utility, controller channels are represented horizontally and drive IDs are represented vertically. The functions are basically the same. A) Create a new pack from the "New Configuration" menu item. B) Add drives to the pack. C) Define the system drive(s). D) Select RAID level. E) Initialize System Drive. F) Save configuration and exit. PART II INSTALLING NETWARE V4.1 WITH THE DAC960 CONTROLLER NOTE: Part I must be completed before continuing with Part II. To install NetWare v4.1 from CD-ROM, you must be able to access the CD-ROM through DOS. 1. Create and format a DOS partition according to the Novell documentation. 2. Copy the DOS CD-ROM Drivers for the DAC960 from the "DACCFNEW" diskette. A> DOSCDROM.BAT Note: This batch file will copy all the necessary files including a CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT file to the hard drive. Remove the "DACCFNEW" diskette and reboot the system. 3. Proceed with the installation of NetWare v4.1. When prompted to select a disk driver, Insert the "DACCFNEW" diskette and press the key followed by . Type A:\NW41 Select DACNET4.DSK and press When prompted "Do you want to select an additional Disk Driver?" Answer "YES" Select ASPIDAC4.DSK and press . When prompted to "Save Existing file?" Answer "NO" When prompted "Do you want to select an additional Disk Driver?" Answer "NO". Complete the NetWare v4.1 installation. 4. Copy the "DAC960 Monitor" and "DAC960 Administrator" NetWare Loadable Modules, from a Workstation which is logged-on to the server, with ADMIN rights. Insert the "DACCFNEW" diskette into the Workstations floppy drive and type: A> NLMCOPY.BAT 5. Load the "DAC960 Monitor" and "DAC960 Administrator" NetWare Loadable Modules. From the server, type LOAD DACMON and press Use + to switch back to the system console. Type LOAD DACADM and press Use + to switch back to the system console. This concludes the instructions for installing NetWare v4.1 with the DAC960 drivers. PART III UPDATING THE DAC960 DRIVERS ON AN EXISTING NETWARE 4.1 SERVER NOTE: Part II must be completed before continuing with Part III. 1. Copy the DAC960 Disk Drivers to the C:\NWSERVER directory on the DOS partition. A> DSKCOPY.BAT 2. Start SERVER.EXE from the C:\NWSERVER directory. SERVER -NSA (This will bypass the STARTUP.NCF and AUTOEXEC.NCF files.) Enter any name for SERVER NAME and any number for INTERNAL NETWORK NUMBER. LOAD C:\NWSERVER\INSTALL Choose "NCF files Options" from the menu. Choose "Edit STARTUP.NCF" from the menu. Change LOAD C:\NWSERVER\DAC960.DSK To LOAD C:\NWSERVER\DACNET4.DSK And optionally add LOAD C:\NWSERVER\ASPIDAC4.DSK Press to save changes and exit. Down the server and reboot the system as you normally would. 3. Copy the DAC960 Netware Loadable Modules to the server. (Follow Steps 4 and 5 in PART II to copy NLMs.) This concludes the instructions for updating the DAC960 drivers on an existing NetWare v4.1 Server.