SCSI JackHammerª Release Notes v3.2 - 9/19/94 © 1993, 1994 FWB, Inc. ------------------------------ Additional features/last minute notes of the JackHammer: =========== INSTALLATION =========== Installing JackHammer in newer Macs ---------------------------------- ¥ The Power Macintosh 7100 uses the same case as the Centris/Quadra 650. Please use the installation instructions referring to the Centris/Quadra 650. ¥ The Power Macintosh 8100/AWS 8150/AWS 80 and Quadra 840av use the same case as the Quadra 800. Please use the installation instructions referring to those machines. ¥ The AWS 9150 uses the same case as the Quadra 950. Please use the installation instructions referring to those machines. Package contents ------------ Starting with JackHammer 3.2, there will be three disks included in the package. The first two are standard Hard Disk ToolKitª or RAID ToolKitª floppies, while the third is the JackHammer Utility Disk. Please ignore any references in the manual to two disks being included in the package because more functionality has been added since then. Automated Software Installer --------------------------- Starting with JackHammer 3.2, the process for installing FWB software has been automated with a "one-button" installer. Please ignore the section on installation and simply launch the installer on the SCSI JackHammerª Disk, or Hard Disk ToolKit or RAID ToolKit Disk. ¥ BEFORE proceeding with the installation, disable any virus protection software and System Extensions. ¥ Be sure to delete old copies of JackHammer software before installing this software. ¥ The installer will install JackHammerª 3.2 and HammerTimeª directly into the Control Panel and Extension folders of your System Folder. ¥ You must restart the system after installing the Control Panel and the System Extension in order for the installation to take effect. If you had an earlier version of the card, you need to open the JackHammer Control Panel once to get prompted to update the card's on-board software. Before using drives on JackHammer -------------------------------- Users should run HDT or RTK Primer to scan for bad blocks and to remap or reformat to eliminate them. Better yet, you should reformat any drives that will be used on the JackHammer to ensure the drives are free of defects and fragmentation. Any drive used on the JackHammer must have no bad blocks. For best performance, make sure that 'ARRE' and 'AWRE' are enabled in Parameter Page 1 by using the HDT World Control program. (See manual for details) This is not mandatory; some drives do not allow ARRE and AWRE to be changed. Booting from drives on the JackHammer ------------------------------------ If you are installing all your SCSI devices onto the JackHammer, install the drive from which you plan to boot from onto the JackHammer first. Then boot from your Disk Tools disk, provided with your Macintosh System software, and switch the Startup Disk through the control panel to the startup drive connected to the JackHammer. You can then install the rest of the devices onto the JackHammer. Alternately, you could startup from a Mac motherboard SCSI drive and switch the Startup Disk through the Control Panel to the drive connected to the JackHammer. Updating Non-Hard Disk ToolKit JH Formatted drives ----------------------------------------------- You should perform an "Update Driver" with Hard Disk ToolKit or RAID ToolKit to bring a normal Hard Disk ToolKit or RAID ToolKit formatted drive into JackHammer configuration format. If a drive has not been updated, its icon on the Desktop will have the word ROM to indicate that all driver information is read from the JackHammer card. Version Numbers --------------- Hard Disk ToolKit and RAID ToolKit have version numbers independent from the JackHammer Control Panel. You should note that the two are different and not directly related. Updates in JackHammer software will include all of the latest HDT/RTK files. System 7 Color JackHammer icon ------------------------------ The SCSI JackHammer Disk is emblazoned with the color JackHammer icon. You can use System 7's icon copy/paste technique to copy this icon to your JackHammer drives. =========== UPDATE INFORMATION =========== Updating to latest JackHammer software Information ------------------------------------------------ All users of older versions of HDT/RTK-JackHammer should replace ALL files with the latest versions. Make sure you delete old versions of files from your Control Panels or System folder, as they will not be automatically deleted. You should also perform an Update Driver from within HDT Primer or RTK Primer on all drives. You should also update the flash ROM with the newest JackHammer Control Panel (see below) to maximize performance and compatibility. When updating to v3.1 or higher from 3.0 or 3.02, configuration values in the JackHammer Control Panel will get reset to their defaults, be sure to restore them before beginning operation. After using HDT 1.5 or newer, do not use HDT 1.4 to manipulate the drive. Updating the FLASH ROM firmware ------------------------------- To update the FLASH ROM firmware on the JackHammer card with a newer version, make sure you are not booted from a JackHammer SCSI bus drive and unmount any partitions belonging to drives on the card. Open the JackHammer Control Panel. It should automatically tell you that the Control Panel contains a newer version of JackHammer software and will ask you if you want to update it. Restart the computer to complete the firmware update. You can also update the card manually. Open the JackHammer Control Panel device. Select Slots. Select the JackHammer to be updated from the list by clicking on it. Hold down the Option key and click on the version number text at the lower right corner of the window. Restart the computer to complete the firmware update. Users should update the ROM on the JackHammer to incorporate new features and performance enhancements that may be released with future software updates. =========== OPERATION =========== Maximizing Performance ---------------------- 1) The faster the drive, the faster it performs on the JackHammer. The faster the computer's Nubus, the faster the JackHammer performs. (840AV's or PowerPC's recommended) 2) The JackHammer supports asynchronous I/O. This allows programs to queue up multiple I/O requests and perform other tasks in the meantime. Applications are arriving that utilize this feature. Some recent ones include AppleShareª 3.0 or newer, QuickTime 1.5 or newer, and most database programs. More programs will use this technique in the future. 3) Faster CPUs such as the Quadra can benefit from increasing the number of main memory buffers from 30 to 45. Slower CPUs are not able to manage the cache as efficiently if there are more than 30 buffers. Change this in the JackHammer Control Panel. 4) The JackHammer performs best when doing large data transfers. Please attempt to maximize file sizes where possible. The JackHammer also accelerates applications that do a lot of writing. 5) The special features (Prefetch, Write Release, Write Accumulate) should NOT be used on disk arrays or applications that are I/O efficient. (e.g., digital video and prepress work) The special features are designed to speed up applications that perform inefficient I/O including word processing, database, and business applications. Special features are also designed to implement caching for drives that do not have caches. 6) Do not insert multiple JackHammer cards in one computer unless they are ones meant for SledgeHammer disk arrays. Maximizing Digital Video Performance ---------------------------------- The JackHammer has proven to be the ultimate platform for maximum performance for digital video. It has been tested with the Radius VideoVision Studio, SuperMac DigitalFilm, Data Translations Media100, and RasterOps MoviePak2. Optimal performance is achieved on the 840av with its improved Nubus. It is fully compatible with Radius VideoVision Studio and SuperMac DigitalFilm. To maximize performance, be sure to use the HammerTimeª system extension. See HammerTimeª Read Me file for details on its use and general digital video performance tips. SledgeHammer Wide's are perfect for digital video. The SledgeHammer II is best for other applications including pre-press because its dual JackHammer cards saturate the Nubus too heavily for a digitizer card to operate well. Keep in mind that with some wide drives that have large write caches, it is possible to digitize a movie that would cause dropped frames to occur on playback. Reduce the data rate of the digitization to accommodate playback. Maximizing Array Performance ---------------------------- Disk arrays created by RAID ToolKit (Bundled with SledgeHammers, also available separately) are universal, in that both drives can reside on the JackHammer, one on the JackHammer/one on the Mac SCSI bus, or both on the Mac SCSI bus. On some computers, especially when there are no other Nubus cards in the system, additional throughput can be obtained by moving one drive to the Macintosh bus. (On the Quadra 650, 800, 900, 950) You must leave the drive with the 'head' partition on the JackHammer bus. This is usually the drive with the lower SCSI id. You can bring up HDT Primer's or RTK Primer's Partition window and see which drive has the head partition. You can actually measure the performance with HDT BenchTest. This split bus array is not the fastest on the 840av and newer computers, or with digital video applications, where bus mastering is more important. Keep in mind that you can only setup arrays when both drives are on the same SCSI bus. =========== SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY =========== 3rd Party compatible SCSI Manager 4.3 savvy applications ----------------------------------------------------- Apple HD SC Setup 7.2.2 and newer Apple CD-ROM Driver 5.0.1 and newer Remus and Remus Limited 1.2 and newer Retrospect 2.1 and newer Retrospect ---------- Retrospect 2.1 fully supports SCSI Manager 4.3 and the JackHammer and will automatically see tape drives hooked up it. If you are using version 2.0, you must enable Non-Disk Devices in the JackHammer Control Panel to see tape drives on the JackHammer. Do NOT install the Retro.SCSI extension. The JackHammer handles all disconnect/reconnect by itself. Virtual Memory -------------- This release of JackHammer software is incompatible with Apple's virtual memory. Future releases may support it. Performance oriented users should always avoid virtual memory. RAM Doubler has been tested with the JackHammer. Version 1.5 or higher is recommended. System 6 Notes -------------- 0) Although System 6 is not explicitly supported, it should be compatible with the JackHammer. 1) The System 6 Startup Device control panel does not correctly indicate a non Mac SCSI bus drive set as the startup drive even though it is set correctly. System 7 has no problems. 2) It is recommended that the 32-bit Quickdraw file be installed in your System Folder. A/UX ---- The JackHammer does not support A/UX. If the JackHammer is on a machine that runs A/UX, it will disable itself and no drives connected to it will be accessible. FWB makes another product called RAID ToolKit A/UX that is designed to accelerate Workgroup Server 95 performance. Call us for details. =========== HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY =========== Low-level Block Size ------------------- All drives must be formatted for 512-byte block size when used on the JackHammer. This includes removable drives that are capable of using 1024-byte block size cartridges. Failure to do so may result in data loss. Locked Nubus Transactions ------------------------ This is configurable in the JackHammer Control Panel on JackHammer's used in SledgeHammer disk arrays and some others. They default to being locked but can be changed to unlocked to maximize performance in applications where multiple Nubus cards are present, such as video digitization, fileserving, or when doing large network data transfers with built-in Ethernet. This is mainly useful on 840av and PowerPC machines, while it has minimal effects on older machines with slower Nubus slots. DayStar PowerPro ---------------- The initial release of the PowerPro does not work with bus master cards. Contact Daystar for a hardware upgrade to make it compatible with all bus masters including the JackHammer. IIci Cache Card Support --------------------- 1) The Apple IIci Cache card occasionally exhibits a problem with fast bus-mastering cards. If you encounter a problem, use a different cache card or use an accelerator card. This occurs especially if you are running RAMdoubler. 2) The IIr 32K IIci Cache card is fully supported. 3) The Daystar PowerCache accelerator cards are fully supported. 4) Micron Technology XCEED IIci-128 rev B is not compatible with bus master cards such as the JackHammer and should not be used or else data loss WILL occur. 5) The older Daystar Fastcache IIci 64K cards are not fully compatible with bus master cards such as the JackHammer and should not be used or else data loss may occur. We have found that cards with serial numbers around 100168-138 work fine. Call Daystar for an upgrade. 6) The Daystar Fastcache IIci 32K works fine. 7) Daystar Turbo040 cards with firmware revisions less than 4.0 should be updated to version 4.0 or later, to fix a LockMemory problem. Call Daystar at 800-962-2077 for a free update. RasterOps Video Cards -------------------- The following cards are not compatible with other bus masters when acceleration on their card is turned on: ProColor32, 24XLTV, 24Mx, 24MxTV, Paintboard Li, 24XLi, 8XLi, 24L/801, 24sx, Paintboard 24. (RasterOps Acceleration cdev v3.02) They have no problem if acceleration is turned off. RasterOps' newer cards, such as the Paintboard Lightning and Horizon should be compatible. Fast/Wide drive support ---------------------- The current Hard Disk ToolKit and RAID ToolKit software only support devices from SCSI ID 0 to 6. Make sure your devices are not set to ID's above 6. The JackHammer's driver will mount drives from SCSI ID 0 through 15. 2.5" Drive support ---------------- These drives implement a power-saving pseudo termination. When connecting these drives, you can think of them as being not terminated internally thus requiring termination elsewhere on the SCSI bus. Uninterruptable Power Supplies ---------------------------- FWB recommends that your computer and all its drives be connected to an UPS. UPS's will prevent data loss due to power loss at only a small cost. Second Wave Nubus Expansion Chassis ---------------------------------- The JackHammer should only be used in "24/32 bit" slots and not the "32 bit" only slots. Non-disk device support --------------------- The JackHammer can support many non-disk SCSI devices attached to it. These devices should run with your present software transparently. Enable the 'Enable Non-Disk Devices' option in the JackHammer Control Panel and reboot to enable this. Devices that are emulated, should have unique SCSI IDs to both buses. (e.g., if there is a tape drive on the JackHammer bus at ID 3, there cannot be a device on the Mac bus at ID 3) This feature has been tested with CD-ROM drives, tape drives, and scanners. Some devices will benefit from the JackHammer's support of disconnect/reconnect, while others will not. Any device that fully adheres to SCSI-1 or SCSI-2 protocols will be compatible. This option should mainly be used with tape drives. The JackHammer has been tested with scanners from Agfa, Apple, and Microtek. Disabling Synchronous Transfers ----------------------------- Setting the Minimum Synchronous Period in the JackHammer control Panel to 0 will disable synchronous data transfers and force the JackHammer to use only asynchronous data transfers. Use this on old drives that are causing problems. Disabling the JackHammer ----------------------- The technique of holding down 'Command-Option-J' to disable the JackHammer, does not work on the Power Macintosh. Tagged Command Queuing ----------------------- Tagged Command Queuing is an advanced SCSI-2 feature that is supported on only a few new drives. Because it is so difficult to implement, few drive manufacturers fully test their implementations. Because the SCSI JackHammer fully exploits tagged command queuing, it requires the drive to have a bug-free implementation. We have found that early revisions of firmware on certain drives do not support tagged command queuing properly and will cause data-loss, system crashes, or hangs to occur. You can tell if a drive supports command queuing by running HDT World Control and selecting the Info button and then the More button. Command queuing is only used when the special features (Prefetch, Write Accumulate, Write Release) are enabled. It is not necessary for maximum performance in digital video or prepress applications where caching doesn't help performance much. Do not enable for drives with revision levels AT or LOWER than these: Maxtor MXT-540SL, MXT-1240S H1.2 Seagate 41600N Rev 0100 Seagate ST1400N, ST1480N, ST1581N Seagate ST3600N, ST11200N Seagate ST3501NW Seagate ST12550W Rev 0002 Seagate ST12550N Rev 0010 =========== ERROR REPORTING =========== Error Codes ---------- If the JackHammer encounters an unexpected fatal error, it will display a dialog with an error code. The error code consists of 6 digits. The first digit is a status code. If the status code is 2, the second digit is a SCSI error sense key, while the last four are additional sense code and additional sense code qualifier. If the status code is 8 it means the drive was busy. If the status code is 0, the last four digits indicate the SCSI Manager 4.3 error code. (See Inside Macintosh for a list.) If 2 is status code, Sense key 0=No Sense, 1=Recovered Error, 2=Not Ready, 3=Media Error, 4=Hardware Error, 5=Illegal Request, 6=Unit Attention, 7=Data Protection, 9=Vendor Specific, B=Aborted Command, E=Miscompare. Example: 245500 2 is the status. 4 means hardware error. 5500 is details on the hardware error. This means that your drive has a hardware problem. (Reformat or Replace It.) Example: 232200 2 is the status. 3 means media error. 2200 is details on the media error. This means that your drive has a media problem. (Reformat It.) If you encounter an error, it is recommended that you do the following: check cabling and termination, update to the latest JackHammer/HDT software, try again with extensions turned off, turn special features off if they were on, reformat the drive. If all else fails, contact FWB tech support with the error code. =========== SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS =========== System Requirements ------------------- Any NuBus Macintosh with full sized Nubus slot 4 MB of RAM or more System 7.1 or newer recommended. (System Update 3.0 recommended) FWB, Inc. 2040 Polk Street, Suite 215 San Francisco, CA 94109 415/474-8055 415/775-2125 FAX 415/474-0956 Customer Support FAX AppleLink: FWB CIS: 71320, 1034