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Introduction
The Dell™ PowerEdge™ 6300, which has an
Intel® Pentium® II Xeon processor is a feature-rich, enterprise
class server that offers the highest performance, availability, scalability,
manageability, and investment protection features. The PowerEdge 6300 provides a robust,
reliable, rack-optimized platform on which large corporate customers can deploy their
mission critical applications.
This section describes the major
hardware and software features of the computer system, provides information about the
indicators and controls on the system 's front panel, and discusses connecting external
devices to the system.
The
PowerEdge 6300 systems offer the following major features:
- One to four Intel Pentium II Xeon
microprocessors with an internal operating frequency of 400 megahertz (MHz) and an
external bus speed of 100 MHz.
The Pentium II Xeon
microprocessor includes MMX® technology
designed to handle complex multimedia and communications software. This microprocessor
incorporates new instructions and data types as well as a technique called s ingle i nstruction, m ultiple d ata (SIMD) that allows
the microprocessor to process multiple data elements in parallel, thereby improving
overall system performance.
- A secondary (L2) cache of 512 kilobytes (KB) to 2 MB of static
random-access memory (SRAM) is included within the single-edge contact (SEC) cartridge
that contains the microprocessor. Math coprocessor functionality is internal to the
microprocessor.
- Support for symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) is available by installing up
to three more Pentium II Xeon microprocessors. SMP greatly
improves overall system performance by dividing microprocessor operations among the
independent microprocessors. To take advantage of this feature, you must use an operating
system that supports multiprocessing, such as Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0 or Novell® NetWare®
4.11 (and later versions).
 |
NOTE: If you decide to
upgrade your system by installing additional microprocessors, you must order
microprocessor upgrade kits from Dell. Not all versions of the Pentium II Xeon
microprocessor will work properly as additional microprocessors. The upgrade kit from Dell
contains the correct version of the microprocessor for use as an additional
microprocessor, as well as instructions for performing the upgrade. The additional
microprocessors must have the same internal operating frequency as the initial
microprocessors. |
- A minimum of 128
MB of system memory, upgradable to a maximum of 4 GB by
installing combinations of 32-, 128-, and 256-MB buffered extended-data out (EDO) dual
in-line memory modules (DIMMs) in the 16 DIMM sockets on the
memory board.
- A basic input/output system (BIOS) that resides in flash memory on the
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus and can be upgraded if required.
- Up to six, hot-pluggable, 1.6-inch, small computer system interface
(SCSI) hard-disk drives. Two additional 1-inch drives can be installed in the optional
removable media bay. These additional drives are not hot-pluggable.
- Three redundant, hot-pluggable power supplies and power - supply paralleling board (PSPB) .
|
NOTE: A minimum of two power
supplies are needed to run the system. |
- Five redundant system cooling fans.
The system
board includes the following built-in features:
- Seven PCI connectors; (4) 64-bit and (3) 32-bit.
- A video graphics array (VGA)-compatible video subsystem with an
ATI 3D Rage Pro super VGA (SVGA) video controller. This video subsystem contains 2 MB
of synchronous graphics random-access memory (SGRAM) video
memory (nonupgradeable). Maximum resolutions are 1024 x 768 with 256 colors noninterlaced.
In 800 x 600 and 640 x 480 resolutions, 16.7 million colors are available for
true-color graphics.
- A National Semiconductor PC87309 super
input/output (I/O) controller that controls the bidirectional parallel port, two serial
ports, and the diskette drive in the externally accessible front bay.
The parallel port can be set to operate
in the following modes via the Parallel Mode category in the System Setup program:
output-only (AT-compatible) or
bi-directional (Personal System/2 [PS/2]-compatible).
- Two Adaptec
AIC-7890 Ultra2/LVD SCSI host adapters that support up to six,
1.6-inch , internal SCSI hard-disk drives via a SCSI backplane board and special SCSI
hard-disk drive carriers. The SCSI backplane automatically configures SCSI identification
(ID) numbers and SCSI termination on individual hard-disk drives, greatly simplifying
drive installation.
|
NOTE: The 1.6-inch drive
carriers will accommodate 1-inch drives. |
A hot-pluggable 1 x 6 SCSI backplane
board supports hot-pluggable SCSI hard-disk drive installation and removal when used in
conjunction with the PowerEdge Expandable RAID controller.
- An Adaptec AIC-7860 Ultra/Narrow SCSI-III host adapter that supports up to three
externally accessible SCSI devices in the external hard-disk drive bays (for example, CD-ROM drive, tape
drive unit).
- Server
management circuitry that monitors operation of the system fans as well as critical system
voltages and temperatures. The server management circuitry works in conjunction with the
HP OpenView Network Node Manager Special Edition (NNM Special Edition) and the Dell
OpenManage Hardware Instrumentation Package (HIP) software package.
- System board support for the Dell
OpenManage Remote Assistant when the optional Dell Remote Assistant Card version 2.0 (DRAC
2) is installed, which provides additional local and remote server management.
- A PS/2-style keyboard port and a PS/2-compatible mouse port.
Standard PowerEdge 6300 systems include a
3.5-inch diskette drive and a SCSI CD-ROM drive installed in the externally accessible
bays and a SCSI hard-disk drive installed in slot 0.
The following software is included with
your Dell system:
- Video drivers for displaying many popular applications in high-resolution
modes. For more information on these drivers, see Using the Dell
Server Assistant CD.
- SCSI device drivers that allow your operating system to communicate with
devices attached to the built-in SCSI subsystem. For more information on these drivers,
see Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers.
- The System Setup program for quickly viewing and changing the system
configuration information for your system . For more
information on this program, see Using the System Setup Program,
- The Resource Configuration Utility (RCU), which automatically configures
installed PCI expansion cards. For more information, see Using
the Resource Configuration Utility.
- Enhanced security features available through the System Setup program
including a user password and a supervisor password.
- Diagnostics
for evaluating your system 's components and devices. For
information on using the system diagnostics, see Using the Dell
Server Assistant CD in this User's Guide or see Chapter 5, "Running the System
Diagnostics," in your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.
Dell supports the following network
operating systems for use on PowerEdge 6300 systems:
- Windows NT Server 4.0
- Windows NT Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition
- NetWare 4.11
The following controls and indicators
are behind the external drive door on the system's front
panel:
- The power button controls the output power
delivered to the system board from the power supply.
- The green power indicator in the center of
the power button lights up when the power supply is turned on and the system is receiving
direct current (DC) power.
|
NOTE: The power button is
recessed into the system 's front panel to prevent accidentally turning off the computer
and losing valuable data. |
The following indicators are on the system 's front panel (see Figure 1) :
- The green fan/temperature status indicator blinks amber when a fan
failure is detected or temperature is out of bounds.
- The green power supply status indicator blinks amber if a fault is
detected with any of the power supplies or any system voltages.
The three indicator lights on each of
the SCSI hard-disk drive carriers provide the following information (see Figure 2):
- The green hard-disk drive online indicator
lights up when the hard-disk drive is receiving power.
- The green
hard-disk drive activity indicator lights up when data is being transferred to or from the
hard-disk drive.
- The amber hard-disk drive failure indicator blinks if a hard- disk drive failure is
detected.
Figure 1.
Front Panel
Figure 2.
Hot-Pluggable Hard-Disk Drive Indicators
You can connect various external devices,
such as a mouse and printer, to the I/O ports and connectors on the system 's back panel. The system BIOS detects the presence of
external devices when you boot or reboot your system. When connecting external devices to
your system , follow these guidelines:
- Check the documentation that accompanied the device for specific
installation and configuration instructions.
For example, most devices must be connected
to a particular I/O port or connector to operate properly. Also, external devices like a
mouse or printer usually require you to load software files called device drivers into
memory before they will work. These software drivers help the system
recognize an external device and direct its operation. Device drivers of this type are
normally included with your operating system software.
- Always attach external devices while your system
is turned off. Then turn on any external devices before turning on the system unless the documentation for the device specifies
otherwise. (If the system does not seem to recognize the
device, try turning on the system before turning on the
device.)
For information about enabling,
disabling, or configuring I/O ports and connectors, see Using the
System Setup Program, or Using the Resource
Configuration Utility. For detailed descriptions and illustrations of each port and
connector on the I/O panel, see I/O Ports and Connectors .
A keylock behind the door on the front
bezel prevents unauthorized access to the hot-plug gable hard -disk drives. A second lock on the back of the unit prevents the
top cover from being removed.
The PowerEdge 6300 system also includes
a system intrusion switch that signals appropriate server management software if the top
cover is opened.
If at any time you don't understand a
procedure described in this guide, or if your system does not perform as expected, Dell
provides a number of tools to help you. For more information on these help tools, see
Chapter 11, "Getting Help," in your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.
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