__________________ CONTENTS Using Clocks Using a Bridgeboard with an Amiga 2000 Using a File System Other than the Original Amiga File System or the Fast File System Connecting Additional SCSI Devices to Your System (Daisy-Chaining) Removing Autoboot ROMs from a Supra SCSI Interface Grounding an Amiga 1000 Computer's PAL Chips __________________ USING CLOCKS Amiga 500 and 2000 Amiga 500 computers with RAM/clock boards and Amiga 2000 computers include two clocks: a system (software) clock, which is reset each time the computer is booted, and a battery backed-up (hardware) clock, which keeps working even when the computer is turned off. If the SetClock Opt Load command is in your start-up sequence, the system clock will automatically be set to the time in the battery backed-up clock when your system boots. SetClock Opt Load is included as a comment in the start-up sequence that came with your SupraDrive. To cause your system to recognize this command, remove the leading semi-colon (;) from the command line. The SupraDrive Operator's Manual explains how to change a start-up sequence. Amiga 1000 Your SupraDrive comes with two programs that are related to the battery backed-up real-time clock that is built into the Supra SCSI Interface for the Amiga 1000. The ClockSet program lets you set the date and time in the SupraDrive's clock. It works the same way as the date and time utilities in the Preferences window. To use it, simply click on the ClockSet icon to start the program. Then click on the item you want to change (day, month, year, hours, minutes, or seconds), and adjust the value with the up and down arrows. When you are finished, click on SAVE. The ReadClock program sets the Amiga's system clock and calendar to the date and time in the SupraDrive's battery backed-up clock. Typically, you won't need to run this program, because the start-up sequence automatically executes it when you boot your system. If you change the start-up sequence, you will probably want to retain the ReadClock command. Because AmigaDOS assigns a low priority to its system-level time/date commands, the Amiga clock may lag behind the SupraDrive clock if the ReadClock command is not near the end of the start-up sequence. You can eliminate the use of one clock by changing your start-up sequence so it only includes the command for the clock you want to use. The ReadClock command lets you use the SupraDrive's clock. The start-up sequence that came with your SupraDrive contains ReadClock. If the SupraDrive clock is not present, an error will not occur. The SupraDrive Operator's Manual explains how to change a start-up sequence. __________________ USING A BRIDGEBOARD WITH AN AMIGA 2000 There are at least three issues you should consider if you plan to use an Amiga BridgeboardŽ with your Amiga 2000: ­ You may want to create a "virtual disk" -- especially if you don't have version 2.0 or higher Bridgeboard software. This section describes how to create a virtual disk. ­ If you have version 2.0 or higher Bridgeboard software, you may want to specify the file system to be used on Bridgeboard partitions. To learn how to do this, refer to the information in the Docs folder on using a file system other than the original Amiga file system or the Fast File System. ­ If you use a Fast File System partition to mount the Bridgeboard or a Bridgeboard virtual disk, you must change the memory mask for those partitions to 0. To do this, use SupraEdit, described in the SupraDrive Operator's Manual. NOTE -- The information in this section pertains to the first release of the Janus Library software and the 2088 XT-compatible Bridgeboard. It is subject to change with enhanced (version 2.0) Bridgeboard software and/or the release of the AT-compatible Bridgeboard. If you have a Bridgeboard and you don't have a hard disk controller and drive on the PC side of your system, you'll probably want to create a "virtual disk" on your SupraDrive. You'll need to use CLI commands to do this. For your convenience, the rest of this section provides general guidelines for creating a virtual disk. If you have specific questions about creating virtual disks or using your Bridgeboard, you should address them to Commodore-Amiga. A virtual disk is an area on an AmigaDOS partition that the Bridgeboard can use as an MS-DOS disk. Creating one will give you the same benefits for your MS-DOS work that your SupraDrive gives your AmigaDOS work: more room for your files, faster access to your files, and elimination of the need to constantly switch floppy disks. The following must be true for a virtual disk to be created: ­ Both the partition from which the Bridgeboard software is mounted and the partition that is to hold the virtual disk must use either the original Amiga file system or the Fast File System. ­ If a Fast File System partition is used for either mounting the Bridgeboard or holding the virtual disk, that partition's memory mask must be set to 0 in the SupraEdit program. Before creating the virtual disk, prepare your system so the virtual disk will be usable automatically when you reboot. With both your Amiga and Bridgeboard booted, do the following: 1. Make sure the JDISK.SYS and JLINK.COM are on your MS-DOS system disk. 2. Add the following line to the config.sys file: DEVICE = JDISK.SYS 3. Save the config.sys file. 4. Reboot MS-DOS on the Bridgeboard by simultaneously pressing the Control, Alt, and Del keys. 5. For each virtual disk you plan to create, add a line to the autoexec.bat file in the following form, where dhX: is the ID of the partition to hold the virtual disk, and pc_file is the name of the virtual disk: JLINK c: dhX:pc_file Note that c: will appear as an MS-DOS partition and that eachdhX:pc_file will appear as a file on your SupraDrive. Then, to create a virtual disk, perform the following steps: 1. On the Amiga side, run the program called PCDisk that came with your Bridgeboard software. 2. On the Bridgeboard side, run the JLINK program as follows, where dhX: is the ID of the partition that holds the virtual disk and pc_file is the name of the virtual disk: JLINK c:dhX:pc_file \c:100000 The 100000 in this command line represents the size of the virtual disk, in bytes. Your virtual disk is usable immediately and available automatically when you reboot your system. __________________ USING A FILE SYSTEM OTHER THAN THE ORIGINAL AMIGA FILE SYSTEM OR THE FAST FILE SYSTEM If you want to use a file system other than the original Amiga file system or FastFileSystem, you must do the following: 1. Be sure you get ALL of the following from the vendor supplying the file system: ­ the file system itself ­ a device driver for the file system (if required) ­ the appropriate CLI Mount command for the file system ­ instructions on how to install the file system 2. Using SupraFormat (explained in the SupraDrive Operator's Manual) do the following: a. Partition your drive and set partition information as necessary. b. For each partition you want to have use an alternative file system, set the partition flag to SKIP. 3. Install the file system according to the instructions provided by the file system vendor. If the file system uses Commodore's hard block structures, use SupraEdit (explained in the SupraDrive Operator's Manual) to specify the file system. If you have questions about the installation, contact the file system vendor. Due to the variety of file systems potentially available and the intricacies of each, Supra Technical Support cannot explain how to install each possible file system. For more information on file systems, refer to the Enhancer Software Featuring AmigaDOS Version 1.3 manual. __________________ CONNECTING ADDITIONAL DEVICES TO YOUR SYSTEM (DAISY- CHAINING) You can attach additional Small Computer Standard Interface (SCSI) devices to your system by plugging them into the back of your external SupraDrive or Amiga 2000 interface. This practice is sometimes called "daisy-chaining." The SCSI devices you might connect include laser printers, Bernoulli boxes, optical disk drives, streaming tape drives, and other disk drives. (Note that to use these devices you must also have appropriate supporting software from the device manufacturer.) Before daisy-chaining SCSI devices, first make sure that each device you plan to include in your daisy chain functions properly by itself, and then make sure that all the devices have SCSI numbers and LUNs that will work. Making Sure Your Devices Have SCSI Numbers and LUNs That Will Work What Interfaces, Controllers, and Disk Drive Are In addition to the Supra SCSI Interface, every SupraDrive includes the drive itself and a controller to run the drive. Note the important distinction between an interface and a controller. An interface allows a controller and drive (on the one side) to connect to a specific computer (on the other side), and a controller actually controls the disk drive. For an external SupraDrive, the interface is in one case, and the drive and controller are inside the second case. The controller is either a small card attached to the drive or built into the drive. For an internal SupraDrive, all the SupraDrive components are inside the computer. The interface is one card, and the controller either is a small card attached to the interface or it is built into the disk drive. What SCSI Numbers and LUNs Are Each drive and each controller has its own identification number -- SCSI numbers represent the controllers, and logical unit numbers (LUNs) represent the drives. You can have as many as seven SCSI controllers, numbered from SCSI 0 to SCSI 6. (In Supra systems, SCSI 7 is reserved). You can also have either one or two devices connected to each controller (the specific controller determines the number of devices that can be connected). If you have one device connected to a controller, the device is LUN 0; if you have two devices connected to a single controller, the devices are LUN 0 and LUN 1, depending on the plug they are attached to. Determining Your Devices' SCSI Numbers and LUNs When shipped, SupraDrives are configured as follows: ­ SupraDrive hard disks are SCSI device 0, and add-on SupraDrive hard disks are SCSI device 2. (An add-on SupraDrive is one that is shipped from Supra to be used as a second (or third) peripheral in a daisy-chain. You do not have an add-on SupraDrive unless you specifically requested one.) ­ All SupraDrives are set to LUN 0. If a device you want to connect is made by another company, refer to the product manuals or contact the company to learn what the product's SCSI number and LUN are. Do You Need to Change Your Devices' SCSI Numbers or LUNs? LUNs It is very unlikely you will need to change your LUN numbers. If you think you need to change a LUN number on a Supra product, please contact Supra Technical Support for assistance. SCSI Numbers For more than one SCSI device to be connected to the same system, each device must have its own SCSI number. For example, if you want to connect two SupraDrives, you'll need to be sure they aren't both set to be SCSI 0. If they are, you'll need to change one of their SCSI numbers. If all the devices you want to use have different SCSI numbers, you can skip the next few sections and simply connect the devices as described later in this section. If any of the devices you want to use have the same SCSI device number, you need to change the SCSI number of one of them. The next section explains how to do this. Changing a SCSI Device Number There are different ways to change a SupraDrive's SCSI device number, depending on type of drive. ­ If your drive has a SCSI device number selector on its case that allows you to select a number between 0 and 7, you can simply change the drive's SCSI number by turning off your system, using the SCSI device number selector to select the desired SCSI number, and then rebooting your system. ­ If your drive does not have this switch, follow the steps below. ­ If you have an internal SupraDrive, follow the steps below, but ignore the instructions for removing and then replacing the SupraDrive case. If you want to change a SCSI device number on a device made by another company, get instructions from that company and follow them carefully. The rest of this section explains how to change a SCSI device number on a SupraDrive that does not have a SCSI device number selector on its case. We recommend reading the entire procedure before actually performing the steps. 1. Get a Phillips screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers, and make sure the SupraDrive you're going to change is UNPLUGGED and NOT CONNECTED to a computer. If you have an internal SupraDrive, remove the interface, controller, and hard disk from the computer. 2. Find the label on your SupraDrive that says what brand of drive mechanism it uses. Some of the possible drive mechanisms are Miniscribe, Rodime, Seagate, Xebec, Quantum, and Konica. 3. Note that the following files (and possibly others) came with your SupraDrive. Both files contain pictures of the controllers for the different drive mechanisms used in SupraDrives. Controller_1.pic Controller_2.pic 4. Use CLImate to look at the files and find the picture of your drive's controller, as follows: a. Open the Supra drawer. b. Click on the CLImate icon. c. Select the drive that holds the Supra drawer. d. Open the Supra drawer, and then open the pics drawer. e. Click on the the Showpic gadget. f. Select the file you want to look at, and the file will open. g. Look for your controller's picture. h. If the picture is not in the first file, press the left mouse button to close the first file, and then look at the second file. g. You probably want to leave the file that contains your controller's picture open until you are done changing your SCSI device number. When you're done looking at the file (now or later), press the left mouse button to close it. h. When you're ready to quit CLImate, click on Quit. 5. If you have an external SupraDrive: Unscrew the screws that hold the SupraDrive case together, and then carefully remove the top part of the case, being careful not to pull the indicator lights out of the front of the case. Set the case top down on the table. Inside the case, you'll see the drive mechanism. If you have an internal SupraDrive: Skip this step. 6. If you have an external SupraDrive: You'll see at least one circuit board mounted on top of the drive mechanism. The circuit board that is on the very top is the connector board. Note: As you remove the connector board, pay attention to how it attaches. You'll need to replace it later. Unscrew the screws that hold the connector board to the components underneath it, and, without unplugging any cables, carefully remove the connector board and set it aside. If you have an internal SupraDrive: Skip this step. 7. Locate the drive's controller as follows. If you have an external SupraDrive: The controller is on top of the drive. If you have an internal SupraDrive: The controller is either a small board mounted on the SupraSCSI Interface, or it is built into the hard disk (meaning you have an integrated drive). If you have an integrated drive and you have a hard card that doesn't allow you access to the drive's controller, remove the drive from the interface. 8. Compare the controller with the picture of the controller. Move the SupraDrive as necessary so you can look at the picture and controller from the same perspective. 9. Find the SCSI selector marked in the picture, and then find the actual SCSI selector on your drive's controller. The SCSI selector is a "header." The actual number of pins may vary between six and sixteen. The SCSI device number is determined by the location of rectangular "jumpers" that connect the header's pins. 10. Set the SCSI device number by placing jumper(s) across pins as shown below. (You might need to use needle nose pliers to do this.) If you need more jumpers, you can get them from a local dealer. Note that each jumper covers two header pins. To help you determine which set of two pins to use, the sets are labeled in the tables below and in the diagrams in the files. To create the diagram, a colon ( : ) is used to represent a set of open pins. A bar ( | ) represents set of pins that have been jumped. SCSI # Pins 1 2 3 0 : : : 1 | : : 2 : | : 3 | | : 4 : : | 5 | : | 6 : | | 7 | | | 11. If you have an external SupraDrive: Replace the connector board you removed earlier (in step 6), and replace the SupraDrive case top. If you have an internal SupraDrive: If you removed the drive from the interface, replace it. 12. You're done changing the SCSI device number. Now you can connect your system as described in the next section. Connecting the Devices To connect additional devices, follow the steps below. Note that no matter how many devices you connect, you need only one Supra SCSI Interface. 1. Make sure your computer and all the devices you plan to connect to it are turned off. 2. Install your SupraDrive as described in the SupraDrive Operator's Manual. 3. Plug your second device into the SCSI port on the back of the SupraDrive or Supra SCSI Interface. 4. If the second device has a SCSI output port, you can connect a third SCSI device to the second. If you want to, you can continue daisy-chaining devices until you have seven devices connected to your system. 5. Connect all the devices to power. 6. Note that you may need to change any assignments you've made using the Assign command to correctly reflect your new setup. (Remember that changing the SCSI ID numbers can affect the start- up sequence.) The SupraDrive Operator's Manual explains how to use the Assign command and the start-up sequence. If you have problems, try the following: 1. Make sure all your cables and connections are complete and secure. 2. Note that for some devices, the order in which the devices are connected affects the order in which the devices must be powered up. Due to the large number of possible device combinations, Supra Technical Support is not able to tell you what order will work for your devices. To determine which order will work for you, experiment. 3. Consider changing a devices' "termination," although this is a rare problem. Unfortunately, due to the large number of device combinations available, Supra Technical Support is not able to tell you how termination should be set for your daisy-chain. If you suspect termination might be the problem, please contact your dealer for assistance. __________________ REMOVING AUTOBOOT ROMS FROM A SUPRA SCSI INTERFACE If you have an autoboot ROM in your Supra SCSI Interface and you don't have a Kickstart 1.3 (or later) ROM in your computer, you must add a Kickstart 1.3 ROM to your computer or remove the autoboot ROM from your interface. To determine if you have a Kickstart 1.3 ROM, boot your Amiga without a hard disk connected to your system. If your Amiga asks for Workbench 1.3, you do have a Kickstart 1.3 ROM. If it asks for Workbench 1.2, you don't have a Kickstart 1.3 ROM. If you don't have a Kickstart 1.3 ROM and your system won't boot when your hard disk is connected (and your screen stays blank), you have an autoboot ROM in your interface. Contact your dealer to obtain a Kickstart 1.3 ROM, or, to remove the Supra Autoboot ROM from your Supra SCSI Interface, perform the following steps. (On request, Supra Technical Support will provide a printed version of these steps that includes pictures to help you locate the ROMs.) 1. Disconnect all power from your system. 2. If you have an Amiga 500: a. Unplug the Supra SCSI Interface from your computer and remove the top of the Supra SCSI Interface case. b. If you have a RAM board attached to your Supra SCSI Interface, remove the RAM board. If you have an Amiga 2000: Open the Amiga 2000 computer case, disconnect any wires that are connected to the Supra SCSI Interface (or hard card), and remove the interface (or hard card) from the computer. 3. Use a small (1/8" wide), flat screwdriver to gently lift the Supra Autoboot ROM off of the Supra SCSI Interface. Set the autoboot ROM aside. 4. If you have an Amiga 500: a. Replace the Supra SCSI Interface (and RAM board) in the interface case, close the case, and fasten down the case top. b. Reconnect your system, and your system is ready to use. If you have an Amiga 2000: a. Replace the Supra SCSI Interface (or hard card) in the computer and reconnect any wires you disconnected in step 2. b. Replace the computer case top and plug your computer in. Your system is ready to use. __________________ GROUNDING AN AMIGA 1000 COMPUTER'S PAL CHIPS If you have an Amiga 1000 and either you get read/write errors or you can't use a RAM board with your Supra SCSI Interface, you may need to ground the PAL chips on your Amiga 1000 computer's daughterboard. (This problem sometimes shows up only when the Fast File System is used.) Note that Commodore-Amiga does not endorse this solution, but many users have found it to solve the problem. WARNING -- If you are unfamiliar with electronics assembly, have a dealer ground the PAL chips. To make the change, follow the instructions below. (On request, Supra Technical Support will provide a printed version of these steps that includes pictures to help you locate components.) 1. Get a 16 gauge (or greater) wire or wire braid. 2. Disconnect power from your computer. 3. Open the computer case. 4. Locate the PAL chips and capacitor -- they're on top of the daughterboard inside the Amiga and labeled J, K, L, and N. 5. Connect and ground the PAL chips as follows: a. Use wire to connect the PAL chips' pin 10s. First, connect pin 10 on PAL J to pin 10 on PAL K. Then do the same for the other PAL chips until the PAL chips are connected (J connected to K connected to L connected to N). b. To ground the PAL chips, run a wire from pin 10 on PAL J to the negative end of the capacitor, and then run a wire from the negative end of the capacitor to the screw next to the 6 label on the computer's motherboard (or to any other solid ground point on the motherboard). 6. Close the computer case, reconnect the power, and try using your system. If you continue to have problems, contact your dealer or Supra Technical Support for assistance.