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AST RESEARCH, INC.            TECHNICAL BULLETIN # 1040                 1-4-95

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                   VARIOUS ISSUES WITH PLUG-N-PLAY CONFIGURATIONS


PROBLEM 1:      When installing an IBM Token Ring adapter in a Bravo MS system
                using the Plug-n-Play configuration utility (ICU), the Token
                Ring adapter cannot be configured for IRQ 2 because the
                Integrated video adapter has already reserved that IRQ.

CAUSE:          The Plug-n-Play ICU utility does not allow the user to directly
                alter resources (such as the IRQ) of certain system board
                components.

SOLUTION:       The following procedure allows the user to install `legacy'
                boards at IRQ 2.
                Legacy refers to any ISA board which is not designed to support
                Plug-n-Play.

                1) Add in a VGA adapter to the system to disable the integrated
                   VGA adapter.

                2) Run the ICU utility.  Since the integrated VGA is no longer
                   installed, IRQ 2 (shown as 9(2) in the ICU utility) is now
                   available.  (Because IRQ 2 is used as a cascade to IRQ 9,
                   the system board will always show 2(9) in use.  The same
                   interrupt will be available to the user as 9(2).)  Configure
                   the desired `legacy' board for IRQ 2 (the Token Ring
                   adapter configuration file will display interrupts as IRQx
                   while the resources list will display it as 9(2))and save
                   the configuration.

                3) Remove the add-in VGA card and restart the system.  Since
                   IRQ 2 is now configured for another board, the integrated
                   VGA adapter will select another IRQ. (If it is desired that
                   the VGA use a specific IRQ, the user can install `phantom'
                   ISA adapters which use all interrupts except the one
                   desired for the VGA adapter.  When the system is restarted,
                   the integrated VGA adapter will then select from among the
                   remaining interrupts to configure itself.)

                4) Run ICU again.  Inspect the new settings.  If the same
                   setting will be required for multiple systems, save the
                   current configuration under the Advanced menu item to a
                   file.  Save the configuration and quit the utility.  (This
                   file can be used by copying it to other systems and reading
                   it in directly through the Advanced menu item, rather than
                   using the first 3 steps listed above.)

PROBLEM 2:         Several "resource autoconfiguration errors" were experienced
                   on Advantage RMT systems when the second serial port was
                   enabled (the CMOS image originally generated for this
                   system had the second serial port disabled so that a modem
                   could be installed).  A concern was raised that a "PCI Card
                   VGA Controller" was listed under system resources and could
                   not be changed.

CAUSE:             The system is operating as designed.  If necessary, the IRQ
                   used by the integrated VGA adapter can be moved as outlined
                   in Problem 1 above.  Other resources used by the integrated
                   VGA controller are fixed and cannot be moved.

SOLUTION:          None.  With the information above the user is able to
                   create a new CMOS image for the Advantage RMT which
                   includes the second serial port.

SYSTEMS
AFFECTED:          All Plug-n-Play systems.