Chapter 4. Operating the System
This chapter contains important, basic information on operating your system.
 | Caution: The Power switches on the unit's two power supplies are the service disconnect. Simply turning the Power keyswitch, or pressing the Power or Reset buttons, can cause data configuration or loss.
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When you connect the system's base unit to AC power and turn the Power switches on both power supplies to the on ( | ) position, auxiliary power is applied to the system. Auxiliary power ensures that system components power up quickly when needed.
The Power keyswitch is a momentary contact switch, changing system states when the switch is turned. Depending on the system's current power state, you can use the Power keyswitch to start, shut down, and power down the system.
If your system does not have a Power keyswitch on the front panel, you will find Power and Reset buttons behind the door on the front panel, above the disk drives. The Power button is a momentary contact switch that changes system power states. Depending on the current power state, you can use the Power button to start, shut down, and power down the system. The Reset button causes a system reset that is identical to a power-on reset.
| Caution: Shut down the operating system before powering down the system. Simply turning the Power keyswitch can cause data corruption or loss. Simply turning the Power keyswitch, or pressing the Power or Reset buttons, can cause data corruption or loss. See this and following sections for more information..
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Table 4-1. The Power Button
Turn Power keyswitch right, or press
the Power button…
| To...
|
|---|
Momentarily (less than 1 second)
| Bring the system to full power from a powered-down state
and start the operating system
|
Momentarily (less than 1 second)
| Start the selected automatic shutdown option.
|
And hold it for at least 4 seconds
| Power down the system without using the selected
automatic shutdown option or after using the operating
system's shutdown function.
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See “Using Automatic Shutdown” for more information on controlling system power.
The LEDs on the faceplate describe the current operational state of the system.
Table 4-2. Reading the Power LED
If the Power LED is...
| Then...
|
|---|
Unlit
| Auxiliary power is off (fans are not running) or there is a system failure
(fans are running)
|
Amber
| Auxiliary power is on; power consumption is reduced
|
Blinking green
| Auxiliary power is on; the system is in an ACPI-compliant power
conservation state managed by the operating system; power consumption
is reduced
|
Steady green
| Full power is on; power conservation is per device
|
Table 4-3. Reading the Disk LED
If the Disk LED is...
| Then...
|
|---|
Unlit
| The system's disk drives are not active
|
Lit and blinking
| The system's disk drives are active
|
Lit and unblinking
| There may be a problem with one or more disk drives
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The Shutdown Utility lets you configure various automatic shutdown options for your system. This utility provides shutdown options beyond those available from the operating system Start menu.
The Shutdown Utility displays an Automatic System Shutdown dialog. You can use this dialog to select from several automatic shutdown options. You can also use this dialog to set how long the system waits to execute the selected automatic shutdown option.
To run the Shutdown Utility:
From the operating system Start menu, go to Programs » Shutdown » Shutdown Program.
Double-click the Shutdown icon in the operating system's taskbar tray, or
While the system is running, press the Power button momentarily (less than 1 second).
When you run the Shutdown Utility, the Automatic System Shutdown dialog displays. To configure an automatic shutdown, select an option in the dialog and click Apply. When you have finished configuring the utility, click Start Shutdown to start an automatic shutdown immediately. After you start the system again, the utility will use the settings you selected.
By default, an automatic shutdown is set for a 10-second delay. You can set a delay of up to 30 seconds. You should set a delay greater than 5 seconds to ensure that you have time to stop an automatic shutdown if needed.
| Caution: When configuring an automatic shutdown, use Power Down the Computer to power down the system. If you use Shutdown the Computer, you must press and hold the Power button for 4 seconds to power down the system. You may “suspend” the system if you hold the Power button for less than 4 seconds. If the operating system does not support a Suspend mode, you must then power down the computer before you can restart the system.
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See Shutdown Utility Help for more information on this utility.
Starting and Stopping the Operating System
To start the operating system:
With the system connected to AC power and both power supplies turned on, turn the Power keyswitch to the right (clockwise) or push the Power button momentarily to bring the system to full power.
At the boot menu, select the appropriate operating system option, and then press enter.
To log on to the operating system:
If the logon dialog does not display, press ctrl+alt+delete to display it.
If user accounts have been set up, type a user name and a password into the appropriate fields.
If appropriate, type a domain name into the appropriate field.
Select OK or press enter.
To log off, restart, shut down, or power down the system:
Turn the Power keyswitch right or press the Power button, momentarily (less than 1 second). Automatic Shutdown runs and the shutdown timer begins counting down.
Select a shutdown option and click Start Shutdown.
When prompted that it is safe to shut down the system, turn the Power keyswitch to the left (counter-clockwise), or push the Power button for at least 4 seconds, to bring the system down to auxiliary power.
| Caution: The Power switches on the unit's two power supplies are the service disconnect. To remove AC power from the system, you must turn the Power switch on both power supplies to the off ( O ) position.
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For more information on starting and stopping the operating system, see the operating system documentation and Help.
Observing Operating Precautions
Observe the following precautions when operating the system:
When restarting the system, use the operating system controls instead of turning the power switch off and on. Use the power switch only when instructed, or as the last alternative for restarting the system.
Never turn off power to the base unit when the disk access LED is lit.
After turning off power to the base unit, wait at least 30 seconds before turning the power on again. This allows the power supply to stabilize and the disk drives to stop spinning.
The system's PS/2-compatible keyboard includes the following features:
104 standard keys, including special application function keys (f1 through f12), arrow keys for moving the cursor, and numeric keys in a keypad.
Special keys for use with Windows operating systems. Pressing the left or right Windows key (on either side of the space bar) displays the operating system Start menu and Taskbar. Pressing the Application key (to the right of the space bar) displays an application-specific pop-up menu.
Your keyboard may differ from the one shown in Figure 4-2.
Some keyboard keys have special functions:
Table 4-4. Special Keyboard Functions
Key
| Function
|
|---|
esc
| Usually assigned to an application-specific function; often used to exit.
|
print scrn
| Depending on the application in use, prints the displayed screen to a printer.
|
scroll lock
| Prevents the screen from scrolling.
|
pause
| Temporarily suspends screen scrolling or some operations.
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caps lock
| Types all letters as capitals.
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num lock
| Activates the numeric keypad.
|
ctrl
| Used with another key for application-specific functions.
|
alt
| Used with another key for application-specific functions.
|
delete
| Deletes characters.
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You can use the Windows keys with other keys to perform certain operating system functions:
Table 4-5. Key Combinations
Key Combination
| Action
|
|---|
Windows - f1
| Display a pop-up menu for the selected object
|
Windows - tab
| Activate the next button on the taskbar
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Windows - e
| Run Explorer
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Windows - f
| Run Find Document
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Windows - ctrl - f
| Run Find Computer
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Windows - x
| Minimize all windows
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shift - Windows - x
| Restore all windows
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Windows - r
| Display the Run dialog
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The system's PS/2-compatible mouse is a tracking device that controls the movement and positioning of the pointer (or cursor) displayed on the screen in a graphical display environment.
Your mouse may differ from the one shown in Figure 4-3.
To use the mouse, ensure it is connected to the system. Place the mouse on a clean, flat surface, such as a desktop or a mouse pad. Rest your hand on the mouse, with a finger on each button and the thumb to the side. Move the mouse across the flat surface to move the pointer on screen.
You can use the mouse to perform several actions:
Table 4-6. Mouse Actions
Action
| Description
|
|---|
Point
| Move the mouse to point to your selection on the screen.
|
Click
| Press and release the left mouse button once.
|
Double-click
| Press and release the left mouse button twice.
|
Drag
| Press and hold the left mouse button, then move the mouse. Release
the button when you finish dragging your selection to a new location.
|
Right-click
| Press and release the right mouse button once.
|
Scroll
| On a wheel mouse, move the wheel back and forth to scroll in an
application.
|
You can find more information on using the wheel mouse by right-clicking the mouse icon in the taskbar tray, or by going to Start/Settings/Control Panel/Mouse and clicking Help in the toolbar.
Using the Floppy Disk Drive
The system's floppy disk drive occupies a 3.5-inch external peripheral device bay, and is accessible through a 3.5-inch slot on the front of the base unit. The drive accepts standard 3.5-inch 720 KB and 1.44 MB diskettes.
Follow these guidelines to use the floppy disk drive:
To insert a diskette, slide the diskette with the arrow facing up into the slot. Push the diskette in until it clicks into place and the eject button pops out.
Before removing a diskette, ensure the drive LED is not lit.
To remove a diskette, push the eject button and pull the diskette out of the slot.
To protect the data on a diskette from being overwritten or erased, slide the write-protect tab on the diskette toward the diskette edge until it snaps into place.
The system's CD-ROM drive occupies a 5.25-inch external peripheral device bay, and is accessible through a tray or a slot at the front of the base unit. The drive supports software ejection of discs and has an external amplified headphone jack.
To use the CD-ROM drive:
To insert a CD, press the eject button to extend the tray. Place the disc, printed side up, in the tray and press the eject button again to retract the tray.
To remove a CD, press the eject button, and remove the disc after the tray extends. Then press the eject button again to retract the tray.
The media player programs included with the operating system allow you to listen to audio compact discs. Insert an audio CD, printed side up, into the drive and start the media player application. Adjust the volume using the operating system's sound control programs.
Adjust the volume control on the drive for headphones connected to the drive.
Reading Removable Disk Drive LEDs
In a RAID system, LEDs visible through the disk drive cage door (or when the door is open) help you determine the activity and status of removable disk drives. There are two LEDs for each disk drive:
The right (green) LED above each disk drive flashes to show disk activity.
The left (amber) LED above each disk drive indicates RAID activity and is controlled by the SCSI Activity Fault-Tolerant Enclosure (SAF-TE) card on the disk drive cage and the installed RAID controller card.
The SAF-TE card causes the left (amber) LED above each disk drive to indicate the RAID status of each disk drive as follows:
Table 4-7. Reading Removable Disk Drive LED
Left (Amber) LED Activity
| Disk Drive Status
|
|---|
Off
| No error
|
Steady on
| Disk drive rebuild stopped or disk drive is faulty
|
Steady blink (1 per second)
| Disk drive rebuild in progress
|
Fast steady blink (3 per second)
| Disk drive identification in progress
|
4 fast blinks, pause (repeats)
| Disk drive experienced a predicted fault
|
2 fast blinks, pause (repeats)
| Disk drive is a hot spare
|
To manage the RAID disk drives and the SAF-TE card, use the RAID configuration software and utilities described in the RAID controller documentation delivered with the system.
Responding to a Power Supply Alarm
Each of the system's two power supplies has an LED that lights when the power supply is on. If a power supply encounters a problem or fails, its LED flashes and an audible alarm sounds. To cut off the audible alarm, press the power supply alarm cutoff switch on the back of the base unit.
If a power supply alarm sounds:
Look for the flashing LED to determine which power supply has a problem.
Make sure the power supply is fully seated in the base unit.
Make sure the power supply's AC power cord is fully inserted into its AC power receptacle.
Make sure the power supply's AC voltage selection switch is properly set.
Make sure the power supply's power switch is in the on ( | ) position.
See Chapter 9, “Servicing the System” for information on replacing a power supply.
Using System Management Software
Your system shipped with the following system management software installed:
Hardware Monitor is an interface to instrumentation data measured by sensors inside the computer. Event information is reported to the Event Log and displayed graphically.
DMI Console gives easy access to the system's status and configuration information. DMI Console works with
the Desktop Management Interface (DMI), a technology standard that enables the effective management of computers.
ECC Monitor monitors the system's error correcting code (ECC) memory and reports any problems.
SMART Disk Driver (SMARTDRV) is a kernel-level driver that supports self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology (SMART) for disk drives.
You can find these programs by going to Programs on the operating system's Start menu. See the online Help for each program for more information on how to use it.
Learning About the Operating System
Documentation delivered with your system describes the basic functions of its operating system. Refer to this documentation if you are unfamiliar with the operating system interface and features. You can also refer to extensive online Help; from the operating system Start menu, go to Help.
Using Hardware Security Features
The system has security features to help prevent unauthorized tampering with internal components.
An intrusion alert switch notifies Hardware Monitor and the Windows NT Event Log if the left side panel (as viewed from the front of the base unit) is removed.
A hasp for locking the left side panel (as viewed from the back) is available on the back of the base unit.
Cleaning System Components
Follow these guidelines for cleaning system components:
Table 4-8. Cleaning System Components
Item
| How to Clean
|
|---|
Exterior Surfaces
| Wipe exterior surfaces of the base unit and the monitor screen with a
soft cloth lightly moistened with a mild cleaning agent.
|
Keyboard
| Dust the keys and the keyboard surface with a soft, dry cloth. Use an
aerosol cleaner to remove dust and debris from between the keys.
Never use liquid to clean the keyboard.
|
Mouse
| Remove the retaining ring and the tracking ball from the bottom of the
mouse. Blow gently into the opening. Wipe the tracking ball and the
rollers in the opening with a cotton swab moistened with alcohol.
Replace the tracking ball and the retaining ring.
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