4.3.1 Primary & Secondary Master/Slave..55 4.3.2 Keyboard Features... 58 4.4 Advanced Menu... 60 4.4.1 Chip Configuration... 63 4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration.. 66 4.4.3 PCI Configuration..69 4.4.4 Shadow Configuration..73 4.5 Power Menu... 74 4.5.1 Power Up Control... 76 4.5.2 Hardware Monitor.. 78 4.6 Boot Menu... 79 4.7 Exit Menu... 81 5. SOFTWARE SETUP 83 5.1 Install Operating System.. 83 5.2 Start Windows... 83 5.3 A7V133 Series Motherboard Support CD.. 84 5.4 Using the Promise Chip for RAID 0 and 1.. 86 5.4.1 Installing the Hard Disks.. 87 5.4.2 Enter FastTrak100 BIOS and FastBuild Utility.. 87 5.4.3 Creating a RAID 0 Array.. 88 5.4.4 Creating a RAID 1 Array.. 89 5.4.5 Other FastBuild Utility Commands.. 91 5.4.6 Alternative Setups and Other Details. 92 5.5 Manual Installation of IDE/RAID Drivers.. 93 6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE 94 6.1 ASUS PC Probe... 94 6.2 CyberLink PowerPlayer SE.. 99 6.3 CyberLink PowerDVD.. 100 6.4 CyberLink VideoLive Mail.. 101 7. APPENDIX 103 7.1 PCI-L101 Fast Ethernet Card... 103 7.2 Modem Riser... 105 7.3 Glossary... 107

FCC & DOC COMPLIANCE

Federal Communications Commission Statement
This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: This device may not cause harmful interference, and This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer's instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
WARNING! Any changes or modifications to this product not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void any assurances of safety or performance and could result in violation of Part 15 of the FCC Rules.

2. FEA TURES Specifications
UltraDMA/100 Support: Comes with an onboard PCI Bus Master IDE controller with two connectors that support four ATA100/66/33 devices on two channels. Supports UltraDMA/100, UltraDMA/66, UltraDMA/33, PIO Modes 3 & 4 and Bus Master IDE DMA Mode 2, and Enhanced IDE devices, such as DVDROM, CD-ROM, CD-R/RW, LS-120, and Tape Backup drives. Wake-On-LAN Connector: Supports Wake-On-LAN activity through an optional ASUS PCI-L101 10/100 Fast Ethernet PCI card (see 7. Appendix). Wake-On-Ring Connector: Supports Wake-On-Ring activity through a PCI modem card that supports a WOR connector. USB: Supports up to four USB ports, two on the back panel and two midboard, for more peripheral connectivity options. PC Health Monitoring: Provides an easy way to examine and manage system status information, such as CPU and systerm voltages, temperatures, and fan status through the onboard hardware ASUS ASIC and the bundled ASUS PC Probe. SMBus: Features the System Management Bus interface, which is used to physically transport commands and information between SMBus devices. PCI/AMR Expansion Slots: Provides five 32-bit PCI (Rev. 2.2) expansion slots, which can support Bus Master PCI cards, such as SCSI or LAN cards (PCI supports up to 133MB/s maximum throughput), and one Audio Modem Riser (AMR) slot (shared), which supports a very affordable audio and/or modem riser card. Super Multi-I/O: Provides two high-speed UART compatible serial ports and one parallel port with EPP and ECP capabilities. Enhanced ACPI & Anti-Boot Virus Protection: Programmable BIOS (Flash EEPROM), offering enhanced ACPI for Windows 98 compatibility, built-in firmware-based virus protection, and autodetection of most devices for virtually automatic setup. Concurrent PCI: Concurrent PCI allows multiple PCI transfers from PCI master busses to the memory and processor. Smart BIOS: 2Mb firmware provides Vcore and CPU/SDRAM frequency adjustments, boot block write protection, and HD/SCSI/MO/ZIP/CD/Floppy boot selection. Power supply is autodetected to enable/disable suspend-to-RAM. Integrated Infrared (IrDA) Support: Integrated IR supports an optional remote control package for wireless interfacing with external peripherals, personal gadgets, or an optional remote controller. Desktop Management Interface (DMI): Supports DMI through BIOS, which allows hardware to communicate within a standard protocol creating a higher level of compatibility. (Requires DMI-enabled components.) Color-coded Connectors: To enhance user accessibility to system components and to meet PC 99 compliancy, major connectors in this motherboard are color-coded.

ON Standby Power

A7V133

OFF Powered Off

A7V133 Onboard LED
3. H/W SETUP Motherboard Settings
1) Motherboard Features Settings (DIP Switches - DSW) The motherboards onboard functions are adjusted through the DIP switches The white block represents the switchs position. The example below shows all the switches in the ON position. The default setting is OFF.

OFF ON

A7V133 DIP Switches
1. Frequency Selection 2. Frequency Selection 3. Frequency Selection 4. Frequency Selection 5. Frequency Selection
A7V133 Jumper Mode Settings
2) JumperFree Mode (JEN) This jumper allows you to enable or disable the JumperFree mode. The JumperFree mode allows processor settings to be made through the BIOS setup (see 4.4 Advanced Menu). Setting Jumper Mode JumperFreeMode (Default) DSW (See #7 External Frequency Setting) All OFF VID (See #9 Voltage Regulator Output) All [3-4] JEN [1-2] [2-3]

Jumper Mode

JumperFree Mode (Default)
See Frequency External Setting
See Voltage Reg. Out. (VID)

JEN 1 2

VID4 VID3 VID2 VID1 JEN 2 3
3) Onboard Audio Setting (AUDIOCODEC) The onboard audio CODEC may be enabled or disabled using all of these jumpers. Disable the onboard audio CODEC if you are using a PCI audio card on any of the expansion slots or a primary AMR on the AMR slot. If using a PCI audio expansion card, Onboard AC97 Audio Controller in 4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration of the BIOS must also be disabled. NOTE: This setting is available only on motherboards with the onboard audio option. Setting Enable Disable
AUDIOCODEC [1-2] [1-2] [1-2] [1-2] (default) [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]
Onboard Audio Codec (Default) SPK ADN# AUD_EN2 AUD_EN1
Onboard Audio Codec SPK ADN# AUD_EN2 AUD_EN1
A7V133 Audio Codec Setting

Enable

Disable
4) PCI 3Volt Setting (3VSBSLT) This jumper allows you to select the voltage supplied to PCI devices. If you have PCI devices that require auxiliary power, set this jumper to 3 VSB. Setting 3 Volt 3 VSB 3VSBSLT [1-2] [2-3] (default)
Add 3 Volt Add 3 VSB (Default)
A7V133 ATA100/RAID0 Selection

LEVER LOCK

AMD Athlon

A7V133 Socket A

3. H/W SETUP CPU

3.7 Expansion Cards

WARNING! Unplug your power supply when adding or removing expansion cards or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both your motherboard and expansion cards.
3.7.1 Expansion Card Installation Procedure
1. Read the documentation for your expansion card and make any necessary hardware or software settings for your expansion card, such as jumpers. 2. Remove your computer systems cover and the bracket plate on the slot you intend to use. Keep the bracket for possible future use. 3. Carefully align the cards connectors and press firmly. 4. Secure the card on the slot with the screw you removed above. 5. Replace the computer systems cover. 6. Set up the BIOS if necessary (such as IRQ xx Used By Legacy Drive: Yes in 4.4.3 PCI Configuration) 7. Install the necessary software drivers for your expansion card.
3.7.2 Assigning IRQs for Expansion Cards
Some expansion cards need an IRQ to operate. Generally, an IRQ must be exclusively assigned to one use. In a standard design, there are 16 IRQs available but most of them are already in use, leaving 6 IRQs free for expansion cards. If your motherboard has PCI audio onboard, an additional IRQ will be used. If your motherboard also has MIDI enabled, another IRQ will be used, leaving 4 IRQs free. IMPORTANT: If using PCI cards on shared slots, make sure that the drivers support Share IRQ or that the cards do not need IRQ assignments. Conflicts will arise between the two PCI groups that will make the system unstable or cards inoperable. The following table lists the default IRQ assignments for standard PC devices. Use this table when configuring your system and for resolving IRQ conflicts.
Standard Interrupt Assignments
IRQ 2 3* 4* 5* 6 7* 8 9* 10* 11* 12* 13 14* 15* Priority N/A 10 Standard Function System Timer Keyboard Controller Programmable Interrupt Communications Port (COM2) Communications Port (COM1) Sound Card (sometimes LPT2) Floppy Disk Controller Printer Port (LPT1) System CMOS/Real Time Clock ACPI Mode when used IRQ Holder for PCI Steering IRQ Holder for PCI Steering PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port Numeric Data Processor Primary IDE Channel Secondary IDE Channel

*These IRQs are usually available for PCI devices.
Interrupt Request Table for this Motherboard
PCI slot 1 PCI slot 2 PCI slot 3 PCI slot 4 PCI slot 5 AGP Pro slot Onboard USB controller Onboard Audio/AMR Onboard Promise IDE Controller INT-A shared shared INT-B shared shared shared INT-C shared shared INT-D shared shared shared
3. H/W SETUP Expansion Cards
3.7.3 Accelerated Graphics Port Pro (AGP Pro)
This motherboard provides an Accelerated Graphics Port Pro (AGP Pro) slot to support AGP/AGP Pro graphics cards, such as an ASUS AGP-V6800DDR/64M. CAUTION! To avoid damaging your AGP/AGP Pro graphics card, your computers power supply should be unplugged before inserting your graphics card into the slot.
AGP Card without Retention Notch

TOP VIEW

20-pin bay Rib (inside slot)

28-pin bay Rib

A7V133 Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP PRO)
CAUTION! The AGP Pro slot is shipped with a safety tab on the 20-pin bay for use with AGP cards without a retention notch. DO NOT remove this tab if you will be using such cards; removing may cause these cards to shift, which may cause damage to your card, slot, and motherboard. Remove ONLY when you will be using an AGP Pro card. Use a rigid tip, such as a pen tip, to dislodge and remove the tab from the bay.

Removing the tab

3.7.4 Audio Modem Riser (AMR) Slot
This connector supports a specially designed audio and/or modem card called an AMR. Main processing is done through software and controlled by the motherboards system chipset. This provides an upgradeable audio and/or modem solution at an incredibly low cost. There are two types of AMR, one defined as primary and another defined as secondary. This motherboard uses the primary channel so that a secondary AMR can coexist without the need to disable the onboard CODEC. The motherboards onboard CODEC must be disabled when using a primary AMR. IMPORTANT: The AMR slot of this motherboard shares the same expansion slot as PCI Slot 5. Because of this and its location, the slot can only accept a specially designed AMR card (optional). The components of a standard AMR card and its bracket face toward the edge of the motherboard while those of the speciallydesigned card face the expansion slots. For availability, see your vendor or dealer.

Parallel Port (25-pin Female)
6) Game/MIDI Connector (Gold 15-pin GAME_AUDIO) (optional) You may connect game joysticks or game pads to this connector for playing games. Connect MIDI devices for playing or editing professional audio.
Game/MIDI (15-pin Female)
Line Out Line In Mic 1/8" Stereo Audio Connectors
8) Floppy Disk Drive Connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY) This connector supports the provided floppy drive ribbon cable. After connecting the single end to the board, connect the two plugs on the other end to the floppy drives. (Pin 5 is removed to prevent inserting in the wrong orientation when using ribbon cables with pin 5 plugged).
NOTE: Orient the red markings on the floppy ribbon cable to PIN 1.
A7V133 Floppy Disk Drive Connector
7) Audio Port Connectors (Three 1/8 GAME_AUDIO) (optional) Line Out (lime) can be connected to headphones or preferably powered speakers. Line In (light blue) allows tape players or other audio sources to be recorded by your computer or played through the Line Out (lime). Mic (pink) allows microphones to be connected for inputting voice.
9) Primary (Blue) / Secondary (Black) IDE Connectors (40-1 pin PRIMARY IDE and SECONDARY IDE) (40-1 pin PRIMARY ATA100 and SECONDARY ATA100) These connectors support the IDE hard disk ribbon cables supplied with the motherboard. Connect the cables blue connector to the motherboards primary IDE connector (recommended) or the secondary IDE connector. Then connect the opposite end of the cable to your UltraDMA/100/66 device (hard disk drive). A second slave hard disk may be attached to the intermediate connector on the cable. If a second hard disk drive is connected, you may reset its jumper to Slave mode. Refer to your hard disk documentation for the jumper settings. It is recommended that non-UltraDMA/100/66 devices be connected to the secondary IDE connector. BIOS now supports specific device bootup (see 4.4.1 Advanced CMOS Setup). (Pin 20 is removed to prevent inserting in the wrong orientation when using ribbon cables with pin 20 plugged). If you have more than two UltraDMA100/66 devices, you will need to purchase another UltraDMA100/66 cable. The A7V133 motherboard is supplied with two extra onboard IDE connectors: one Primary ATA-100 IDE and one Secondary ATA-100 IDE. You can use them to setup the RAID 0 or 1 arrays and to support extra IDE devices. For the purposes of RAID arrays, adjust the jumper settings: see 3.4 Motherboard Setting, ATA-100/RAID 0 or 1, page 20. A total of eight hard-disks, two on each IDE connector, can be connected to the A7V133 TIP: For high-performance and RAID 0 or 1 set ups, you should always setup two hard disks with two separate ribbon cables, one for the primary IDE connector and another for the secondary IDE connector. Usually, both disks may be set to the Master settings: see 5.4 Software Setup for more information about RAID. Also, you may install one operating system on an IDE drive and another on a SCSI drive and select the boot disk through 4.4.1 Advanced CMOS Setup. NOTE: UltraDMA/100 is backward compatible with DMA/66 and DMA/33 and with all with existing DMA devices and systems, so there is no need to upgrade current EIDE/IDE drives and host systems. IMPORTANT: UltraDMA66 and UltraDMA100 IDE devices require a 40-pin 80-conductor cable and RAID arrays only operate with such cables.

Secondary ATA-100 IDE Primary ATA-100 IDE

A7V133 IDE Connectors

NOTE: Orient the red markings on the IDE ribbon cable to PIN 1.

Secondary IDE

Primary IDE
10) Chassis Intrusion Lead (2 pin CHASSIS) This requires an external detection mechanism such as a chassis intrusion monitor/sensor or microswitch. The sensor is triggered when a high level signal is sent to the Chassis Signal lead, which occurs when a panel switch or light detector is triggered. This function requires the optional ASUS CIDB chassis intrusion module to be installed (see 7. APPENDIX). If the chassis intrusion lead is not used, a jumper cap must be placed over the pins to close the circuit.
Ground Chassis Signal +5Volt (Power Supply Stand By)
A7V133 Chassis Open Alarm Lead
11) Standard and Consumer Infrared Module Connector (5-pin IR) This connector supports an optional wireless transmitting and receiving infrared module. This module mounts to a small opening on system cases that support this feature. You must also configure the setting through UART2 Use Infrared (see 4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration) to select whether UART2 is directed for use with COM2 or IrDA. Use the five pins as shown in Back View and connect a ribbon cable from the module to the motherboards SIR connector according to the pin definitions.

IRRX GND IRTX +5V

Front View

Back View

IRTX GND IRRX

+5V (NC)

A7V133 Infrared Module Connector

CHASSIS

12) Wake-On-LAN Connector (3-pin WOL_CON) This connector connects to a LAN card with a Wake-On-LAN output, such as the ASUS PCI-L101 Ethernet card (see 7. Appendix). The connector powers up the system when a wakeup packet or signal is received through the LAN card. IMPORTANT: This feature requires that Wake-On-LAN features are enabled (see 4.4.3 Power Management) and that your system has an ATX power supply with at least 720mA +5V standby power.
A7V133 Wake-On-LAN Connector
13) Wake-On-Ring Connector (2-pin WOR) This connector connects to internal modem cards with a Wake-On-Ring output. The connector powers up the system when a ringup packet or signal is received through the internal modem card. NOTE: For external modems, Wake-On-Ring is detected through the COM port. IMPORTANT: This feature requires that Wake-On-Ring features are enabled (see 4.4.3 Power Management) and that your system has an ATX power supply with at least 720mA +5V standby power.
A7V Wake-On-Ring Connector
IMPORTANT: Requires an ATX power supply with at least 720mA +5 volt standby power

Saving Changes and Exiting the Setup Program
See 4.7 Exit Menu for detailed information on saving changes and exiting the setup program.

Scroll Bar

When a scroll bar appears to the right of a help window, it indicates that there is more information to be displayed that will not fit in the window. Use <PgUp> and <PgDn> or the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the entire help document. Press <Home> to display the first page, press <End> to go to the last page. To exit the help window, press <Enter> or <Esc>.

Sub-Menu

Note that a right pointer symbol (as shown in the left view) appears to the left of certain fields. This pointer indicates that a sub-menu can be launched from this field. A sub-menu contains additional options for a field parameter. To call up a submenu, simply move the highlight to the field and press <Enter>. The sub-menu will then immediately appear. Use the legend keys to enter values and move from field to field within a sub-menu just as you would within a menu. Use the <Esc> key to return to the main menu. Take some time to familiarize yourself with each of the legend keys and their corresponding functions. Practice navigating through the various menus and submenus. If you accidentally make unwanted changes to any of the fields, use the set default hot key <F5>. While moving around through the Setup program, note that explanations appear in the Item Specific Help window located to the right of each menu. This window displays the help text for the currently highlighted field. NOTE: The item heading in square brackets represents the default setting for that field.

4.3 Main Menu

When the Setup program is accessed, the following screen appears:
System Time [XX:XX:XX] Sets your system to the time that you specify (usually the current time). The format is hour, minute, second. Valid values for hour, minute and second are Hour: (00 to 23), Minute: (00 to 59), Second: (00 to 59). Use the <Tab> or <Shift> + <Tab> keys to move between the hour, minute, and second fields. System Date [XX/XX/XXXX] Sets your system to the date that you specify (usually the current date). The format is month, day, year. Valid values for month, day, and year are Month: (1 to 12), Day: (1 to 31), Year: (100 year range). Use the <Tab> or <Shift> + <Tab> keys to move between the month, day, and year fields. Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.], Legacy Diskette B [None] Sets the type of floppy drives installed. Configuration options: [None] [360K, 5.25 in.] [1.2M , 5.25 in.] [720K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.] [2.88M, 3.5 in.] Floppy 3 Mode Support [Disabled] This is required to support older Japanese floppy drives. Floppy 3 Mode support will allow reading and writing of 1.2MB (as opposed to 1.44MB) on a 3.5-inch diskette. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Drive A] [Drive B] [Both]

4. BIOS SETUP Boot Menu

Other Boot Device Select [INT18 Device (Network)] Configuration options: [Disabled] [SCSI/Onboard ATA Boot Device] [INT18 Device (Network)] [LANDesk (R) Service Agent] Plug & Play O/S [No] This field allows you to use a Plug-and-Play (PnP) operating system to configure the PCI bus slots instead of using the BIOS. When [Yes] is selected, interrupts may be reassigned by the OS. When a non-PnP OS is installed or you want to prevent reassigning of interrupt settings, select the default setting of [No]. Configuration options: [No] [Yes] Reset Configuration Data [No] The Extended System Configuration Data (ESCD) contain information about non-PnP devices. It can also hold the complete record of how the system was configured the last time it was booted. Select [Yes] only if you want to clear these data during the Power-On Self Test (POST). Configuration options: [No] [Yes] Boot Virus Detection [Enabled] This field allows you to set boot virus detection, ensuring a virus-free boot sector. The system halts and displays a warning message when it detects a virus. If this occurs, you can either allow the operation to continue or use a virus-free bootable floppy disk to restart and investigate your system. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Quick Power On Self Test [Enabled] This field speeds up the Power-On-Self Test (POST) routine by skipping retesting a second, third, and fourth time. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Boot Floppy Seek [Disabled] When enabled, the BIOS will seek the floppy disk drive to determine whether the drive has 40 or 80 tracks. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] SCSI/ATA100 Boot Sequence [ATA100/SCSI] Configuration options: [ATA100/SCSI] [SCSI/ATA100] Load Onboard ATA Bios [Auto] Configuration options: [Auto] [Disabled] Primary VGA Bios [PCI Card] Configuration options: [PCI Card] [AGP Card]

4.7 Exit Menu

Once you have made all of your selections from the various menus in the Setup program, you should save your changes and exit Setup. Select Exit from the menu bar to display the following menu:

Exit Saving Changes

Once you are finished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM. The CMOS RAM is sustained by an onboard backup battery and stays on even when the PC is turned off. Once this option is selected, a confirmation is asked. Select [Yes] to save changes and exit. NOTE: If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes, the program will prompt you with a message asking if you want to save your changes before exiting. Pressing <Enter> will then save changes while exiting.

Exit Discarding Changes

This option should only be used if you do not want to save the changes you have made to the Setup program. If you have made changes to fields other than system date, system time, and password, the system will ask for confirmation before exiting.

4. BIOS SETUP Exit Menu

NOTE: Pressing <Esc> does not exit this menu. You must select one of the options from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit this menu.

Load Setup Defaults

This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the Setup menus. When this option is selected or if <F5> is pressed, a confirmation is requested. Select [Yes] to load default values. You can now select Exit Saving Changes or make other changes before saving the values to the non-volatile RAM.

Discard Changes

This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the values you previously saved. After selecting this option, a confirmation is requested. Select [Yes] to discard any changes and load the previously saved values.

Save Changes

This option saves your selections without exiting the Setup program. You can then return to other menus and make changes. After selecting this option, all selections are saved and a confirmation is requested. Select [Yes] to save any changes to the non-volatile RAM.
82 ASUS A7V133 Users Manual

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

5.1 Install Operating System
You should always use the latest operating system and updates when using new hardware to ensure full compliancy. You may use any version of Windows 98/2000/ Millenium, but for Windows 95, you must use OSR 2.0 or later. For Windows NT 4.0, you must use Service Pack 3.0 or later. NOTE: To configure your system to use the RAID 0 or 1 option, you must run the FastTrack100 BIOS before installing the OS. Normally, this firmware will be activated automatically when the ATA100 and RAID 0 or 1 jumpers have been adjusted correctly; (see Section 3.4.5 Motherboard Settings, Hardware Setup and Section 5.5 Manual Installation fo IDE/RAID Drivers for more information about driver installation.)

(TO SEE THE FOLLOWING ITEMS, CLICK RIGHT ARROW ON THE LOWER-RIGHT CORNER OF THE MAIN MENU)

5. S/W SETUP Support CD

Install Cyberlink Video and Audio Applications: Installs Cyberlink PowerPlayer SE, PowerDVD Trial, and Cyberlink VideoLive Mail. ASUS Screen Saver: Installs a nifty ASUS screen saver. Show Motherboard Information: Allows you to view information about your motherboard, such as product name, BIOS version, and CPU. Browse Support CD: Allows you to view the contents of the CD. ReadMe: Allows you to view the support CD file list and contact information. Exit: Exits the CD installation menu.
( RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU, CLICK LEFT ARROW ON THE LOWER-RIGHT CORNER )
5.4 Using the Promise Chip for RAID 0 or 1
The optional Promise chip, PDC20265R, onboard the A7V133, offers a high performance Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) configuration that supports only UltraATA-100/66/33, EIDE or FastATA-2 hard disks. After connecting two hard disks to the motherboard, activating either RAID 0 or 1 function is easily configured through the FastTrak100 Lite firmware BIOS during boot up. In addition, the support CD allows you to install system drivers according to the Operating System (OS) on your computer. Read through this section in its entirety before setting up your RAID system. RAID 0 is also known as data striping. Striping optimizes two identical hard disk drives to read and write data in parallel, interleaved stacks. Two hard disks perform the same work as a single drive, and at a sustained data transfer rate double that of a single disk alone. The main advantage of a RAID 0 array is to improve the Speed Performance of data access and storage. With FAT32 and NTFS partitioning, the array will be addressed as one large volume. RAID 1 is also known as data mirroring. Mirroring optimizes two identical hard disk drives to copy all data from one hard disk drive to the other and vice versa. As new data is written, it is duplicated onto both disks using a parallel write process. The main advantage of RAID 1 is that it greatly increases Fault Tolerance of the entire system, especially if each hard disk is connected separately to both ATA-100 IDE channels available on the A7V133. Should one hard disk suffer mechanical trouble, all system data will be successfully preserved on the other drive. IMPORTANT! Before setting up your new RAID array, verify the status of your hard disks. It is possible to use a pre-existing hard disk for RAID 0 only if the data is backed up before configuring the array as all hard disk data will be lost during the set up. RAID 0 requires at least two hard disks for optimal results. It is possible to use a pre-existing hard disk for RAID 1 to duplicate the source data; also, RAID 1 can set up two or more new disks. The Promise chip, the FastTrak Lite BIOS and the FastBuild Utility on the A7V133 permit only two disks to be configured in RAID 0 or RAID 1 pairs and combinations; a third, hot spare hard disk may be used to support a RAID 1 array; (see the end of this section for more detail). For optimal performance, install only identical hard disks of the same model and storage capacity. Use only Ultra ATA-100/66 compatible IDE cables and connectors. The Promise chip also supports UltraATA-100 specifications of up to 100 MB/sec per disk, with or without multiple disk arrays up to four hard disks. (See Section 3.4.5, Hardware Setup: Motherboard Settings for information about changing the jumper cap IDE default settings to support ATA-100 instead of RAID 0 and 1.)

5. S/W SETUP

5.4.1 Installing the Hard Disks
The RAID 0 setting allows users to reformat two hard disks with the same new OS simultaneously. RAID 1 arrays can use a pre-existing hard disk along with a blank hard disk, or two new hard disks. 1. Install the first and second hard disk into the hard disk bays of your system. Connect each hard disk drive with a separate UltraDMA/100 cable, one to the Primary ATA-100 IDE connector, and the other to the Secondary ATA-100 IDE connector onboard the A7V133. 2. Ensure that Jumpers 13 and 14 are set for RAID 0 or 1: Jumper 13: [1-2] and Jumper 14; [2-3] (See Section 3.4.5, Hardware Setup: Motherboard Settings) 3. Connect the power cables to the hard disks.
5.4.2 Enter FastTrak100 BIOS and FastBuild Utility
1. Boot-up your computer. If this is the first time you have booted with two hard disks correctly installed, then FastTrak100 Lite BIOS scans the IDE drives and displays this screen:
2. Press <Ctrl-F> keys to display the FastBuild Utility Main Menu:
FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.31 (c) 1996-2000 Promise Technology, Inc.

[ Main Menu ]

Auto Setup. [ 1 ]
View Array. [ 3 ] Delete Array. [ 4 ] Rebuild Array. [ 5 ] Controller Configuration. [ 6 ]

[ Keys Available ]

Press 1.6 to select Option

[ESC] Exit

5. S/W SETUP RAID
View Drive Assignments. [ 2 ]
5.4.3 Creating a RAID 0 Array
1. In the FastBuild Utility Main Menu, select Auto Setup [1]. The screen below is displayed. The Auto Setup Options Menu configures hard disks for RAID 0 and RAID 1 arrays. These selections assign all available drives that are appropriate for the new array and configures data formats and the IDE channels.
[ Auto Setup Options Menu ] Optimize Array for: Performance
Typical Application to use: DESKTOP
[ Array Setup Configuration ]
Mode.. Stripe Spare Drive.. 0 Drive(s) Used in Array.. 2 Array Disk Capacity (size in MB). 29299

[ ] Up

[ ] Down
[ , ,Space] Change Option

[ESC] Exit [CTRL-Y] Save

2. Go to the field Optimize Array for: and select Performance using the arrow and space keys. The Mode field displays Stripe. 3. Then go to the Typical Application Menu. Three options are available: A/V Editing, DESKTOP, or Server. These selections determine how data blocks are managed to enhance performance. A/V Editing is intended for audio/video applications, or similar programs that require larger file transfers; Desktop combines large and small file sizes; Server is for numerous file transfers. 4. After making the selection, use <Ctrl-Y> to save it. FastBuild automatically constructs the RAID 0 array. 5. Then the command appears: Press Any Key to Reboot. Reboot the system and the FastTrak100 Lite BIOS checks and displays the status of the new array:

8. If duplicating an original Operating System to another new hard disk, the system will start up automatically. If creating a brand new RAID 1 array only, it will be necessary to intstall a new OS. Reboot with a rescue floppy disk to format the hard disks with the FDISK command and then install the OS from a CD; alternatively, with a bootable OS CD, install the new OS automatically. NOTES for Troubleshooting Array Set Ups: Always use two separate UltraDMA/100 cables for linking each of two hard disks to the Primary ATA-100 and the Secondary ATA-100 connectors. Usually, a two disk array will set up properly if both sets of hard disk jumpers are set to Master. However, it may be necessary to reset the jumpers on each of the hard disks; in such cases, try Master for the Source disk, and Master/Slave or Slave for the Target disk. Also, if a Source hard disk larger than the Target disk is selected, the FastBuild utility suggests using a larger or equal size disk for the Target instead. During reboots after configuring a RAID array, the IDE scan process determines if the system is working okay. Normally the FastTrak100 Lite BIOS displays system status as Functional after rebooting the new RAID array. However, two warnings may appear: Critical indicates that one or more drives in the array are not functional, or are disconnected. In this case, enter the FastBuild Utitility to diagnose the problem and replace the faulty drive. The second warning, Offline, indicates that one hard disks in a striped array has failed, cannot be detected, or has become disconnected. In this case, adjust or replace the hard disk if necessary and rebuild data from a back-up source.
5.4.5 Other FastBuild Utility Commands
Command options 3-6 on the FastBuild Utility Main Menu are not required for setting up an array, but they are useful for modifying or reconfiguring an array: View Array (3): View the drive assignments of hard disks in an array. Delete Array (4): Deletes an array to reconfigure the system. Deleting an array does not remove information on the hard disks. If an array is deleted by mistake, recover it immediately by redefining it as the deleted array. Rebuild Array (5): This command restores the array and system data after faults on RAID 1 arrays. Follow the steps below to rebuild and restore data in the array: 1. On boot-up, an error message notifies of a system failure. 2. Press <Ctrl-F> keys to enter the FastBuildMain Menu. 3. Select <3> for View Array to verify the ID of the defunct hard disk. 4. Power off the system and replace the hard disk with an identical model. 5. Reboot and enter the FastBuild Main Menu again. 6. Select <5> for Rebuild Array. The malfunctioning array is highlighted. Press <Enter> to select it: