RadiSys EPC 6A Manual

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EPC - 6A
Hardware Reference

RadiSys Corporation

5445 NE Dawson Creek Drive

Hillsboro, OR 97124

(503) 615-1100

FAX: (503) 615-1150

www.radisys.com

07-0082-05 October 1998

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EPC - 6A Hardware Reference

EPC, iRMX, INtime, Inside Advantage and RadiSys are registered trademarks of
RadiSys Corporation. Spirit, DAI, DAQ, ASM, Brahma and SAIB are trademarks
of RadiSys Corporation.
† All other trademarks, registered trademarks, service marks, and trade names
are the property of their respective owners.
October 1998
Copyright  1998 by RadiSys Corporation
All rights reserved.

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Contents

Chapter 1: Product Description


Specifications.................................................................................................................................................... 2
EPC-6A Hardware Features.............................................................................................................................. 2
Differences between the EPC-6 and the EPC-6A............................................................................................. 3
Additional References....................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2: Installation
Determine whether to use the EPC-6A as a system controller ......................................................................... 5
Jumpers ...................................................................................................................................................... 6
EPC-6A Insertion.............................................................................................................................................. 6
EXM Module Insertion.............................................................................................................................. 7
VME Backplane Jumpers .......................................................................................................................... 7
Serial Port Cap........................................................................................................................................... 8
Connecting Peripherals to the EPC-8 ....................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 3: Operation
Initialization Sequence...................................................................................................................................... 9
ROM DOS Interaction ...................................................................................................................................... 11
System Reset..................................................................................................................................................... 12
Generating VMEbus SYSRESET.............................................................................................................. 12
Responding to VMEbus SYSRESET ........................................................................................................ 12
Front Panel Indicators ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Toggle Switch ................................................................................................................................................... 13
Setup Utilities ................................................................................................................................................... 13
Remote Setup Utility ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Remote Setup Utility Screens (RSU)................................................................................................................ 13
Main RSU Screen ..................................................................................................................................... 14
Clock/Calendar ................................................................................................................................... 14
Drive Configuration................................................................................................................................... 15
VME Control ............................................................................................................................................ 16
EXM Bus ................................................................................................................................................... 17
Exit Menu .................................................................................................................................................. 17
Chapter 4: Programming Interface
Memory Map .................................................................................................................................................... 19
I/O Map............................................................................................................................................................. 19
EPC-6A Registers ............................................................................................................................................. 23
VMEbus Accesses ............................................................................................................................................ 23
D32 Accesses............................................................................................................................................. 24
Byte Ordering ............................................................................................................................................ 24
Read-Modify-Write Operations................................................................................................................. 25
Slave Accesses from the VMEbus.................................................................................................................... 25
Self Accesses Across the VMEbus............................................................................................................ 25

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Read-Modify-Write Operations................................................................................................................. 25
VMEbus Interrupt Handler ............................................................................................................................... 26
VMEbus Interrupt Response............................................................................................................................. 27
VMEbus Mapped Registers .............................................................................................................................. 28
Chapter 5: Theory of Operation
Processor, Coprocessor, and Memory .............................................................................................................. 29
Application Flash Memory or RFA .................................................................................................................. 29
Flash Boot Device............................................................................................................................................. 30
Nonvolatile SRAM Memory ............................................................................................................................ 30
Battery............................................................................................................................................................... 30
Interrupts ........................................................................................................................................................... 31
Watchdog Timer ............................................................................................................................................... 31
EXMbus ............................................................................................................................................................ 31
VMEbus Interface............................................................................................................................................. 32
VMEbus System Controller Functions ............................................................................................................. 32
VMEbus Timing ............................................................................................................................................... 33
Chapter 6: Error Messages
Seven-Segment Display Codes ......................................................................................................................... 35
Phoenix NuBIOS Checkpoints ......................................................................................................................... 36
Support Software .............................................................................................................................................. 39
Chapter 7: Support and Service
In North America .............................................................................................................................................. 41
Technical Support...................................................................................................................................... 41
World Wide Web....................................................................................................................................... 41
Repair Services .......................................................................................................................................... 41
Warranty Repairs................................................................................................................................ 42
Non-Warranty Services ...................................................................................................................... 42
Arranging Service............................................................................................................................... 42
Other Countries.......................................................................................................................................... 43
Appendix A: Connectors
Front Panel LEDs.............................................................................................................................................. 45
Speaker Connector ............................................................................................................................................ 45
Keyboard Connector ......................................................................................................................................... 46
Serial port connectors ....................................................................................................................................... 46
VMEbus Connectors......................................................................................................................................... 46
Appendix B: About the Flash Boot Device
Forced recovery ................................................................................................................................................ 48
When to Reflash the FBD.......................................................................................................................... 49
Before You Begin............................................................................................................................... 49
Reflashing Processes .......................................................................................................................... 49
Force Update ...................................................................................................................................... 49
Appendix C: Registers
Overview........................................................................................................................................................... 54
Memory Control Register (81004h) ................................................................................................................. 54
VME A21–16 Address Register (8130h).......................................................................................................... 55
ID Registers (8140h and 8141h) ....................................................................................................................... 55
Device Type Registers (8142h and 8143h)....................................................................................................... 55
Status/Control Registers (8144h and 8145h) .................................................................................................... 55
Slave Offset Registers (8146h and 9147H) ...................................................................................................... 56
Protocol Registers (8148h and 8149h).............................................................................................................. 57

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Contents

Response Registers (814Ah and 814Bh) .......................................................................................................... 57


Message High Registers (814Ch and 814Dh)................................................................................................... 58
Message Low Registers 814Eh and 814Fh) ..................................................................................................... 58
VME Modifier Register (8151h) ...................................................................................................................... 58
VME Interrupt State Register (8152h).............................................................................................................. 59
VME Interrupt Enable Register (8153h) .......................................................................................................... 59
VME Event State Register (8154h) .................................................................................................................. 59
VME Event Enable Register (8155h) ............................................................................................................... 59
Module Status/Control Register (8156h) .......................................................................................................... 60
Interrupt Generator Register (815Fh) ............................................................................................................... 60
FSA Address Registers 8380h)......................................................................................................................... 60
Flash Data Register (8383h) ............................................................................................................................. 61
SRAM Data Register 8384h) ............................................................................................................................ 61
LED Register (8385h)....................................................................................................................................... 61
Register State after Reset .................................................................................................................................. 61
Index .......................................................................................................................................................................... 63

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Figures
Figure 2-1. Jumper locations ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 3-1. Boot Process. .......................................................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 5-1. Block Diagram........................................................................................................................................................ 29
Figure B-1. EPC-6A FBD Memory Map ................................................................................................................................... 47
Figure B-2. Null Modem Cable Connection .............................................................................................................................. 50

Tables
Table 1-1. Specifications.......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Table 2-1. Jumper locations ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Table 3-1. Main Menu Selections ............................................................................................................................................ 14
Table 3-2. Clock/Calendar ....................................................................................................................................................... 14
Table 3-3. Drive Configuration................................................................................................................................................ 15
Table 3-4. Configure Floppy Drive A and B ........................................................................................................................... 15
Table 3-5. Configure Fixed Disk C and D ............................................................................................................................... 15
Table 3-6. Edit Subtype............................................................................................................................................................ 16
Table 3-7. VME Control .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Table 3-8. ULA Setup .............................................................................................................................................................. 17
Table 3-9. Slave Memory Base ................................................................................................................................................ 17
Table 4-1. I/O Map.................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Table 4-2. VME mapped registers .......................................................................................................................................... 28
Table 5-1. Interrupts................................................................................................................................................................. 31
Table 5-2. VMEbus timing...................................................................................................................................................... 33
Table 6-1. Seven-segment display failure codes...................................................................................................................... 35
Table 6-2. Phoenix‘ NuBIOS Auxiliary Checkpoint Codes .................................................................................................... 36
Table 6-3. Phoenix‘ NuBIOS Checkpoint Codes..................................................................................................................... 38
Table 6-4. Phoenix‘ NuBIOS Boot Block Checkpoint Codes ................................................................................................. 39
Table A-1. LEDs ....................................................................................................................................................................... 45
Table A-2. Speaker Connector.................................................................................................................................................. 45
Table A-3. Keyboard Pin-out.................................................................................................................................................... 46
Table A-4. COM1 Connector.................................................................................................................................................... 46
Table A-5. COM2 Connector.................................................................................................................................................... 46
Table B-1. FBD object placement ............................................................................................................................................ 48

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Chapter 1

Product Description 1
This manual contains the information you need to install and use the EPC-6A VMEbus
controller. Additional user and programmer manuals discuss the use of software packages
available with the EPC-6A.
The EPC-6A, a high-speed VMEbus module based on the Intel 80486DX2 processor, is a
redesign of the EPC6 VMEbus module which is based on Intel 80386SX processor.
You can use the EPC-6A to:
• Perform VMEbus master accesses.
• Act as a VMEbus slave (by having its dual-port DRAM mapped onto the VMEbus).
• Configure as the VMEbus SLOT-1 system controller.
• Act as an interrupter and interrupt handler.
The EPC-6A computer is also compatible with the IBM PC hardware architecture. The
standard version of the EPC-6A contains, in ROM, a PC-compatible BIOS and a
ROM-based version of Datalight ROM-DOS. The EPC-6A also includes on-board
nonvolatile flash memory supported as a DOS-compatible solid-state disk and file system.
You can store one or more embedded applications on the processor board and
automatically invoke them at system start-up.
The EPC-6A also includes one slot for an EXM expansion module. This allows some of
the I/O of the EPC-6A to be customized for a particular application.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Specifications
This table defines the power and environmental specifications of the EPC-6A.
Table 1-1. Specifications
Characteristic Value
Temperature operating 0 – 60°C ambient
storage –40 – 125°C (without battery; 85°C max with battery
Humidity operating 0 – 90% noncondensing
storage 0 – 95% noncondensing
Altitude operating 0 – 10,000 ft. (3000 m)
storage 0 – 50,000 ft. (15,000 m)
Vibration operating 0.015 inch (0.38 mm) P-P displacement with 2.5 g peak
(max) acceleration over 5–2000 Hz
storage 0.030 inch (0.76 mm) P-P displacement with 5.0 g peak
(max) acceleration over 5–2000 Hz
Shock operating 30 g, 11 ms duration, half-sine shock pulse
storage 50 g, 11 ms duration, half-sine shock pulse
Current typical 5V @ 3.4A, 12V @ 5 mA, –12V @ 10 mA
VME master address A16, A24
master transfer D08(EO), D16, RMW
slave address A16, A24
slave transfer D08(EO),D16,RMW
interrupter (1–7)
interrupt handler D08(O),D16 IH(1–7)
requester ROR,RONR
arbiter RRS,PRI
system controller SYSCLK, IACK daisy chain, bus timer
VXI device type message based
protocols cmdr/master/interrupter

EPC-6A Hardware Features


• Intel 486DX2 CPU at 66MHZ (internal clock speed); external bus speed at 33MHz.
• 8KB On-Chip Cache
• Integrated Floating Point Unit (DX2 option only)
• RadiSys R400EX highly integrated single chip system controller
• 4 MB dual ported DRAM on board
• Two PC compatible serial ports with 16-Byte FIFO (only one is brought out to
the faceplate)
• 1MB of application flash memory
• 128K x 8Bit of battery-backed SRAM
• Keyboard port
• Seven-segment display

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Chapter 1: Product Description

• A24/A16/D16/D08 VME master/slave support


• Slot 1 system controller functions
• One EXM expansion slot
It should be noted that, due to mechanical limitations, the EPC-6A cannot support EXMs
such as EXM-9, EXM-MX, EXM-16, EXM-23, EXM-19, EXM20, EXM-17.

Differences between the EPC-6 and the EPC-6A


The EPC-6A differs from the EPC-6 in the following ways:
EPC-6 EPC-6A
20Mhz 80386SX PCAT design 486DX2 [66Mhz internal speed] with 33Mhz
external bus speed PCAT design
External 16K byte 2 way set-associative 8K- Byte On-Chip Cache
cache
External cache controller
External co-processor option Integrated floating-point unit
AT chip set [ATU + DPU] and separate RadiSys R400 highly integrated single chip system
memory controller controller [low cost 208 pin PQFP]
MB dual ported DRAM 4 Megabytes dual ported DRAM on board
Two serial ports Two PC compatible serial ports with 16-Byte FIFO
Up to 512K bytes of programmable flash 1MB of application flash memory contains Datalight
memory (for DOS/user applications). ROM-DOS 6.22 [rev2]
Up to 512K EPROM (for BIOS, ROM). Separate boot device with reflash option
Award BIOS The System BIOS is based on Phoenix
Technologies NuBIOS revision 4.05.
The Flash File System can be installed as a DOS
device driver.
Flash File System (FFS) support for flash is based
on Phoenix Technologies PicoFlash and includes
read/write capability. The Xformat based FFS is no
longer supported for Flash.
IRQ12 is not available on EXM bus
VMEbus and Memory Controller Configuration
register (8104h) semantics changed.
System BIOS does not share space in the FBD with
ROMDOS. DOS now resides in the RFA.
EXM-2 and EXM-2A are no longer supported.
32 KB of battery-backed SRAM 128KX8Bit of battery backed SRAM with software
supports only 32KB SRAM.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Additional References
PhoenixBIOS† 4.05 Developer’s Reference, Phoenix Technologies, Ltd., 5/22/95 (NOTE:
This document cannot be distributed to customers).
PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Technical Reference, Phoenix Technologies, Ltd., 3/15/94 (NOTE: This
document can be distributed to customers only upon receipt of written permission from
Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.).
PhoenixBIOS PICO OAK Porting Guide, Phoenix Technologies, Ltd., 9/95 (NOTE: This
document can be distributed to customers only upon receipt of written permission from
Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.).
Plug and Play BIOS Specification 1.0A, Compaq Computer Corp., Phoenix Technologies
Ltd., Intel Corp., May 5, 1994.
Memory Products Data Manual, Intel Corporation, 1993.
Intel486† Microprocessor Family Programmer’s Reference Manual, Intel Corporation,
1992.
R400EX Development Specification, Version 3.23, RadiSys Corporation, 1996.
EPC-6A Hardware Specification, RadiSys Corporation, 1997.
Technical Reference, Personal Computer AT, International Business Machines
Corporation, 1985.

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Chapter 2

Installation 2
Before installing your EPC-6A, you should unpack and inspect it for shipping damage.

Avoid causing ESD damage:


• Remove modules from their antistatic bags only in a static-free environment.
• Perform the installation process (described later in this chapter) only in a
static-free environment.
EPC-6A modules, like most other electronic devices, are susceptible to ESD
damage. ESD damage can cause a partial breakdown in semiconductor devices
that might not immediately result in a failure.

Determine whether to use the EPC-6A as a system controller


Before installing the EPC-6A in a VMEbus chassis, you need to decide whether the EPC-
6A will be the VMEbus Slot 1 System controller. Every VMEbus system needs a module
that performs the system controller functions, including generation of the 16 MHz
SYSCLK signal, arbitration of the bus, detection of Bus time-out conditions, and initiation
of the interrupt-acknowledge daisy chain. The EPC-6A can serve as the system controller.
To use the EPC-6A as the system controller:
• Make sure the jumper labelled SLOT1 is installed on the EPC-6A processor board to
connect the two pins. For information about jumper locations, see Figure 2-1, Jumper
locations on page 6.
• Install the EPC-6A in the leftmost slot on the chassis.

If you do not plan to use the EPC-6A as the system controller:


• Make sure the jumper labelled SLOT1 on the EPC-6A processor board is removed.
• Install EPC-6A in a slot other than slot 1 in the chassis.
Other jumpers and headers on the board are shown in the next table.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Jumpers
The jumpers located on the EPC-6A are used for the following functions:
Table 2-1. Jumper locations
Jumper Function Description
FLASHWE (JP2(1-2)) FBD write-enable Install this jumper to enable writes to
the FBD.
BB_ENB (JP2(3–4)) FBD boot block write enable Install this jumper to enable writes to the
boot block of the FBD.
POSTLP (JP2(5–6)) Manufacturing loop enable Install this jumper to enter the
manufacturing POST loop.
FRCUPDT (JP2(7–8)) Force BIOS recovery Install this jumper to force a BIOS
recovery during the boot process.
SLOT1 (H2) Slot 1 Functionality Install this jumper to enable Slot 1
functionality
SPEAKER (JP3) Speaker Speaker header

Speaker header
RFA write enable

write enabled 1

COM2 header

Battery

JP2
1 System controller jumper—Install if
EPC-6A is VMEbus system controller

VMEbus P1

Figure 2-1. Jumper locations

EPC-6A Insertion
Insert the EPC-6A into a VME chassis as follows:

Make sure that power to your VME system is off. The module is not designed to be
inserted or removed from a live backplane.
When inserting the EPC-6A module, avoid touching the circuit board and
connector pins, and make sure the environment is static-free.

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Chapter 2: Installation

1. Make sure the ejector handles are in the normal non-eject position. (Push the top
handle down and the bottom handle up so that the handles are not tilted.)
2. Slide the EPC-6A module into the VME chassis, making sure the top and bottom
board edges are in the chassis’ card guides. Use thumb pressure on the handles to mate
the module firmly with the VME backplane connector.
3. Tighten the two screws in the top and bottom of the front panel to ensure proper
connector mating and prevent loosening of the module via vibration.

EXM Module Insertion


You can optionally install one EXM through the front panel of the EPC-6A. To install an
EXM:

Make sure that power to your VME system is off. EXMs are not designed to be
inserted or removed from live systems.
When inserting an EXM, avoid touching the circuit board, and make sure the
environment is static-free.

1. Remove and save the blank face plate from the EXM slot in the EPC-6A face plate.
2. Slide the EXM into place in the card guides. Push firmly on the EXM front panel to
insert its rear connector.
3. Tighten the thumb screws on the EXM’s face plate.
The EPC-6A can accept most EXM types excluding those that either require a disk BIOS
in the EPC or do not fit by form factor.
Once an EXM is installed, you must to run the BIOS setup program to describe how the
specific EXM should be dynamically configured upon power-up. This is described in 3,
Operation.

VME Backplane Jumpers


The VMEbus contains several daisy-chained control signals. Almost all VMEbus
backplanes contain jumpers for these control signals to allow systems to operate with
empty slots. Failing to install these jumpers properly is a common source of problems in
building a new VMEbus system.
There are five jumpers per VME slot, one for each of the four bus-grant arbitration levels
and one for the interrupt-acknowledge daisy chain. Depending on the backplane
manufacture, the jumpers may be on the rear pins of the J1 connector, or may be alongside
it on the front or rear side of the backplane.
For the slot that contains the EPC-6A, remove the jumpers. Leave the jumpers inserted for
all empty slots. For slots otherwise occupied, consult the documentation from the
manufacturers of the modules.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Serial Port Cap


Your EPC-6A may have been shipped with a plastic cap over the serial port connector.
This cap is a conductive cap that shields the exposed pins in the connector from ESD
(electrostatic discharge). You should leave it installed when nothing is connected to the
serial port.

Connecting Peripherals to the EPC-8


Do not:
• Plug any cable or connector into the front panel connectors while the system is
powered up.
• Plug in a serial or parallel device, keyboard, transceiver, monitor, or other
component while the system is ON.
In general, electronics equipment are not designed to withstand damage that may
arise from fluctuations in power.

The next step of installation is connecting peripherals, typically a video display and
keyboard, but also perhaps a mouse, modem, printer, etc.
Pin-outs for the EPC-6A front-panel connectors are specified in Appendix A, Connectors.

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Chapter 3

Operation 3
This chapter contains information about user operation and BIOS setup of the EPC-6A.

Initialization Sequence
The EPC-6A and its BIOS go through these major initialization steps: The seven-segment
display shows information about the EPC-6A’s initialization state.

Reset

1. Display

2. Run selftests; number


display of test

3. Shadow PicoFlash RFA


BIOS extension

Catastrophic Yes failure


Display number
Errors?

No

Config Yes
errors?
Log EXM errors
No to SRAM

4. Attempt to boot
from RFA

Done

Figure 3-1. Boot Process.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

The EPC-6A performs these major initialization steps:


1. Display
At power-up, this display reads 8. When the system begins the POST (Power On Self
Test), this number changes.
2. Run selftests; display
At various times during the POST, a new code displays in the 7-segment display. For
detailed information about displayed codes, see the POST code description. To see a
list and explanation of these codes, see Chapter 6, Error Messages.
3. Shadow PicoFlash RFA BIOS extension
To access the RFA (Resident Flash Array) as a DOS disk, you must shadow a BIOS
extension that chains the INT13 disk interface. This checkpoint essentially starts a
flash disk driver.
a. Check for catastrophic errors
Any error that prevents the system from reaching INT 19 (which attempts to boot
the OS) halts the system. The 7-segment LED displays the last completed POST
task and the initialization sequence terminates.
If the EPC-6A has a problem that prevents the POST program from running, the
7-segment LED displays the number “8”.
b. Check for configuration errors
Errors that do not prevent the system from booting that the CMOS configuration
can correct are considered configuration errors. An example of a configuration
error is an incorrect EXM ID entered for an EXM card.
If the selftest completes successfully, the system is configured using configuration
information maintained by the BIOS in a small battery-backed CMOS RAM.
If a problem is encountered, it causes the BIOS to load MS-DOS from RFA and
then give DOS control. This allows the user to alter the boot process.
MS-DOS always loads from flash, which is a read-write file system. It is
recommended that you embed ABORTSWI.EXE your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to
allow users to alter the machine’s boot process. During development, users may
find it convenient to expose the keyboard connector so they can press the F8 key
to step through the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.
The method for interacting with DOS is described in the next section. Problems at
this point are regarded as non-catastrophic, and include loss of the configuration
information due to a battery failure or change, and a mismatch between the type of
installed EXM versus the type expected. Information about non-catastrophic
errors is saved in the upper 2K bytes of the SRAM for use by the setup program.
If there are no errors, the BIOS looks for a boot device with a valid boot image.
The boot device can be the on-board flash memory or a source specified in the
CMOS configuration information (using the setup program) If a boot device is not
present, the BIOS invokes the ROM DOS.

10

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Chapter 3: Operation

4. Attempt to boot from RFA


If the BIOS proceeds down the flash memory path, the flash memory is viewed as a
bootable disk device and the BIOS starts the bootstrap process by loading the first 512
bytes into memory location 07C0:0000 and passing control to it. The display blanks
before the bootstrap process begins.
Once the system completes POST, an INT19 is attempted. This attempts to read the
boot sector from the disk. In the EPC-6A’s case, this is routed through an INT13
handler which reads the boot sector from the RFA.
For more information about the bootstrap process and how to create a bootable image in
the flash memory, see the EPControl Programmer’s Guide.
In the event that an invalid CMOS setup is saved or the disk image becomes un-bootable it
will be necessary to go into forced recovery. From forced recovery, it is possible to restore
CMOS values to there factory defaults. It is also possible to reload the factory default
bootable DOS image into the RFA should it become corrupt or mis-configured. For more
on these items, see Forced recovery section on page 48.

ROM DOS Interaction


Although you can use a standard PC-compatible keyboard, the EPC-6A is used more as a
dedicated controller than an embedded PC-compatible computer. When using the EPC-6A
without a keyboard, you can interact with the ROM DOS on the EPC-6A in these ways:
• Connect a standard ASCII terminal with an RS-232 interface to the serial port
connector on the front panel.
The EPC-6A’s customized CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files redirect the
command input and output streams to the COM1 serial port. Connecting a terminal
and invoking ROM DOS displays the standard DOS prompt on the terminal. By
typing the DOS DIR command, you can see available programs. You can use the SETUP
program in ROM to display and change the configuration information maintained by
the BIOS.
• Use a separate full EPC (having keyboard and monitor) on the same VMEbus with
supplied software that uses this EPC as a virtual console to the EPC-6A(s).
The software needed to use another EPC as the human interface for an EPC-6A is part
of the EPControl software product. For detailed information about this software, see
the EPControl software’s documentation.

11

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

System Reset
The reset switch performs a hardware reset of the EPC-6A and any EXM module, and
then invokes the BIOS initialization process discussed in the previous sections. Removing
and reapplying power to the EPC-6A also causes a hardware reset. Note that if the dot, or
decimal point, in the lower right corner of the 7-segment LED display is illuminated, an
EPC-6A program disabled the reset toggle switch. To reset the EPC-6A in this case, you
must externally signal the VMEbus SYSRESET (unless the EPC-6A program has disabled
this also) or by a power-off/on cycle.

Generating VMEbus SYSRESET


Upon power on, the EPC-6A drives the VMEbus SYSRESET signal in accordance with
the VMEbus specification. Resetting the EPC-6A via the reset switch does not cause the
EPC-6A to assert SYSRESET. The EPC-6A does contain a software-controllable register
bit to allow software to assert SYSRESET.

Responding to VMEbus SYSRESET


A software-controllable register bit in the EPC-6A controls whether or not a hardware
reset of the EPC-6A occurs when the VMEbus SYSRESET signal is asserted.

Front Panel Indicators


The front panel contains a seven-segment LED display. The front-panel display has these
purposes:
1. During BIOS initialization it describes the current stage of the initialization. If a test
fails in the selftest phase, it displays a code indicating the test that caused the BIOS to
abort the normal initialization flow. These codes are described in Chapter 6, Error
Messages.
2. After initialization, the display is available for use by the application program.
3. The display shows whether software disabled the reset function of the front-panel
switch. If the decimal point in the lower right corner of the display is lit, the reset
function of the switch is disabled.
The EPC-6A also contains the following LEDs:
• RUN
• SYSFAIL
• MASTER
• SLAVE
For detailed information about the LEDs, see Front Panel LEDs on page 45.

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Chapter 3: Operation

Toggle Switch
The front-panel toggle switch has these positions:
• Inactive (normal position):
• Reset: Suspends the EPC-6A; releasing the switch causes a hardware reset.
• Abort: Generates the IRQ11 interrupt.
The interrupt position has two purposes. An application program can install an IRQ11
interrupt handler and thus define the switch in an application-specific fashion. The
second purpose is a special interpretation of the switch during BIOS initialization after
a reset.
Moving the switch to the interrupt position during the five-second operator-override
period (when the display shows a circling light), causes the BIOS to load MS-DOS
from ROM and give control to DOS.

Setup Utilities
Unlike other RadiSys products, the EPC-6A uses, as its primary CMOS setup utility, a
remote setup utility (either serial or across the VMEbus) rather than a monitor/keyboard
based approach. This is due to the EPC-6A’s default configuration, where no keyboard or
video is available. For debug purposes, an EXM video card is installed and the PS/2
keyboard port is available. This means you can use the standard Phoenix CMOS setup
utility.

Remote Setup Utility


The EPC-6A has DOS, remote setup, and other utilities located in a read/write flash disk
which (however unlikely) can be corrupted. If the RFA can no longer boot DOS, the
DOS-based setup program is not available.
The remote setup controls a subset of all the possible Phoenix Setup options. Only those
CMOS tokens absolutely necessary for booting are manipulated by the setup utility. The
number of tokens modified are limited to reduce the FFF impact of the EPC-6A versus
EPC-6.

Remote Setup Utility Screens (RSU)


The Remote Setup Utility Screens appear the same, whenever possible, as those of the
EPC-6. Menu selections are driven by typing the character listed in the key column.
Pressing the ESC key from a sub-menu returns to the previous menu. Pressing the ESC
key from the Main Screen starts the exits procedure.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Main RSU Screen


The next figure shows the layout of the main remote setup screen; the following tables
describes menus and their options.

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
¦ RadiSys Controller Setup Program, Version 2.01 ¦
¦ Copyright 1997 by RadiSys Corporation. All rights reserved. ¦
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------¦
¦ SYS EPC: 6A CPU: 486DX2 Mem: 640K ¦
¦ Info BIOS: 4.05 Mhz: 66 Ext-Mem: 3072K ¦
¦ ¦
¦ Clock Time: 00:05:08 Date: 01/01/97 ¦
¦ ¦
¦ Disks Floppy A: None Floppy B: None ¦
¦ Fixed C: IDE AUTO Subtype C: 541MB 1049C, 16H, 63S ¦
¦ Fixed D: None Subtype D: None ¦
¦ ¦
¦ VME Release mode: RONR (VXI) Arb Mode: Round Robin ¦
¦ Bus Arb Priority: 0 Module ULA: F8 (FE00) ¦
¦ Slave Mem: 400000 (A24) ¦
¦ ¦
¦ EXM ID: None OB1: 0x00 OB2: 0x00 ¦
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Main Menu:
1) Clock 2) Disk 3) VME 4) EXM
5) eXit
Choice:

Table 3-1. Main Menu Selections


Function Key Description
Clock C Set Date and Time
Disks V Enter the VMEBus configuration menu
VMEBus D Enter the Drive Configuration menu
EXMBus E Enter the EXMBus configuration menu
eXit X Exit the Remote Setup program

Clock/Calendar

Clock Edit Menu:


1) Date 2) Time
Choice: 1
Format: <mm/dd/yy>
Enter New Value:

Table 3-2. Clock/Calendar


Function Key Description
Date D Enter new date (mm/dd/yy)
Time T Enter new time (hh:mm:ss)

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Chapter 3: Operation

Drive Configuration
Edit Drive Menu:
1) Floppy A 2) Floppy B 3) Fixed C 4) Fixed D
Choice:

Table 3-3. Drive Configuration


Function Key Description
Floppy A: A Configure Floppy Drive A: (sub-menu)
Floppy B: B Configure Floppy Drive B: (sub-menu)
Fixed Disk C: C Configure Fixed Disk C: (sub-menu)
Fixed Disk D: D Configure Fixed Disk D: (sub-menu)

Table 3-4. Configure Floppy Drive A and B


Function Key Description
360K (5.25) 1 Configure floppy for 360K
1.2M (5.25) 2 Configure floppy for 1.2M
720K (3.5) 3 Configure floppy for 720K
1.44M (3.5) 4 Configure floppy for 1.44M
None N Disable floppy

Edit Fixed Drive Menu:


1) IDE 2) Flash 3) VME 4) EXM Flash
5) None 6) Edit Subtype
Choice:

Table 3-5. Configure Fixed Disk C and D


Function Key Description
IDE A Configure Fixed Disk for AT (IDE)
Flash F Configure Fixed Disk for Flash
VME V Configure Fixed Disk for VMEbus
EXM Flash E Configure Disk for EXM Flash
None N Disable Drive
Edit Subtype U Edit User Hard Drive Parameters (sub-menu)

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Edit Subtype Menu:


1) Autodetect 2) Edit
Choice:

Table 3-6. Edit Subtype


Function Key Description
Autodetect A Autodetect drive parameters. Selecting this option
means the Remote Setup queries the disk drive for its
internal parameters on every bootup.
Edit E Configure Fixed Disk for Flash (sub-menu). Selecting
this option displays these prompts which must be
completed with the proper parameters:
• # of Heads: Enter the number of heads on the drive
• # of Cylinders: Enter the number of cylinders per head
• # of Sectors: Enter the number of sectors per cylinder

VME Control
VME Bus Menu:
1) Release Mode 2) Arb Mode 3) Arb Priority 4) Module ULA
5) Slave Mem
Choice:

Table 3-7. VME Control


Function Key Description
Release mode R Bus release mode, a) ROR or b) RONR (AB)?
Arbitration mode A Bus arbitration mode, Priority or Round robin (PR)?
Arbitration Priority P Bus arbitration priority, (0123)?
Module ULA U Module ULA (sub-menu)
Slave Mem S Slave base address

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ULA Menu:
1) F8 (FE00) 2) F9 (FE40) 3) FA (FE80) 4) FB (FEC0)
5) FC (FF00) 6) FD (FF40) 7) FE (FF80) 8) FF (FFC0)
Choice:

Table 3-8. ULA Setup


Function Key Description
F8 (FE00) 0 Set ULA to FE00
F9 (FE40) 1 Set ULA to FE40
FA (FE80) 2 Set ULA to FE80
FB (FEC0) 3 Set ULA to FEC0
FC (FF00) 4 Set ULA to FF00
FD (FF40) 5 Set ULA to FF40
FE (FF80) 6 Set ULA to FF80
FF (FFC0) 7 Set ULA to FFC0

Slave Base Memory Menu:


1) Disabled 2) 000000 3) 400000 4) 800000
5) C00000
Choice:

Table 3-9. Slave Memory Base


Function Key Description
Disabled 0 Disable Slave Memory Access
000000 (A24) 1 Set Slave Base Address to 0
400000 (A24) 2 Set Slave Base Address to 400000
800000 (A24) 3 Set Slave Base Address to 800000
C00000 (A24) 4 Set Slave Base Address to C00000

EXM Bus
Since there is only one EXM slot available, only one can be configured. When you select
EXM from the main menu, the following prompts display:
Enter the EXM ID = a hex value or ‘none’
Enter the EXM OB1 = a hex value
Enter the EXM OB2 = a hex value

Exit Menu
If you select ‘X’ at the main menu, the exit procedure starts. Changes take effect only after
a reboot.

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Chapter 4

Programming Interface 4
This chapter describes the EPC-6A as seen by a program. Wherever possible, users should
avoid direct use of most of these facilities. Hardware features in common with standard
PCs should be accessed by standard BIOS calls. Hardware unique to EPC-6A, such as the
VMEbus interface should be accessed through a variety of software packages and drivers
available with the EPC-6A.

Memory Map
Memory at addresses between 0 and 4 MB (0FFFFFh) are mapped as follows:
Range Content
000000h – 09FFFFh DRAM
0A0000h – 0BFFFFh Uncommitted, EXM bus or VIDBIOS
0C0000h – 0C7FFFh Uncommitted, DRAM, EXM bus or VIDBIOS
0C8000h – 0DFFFFh Uncommitted, mapped to EXM bus
0E0000h – 0EFFFFh Mappable window onto VMEbus
0F0000h – 0FFFFFh System BIOS
100000h – 3FFFFFh DRAM
400000h – F7FFFFh Uncommitted, EXM bus
F80000h – FFFFFFh BIOS ROM

I/O Map
The following defines the I/O addresses decoded by the EPC-6A. It does not define
addresses that might be decoded by the installed EXM.
Table 4-1. I/O Map
Port Functional group Usage
00 DMA Channel 0 address
01 Channel 0 count
02 Channel 1 address
03 Channel 1 count
04 Channel 2 address
05 Channel 2 count
06 Channel 3 address
07 Channel 3 count
08 Command/status
09 DMA request

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Port Functional group Usage


0A Command register (R)
Single-bit DMA request mask(W)
0B Mode
0C Set byte pointer (R)
Clear byte pointer (W)
0D Temporary register (R)
Master clear (W)
0E Clear mode reg counter (R)
Clear all DMA req mask(W)
0F All DMA request mask
20 Interrupt controller 1 Port 0
21 Port 1
24 83000 Controller Data register
26 Index register
40 Timer Counter 0
41 Counter 1
42 Counter 2
43 Control (W)
60 Keyboard controller Data I/O register
61 NMI status NMI status
64 Keyboard controller Command/status register
70 Real-time clock RTC index reg / NMI enable
71 RTC data register
0 seconds
1 seconds alarm
2 minutes
3 minutes alarm
4 hours
5 hours alarm
6 day of week
7 date of month
8 month
9 year
A status A
B status B
C status C
D status D
E RAM
...
3F RAM
80 BIOS debug port
81 DMA Channel 2 page register
82 Channel 3 page register
83 Channel 1 page register
87 Channel 0 page register
89 Channel 6 page register

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Chapter 4: Programming Interface

Port Functional group Usage


8A Channel 7 page register
8B Channel 5 page register
8F Refresh page register
A0 Interrupt controller 2 Port 0
Port Functional group Usage
A1 Port 1
C0 DMA Channel 4 address
C2 Channel 4 count
C4 Channel 5 address
C6 Channel 5 count
C8 Channel 6 address
CA Channel 6 count
CC Channel 7 address
CE Channel 7 count
D0 Command/status
D2 DMA request
D4 Command register (R)
Single-bit DMA req mask(W)
D6 Mode
D8 Set byte pointer (R)
Clear byte pointer (W)
DA Temporary register (R)
Master clear (W)
DC Clear mode reg counter (R)
Clear all DMA req mask (W)
DE All DMA request mask
F0 Coprocessor Clear coprocessor busy
F1 Reset coprocessor
2F8 COM2 serial port Receiver/transmitter buffer
Baud rate divisor latch (LSB)
2F9 Interrupt enable register
Baud rate divisor latch (MSB)
2FA Interrupt ID register
2FB Line control register
2FC Modem control register
2FD Line status register
2FE Modem status register
378 LPT1 parallel port Printer data register
379 Printer status register
37A Printer control register
3F8 COM1 serial port Receiver/transmitter buffer
Baud rate divisor latch (LSB)
3F9 Interrupt enable register
Baud rate divisor latch (MSB)
3FA Interrupt ID register
3FB Line control register

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Port Functional group Usage


3FC Modem control register
3FD Line status register
3FE Modem status register
8104 VME and misc control Memory control
8130 VME A21–16 address
8132 alias address of 8130
8134 alias address of 8130
8136 alias address of 8130
8140 ID low
8141 ID high
8142 Device type low
8143 Device type high
8144 Status/control low
8145 Status/control high
8146 Slave offset low
8147 Slave offset high
8148 Protocol low
8149 Protocol high
814A Response low
814B Response high
814C Message high low
814D Message high high
814E Message low low
814F Message low high
8151 VME modifier
8152 VME interrupt state
8153 VME interrupt enable
8154 VME event state
8155 VME event enable
8156 Module status/control
8157 alias address of 815F
8159 alias address of 8151
815A alias address of 8152
815B alias address of 8153
815C alias address of 8154
815D alias address of 8155
815E alias address of 8156
815F VME interrupt generator
8380 Flash/SRAM address
8381 Flash/SRAM address
8382 Flash/SRAM address
8383 Flash data
8384 SRAM data

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Chapter 4: Programming Interface

EPC-6A Registers
The next table lists registers in the I/O space specific to the EPC-6A. For detailed
information about each register, see Appendix C, Registers.
EPC-6A Registers
Memory Control Register (81004h) VME Interrupt State Register (8152h)
VME A21–16 Address Register (8130h) VME Interrupt Enable Register (8153h)
ID Registers (8140h and 8141h) VME Event State Register (8154h)
Device Type Registers (8142h and 8143h) VME Event Enable Register (8155h)
Status/Control Registers (8144h and 8145h) Module Status/Control Register (8156h)
Slave Offset Registers (8146h and 9147H) Interrupt Generator Register (815Fh)
Protocol Registers (8148h and 8149h) FSA Address Registers 8380h)
Response Registers (814Ah and 814Bh) Flash Data Register (8383h)
Message High Registers (814Ch and 814Dh) SRAM Data Register 8384h)
Message Low Registers 814Eh and 814Fh) LED Register (8385h)
VME Modifier Register (8151h) Register State after Reset

VMEbus Accesses
Two C-language examples are given here for performing VMEbus accesses through the
E page.

Example 1: 16-bit read from the VMEbus A16 space

This example performs a 16-bit read from the VMEbus A16 space. It requires setting the
address modifier, relocating the A16 address into the E page (address range E0000–
EFFFF), and then accessing the value pointed to by a C pointer variable.
#define WORD unsigned short
#define LWORD unsigned long

WORD addr; /* 16-bit A16 address */


WORD data;
WORD far * wptr;

outp(0x8151,0x0A); /* Set address modifier to A16 supervisory


access */
wptr = (WORD far *) (0xE0000000L + addr);
data = *wptr; /* Read through window */

Example 2: Byte write into the VMEbus A24 space

This next example does a byte write into the VMEbus A24 space. Here the upper 8 bits of
the VME address need to be stored in the appropriate registers.
LWORD addr; /* 32-bit A24 address */
BYTE data;
BYTE far * wptr;

outp(0x8151,6 | (((addr << 8) >> 30) << 6));


/* A23–A22 and address modifier for A24 supervisory data access

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*/
outp(0x8130,(WORD)((addr << 10) >> 24); /* A21–A16 */
wptr = (BYTE far *) (0xE0000000L + (addr & 0X0000FFFFL));
*wptr = data; /* Write through window */
The success of the access can be checked either by enabling BERR as an interrupt or by
looking at the BERR bit in the event state register after each access. Since writes are
pipelined, software that looks at the BERR bit should first wait until the DONE bit is set.
It is recommended that rather than performing accesses in this low-level,
hardware-dependent form, the Bus Manager component of the EPConnect software
package be used instead.
The following summarizes the source of the VMEbus address lines for accesses through
the E page.
23 22 21 16 15 0
A24 From From From
port port 486DX2 address
8151 8130 bits 15–0

15 0
A16 From
486DX2 address
bits 15–0

D32 Accesses
Although the 386SX, used in the original EPC6, is a 32-bit processor (for example, 32-bit
registers and operations), its external data bus is 16 bits wide. Any memory operation with
an operand width of 32 bits is broken apart by logic in the processor to two 16-bit
operations. As a result the EPC-6A, using the same VME interface and being a
replacement for the EP6, never performs a VMEbus D32 access.

Byte Ordering
Unlike EPCs that have 32-bit buses, EPC-6A does not contain software-controlled
byte-ordering hardware. The principal reason is that, as described in the previous section,
EPC-6A never performs VMEbus D32 accesses, and therefore there is no feasible way in
hardware to support both forms of byte ordering on what a program would see as a 32-bit
access.
EPC-6A accesses the VMEbus in little-endian (Intel) byte ordering, meaning that, for a
16-bit numerical value, the least-significant byte is assumed to be at the lowest memory
address. This means, for instance, that if a big-endian processor (for example, Motorola
680x0) stored the 16-bit value 0102h, the EPC-6A would interpret its value as 0201h. If a
big-endian processor stored the 32-bit value 01020304h and it were fetched by a program
on the EPC-6A as a 32-bit operand (meaning, as explained above, the EPC-6A would
perform two 16-bit accesses), the EPC-6A program would see the value as 04030201h.
The EPConnect Bus Manager software provides functions for swapping byte ordering
during memory-copy operations.

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Chapter 4: Programming Interface

Read-Modify-Write Operations
VMEbus RMW (read-modify-write) cycles can be performed through use of the
486DX2’s LOCK instruction prefix with certain instructions along with BS16# being
asserted. All of these instructions perform a read followed by a write. When such a read
occurs that is mapped to the VMEbus, the EPC-6A treats it as the start of a VME RMW
cycle. The next VME access from the 486DX2 is treated as the write that terminates the
RMW cycle. For this reason, RMW accesses that cross a 16-bit boundary will not behave
as expected (because the 486DX2 issues two read accesses).

Slave Accesses from the VMEbus


When SLE in the status/control register is set, the EPC-6A responds to accesses in a 4 MB
range of the A24 space. All types of VME accesses (reads, writes, and read-modify-writes
of all lengths) are supported, except for block transfer cycles and D32 accesses, as a result
of EPC6 compatibility. The address modifier can specify supervisory, nonprivileged,
program, or data.
The 4 MB space occupied by the EPC-6A in the VMEbus A24 space has the same view of
EPC-6A memory as the 486DX2, except that only those accesses that map to EPC-6A
DRAM memory are valid; all others respond with BERR.

Self Accesses Across the VMEbus


Since the EPC-6A’s DRAM can be mapped into the VMEbus A24 address space, the
EPC-6A can access its DRAM in an alternate way—by generating VMEbus accesses to
the appropriate addresses. This can be of use in multiple-processor systems where some of
the EPC-6A’s DRAM is used as shared global memory; it means that the EPC-6A can
access the global memory with the same addresses as used by other processors without
needing to understand that the memory is actually on-board.
This ability is also useful in system checkout (for example, checking operation of the
backplane).
A24 slave accesses result in accesses to the on-board DRAM and never to the cache.
Because the EPC-6A’s cache is a write-through cache, there is never a discrepancy
between data in the cache and the DRAM. When a slave access results in a write
into the DRAM, the EPC-6A automatically purges the cached entry, via cache
invalidation operation.

Read-Modify-Write Operations
The EPC-6A provides synchronization integrity in its local DRAM between accesses from
the 486DX2 into the DRAM and RMW VME accesses from other masters into the DRAM.
When a VMEbus slave read access occurs to the local DRAM, the EPC-6A watches the
VMEbus data and address strobes to determine if the cycle is an RMW cycle. If it is,
accesses by the 486DX2 are held up until the terminating access of the RMW cycle occurs.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

When the 486DX2 performs a locked access (for example, via an instruction using the
LOCK instruction prefix) to the local DRAM, VMEbus slave accesses are held up until
the last locked access completes.

VMEbus Interrupt Handler


Although software available for the EPC-6A shields the user from the details of interrupt
handling, the following information is provided for the reader who needs further detail.
The relationship between VME interrupts (and other interrupt-causing events) and an
interrupt as seen by a program is shown in the following diagram.
VME VME
interrupt interrupt
state enable
register register
RRDY
WRDY
IRQ1 M
IRQ2
A
VMEbus IRQ3
interrupts IRQ4 S

IRQ5 K
IRQ6
IRQ7 PC
architecture
SYSFAIL M IRQ10
BERR (sticky) A
S
ACFAIL
K
WDT
VME VME
event event
state enable
register register

Interrupts and events are visible in two state registers. These are unlatched, meaning that a
read of the state register shows the actual state of the signals at the instant of the read. The
exception is BERR, which is a “sticky” bit, meaning that the bit signifies whether BERR
had ever been asserted. The convention used is that a 0 bit signifies an asserted
(interrupting) state.
The primary purpose of the state registers is to let the interrupt handler software determine
which interrupts and events generated the IRQ10 interrupt to the processor. The state
registers can also be read by non-interrupt-handler software to poll for the state of these
signals.
The enable registers allow one to mask selectively these 12 states. A 0 state bit and a
corresponding 1 enable bit causes the PC architecture IRQ10 interrupt to be asserted.

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Chapter 4: Programming Interface

Unlike the 12 input conditions, which are level sensitive inputs, the PC architecture
defines the PC interrupts, such as IRQ10, as edge sensitive. This requires special attention
if you are writing your own interrupt handlers (for example, if you are not using the
functions in the Bus Manager software). Because IRQ10 is edge triggered, you could miss
an incoming interrupt/event that occurs when IRQ10 is disabled, meaning that your
software needs to test for and handle all pending interrupts/events before you leave from
the IRQ10 interrupt handler. To do this correctly, follow the following steps. These steps
assume the reader is familiar with the programming of the 8259 interrupt controller in the
PC architecture.
1. When the IRQ10 interrupt occurs, acknowledge the interrupt by sending
end-of-interrupt to both 8259 interrupt controllers.
2. Depending on your environment, you may wish to switch to another stack (a must
under DOS), and may wish to save the state of the VME modifier and address
registers if you will be using them.
3. To prevent reentry to the interrupt handler, mask off all the interrupts/events or mask
off the IRQ10 interrupt. (Reenable what you have masked off at the end of the
interrupt handler.)
4. Find an enabled pending interrupt/event.
5. If an enabled pending VMEbus interrupt is found, do an interrupt-acknowledge cycle
by setting the IACK bit in the VME modifier register and performing a VMEbus read,
setting address bits A3–A1 to denote the interrupt number. This returns the status/ID
value from the interrupter. For the other controllable conditions (message, sticky
BERR, watchdog timer), you may follow the instructions earlier in this chapter to
remove these interrupting conditions.
6. Perform application-dependent handling of the interrupt/event.
7. If there are still enabled pending interrupts/events, go to step 4. If not, return from the
IRQ10 interrupt handler.

VMEbus Interrupt Response


When the EPC-6A’s interrupt generator register is used to assert an interrupt, the EPC-6A
formulates a status/ID value that is transmitted on the bus as the response to a matching
interrupt acknowledgeInterrupt:acknowledgement cycle. The EPC-6A acts as both a
D08(O) and D16 interrupter. For D08 interrupt acknowledge cycles, the status/ID value is
the EPC-6A’s logical address (11111aaa, where aaa is the value of ULA as defined in port
814A). For D16 interrupt-acknowledge cycles, the status/ID value consists of 16 bits. The
upper eight bits are the upper half of the response register (the value in I/O port 814B) and
the lower eight bits are the logical address.

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VMEbus Mapped Registers


EPC-6A follows the lead of the VXIbus specification in defining a standard set of
configuration registers that are mapped into the VMEbus A16 space and thus accessible
by other VMEbus modules. These registers are 16-bit registers occupying 64 bytes of A16
space at a base address defined by the EPC-6A’s logical address. The base address is:
1111 111a aa00 0000
where aaa is the value of the ULA field in the response register at I/O port 814A.
The VME-mapped registers are a subset of those defined previously as I/O ports in the
EPC-6A. The registers are dual-ported in that they are accessible both from VME and
from within the EPC-6A as ports in its I/O space. The VME mapped registers are defined
in the next table.
Table 4-2. VME mapped registers
Offset Upper byte Lower byte
0 ID (8141) ID (8140)
2 Device type (8143) Device type (8142)
4 Status/control (8145) Status/control (8144)
6 Slave offset (8147) Slave offset (8146)
8 Protocol (8149) Protocol (8148)
A Response (814B) Response (814A)
C Message high (814D) Message high (814C)
E Message low (814F) Message low (814E)

The registers occupy the first 16 bytes of the 64-byte space; the remainder of the space is
undefined. (Actually, the registers are mapped into each 16-byte chunk of the 64-byte
space.)
Reads and writes of the registers from VME and as I/O ports have identical results and
effects except for the following:
1. Changing the RELM, ARBPRI, and ARBM fields of the status/control register from
VME will appear to have changed the fields (for example, if the register is then read),
but the new values will not effect the EPC-6A’s bus-control logic. To use these fields
for their intended purpose, they must be set by I/O port accesses.
2. A read of the response register from VME clears the LOCK bit (immediately after the
current value of the response register is returned).

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Chapter 5

Theory of Operation 5
This chapter specifies other information about EPC-6A operation useful to the system
designer. The following diagram shows the major elements of the EPC-6A and data paths
among them.

RadiSys data- VMEbus


486DX2 path switch
8K cache; gate array
Integrated FPU

4 MB
DØ ... 31 MDØ ...
R400 DRAM
RadiSys MAØ ... 9 Slot-1 jumper
A2 ... 31 VME gate
highly inte-
arrays and
grated system
Reset/abort switch control logic
controller LED
Battery display
Speaker 8-bit local bus

Serial
Keyboard SRAM Flash port
connector memory control

Figure 5-1. Block Diagram

Processor, Coprocessor, and Memory


The processor is an Intel 486DX2 in a 168 pin PGA package, with 32-bit architecture. The
Intel 486DX2 processor has an internal 8KB on-chip cache and an integrated floating
point unit.There is one factory-installed 4MB DRAM option.

Application Flash Memory or RFA


A 1MB array of nonvolatile flash memory is provided in the form of an E280085A
component. The flash memory is mapped into its own address space beginning at address
0. This address space is accessible through address and data registers in the I/O space. It

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

also contains Datalight ROM-DOS (version 6.22, revision 2.1) as a 250KB portion of the
memory space.
The intent of the flash memory is to hold application programs in a standard file-system
format, as opposed to being directly user accessible. Software drivers are provided with
the EPC-6A for this purpose.

Flash Boot Device


The 28F004BV-T contains two 8KB parameter blocks. Block 1 is used for System BIOS
code storage and is not available for application use.

Nonvolatile SRAM Memory


A 128K x 8 bit array of nonvolatile SRAM memory is provided. The software supports
only 32KB of SRAM. The SRAM address space is accessible through I/O registers where
8380h, 8381h, and 8382h control the address and 8384h provides data access.
The BIOS and ROM DOS use the upper 2 KB of the SRAM array to communicate error
messages to the setup program. Thus the user should consider the SRAM as a 30 KB array.
Information in the upper 2 KB of the SRAM memory runs the risk of getting destroyed by
the BIOS after a reset. Writing into the upper 2 KB of SRAM memory runs the risk of
destroying error messages saved for the setup program.

Battery
The battery powers the CMOS RAM and TOD clock when system power is not present.
At 60×C, the battery should have a shelf life of over four years. In a system that is
powered on much of the time and where the ambient power-off temperature is less than
60×C, the battery is estimated to have a life of 10 years.
The battery holder is for a 23 mm coin cell, such as a Panasonic BR2330 or
Rayovac BR2335.
To remove or replace the battery, first remove the EXM card guide above the battery by
removing its three mounting screws. The battery cell is held in place by a spring lever. To
remove the battery, apply downward pressure to the cell in the vicinity of the base of the
spring (a small screwdriver may be used), while at the same time applying lateral pressure
to the cell in the direction away from the spring base.
A new cell is installed by sliding it beneath the spring until it snaps into the holder. Ensure
that the spring has not been damaged and that it is in firm contact with, and applying
downward pressure on, the battery cell.

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Chapter 5: Theory of Operation

Interrupts
The following table shows interrupt assignment.
Table 5-1. Interrupts
Interrupt Source
NMI DRAM parity error, EXMbus I/O channel check
IRQ0 Timer (connected to R400 internal 8254 count 0 out)
IRQ1 Keyboard controller (R400 internal)
IRQ2 Cascade interrupt input
IRQ3 COM2 serial port
IRQ4 COM1 serial port
IRQ5 unassigned
IRQ6 unassigned/floppy disk
IRQ7 unassigned
IRQ8 Real-Time clock
IRQ9 unassigned
IRQ10 VME interrupt/event
IRQ11 front-panel toggle switch
IRQ12 not available
IRQ13 coprocessor (FERR)
IRQ14 unassigned/IDE
IRQ15 unassigned

Watchdog Timer
EPC-6A contains a continually running timer having a period of approximately either 8
seconds or 250 milliseconds (software selectable). The watchdog timer event is generated
whenever the period expires. This event may be enabled as a source of the IRQ10 interrupt
or as a complete reset. The timer is reset to its maximum value by an I/O write to the
module status/control register.

EXMbus
The EXM bus, an I/O expansion bus, is provided on a connector to allow the user to insert
one EXMbus module. The EXMbus is very similar to the PC/AT ISA I/O bus. In addition,
it contains a signal -EXMID used for dynamic recognition and configuration of EXMs.
EXMs respond to one or more I/O addresses in the range 100h–107h only when their
–EXMID line is asserted. EXMs are required to return a unique EXM-type identification
byte in response to a read from I/O address 100h. Since the EPC-6A has only a single
EXM slot, its –EXMID line is wired as asserted.
Although IRQ11 is on the EXMbus, IRQ11 is also used by the reset/abort toggle switch
and is driven by a totem-pole driver that has no tristate. Thus the IRQ11 interruptIRQ11
interrupt is not available to EXM modules.
Further information on the EXMbus, its connectors, and standards for building EXMs is
available upon request.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

VMEbus Interface
The EPC-6A connects to the VMEbus J1 connector. All of the VMEbus signals and
voltages on this connector are used except for SERCLK, SERDAT, and +5V STDBY.
The EPC-6A, when configured as an A24 slave, responds with BERR if another bus
master attempts a D32 access into the EPC-6A’s memory. It also responds with BERR if
another master does an access that would map to other than DRAM within the EPC-6A.
The EPC-6A does address pipelining in one circumstance—when the EPC-6A has been
granted the bus while some other master is performing a bus cycle. In this circumstance
the EPC-6A will start its cycle (for example, drive AS* low) before the other master has
removed its data strobes (for example, before DS0* and DS1* are driven high).
The EPC-6A performs write pipelining of 486 write cycles to the VMEbus. The VME
control logic signals completion to the 486 of a write cycle that is mapped to the VMEbus
as soon as the VMEbus AS* signal has been driven low and the data from the 486 has
been latched.

VMEbus System Controller Functions


When the EPC-6A is configured as the VMEbus system controller, it performs the
standard VMEbus system controller functions. It serves as the bus arbiter (priority or
round robin), drives the 16 MHz SYSCLK signal, and starts the IACK daisy chain.
The SYSFAIL LED is operable only when the EPC-6A is configured as the system
controller.
When configured as the system controller, the EPC-6A also detects and terminates bus
timeouts. Once it sees either of the DS0 and DS1 lines asserted, a counter is started. If the
counter expires before both DS0 and DS1 are deasserted, the EPC-6A asserts the VMEbus
BERRsignal until both data strobes are deasserted. The duration of the counter is
approximately 100 microseconds.

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Chapter 5: Theory of Operation

VMEbus Timing
The following table contains some illustrations of the duration of VMEbus operations.
The times were measured with the EPC-6A in the ROR bus-release mode.
Table 5-2. VMEbus timing
Operation Time
Fill VMEbus slave memory, each iteration of 300 ns + DS-DTACK slave’s write access time
REP,STOSW instructions
Move block of local memory to VMEbus slave 400 ns + the greater of:
memory, each iteration of REP,MOVSW 50 ns
instructions slave’s DS-DTACK write access time
Move block of VMEbus slave memory to local 650 ns + DS-DTACK slave’s read access time
memory, each iteration of REP,MOVSW
instructions
Write access from another master to the DS-DTACK time = 325 ns+ HI
EPC-6A’s DRAM HI is hold-interference time, can range from 0
to 15000 ns, typically is 150 ns
Read access from another master to the DS-DTACK time = 450 ns + HI
EPC-6A’s DRAM HI as defined above

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

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Chapter 6

Error Messages 6
This chapter lists error and warning messages, alphabetized by message text. These are
messages generated by the BIOS and MS-DOS that may be related to your hardware
configuration.
CMOS checksum invalid
Something in the nonvolatile CMOS RAM is incorrect. Run the BIOS setup program to
determine what is wrong, and correct it. If the error occurs repeatedly, the EPC-6A’s
battery has failed. This error is available only on a VGA screen.
CMOS RAM error, check battery / run setup
Something in the nonvolatile CMOS RAM is incorrect. Run the BIOS setup program to
determine what is wrong, and correct it. If the error occurs repeatedly, first try
reinitializing all CMOS RAM parameters. If the problem still occurs, the EPC-6A’s
battery has failed. This error is available only on a VGA screen.
EXM configuration error
The EXM installed (or not installed) does not match the configuration information in the
novolatile CMOS RAM. Hitting any key will allow you to continue, but doing so may
cause problems later if software tries to use the EXM. To correct the problem, enter the
remote setup program, change the information on the setup screen and reboot. This
message is logged to the NVRAM.
Real time clock error - run setup
The battery-backed TOD clock is incorrect. Run the BIOS setup program to determine
what is wrong, and correct it. If the error occurs repeatedly, the EPC-6A’s battery has
failed. This error is available only on a VGA screen.

Seven-Segment Display Codes


The following list shows the two-digit codes displayed in the seven-segment display when
a catastrophic selftest failure is detected. The two digits display repeatedly in the
following way: first digit, pause, second digit, long pause.
Table 6-1. Seven-segment display failure codes
Code Description Code Description
01 Selftest initiation 18 Memory refresh test
02 Chipset initialization 19 Interrupt vector table initialization
03 Chipset initialization 1A does not occur
04 DRAM controller initialization 1B does not occur

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Code Description Code Description


05 DRAM initialization 1C Interrupt controller test
06 DRAM 0- and F-page test 1D Interrupt controller test
07 DRAM byte enable logic test 1E Battery level test
08 Copy ROM 1F CMOS checksum test
09 Copy ROM 20 Configuration byte initialization
0A Copy ROM 21 Size system memory
0B Copy ROM 22 System memory test
0C Copy ROM 23 Stuck interrupt test
0D Copy ROM 24 Stuck NMI (parity/IOCHK) bit test
0E Clear 8042 interface 25 Interrupt controller test
0F Reset 8042 interface 26 Size extended memory
10 PC hardware initialization 27 Extended memory test
11 Video interface initialization 28 VME interface test
12 Timer test 29 VXI register test
13 CMOS shutdown test 2A COM1 serial port test
14 DMA test 2B COM2 serial port test
15 DMA test 2C Cache test
16 DMA page registers test
17 does not occur

Phoenix NuBIOS Checkpoints


The Phoenix NuBIOS writes a number of checkpoints to I/O port 80h just before they are
executed. Note that the execution order of the POST tests generally follows the order
listed in the tables below, but not exactly.
Table 6-2. Phoenix NuBIOS Auxiliary Checkpoint Codes
Beep code Post code Checkpoint description
02h Verify Real Mode
04h Get CPU type
06h Initialize system hardware
08h Initialize system controller registers with initial
POST values
09h Set in POST flag
0Ah Initialize CPU registers
0Bh Enable CPU cache
0Ch Initialize cache to initial POST values
0Eh Initialize I/O
0Fh Initialize localbus IDE
11h Load alternate registers with initial POST values
12h Jump to UserPatch0
14h Initialize keyboard controller
1-2-2-3 16h BIOS ROM checksum
18h 8254 timer initialization
1Ah 8237 DMA controller initialization
1Ch Reset Programmable Interrupt Controller
1-3-1-1 20h Test DRAM refresh

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Chapter 6: Error Messages

Beep code Post code Checkpoint description


1-3-1-3 22h Test 8742 Keyboard Controller
24h Set ES segment to register to 4GB
28h Autosize DRAM
2Ah Clear 512KB base RAM
1-3-4-1 2Ch Test 512KB base address lines
1-3-4-3 2Eh Test low byte of 512KB base memory
1-4-1-1 30h Test high byte of 512KB base memory
32h Test CPU bus-clock frequency
34h Test CMOS RAM
35h Initialize alternate system controller registers
36h Warmstart shutdown entry point
37h Reinitialize the system controller
38h Shadow system BIOS ROM
39h Reinitialize the cache
3Ah Autosize cache
3Ch Configure advanced system controller registers
3Dh Load alternate registers with CMOS values
40h Set Initial CPU speed
42h Initialize interrupt vectors
44h Initialize BIOS interrupts
2-1-2-3 46h Check ROM copyright notice
47h Initialize manager for PCI Option ROMs
48h Check video configuration against CMOS
49h Initialize PCI bus and devices
4Ah Initialize all video adapters in system
4Bh Display QuietBoot screen
4Ch Shadow video BIOS ROM
4Eh Display copyright notice
50h Display CPU type and speed
51h Initialize EISA board
52h Test keyboard
54h Set key click if enabled
56h Enable keyboard
2-2-3-1 58h Test for unexpected interrupts
5Ah Display prompt “Press F2 to enter SETUP”
5Ch Test RAM between 512KB and 640KB
60h Test extended memory
62h Test extended memory address lines
64h Jump to UserPatch1
66h Configure advanced cache registers
68h Enable external and CPU caches
6Ah Display external cache size
6Ch Display shadow message
6Eh Display non-disposable segments
70h Display error messages
72h Check for configuration errors

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Beep code Post code Checkpoint description


74h Test real-time clock
76h Check for keyboard errors
7Ah Test for key lock on
7Ch Set up hardware interrupts vectors
7Eh Test coprocessor if present
80h Disable onboard I/O ports
82h Detect and install external RS232 ports
84h Detect and install external parallel ports
85h Initialize PNP ISA devices
86h Re-initialize onboard I/O ports
88h Initialize BIOS Data Area
8Ah Initialize Extended BIOS Data Area
8Ch Initialize floppy controller
90h Initialize hard disk controller
91h Initialize localbus hard disk controller
92h Jump to UserPatch2
93h Build MPTABLE for multiprocessor boards
94h Disable A20 address line
95h Install CDROM for boot
96h Clear huge ES segment register
1-2 98h Search for option ROMs (beep for bad checksum)
9Ah Shadow option ROMs
9Ch Set up Power Management
9Eh Enable hardware interrupts
A0h Set time of day
A2h Check keylock
A4h Initialize typematic rate
A8h Erase F2 prompt
AAh Scan for F2 keystroke
ACh Enter SETUP
AEh Clear in-POST flag
B0h Check for errors
B2h POST done—prepare to boot operating system
B4h One beep
B5h Display MultiBoot menu
B6h Check password (optional)
B8h Clear global descriptor table
BCh Clear parity checkers
BEh Clear screen (optional)
BFh Check virus and backup reminders
C0h Try to boot with INT19

Table 6-3. Phoenix NuBIOS Checkpoint Codes.


Beep code Post code Checkpoint description
D0h Interrupt handler error

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Chapter 6: Error Messages

Beep code Post code Checkpoint description


D2h Unknown interrupt error
D4h Pending interrupt error
D6h Initialize option ROM error
D8h Shutdown error
DAh Extended Block Move
DCh Shutdown 10 error

Table 6-4. Phoenix NuBIOS Boot Block Checkpoint Codes


Beep code Post code Checkpoint description
E2h Initialize the system controller
E3h Initialize refresh counter
E4h Check for Forced Flash
E5h Check HW status of ROM
E6h BIOS ROM is OK
E7h Do a complete RAM test
E8h Do OEM initialization
E9h Initialize interrupt controller
EAh Read in bootstrap code
EBh Initialize all vectors
ECh Boot the Flash program
EDh Initialize the boot device
EEh Boot code was read OK

Support Software
The following programs are available for the EPC-6A:
Item Filename Description
RadiSys BIOS ABORTSWI.EXE When placed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT program, this file
reflash tools and alters the EPC-6A’s boot behavior via the toggle switch.
images FLSHDUMP.EXE Dumps the contents of the EPC-6A’s RFA to a 1MB file.
This utility can be used to create “Gold Disks” for the
RFA.
UTILS.TXT Describes the contents of the UTILS directory.
BIOS directory BIOS512K.ROM 512K bios image (used with the FBD command in
forced recovery).
BIOS.ROM 256K bios image (used with the BIOS command in
forced recovery).
BIOS.TXT Describes BIOS images.
Sample directory AUTOEXEC.BAT Sample AUTOEXEC.BAT file which you can use as a
template for the user AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Item Filename Description


FLASH directory README.TXT Text file that describes the RFA image and recovery
procedures
6A_V102.ZIP A factory default zipped (archived) RFA image that you
must unzip before use. The readme file explains how to
extract this file. Once unzipped, you can upload this file
to the RFA via forced recovery.
ROMDOS disk ROMDOS A collection of utilities, drivers, system files, and
documentation that make up the ROMDOS operating
system.
EPCONTRL disk See the EPCONTRL documentation for more
information.

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Chapter 7

Support and Service 7


In North America
Technical Support
RadiSys maintains a technical support phone line at (503) 615-1100 that is staffed
weekdays (except holidays) between 8 AM and 5 PM Pacific time. If you have a problem
outside these hours, you can leave a message on voice-mail using the same phone number.
You can also request help via electronic mail or by FAX addressed to RadiSys Technical
Support. The RadiSys FAX number is (503) 615-1150. The RadiSys E-mail address is
[email protected]. If you are sending E-mail or a FAX, please include information on
both the hardware and software being used and a detailed description of the problem,
specifically, how the problem can be reproduced. We will respond by E-mail, phone or
FAX by the next business day.
Technical Support Services are designed for customers who have purchased their products
from RadiSys or a sales representative. If your RadiSys product is part of a piece of OEM
equipment, or was integrated by someone else as part of a system, support will be better
provided by the OEM or system vendor that did the integration and understands the final
product and environment.

World Wide Web


RadiSys maintains an active site on the Technical Support:world wide web access. The
home-page URL is:
http://www.radisys.com
The site contains current information about the company and locations of sales offices,
describes new and existing products, provides contacts for sales, service, and technical
support information, and offers news about the company. You can also send E-mail to
RadiSys using the web site. All requests for sales, service, and technical support
information receive a prompt response.

Repair Services
Factory Repair Service is provided for all RadiSys products. Standard service for all
RadiSys products covers factory repair with customers paying shipping to the factory and
RadiSys paying for return shipment. Overnight return shipment is available at customer
expense. Normal turn-around time for repair and re-certification is five working days.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Quick Exchange services (immediate shipment of a loaner unit while the failed product is
being repaired) or other extra-cost services can be arranged, but need to be negotiated in
advance to allow RadiSys to pool the correct product configurations. RadiSys does not
maintain a general “loaner” pool. Units are available only for customers that have
negotiated this service in advance.
RadiSys does not provide a fixed-price “swap-out” repair service, as customers have
indicated that issues of serial number tracking and version control make it more
convenient to receive their original products back after repair.

Warranty Repairs
Products under warranty (see warranty information in the front of this manual) will have
manufacturing defects repaired at no charge. Products sent in for warranty repair that have
no faults will be subject to a recertification charge. Extended Warranties are available and
can be purchased at a standard price for any product still under warranty. RadiSys will
gladly quote prices for Extended Warranties on products whose warranties have lapsed;
contact the factory if this applies.
Customer induced damage (resulting from misuse, abuse, or exceeding the product
specifications) is not covered by the standard product warranty.

Non-Warranty Services
There are several classes of non-warranty service. These include repair of customer
induced problems, repairs of failures for products outside the warranty period,
recertification (functional testing) of a product either in or out of warranty, and
procurement of spare parts.
All non-warranty repairs are subject to service charges. RadiSys has determined that
pricing repairs based on time and materials is more cost-effective for the customer than a
flat-rate repair charge. When product is received, it will be analyzed and, if appropriate, a
cost estimate will be communicated to the customer for authorization. After the customer
authorizes the repair and billing arrangements have been made, the product will be
repaired and returned to the customer.
A recertification service is provided for products either in or out of warranty. This service
will verify correct operation of a product by inspection and testing of the product with
standard manufacturing tests. There is a product-dependent charge for recertification.
There are only a few components that are generally considered field-repairable, but,
because RadiSys understands that some customers want or need the option of repairing
their own equipment, all components are available in a spares program. There is a
minimum billing charge associated with this program.

Arranging Service
To schedule service for a product, please call RadiSys RMA Dispatcher directly at (800)
256-5917. Have the product model and serial numbers available, along with a description
of the problem. An RMA Dispatcher will issue a Returned Materials Authorization
(RMA) number, a code number by which we track the product while it is being processed.
Once you have received the RMA number, follow the instructions of the RMA Dispatcher

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Chapter 7: Support and Service

and return the product to us, freight prepaid, with the RMA number clearly marked on the
exterior of the package. If possible re-use the original shipping containers and packaging.
In any case, be sure you follow good ESD-control practices when handling the product,
and ensure that anti-static bags and packing materials with adequate padding and
shock-absorbing properties are used.
Ship the product, freight prepaid, to:
Product Service Center
RadiSys Corporation
5445 NE Dawson Creek Drive
Hillsboro, Oregon 97124
When shipping the product, include the following information: return address, contact
names and phone numbers in purchasing and engineering, and a description of the
suspected problem. Any ancillary information that might be helpful with the debugging
process will be appreciated.

Other Countries
Contact the sales organization from whom you purchased your RadiSys product for
service and support.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

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Appendix A

Connectors A
This chapter specifies the details of the connectors and headers on the EPC-6A The
EXMbus connector is not defined here; its definition is available upon request.

Front Panel LEDs


The EPC-6A has four discreet LEDs in the front panel’s top left corner. The front panel
also contains a seven-segment LED display. For detailed information about the seven-
segment LED display, see Front Panel Indicators on page 12.
Table A-1. LEDs

LED Color Description


RUN Green Indicates that the EPC-6A’s memory is accessed. It first comes on at
power-up and should remain lit as long as the system is running.
If the LED is off, the most probable causes include both of these:
• A “hung” condition occurred in the operating system or application software.
RESET • A VMEbus access is being attempted but the EPC-6A has not received a
ABORT
bus grant. Typical reasons include: an error in setting the jumpers on the
RUN VMEbus backplane, not being fully seated in the backplane, or a failure in
SYSFAIL
the SLOT 1 system controller module.
MASTER
SLAVE SYSFAIL Red Indicates a hardware reset or assertion of the VMEbus line. If a hardware
reset, the LED remains lit until the POST completes.
The LED is active only when the EPC-6A is jumpered as the SLOT 1 controller.
MASTER Indicates that the EPC-6A is performing a VMEbus access. The LED
COM remains lit from the time the 486DX2 processor initiates a read until the bus
operation completes or times out.
SLAVE Indicates another module performing a memory access into the EPC-6A’s
DRAM.

* The Master LED on and the Run LED off indicates that the EPC-6A stopped because either it can’t access
the bus, or because no module responded to the access and the access has not timed out.

Speaker Connector
The speaker header on the EPC-6A circuit board is defined as:
Table A-2. Speaker Connector
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1 Reference voltage 2 Speaker tone

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Keyboard Connector
The standard PS2 keyboard connector, available in the front panel, is a 6-pin mini-DIN
connector defined as follows:
Table A-3. Keyboard Pin-out
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1 Data 4 +5V
2 Not used 5 Clock
3 Ground 6 Not used

Serial port connectors


The next table defines the DB-9 COM1serial port connector.
Table A-4. COM1 Connector

Pin Signal Pin Signal


1 6
1 Carrier detect 6 Data set ready
2 Receive data 7 Request to send
3 Transmit data 8 Clear to send
5 9 4 Data terminal ready 9 Ring indicator
5 Signal ground

A second serial port, addressable at PC serial port COM2, COM2 exists in the form of a
10-pin header on the printed-circuit board near the bottom of the front panel. Pin 2 is the
pin closest to the front panel and the bottom. The header is defined as:
Table A-5. COM2 Connector
1 6 Pin Signal Pin Signal
1 Carrier detect 6 Clear to send
2 Data set ready 7 Data terminal ready
3 Receive data 8 Ring indicator
4 Request to send 9 Signal ground
5 10 5 Transmit data unconnected

VMEbus Connectors
EPC-6A has a standard VMEbus P1 connector. It does not access the P1 pins +5VSTDBY,
SERCLK, and SERDAT.

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Appendix B

About the Flash Boot Device B


This appendix describes how to reflash the Flash Boot Device (FBD) which contains the
EPC-6A System BIOS and the picoFlash BIOS extension.The FBD’s memory map is
shown below:
3FFFFFFh 7FFFFh
(FFFFFh)
16KB boot block
3FFC000h
(FC000h) 7C000h
3FFBFFFh 7BFFFh
(FBFFFh)
8KB parameter block 2
3FFA000h
(FA000h) 7A000h
3FF9FFFh 79FFFh
(F9FFFh)
8KB parameter block 1
3FF8000h
(F8000h) 7A000h
3FF7FFFh 79FFFh
(F7FFFh)
96KB Main block 4

System BIOS
3FE0000h
(FE000h) 60000h
3FDFFFFh 128KB main block 3 5FFFFh
(N/A)
BIOS extensions
4E000h
Pico Flash BIOS extension
4A000h
MFG BIOS
48000h
3FC0000h Reserved
(N/A) 40000h
3FBFFFFh
(N/A)
128KB main block 2

CMOS save and restore


3FA0000h
(N/A) 20000h
3F9FFFFh 1FFFFh
(N/A)
128KB main block 1

Reserved
3F80000h
(N/A) 00000h

Figure B-1. EPC-6A FBD Memory Map

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Main Block #1 and #2 are reserved.


The EPC-6A employs Phoenix PicoBIOS version 4.05, implemented as a flash BIOS
using the 4 Mb (512 KB) Intel 28F004 SmartVoltage Boot Block. The Flash Boot Device
(FBD) contains a 16 KB boot block which holds the BIOS initializing and recovery code
Main block #3 contains an 8KB RadiSys manufacturing BIOS and the PicoFlash BIOS
extension.
The system BIOS code image resides in main block 4.
Parameter blocks 1 & 2 contain the System BIOS code.
The FBD is memory addressed and resides in the last 512KB of physical address space at
addresses 3F80000h through 3FFFFFFh. The System BIOS is shadowed and write-
protected at 0E0000h through 0FFFFFh (128KB) upon any system reset (warm boot,
shutdown, power-up or “reset button” reset).
The boot block, main blocks, and parameter blocks are protected against accidental writes.
Three register bits in the R400’s BIOS Control Register gate the WE# signal into the flash
parts, and the boot block is further protected by a jumper which must also be in place
before writes to the boot block can take place.

Forced recovery
A “force recovery” jumper is provided which is readable by the boot block and can force
the boot block to initiate a BIOS recovery sequence. This jumper is readable by the boot
block and can force the boot block to initiate a recovery sequence should the other
methods of initiating the sequence become inaccessible (for example, the System BIOS
becomes corrupted such that the system cannot boot to the OS).
The following table describes the exact sizes and placement of the various code and data
objects present in the FBD:
Table B-1. FBD object placement
Object Name FBD Offset Object Size Write Enable
Boot and recovery code 7C000h 16KB BB write-enable jumper
System BIOS 60000h 96KB In chipset
PicoFlash BIOS extension 4A000h 16KB In chipset

The recovery process occurs because the boot block detects corrupt a BIOS or the force
recovery jumper is installed. System BIOS corruption is detected by calculating an 8-bit
checksum over the area occupied by System BIOS code.
The recovery is performed by using any Serial Communication Package (SCP) which
supports the XModem/CRC protocol. The SCP speed is determined automatically.
To determine the baud rate at which the SCP is running, the user repeatedly presses the
space bar. The autobaud mechanism should determine the baud rate that the SCP is
running at. If the baud rate is not determined before a predetermined timeout value, the
baud rate is defaulted to 9600 baud. The recovery module autobaud mechanism then
detects one of the following supported baud rates: 9600, 19200, 38400, 56800 or 115200.
The SCP executes on an external host computer and establishes a communication link with
the EPC-6A via the recovery serial port. The recovery mechanism supports the recovery of:

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Appendix B: About the Flash Boot Device

• Bootblock
• System BIOS and BIOS extensions, Main Blocks 3-4, Parameter block 1 & 2
• FBD, the entire 512K (minus the 16K bootblock) device is reflash, no attempt is made
to reprogram the bootblock.
• RFA
• CMOS
Images suitable for update or recovery use absolute binary format (8-bit data, little endian
byte ordering).
The EPC-6A boot block XModem serial communication requires a straight-through serial
connection to the external host computer and operates at the auto-detected baud rate with
no parity, eight data bits, and 1 stop bit. Cabling between the host and the EPC-6A may be
dictated by the SCP. However, the only RS-232 signals required by the EPC-6A are Tx,
Rx, and Gnd.

When to Reflash the FBD


Install the boot block enable jumper only when updating the bootblock. Update
your bootblock only when instructed to by RadiSys.

Before You Begin


Before you begin an FBD force update flash recovery, have the following items ready
for use:
• External host computer with an installed Xmodem serial communication program,
such as PROCOMM.
• Null modem cable.
• The new images for the FBD which are contained on the utilities diskette provided
with the EPC-6A.

Reflashing Processes
You must install the following jumpers to start the reflash process:
JP2 FLASH WE
JP2 FORCE RECOVERY
JP1 WREN

Force Update
The force update process occurs because the boot block detects a corrupt system BIOS
image (for example, a bad checksum for main block 2) or because you installed the force
update jumper (JP2) at power up. A force update is necessary only to:
• Replace a system BIOS image damaged by power failure during an earlier flash
update process.
• Recover from accidental writes to the FBD.

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• Enable FBD recovery when the system cannot boot to a DOS-compatible operating system.
Perform the force update flash recovery process by connecting a null modem serial cable
between the EPC-6A’s COM1 port and a source computer on which is installed an SCP
that supports the Xmodem protocol. The SCP should also support terminal emulation, as
the source computer serves only as a remote console during the flash recovery process.
The SCP dictates necessary cabling between the source computer and the EPC-6A,
however, the only RS-232 signals required by the EPC-6A are Tx, Rx, and GND.
EPC-6A Source computer
COM1 serial port

TXD TXD
RXD RXD
GND GND

Figure B-2. Null Modem Cable Connection

Power up the EPC-6A and execute the SCP on the source computer. Press the space bar
repeatedly to invoke the autobaud capability, which automatically sets the baud rate for
you. Set up the SCP to communicate with no parity, eight data bits, and 1 stop bit. The
SCP should establish a straight-through serial communication link with the EPC-6A
COM1 port. The EPC-6A boot block contains resident Xmodem code necessary to
establish communication with the SCP, serially download the images to flash, and
re-program the FBD.
Once the BIOS configures the communication port, the EPC-6A is ready to synchronize
with the source computer through Xmodem. The EPC-6A receives no data from the
source computer via the serial port until synchronization is complete.
When synchronization is complete and the force update flash recovery process is ready to
begin, you must enter one of the following commands to define how the process occurs:
FBD Reflashes the entire FBD (except the boot block).
BB Reflashes the FBD boot block.
BIOS Reflashes the system and video BIOS images.
EXIT Ignores the force recovery jumper and continues booting the system BIOS.
HELP Prints help messages that explain the FBD, BB, and BIOS commands.
RFA Reflashes the RFA.
CMOS Restores factory default values to CMOS. Use this command if a non-bootable
CMOS configuration has been saved.
The force update flash recovery process will not begin unless you enter a command. When
you enter the FBD, BB, or BIOS commands, code in the boot block automatically initiates
the reflashing process. The SCP indicates the status of the recovery process while it
occurs, displaying the activities of erasing and rewriting each image.
When the force update flash recovery process is complete and the FBD is recovered, the
program issues the statement “flash recovery successful.” Power down the EPC-6A and
remove the serial interface cable. Also remove the force update jumper at JP2 if the force
update process was not initiated by a corrupt image. Remove the write-enable jumpers if

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Appendix B: About the Flash Boot Device

you reflashed the FBD boot block. When you power up the system, it boots with the
recovered BIOS images.
Note that the message: “Image has exceeded target size, Image is being truncated” is
normal; this alerts the user that the bootblock was not reflashed.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

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Appendix C

Registers C
Use this table to locate information about EPC-6A registers in the I/O space.
Register Page
Overview .................................................................................................................................. 54
Memory Control Register (81004h).......................................................................................... 54
VME A21–16 Address Register (8130h).................................................................................. 55
ID Registers (8140h and 8141h).............................................................................................. 55
Device Type Registers (8142h and 8143h).............................................................................. 55
Status/Control Registers (8144h and 8145h)........................................................................... 55
Slave Offset Registers (8146h and 9147H) ............................................................................. 56
Protocol Registers (8148h and 8149h) .................................................................................... 57
Response Registers (814Ah and 814Bh) ................................................................................ 57
Message High Registers (814Ch and 814Dh) ......................................................................... 58
Message Low Registers 814Eh and 814Fh)............................................................................ 58
VME Modifier Register (8151h)................................................................................................ 58
VME Interrupt State Register (8152h)...................................................................................... 59
VME Interrupt Enable Register (8153h)................................................................................... 59
VME Event State Register (8154h).......................................................................................... 59
VME Event Enable Register (8155h) ....................................................................................... 59
Module Status/Control Register (8156h).................................................................................. 60
Interrupt Generator Register (815Fh) ...................................................................................... 60
FSA Address Registers 8380h) ............................................................................................... 60
Flash Data Register (8383h).................................................................................................... 61
SRAM Data Register 8384h) ................................................................................................... 61
LED Register (8385h) .............................................................................................................. 61
Register State after Reset........................................................................................................ 61

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Overview
Where a bit position has been described by a 0 or 1, the bit is a ROM bit, and writing to it
has no effect. Unless otherwise noted, all registers and bit values are readable and
writeable. TSEN, when set, inhibits the front panel toggle switch from generating a reset
Register Bit 7 Bit 6 Bit 5 Bit 4 Bit 3 Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 0 I/O port
Memory Control Register reserved EVME CDEN 8104h
VME A21–16 Address Reg VMEbus address bits 21–16 res res 8130h
ID Register, lower 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 8140h
ID Register, upper 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 8141h
Device Type Reg, lower 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 8142h
Device Type Reg, upper 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 8143h
Status/Control Reg, lower SRIE RELM ARBPRI RDY PASS NOSF 8144h
Status/Control Reg, upper SLE 1 SYSR SYSF ARBM 1 1 1 8145h
Slave Offset Reg, lower 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8146h
Slave Offset Reg, upper 0 0 0 1 1 1 SLAVE BASE 8147h
Protocol Register, lower 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8148h
Protocol Register, upper 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 8149h
Response Register, lower LOCK 1 ABMH 1 1 ULA 814Ah
Response Register, upper 0 0 0 0 1 RRDY WRDY 1 814Bh
Message High Reg, lower 814Ch
Message High Reg, upper 814Dh
Message Low Reg, lower 814Eh
Message Low Reg, upper 814Fh
VME Modifier Register VME WA23–22 res IACK res AM4 AM2 AM1 8151h
VME Interrupt State Reg IRQ7 IRQ6 IRQ5 IRQ4 IRQ3 IRQ2 IRQ1 MSGR 8152h
VME Interrupt Enable Reg IRQ7 IRQ6 IRQ5 IRQ4 IRQ3 IRQ2 IRQ1 MSGR 8153h
VME Event State Register 1 1 1 1 WDT ACFA BERR SYSF 8154h
VME Event Enable Register 1 1 1 1 WDT ACFA BERR SYSF 8155h
Module Status/Control Reg DONE AS DS0 DS1 res res FWDT ENRE 8156h
Interrupt Generator Register 1 1 1 1 0 INTERRUPT-OUT 815Fh
FSA7–0 Address Register Flash/SRAM address bits 7–0 8380h
FS A15–8 Address Register Flash/SRAM address bits 15–8 8381h
FS A19–16 Address Register reserved Flash/SRAM address bits 19–16 8382h
Flash Data Register 8383h
SRAM Data Register 8384h
LED Register TSEN LED6 LED5 LED4 LED3 LED2 LED1 LED0 8385h

Memory Control Register (81004h)


Memory Control Register reserved EVME CDEN

This register contains two control bits that pertain to the DRAM and the flash memory:
EVME If set, allows E page (0E0000h) access to and from the VMEbus. This is
necessary because the Phoenix BIOS occupies the memory region 0E0000h ~
0FFFFF at POST. When POST is complete and just before INT 19, this bit is
set to allow VME access.

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Appendix C: Registers

CDEN If set, the flash memory is accessible. If clear, writes to the flash data register
have no effect and reads from it return an unpredictable value.

VME A21–16 Address Register (8130h)


VME A21–16 Address Reg VMEbus address bits 21–16 res res

When an access is performed by the EPC-6A in its “E page” (address range 0E0000–
0EFFFF), the access is mapped onto the VMEbus. The least-significant sixteen of the
VME address bits are provided directly (from the 486DX2), and the remaining 8 (for an
A24 access) bits must come from somewhere else. Six of them come from this register. Bit
7 of this register is used as VME address bit 21, bit 6 as VME address bit 20, ..., and bit 2
as VME address bit 16.
The two low-order bits are reserved RAM bits. On writes, assign them the value 0. For
compatibility with EPC-1, this register is aliased at I/O port addresses 8132, 8134, and 8136.

ID Registers (8140h and 8141h)


ID Register, lower 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0

ID Register, upper 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1

This read-only register adheres to the VXIbus specification. It defines the EPC-6A as a
message-based device and the manufacturer as RadiSys Corporation.

Device Type Registers (8142h and 8143h)


Device Type Reg, lower 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0

Device Type Reg, upper 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1

This register adheres to the VXIbus specification. The first four bits of the upper half
denote that the EPC-6A maps into a 4 MB range in the A24 space when used as a slave.
The remaining ROM bits define the EPC-6A as having a model code of 4044.

Status/Control Registers (8144h and 8145h)


Status/Control Reg, lower SRIE RELM ARBPRI RDY PASS NOSF RSTP

Status/Control Reg, upper SLE 1 SYSR SYSF ARBM 1 1 1

This register adheres to the VXIbus specification and also contains EPC-6A specific bits.
SRIE SYSRESET input enable. If set, assertion of VME SYSRESET generates a
reset of the EPC-6A. One use of this bit is having EPC-6A software reset other
VME devices (via bit SYSR) without resetting the EPC-6A.
RELM Bus release mode. If set, the bus release mode is ROR (release on request);
otherwise it is the VXI RONR “fair requester” mode (request on no request).
Altering this bit via the VME-mapped location of this register has no effect.

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ARBPRI Arbitration priority. This defines the level at which theEPC-6A arbitrates for
the VMEbus.
This value... Means...
11 3
10 2
01 1
00 0

Like for RELM, altering this field via the VME-mapped location of this
register has no effect.
RDY This is a RAM bit defined by the VXI specification. In a VXIbus software
environment, if RDY=1 and PASS=1, the EPC-6A is ready to accept VXI-
defined messages. The VMEbus user needn’t be concerned with this and the
next bit.
PASS This is a RAM bit defined by the VXI specification. If set (1), the EPC-6A
completed its selftest successfully.
NOSF SYSFAIL inhibit. If set, the EPC-6A cannot assert the VME SYSFAIL line.
RSTP Reset EPC. Setting this bit resets the EPC-6A.
SLE Slave enable. If set, the EPC-6A responds to certain A24 accesses on the
VMEbus.
SYSR SYSRESET. The EPC-6A asserts the VME SYSRESET line while this bit is
1. When using this bit, it is software’s responsibility to ensure that the VME
specified minimum assertion time of SYSRESET is met.
SYSF SYSFAIL. The EPC-6A asserts the VME SYSFAIL line while this bit is
0 (zero). (The polarity of the bit is reversed from that of SYSRESET so that an
EPC-6A reset—which clears this bit—causes SYSFAIL to be asserted until the
BIOS stores a 1 in this bit.)
ARBM Arbitration mode. This bit is pertinent only if the EPC-6A is jumpered to be the
VMEbus system controller. If set, the EPC-6A is a priority arbiter; otherwise
it is a round-robin arbiter. Like for RELM, altering this field via the VME-
mapped location of this register has no effect.

Slave Offset Registers (8146h and 9147H)


Slave Offset Reg, lower 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Slave Offset Reg, upper 0 0 0 1 1 1 SLAVE BASE

SLAVE BASE defines the base address of the EPC-6A’s memory in the VMEbus A24
address space as follows: 00 – 000000, 01 – 400000, 10 – 800000, 11 – C00000.

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Appendix C: Registers

Protocol Registers (8148h and 8149h)


Protocol Register, lower 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Protocol Register, upper 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1

This read-only register is defined by the VXIbus specification. In VXI systems, it defines
the EPC-6A as being a servant and commander, having no signal register, being a bus
master, and not providing fast handshake mode.

Response Registers (814Ah and 814Bh)


Response Register, lower LOCK 1 ABMH 1 1 ULA

Response Register, upper 0 0 0 0 1 RRDY WRDY 1

With the exception of LOCK, this register is defined by the VXIbus specification. It
contains control bits associated with the message registers.
LOCK If set, the message register can be locked for the sending of a message. If clear,
the message register is locked.
ABMH This bit is cleared when the message high register is read or written. It serves
as a location monitor for determining whether a message is 16 or 32 bits in
length.
ULAULA Unique logical address. This determines the base of the registers in the
VMEbus A16 space. 0 denotes FE00, 1 denotes FE40, 2 denotes FE80, 3
denotes FEC0, 4 denotes FF00, 5 denotes FF40, 6 denotes FF80, and 7 denotes
FFC0.
RRDY Read ready. As defined by VXI, a 1 denotes that the message registers contain
outgoing data to be read by another device. RRDY is cleared when the message
low register is read.
WRDY Write ready. If set, the message registers are armed for an incoming message.
When a write occurs into the message-low register, WRDY is cleared and the
MSGR interrupt condition is asserted.
Although the intention is that the message register reads and writes that clear WRDY and
RRDY come from another VMEbus processor, accesses to the message register as mapped
into the EPC-6A’s I/O space also have the same effect.
When the response register is read from the VMEbus, the current value of the register is
read, and then LOCK is cleared. The protocol for sending a message to the EPC-6A, if
there are multiple potential senders, is the following. The sender first reads the response
register. If both WRDY and LOCK are 1, he may then proceed to send the message. For a
16-bit message, the sender writes into the message-low register. For a 32-bit message, he
writes first into the message-high register and then the message-low register.

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Message High Registers (814Ch and 814Dh)


Message High Reg, lower

Message High Reg, upper


This register is an extension of the following register for 32-bit messages. An access to
this register clears flag ABMH in the response register.

Message Low Registers 814Eh and 814Fh)


Message Low Reg, lower

Message Low Reg, upper


This register is typically used as an incoming message register by doing a D16 write into it
from the VMEbus (this register, as are many others, are mapped into the VMEbus A16
address space, as discussed later).

VME Modifier Register (8151h)


VME Modifier Register VME WA23–22 res IACK res AM4 AM2 AM1

This register is also used when the EPC-6A makes an access through its E page to the
VMEbus. Bits 7 and 6 provide VME address bits A23 and A22, respectively. Bits 2–0
define the value placed on the associated VMEbus address-modifier lines. Register bits
are not defined for the VMEbus address-modifier AM3 and AM0 lines since, for all
defined address-modifier values in the VMEbus specification, AM3 is 1 and AM0 is the
inverse of AM1. Therefore these two bit values are generated by hardware.
AMx These bits drive the VME address-modifier lines AM4, AM2, and AM1. The
other three VME address-modifier lines are generated automatically: AM5 and
AM3 are always 1 and AM0 is always the inverse of AM1. Thus these three
register bits correspond to the following VMEbus functions:
000 A16 non-privileged access
001 reserved
010 A16 supervisory access
011 reserved
100 A24 non-privileged data access
101 A24 non-privileged program access
110 A24 supervisory data access
111 A24 supervisory program access
IACK This bit, when set, is used to define the VMEbus access as an interrupt
acknowledge cycle. The interrupt being acknowledged must be
encoded by software as a value on VME address lines A1–A3.

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Appendix C: Registers

For compatibility with other EPCs, when writing to this register assign 0 to reserved bit 5
and 1 to reserved bit 3.

VME Interrupt State Register (8152h)


VME Interrupt State Reg IRQ7 IRQ6 IRQ5 IRQ4 IRQ3 IRQ2 IRQ1 MSGR

This read-only register defines the state of the VMEbus and message interrupts.
IRQx If clear (0), the associated VMEbus interrupt line is asserted.
MSGR If clear (0), a message interrupt is being signalled. MSGR is clear if both of bits
RRDY and WRDY in the response register are clear.

VME Interrupt Enable Register (8153h)


VME Interrupt Enable Reg IRQ7 IRQ6 IRQ5 IRQ4 IRQ3 IRQ2 IRQ1 MSGR

This is a mask of the interrupt conditions in the interrupt state register. A 1 denotes that the
corresponding interrupt is enabled. If any bit in this register is a 1 and the corresponding
bit in the interrupt state register is a 0, the EPC-6A IRQ10 interrupt is asserted. Software
may then examine the interrupt and event state registers to determine the cause.

VME Event State Register (8154h)


VME Event State Register 1 1 1 1 WDT ACFA BERR SYSF

Similar to the interrupt state register, this register defines additional conditions that may
result in an IRQ10 interrupt. If the bit is 0, the condition is present.
WDT The EPC-6A’s watchdog timer’s period has expired.
ACFA VMEbus ACFAIL is asserted.
BERR An access from the EPC-6A to the VMEbus was terminated with a BERR (bus
error).
SYSF VMEbus SYSFAIL is asserted.
All bits are read-only except BERR. BERR is a sticky bit that is cleared whenever an
access from the EPC-6A is terminated by a bus error, and remains clear (0) unless changed
by software (by writing any value to this register).

VME Event Enable Register (8155h)


VME Event Enable Register 1 1 1 1 WDT ACFA BERR SYSF

This is a mask of the interrupt conditions in the event state register. A 1 denotes that the
corresponding event is enabled as an interrupt. If any bit in this register is a 1 and the
corresponding bit in the event state register is a 0, the EPC-6A IRQ10 interrupt is asserted.
Software may then examine the interrupt and event state registers to determine the cause.

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

Module Status/Control Register (8156h)


Module Status/Control Reg DONE AS DS0 DS1 res res FWDT ENRE

This register contains miscellaneous status and control bits.


DONE This read-only bit is 0 whenever the EPC-6A has a VMEbus access
outstanding. It is used for determining when a pipelined VMEbus write is
complete.
AS This read-only bit is 1 whenever the VMEbus AS (address strobe) signal is
asserted. It may be used for bus monitoring.
DS0 This read-only bit is 1 whenever the VMEbus DS0 (data strobe) signal is
asserted. It may be used for bus monitoring.
DS1 This read-only bit is 1 whenever the VMEbus DS1 (data strobe) signal is
asserted. It may be used for bus monitoring.
FWDT Fast watchdog timer. If clear, the period of the watchdog timer is
approximately 8 seconds. If set, the period is approximately 250 ms.
A write to the module status/control register also has a side effect of resetting the
watchdog timer. Therefore, if you are using the watchdog timer, the intention is that you
are required to write to this register within the defined period of the timer to prevent its
generating an interrupt or reset.

Interrupt Generator Register (815Fh)


Interrupt Generator Register 1 1 1 1 0 INTERRUPT-OUT

This register is used to assert one of the VMEbus interrupt signals. If the
INTERRUPT-OUT bits are zero, no interrupt line is asserted by the EPC-6A. If set to 001,
IRQ1 is asserted. If set to 010, IRQ2 is asserted, and so on. If and when an interrupt
acknowledge is sent to the EPC-6A, the INTERRUPT-OUT bits are cleared.
You can also deassert a previously asserted interrupt by writing 0 into the register.

FSA Address Registers 8380h)


FSA7–0 Address Register Flash/SRAM address bits 7–0

FS A15–8 Address Register Flash/SRAM address bits 15–8

FS A19–16 Address Register reserved Flash/SRAM address bits 19–16

These read/write registers specify the address of the byte to be accessed within the flash or
SRAM array when the data register is accessed. Since the SRAM has software support for
only 32 KB, the 15 low-order address bits are pertinent to it.

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Appendix C: Registers

Flash Data Register (8383h)


Flash Data Register

This read/write register is used to access the byte in the flash memory array addressed by
the FS address registers. A read returns the value of the addressed byte if bit CDEN in the
memory control register is set; otherwise the read returns an unpredictable value. A write
to this register writes to the addressed byte if bit CDEN is set and if the flash write-protect
jumper is not installed on the board.

SRAM Data Register 8384h)


SRAM Data Register

This read/write register is used to access the byte in the nonvolatile SRAM array
addressed by the FS address register. The BIOS and ROM DOS use the upper 2 KB of the
SRAM array to communicate error messages to the setup program. Thus the user should
consider the SRAM as a 30 KB array.

LED Register (8385h)


LED Register TSEN LED6 LED5 LED4 LED3 LED2 LED1 LED0

The LED register is a read/write register that controls the seven-segment display and reset
toggle switch on the front panel.
TLEDx These bits control the segments of the LED
LED0
seven-segment display as shown to the right. The

LED1
LED5
segment is lit when the corresponding bit is 0.
TSEN This bit controls both the decimal point on the LED LED6
display and the front-panel toggle switch. When the

LED2
LED4

bit is 0, the decimal point is lit and the front-panel


switch is disabled. This bit can be used to prevent an LED3
inadvertent reset from the front-panel switch. TSEN

Register State after Reset


A hardware reset of the EPC-6A (not a keyboard CTRL+ALT+DEL reset) clears all of the
register bits to 0, except for RELM, ARBM, ARBPRI, TSEN, and the registers at ports
8130 and 8151, which may be in an undefined state. (All bits, however, are cleared by a
power-on reset.)
The above is not apparent, however, because the BIOS initialization sequence stores
values in these register fields, largely as a result of the nonvolatile configuration
information specified in the setup screen.
The BIOS clears the interrupt and event enable registers.

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Index

A C
A16 28 Cache 25
A24 23, 55 CMOS RAM 10, 30
ACFAIL 26, 59 error 35
Address modifier 23, 25, 58 COM1 31, 46
Address strobe 60 COM2 31, 46
Altitude 1 Commander 57
Arbitration mode 56 Configuration information 10
Arbitration priority 56 Configuration registers 28
Coprocessor 29
B Current 1
Backplane jumpers 7
Battery D
cell type 30 D32 access 24, 32
failure 35 Daisy chain 7
header 5 Data strobe 60
holder 30 Device type register 55
life 30 Disk 10
removal 30 DRAM parity error 31
replacement 30
BERR 24, 25, 26, 32, 59 E
Big endian 24 E page 23, 55, 58
BIOS EPC-1 24, 55
force update flash recovery process defined 49 EPControl 11
initialization 9–?? EXM
use of SRAM 30, 61 bus 31
Block transfer cycles 25 configuration error 35
Boot Block insertion 7
description of the FBD 47 types 7
reflashing the 50 EXM configuration error 9
Boot device 10 EXM-3 7
Bus arbiter 32 EXM-9 7
Bus error 59 EXMbus 31
Bus grant 45 EXMID signal 31
Bus Manager 24, 27
Bus monitoring 60
F
Bus release 55
Bus timeout 32, 45 Fast handshake mode 57
bus timeout 5 Flash Boot Device
Byte ordering 24 boot block description 47
flash recovery commands defined 50
functional description 47
recovery process defined 49

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

reflashing processes defined 49 Lock 57


reflashing the 47 LOCK instruction prefix 25, 26
Flash memory loop. See internal loop.
access protection 61
address registers 60 M
booting from 10 Master LED 45
components 30 Memory control register 54, 61
data register 61 Message high register 57, 58
jumper 5 Message interrupt 59
write protection 5 Message low register 57, 58
write-protect jumper 61 Message protocol 57
Front-panel indicators 12 Message register 57
Front-panel switch 12, 13 Message-based device 55
FS address registers 60 Model code 55
Module status/control register 60
H Module status/control register 31
Hardware reset 12, 61 mouse 8
Humidity 1 MS-DOS 10, 13
MSGR interrupt 57, 59
I
I/O space map 19 N
IACK daisy chain 32 NMI 31
ID register 55 non-warranty service 42
Initialization sequence 9
internal loop. See loop. P
Interrupt P1 connector 46
acknowledge 7, 27, 60 PC/AT I/O bus 31
acknowledge 58 peripherals 8
assignments 31 Pipelined write 24, 60
handler 26–?? Power 1
IRQ10 31, 59 Priority arbiter 56
IRQ11 13, 31 Protocol register 57
message 57, 59
MSGR 57, 59
R
register 59, 60
Interrupt generator register 27 Read ready 57
IRQ10 interrupt 26, 59 Real time clock error 35
IRQ11 interrupt 13, 31 Reflashing
flash recovery commands defined 50
flash recovery process defined 49
J
flash recovery serial connection 49
J1 connector 32 Release on request 55
Jumpers 5, 7, 45 repair 41
Request on no request 55
K Reset 56
keyboard 8 Reset disabled indicator 12
keyboard connector 46 Reset switch 12, 13, 61
Response register 28, 57, 59
L RMA number 43
LED register 61 RMW cycle 25
LEDs 12, 32 ROM DOS interaction 11
Little endian 24 RONR 55
Location monitor 57 ROR 55

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Index

Round-robin arbitration 56 TOD clock 30, 35


Toggle switch 13, 31, 61
S
Self accesses 25 U
Selftest ULA 28, 57
codes displayed 35
failure codes 12 V
PASS LED 56 Vibration 1
Serial port video 8
cap 8 VME A21-16 address register 55
ESD shield 8 VME event enable register 26, 59
header 46 VME event state register 59
terminal 11 VME event state register 26
Serial port VME interrupt enable register 26, 59
connector 46 VME interrupt generator register 60
Servant 57 VME interrupt state register 26, 59
Setup program 7, 10, 11, 30 VME mapped registers 28
Seven-segment display VME modifier register 27, 58
decimal point 12, 61 VMEbus
failure codes 35 accesses 23
register 61 address modifier 58
usage during initialization 9 address pipelining 32
Seven-segment display addressing 1
purposes 12 arbiter 1
Shock 1 connector 32, 46
Signal register 57 interrupt handler 1, 26–??
Slave 25, 32 interrupte 1
Slave access 45 interrupter 27
Slave enable 56 jumpers 7
Slave LED 45 master data transfer 1
Slave offset register 56 monitoring 60
Slot 1 5 pipelined write 60
Speaker header 5, 45 requester 1
SRAM RMW 25
address registers 60 slave access 25
BIOS usage of 30 slave data transfer 1
data register 61 specifications 1
memory 30 system controller 1, 32
SRAM BIOS usage of 61 timing 33
Status/control register 55 write 24, 60
Status/ID value 27 VXI
SYSCLK 5, 32 register 28, 55, 57
SYSFAIL 26, 32, 56, 59
SYSFAIL 45
W
SYSFAIL inhibit 56
SYSRESET 12, 56 warranty repair 42
SYSRESET input enable 55 Watchdog timer 27, 31, 59, 60
System controller 5, 32, 45, 56 WPRT bit 25
Write pipelining 32
Write ready 57
T
Technical Support
X
world wide web access 41
Temperature 1 Xmodem

65

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EPC-6A Hardware Reference

use of for self-hosted reflashing 50

66

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