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Enterprise SCSI Hard drives FAQ Sheet 
Western Digital Technical Support (http://www.wdc.com/support)
This document was last modified on Saturday, 01-Mar-97 14:06:56 PDT 
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1: What are the features of the new Western Digital SCSI hard drives? 
2: What are the SCSI cable length restrictions for Western Digital Enterprise SCSI 
Drives?
3: What types of connectors do WD Enterprise SCSI hard drives use? 
4: What is SCSI interface equivalent of master/slave setting in IDE/EIDE interface? 
5: Is there a checklist I should use to avoid problems during installation of my WD SCSI 
drive? 
6: Upon boot, my SCSI host bus adapter displays error messages or it locks up. What is 
wrong?
7: During system startup, one or more of my SCSI device(s), was not found. What can 
this be caused by?
8: My host bus adapter no longer finds my SCSI drive after having worked flawlessly for 
sometime. What is the reason for this sudden failure? 
9: I would like to boot from my new Western Digital SCSI drive rather than my Western 
Digital EIDE drive. How can this be accomplished? 
10: What is termination and why is it necessary? 
11: My Enterprise SCSI drive does not work in my system. My host bus adapter manual 
says this may happen if the drive tries to negotiate bus width and synchronous transfer 
parameters. 
12: How can I tell if my SCSI driver is loading properly in Windows 95? 
13: I have a red X in front of the driver line for my SCSI controller under Control 
Panel/System/Device Manager in Windows 95. How do I get rid of it? 
14: Why does my SCSI Fast and Wide host adapter have problems finding my single-
ended narrow devices (50-pin devices) when I scan for devices in the host bus adapter 
BIOS utility? 
15: If my real mode ASPI drivers load but the protected mode drivers do not, what can I 
check? 
16: How can 32-Bit Disk Access and File Access be enabled on the WD Enterprise SCSI 
drives in Windows 95/NT 4.0? 
17: How can MS DOS and SCO UNIX be installed on the same Enterprise Drive? 
18: Should the Extended Translation option be enabled when installing SCO UNIX to an 
Enterprise SCSI drive? 
19: When installing OS/2 Warp on an Enterprise SCSI drive, the install program cannot 
find the hard disk to install to or the system locks up during file transfers. Why?
20: OS/2 Warp displays the error "unable to find Country.sys" after the OS/2 banner is 
displayed.
21: When installing Novell server software on a WD Enterprise SCSI drive, are there any 
changes that need to be made to the host bus adapter card before installing the server 
software?
22: Why doesnt  Norton SmartDoctor  see a 4 GB SCSI drive as SMART-compliant?

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1: What are the features of the new Western Digital SCSI hard 
drives?

Designed to set a new direction in mass storage solutions, the WD Enterprise low-profile 
3.5-inch drives are the first in a family of 7200 RPM products. The WDE2170 and 
WD4360 drives feature formatted capacities of 2.1 and 4.3 gigabytes with media data 
transfers up to 140 Mbits per second. These drives are SCSI-3 SPI compliant and support 
Ultra Fast and Ultra Fast Wide host transfer rates of up to 40 MB/s. Advanced read/write 
caching, command queuing, command reordering (seek and rotational), Self Monitoring 
and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) and SCSI Configure Automatically 
(Automagically, SCAM) are standard features on Western Digital Enterprise hard drives.

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2: What are the SCSI cable length restrictions for Western Digital 
Enterprise SCSI drives?

Single-ended SCSI drives allow cable lengths of up to 6 meters (19.68 feet). Users who 
plan to use "Fast" and "Ultra Fast (Fast 20)" data transfers with single-ended models 
should follow all the ANSI SCSI guidelines for these operations. Differential SCSI drives 
allow cable lengths of up to 25 meters (82.02 feet). Cables must meet the requirements 
for differential cables as set forth in the ANSI SCSI standard. Drives equipped with a 
SCA-2 connector are not designed for direct cable attachment due to the combination of 
power and SCSI bus signals. The ANSI SCSI standard states that any stub from the main 
cable must not exceed 0.1 meters (0.32 feet) for single-ended cables and 0.2 meters (0.65 
feet) for differential cables.

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3: What types of connectors do WD Enterprise SCSI hard drives 
use?

There are 3 connector types:

a.50-pin SCSI connector: Use a Centronics, standard, or high density connector which is 
compatible with ANSI SCSI "A" style connector specifications. It can transfer data in 8-
bit (narrow) mode only.

b.68-pin SCSI connector: Use a high density connector which is compatible with ANSI 
SCSI "P" style connector specifications. It can transfer data in 8-bit (narrow) and 16-bit 
(wide) modes. Both single-ended and differential SCSI versions are supported.

c.80-pin SCSI connector: Use a Single Connector Attachment (SCA-2) connector which 
is designed for backplane connections. It can transfer data in 8-bit (narrow) and 16-bit 
(wide) modes.

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4: What is SCSI interface equivalent of master/slave setting in 
IDE/EIDE interface?

You may install up to eight SCSI devices (including the host bus adapter) on an 8-bit 
SCSI bus; or up to 16 SCSI devices (including the host bus adapter) on a 16-bit SCSI bus. 
The concept of Master/Slave setting (in IDE/EIDE) is determined by SCSI ID (in SCSI). 
Each SCSI device (hard drive, scanner, CD-ROM etc.) is assigned a unique ID. 
Furthermore, you can specify which drive is your boot drive through BIOS setting in the 
host bus adapter.

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5: Is there a checklist I should use to avoid problems during 
installation of my WD SCSI drive?

If you encounter a problem during installation of your Western Digital Enterprise 
drive, first review your host system documentation to ensure you have followed the 
setup procedures correctly, then use this following checklist:

Verify the system is plugged in and all power connections secure.

Verify that the host bus adapter has been correctly installed. Insure that the 
card is seated properly, check for system resources conflict - I/O port, IRQ or DMA.

Insure the SCSI cables are correctly connected to all devices and that pin 1 
orientation is correct.

Verify the SCSI ID jumper setting is properly installed. Insure there are no ID 
conflicts.

Insure devices at the end of the SCSI cables are terminated properly.

Insure devices is in the middle of the SCSI cable are un-terminated.

Verify the length of the SCSI cable is within specifications.

If the drive is terminated but does not seem to be responding or if the system 
does not recognize the drive on the bus, verify the drive is getting termination 
power. If not, change jumper setting to obtain termination power from the alternate 
source.

If you receive an error code, check your operating system documentation for 
explanation of the error code.

Insure the option jumpers are installed properly.

If the problem persists, contact the manufacturer of the host bus adapter the verify 
that the hardware and software setup is correct.

If you have additional questions, please contact your local dealer, Western Digital 
web site or Western Digital Technical Support.

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6: Upon boot, my SCSI host bus adapter displays error messages or 
it locks up. What is wrong?

Your host bus adapter may be defective or damaged. Most SCSI host bus adapters have 
some diagnostic routine built into their BIOS. Run this routine to determine if your 
adapter has been damaged. If your system hangs during boot, check each device SCSI ID 
and make certain each device including the host bus adapter, have a unique SCSI ID.

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7: During system startup, one or more of my SCSI device(s), was 
not found. What can this be caused by?

If this device is an external device, verify the power switch is turned on for this 
device.

Verify that there are no SCSI ID duplication. Check each device including the host bus 
adapter and that each device has a unique SCSI ID.

Verify that termination is properly set for devices at each end of the SCSI bus.

Check cabling and verify the cable is plugged in properly and the cable orientation 
is correct. Check the length of the cable. Move the device not responding closer to 
the host adapter to see if the device is recognized. If so, use a shorter cable 
otherwise the device maybe damaged or improperly configured.

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8: My host bus adapter no longer finds my SCSI drive after having 
worked flawlessly for sometime. What is the reason for this sudden 
failure?

Verify if any new device had been added to the system before failure. If so, 
gather all detail before troubleshooting. Check the cable to adapter for proper 
insertion and correct orientation. Lastly, try a different cable to determine if 
the previous cable was faulty.

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9: I would like to boot from my new Western Digital SCSI drive 
rather than my Western Digital EIDE drive. How can this be 
accomplished?

Some SCSI host bus adapters, have an option in their BIOS setting to allow the SCSI 
drive as the boot drive. Please refer to your host adapter documentation for further 
instructions.

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10: What is termination and why is it necessary?

Termination is the placement of impedance matching circuits at each end of the SCSI 
bus (cable) and it is necessary because it preserves high transition speeds. When 
it is properly applied, it filter signal noise along the entire length of the SCSI 
transition line. Furthermore, the termination of a SCSI bus is required for the bus 
to work properly.

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11: My Enterprise SCSI drive does not work in my system. My 
host bus adapter manual says this may happen if the drive tries to 
negotiate bus width and synchronous transfer parameters.

Some systems run into problems when targets (drives) try to negotiate bus width and 
speed. The WD Enterprise drives default to allow Target Initiated Negotiation. This 
can be disabled by adding a jumper across pins 21-22 on the option block connector 
on the drive.

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12: How can I tell if my SCSI driver is loading properly in 
Windows 95?

Go to Control Panel / System / Device Manager. A yellow exclamation point or red 
X present over the adapter icon implies that there is a problem with the adapter 
or driver.

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13: I have a red X in front of the driver line for my SCSI controller 
under Control Panel / System / Device Manager in Windows 95. 
How do I get rid of it?

The X means the driver has been disabled and isn't loading. To enable the driver, 
double-click on the SCSI driver under SCSI controllers. Under the GENERAL tab at 
the bottom of the screen in the "Device Usage" section, check the box in front of 
"Original Configuration (current)".

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14: Why does my SCSI Fast and Wide host adapter have problems 
finding my single-ended narrow devices (50-pin devices) when I 
scan for devices in the host bus adapter BIOS utility?

Set the option in the host bus adapter BIOS utility called "Initiate Wide 
Negotiation" in the "SCSI Device Configuration" menu to "NO" for any SCSI ID 
that a narrow SCSI device (50-pin device) occupies.
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15: If my real mode ASPI drivers load but the protected mode 
drivers do not, what can I check?

Make sure the resources for the driver under the DEVICE MANAGER are set the same 
as the card. Also, check the "Performance Tab" under SYSTEM PROPERTIES to see if 
the system is infected with a virus. Win 95/NT 4.0 will not load any protected mode 
drivers if the system is infected. Make sure that the latest version of drivers 
are being used (reference the host bus adapter manual).

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16: How can 32-Bit Disk Access and File Access be enabled on the 
WD Enterprise SCSI drives in Windows 95/NT 4.0?

The 32-Bit Disk and File Access option is built in to Windows 95/NT 4.0. It is 
enabled by default when the operating system is installed. To check this, go to 
Control Panel / System and click on the PERFORMANCE tab. If "File System" is set 
to 32-Bit, then 32-Bit Disk and File Access and the driver for the SCSI host adapter 
is enabled. If not, then refer to the host bus adapter manual for further instruction.

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17: How can MS DOS and SCO UNIX be installed on the same Enterprise Drive?

Extended BIOS Translation must be disabled (this option is available on most host 
bus adapters) to create the DOS partition on the hard drive first. After installing 
DOS, the SCO UNIX can be installed from the N1 floppy diskette. Use FDISK (from DOS 
or UNIX command line prompt) to change the active boot partition you wish to boot 
from.

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18: Should the Extended Translation option be enabled when 
installing SCO UNIX to an Enterprise SCSI drive?

No. This feature is for MSDOS 5.0 or above, MS Windows or OS/2 v2.X only. The SCO 
UNIX operating system handles its own translation of SCSI drive greater than 1 GB. 
The UNIX root file system must be in the first 1024 cylinders (Located in the first 
1 GB). Always disable extended translation for UNIX systems.

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19: When installing OS/2 Warp on an Enterprise SCSI drive, the 
install program cannot find the hard disk to install to or the system 
locks up during file transfers. Why?

One of the drivers being used needs to be updated. Please consult your OS/2 Warp 
user manual or contact IBM.

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20: OS/2 Warp displays the error "unable to find Country.sys" after 
the OS/2 banner is displayed.

This error may be caused by the system not recognizing the hard drive. Check 
termination on all SCSI devices, making certain that only the devices on the ends 
of the SCSI cable have been terminated.

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21: When installing Novell server software on a WD Enterprise 
SCSI drive, are there any changes that need to be made to the host 
bus adapter card before installing the server software?

Before installing any Novell software, check that the settings "Extended BIOS 
Translation for DOS Drives > 1 GByte" and "BIOS Support for More Than 2 Drives 
(MS-DOS 5.0 and above)" in the "Advanced Configuration Options" on most host bus 
adapters are set to disabled. Failure to disable both of the options will result 
in problems when trying to install the Novell software.

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22: Why doesnt  Norton SmartDoctor  see a 4 GB SCSI drive as SMART-compliant?

Norton's SmartDoctor does not support SCSI-3 SMART, only IDE-SMART. 
