Chapter 3

BC 5200TX Series
Chapter 5 - BC Software

Software Installation

Overview

To fully utilize all of the features integrated into the BC Series processors, the following software drivers and utilities are available:

BC Series Software - support for mouse and Cubix Supervisory System.

DEC Ethernet Drivers - support for the on-board 10/100 Base-T Ethernet interface.

S3 Video Drivers - support for enhanced video resolutions.

Symbios SCSI Drivers - support for the on-board SCSI interface

DEC 21140 PCI Fast Ethernet Drivers

The DEC Ethernet Drivers are required if using the on-board Ethernet controller. The driver diskettes provided by Cubix contain drivers and installation instructions for Win95, WIN NT, Win 3.1/DOS NDIS2, NDIS3 and NDIS4 Drivers.

S3 Trio64V+ (765) Video Drivers

The S3 Drivers may be required by some operating systems or application programs. The driver diskettes provided by Cubix contain drivers and installation instructions for Win95, WIN NT, Win 3.1/DOS Windows 95.

Symbios 825A SCSI Drivers

The Symbios (NCR) Drivers may be required when installing SCSI devices on the BC Series board. The driver diskettes provided by Cubix contain drivers and installation instructions for Win95, WIN NT, Win 3.1.

BC Series Software Installation

The functions provided by the BC Series Software are:

Remote mouse and keyboard support - required when the BC processor is functioning as a remote control host for a remote system using a mouse and/or keyboard, and no mouse or keyboard is physically attached to the BC host processor.
Mouse multiplexer support - required if a single mouse is shared via a Cubix multiplexer between multiple BC processors.
Cubix Supervisory System support - required for BC processors installed with a Cubix Supervisory System.

Windows 95 PS/2 Mouse Driver

This driver provides PS/2 mouse support on processors running Windows 95. If a Cubix mouse driver for Windows 95 was previously installed on a BC processor, the old files must be deleted before installing the new PS/2 mouse driver.

From the Cubix Subsystem's front panel, select the group number of the processor on which the PS/2 Mouse Driver is to be installed. Then access Windows 95. Note: if using a keyboard instead of a mouse, use the Alt, Tab, Arrow, and Enter keys to move and to select the buttons and options referenced in the following steps.

Select the Start button by clicking on it or by pressing the Ctrl and Esc keys. The first set (list) of options appears.

Select the Settings option. The "Settings" list appears.

Select the Control Panel option. This opens the "Control Panel" window.

From the "Control Panel" window, select the Add New Hardware icon.

From the "Add New Hardware Wizard" window, click on the Next button.

When prompted about whether or not Windows should search for the new hardware, select NO and click on the Next button. A list of hardware type options appears.

From the Hardware Types list, select Mouse and click on the Next button. The Manufacturers and Models list appears.

From the "Manufacturers and Models" list, click on the Have Disk button.

Make sure the BC Series Installation diskette is in the floppy drive, and A:\ WIN95\ is the file path. Click on the OK button.

When the Cubix Mouse Driver option appears, select it and click on the Next button.

In response to the message "To continue installing the software needed by your hardware, click Finish," click on the Finish button. When the current window closes (in approximately 60 seconds), the installation is complete and the driver is available for immediate use. Note that rebooting the system is not required.

Windows NT Drivers

Beginning with version 2.17, the BC Series Installation Diskette includes an InstallShield setup program to install these NT files:

WINNT\BCACTVNT.SYS - provides Cubix Supervisory System support for BC processors installed with the Windows NT operating system.
WINNT\CBXI8042.SYS - a mouse driver required to support mouse multiplexing in Windows/NT environments.

BCACTVNT

The Cubix device driver BCACTVNT.SYS supports the Cubix Supervisory System by providing an interface between the IES module and a BC processor running Windows NT.

CBXI8042

CBXI8042.SYS is a complete multiplexed mouse and keyboard device driver for BC Series processors running Windows NT. CBXI8042.SYS replaces the I8042PRT.SYS device driver file provided with Windows NT.

To install either BCACTVNT.SYS or CBXI8042.SYS, run the InstallShield setup program found in the \WINNT subdirectory of the BC Series Installation Diskette.

To run Setup from the DOS command prompt, type

a:\winnt\setup

Setup provides the option of installing either BCACTVNT.SYS or CBXI8042.SYS. Follow the prompts provided by the Setup program to install either of these drivers.

DOS Environment

BCSETUP

The Cubix DOS device driver BCSETUP.SYS supports the Cubix Supervisory System by providing an interface between the IES module and a BC processor running DOS. BCSETUP.SYS also provides remote mouse and keyboard support as well as mouse multiplexer support.

A mouse driver (e.g. Logitech's MOUSE.COM or Microsoft's MOUSE.EXE) must be loaded for BCSETUP.SYS to provide mouse support.

To install this driver on disk drives formatted with the DOS operating system, copy the BCSETUP.SYS file from the \DOS directory of the BC Series Installation Diskette to the root directory of the boot drive. Next, add the following line to CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory of the drive:

device = bcsetup.sys

This sets the following defaults:

Remote Mouse Support Enabled
Mouse Multiplexer Support Enabled
Interrupt Selection 15
Keyboard Type 101/102 Keys

The following is a list of options that may be used with this command. Place them on same line in the CONFIG.SYS file.

Command line options are not case sensitive.

Command Line Option	Explanation
-n	83/84 key keyboard
-m	disable mouse support
-i=x or -int=x	hook interrupt x (decimal) for the Cubix supervisor interface, where x= 10, 15 or "no". The "i=no" option disables the supervisor interface support in BCSETUP and frees interrupts 10 and 15.
-ep	enables BC processors equipped with a BC NET UART (e.g., BC Triton), to be monitored by an IES I (original) module when installed in an ERS II subsystem. To determine if an IES I module is installed in the ERS II subsystem, refer to the following section "How to Differentiate an IES I from and IES II Module." Do not use the -ep command if an IES II (enhanced) module is installed in the ERS II subsystem.

Table 5-1, BCSETUP Command Line Options

Command Line Examples

For example, to load BCSETUP for an 83/84 key keyboard, without mouse emulation, and hooking interrupt 10 for the supervisor interface support, the command line in the CONFIG.SYS file would appear as follows:

device = bcsetup.sys -n -m -i = 10

All BC mouse software is designed to be used explicitly with Logitech PS/2 style mice. If non-Logitech mice are to be used, the command line option -nl should be entered in the config.sys file following the mouse emulation software filename:

device= bcsetup.sys -nl

The -nl option disables the synchronizing algorithms specific to Logitech mice. As a result, mouse multiplexing is not supported.

Finally, reboot the BC processor to allow the modifications in the CONFIG.SYS file to take effect.

How to Differentiate an IES I Module
from an IES II Module

To determine if an IES I module is installed in the ERS II subsystem, remove the subsystem's cover and locate the IES module. Either a 26-pin ribbon connector or a 3-pin molex connector will be located at the top of the board next to the "L" bracket. If the connector is a 26-pin ribbon connector, the module is an IES I. If a 3-pin molex connector is at this location, the module is an IES II.

Windows 3.1x Environment Installation

VHOTFIX

The Cubix virtual device driver VHOTFIX.386 will "hot fix" a mouse in the Windows environment, allowing a mouse to function properly if it is attached locally to the BC processor after Windows is invoked, or if it is attached through a Cubix multiplexer and multiplexed to the BC processor after Windows is invoked.

To install this virtual device driver with Windows, first install BCSETUP as described in the DOS Environment Installation section. Locate the directory containing Windows virtual device driver files. They may be identified by their .386 extensions and are usually located in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. Copy the file VHOTFIX.386 from the \DOS directory of the BC Series Installation Diskette to the directory containing the other virtual device drivers. Modify the [386enh] section of the Windows SYSTEM.INI file (usually in the \WINDOWS directory) to include the line:

device = vhotfix.386

This program will function only if the device driver BCSETUP.SYS v1.10 or above is loaded in the CONFIG.SYS. Finally, reboot the BC processor to allow the modifications to take effect.

OS/2 Environment Installation

BCSETOS2

The Cubix device driver BCSETOS2.SYS supports the Cubix Supervisory System by providing an interface between the IES module and a BC processor running OS/2.

To install this driver, copy the file BCSETOS2.SYS from the \OS2 directory of the BC Series Installation Diskette to the root directory of the boot drive. Next, add the following line to CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory of the boot drive:

device = bcsetos2.sys

This will give the default option of interrupt 15 (decimal) for the Supervisor interface. If interrupt 10 is preferred, it must be specified on the same line in the CONFIG.SYS file. To load BCSETOS2 to use interrupt 10, the line in the CONFIG.SYS should appear as follows:

device= bcsetos2.sys -i = 10

If BCSETOS2.SYS is not specified in the CONFIG.SYS file, the BC will not support the Cubix Supervisory System and interrupts 10 and 15 are available for other uses. Finally, reboot the BC processor to allow the modifications to take effect.

CBXMOUSE

The Cubix device driver CBXMOUSE.SYS provides mouse emulation and mouse multiplexer support for BC Series processors running OS/2 operating system.

To install this driver, copy the file CBXMOUSE.SYS from the \OS2 directory of the BC Series Installation Diskette to the \OS2 directory of the boot drive. Next, modify the CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory of the boot drive as follows:

remark out the line:

device = os2\mouse.sys

by placing "REM" in front of it, so that it reads:

rem device= os2\mouse.sys

add the line:

device = os2\cbxmouse.sys

CBXMOUSE.SYS is a fully functional mouse driver that replaces the MOUSE.SYS driver. CBXMOUSE.SYS loads PS/2 mouse support whether or not a mouse is physically present.

All BC mouse software is designed to be used explicitly with Logitech PS/2 style mice. If non-Logitech mice are to be used then the command line option -nl should be entered in the config.sys file following the mouse emulation software filename:

device= cbxmouse -nl

The -nl option disables the synchronizing algorithms specific to Logitech mice. As a result, mouse multiplexing is not supported.

Finally, reboot the BC processor to allow the modification in the CONFIG.SYS to take effect.

CBXMOUSE is intended for use in systems equipped with the Cubix multiplexer. If a mouse is to be shared by multiple OS/2-based processors via the multiplexer, the mouse must be booted on an OS/2 system (i.e. an OS/2-based processor must be selected by the multiplexer when the system is booted)

NetWare Environment Installation

BCACTIVE

BCACTIVE.NLM is a NetWare Loadable Module (NLM) that supports the Cubix Supervisory System by providing an interface between the IES module and a BC processor running NetWare 3.x/4.x. To install Cubix Supervisory support on a BC processor running NetWare, first install the BCSETUP.SYS device driver on the DOS partition as previously explained in the DOS Environment Installation section. Then install the BCACTIVE.NLM on the NetWare partition. Both BCSETUP.SYS and BCACTIVE.NLM must be installed with the same interrupt configuration.

To install the NLM on a BC processor functioning as a NetWare 3.X/4.x server, copy the file BCACTIVE.NLM from the NetWare subdirectory of the BC Series Installation Diskette to the SYSTEM subdirectory of the SYS volume of the NetWare server. Next, add the following line to the AUTOEXEC.NCF file on the NetWare partition:

load bcactive 15

This will load BCACTIVE.NLM with the default IRQ 15 configuration. Two interrupt levels are supported by the BC hardware: IRQ 10 and IRQ 15. If the IRQ 10 configuration is preferred, modify the load command as follows:

load bcactive 10

BCACTIVE must have a command line parameter specifying the IRQ and this must match the IRQ configuration of BCSETUP. BCACTIVE should not be loaded if BCSETUP is loaded without BC Supervisory System support (bcsetup.sys -INT= NO)

Operating the Mouse after Installation

To ensure the mouse functions properly during normal operations, be sure to "power on" the system and initiate resets as described below:

Note: Avoid moving the mouse when selecting channels and do not switch channels while the processor reboots.

Resetting a Processor

Before initiating a "reset," make sure the mouse is attached and its channel selected on the subsystem's front panel. Also, make sure the processor loads into Windows 95. When the Windows 95 screen appears, the mouse should be functional. If the mouse does not work, disconnect then reconnect the mouse connector.

When Powering Up the System:

When the subsystem is powered up, make sure at least one processor completes the boot process with the mouse attached and its channel selected. If the mouse does not work, disconnect then reconnect the mouse.

Acquiring Additional or Updated Drivers

BC Series Software, DEC Ethernet, Symbios, and S3 Drivers are available on the Cubix Customer Support Web Site at:

http://www.cubix.com/support