Whisper - SciNet
Hardware Installation & Configuration - LANC

Perform the following installation procedure at each Whisper-based Response in the LAN:

• Install the LANC Board in the workstation cabinet
• Connect the Station to the Network
• Perform Software Configuration
• Boot the System
• Perform LANC Diagnostics
• Perform SciNet Diagnostics

Install the LANC Board in the workstation cabinet

NOTE: The LANC Board must be installed in the MB slot.

Panel Preparation

If you are installing either the LANC (for SciNet/LAN) or MPCB (for SciNet/Link) Board, prepare the Communications Panel. Each Whisper cabinet has a slightly modified version of the panel. A separate description for each type of cabinet follows.

NOTE: The kit which is supplied contains the hardware necessary for the installation of any cabinet type. Therefore, there may be parts in the kit which will not be used.

Communication Panel Preparation for Whisper 486

Connector Installation for Whisper 486 Cabinet (SciNet/LAN):

Whisper 486 Connection of LANC Board:

Parts

The LAN and CU-II kits contain the communication board (LANC or MPCB), the cables and small hardware needed for connecting the cables from the board to the Communications Panel. Note that for Whisper 486 cabinets, the Communications Panel is already installed on the cabinet.

Below is a list of parts for this procedure.

De-Install the Panel

The Communications Panel is already installed in the Whisper 486 cabinet. If there are any cables connected to the panel, unplug them. Unplug any internal communications cable(s) from their board.

Thin Ethernet Precautions:
After disconnecting the Thin Ethernet cables, it is important to connect the two loose BNC cables together via a barrel or T-connector, as quickly as possible. This is necessary to keep the network operational.

Remove the Communications Panel by unscrewing the four screws on the Connector Panel of the cabinet. If no other communication kits have been installed previously, remove and discard the blank panel which sits behind the Communications Panel.

The two rounded openings labelled "Thin Ethernet" are for the BNC connection to the Thin Ethernet ("Cheapernet") LAN. The slot marked "Ethernet Xceiver" is for the Ethernet connection to network. The four lower slots are for connections to the MPCB Board.

Whisper 486 Cabinet - rear view:

Connecting the Internal Cables From the Board to the Panel

NOTE: Install both Ethernet and Thin Ethernet connectors, even if only one of them is planned to be used. You may need them later.

Install the connectors on the Communications Panel for the Whisper 486 cabinet as follows:

Re-Install the Panel

Replace the Communications panel on the Connector Panel of the Whisper 486 cabinet.

Communication Panel Preparation for Whisper

Connector Installation for Whisper Cabinet (SciNet/LAN):

Whisper Connection of LANC Board:

Parts

The LAN and CU-II kits contain the communication board (LANC or MPCB), the cables and small hardware needed for connecting the cables from the board to the Communications Panel.

Below is a list of parts for this procedure.

De-Install the Panel

The Communicatons Panel (location) on the Whisper Cabinet:

The Whisper Communications Panel:

If no other communication kits have been previously installed, use the panel supplied with the kit and proceed to the section below "Install the Connectors."

If the Communication Panel is already installed in the Whisper cabinet, disconnect all the cables plugged into the panel.

Thin Ethernet Precautions:

After disconnecting the Thin Ethernet cables, it is important to connect the two loose BNC cables together via a barrel or T-connector, as soon as possible. This is necessary to keep the network operational.

Unplug the internal communication cable(s) from their board. Remove the Communications Panel by unscrewing the two screws which connect the panel to the chassis.

The two rounded openings labelled "Thin Ethernet" are for the BNC connection to the Thin Ethernet ("Cheapernet") LAN. The slot marked "Ethernet Xceiver" is for the Ethernet connection to network. The four other slots are for connections to the MPCB Board.

Install the Connectors

Install the Panel in the Whisper Cabinet

Install the Communications panel to the Whisper cabinet above the main electronics crate.

If your Whisper system is one that has two holes in the top portion of the frame, affix the Communication Panel to the Whisper cabinet frame with two screws.

Installing the Whisper Communications Panel in a Cabinet with Hole:

Whisper systems which do not have holes in the chassis frame for connecting the Communication Panel require the additional adapter brackets that are supplied with the kit (Part # 290A26377). Attach the brackets to the Whisper chassis using the screws already located there.

Now, take the Communications panel and align its holes to the bolts which protrude from the brackets. Attach using the washers and nuts supplied.

Installing Communications Panel with Adapter Brackets:

Communication Panel Preparation for micro Cabinets

Parts

The LAN and CU-II kits contain the communication board (LANC or MPCB), the cables and small hardware needed for connecting the cables from the board to the Communications Panel. Note that for micro-type cabinets, the Communications Panel is already installed on the cabinet.

Below is a list of parts for this procedure.

De-Install the Panel

The first step is to access the Communications Panel. To do this, first remove the front power panel by pulling on the four round plastic holders which affix the power panel to the chassis. The Communications Panel is now completely exposed.

If there are any cables connected to the panel, unplug them. Unplug any internal communications cable(s) from their board.

Access the Communications Panel screws by removing the side and top covers of the micro-type cabinet. There are two screws located on each side of the chassis which affix the Communications Panel to the micro cabinet. Remove these four screws and carefully slide the panel in a downward direction until it can be pulled out completely.

There are no connector openings for Thin Ethernet on the panel, since the connections to the network are made directly from the LANC Board. The slot marked "Ethernet Xceiver" is for the Ethernet connection to the LANC Board. There are four other slots for connections to the MPCB Board.

Install the Connectors

Install the connectors on the Communications Panel for the micro cabinet as follows:

Install the Panel

Re-install the Communications panel on the micro cabinet above the main electronics crate in the reverse order as was detailed in "De-Install the Panel," above.

Connect the Station to the Network

Ethernet - 10BASE5

An Ethernet 15-pin D-type AUI transceiver cable is connected from the 15-pin connector at the communications panel to the transceiver. Make sure to move the female connector's slide lock to secure the connection. The maximum distance from the transceiver to the station is 50 m. Transceivers must be connected to the Ethernet coaxial cable at a location marked by a black band.

Ethernet Segments

Maximum overall segment length may be 500 meters with two N type terminators, one of which should be connected to the building ground. Each segment may have up to 100 nodes or stations.

Software Configuration

To create an Ethernet local area network of Scitex systems, the local station must be informed of all the stations that will be accessed. The software configuration program is the tool for informing the system of all the systems on the network.

In software configuration we accomplish two tasks. First we tell our station which other stations are on the local area network. Second, we assign a logical name to each station/device combination, creating a convenient means of identifying the different devices on the network.

Before beginning the software configurations consider ....

NOTE: Draw a diagram of the network for reference.

Before beginning the software configurations consider the following:

• Have we installed all the hardware necessary?
• Are the LANC Board and the communications panel installed properly?
• Is the network connection complete?
• Is our station connected to the Ethernet (or Thin Ethernet)?
• Which stations are in the subnet?
  We must know the names of the stations that we will be accessing and the type of Scitex station .
• What name will we assign the LAN subnet?
  We must assign our subnet a name. All stations on the subnet must use the same subnet name.
• Are any of the systems in our subnet also part of a cluster?
  If any of the stations in our subnet are also part of a cluster subnet that does not have a subnet name, we must reconfigure all the systems on the cluster to give it a name.
• What remote devices will we access?
  Each station/subnet/disk combination is a separate device. We must consider how many devices we have, and assign each a logical name. Prepare the logical names before beginning the software configurations.

Invoking Software Configurations

NOTE: The procedure performed at your station must be performed at all stations in the subnetwork.

Call up the program for software configuration by selecting Services from the Utility strip at the top of the screen.

The drop-down services menu will be displayed. Select Configuration from this menu.

Services Menu:

Configure the system by filling in a series of forms. The form heading is displayed at the top left-hand corner of each screen. The soft keys along the bottom of the forms are used to access additional forms or to access system utilities.

System Configuration Screen

In this procedure we will enter information under SciNet and then Logical Names.

Use "Save & Exit" to save the parameters that you have entered, or use "Quit" to exit the configurations program without making changes.

Fields that contain a tilde (~) toggle with each press of the cursor or space bar.

The System Configuration Screen:

NOTE: This screen is also called "Main Menu" when selected from other screens.

At the center of the System Configuration screen find three fields:

NOTE: If you changed from Network: "NO" and your station is also on a SCSI cluster, your station and all the other stations on the cluster must be reconfigured and given an subnet name.

Configuring a LAN Subnet

Accessing the Network Configuration Screen

Begin by selecting SciNet from the bottom of the System Configuration screen.

The Network Configuration screen is displayed as shown below. We can configure an SCSI, LAN or telecommunications subnetwork by selecting an option from the bottom of this screen.

To configure a Local Area Network select LAN from the Network Configuration screen.

Defining the Stations in the Subnetwork

The Subnetwork Configuration screen is displayed. Here we inform our system of the other systems in the subnet.

Enter information for the following fields:

A maximum of 8 stations can be entered on each screen. Use the Next and Prev keys to page to the next screen of 8 stations.

Exit the Subnetwork Configuration screen by selecting one of the following:

Assigning Logical Names

Logical names are a convenient way of referring to a specific station/disk combination. Rather than requiring the operator to specify the remote station, subnetwork and disk name for each transfer, a simple name is used. When communicating, the remote device is always referred to by its logical name.

In the following screen we list all the stations and disks in the communication network that we can access, and we assign them logical names. All of the station/disks that will be accessed on the entire network must be assigned logical names.

Select Logical Names from the System Configuration screen. The Logical Names Assignment Screen is displayed.

Select Remote LogNames from the bottom of the screen to display the Remote Logical Names Screen.

Remote Logical Names Screen:

All of the station/device combinations to be accessed by this station must be entered on this screen. Use the Next and Prev keys to page to the next screen. You may enter up to 8 stations in each screen.

NOTE: If your station has already been configured on another subnet, the logical names for the stations in that subnet are also displayed on this screen.

If your station is also part of a SCSI cluster which did not have a subnet name, all the stations in the cluster must be reconfigured with a subnet name.

Enter information as follows for each system to be accessed:

Saving Your Configuration

Press Save & Exit to save both the subnet configuration and the logical names to your system disk. Restart the system and then test communications.

Restart the system as follows:

• Select Services from the UTILITIES menu. The Services menu will pop down.
• Select System Restart from the SERVICES menu

When the Response application is called up, the system is ready for communications testing.

Lan/Whisper LANC Controller Diagnostic Testing

The LANC (Local Area Network Controller) Board can be tested either from the Whisper on-line test program or through a stand-alone test that is independent of the host. The LANC on-line test is performed through the diagnostic Handler.

Response On-line LANC Diagnostic Testing

Getting Started

Test the LANC Board through the diagnostic handler.

The LANC is tested under INTERFACE diagnostics. Select Interfaces from the main menu, then Commun and LANC to test the board.

The LANC Diagnostic Tests

Stand-Alone LANC Diagnostic Testing

The stand-alone diagnostic tests enable you to test the LANC Board independently. These tests are generally used in production, when tracing board failures.

The Hardware Configuration

An RS-232 cable must be connected between the 25-pin J1 connector on the LANC Board and the terminal. The terminal must be in ANSI mode.

Program Conventions

1. Select a test from the menu by entering the test number on the terminal keyboard.

2. A test may be performed repeatedly.
   Specify the number of times that the test is to be repeated at the display of the message
   
   number of loops [1]
   
   If a number is not entered the test will be executed once.

3. Press <ESC> to stop a test in progress. The following message will be displayed on the screen while the test is running:
   
   PRESS <ESC> TO STOP !!!

The LANC Board Stand-Alone Test Program

Invoking the Test Program:

At power-up an automatic selftest is performed. The Main Diagnostic test menu, shown below, is displayed on the screen.

The automatic selftest consists of the complete test series (items 1 through 6). A PASS/FAIL message is displayed adjacent to each test.

Press "T" during the selftest to remain in diagnostic mode.

Items 1 through 6 in the above menu are the elements of the LANC that can

be tested. Items 7 through 9 are the utilities.

The Diagnostic Tests

CPU (1)
Test the CPU.

MEMORIES (2)

The system enables you to test 4 different LANC memories. Select one of the memories from the following menu.

DOWN LOAD RAM, T/R BUF, and DYNAMIC RAM:
These memories are tested by writing a specific pattern to the memory, reading it back, and comparing the received and expected values.
The memory may be tested using one of 4 data patterns displayed in the following menu:

Enter a number 1 through 3 to select one of the data patterns or select 7 to test the memory using all of the patterns.
NOTE: Address (option 2) is the default option.

rotate data pattern

Each bit of the memory is tested using a pattern of rotating 1's.

address data pattern

Data equal to the value of the data address is loaded to the memory.

chess data pattern

Data in an alternating pattern of 1's and 0's is loaded to memory.

const data pattern

A single data value is loaded to the entire memory. The constant must be supplied by the user.

method: all

The memory is tested using all of the patterns above.

If the test fails, the error will be displayed in the following format:

MEMORIES: FAIL base address offset address read data write data

ETHERNET NODE ADDRESS

This option enables you to identify the LANC Board by reading its identification number from the on-board PROM. The following hexadecimal notation is used for the node address:

The first three groups of four characters represent the code for Scitex systems. The second three groups of four characters express the identification number of the board.

NOTE:

1. The two leading zeros of each group are not part of the 48 bit address. They can be ignored.
2. In actual operation, a different Ethernet address based on the station name is used. The DIAG test displays this address.

PERIPHERALS (3)

Two CPU peripherals can be tested:

Select COUNTERS (1) to test the following:

Select INTERRUPTS (2) to test the following:

If the test fails the error will be displayed in the following format:

PERIPHERAL: FAIL type of failure

DMA (4)

Select an option from the following menu to test different functions of the DMA.

If the test fails the error is displayed in the following format:

DMA: FAIL DMA function failure

The failure can be:

• chain err
• DMA err
• compare err

ETHERNET (5)

Select an option from the following menu to test different aspects of the Ethernet communication.

82586 DIAG

Test the Ethernet controller component.

If the test fails, the error will be displayed in the following format:

ETHERNET: FAIL 82586 DIAG DIAG ERR

Loopback

Select an option from the following menu to perform loopback testing from three points on the communication link.

If the test fails the error will be displayed in the following format:

ETHERNET: FAIL LOOP BACK loopback type error type

The error type is:

• cannot enable 82586
• parameter err
• transmit err
• receive err
• receive buffer err
• compare err

T.D.R.

The Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) measures the distance from the LANC to the cable fault.

If the test fails the error will be displayed in the following format:

ETHERNET: FAIL T.D.R. error type

where error type is:

• transceiver error
• open ethernet [length in meters]
• short ethernet [length in meters]

EPROM (6)

In option 6 a checksum is calculated for the on-board EPROM. The actual and calculated checksums are compared.

If the test fails, the error will be displayed in the following format:

EPROM: FAIL calculated checksum

The Test Utilities

Options 7, 8 and 9 in the Main Diagnostic test menu are the diagnostic utilities.