User`s guide

2.5.1 Additional EISA Troubleshooting Tips

The following tips can aid in isolating EISA bus problems.

• Peripheral device controllers need to be seated (inserted) carefully, but ﬁrmly,

into their slot to make all necessary contacts. Improper seating is a common

source of problems for EISA modules.

• Be sure you run the correct version of ECU for the operating system. For

windows NT, use ECU diskette DECpc AXP (AK-PYCJ*-CA); for DEC OSF/1

and OpenVMS, use ECU diskette DECpc AXP (AK-Q2CR*-CA).

• The CFG ﬁles supplied with the option you want to install may not work on

AlphaServer 1000 systems. Some CFG ﬁles call overlay ﬁles that are not

required on this system or may reference inappropriate system resources, for

example, BIOS addresses. Contact the option vendor to obtain the proper

CFG ﬁle.

• Peripherals cannot share direct memory access (DMA) channels. Assignment

of more than one peripheral to the same DMA channel can cause

unpredictable results or even loss of function of the EISA module.

• Systems running Windows NT can assign shared interrupt lines (IRQs). DEC

OSF/1 and OpenVMS do not allow shared interrupts.

• Not all EISA products work together. EISA is an open standard, and not

every EISA product or combination of products can be tested. Violations of

speciﬁcations may matter in some conﬁgurations, but not in others.

Manufacturers of EISA options often test the most common combinations and

may have a list of ISA and EISA options that do not function in combination

with particular systems. Be sure to check the documentation or contact the

option vendor for the most up-to-date information.

• EISA systems will not function unless they are ﬁrst conﬁgured using the

ECU.

• The ECU will not notify you if the conﬁguration program diskette is write-

protected when it attempts to write the system conﬁguration ﬁle (system.sci)

to the diskette.

Power-Up Diagnostics and Display 2–15