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Thunder K8W (S2885) FAQ Updated 08/02/04
- Where do I get Linux RAID Drivers for the embedded Silicon Image SATA?
Click on the link below for your OS -
RedHat 9.0 32bit edition
RedHat EL 3.0 for AMD64 Workstation
SuSE 9.0 AMD64
Note: All of these drivers REQUIRE
the motherboard BIOS to set the Serial ATA Option ROM to RAID See Here:
For IDE mode it is usually necessary to update your system to the latest kernel available (2.6.3 or higher is recommended)
For SuSE 9.0 we recommend using the
SUSE 9.0 Patch CD for installation.
- Why doesn't the BIOS (Option ROM) for PCI device, such as SCSI card, show during boot?
The root cause is that, in order to be PC Compatible, the Option ROM space is limited to 128k. This is true for any motherboard with a PC Compatible BIOS.
Every device that uses an Option ROM or "initialization code" to run during boot will occupy some of this 128k of memory. Some cards can use up to 64k, leaving only
64k remaining for other devices. SCSI, PXE, RAID, etc. can easily use another 40k to 64k of Option ROM space. By design the Option ROM should compact itself to a
smaller "run time code" after the "initialization code" has run. For example, some Adaptec cards require 32k to initialize. Then they shrink down to 12k at run time;
whereas some AGP cards require 64k to initialize but they never compact at run time. It can sometimes help to change the PCI Scan order in the BIOS. Also,
check with the device manufacturer for the latest firmware upgrade or ask if they have a smaller Option ROM available.
- Why can't I enable Hardware 3D acceleration in a Linux environment?
The first issue was the inability of the Linux kernel to find the AMD-8151 AGP Tunnel. The AMD-8151 AGP controller is not at the normal PCI address, and the
Linux kernel had to be modified to account for the change. SUSE Linux kernels starting with k_smp-2.4.21-139 include the change. Two patches
(tyan_agp.generic.patch and tyan_agp.RHEL3.patch) fix the problem for most kernels and for the Red Hat 2.4.21-4EL kernels, respectively. The patches can be downloaded here: ftp://ftp.tyan.com/drivers_linux/s2885/
The second issue was a misallocation of MTRRs in the first release S2885 BIOS that prevented the nVidia driver from correctly caching the AGP aperture. Tyan has
resolved this with the 2885v102.ROM (1.02) BIOS, available at
http://www.tyan.com/support/html/b_s2885.html
The third issue involved the nVidia 10-4499 graphics driver. nVidia has corrected the
problems exposed by the updated AGP and BIOS code and released the 10-5332 driver to their website. http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux.html
The fourth issue involved the Linux kernel MTRR code. Please check with your distribution provider for the correct patch.
The final issue is with SAX2 in SuSE 9.0. After all of the patches are loaded, SAX2 will still report that 3D hardware acceleration is not enabled. This is an issue with
SAX2. Another way to check if 3D acceleration is enabled is, from XWindows, open a console. Type the following command: glxinfo |grep "direct rendering" If the
response is direct rendering: Yes Then 3D acceleration is enabled.
- How do the on-board memory controllers affect memory in a multiprocessor system?
Since each processor has its own memory controller, in a multiprocessor system both memory bandwidth and total physical memory scales to the number of
processors. AMD Opteron platform architecture does not require each processor to be associated with physical memory or that physical memory is evenly distributed
among the processor. However, such a configuration may be desirable for optimal performance applications.
- How is memory presented to the processor?
Each processor can have physical memory connected to it. After initialization, the memory map for the system presents all physical memory as a single contiguous
extent. This extent is formed in one of two ways. The first way is through the concatenation of all processor memory, also known as NUMA (Non-Uniform
Memory Architecture). For example, all of processor 0's memory, followed by all of processor 1's memory and etc. The second way is by the interleaving by page of all
processor memory. For example, a page from processor 0's memory, followed by a page from processor 1's memory and etc. The interleaved mechanism (option #2)
has better overall uniformity of latency but the concatenation mechanism (option #1) is more usable for an operating system capable of implementing memory affinity
management. After initialization, all memory appears equal to the casual programmer. No special addressing mechanisms are necessary to access physical
memory attached to a processor other than the processor executing the memory reference instruction.
- Is it necessary for the OS to have specific memory management considerations; given the NUMA approach used by AMD Opteron system?
Although not necessary, operating systems that provide careful memory and
scheduling affinity improve overall memory latency and bandwidth and reduce traffic on the system's buses, which can have important performance improvement in
some applications. Both Windows Extended 64 bit and x86-64 Linux have some NUMA support for memory affinity and thread-biasing to enable optimal application
performance considerations. Processes and threads that use local data are advised to allocate that local data space from within the thread or process that uses that
data the most, to enable maximum benefit from the OS NUMA support.
- Why can't I get my 3ware Raid card to work correctly with this motherboard?
3ware and Tyan have worked together to identify the issue between 3ware 7506 ATA and 8506 SATA RAID controllers and certain chipsets. 3Ware has a technical note
available on their knowledge base:
https://www.3ware.com/kbadmin/attachments/TM900-0045-00%20Rev%20A_P.pdf
Tyan will be working with 3Ware to validate the next generation of 8506/9500 RAID controllers on our motherboards.
- Why does my Matrox Parhelia card not display correctly when I'm in the bios or during the POST information listings?
This issue is known by the Matrox support staff and this is a link directly to the Matrox forum's that talk about this issue:
http://forum.matrox.com/mga/viewtopic.php?t=5445 This problem can be fixed by updating the firmware of your video card. This link will take you directly to the
location where you can download the updated firmware that will fix this issue: http://www.matrox.com/mga/support/drivers/bios/home2.cfm
- What does it mean when my board beeps at me 15 times?
A 15 beep code means that the board is not recognizing the memory that is on the board either due to compatibility issues with the specific memory, the memory slots
themselves are damaged, or the memory not seated properly.
- Are there any kind of configuration issues I should keep in mind when populating the memory slots with this product?
• Always install memory beginning with CPU0/DIMMA1
• In order to access memory on CPU2; both processors must be installed
• Single, pairs, or four modules are supported on each CPU
• Configure memory symmetrically on each CPU for best performance
• At least ONE Registered DDR SDRAM module must be installed for
• the system to turn on and POST (power on self test)
• 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB* Registered DDR400#/333/266
•
SDRAM memory modules are supported
• All installed memory will be automatically detected
• The Thunder K8W supports up to 16GB with two CPU's installed
Memory Configuration Chart |
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(Note: X indicates a populated DIMM Slot)
Populate both lower and upper 64-bit DIMM slots for 128-bit support
* 2GB Registered DDR333/400modules not available at time of print
# DDR400 supported on Opteron™ 246 and higher |
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