RamFAST Manual Manual for the Sequential Systems RamFAST SCSI interface card 1.0 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................... 1.0 ABOUT THIS MANUAL ...................................... 2.0 Acknowledgements ....................................... 2.1 LIMITED WARRANTY ....................................... 3.0 ABOUT THE RamFAST/SCSI ................................. 4.0 Features ............................................... 4.1 General Theory of Operation ............................ 4.2 INTRODUCTION AND QUICKSTART ............................ 5.0 CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS MANUAL ........................ 6.0 QUICKSTART GUIDE ....................................... 7.0 HARDWARE INSTALLATION .................................. 8.0 Installing on a Sider Hard Drive ....................... 8.1 DETAILED INSTALLATION PROCEDURES ....................... 9.0 SYSTEM SETUP .......................................... 10.0 FORMAT HARD DRIVE ..................................... 11.0 MAKING THE HARD DRIVE BOOTABLE ........................ 12.0 INSTALLING THE RamFAST/SCSI SOFTWARE .................. 13.0 IF PROBLEMS OCCUR ..................................... 14.0 RamFAST/SCSI UTILITIES ................................ 15.0 VOLUMES SCREEN ........................................ 15.1 ProDOS 8 VOLUMES ...................................... 16.0 Lookahead and Write Protect ........................... 16.1 Backup ................................................ 16.2 Restore ............................................... 16.3 Install ............................................... 16.4 ScsiUtils ............................................. 16.5 Format ................................................ 16.6 Add/Delete Partitions ................................. 16.7 Resizing Partitions ................................... 16.8 Partition ............................................. 16.9 ACTIVE VERSUS INACTIVE PARTITIONS ..................... 17.0 SPECIAL FEATURES AND UPGRADES ......................... 18.0 Keys Used During the Boot Process ..................... 18.1 Upgrading to 1Meg of Cache ............................ 18.2 TROUBLE SHOOTING ...................................... 19.0 All Computers ......................................... 19.1 //e Computers ......................................... 19.2 IIgs Computers ........................................ 19.3 IIgs with a TWGS and a RamFAST/SCSI Rev C ............. 19.4 Top Six Questions Received at Tech Support Central .... 19.5 If All Else Fails... .................................. 19.6 WARRANTY REGISTRATION ................................. 20.0 RamFAST Manual Page 1 2.0 ABOUT THIS MANUAL This is not an official manual from Sequential Systems. It does however contain major excerpts from the Sequential Systems manual. These use of these excerpts has been permitted by Mr. Joseph Yandrofski, President of Sequential Systems. His e-mail on the subject follows: > Mr. Walters: > This note is to confirm that you have the permission of > myself as President of Sequential Systems, Inc. to publish > and sell your owner's manual for our RamFast SCSI > interface for Apple II. > Joseph A. Yandrofski, > President Sequential Systems, Inc. > Voice: (303) 666-4549 > http://www.sequential.com Despite the permissions given above Sequential Systems still retains the copyright to those portions of the manual that are excerpted here and are not in the public domain. 2.1 Acknowledgements There were four people involved in directly generating this manual: Howard Katz, Sue McKinnell, Joe Walters, and Gary Welsh. Jawaid Bazyar was extremely valuable in providing explanations of areas we didn't understand and text for areas he felt that the manual should address. Finally, we wish to thank Joe Yandrofski for allowing us to bring this manual to you. However, despite Joseph Yandrofski's statement above that we could sell this manual, it is not for sale. It is free, however, we wish to stress once again, the copyright remains with Sequential Systems and Mr. Yandrofski so you must contact them if you wish to use the material in this manual for your own purpose. Disclaimer of warranty and limitation of liability. Even though the authors have reviewed this documentation, they make no warranty or representation, either express or implied, with respect t it's quality, performance, or fitness for a particular purpose. As a result, this information is distributed "as is" and you the user, are assuming the entire risk as to its quality and performance. In no event will the authors be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the information presented here, even if advised of the possibility of such damages, In particular, the authors shall have no liability for any programs or date stored in or used with this product, including the costs of recovering such programs or data. Any errors, omissions, or suggestions for improvement should be sent to: bird@mcs.net. This version of the manual was finalized 3/17/97. 3.0 LIMITED WARRANTY Sequential Systems warrants this product against defects in materials and workmanship for two years from the time you, the original consumer, purchase it. This warranty applies only should the product fail to function properly under normal use. RamFAST Manual Page 2 During the warranty period, Sequential Systems will repair (or, at its option, replace), at no charge, components that prove to be defective, provided the product is returned (shipping prepaid and properly packed) to Sequential Systems. Before returning any item you must first call (800) 999-1717 to obtain an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) number. This number must be prominently marked on the outside of the shipping container and on a letter enclosed inside that lists your name, address, and reason for returning the item. Also, a copy of your purchase receipt or other proof of original purchase and the serial number (Rev D cards manufactured by Sequential Systems do *not* have a serial number so this requirement is waived for such boards), must be provided when requesting warranty service. Sequential Systems will consider an on-file registration card in your name RamFAST/SCSI as proof of purchase. (See, it *does* pay to send those registration cards in.) This warranty does not apply if in the opinion of Sequential Systems, the product has been damaged by accident, misuse, neglect, improper packing or improper modifications. This warranty is in lieu of all other express warranties, statements, or representations, and unless stated herein, all such warranties, statements, or representations, made by any other person or firm is void. In the event that this product shall prove defective in workmanship or materials, your sole remedy shall be the repair or remedy as stated in this warranty, and under no circumstances shall Sequential Systems be liable for any loss or damage, direct, incidental, or consequential, arising out of the use of, or inability to use, this product caused by any defect in the product. Sequential Systems 1200 Diamond Circle Lafayette, CO 80025 Ph: (303) 666-4549 Fax: (303) 665-0933 4.0 ABOUT THE RamFAST/SCSI Congratulations! You have just purchased the ultimate hard drive controller for the Apple ][ line of computers. The RamFAST/SCSI is the *only* DMA (Direct Memory Access) hard drive controller that supports true 1:1 interleave. No other controller in the Apple ][ market can make that claim. What this means is that you can expect unparalleled speed and performance (2 to 13 times that of other controllers). 4.1 Features - 1 Megabyte/second transfer rate - 256K of on-board cache upgradable to 1Meg - GS/OS driver included - Configuration/Utility program included - Built in RomDISK, no floppies to mess with - Supports up to 12 drives/partitions at a time - Access to all of them, even under ProDOS 8 - Compatible with the Apple //e and IIgs - Supports the older SASI drives (Sider D2, D4, and D4T) - Easy installation - just plug and go - Limited two year warranty 4.2 General Theory of Operation RamFAST Manual Page 3 The RamFAST/SCSI accelerates your hard drive performance by using an on-board processor and state-of-the-art hardware caching techniques, coupled with DMA to take the burden of disk I/O off of the Apple CPU. All that is necessary is for code on the Apple to tell the RamFAST/SCSI what data it wants and where it wants it put and the RamFAST/SCSI does the rest. And since the RamFAST/SCSI keeps the most recently accessed data in its on-board memory at all times, the data are often available almost immediately. Even when it is necessary to actually access the disk to get the data, the RamFAST/SCSI gets the data as fast as physically possible. Since the processor on the RamFAST/SCSI runs at 10Mhz, it has no problems keeping up with an interleave of 1:1. This allows the RamFAST/SCSI to read an entire track of the drive in one revolution. And what's more, even when writing to the disk, the RamFAST/SCSI is able to keep up with this 1:1 interleave. 5.0 INTRODUCTION AND QUICKSTART If you are upgrading the ROM(s) on your RamFAST/SCSI from a version previous to V3.0 you should have received an instruction sheet with the ROM(s) with instructions on how to install the ROM chip. Just follow the installation instructions on that sheet and you should be all set. You should still browse through the manual to get yourself familiar with the differences between V3.0 and the version that was installed previously. One thing to be aware of if you are upgrading from a previous version of the RamFAST/SCSI is that: Tape backups made by versions previous to V3.0 are not compatible with the current software in the RamFAST/SCSI. 6.0 CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS MANUAL S*n* (where *n* can be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7), is used to refer to a slot number in your computer. D*n* is used to refer to which ProDOS 8 drive number is assigned to a volume (or partition if you prefer that nomenclature). Together then, S7,D2 refers to Slot 7, Drive 2. If you are still lost then you should read the chapters in your computer's user's manual that refer to ProDOS 8 and disk drives. It is assumed that you will be using a mouse to interact with the utility program that is built into the RamFAST ROM. If this is not the case (i.e., //e users without a mouse and keyboard orientated users), the following steps can be used to reproduce the actions of the mouse: To execute commands that the mouse clicks at the top of the screen you can hold down the Command key (Open-Apple) and the highlighted letter in the command at the same time. For example, to execute the ScsiUtils command (the letter "U" is highlighted), you would hold down the Command key and U at the same time. (It makes no difference whether you use upper or lower case U.) When told to select something you can move the cursor bar with the arrow keys and select the highlighted item you want by pressing or . 7.0 QUICKSTART GUIDE If the following list makes no sense whatsoever then you should just go on to the sections on Hardware Installation and System Setup and follow the step-by-step instructions for getting the RamFAST/SCSI up and running. RamFAST Manual Page 4 - On IIgs machines, make sure that the control panel setting for the slot that you intend to plug the RamFAST/SCSI into is set to "Your Card." - Turn off the power to your computer but do NOT unplug it from the wall outlet. - Remove the cover from the computer, lightly touch the metal case of the power supply to discharge any static electricity present in your body, and plug the RamFAST/SCSI into any available slot except slot 3. (Periodically touch the power supply to discharge any static electricity that might build up. You cannot be too safe on this issue.) - Connect the 25 pin connector to the back panel of your computer. See the owner's manual for your particular Apple i.e., //e or IIgs. - Using the appropriate cable, connect your Hard Drive (HD) to the RamFAST/SCSI card. - Turn on power and boot your machine. - If necessary, format and partition the hard drive using the RamFAST/SCSI Utilities program. It's especially important to do this if your hard drive is formatted at an interleave other than 1:1. (See Note) - Install the operating system from floppy or restore your backup to the hard drive. (See Note) - Boot the hard drive, run (double click) the RamFAST.System program (it's on the ROMDISK volume CVTech.ROM), and execute the Install command to copy the RamFAST/SCSI System Files onto the hard drive. - Disable the ROMDISK with the Options command. (The ROMDISK overrides your second partition as long as it is enabled!) - If you already have data on the drive, BACK IT UP BEFORE PROCEEDING! NOTE: This step is not necessary if you are just upgrading from a previous version of the RamFAST/SCSI. 8.0 HARDWARE INSTALLATION This section covers the steps necessary to physically install the RamFAST/SCSI into your computer. The only tool you should need is the hex wrench that came with your computer so that you can tighten the screws on the cable connector on the end of the short cable from the RamFAST/SCSI to the back of your computer. Also, if the hard drive has already been used with another controller - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BACKED UP ANY DATA ON THE DRIVE BEFORE YOU CONTINUE. 8.1 Installing on a Sider Hard Drive NOTE: If you are *not* installing the RamFAST/SCSI with a Sider hard drive you can ignore this section. If you are installing the RamFAST/SCSI with a Sider hard drive you need to check the back and bottom of the Sider hard drive for a plate or sticker that says something like this: "This drive supplies terminator power to the bus. Make sure you modify the controller board to NOT supply terminator power." If you find such a warning you MUST remove the jumper that is in the upper left hand corner of the RamFAST/SCSI Rev D (just above where the cable connects, it is labeled, "JP1"). RamFAST Manual Page 5 9.0 DETAILED INSTALLATION PROCEDURES - If you are installing a RamFAST/SCSI Rev C (full size board), you should turn on DIP switch #1. If it is being installed into an Apple //e you must *also* turn on DIP Switch #2. - There is one bank of 8 DIP switches in a single package. The switches are clearly marked as to what direction is on or off. - These DIP switches do NOT exist in Rev D and later versions of the RamFAST/SCSI. - If more than one drive (or other SCSI devices, such as a tape drive) is being installed make sure that they each have a unique SCSI ID. A SCSI ID number is an "address" on the SCSI bus for the device; it has no connection with the slot number that you install the RamFAST/SCSI in. Note: The SCSI ID of your boot HD must be the *highest* numbered SCSI ID on the SCSI bus. - The SCSI ID is set by either switches or straps on/in the SCSI device. Consult the manual that came with your SCSI device for the details concerning your device. - Turn off the power to your computer and all of your peripherals. DO NOT disconnect the power cable to the wall. - Remove the cover from the computer. Lightly touch the metal case of the power supply. This will discharge any static electricity your body might contain. Such discharges can easily damage components on the card. Repeat this lightly touching of the power supply's metal case prior to touching any electronic device such as the RamFAST/SCSI. Finally, *never, never* touch any part of the card's gold fingers that plug into your computer. - If there is another controller card for the drive installed, detach its cable from the back of the computer and remove the old card from the computer. (Don't forget to lightly touch the power supply case.) - Install the RamFAST/SCSI in an available slot in the computer. Most people install a hard drive controller in slot 7; however, it is possible to install the RamFAST/SCSI in any open slot (except slot 3). If you are installing the RamFAST/SCSI in a IIgs you need to make sure that the setting in the control panel for the slot you selected is set to "Your Card." If you don't know what the control panel is then you need to read the chapters in your computer's user's manual that refer to the Control Panel. - Now attach the cable to the back of the computer. Remove the hex shaped screws from the short ribbon cable coming from the RamFAST/SCSI card, insert the cable in an available hole in the back of the computer, and then screw the hex head screws back in from the outside of the case to hold it in position. Check to make sure that the connection to the RamFAST/SCSI has the cable installed so that the red wire (it might be blue), is toward the bottom of the board (and computer). Ribbon cables have one wire painted a different color to designate pin 1. It is this colored wire that must be installed toward the bottom of the board (towards the floor). Do NOT go by the orientation of anything that may be written on the cable itself! - Connect the SCSI cable to the RamFAST/SCSI connector on the back of the computer and to the hard drive itself. - Replace the cover onto the computer RamFAST Manual Page 6 - It's now time to prepare the hard drive for use. Turn to the next section (System Setup) for instructions on how to install an operating system (ProDOS 8, GS/OS, etc.) onto the hard drive. 10.0 SYSTEM SETUP If you bought your RamFAST/SCSI and hard drive as a package they should be configured to work together from the start. If that is the case your hard drive should boot right up after the hardware installation is done. If this is the case you can skip the rest of this discussion and start using your hard drive. Otherwise, continue reading for information on how to get your system up and running. If this is the first time you have used your computer with the RamFAST/SCSI the utility program should auto-boot on its own. But, if for some reason it does not, you can force it to come up by holding down the "0" (zero) key when you turn on your computer. (Make sure that you hold it down for a few seconds *AFTER* the RamFAST/SCSI displays its "Searching the SCSI bus..." message appears or until the utility program screen appears.) Once you are in the utility program go ahead and click <>* if any other message appears (Configuration Data Missing* is the most likely). 11.0 FORMAT HARD DRIVE If the hard drive has any data on it that you want to save you should skip this step (at least for now) until you have backed up the HD. (See the table of contents for the section titled, *Backup*). Click on the command ScsiUtils at the top of the screen. If you have only one drive attached then the screen will change to the SCSI Utilities screen. If you have more than one device attached you will first be presented with a list of Online SCSI Devices on the left lower part of the screen; you should select the drive that you want to work with from the list. If, when you click on ScsiUtils, you are presented with a message stating that "The RamFAST/SCSI did not find any SCSI devices..." then you should turn everything off again and check to make sure that the card and cables are installed correctly. If you still get the message you should turn to the Trouble Shooting section and read about possible causes/solutions for this message. Once you make it to the SCSI Utilities screen, you should see your partitions listed under the column labeled Partition Name and if the entry for Interleave is 1:1 then it is not necessary to re-format the HD. If you see your partitions, but the Interleave is something other than 1:1 it is *strongly* recommended that you go ahead and re-format the drive; running with an Interleave other than 1:1 will slow the RamFAST/SCSI down a lot. If you don't see any partitions listed under Partition Name you will have to format the HD in order to use it with the RamFAST/SCSI. To format the drive just click on Format. If the drive you are formatting is a SASI drive (Sider) you then be asked to specify which one it is. After that you will be presented with a message telling you that Format will wipe out any data on the drive! If you have data on the drive that is NOT backed up STOP NOW and BACK IT UP! We are NOT responsible if you click <> but didn't mean it. RamFAST Manual Page 7 Formatting the drive can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes (and up to 30 minutes for a Sider D2). After the formatting is completed the RamFAST/SCSI will put a default set of partitions(s) on the drive (it makes as many equal sized partitions as it can). If you want to change the size and/or names of the partitions you should read the section concerning the Partition command under RamFAST/SCSI Utilities. Once you are satisfied with the partitions you can click on Quit to return to the Volumes screen where you should see your partitions listed under GS/OS Volumes. It's now time to move on to the next section and install the system software onto the drive. 12.0 MAKING THE HARD DRIVE BOOTABLE If you are still looking at the SCSI Utilities screen go up and click on Quit again. You should get a message with two choices: <> If you just formatted the HD or you landed here because <> didn't work then click on <