K8N-DRE

Motherboard
 E2129
First Edition
August 2005

Copyright © 2005 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form
or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the
express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or
altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the
serial number of the product is defaced or missing.
ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS
DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS
OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS
HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR
ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR
INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND
SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY
OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL,
INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.
Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered
trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identification or
explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.

ii
Contents
Notices ................................................................................................ vi
Safety information ............................................................................. vii
About this guide ............................................................................... viii
Typography ......................................................................................... ix
K8N-DRE specifications summary ........................................................ x
Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.1 Welcome! .............................................................................. 1-1
1.2 Package contents ................................................................. 1-1
1.3 Special features .................................................................... 1-2
1.3.1 Product highlights ................................................... 1-2
1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features ....................................... 1-4
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.1 Before you proceed .............................................................. 2-1
Onboard LEDs ....................................................................... 2-1
2.2 Motherboard overview .......................................................... 2-2
2.2.1 Placement direction ................................................ 2-2
2.2.2 Screw holes ............................................................ 2-2
2.2.3 Motherboard layout ................................................ 2-3
2.2.4 Heatsink plates ....................................................... 2-4
2.2.5 Layout Contents ..................................................... 2-7
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) .............................................. 2-9
2.3.1 Overview ................................................................. 2-9
2.3.2 Installing the CPU .................................................... 2-9
2.3.3 Installing the heatsink ........................................... 2-11
2.4 System memory ................................................................. 2-12
2.4.1 Overview ............................................................... 2-12
2.4.2 Memory Configurations ......................................... 2-13
2.4.3 Installing a DIMM ................................................... 2-15
2.4.4 Removing a DIMM ................................................. 2-15
2.5 Expansion slots ................................................................... 2-16
2.5.1 Installing an expansion card .................................. 2-16
2.5.2 Configuring an expansion card .............................. 2-16
2.5.3 Interrupt assignments .......................................... 2-17
2.5.4 PCI Express x16 .................................................... 2-17
2.6 Jumpers .............................................................................. 2-18
2.7 Connectors ......................................................................... 2-22
2.7.1 Rear panel connectors .......................................... 2-22
2.7.2 Internal connectors ............................................... 2-23

iii
 Contents
Chapter 3: Powering up
3.1 Starting up for the first time ................................................ 3-1
3.2 Powering off the computer .................................................. 3-2
3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function ........................... 3-2
3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch .................... 3-2
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ........................................ 4-1
4.1.1 Creating a bootable floppy disk .............................. 4-1
4.1.2 AFUDOS utility ........................................................ 4-2
4.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility ................................ 4-5
4.1.4 ASUS Update utility ................................................ 4-7
4.2 BIOS setup program ........................................................... 4-10
4.2.1 BIOS menu screen ................................................. 4-11
4.2.2 Menu bar ............................................................... 4-11
4.2.3 Navigation keys .................................................... 4-11
4.2.4 Menu items ........................................................... 4-12
4.2.5 Sub-menu items ................................................... 4-12
4.2.6 Configuration fields .............................................. 4-12
4.2.7 Pop-up window ..................................................... 4-12
4.2.8 Scroll bar .............................................................. 4-12
4.2.9 General help .......................................................... 4-12
4.3 Main menu .......................................................................... 4-13
4.3.1 System Date ......................................................... 4-13
4.3.2 System Time ......................................................... 4-13
4.3.3 Floppy A ............................................................... 4-13
4.3.4 IDE Configuration .................................................. 4-14
4.3.5 Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Fourth, Fifth,
and Sixth IDE Master/Slave .................................. 4-16
4.3.6 System Information .............................................. 4-17
4.4 Advanced menu .................................................................. 4-19
4.4.1 CPU Configuration ................................................. 4-19
4.4.2 Chipset Configuration ........................................... 4-20
4.4.3 PCI PnP ................................................................. 4-22
4.4.4 USB Configuration ................................................. 4-23
4.4.5 Peripheral Devices Configuration .......................... 4-24
4.4.6 ACPI Configuration ................................................ 4-25
4.4.7 APM Configuration ................................................ 4-26
4.4.8 Hardware Monitor ................................................. 4-27
4.5 Server menu ....................................................................... 4-29
Remote Access Configuration ............................................ 4-29

iv
Contents

4.6 Security menu .................................................................... 4-31

4.7.1 Boot Device Priority .............................................. 4-34
4.7.2 Boot Settings Configuration ................................. 4-35
4.7 Boot menu .......................................................................... 4-34
4.8 Exit menu ........................................................................... 4-37
Chapter 5: RAID configuration
5.1 Setting up RAID .................................................................... 5-1
5.1.1 RAID definitions ...................................................... 5-1
5.1.2 Installing hard disk drives ....................................... 5-2
5.1.3 RAID configuration utility ........................................ 5-2
5.2 NVIDIA® RAID configurations ................................................ 5-3
5.2.1 Setting the BIOS RAID items .................................. 5-3
5.2.2 Entering the NVIDIA® RAID Utility ........................... 5-4
5.2.3 Creating a RAID 0 set (Stripe) ................................ 5-5
5.2.4 Creating a RAID 1 set (Mirror) ................................ 5-7
5.2.5 Rebuilding a RAID set ............................................. 5-8
5.2.6 Deleting a RAID array ............................................. 5-9
5.2.7 Clearing the disk data ........................................... 5-10
5.3 LSI Logic Configuration Utility (SCSI model only) ............... 5-11
5.3.1 Boot Adapter List ................................................. 5-12
5.3.2 Global Properties .................................................. 5-13
5.3.3 Adapter Properties ............................................... 5-15
5.3.4 Creating a RAID 1 (Mirror) set .............................. 5-22
5.3.5 Creating a RAID 0 (Stripe) set .............................. 5-24
5.3.6 Running the Diagnostic Mode ............................... 5-25
5.3.7 Managing arrays ................................................... 5-26
Chapter 6: Driver installation
6.1 RAID driver installation ......................................................... 6-1
Creating a RAID driver disk ................................................... 6-1
6.3 LAN driver installation .......................................................... 6-3
6.4 Support CD information ........................................................ 6-4
6.4.1 Running the support CD ......................................... 6-4
6.4.2 Drivers menu .......................................................... 6-5
6.4.3 Management Software ............................................ 6-6
6.4.4 Utilities ................................................................... 6-7
Appendix: Reference information
A.1 K8N-DRE block diagram ........................................................ A-1

v
 Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
• This device may not cause harmful interference, and
• This device must accept any interference received including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
manufacturer’s instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct
the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to
which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics
card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or
modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate
this equipment.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise
emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference
Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.
This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian
ICES-003.

vi
Safety information

Electrical safety
• To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from
the electrical outlet before relocating the system.
• When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that
the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables
are connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing
system before you add a device.
• Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard,
ensure that all power cables are unplugged.
• Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord.
These devices could interrupt the grounding circuit.
• Make sure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your
area. If you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you
are using, contact your local power company.
• If the power supply is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a
qualified service technician or your retailer.

Operation safety
• Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read
all the manuals that came with the package.
• Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected
and the power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage,
contact your dealer immediately.
• To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from
connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.
• Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the
product in any area where it may become wet.
• Place the product on a stable surface.
• If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualified
service technician or your retailer.

vii
 About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and
configuring the motherboard.

How this guide is organized

This manual contains the following parts:
• Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new
technology it supports.
• Chapter 2: Hardware information
This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to
perform when installing system components. It includes description of
the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the motherboard.
• Chapter 3: Powering up
This chapter describes the power up sequence, the vocal POST
messages, and ways of shutting down the system.
• Chapter 4: BIOS setup
Tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus.
Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
• Chapter 5: RAID configuration
Provides information on RAID configurations for this motherboard.
• Chapter 6: Driver installation
This chapter provides information on RAID and LAN driver installation
for this motherboard.
• Appendix: Reference information
This appendix includes additional information that you may refer to
when configuring the motherboard.

Where to find more information

Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product
and software updates.
1. ASUS websites
The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware
and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.
2. Optional documentation
Your product package may include optional documentation, such as
warranty flyers, that may have been added by your dealer. These
documents are not part of the standard package.

viii
Conventions used in this guide
To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the
following symbols used throughout this manual.

D A N G E R / W A R N I N G : Information to prevent injury to yourself

when trying to complete a task.

C A U T I O N : Information to prevent damage to the components

when trying to complete a task.

I M P O R T A N T : Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a

task.

N O T E : Tips and additional information to help you complete a

task.

Typography
Bold text Indicates a menu or an item to select.
Italics Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.
<Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-
than sign means that you must press the
enclosed key.
Example: <Enter> means that you must press
the Enter or Return key.
<Key1+Key2+Key3> If you must press two or more keys
simultaneously, the key names are linked with
a plus sign (+).
Example: <Ctrl+Alt+D>
Command Means that you must type the command
exactly as shown, then supply the required
item or value enclosed in brackets.
Example: At the DOS prompt, type the
command line: format A:/S

ix
 K8N-DRE specifications summary

CPU Dual Socket 940 for AMD Opteron™ 64 processors

Supports AMD 64 architecture that enables simultaneous
32-bit and 64-bit computing

Chipset NVIDIA® nForce Professional 2200

System Bus 1600/2000 MT per second

Memory Dual-channel memory architecture

8 x 184-pin DIMM sockets support registered ECC
400/333/266 MHz DDR memory modules
Supports up to 32 GB system memory
(Note: Tested only up to 16 GB on this motherboard due
to 2 GB DDR availability)

Expansion slots 1 x PCI Express x16 slot

1 x PCI slot

Storage NVIDIA® nForce Professional 2200 chipset supports:

- 2 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33 IDE drives
- 4 x SATA-II 3Gb/s drives
- RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 1+0, and JBOD configurations

LSI 1020A SCSI RAID controller supports:

- RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 1E configurations
(SCSI model only)

Dual LAN 2 x BROADCOM® BCM5721 Gigabit PCI-E LAN controllers

USB 2 x USB 2.0 ports (on the rear panel)

1 x USB 2.0 connector (on board; supports 2 ports)

Special features ASUS Q-Fan 2

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2
ASUS MyLogo2

Rear panel 1 x Serial port (COM1)

2 x LAN (RJ-45) port
1 x VGA port
2 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x PS/2 keyboard port
1 x PS/2 mouse port

BIOS features 8 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0,

WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3

Power ATX power supply (with 24-pin and 8-pin 12 V plugs)

Requirement ATX 12 V 2.0 compliant

(continued on the next page)

x
K8N-DRE specifications summary

Internal 1 x Floppy disk drive connector

connectors 2 x IDE connectors
4 x Serial ATA connectors
1 x 68-pin SCSI connector (SCSI models only)
6 x Front fan connector
4 x Rear fan connector
1 x 24-pin ATX power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12 V power connector
1 x Power supply SMBUS connector
1 x Serial port (COM2)
1 x USB 2.0 connector for 2 additional USB 2.0 ports
1 x SMBus header for back-plane
1 x 4-pin Hard Disk LED connector
1 x 26-1 pin printer port connector
1 x 20-1 pin auxiliary panel connector
1 x 24-1 pin system panel connector

Form Factor E-ATX form factor: 12 in x 13 in (30.5 cm x 33 cm)

Support CD Device drivers

contents ASUS Live Update utility
Norton Internet Security 2005

xi
xii
This chapter describes the motherboard

1
features and the new technologies
it supports.

Product
introduction
Chapter summary

1.1 Welcome! .............................................................................. 1-1

1.2 Package contents ................................................................. 1-1
1.3 Special features .................................................................... 1-2

ASUS K8N-DRE
1.1 Welcome!
T h a n k y o u f o r b u y i n g a n A S U S® K 8 N - D R E m o t h e r b o a r d !
The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies,
making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards!
Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it,
check the items in your package with the list below.

1.2 Package contents

Check your motherboard package for the following items.

Motherboard ASUS K8N-DRE motherboard

Cables 4 x Serial ATA signal cables (dual plugs)
2 x Serial ATA power cables (dual plugs)
1 x SCSI Ultra320 cable (SCSI model only)
1 x 3-in-1 IDE and floppy cable
Accessories I/O shield
2 x Copper heatsink
2 x Support plates for CPU
2 x Adhesive pads
4 x Screws
Application CD ASUS motherboard support CD
Documentation User guide

If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

ASUS K8N-DRE 1-1

 1.3 Special features
1.3.1 Product highlights

Latest processor technology

The motherboard comes with dual 940-pin sockets for the AMD Opteron™
64 processors. The processors are based on AMD’s 64-bit and 32-bit
architecture, which represents the landmark introduction of the industry’s
first x86-64 technology, provide a dramatic leap forward in compatibility,
performance, investment protection, and reduced total cost of ownership
and development.

PCI Express™ interface

The motherboard fully supports PCI Express, the latest I/O interconnect
technology that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point
serial interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by
carrying data in packets. This high speed interface is software compatible with
existing PCI specifications. See page 2-17 for details.

HyperTransport™ Technology
HyperTransport™ Technology is a high-speed, low latency, point-to-point
link designed to increase the communication speed between integrated
circuits in computers, networking and telecommunicatons equipment up to
48 times faster than other existing technologies.

Dual Channel DDR memory support

Employing the Double Data Rate (DDR) memory technology, the
motherboard supports up to 4GB of system memory using DDR400/333/
266 DIMMs. The ultra-fast 400MHz memory bus delivers the required
bandwidth for the latest 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications.
See page 2-12.

Serial ATA 3Gb/s technology

The motherboard supports the next-generation Serial ATA 3Gb/s
technology through the Serial ATA interfaces and the NVIDIA® nForce4® PRO
chipset. The SATA 3Gb/s specification provides twice the bandwidth of the
current Serial ATA products. Additionally, Serial ATA allows thinner, more
flexible cables with lower pin count, and reduced voltage requirement. See
pages 2-24.

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction

Dual RAID solution
Onboard RAID controllers provide the motherboard with dual-RAID
functionality that allows you to select the best RAID solution using IDE or
Serial ATA devices.
The NVIDIA® nForce4® PRO allows RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and JBOD
configuration for four SATA and two PATA connectors. See pages 2-23 and
2-24 for details.
The LSI 1020A controller (SCSI models only) supports a single-channel SCSI
Ultra320 and allows RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 1E. See pages 2-25 for
details.

USB 2.0 technology

The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
specification, dramatically increasing the connection speed from the
12 Mbps bandwidth on USB 1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is
backward compatible with USB 1.1. See pages 2-22 and 2-27 for details.

Temperature, fan, and voltage monitoring

The CPU temperature is monitored by the ASIC (Winbond W83792D) to
prevent overheating and damage. The system fan rotations per minute
(RPM) is monitored for timely failure detection. The ASIC monitors the
voltage levels to ensure stable supply of current for critical components.
See section “4.4.8 Hardware Monitor” on page 4-27.

ASUS K8N-DRE 1-3

 1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features

CrashFree BIOS 2
This feature allows you to restore the original BIOS data from the support CD
in case when the BIOS codes and data are corrupted. This protection
eliminates the need to buy a replacement ROM chip. See details on page 4-5.

ASUS MyLogo2™
This new feature present in the motherboard allows you to personalize and
add style to your system with customizable boot logos.

ASUS Q-Fan 2
The ASUS Q-Fan 2 technology smartly adjusts the fan speeds according to
the system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efficient operation. See page
4-27 for details.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction

This chapter lists the hardware setup
procedures that you have to perform
when installing system components.

2
It includes description of the jumpers
and connectors on the motherboard.

Hardware
information
Chapter summary

2.1 Before you proceed .............................................................. 2-1

2.2 Motherboard overview .......................................................... 2-2
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) .............................................. 2-9
2.4 System memory ................................................................. 2-12
2.5 Expansion slots ................................................................... 2-16
2.6 Jumpers .............................................................................. 2-18
2.7 Connectors ......................................................................... 2-22

ASUS K8N-DRE
2.1 Before you proceed
Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard
components or change any motherboard settings.

• Make sure that your power supply unit (PSU) can provide at least
the minimum power required by your system. See “10. ATX power
connectors” on page 2-28 for details.
• Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any
component.
• Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or to
a metal object, such as the power supply case, before handling
components to avoid damaging them due to static electricity
• Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.
• Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded
antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component.
• Before you install or remove any component, ensure
that the ATX power supply is switched off or the
p o w e r c o r d i s d e t a c h e d f r o m t h e p o w e r s u p p l y . Failure
to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard, peripherals,
and/or components.

Onboard LEDs
1. Standby power LED (SB_PWR1)
The motherboard comes with a green standby power LED that lights
up to indicate that the system is ON, in sleep mode, or in soft-off
mode. This is a reminder that you should shut down the system and
unplug the power cable before removing or plugging in any
motherboard component.
2. CPU warning LED (CPU_WARN1)
The CPU warning LED lights up to indicate that a processor is not
installed or the processor is not installed properly in CPU 1 socket.

CPU_WARN1

K8N-DRE
ON OFF
No CPU installed No detected CPU problem
®
No CPU on socket CPU1
CPU types mismatched

SB_PWR1

ON OFF
Standby Powered
K8N-DRE Standby power LED Power Off

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-1

 2.2 Motherboard overview
Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis
to ensure that the motherboard fits into it.

Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the
motherboard. Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage
motherboard components.

2.2.1 Placement direction

When installing the motherboard, make sure that you place it into the
chassis in the correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the
rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image below.

2.2.2 Screw holes

Place ten (10) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the
motherboard to the chassis.

Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard.

®

Place this side towards

K8N-DRE

the rear of the chassis

2-2 Chapter 2: Hardware information

 35
1
68 34
PANEL1 AUX_PANEL1 HDLED1 FPSMB SCSI1 LPT1
FLOPPY1

SB_PWR1
PCI1
DDR1 DIMM_D2 (64 bit,184-pin module)
2.2.3

DDR1 DIMM_D1 (64 bit,184-pin module) CPU_WARN1 COM2

BIOS
4Mbit

LSI
DDR1 DIMM_C2 (64 bit,184-pin module)

1020A
DDR1 DIMM_C1 (64 bit,184-pin module)

ASUS K8N-DRE
I/O
Super

SCSI_EN1
ATI
SOCKET 940
RECOVERY1

BMCSOCKET1
J1

FRNT_FAN1
FRNT_FAN2
RAGE-XL

CPU2
VGA_EN1
BIOS
8Mbit

PCIE1
K8N-DRE
BUZZ1

FRNT_FAN3
CR2032 3V
Lithium Cell
CMOS Power
BCM5721
Motherboard layout

LAN2
30.5cm (12in)

FRNT_FAN4
LAN1

CLRTC1
BCM5721
VGA1

CPU1
2200
nForce
nVIDIA

SOCKET 940
LAN2_EN1

Professional

FRNT_FAN5
FRNT_FAN6
REAR_FAN1
COM1

REAR_FAN2
®

DDR1 DIMM_A1 (64 bit,184-pin module)

LAN1_EN1

DDR1 DIMM_A2 (64 bit,184-pin module) REAR_FAN3

SEC_IDE1
SATA3
SATA4
SATA1
SATA2
USB12

DDR1 DIMM_B1 (64 bit,184-pin module) PRI_IDE1

KBPWR1

ATX12V1
DDR1 DIMM_B2 (64 bit,184-pin module)
KBMS1

USB34
ATXPWR1 PSUSMB1 REAR_FAN4

33cm (13in)

2-3
 2.2.4 Heatsink plates
Two heatsink plates come with the motherboard package. These plates
support the weight of the CPU heatsinks.
To install the heatsink plates:
1. Peel off the adhesive pads that
came with the motherboard
package.

Adhesive pad

2. Match the holes of the adhesive

pad with the heatsink plate
standoffs.

Standoffs

3. Press the adhesive pad flat on

the heatsink plate.

2-4 Chapter 2: Hardware information

4. Peel off the adhesive pad
cover.

5. Locate the heatsink holes on

the motherboard.

6. Position the heatsink plate

underneath the motherboard
and match the motherboard
CPU1 heatsink holes with the
heatsink plate standoffs.
7. Press the heatsink plate flat
under the motherboard.

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-5

 The heatsink plate standoffs
appears as shown when installed.

Standoffs

8. Repeat steps 1-7 if you want to install a second processor in CPU2

socket.

Even if you are not installing a second processor now, we recommend

that you install the second heatsink plate.

9. Secure the motherboard with ten (10) screws.

Refer to section “2.2.2 Screw Holes” for the illustration.

2-6 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.2.5 Layout Contents

Slots/Sockets Page
1. CPU sockets 2-9
2. DDR DIMM sockets 2-12
3. PCI Express x16 slot 2-17

Jumpers Page
1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC1) 2-18
2. Keyboard power (3-pin KBPWR1) 2-19
3. Gigabit LAN1 controller setting (3-pin LAN1_EN1) 2-19
4. Gigabit LAN2 controller setting (3-pin LAN2_EN1) 2-20
5. SCSI controller setting (3-pin SCSI_EN1) 2-20
6. BIOS recovery setting (3-pin RECOVERY1) 2-21
7. VGA graphics controller setting (3-pin VGA_EN1) 2-21

Rear panel connectors Page

1. PS/2 mouse port (green) 2-22
2. PS/2 keyboard port (purple) 2-22
3. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2 2-22
4. Serial (COM 1) port 2-22
5. VGA port 2-22
6. LAN 1 (RJ-45) port 2-22
7. LAN 2 (RJ-45) port 2-22

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-7

 Internal connectors Page
1. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY1) 2-23
2. Primary IDE connectors (40-1 pin PRI_IDE1, SEC_IDE1) 2-23
3. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4) 2-24
4. SCSI connector (68-pin SCSI1) 2-25
5. Storage add-in card activity LED connector (4-pin HDLED1) 2-25
6. Front and rear fan connectors
(3-pin FRNT_FAN1, FRNT_FAN2, FRNT_FAN3,
FRNT_FAN4, FRNT_FAN5, FRNT_FAN6, REAR-FAN1,
REAR_FAN2, REAR_FAN3, REAR_FAN4) 2-26
7. Backplane SMBus connector (6-1 pin FPSMB) 2-26
8. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB34) 2-27
9. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM2) 2-27
10. ATX power connectors (24-pin ATXPWR1, 8-pin ATX12V1) 2-28
11. Power supply SMBus connector (5-pin PSUSMB1) 2-29
12. Parallel port connector (26-1 pin LPT1) 2-29
13. System panel auxiliary connector (20-pin AUX_PANEL1) 2-30
14. System panel connector (20-pin PANEL1) 2-31

2-8 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
2.3.1 Overview
The motherboard comes with dual surface mount 940-pin Zero Insertion
Force (ZIF) sockets designed for AMD Opteron™ 64 processors.
The 128-bit-wide data paths of these processors can run applications
faster than processors with only 32-bit or 64-bit wide data paths.

Take note of the notched corner on

the CPU. This corner should match a
specific corner on the socket to
ensure correct installation.

Notched corner

2.3.2 Installing the CPU

To install a CPU:

1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.

K8N-DRE

CPU2 CPU1
CPU2 CPU1

K8N-DRE CPU Socket 940

• Before installing the CPU, make sure that the socket box is facing
towards you and the load lever is on your left.
• If installing only one CPU, use the CPU socket marked CPU1.

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-9

 2. Unlock the socket by pressing
the lever sideways, then lift it up
to a 90°-100° angle.

Socket Lever

Make sure that the socket lever is lifted up to 90°-100° angle, otherwise
the CPU does not fit in completely.

3. Position the CPU above the

socket such that the notched
corner matches the socket
corner with a triangle mark.

4. Carefully insert the CPU into the

socket until it fits in place.

Notched
corner

The CPU fits only in one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into
the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the CPU!

5. When the CPU is in place, push

down the socket lever to secure
the CPU. The lever clicks on the
side tab to indicate that it is
locked.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 to install a
second processor in CPU 2
socket.

2-10 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.3.3 Installing the heatsink
The AMD Opteron™ 64 processors require a specially designed heatsink to
ensure optimum thermal condition and performance.

Make sure that you use only qualified heatsink assembly.

Follow these steps to install the CPU heatsink.

1. Place the heatsink on top of the

installed CPU, making sure that
the screw holes are matched
with the heatsink standoffs.

2. Secure the heatsink with two

screws.

Make sure that the heatsink

is not skewed or tilted
otherwise, the CPU will
overheat.

3. If you installed a second

processor, repeat steps 1-2 to
install the second heatsink.

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-11

 2.4 System memory
2.4.1 Overview
The motherboard comes with eight 184-pin Double Data Rate (DDR) Dual
Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets.
The following figure illustrates the location of the sockets:

DIMM_D2

DIMM_D1

DIMM_C2

DIMM_C1

DIMM_A1

DIMM_A2

DIMM_B1

DIMM_B2
K8N-DRE

80 Pins

104 Pins
®

104 Pins

80 Pins
K8N-DRE 184-pin DDR DIMM sockets

For CPU 1 Sockets

Channel A DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2
Channel B DIMM_B1 and DIMM_B2
For CPU 2 Sockets
Channel A DIMM_C1 and DIMM_C2
Channel B DIMM_D1 and DIMM_D2

2-12 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.4.2 Memory Configurations
You may install 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, or 4 GB registered ECC DDR
DIMMs into the DIMM sockets using the memory configurations in this
section.

• For dual-channel configuration, the total size of memory module(s)

installed per channel must be the same for better performance.
Single CPU:
DIMM_A1=DIMM_A2=DIMM_B1=DIMM_B2
Dual CPU:
DIMM_A1=DIMM_A2=DIMM_B1=DIMM_B2=
DIMM_C1=DIMM_C2 =DIMM_D1=DIMM_D2
• Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum
compatibility, it is recommended that you obtain memory modules
from the same vendor.
• 4 GB DDR400 registered ECC DIMMs operate in 2000SER, 2003SER,
or 64-bit operating systems.

Recommended memory configuration for CPU1

Mode DIMM_A1 DIMM_A2 DIMM_B1 DIMM_B2
Single channel — populated — —
Dual channel — populated — populated
populated populated populated populated

Recommended memory configuration for CPU2

Mode DIMM_C1 DIMM_C2 DIMM_D1 DIMM_D2
Single channel — populated — —
Dual channel — populated — populated
populated populated populated populated

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-13

 If you install a processor with Rev. CG or C0 with DDR 400 DIMMs, some
memory configurations may not run at 400MHz. Refer to table below for
details.

Mode DIMM_A1/ DIMM_A2/ DIMM_B1/ DIMM_B2/ M a x

DIMM_C1 DIMM_C2 DIMM_D1 DIMM_D2 Speed
Single Single rank — — — DDR400
channel Double rank — — — DDR400
(72 bits) — Single rank — — DDR400
— Double rank — — DDR400
Single rank Single rank — — DDR400
Single rank Double rank — — DDR400
Double rank Single rank — — DDR400
Double rank Double rank — — DDR333
Dual Single rank — Single rank — DDR400
channel Double rank — Double rank — DDR400
(144 bits) — Single rank — Single rank DDR400
— Double rank — Double rank DDR400
Single rank Single rank Single rank Single rank DDR400
Single rank Double rank Single rank Double rank DDR400
Double rank Single rank Double rank Single rank DDR400
Double rank Double rank Double rank Double rank DDR333

2-14 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.4.3 Installing a DIMM

Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs
or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage
to both the motherboard and the components.

2
1. Unlock a DIMM socket by DDR DIMM notch
pressing the retaining clips
outward.
1
2. Align a DIMM on the socket such
that the notch on the DIMM
matches the break on the
socket. 1

Unlocked retaining clip

A DDR DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it fits in only one direction.
DO NOT force a DIMM into a socket to avoid damaging the DIMM.

3. Firmly insert the DIMM into the

socket until the retaining clips
snap back in place and the DIMM
is properly seated.

Locked Retaining Clip

2.4.4 Removing a DIMM

2
Follow these steps to remove a DIMM.

1. Simultaneously press the 1

retaining clips outward to unlock
the DIMM.
1 DDR DIMM notch

Support the DIMM lightly with your fingers when pressing the retaining
clips. The DIMM might get damaged when it flips out with extra force.

2. Remove the DIMM from the socket.

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-15

 2.5 Expansion slots
In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following
sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support.

Make sure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing

expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and
damage motherboard components.

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card

To install an expansion card:

1. Before installing the expansion card, read the documentation that

came with it and make the necessary hardware settings for the card.
2. Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already
installed in a chassis).
3. Remove the bracket opposite the slot that you intend to use. Keep
the screw for later use.
4. Align the riser card connector with the slot and press firmly until the
riser card is completely seated on the slot.
5. Align the card connector with the slot on the riser card and press
firmly until the card is completely seated on the riser card slot.
6. Secure the card to the chassis with the screw you removed earlier.
7. Replace the system cover.

2.5.2 Configuring an expansion card

After installing the expansion card, configure it by adjusting the software
settings.

1. Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any.
See Chapter 4 for information on BIOS setup.
2. Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables on the next page.
3. Install the software drivers for the expansion card.

2-16 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments
Standard interrupt assignments

IRQ Priority Standard Function

0 1 System Timer
1 2 Keyboard Controller
2 – Programmable interrupt
4 12 Communications Port (COM1)*
5 13 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
6 14 Floppy Disk Controller
7 15 Printer Port (LPT1)*
8 3 System CMOS/Real Time Clock
9 4 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
10 5 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
11 6 IRQ holder for PCI steering*
12 7 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port*
13 8 Numeric Data Processor
14 9 Primary IDE Channel
15 10 Secondary IDE Channel

* These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices.

2.5.4 PCI Express x16

This motherboard comes with one PCI Express x16 graphics slot that
complies with the PCI Express specifications. If your chassis supports a PCI
Express riser card, install the riser card to support two PCI Express x8
cards. The figure shows a PCI Express riser card installed on the PCI Express
x16 slot.

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-17

 2.6 Jumpers
1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC1)
This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in
CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system
setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard
button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include
system setup information such as system passwords.
To erase the RTC RAM:

1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord.

2. Remove the onboard battery.
3. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3. Keep the
cap on pins 2-3 for about 5~10 seconds, then move the cap back
to pins 1-2.
4. Re-install the battery.
5. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer.
6. Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS
setup to re-enter data.

Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap on CLRTC
jumper default position. Removing the cap will cause system boot failure!

K8N-DRE

®
CLRTC1
1
2 2
3
Normal Clear CMOS
(Default)

K8N-DRE Clear RTC RAM

2-18 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2. Keyboard power (3-pin KBPWR1)
This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard wake-up
feature. Set this jumper to pins 1-2 (+5VSB) to wake up the computer
when you press a key on the keyboard (the default is the Space Bar).
This feature requires an ATX power supply that can supply at least 1A
on the +5VSB lead, and a corresponding setting in the BIOS.

KBPWR1
K8N-DRE 1
2 2
®
3
+5VSB +5V
(Default)

K8N-DRE Keyboard power setting

3. Gigabit LAN1 controller setting (3-pin LAN1_EN1)

This jumper allows you to enable or disable the onboard Broadcom®
BCM5721 Gigabit LAN1 controller. Set to pins 1-2 to activate the
Gigabit LAN feature.

K8N-DRE
LAN1_EN1
1
®
2 2
3
Enable Disable
(Default)

K8N-DRE LAN1_EN1 setting

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-19

 4. Gigabit LAN2 controller setting (3-pin LAN2_EN1)
This jumper allows you to enable or disable the onboard Broadcom®
BCM5721 Gigabit LAN2 controller. Set to pins 1-2 to activate the
Gigabit LAN feature.

K8N-DRE
LAN2_EN1
1
®

2 2
3
Enable Disable
(Default)

K8N-DRE LAN2_EN1 setting

5. SCSI controller setting (3-pin SCSI_EN1)

These jumpers allow you to enable or disable the onboard LSI 1020A
SCSI controller. Set to pins 1-2 to activate the SCSI feature.

K8N-DRE

® SCSI_EN1
1
2 2
3
Enable Disable
(Default)

K8N-DRE SCSI_EN setting

2-20 Chapter 2: Hardware information

6. BIOS Recovery (3-pin RECOVERY1)
This jumper allows you to recover your original BIOS from a floppy disk
in case the BIOS codes and data are corrupted.
To recover the BIOS:
1.Turn OFF your computer and unplug the power cord.
2.Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3.
3.Insert a floppy disk with the original or updated BIOS file.
4.Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer.
5.The system searches for the BIOS file in the floppy then reflashes
the BIOS.
6.When finished, shut down your computer.
7.Replace the jumper cap from pins 2-3 to pins 1-2.
8.Reboot your computer.
9.Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS
setup to re-enter data.

RECOVERY1
K8N-DRE

1
®
2 2
3
Normal BIOS recovery
(Default)

K8N-DRE BIOS recovery setting

7. VGA Graphics controller setting (3-pin VGA_EN1)

These jumpers allow you to enable or disable the onboard ATI Rage XL
video graphics controller. Set to pins 1-2 to enable the video graphics
controller.

K8N-DRE

VGA_EN1
®

1
2 2
3
Enable Disable
(Default)

K8N-DRE VGA setting

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-21

 2.7 Connectors
2.7.1 Rear panel connectors
1

2 3 4 5 6 7

1. P S / 2 m o u s e p o r t ( g r e e n ) . This port is for a PS/2 mouse.

2. P S / 2 k e y b o a r d p o r t ( p u r p l e ) . This port is for a PS/2 keyboard.
3.. U S B 2 . 0 p o r t s 1 a n d 2 . These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus
(USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.
4. S e r i a l ( C O M 1 ) p o r t . This 9-pin communication port os for
pointing devices or other serial devices.
5. V i d e o p o r t . This port is for a VGA monitor or other VGA-compatible
devices.
6. L A N 1 ( R J - 4 5 ) p o r t . Supported by the BROADCOM® BCM5721
Gigabit LAN controller, this port allows Gigabit connection to a Local
Area Network (LAN) through a network hub. Refer to the table below
for the LAN port LED indications.
7. L A N 2 ( R J - 4 5 ) p o r t . Supported by the BROADCOM® BCM5721
Gigabit LAN controller, this port allows Gigabit connection to a Local
Area Network (LAN) through a network hub. Refer to the table below
for the LAN port LED indications.

LAN port LED indications

ACT/LINK SPEED
ACT/LINK LED SPEED LED LED LED

Status Description Status Description

OFF No link OFF 10 Mbps connection
GREEN Linked ORANGE 100 Mbps connection LAN port
BLINKING Data activity GREEN 1 Gbps connection

2-22 Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.7.2 Internal connectors
1. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY1)
This connector is for the provided floppy disk drive (FDD) signal cable.
Insert one end of the cable to this connector, then connect the other
end to the signal connector at the back of the floppy disk drive.

K8N-DRE

1 FLOPPY1
®
NOTE: Orient the red markings on
the floppy ribbon cable to PIN 1.

K8N-DRE Floppy disk drive connector

2. IDE connectors (40-1 pin PRI_IDE1, SEC_IDE1)

These connectors are for Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cables. The
Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable has three connectors: a blue
connector for the primary IDE connector on the motherboard, a black
connector for an Ultra DMA 133/100/66 IDE slave device (optical
drive/hard disk drive), and a gray connector for an Ultra DMA 133/
100/66 IDE master device (hard disk drive). If you install two hard disk
drives to the same cable, you must configure the second drive as a
slave device by setting its jumper accordingly. Refer to the hard disk
documentation for the jumper settings.

• The Pin 20 on the IDE connector is removed to match the covered

hole on the Ultra DMA cable connector. This prevents incorrect
insertion when you connect the IDE cable.
• Use the 80-conductor IDE cable for Ultra DMA133/100/66 IDE
devices.

1 1
PRI_IDE1
SEC_IDE1

NOTE: Orient the red markings

(usually zigzag) on the IDE
K8N-DRE ribbon cable to PIN 1.

K8N-DRE IDE connectors

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-23

 3. Serial ATA connectors
(7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4)
Supported by the NVIDIA® nForce4™ chipset, these connectors are for
the Serial ATA signal cables for Serial ATA hard disk drives that allows
up to 3Gb/s of data transfer rate.
If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives, you can create a RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID 1+0, or JBOD configuration.

SATA2

RSATA_RXN2
RSATA_RXP2
RSATA_TXP2
RSATA_TXN2
GND

GND

GND
K8N-DRE

SATA1

RSATA_RXP1
RSATA_RXN1
GND
RSATA_TXP1
RSATA_TXN1
GND

GND
®

SATA4

RSATA_RXN4
RSATA_RXP4
RSATA_TXP4
RSATA_TXN4
GND

GND

GND
SATA3
K8N-DRE SATA connectors
RSATA_RXP3
RSATA_RXN3
RSATA_TXP3
RSATA_TXN3
GND

GND

GND

Important notes on Serial ATA

The actual data transfer rate depends on the speed of Serial ATA hard
disks installed.

2-24 Chapter 2: Hardware information

4. S C S I c o n n e c t o r ( 6 8 - p i n S C S I 1 ) (for SCSI model only)
This 68-pin Ultra160/320 SCSI connector supports a maximum of 15
devices as specified by the Ultra160/320 standards.

K8N-DRE 68 34
SCSI1
68-Pin Ultra320/
®
Ultra2-Wide SCSI Connector

K8N-DRE Onboard SCSI connector 35 1

The onboard SCSI chipset incorporates an advanced multi-mode I/O cell

that supports both single-ended (SE), Ultra2, and Ultra160/320 devices.
With Ultra160/320 devices, the SCSI bus platform performs at full
Ultra160/320 speeds (up to 160MB/s or 320MB/s) and extended
cabling of 12m (or 25m in a point-to-point configuration). When an SE
device is attached, the bus defaults to an SE speed and 1.5m cable
length.

5. Storage add-on card activity LED connector

(4-pin HDLED1)
This connector is for the storage add-on card cable connected to the
SCSI or SATA add-on card. The read or write activities of any device
connected to the SCSI or SATA add-on card causes the front panel
LED to light up.

K8N-DRE

HDLED1
1
NC
ADD_IN_CARD_ACT#
ADD_IN_CARD_ACT#
NC

K8N-DRE Hard disk activity LED connector

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-25

 6. Front and rear fan connectors (3-pin FRNT_FAN1,
FRNT_FAN2, FRNT_FAN3, FRNT_FAN4, FRNT_FAN5,
FRNT_FAN6, REAR_FAN1, REAR_FAN2, REAR_FAN3,
REAR_FAN4)
The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350mA~2000mA (24 W
max.) or a total of 1A~3.48A (41.76 W max.) at +12V. Connect the
fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure that
the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector.

• Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Lack
of sufficient air flow inside the system may damage the
motherboard components. These are not jumpers! DO NOT place
jumper caps on the fan connectors!
• All fan features the ASUS Smart Fan technology.

REAR_FAN1 REAR_FAN2 REAR_FAN3 REAR_FAN4

Rotation Rotation Rotation Rotation
+12V +12V +12V +12V
K8N-DRE
GND GND GND GND

FRNT_FAN2 REAR_FAN6
Rotation Rotation
+12V +12V
GND GND
FRNT_FAN1 REAR_FAN3 REAR_FAN4 FRNT_FAN5
Rotation Rotation Rotation Rotation
+12V +12V +12V +12V
K8N-DRE Fan connectors GND GND GND GND

7. Backplane SMBus connector (6-1 pin FPSMB)

This connector allows you to connect SMBus (System Management
Bus) devices. Devices communicate with an SMBus host and /or other
SMBus devices using the SMBus interface.

K8N-DRE

FPSMB
1
FAN_PWM
I2C_CLK#

GND
I2C_DATA#
K8N-DRE SMBus connector +5VSB

2-26 Chapter 2: Hardware information

8. USB connector (10-1 pin USB34)
This connector is for USB 2.0 ports. This connector complies with the
USB 2.0 specification that supports up to 480 Mbps connection
speed.

K8N-DRE

USB34
1
USB+5V USB+5V
USB_P3- USB_P4-
USB_P3+ USB_P4+
GND GND
NC

K8N-DRE USB 2.0 connector

9. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM2)

This connector is for a serial (COM) port. Connect the serial port
module cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot
opening at the back of the system chassis.

COM2
K8N-DRE PIN 1

K8N-DRE Serial port2 (COM2) connector

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-27

 1 0 . ATX power connectors (24-pin ATXPWR1,
8-pin ATX12V1)
These connectors are for an ATX power supply plugs. The power
supply plugs are designed to fit these connectors in only one
orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down firmly until the
connectors completely fit.

• Do not forget to connect the 8-pin ATX +12 V power plug;

otherwise, the system will not boot.
• Use of a PSU with a higher power output is recommended when
configuring a system with more power-consuming devices. The
system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is
inadequate.
• Make sure that your power supply unit (PSU) can provide at least
the minimum power required by your system. See the table below
for details.

ATXPWR1 ATX12V1
24-pin Power Connector 8-pin

+3 Volts +3 Volts
K8N-DRE
-12 Volts +3 Volts 12V GND
Ground Ground 12V GND
®
PSON# +5 Volts 12V GND
Ground Ground 12V GND
Ground +5 Volts
Ground Ground
-5 Volts Power OK
+5 Volts +5V Standby
+5 Volts +12 Volts
+5 Volts +12 Volts
Ground +3 Volts For Power Supply
with 20-pin
K8N-DRE ATX Power connectors Power Connector

2-28 Chapter 2: Hardware information

1 1 . Power Supply SMBus connector (5-pin PSUSMB1)
This connector allows you to connect SMBus (System Management
Bus) devices to the power supply unit. Devices communicate with an
SMBus host and/or other SMBus devices using the SMBus interface.

K8N-DRE
PSUSMB1
®

PSU_I2CCLK
PSU_I2CDATA
NC
GND
+3.3V Remote Sense

K8N-DRE Power supply SMBus connector

1 2 . Parallel port connector (26-1 pin LPT1)

This connector is for a parallel port. Connect the parallel port module
cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot opening at
the back of the system chassis.

LPT1
Pin 1
K8N-DRE
STB# AFD#
SPD0 ERROR#
SPD1 PINIT#
SPD2 SLIN#
®

SPD3 GND
SPD4 GND
SPD5 GND
SPD6 GND
SPD7 GND
ACK# GND
BUSY GND
PE GND
SLCT

K8N-DRE Parallel port connector

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-29

 1 3 . System panel auxiliary connector (20-pin AUX_PANEL1)
This connector supports several server system functions.

K8N-DRE

®
AUX_PANEL1
1
+5VSB NC
I2CCLK_P2
CASEOPEN
GND GND
LOCATORLED1+ I2CDATA_P2
LOCATORLED1- +5VSB
LOCATORBTN# LAN1_LINKACTLED+
GND LAN1_LINKACTLED-
LOCATORLED2- LAN2_LINKACTLED-
K8N-DRE Auxiliary panel connector LOCATORLED2+ LAN2_LINKACTLED+

• Chassis Intrusion connector (3-pin CASEOPEN)

This lead is for a chassis with an intrusion detection feature. This
requires an external detection mechanism such as a chassis intrusion
sensor or microswitch. When you remove any chassis component, the
sensor triggers and sends a high-level signal to this lead to record a
chassis intrusion event.
• LAN1 link activity LED (2-pin LAN1_LINKACTLED)
This 2-pin connector is for the LAN1 Activity LED. Connect the LAN1
Activity LED cable to this connector. This LED blinks during a network
activity and is always lit when linked.
• LAN2 link activity LED (2-pin LAN2_LINKACTLED)
This 2-pin connector is for the LAN2 Activity LED. Connect the LAN2
Activity LED cable to this connector. This LED blinks during a network
activity and lights up when linked.
• Locator LED 1 (2-pin LOCATORLED1)
This 2-pin connector is for the Locator LED 1. Connect the Locator
LED 1 cable to this connector. This LED lights up when the Locator
button is pressed.
• Locator LED 2 (2-pin LOCATORLED2)
This 2-pin connector is for the Locator LED 2. Connect the Locator
LED 2 cable to this connector.
• Locator Button/Switch (2-pin LOCATORBTN)
This connector is for the locator button. This button queries the state
of the system locator.
• Front Panel SMBus (6-1 pin)
This connector allows you to connect SMBus (System Management
Bus) devices to the system front panel. Devices communicate with an
SMBus host and/or other SMBus devices using the SMBus interface.

2-30 Chapter 2: Hardware information

1 4 . System panel connector (20-pin PANEL1)
This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.

K8N-DRE

PANEL1
HDLED+ POWERLED+
®

HDLED- GND
POWERLED-
NMIBTN# MLED+
GND MLED-
POWERBTN# NC
GND +5V
NC GND
RESETBTN# GND
GND SPKROUT

K8N-DRE System panel connector

The system panel connector is color-coded for easy connection. Refer to

the connector description below for details.

• System power LED (Green 3-pin POWERLED)

This 3-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the
chassis power LED cable to this connector. The system power LED
lights up when you turn on the system power, and blinks when the
system is in sleep mode.
• Hard disk drive activity (Red 2-pin HDDLED)
This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. Connect the HDD
Activity LED cable to this connector. The IDE LED lights up or flashes
when data is read from or written to the HDD.
If an optional SCSI or SATA add-in card is installed, the read or write
activities of any device connected to the SCSI or SATA add-in card
causes this LED to light up.
• System warning speaker (Orange 4-pin SPKROUT)
This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning
speaker. The speaker allows you to hear system beeps and warnings.
• Power/Soft-off button (Yellow 2-pin POWERBTN)
This connector is for the system power button. Pressing the power
button turns the system ON or puts the system in SLEEP or SOFT-OFF
mode depending on the BIOS settings. Pressing the power switch for
more than four seconds while the system is ON turns the system OFF.
• Reset button (Blue 2-pin RESETBTN)
This 2-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted reset button for
system reboot without turning off the system power.

ASUS K8N-DRE 2-31

2-32 Chapter 2: Hardware information
This chapter describes the power up

3
sequence, the POST messages, and
ways of shutting down the system.

Powering up
Chapter summary

3.1 Starting up for the first time ................................................ 3-1

3.2 Powering off the computer .................................................. 3-2

ASUS K8N-DRE
3.1 Starting up for the first time
1. After making all the connections, replace the system case cover.
2. Be sure that all switches are off.
3. Connect the power cord to the power connector at the back of the
system chassis.
4. Connect the power cord to a power outlet that is equipped with a
surge protector.
5. Turn on the devices in the following order:
a. Monitor
b. External SCSI devices (starting with the last device on the chain)
c. System power
6. After applying power, the system power LED on the system front
panel case lights up. For systems with ATX power supplies, the system
LED lights up when you press the ATX power button. If your monitor
complies with “green” standards or if it has a “power standby”
feature, the monitor LED may light up or switch between orange and
green after the system LED turns on.
The system then runs the power-on self tests or POST. While the
tests are running, the BIOS beeps or additional messages appear on
the screen. If you do not see anything within 30 seconds from the
time you turned on the power, the system may have failed a power-on
test. Check the jumper settings and connections or call your retailer
for assistance.
7. At power on, hold down the <Del> key to enter the BIOS Setup. Follow
the instructions in Chapter 4.

ASUS K8N-DRE 3-1

 3.2 Powering off the computer
3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function
If you are using Windows® 2000/2003 Server:

1. Click the S t a r t button then click S h u t D o w n . . .

2. Select S h u t D o w n from the W h a t d o y o u w a n t t h e c o m p u t e r
t o d o ? list box.
3. Select S h u t d o w n E v e n t T r a c k e rr.
4. Make sure that the P l a n n e d check box is checked.
5. Select shutdown option from the list box.
6. If necessary, key in comments.
7. Click O K
K.

3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch

While the system is ON, pressing the power switch for less than four
seconds puts the system to sleep mode or to soft-off mode, depending on
the BIOS setting. Pressing the power switch for more than four seconds
lets the system enter the soft-off mode regardless of the BIOS setting.
Refer to section “4.5 Power Menu” in Chapter 4 for details.

3-2 Chapter 3: Powering up

This chapter tells how to change
the system settings through the BIOS

4
Setup menus. Detailed descriptions
of the BIOS parameters are also
provided.

BIOS setup
Chapter summary

4.1
4.2
Managing and updating your BIOS ........................................ 4-1
4
BIOS setup program ........................................................... 4-10
4.3 Main menu .......................................................................... 4-13
4.4 Advanced menu .................................................................. 4-19
4.5 Server menu ....................................................................... 4-29
4.6 Security menu .................................................................... 4-31
4.7 Boot menu .......................................................................... 4-34
4.8 Exit menu ........................................................................... 4-37

ASUS K8N-DRE Series

4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS
The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup.

1. A S U S A F U D O S (Updates the BIOS in DOS mode using a bootable

floppy disk.)
2. A S U S C r a s h F r e e B I O S 2 (Updates the BIOS using a bootable
floppy disk or the motherboard support CD when the BIOS file fails or
gets corrupted.)
3. A S U S U p d a t e (Updates the BIOS in Windows® environment.)
Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities.

Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS file to a bootable floppy

disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the original
motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update or AFUDOS utilities.

4.1.1 Creating a bootable floppy disk

1. Do either one of the following to create a bootable floppy disk.
DOS environment

a. Insert a 1.44MB floppy disk into the drive.

b. At the DOS prompt, type format A:/S then press <Enter>.
Windows® XP environment

a. Insert a 1.44 MB floppy disk to the floppy disk drive.

b. Click S t a r t from the Windows® desktop, then select M y
C o m p u t e rr.
c. Select the 3 1/2 Floppy Drive icon.
d. Click F i l e from the menu, then select F o r m a tt. A F o r m a t 3 1 / 2
F l o p p y D i s k window appears.
e. W i n d o w s® X P u s e r s : Select C r e a t e a n M S - D O S s t a r t u p
d i s k from the format options field, then click S t a r tt.

ASUS K8NDRE 4-1

 4.1.2 AFUDOS utility
The AFUDOS utility allows you to update the BIOS file in DOS environment
using a bootable floppy disk with the updated BIOS file. This utility also
allows you to copy the current BIOS file that you can use as backup when
the BIOS fails or gets corrupted during the updating process.

Copying the current BIOS

To copy the current BIOS file using the AFUDOS utility:

• Make sure that the floppy disk is not write-protected and has at
least 1024KB free space to save the file.
• The succeeding BIOS screens are for reference only. The actual BIOS
screen displays may not be same as shown.

1. Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard support

CD to the bootable floppy disk you created earlier.
2. Boot the system in DOS mode, then at the prompt type:
afudos /o[filename]
where the [filename] is any user-assigned filename not more than
eight alphanumeric characters for the main filename and three
alphanumeric characters for the extension name.

A:\>afudos /oOLDBIOS1.rom

Main filename Extension name

3. Press <Enter>. The utility copies the current BIOS file to the floppy
disk.

A:\>afudos /oOLDBIOS1.rom
AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19(ASUS V2.07(03.11.24BB))
Copyright (C) 2002 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reading flash ..... done
Write to file...... ok
A:\>

The utility returns to the DOS prompt after copying the current BIOS
file.

4-2 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

Updating the BIOS file
To update the BIOS file using the AFUDOS utility:

1. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) and download the latest BIOS
file for the motherboard. Save the BIOS file to a bootable floppy disk.

Write the BIOS filename on a piece of paper. You need to type the exact
BIOS filename at the DOS prompt.

2. Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard support

CD to the bootable floppy disk you created earlier.
3. Boot the system in DOS mode, then at the prompt type:
afudos /i[filename]
where [filename] is the latest or the original BIOS file on the bootable
floppy disk.
A:\>afudos /iK8NDRE.ROM

4. The utility verifies the file and starts updating the BIOS.
A:\>afudos /iK8NDRE.ROM /pbnc
AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19(ASUS V2.07(03.11.24BB))
Copyright (C) 2002 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved.

WARNING!! Do not turn off power during flash BIOS

Reading file ....... done
Reading flash ...... done

Advance Check ......

Erasing flash ...... done
Writing flash ...... 0x0008CC00 (9%)

Do not shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to
prevent system boot failure!

ASUS K8NDRE 4-3

 5. The utility returns to the DOS prompt after the BIOS update process is
completed. Reboot the system from the hard disk drive.
A:\>afudos /iK8NDRE.ROM /pbnc
AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19(ASUS V2.07(03.11.24BB))
Copyright (C) 2002 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved.

WARNING!! Do not turn off power during flash BIOS

Reading file ....... done
Reading flash ...... done

Advance Check ......

Erasing flash ...... done
Writing flash ...... done
Verifying flash .... done

Please restart your computer

A:\>

4-4 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility
The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to
restore the BIOS file when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating
process. You can update a corrupted BIOS file using the motherboard
support CD or the floppy disk that contains the updated BIOS file.

• Prepare the motherboard support CD or the floppy disk containing

the updated motherboard BIOS before using this utility.
• Make sure that you rename the original or updated BIOS file in the
floppy disk to K 8 N D R E . R O M
M.

Recovering the BIOS from a floppy disk

To recover the BIOS from a floppy disk:

1. Turn on the system.

2. Insert the floppy disk with the original or updated BIOS file to the
floppy disk drive.
3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks
the floppy disk for the original or updated BIOS file.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for floppy...

When found, the utility reads the BIOS file and starts flashing the
corrupted BIOS file.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for floppy...
Floppy found!
Reading file “K8NDRE.ROM”. Completed.
Start flashing...

DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing
so can cause system boot failure!

4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process.

ASUS K8NDRE 4-5

 Recovering the BIOS from the support CD
To recover the BIOS from the support CD:

1. Remove any floppy disk from the floppy disk drive, then turn on the
system.
2. Insert the support CD to the optical drive.
3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks
the floppy disk for the original or updated BIOS file.
Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...
Checking for floppy...

When no floppy disk is found, the utility automatically checks the

optical drive for the original or updated BIOS file. The utility then
updates the corrupted BIOS file.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for floppy...
Floppy not found!
Checking for CD-ROM...
CD-ROM found!
Reading file “K8NDRE.ROM”. Completed.
Start flashing...

DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing
so can cause system boot failure!

4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process.

The recovered BIOS may not be the latest BIOS version for this
motherboard. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the
latest BIOS file.

4-6 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.1.4 ASUS Update utility
The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage, save, and update
the motherboard BIOS in Windows® environment. The ASUS Update utility
allows you to:
• Save the current BIOS file
• Download the latest BIOS file from the Internet
• Update the BIOS from an updated BIOS file
• Update the BIOS directly from the Internet, and
• View the BIOS version information.
This utility is available in the support CD that comes with the motherboard
package.

ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network

or an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Installing ASUS Update

To install ASUS Update:

1. Place the support CD in the optical drive. The D r i v e r s menu appears.

2. Click the U t i l i t i e s tab, then click I n s t a l l A S U S U p d a t e
VX.XX.XX X.
3. The ASUS Update utility is copied to your system.

Quit all Windows® applications before you update the BIOS using this
utility.

ASUS K8NDRE 4-7

 Updating the BIOS through the Internet
To update the BIOS through the Internet:

1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows® desktop by clicking
Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate e. The
ASUS Update main window appears.

2. Select U p d a t e B I O S f r o m 3. Select the ASUS FTP site

t h e I n t e r n e t option from the nearest you to avoid network
drop-down menu, then click traffic, or click A u t o S e l e c tt.
N e x tt. Click N e x tt.

4-8 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4. From the FTP site, select the
BIOS version that you wish to
download. Click Next.
5. Follow the screen instructions to
complete the update process.

The ASUS Update utility is

capable of updating itself
through the Internet. Always
update the utility to avail all
its features.

Updating the BIOS through a BIOS file

To update the BIOS through a BIOS file:

1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows® desktop by

clicking S t a r t > P r o g r a m s > A S U S > A S U S U p d a t e >
ASUSUpdate e. The ASUS Update main window appears.
2. Select U p d a t e B I O S f r o m a
f i l e option from the drop-down
menu, then click N e x tt.

3. Locate the BIOS file from the O p e n window, then click O p e n

n.
4. Follow the screen instructions to complete the update process.

ASUS K8NDRE 4-9

 4.2 BIOS setup program
This motherboard supports a programmable firmware chip that you can
update using the provided utility described in section “4.1 Managing and
updating your BIOS.”
Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard,
reconfiguring your system, or prompted to “Run Setup”. This section
explains how to configure your system using this utility.
Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, you can change
the configuration of your computer in the future. For example, you can
enable the security password feature or change the power management
settings. This requires you to reconfigure your system using the BIOS
Setup program so that the computer can recognize these changes and
record them in the CMOS RAM.
The firmware device on the motherboard stores the Setup utility. When you
start up the computer, the system provides you with the opportunity to
run this program. Press <Del> during the Power-On Self-Test (POST) to
enter the Setup utility; otherwise, POST continues with its test routines.
If you wish to enter Setup after POST, restart the system by pressing
<Ctrl+Alt+Delete>, or by pressing the reset button on the system chassis.
You can also restart by turning the system off and then back on. Do this
last option only if the first two failed.
The Setup program is designed to make it as easy to use as possible. Being
a menu-driven program, it lets you scroll through the various sub-menus
and make your selections from the available options using the navigation
keys.

• The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most
conditions to ensure optimum performance. If the system becomes
unstable after changing any BIOS settings, load the default settings
to ensure system compatibility and stability. Select the L o a d
S e t u p D e f a u l t s item under the Exit Menu. See section “4.7 Exit
Menu.”
• The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference
purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your
screen.
• Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS
file for this motherboard.

4-10 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.2.1 BIOS menu screen

Menu items Menu bar Configuration fields General help

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main Advanced Server Security Boot Exit

System Date [Mon, 06/27/2005] Use [ENTER], [TAB]

System Time [08:52:30] or [SHIFT-TAB] to
select a field.
Floppy A: [1.44 MB, 3.5 in.]
Use [+] or [-] to
IDE Configuration configure system Date.
Primary IDE Master [Not Detected]
Primary IDE Slave [Not Detected]
Secondary IDE Master [Not Detected]
Secondary IDE Slave [Not Detected] →← Select Screen
Tertiary IDE Master [Not Detected] ↑↓ Select Item
Fourth IDE Master [Not Detected] +- Change Field
Fifth IDE Master [Not Detected] Tab Select Field
Sixth IDE Master [Not Detected] F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
System Information ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

Sub-menu items Navigation keys

4.2.2 Menu bar

The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items:

Main For changing the basic system configuration

Advanced For changing the advanced system settings
Server For changing the advanced server options
Security For changing the advanced system security options
Boot For changing the system boot configuration
Exit For selecting the exit options and loading default
settings
To select an item on the menu bar, press the right or left arrow key on the
keyboard until the desired item is highlighted.

4.2.3 Navigation keys

At the bottom right corner of a menu screen are the navigation keys for
that particular menu. Use the navigation keys to select items in the menu
and change the settings.

Some of the navigation keys differ from one screen to another.

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-11

 4.2.4 Menu items
The highlighted item on the menu bar
System Time [11:10:19] Use [ENTER], [TAB]

displays the specific items for that menu. System Date

Legacy Diskette A
Language
[Thu 03/27/2003]
[1.44M, 3.5 in]
[English]
or [SHIFT-TAB] to
select a field.
Use [+] or [-] to

For example, selecting M a i n shows the Primary IDE Master

Primary IDE Slave
Secondary IDE Master
:[ST320413A]
:[ASUS CD-S340]
:[Not Detected]
configure system time.

Secondary IDE Slave :[Not Detected]

Main menu items. Third IDE Master

Fourth IDE Master
IDE Configuration
:[Not Detected]
:[Not Detected]
Select Screen
Select Item
System Information +- Change Field
Tab Select Field

The other items (Advanced, Power, Boot,

F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

and Exit) on the menu bar have their

respective menu items.
Main menu items

4.2.5 Sub-menu items

A solid triangle before each item on any menu screen means that the iteam
has a sub-menu. To display the sub-menu, select the item and press
<Enter>.

4.2.6 Configuration fields

These fields show the values for the menu items. If an item is user-
configurable, you can change the value of the field opposite the item. You
cannot select an item that is not user-configurable.
A configurable field is enclosed in brackets, and is highlighted when
selected. To change the value of a field, select it then press <Enter> to
display a list of options. Refer to “4.2.7 Pop-up window.”

4.2.7 Pop-up window

Select a menu item then press <Enter> to display a pop-up window with
the configuration options for that item.

4.2.8 Scroll bar

Advanced Chipset settings

A scroll bar appears on the right side of a WARNING: Setting wrong values in the sections below
may cause system to malfunction.

menu screen when there are items that

Configure DRAM Timing by SPD [Enabled]
Memory Acceleration Mode [Auto]
DRAM Idle Timer [Auto]
DRAm Refresh Rate [Auto]

do not fit on the screen. Press the Graphic Adapter Priority

Graphics Aperture Size
Spread Spectrum
[AGP/PCI]
[ 64 MB]
[Enabled] Select Screen

Up/Down arrow keys or <Page Up> /

Select Item
ICH Delayed Transaction [Enabled] +- Change Option
F1 General Help
MPS Revision [1.4] F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

<Page Down> keys to display the other

items on the screen.
Pop-up window
4.2.9 General help Scroll bar
At the top right corner of the menu screen is a brief description of the
selected item.

4-12 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.3 Main menu
When you enter the BIOS Setup program, the M a i n menu screen appears,
giving you an overview of the basic system information.

Refer to section “4.2.1 BIOS menu screen” for information on the menu
screen items and how to navigate through them.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main Advanced Server Security Boot Exit

System Date [Mon, 06/27/2005] Use [ENTER], [TAB]

System Time [08:52:30] or [SHIFT-TAB] to
select a field.
Floppy A: [1.44 MB, 3.5 in.]
Use [+] or [-] to
IDE Configuration configure system Date.
Primary IDE Master [Not Detected]
Primary IDE Slave [Not Detected]
Secondary IDE Master [Not Detected]
Secondary IDE Slave [Not Detected] →← Select Screen
Tertiary IDE Master [Not Detected] ↑↓ Select Item
Fourth IDE Master [Not Detected] +- Change Field
Fifth IDE Master [Not Detected] Tab Select Field
Sixth IDE Master [Not Detected] F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
System Information ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

4.3.1 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx]

Allows you to set the system date.

4.3.2 System Time [xx:xx:xx]

Allows you to set the system time.

4.3.3 Floppy A [1.44M, 3.5 in.]

Sets the type of floppy drive installed. Configuration options: [Disabled]
[360K, 5.25 in.] [1.2M , 5.25 in.] [720K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.]
[2.88M, 3.5 in.]

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-13

 4.3.4 IDE Configuration
The items in this menu allow you to set or change the configurations for
the IDE devices installed in the system. Select an item then press <Enter>
if you wish to configure the item.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main

IDE Configuration

OnBoard PCI IDE Controller [Both]

IDE DMA Transfer [Enabled]
Configuration nVidia RAID ROM

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

OnBoard PCI IDE Controller [Both]

Enables or disables any or both the primary and/or secondary IDE
controllers. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Primary] [Secondary] [Both]

IDE DMA Transfer [Enabled]

Enables or disables IDE DMA transfers.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Configuration nVidia RAID ROM

BIOS SETUP UTILITY
Main

Configuration nVidia RAID ROM

RAID Option ROM [Disabled]

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

4-14 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

RAID Option ROM [Disabled]
Enables or disables the NVIDIA® RAID option ROM.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The following items appear when the RAID Option ROM is Enabled.

Primary Master as RAID [Disabled]

Sets the primary master interface as RAID.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Primary Slave as RAID [Disabled]

Sets the primary slave interface as RAID.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Secondary Master as RAID [Disabled]

Sets the secondary master interface as RAID.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Secondary Slave as RAID [Disabled]

Sets the secondary slave interface as RAID.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Tertiary Master as RAID [Disabled]

Sets the tertiary master interface as RAID.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Fourth Master as RAID [Disabled]

Sets the fourth master interface as RAID.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Fifth Master as RAID [Disabled]

Sets the fifth master interface as RAID.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Sixth Master as RAID [Disabled]

Sets the sixth master interface as RAID.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-15

 4.3.5 Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Fourth, Fifth,
and Sixth IDE Master/Slave
The BIOS automatically detects the connected IDE devices. There is a
separate sub-menu for each IDE device. Select a device item, then press
<Enter> to display the IDE device information.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main

Primary IDE Master

Device : Hard Disk
Vendor : xxxxxxxxx
Size : xx.xGB
LBA Mode : Supported
Block Mode : 16 Sectors
PIO Mode : 4
Async DMA : MultiWord DMA-2
Ultra DMA : Ultra DMA-5 →← Select Screen
S.M.A.R.T. : Supported ↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Type [Auto] Tab Select Field
LBA/Large Mode [Auto] F1 General Help
Block(Multi-sector Transfer) [Auto] F10 Save and Exit
PIO Mode [Auto] ESC Exit
DMA Mode [Auto]
S.M.A.R.T. [Auto]
32Bit Data Transfer [Enabled]
V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items
(Device, Vendor, Size, LBA Mode, Block Mode, PIO Mode, Async DMA, Ultra
DMA, and S.M.A.R.T. monitoring). These values are not user-configurable.
These items show N/A if no IDE device is installed in the system.

Type [Auto]
Selects the type of IDE drive. Setting to [Auto] allows automatic selection
of the appropriate IDE device type. Select [CDROM] if you are specifically
configuring a CD-ROM drive. Select [ARMD] (ATAPI Removable Media
Device) if your device is either a ZIP, LS-120, or MO drive.
Configuration options: [Not Installed] [Auto] [CDROM] [ARMD]

LBA/Large Mode [Auto]

Enables or disables the LBA mode. Setting to [Auto] enables the LBA mode
if the device supports this mode, and if the device was not previously
formatted with LBA mode disabled. Configuration options: [Disabled]
[Auto]

Block (Multi-sector Transfer) [Auto]

Enables or disables data multi-sectors transfers. When set to [Auto], the
data transfer from and to the device occurs multiple sectors at a time if
the device supports multi-sector transfer feature. When set to [Disabled],
the data transfer from and to the device occurs one sector at a time.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

4-16 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

PIO Mode [Auto]
Selects the PIO mode.
Configuration options: [Auto] [0] [1] [2] [3] [4]

DMA Mode [Auto]

Sets the DMA mode.
Configuration options: [Auto] [SWDMA0] [SWDMA1] [SWDMA2]
[MWDMA0] [MWDMA1] [MWDMA2] [UDMA0] [UDMA1] [UDMA2] [UDMA3]
[UDMA4]

S.M.A.R.T. [Auto]
Sets the Smart Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology.
Configuration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled]

32Bit Data Transfer [Enabled]

Enables or disables 32-bit data transfer.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
4.3.6 System Information
This menu gives you an overview of the general system specifications. The
BIOS automatically detects the items in this menu.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main

System Information
Model Name ASUS K8N-DRE/SCSI
Model ID 8009A0

ASUS BIOS
Version 1001.007
Date 06/09/2005

Processor →← Select Screen

System Memory ↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-17

 Processor
Displays the installed processor information.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main

Processor Information
***CPU1:
Brand AMD Opteron(tm) Processor 240
ID/uCode 0F58h/039h
Ratio Actual 7 Max 7
Cache L1/64KB L2/1024KB
Revision C0
→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

System Memory
Displays the installed system memory information.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main

System Memory Information

Total Memory xxxMB

Node0 Memory Configuration:
Speed DDR xxx
DIMM01 - None
DIMM02 - None
DIMM03 - xxxMB
DIMM04 - None
→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
Node1 Memory Configuration : +- Change Field
Speed N/A Tab Select Field
DIMM05 - None F1 General Help
DIMM06 - None F10 Save and Exit
DIMM07 - None ESC Exit
DIMM08 - None

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

4-18 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.4 Advanced menu
The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU
and other system devices.

Take caution when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items.
Incorrect field values can cause the system to malfunction.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main Advanced Server Security Boot Exit

WARNING: Setting wrong values in the sections below Options for CPU.
may cause system to malfunction.

CPU Configuration
Chipset Configuration
PCI/PnP Configuration
USB Configuration
Peripheral Devices Configuration
ACPI Configuration →← Select Screen
APM Configuration ↑↓ Select Item
Hardware Monitor +- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

4.4.1 CPU Configuration

The items in this menu show the CPU-related information that the BIOS
automatically detects.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

CPU Configuration

MPS Table Version [1.4]

MTRR Mapping [Continuous]
Cool ‘n’ Quiet [Enabled]

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

MPS Table Version [1.4]

Sets the Multi-Processor System (MPS) table version.
Configuration options: [1.1] [1.4]

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-19

 MTRR Mapping [Continuous]
Determines the method used for programming processor MTRRs when using
more than 4GB of system memory.
Configuration options: [Continuous] [Discrete]

Cool ‘n’ Quiet [Enabled]

Enables or disables the AMD® Cool ‘n’ Quiet! (Power Now) feature.
Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]

4.4.2 Chipset Configuration

The Chipset configuration menu allows you to change advanced chipset
settings. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

Chipset Configuration
NorthBridge Configuration
SouthBridge Configuration

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

NorthBridge Configuration
The NorthBridge Configuration menu allows you to change the Northbridge
settings.
BIOS SETUP UTILITY
Advanced

NorthBridge Configuration
Burst Length [4 Beats]
SoftWare Memory Table [Enabled]
DRAM ECC Enable [Enabled]
NUMA Function [Enabled]

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

4-20 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

 Burst Length [4 Beats]
Sets the burst length. Configuration options: [8 Beats] [4 Beats] [2
Beats]
SoftWare Memory Hole [Enabled]
Enables or disables the software memory hole.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
DRAM ECC Enable [Enabled]
Enables or disables the DRAM ECC that allows the hardware to report
and correct memory errors automatically.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
NUMA Function [Enabled]
Enables or disables the non-uniform memory access (NUMA) function.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

SouthBridge Configuration
The SouthBridge configuration menu allows you to change the Southbridge
settings.
BIOS SETUP UTILITY
Advanced

SouthBridge Configuration

CPU Spread Spectrum [Disabled]

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

CPU Spread Spectrum [Disabled]

Sets or disables the processor spread spectrum.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Center Spread]

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-21

 4.4.3 PCI PnP
The PCI PnP menu items allow you to change the advanced settings for
PCI/PnP devices. The menu includes setting IRQ and DMA channel resources
for either PCI/PnP or legacy ISA devices, and setting the memory size block
for legacy ISA devices.

Take caution when changing the settings of the PCI PnP menu items.
Incorrect field values can cause the system to malfunction.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

PCI/PnP Configuration

Reset ESCD Data [No]

Plug & Play O/S [No]
PCI Latency Timer [64]
Palette Snooping [Disabled]
OnBoard PCIE LAN Boot ROM [Enabled]
→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

Reset ESCD Data [No]

Clears the non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) during boot.
Configuration options: [No] [Yes]

Plug And Play O/S [No]

When set to [No], BIOS configures all the devices in the system. When set
to [Yes] and if you install a Plug and Play operating system, the operating
system configures the Plug and Play devices not required for boot.
Configuration options: [No] [Yes]

PCI Latency Timer [64]

Allows you to select the value in units of PCI clocks for the PCI device
latency timer register. Configuration options: [32] [64] [96] [128] [160]
[192] [224] [248]

Palette Snooping [Disabled]

When set to [Enabled], the pallete snooping feature informs the PCI
devices that an ISA graphics device is installed in the system so that the
latter can function correctly. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4-22 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

OnBoard PCIE LAN Boot ROM [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the option ROM in the onboard PCI Express
LAN controller. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4.4.4 USB Configuration

The items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features.
Select an item then press <Enter> to display the configuration options.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

USB Configuration
Module Version - 2.23.2-9.4

USB Devices Enabled: None

USB Controller Suport [USB 1.1+USB 2.0]
Legacy USB Support [Enabled]
USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]
BIOS EHCI Hand-Off [Enabled] →← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

The M o d u l e V e r s i o n and U S B D e v i c e s E n a b l e d items show the

auto-detected values. If no USB device is detected, the U S B D e v i c e s
E n a b l e d item shows N o n e e.

USB Controller Support [USB 1.1+USB 2.0]

Sets or disables the USB controller support.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [USB 1.1 Only] [USB 1.1+USB 2.0]

Legacy USB Support [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable support for legacy USB devices. Setting to
[Auto] allows the system to detect the presence of USB devices at
startup. If detected, the USB controller legacy mode is enabled. If no USB
device is detected, the legacy USB support is disabled.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Auto]

USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]

Allows you to set the USB 2.0 controller mode to HiSpeed (480 Mbps) or
FullSpeed (12 Mbps). Configuration options: [HiSpeed ] [FullSpeed ]

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-23

 BIOS EHCI Hand-Off [Enabled]
Enables or disables the BIOS EHCI hand-off support.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4.4.5 Peripheral Devices Configuration

BIOS SETUP UTILITY
Advanced

Peripheral Devices Configuration

OnBoard Floppy Controller [Enabled]
Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]
Serial Port2 Address [2F8/IRQ3]
Serial Port2 Address [Normal]
Parallel Port Address [Disabled]

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

OnBoard Floppy Controller [Enabled]

Enables or disables the onboard floppy controller.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]

Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [3F8/IRQ4] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/IRQ3]

Serial Port2 Address [2F8/IRQ3]

Allows you to select the Serial Port2 base address.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [2F8/IRQ3] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/IRQ3]
Serial Port 2 Mode [Normal]
Sets the serial port 2 mode.
Configuration options: [Normal] [IrDA] [ASK IR]

Parallel Port Address [378]

Allows you to select the Parallel Port base addresses.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [378] [278] [3BC]

Parallel Port Mode [Normal]

Allows you to select the Parallel Port mode.
Configuration options: [Normal] [Bi-directional] [ECP] [EPP] [ECP & EPP]

4-24 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

 EPP Version [1.9]
Allows selection of the Parallel Port EPP version. This item appears
when the Parallel Port Mode is set to [EPP] or [ECP & EPP].
Configuration options: [1.9] [1.7]
ECP Mode DMA Channel [DMA3]
Appears when the Parallel Port Mode is set to [ECP] or [ECP & EPP].
This item allows you to set the Parallel Port ECP DMA.
Configuration options: [DMA0] [DMA1] [DMA3]
Parallel Port IRQ [IRQ7]
Sets the Parallel port IRQ. Configuration options: [IRQ5] [IRQ7]

4.4.6 ACPI Configuration

BIOS SETUP UTILITY
Advanced

ACPI Configuration

ACPI 2.0 Features [No]

Headless Mode [Disabled]
ACPI EMS Support [Disabled]

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

ACPI 2.0 Features [No]

Enables or disables the ACPI 2.0 features.
Configuration options: [Yes] [No]

Headless Mode [Disabled]

Enables or disables the headless operation mode in ACPI.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ACPI EMS Support [Disabled]

Enables or disables the ACPI EMS support.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-25

 4.4.7 APM Configuration
This sub-menu allows you to change Advanced Power Management (APM)
features. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the configuration
options.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

APM Configuration
Restore On AC Power Loss [Power Off]
Resume by PS/2 Keyboard [Enabled]
Resume by PS/2 Mouse [Disabled]
Resume by Ring [Disabled]
Resume by PME# [Enabled]
Resume by RTC [Disabled]
→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

Restore on AC Power Loss [Power Off]

When set to Power Off, the system goes into off state after an AC power
loss. When set to Power On, the system will reboot after an AC power loss.
When set to Last State, the system goes into either off or on state,
whatever the system state was before the AC power loss.
Configuration options: [Power Off] [Power On] [Last State]

Resume By PS/2 Keyboard [Enabled]

Allows you to use specific keys on the keyboard to turn on the system.
This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the
+5VSB lead. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Resume By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled]

When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to use the PS/2 mouse
to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that
provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead. Configuration options: [Disabled]
[Enabled]

Resume By Ring [Disabled]

When set to [Enabled], the system will generate a wake event when the
external modem receives a call while the computer is in Soft-off mode.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4-26 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

Resume By PME# [Disabled]
When set to [Enabled], the system enables the PME to generate a wake
event while the computer is in Soft-off mode.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Resume by RTC [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable RTC to generate a wake event. When this
item is set to [Enabled], the items RTC Alarm Date, RTC Alarm Hour, RTC
Alarm Minute, and RTC Alarm Second appear with set values.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4.4.8 Hardware Monitor

BIOS SETUP UTILITY
Advanced

Hardware Monitor
CPU1 Temperature [38ºC/100ºF]
CPU2 Temperature [26ºC/78.5ºF]
MB Temperature [34ºC/93ºF]
Front1 Fan Speed [N/A]
Front2 Fan Speed [N/A]
Front3 Fan Speed [N/A]
Front4 Fan Speed [N/A]
Front5 Fan Speed [N/A] →← Select Screen
Front6 Fan Speed [N/A] ↑↓ Select Item
REAR1 Fan Speed [N/A] +- Change Field
REAR2 Fan Speed [N/A] Tab Select Field
REAR3 Fan Speed [N/A] F1 General Help
REAR4 Fan Speed [N/A] F10 Save and Exit
Smart Fan Control [Disabled] ESC Exit
VCORE1 Voltage [ 1.518V]
VCORE2 Voltage [ 1.518V]
V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

CPU1/CPU2 Temperature [xxxºC/xxxºF]

MB Temperature [xxxºC/xxxºF]
The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the
motherboard and CPU temperatures. Select [Ignored] if you do not wish to
display the detected temperatures. The CPU2 Temperature shows N/A if
no processor is installed in CPU 2 socket.

Front1/2/3/4/5/6 Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [N/A]

Rear1/2/3/4 Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [N/A]
The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the front
and rear fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not
connected to the motherboard, the field shows N/A.

Smart Fan Control [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Smart Fan feature that smartly
adjusts the fan speeds for more efficient system operation. Configuration
options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-27

 The C P U 1 T e m p e r a t u r e
e, C P U 2 T e m p e r a t u r e
e, and F r o n t 1
T e m p e r a t u r e items appear when you enable the S m a r t F a n
C o n t r o l feature.

CPU1/CPU2 Temperature [XXX]

Front1 Temperature [XXX]
Allows you to set the CPU and system threshold temperature before the
Smart Fan Control is disabled.

Use the arrow down key to scroll down the menu.

3.3V Voltage [ 1.518V] F1 General Help
5V Voltage [ 1.518V] F10 Save and Exit
5VSB [ 3.260V] ESC Exit
VBAT Voltage [ 4.872V]
12V Voltage [11.932V]

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

VCORE1 Voltage, VCORE2 Voltage, 3.3V Voltage, 5V

Voltage, 5VSB Voltage, VBAT Voltage, 12V Voltage
The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output
through the onboard voltage regulators. The VCORE2 item shows N/A if no
processor is installed in CPU 2 socket.

4-28 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.5 Server menu
BIOS SETUP UTILITY
Main Advanced Server Security Boot Exit

Remote Access Configuration Configure Remote

Access.

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

Remote Access Configuration

The items in this menu allows you to configure the Remote Access
features. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the configuration
options.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Server

Configure Remote Access type and parameters

Remote Access [Disabled]

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

Remote Access [Disabled]

Enables or disables the remote access feature.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The following items appear only when the R e m o t e A c c e s s item is

Enabled.

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-29

 Serial port number [COM1]
Selects the serial port for console redirection.
Configuration options: [COM1] [COM2]

Baudrate [57600]
Sets the baudrate.
Configuration options: [115200] [57600] [38400] [19200] [9600]

Flow Control [None]

Allows you to select the flow control for console redirection.
Configuration options: [None] [Hardware] [Software]

Redirection After BIOS POST [Always]

Sets the redirection mode after the BIOS Power-On Self-Test (POST). Some
operating system may not work when set to Always.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Boot Loader] [Always]

Terminal Type [ANSI]

Allows you to select the target terminal type.
Configuration options: [ANSI] [VT100] [VT-UTF8]

VT-UTF8 Combo Key Support [Disabled]

Enables or disables the VT-UTF8 combo key support for ANSI or VT100
terminals. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4-30 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.6 Security menu
The Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings.
Select an item then press <Enter> to display the configuration options.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main Advanced Server Security Boot Exit

Supervisor Password : Not Installed Install or Change the

User Password : Not Installed password.

Change Supervisor Password

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

Change Supervisor Password

Select this item to set or change the supervisor password. The Supervisor
Password item on top of the screen shows the default N o t I n s t a l l e d
d.
After you set a password, this item shows I n s t a l l e d
d.
To set a Supervisor Password:

1. Select the Change Supervisor Password item, then press <Enter>.

2. From the password box, type a password composed of at least six
letters and/or numbers, then press <Enter>.
3. Confirm the password when prompted.
The message “Password Installed” appears after you successfully set your
password.
To change the user password, follow the same steps as in setting a
supervisor password.
To clear the supervisor password, select the Change Supervisor
Password then press <Enter>. The message “Password Uninstalled” appears.

If you forget your BIOS password, you can clear it by erasing the CMOS
Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM. See section “2.6 Jumpers” for information
on how to erase the RTC RAM.

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-31

 After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow
you to change other security settings.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main Advanced Server Security Boot Exit

Supervisor Password : Not Installed Install or Change the

User Password : Not Installed password.

Change Supervisor Password

User Access Level [Full Access]
Change User Password
Password Check [Setup]

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

User Access Level [Full Access]

This item allows you to select the access restriction to the Setup items.
Configuration options: [No Access] [View Only] [Limited] [Full Access]
N o A c c e s s prevents user access to the Setup utility.
V i e w O n l y allows access but does not allow change to any field.
L i m i t e d allows changes only to selected fields, such as Date and
Time.
F u l l A c c e s s allows viewing and changing all the fields in the Setup
utility.

Change User Password

Select this item to set or change the user password. The U s e r P a s s w o r d
item on top of the screen shows the default N o t I n s t a l l e d
d. After you set
a password, this item shows I n s t a l l e d
d.
To set a User Password:

1. Select the Change User Password item and press <Enter>.

2. On the password box that appears, type a password composed of at
least six letters and/or numbers, then press <Enter>.
3. Confirm the password when prompted.
The message “Password Installed” appears after you set your password
successfully.

4-32 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

To change the user password, follow the same steps as in setting a user
password.

Password Check [Setup]

When set to [Setup], BIOS checks for user password when accessing the
Setup utility. When set to [Always], BIOS checks for user password both
when accessing Setup and booting the system.
Configuration options: [Setup] [Always]

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-33

 4.7 Boot menu
The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select
an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main Advanced Server Security Boot Exit

Boot Device Priority Specifies the

Boot Device
Boot Settings Configuration Priority sequence.

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

4.7.1 Boot Device Priority

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Boot

Boot Device Priority

1st Boot Device [1st FLOPPY DRIVE]

2nd Boot Device [Network:MBA v8.1.5]
3rd Boot Device [Network:MBA v8.1.5]

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

1st ~ xxth Boot Device [1st FLOPPY DRIVE]

These items specify the boot device priority sequence from the available
devices. The number of device items that appears on the screen depends
on the number of devices installed in the system.
Configuration options: [xxxxx Drive] [Disabled]

4-34 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.7.2 Boot Settings Configuration
BIOS SETUP UTILITY
Boot

Boot Settings Configuration

Quick Boot [Enabled]

Full Logo Display [Enabled]
AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS]
Bootup Num-Lock [On]
PS/2 Mouse Support [Auto]
Boot To OS/2 [No]
Wait For ‘F1’ If Error [Enabled]
Hit ‘DEL’ Message Display [Enabled] →← Select Screen
Interrupt 19 Capture [Disabled] ↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

Quick Boot [Enabled]

Enabling this item allows the BIOS to skip some power on self tests (POST)
while booting to decrease the time needed to boot the system. When set
to [Disabled], BIOS performs all the POST items.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Full Logo Display [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the full screen logo display feature.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Set this item to [Enabled] to use the ASUS MyLogo2™ feature.

Add On ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS]

Sets the display mode for option ROM.
Configuration options: [Force BIOS] [Keep Current]

Bootup Num-Lock [On]

Allows you to select the power-on state for the NumLock.
Configuration options: [Off] [On]

PS/2 Mouse Support [Auto]

Allows you to enable or disable support for PS/2 mouse.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Auto]

Boot To OS/2 [No]

Allows you to enable or disable boot to OS/2.
Configuration options: [No] [Yes]

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-35

 Wait for ‘F1’ If Error [Enabled]
When set to Enabled, the system waits for the F1 key to be pressed when
error occurs. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Hit ‘DEL’ Message Display [Enabled]

When set to Enabled, the system displays the message “Press DEL to run
Setup” during POST. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Interrupt 19 Capture [Disabled]

When set to [Enabled], this function allows the option ROMs to trap
Interrupt 19. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4-36 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.8 Exit menu
The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal or failsafe default values
for the BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main Advanced Server Security Boot Exit

Save Changes and Exit Exit system setup

Discard Changes and Exit after saving the
Discard Changes changes.

Load Setup Defaults F10 key can be used

for this operation.

→← Select Screen
↑↓ Select Item
+- Change Field
Tab Select Field
F1 General Help
F10 Save and Exit
ESC Exit

V00.00 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.

Pressing <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the
options from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit.

Save Changes & Exit

Once you are finished making your selections, choose this option from the
Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM.
An onboard backup battery sustains the CMOS RAM so it stays on even
when the computer is turned off. When you select this option, a
confirmation window appears. Select O k to save the changes and exit.

If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes,
the program prompts you with a message asking if you want to save
your changes before exiting. Press <Enter> to save the changes while
exiting.

Discard Changes & Exit

Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you
made to the Setup program. If you made changes to fields other than
System Date, System Time, and Password, the BIOS asks for a confirmation
before exiting.

Discard Changes
Allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the previously
saved values. After selecting this option, a confirmation appears. Select O k
to discard any changes and load the previously saved values.

ASUS K8N-DRE 4-37

 Load Setup Defaults
Allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the
Setup menus. When you select this option or if you press <F5>, a
confirmation window appears. Select O k to load default values. Select
S a v e C h a n g e s & E x i t or make other changes before saving the values
to the non-volatile RAM.

4-38 Chapter 4: BIOS setup

This chapter provides instructions for
setting up, creating, and configuring

5
RAID sets using the available utilities.

RAID
configuration
Chapter summary

5.1
5.2
5
Setting up RAID .................................................................... 5-1
NVIDIA® RAID configurations ................................................ 5-3
5.3 LSI Logic Configuration Utility (SCSI model only) ............... 5-11

ASUS K8N-DRE
5.1 Setting up RAID
The motherboard comes with the following RAID solutions:
• The N V I D I A® nForce Professional 2200 chipset comes with a
built-in SATA RAID controller that allows you to configure RAID 0, RAID 1,
RAID 1+0 and JBOD with IDE and SATA hard disk drives.
• The LSI 1020A SCSI RAID controller supports SCSI hard disk
drives that you can configure as RAID 0, RAID 1, or RAID 1-E.
5.1.1 RAID definitions
R A I D 0 (Data striping) optimizes two identical hard disk drives to read and
write data in parallel, interleaved stacks. Two hard disks perform the same
work as a single drive but at a sustained data transfer rate, double that of
a single disk alone, thus improving data access and storage. Use of two
new identical hard disk drives is required for this setup.
RAID 1 (Data mirroring) copies and maintains an identical image of data from
one drive to a second drive. If one drive fails, the disk array management
software directs all applications to the surviving drive as it contains a
complete copy of the data in the other drive. This RAID configuration provides
data protection and increases fault tolerance to the entire system. Use two
new drives or use an existing drive and a new drive for this setup. The new
drive must be of the same size or larger than the existing drive.
RAID 11-- E (Enhanced RAID 1) has a striped layout with each stripe unit
having a secondary (or alternate) copy stored on a different disk. You can
use three or more hard disk drives for this configuration.
R A I D 1 + 0 is data mirroring and data striping combined. This configuration
uses two or more drives that are mirrored together and then the mirrors
are striped together.
J B O D (Spanning) stands for J u s t a B u n c h o f D i s k s and refers to hard
disk drives that are not yet configured as a RAID set. This configuration
stores the same data redundantly on multiple disks that appear as a single
disk on the operating system. Spanning does not deliver any advantage
over using separate disks independently and does not provide fault
tolerance or other RAID performance benefits.

If you want to boot the system from a hard disk drive included in a
created RAID set, copy first the RAID driver from the support CD to a
floppy disk before you install an operating system to the selected hard
disk drive. Refer to Chapter 6 for details.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-1

 5.1.2 Installing hard disk drives
The motherboard supports Serial ATA (both models) and SCSI hard disk
drives (SCSI model only) for RAID set configuration. For optimal
performance, install identical drives of the same model and capacity when
creating a disk array.
To install the SATA hard disks for RAID configuration:

1. Install the SATA hard disks into the drive bays following the
instructions in the system user guide.
2. Connect a SATA signal cable to the signal connector at the back of
each drive and to the SATA connector on the motherboard.
3. Connect a SATA power cable to the power connector on each drive.

To install the SCSI hard disks for RAID configuration:

1. Install the SCSI hard disks into the drive bays following the
instructions in the system user guide.
2. Connect the SCSI interface cable connectors at the back of the SCSI
drives.
3. Connect the other end of the SCSI interface cable to the SCSI
connector on the motherboard.

5.1.3 RAID configuration utility

You can create a RAID set using the utility embedded in each RAID
controller. For example, you can use the N V I D I A® R A I D U t i l i t y if you
installed IDE and/or SATA hard disk drives to the IDE and/or SATA
connectors supported by the NVIDIA® nForce Professional 2200 chip. Refer
to the succeeding sections for details on how to enter the RAID
configuration utility.

5-2 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

5.2 NVIDIA® RAID configurations
The motherboard includes a high performance SATA RAID controller
integrated in the NVIDIA® nForce Professional 2200 chip. The RAID
controller supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 1+0, and JBOD using the four
independent Serial ATA channels or two IDE connectors, or both.

5.2.1 Setting the BIOS RAID items

After installing the hard disk drives, make sure to set the necessary RAID
items in the BIOS before setting your RAID configuration.
To set the BIOS RAID items:

1. Enter the BIOS Setup during POST.

2. Go to the M a i n M e n u u, select I D E C o n f i g u r a t i o n
n, then press
<Enter>.
3. Set the R A I D O p t i o n R O M item to [Enabled], then press <Enter>.
The master and slave drive list appears.
4. Enable the drives you want to set as RAID.
5. Save your changes, then exit the BIOS Setup.

• Refer to Chapter 4 for details on entering and navigating through

the BIOS Setup.
• The RAID BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference
only, and may not exactly match the items on your screen.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-3

 5.2.2 Entering the NVIDIA® RAID Utility
To enter the NVIDIA® RAID Utility:

1. Restart the computer.

2. During POST, press <F10> to display the utility main menu.
NVIDIA RAID Utility Oct 5 2004
- Define a New Array -
RAID Mode: Striping Striping Block: Optimal
Free Disks Array Disks
Loc Disk Model Name Loc Disk Model Name

1.0.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
1.1.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [→] Add
2.0.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2.1.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[←] Del

[F6] Back [F7] Finish [TAB] Navigate [↑↓] Select [ENTER] Popup

At the bottom section of the screen are the navigation keys. These keys
allow you to move through and select menu options.

[F6] Back [F7] Finish [TAB] Navigate [↑↓] Select [ENTER] Popup

The navigation keys vary depending on the menu level or option.

5-4 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

5.2.3 Creating a RAID 0 set (Stripe)
To create a RAID 0 set:

1. From the D e f i n e a N e w A r r a y menu, select R A I D M o d e

e, then
press <Enter>. A pop-up menu appears.
Mirroring
2. Use the up or down arrow keys to select Striping
Stripingg, then press <Enter>. Stripe Mirroring
Spanning

3. Press <TAB> to move to the S t r i p i n g B l o c k 8K ↑

option, then press <Enter>. 16K
32K
64K
4. Use the up or down arrow keys to select the 128K
stripe block size appropriate to your drive Optim ↓

usage, then press <Enter>.

The available stripe size values range from 8KB to 128KB. The default
stripe size is 128 KB. You must choose the stripe size value based on
the projected drive usage. For low disk usage, select 8 KB/16 KB. For
typical disk usage, select 64 KB. Select 128KB for performance disk
usage.

T I P . For server systems, we recommend using a lower array block size.

For multimedia computer systems used mainly for audio and video
editing, we recommend a higher array block size for optimum
performance.

5. Press <TAB> to move to the F r e e D i s k s section.

6. Highlight the hard disk drives that you want to add in the RAID set,
then press the right arrow key to select. The selected hard disk drives
appear in the A r r a y D i s k s section. Repeat the process until all
desired hard disk drives are added.

NVIDIA RAID Utility Oct 5 2004

- Define a New Array -
RAID Mode: Striping Striping Block: Optimal
Free Disks Array Disks
Loc Disk Model Name Loc Disk Model Name

1.0.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 1.0.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

1.1.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [→] Add
2.0.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2.1.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[←] Del

[F6] Back [F7] Finish [TAB] Navigate [↑↓] Select [ENTER] Popup

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-5

 7. After selecting the hard disk drives, press Clear disk data?
<F7> to create the RAID 0 set. A pop-up [Y] YES [N] Cancel
window appears.

8. Press <Y> to delete all data from the hard disk drives, or <N> to
continue creating the RAID set without deleting the data on the disks.

You will lose all data on the drives if you clear the disk data!

9. The utility displays the created RAID 0 set. Press <Ctrl+X> to save
your settings and exit the utility.

NVIDIA RAID Utility Oct 5 2004

- Array List -

Boot Id Status Vendor Array Model Name

No 4 Healthy NVIDIA STRIPING XXX.XXG

[Ctrl-X]Exit ↑↓]Select
↑↓
[↑↓ [B]Set Boot [N]New Array [ENTER]Detail

5-6 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

5.2.4 Creating a RAID 1 set (Mirror)
To create a RAID 1 set:

1. From the D e f i n e a N e w A r r a y menu, select R A I D M o d e

e, then
press <Enter>. A pop-up menu appears.
Mirroring
2. Use the up or down arrow keys to select Striping
Mirroringg, then press <Enter>. Stripe Mirroring
Spanning

5. Press <TAB> to move to the F r e e D i s k s section.

6. Highlight the hard disk drives that you want to add in the RAID set,
then press the right arrow key to select. The selected hard disk drives
appear in the A r r a y D i s k s section. Repeat the process until all
desired hard disk drives are added.

NVIDIA RAID Utility Oct 5 2004

- Define a New Array -
RAID Mode: Mirroring Striping Block: Optimal
Free Disks Array Disks
Loc Disk Model Name Loc Disk Model Name

1.0.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 1.0.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

1.1.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [→] Add
2.0.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2.1.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[←] Del

[F6] Back [F7] Finish [TAB] Navigate [↑↓] Select [ENTER] Popup

7. After selecting the hard disk drives, press Clear disk data?
<F7> to create the RAID 1 set. A pop-up [Y] YES [N] Cancel
window appears.

8. Press <Y> to delete all data from the hard disk drives and continue
creating the RAID set. Press <N> to backup exisitng data to a target
hard disk drive.

You will lose all data on the drives if you clear the disk data!

9. The utility displays the created RAID 1 set. Press <Ctrl+X> to save
your settings and exit the utility.0

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-7

 5.2.5 Rebuilding a RAID set
To rebuild a RAID set:
1. From the A r r a y L i s tt, use the up or down arrow keys to select the
RAID set you want to rebuild, then press <Enter>. The RAID set details
appear.
NVIDIA RAID Utility Oct 5 2004
- Array List -

Boot Id Status Vendor Array Model Name

No 4 Healthy NVIDIA STRIPING XXX.XXG
No 3 Healthy NVIDIA MIRRORING XXX.XXG

[Ctrl-X]Exit ↑↓]Select
↑↓
[↑↓ [B]Set Boot [N]New Array [ENTER]Detail

2. Press <R>.
3. Use the up or down arrow keys to select a the RAID set you want to
rebuild, then press <F7>. A confirmation message appears.
Array 1 : NVIDIA MIRROR XXX.XXG
- Array Detail -
RAID Mode: Striping
Striping Width: 1 Striping Block: 64K

Adapt Channel M/S Index Disk Model Name Capacity

2 1 Master 0 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX.XXGB
1 0 Master 1 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX.XXGB

[↑↓] Select [F6] Back [F7] Finish

4. Press <Enter> to start rebuilding the array, or Rebuild array?

<Esc> to cancel. The A r r a y L i s t screen [Enter] OK [Esc] Cancel
displays the RAID set after rebuilding.

5-8 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

5.2.6 Deleting a RAID array
To delete a RAID array:
1. From the A r r a y L i s tt, use the up or down arrow keys to select the
RAID set you want to delete, then press <Enter>. The RAID set details
appear.
NVIDIA
Array RAID UtilityMIRROR
1 : NVIDIA Oct 5 XXX.XXG
2004
- -Array
ArrayList - -
Detail

Boot Mirroring
RAID Mode: Id Status Vendor Array Model Name
Striping
No Width:
4 1Healthy Striping
NVIDIA Block: 64K
STRIPING XXX.XXG
No 3 Healthy NVIDIA MIRRORING XXX.XXG
Adapt Channel M/S Index Disk Model Name Capacity
2 1 Master 0 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX.XXGB
1 0 Master 1 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX.XXGB

[R] Rebuild [D] Delete [C] Clear Disk [ENTER] Return

[R] Rebuild [D] Delete [C] Clear Disk [ENTER] Return

2. When the array details appear, press <D> to delete the RAID set. A
confirmation message appears.
3. Press <Y> to delete the array, or press <N> Delete this array?

to cancel. [Y] Yes [N] Cancel

You will lose all data on the drives if you delete a disk array!

4. The D e f i n e a N e w A r r a y menu appears when you press <Y>.

Create a new RAID set following the instructions in the previous
sections..

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-9

 5.2.7 Clearing the disk data

You will lose all data when you clear a disk!

To clear the disk data:

1. From the A r r a y L i s tt, use the up or down arrow keys to select a RAID
set, then press <Enter>. The RAID set details appear.

NVIDIA RAID Utility Oct 5 2004

- Array List -

Boot Id Status Vendor Array Model Name

No 4 Healthy NVIDIA STRIPING XXX.XXG
No 3 Healthy NVIDIA MIRRORING XXX.XXG

[Ctrl-X]Exit ↑↓]Select
↑↓
[↑↓ [B]Set Boot [N]New Array [ENTER]Detail

2. When the array details appear, select the hard disk drive you want to
clear, then press <C>. A confirmation message appears.
Array 1 : NVIDIA MIRROR XXX.XXG
- Array Detail -
RAID Mode: Striping
Striping Width: 1 Striping Block: 64K

Adapt Channel M/S Index Disk Model Name Capacity

2 1 Master 0 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX.XXGB
1 0 Master 1 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX.XXGB

[R] Rebuild [D] Delete [C] Clear Disk [ENTER] Return

3. Press <Y> to clear the disk data, or press Clear disk data?

<N> to cancel.Press <C> to clear disk. The [Y] Yes [N] Cancel
following confirmation message appears.

5-10 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

5.3 LSI Logic Configuration Utility
(SCSI model only)

The LSI Logic Configuration Utility allows you to create RAID 0, RAID 1, and
RAID-1E from SCSI hard disk drives connected to the SCSI connectors
supported by the LSI 1020A SCSI controller.
To enter the LSI Logic Configuration Utility:

1. Turn on the system after installing all the SATA hard disk drives.
2. During POST, Press <Ctrl> + <C> to enter the LSI Logic Configuration
Utility.

The LSI Logic Configuration Utility main menu appears.

The LSI Logic Configuration Utility has two tabbed menus that you can
select by pressing <F2>. Refer to the next section for details.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-11

 5.3.1 Boot Adapter List
The B o o t A d a p t e r L i s t tab allows you to select and configure the SCSI
controller, create arrays, and arrange the sequence of available boot
adapters.

Changing the adapter boot sequence

To change the adapter boot sequence:

1. Select the adapter from the list (1020/1030), then press <Insert>.
The screen displays the selected adapter’s properties. Refer to the
table below for a description of the properties.
2. Move the selection to the B o o t O r d e r column, then press the <+>
or <-> key to adjust the adapter boot sequence.

Property Description
Adapter Identifies the specific family of LSI Logic Host Adapters.
PCI Bus Identifies the PCI Bus number assigned by the system BIOS to an
adapter (range 0x00 - 0xFF, 0 - 255 decimal).
Dev/Func Identifies the PCI Device/Function assigned by the system BIOS
to the selected adapter.
Boot Order Identifies the relative boot order (0 to 3) of an adapter. The
Fusion-MPT SCSI BIOS traverses up to four adapters in the
specified order in search of bootable media. Access the “Boot
Adapter List” Menu to modify this item.

3. When finished, press <Enter> to open the A d a p t e r P r o p e r t i e s

screen; otherwise, press <Esc> to exit the utility.

5-12 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

5.3.2 Global Properties
The G l o b a l P r o p e r t i e s tab allows you to configure the general adapter
properties. To access the general properties screen, select the adapter
from the list, then press <Enter>.

Changing the general adapter properties

To change the general adapter properties:

1. Select an item from the Global Properties screen, then press <+> or
<-> change the value.

Pause When Boot Alert Displayed

This option specifies whether to pause for user acknowledgement
after displaying an alert message during boot. If you want the user to
press any key after displaying the alert message, set this item to
[Yes]. Set this item to [No] to continue the boot after displaying the
alert message.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-13

 Boot Information Display Mode
Allows you to specify the amount of displayed information for the
adapters and devices during POST. To display minimum information,
set this item to [Terse]. To display detailed information, select
[Verbose]
Negotiate with devices
Sets the default value for synchronous and wide negotiations with
specified devices. Configuration options: [All] [None] [Supported].
Video Mode
Specifies the default video mode for the Configuration Utility. You can
set the Video Mode to [Color] or [Monochrome]. Set this item to
[Monochrome] for better screen readability when using a monochrome
monitor.
Support Interrupt
Allows you to prevent a hook on INT40, if required.
Disable Integrated RAID
Allows you to disable bus scan search for RAID member devices. This
item also allows you to disable configuration of RAID arrays in the
BIOS.
<Restore Defaults>
Allows you to load the default settings. Select this item, then press
<Enter> to revert to the default settings.

5-14 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

5.3.3 Adapter Properties
The A d a p t e r P r o p e r t i e s page allows you to configure the device and
RAID properties. To access the adapter properties screen, select the
adapter from the Boot Adapter List, then press <Enter>.

The A d a p t e r P r o p e r t i e s page appears.

The A d a p t e r P r o p e r t i e s page allows you to go to the D e v i c e

P r o p e r t i e s page or the R A I D P r o p e r t i e s page. Refer to the
corresponding sections for details.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-15

 Changing the adapter properties
To change the adapter properties, select an item from the Global
Properties screen, then press <+> or <-> change the value. Refer to the
items description below.

Pause When Boot Alert Displayed

This option specifies whether to pause for user acknowledgement
after displaying an alert message during boot. If you want the user to
press any key after displaying the alert message, set this item to
[Yes]. Set this item to [No] to continue the boot after displaying the
alert message.
<Device Properties>
Allows you to view and modify the device properties. Press <Enter> to
display the D e v i c e P r o p e r t i e s page.
<RAID Properties>
Allows you to view, create, delete, and/or configure RAID arrays. Press
<Enter> to display the R A I D P r o p e r t i e s page.
<Synchronize Whole Mirror>
Allows you to copy the data from the mirrored array primary copy to
the secondary copy.
Host SCSI ID
Indicates the SCSI identifier of an adapter [0-7] or [0-15]. It is
recommended to set this item to the highest priority SCSI identifier,
which is 7.

8-bit SCSI devices can not see identifiers greater than 7.

5-16 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

 SCSI Bus Scan Order
Indicates the order in which to scan SCSI identifiers on an adapter.
Changing this item will affect drive letter assignment(s) if more than
one device is attached to an adapter.

Changing this item may conflict with an operating system that

automatically assigns drive order.

Removable Media Support

Allows you to specify the removable media support option for an
adapter. Select [None] to disable removable media support whether
the drive is selected as first (BBS), or is first in the scan order (non-
BBS). Set this item to [Boot Drive Only] to enable removable media
support for a removable hard drive if it is first in the scan order. Select
[With Media Installed] to enable support for removable media
regardless of the drive ordering.
CHS Mapping
Defines how the Cylinder Head Sector values are mapped into a disk
without pre-existing partition information. CHS Mapping allows either
S C S I P l u g a n d P l a y M a p p i n g (default value) or A l t e r n a t e C H S
Mapping g.
SCSI Plug and Play Mapping automatically determines the most
efficient and compatible mapping.
Alternate CHS Mapping uses an alternate, possibly less efficient
mapping that may be required if a device is moved between adapters
from different vendors.

These options has no effect after a disk has been partitioned using the
FDISK command. To change the CHS Mapping on a partitioned disk, use
FDISK command to delete all partitions, then reboot the system to clear
memory. If not, the old partitioning data will be reused, thus nullifying
the previous operation.

Ensure that the correct disk is the target of an FDISK command.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-17

 Spinup Delay (Secs)
Determines the waiting time (in seconds) between spinups of devices
attached to an adapter. Staggered spinups will balance the total
electrical current load on the system during boot. The default value is
2 seconds. Configuration options: 1 ~ 10 seconds
Secondary Cluster Server
Specifies whether an adapter has one or more devices that are
attached or are shared with another adapter(s). When you set this
option to [Yes] the Fusion-MPT PCI SCSI BIOS avoids SCSI Bus resets
as much as possible when two or more devices are shared with the
other adapter.
This option allows you to enable an adapter to join a cluster of
adapters without doing any SCSI bus resets. This is a requirement for
the Microsoft Cluster Server. The default value is [No].
Termination Control
Indicates whether an adapter has automatic termination control, and
displays the current termination control status, if any. When set to
[Auto], the adapter automatically determines whether it should enable
or disable its termination. Set to [Off] allows the devices at the ends
of the SCSI bus to terminate the bus.

When the option [Auto] is grayed out, termination is automatic and is

non-configurable.

Restore Defaults
Select this option, then press <Enter> to load the default settings.

5-18 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

Device Properties
The D e v i c e P r o p e r t i e s page allows you update and view individual
devices connected to the adapter.To open the device properties screen,
select the < D e v i c e P r o p e r t i e s > from the Adapter Properties window,
then press <Enter>. The Device Properties screen appears.

SCSI ID
Displays the SCSI identifier of each device connected to the adapter.
Device Identifier
Displays the ASCII device identifier string extracted from the device’s
Inquiry Data.
Sync Rate
Displays the maximum synchronous data transfer rate, in Mega
Transfers per second.
Data Width
Displays the maximum data width in bits.
Scan ID
Specifies whether to scan for the SCSI device during boot. Set this
item to [No] when:
• You want the system to ignore a device and decrease boot time.
• You do not want the device to be available to the system.
• Disable scan on a bus with only a few attached devices.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-19

 Scan LUNs > 0
Allows you to scan for LUNs greater than zero for a device. LUN zero
is always queried. Use this option if a multi-LUN device responds to
unoccupied LUNs or if it is desired to reduce the visibility of a multi-
LUN device to LUN zero only.
Set this option to [No] if you have problems with a device that
responds to all LUNs whether they are occupied or not. Also, set this
item to [No] if a SCSI device with multiple LUNs exists on your system
but you do not want all of those LUNs to be available. This will limit
the scan to LUN 0 only.
Disconnect
Displays whether to allow a device to disconnect during SCSI
operations. Some (mostly newer) devices may run faster when you
enable this option, while some (mostly older) devices may run faster
when you disable this option.
SCSI Timeout
This field indicates the maximum amount of time [0 to 9999 seconds]
to wait for a SCSI operation to complete. While timeouts provide a
safeguard that allows the system to recover should an operation fail,
it is recommended that you use a value greater than zero. A value of
zero allows unlimited time for an operation to complete and could
result in the system hanging should an operation fail.
Press <Enter>, type in a value, and then press <Enter> again to set a
new timeout value.
Queue Tags
Allows you to use queue tags for a device. Currently, the BIOS does
not use queue tags. This item specifies queue tag control to higher
level device drivers.

5-20 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

RAID Properties
The R A I D P r o p e r t i e s page allows you update and view individual devices
connected to the adapter.To open the device properties screen, select the
< D e v i c e P r o p e r t i e s > from the Adapter Properties window, then press
<Enter>. The Device Properties screen appears.

SCSI ID
Displays the SCSI ID that the operating system or application
addresses the array.
Size(MB)
Displays the size of the array.
Array Disk?
Select [Yes] to include the drive in a disk array. You can select a
minimum of two drives and a maximum of six drives. Select a
maximum of five drives when you select a hot spare.
Hot Spare
Sets the drive as a hot spare. You can select a single hot spare. The
Hot Spare disk provides additional protection by automatically
replacing an array member when it fails.
Status
Displays the status of each physical disk in the array.
Predict Failure
Tells whether SMART has determined that the disk will fail in the future.
Size
Shows the physical size of the drive. When the drive is part of an
array, this shows the size used for the array.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-21

 5.3.4 Creating a RAID 1 (Mirror) set
You can create two types of mirrored configuration using the LSI Logic
Configuration Utility: Integrated Mirroring (IM) or RAID 1-E. See section
5.1.1 for RAID definitions.
To create an RAID 1 set:

1. From the R A I D P r o p e r t i e s screen, select the drives that you want

to include in the RAID 1 set.
For Integrated Mirrored array, select first the drive with data that you
want to retain. This drive will become the primary copy of the array.

• Integrated Mirrored array - Select a minimum of two drives

• RAID-1E - Select a minimum of four drives
The A r r a y label on top of the screen changes to IM or 1E depending
on the number of selected hard disk drives.

Integrated Mirroring

RAID-1E

5-22 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

2. After selecting the drives, press <Esc>.
3. When prompted, select <Save changes, then exit this menu>, then
press <Enter> to create the RAID 1 set.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-23

 5.3.5 Creating a RAID 0 (Stripe) set
You can create a RAID 0 (striped array) using the LSI Logic Configuration
Utility.
To create a RAID 0 set:

1. From the R A I D P r o p e r t i e s screen, select the drives that you want

to include in the RAID 0 set.
The A r r a y label on top of the screen changes to IS (Integrated
Striping).

2. After selecting the drives, press <Esc>.

3. When prompted, select <Save changes, then exit this menu>, then
press <Enter> to create the RAID 0 set.

5-24 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

5.3.6 Running the Diagnostic Mode
Before creating the array, you may press <F4> to run a diagnostic tool on
each drive in the system. After checking the drives, the diagnostic tool
displays a code under the S i z e column of the RAID Properties screen.
Refer to the table below for the description of the diagnostic codes.

Code Description
1 Problem with reading disk serial number
2 Disk does not support SMART
3 Unused
4 Disk does not support wide data, synchrounous mode, or queue tagging
5 User disabled, disconnects, or queue tags for device (Device Properties)
6 Unused
7 Disk not big enough to mirror primary disk
8 Unused
9 Unused
10 Disk does not have 512 byte sector size
11 Incorrect device type
12 Hot Spare selection not big enough to be used as an array disk
13 Maximum disks already specified or Maximum array size would be exceeded

Diagnostic Mode

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-25

 5.3.7 Managing arrays
After creating the array, return to the B o o t A d a p t e r L i s t screen, select
the adapter, then press <Enter>.

Select < R A I D P r o p e r t i e s > from the Adapter Properties screen, then

press <Enter>.

A tabbed menu appears on the top panel of the RAID Properties screen.
You can now delete, add/delete hot spare drives, and/or activate arrays
using the tabbed menus. Press <F2> to switch tabbed menus.

5-26 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

Deleting arrays
To delete an array:

1. Press <F2> to select < D e l e t e A r r a y >

>.
2. Use the arrow keys to select the array you want to delete, then press
<Enter>.
3. Press <Esc>.

4. When prompted, select < S a v e c h a n g e s , t h e n e x i t t h i s m e n u >

>,
then press <Enter>.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-27

 Adding or deleting a hot spare drive
To add a hot spare drive assigned to a RAID set:

1. From the RAID Properties screen, press <F2> to select

<Add/Delete Hot Spare> >.

2. Use the arrow keys to select the drive you want to assign as spare.
3. Move the selection to the H o t S p a r e column, then press <Enter>.

5-28 Chapter 5: RAID configuration

4. Press <Esc>.
5. When prompted, select < S a v e c h a n g e s , t h e n e x i t t h i s m e n u >
>,
then press <Enter>.

To delete a hot spare drive assigned to a RAID set:

1. From the RAID Properties screen, press <F2> to select

<Add/Delete Hot Spare> >.
2. Use the arrow keys to select the spare drive you want to delete.
3. Move the selection to the H o t S p a r e column, then press <Enter> to
change the Hot Spare status to [ N o ]].
4. Press <Esc>.
5. When prompted, select < S a v e c h a n g e s , t h e n e x i t t h i s m e n u >
>,
then press <Enter>.

Next Array
The Next Array menu allows you to select the other array on the physical
adapter. This screen is enabled when there are more than one array on a
physical adapter. The RAID Properties screen allows display of one array at
a time. This menu allows you to display and operate on the other array(s)
detected.

Activate Array
When there are two arrays on a physical adapter, this menu allows you to
instruct the RAID firmware to activate a selected array. Only one array may
be activated at a time for each physical adapter. For a physical adapter
with multiple arrays, activating one array disables all the remaining arrays.

ASUS K8N-DRE 5-29

5-30 Chapter 5: RAID configuration
This chapter provides instructions for
installing the necessary drivers for

6
different system components.

Driver
installation
Chapter summary

6.1
6.2
6
RAID driver installation ......................................................... 6-1
LAN driver installation ........................................................ 6-11
6.3 VGA driver installation ........................................................ 6-13
6.4 Management applications and utilities installation ............. 6-15

ASUS K8N-DRE
6.1 RAID driver installation
After creating the RAID sets for your server system, you are now ready to
install an operating system to the independent hard disk drive or bootable
array. This part provides instructions on how to install the RAID controller
drivers during OS installation.
Creating a RAID driver disk
You may have to use another system to create the RAID driver disk from
the system/motherboard support CD or from the Internet.

A floppy disk with the RAID driver is required when installing Windows®
2000/XP operating system on a hard disk drive that is included in a RAID
set. You can create a RAID driver disk in DOS (using the Makedisk
application in the support CD) or in Windows® environment.
To create a RAID driver disk in DOS:

1. Place the motherboard support CD in the optical drive.

2. Restart the computer, then enter the BIOS Setup.
3. Select the optical drive as the first boot priority to boot from the
support CD. Save your changes, then exit the BIOS Setup.
4. When prompted, press any key to boot from the support CD.

Loading FreeDOS FAT KERNEL GO!

Press any key to boot from CDROM...

The Makedisk menu appears.

a) FreeDOS command prompt
b) Create NVIDIA nForce(TM) PATARAID Driver for Win2K/2K3 32 bit driver
c) Create NVIDIA nForce(TM) SATARAID Driver for Win2K/2K3 32 bit driver
d) Create NVIDIA nForce(TM) PATARAID Driver for Win2K3 64 bit driver
e) Create NVIDIA nForce(TM) SATARAID Driver for Win2K3 64 bit driver
For K8N-DRE/SCSI MB only:
f) Create LSI Logic Fusion-MPT MiniPort for Win2K 32 bit driver
g) Create LSI Logic Fusion-MPT MiniPort for Win2K3 32 bit driver
h) Create LSI Logic Fusion-MPT MiniPort for RH3.OAS driver
Please choose a ~ h:

5. Place a blank, high-density floppy disk to the floppy disk drive.

When you insert a floppy disk with data, the utility erases all the data
before copying the RAID drivers.

ASUS K8N-DRE 6-1

 6. Type the letter of the option you like to select, then press <Enter>.
For example, if you want to create an NVIDIA nForce(TM) SATA RAID
driver disk for a 32-bit Windows 2000/2003 system, press <c>, then
press <Enter>.
7. The RAID drivers are copied to the floppy disk. After creating a RAID
driver disk, eject the floppy disk, then write-protect it to prevent
computer virus infection.

To create a RAID driver disk in Windows®:

1. Place the motherboard support CD in the optical drive.

2. When the D r i v e r s menu appears, click N V I D I A n F o r c e ( T M ) R A I D
D r i v e r D i s k to create an nVIDIA nForce RAID driver disk.

To install the RAID driver:

1. Install an operating system to the selected hard disk drive. During

installation, the computer prompts you to press the F 6 key if you are
installing a third-party SCSI or RAID driver.
2. Press <F6>, then insert the RAID driver disk to the floppy disk drive.
3. Follow screen instructions to install the RAID drivers.

6-2 Chapter 6: Driver installation

6.3 LAN driver installation
This section provides instructions on how to install the Broadcom® Gigabit
LAN controller drivers on a Windows® 2000/XP OS.
To install the LAN controller drivers:
1. Restart the computer, then log on with A d m i n i s t r a t o r privileges.
2. Insert the motherboard/system support CD to the optical drive. The
CD automatically displays the D r i v e r s menu if Autorun is enabled in
your computer.

• Windows® automatically detects the LAN controllers and displays a

New Hardware Found window. Click C a n c e l to close this window.
• If A u t o r u n is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents
of the support CD to locate the file ASSETUP.EXE from the BIN
folder. Double-click the A S S E T U P . E X E to run the CD.

3. Click the B r o a d c o m 5 7 5 1 N e t X t r e m e G i g a b i t E t h e r n e t option

to begin installation.

4. Click N e x t when the InstallShield Wizard window appears. Follow

screen instructions to continue installation.

ASUS K8N-DRE 6-3

 6.4 Support CD information
The support CD that came with the motherboard package contains the
drivers, software applications, and utilities that you can install to avail all
motherboard features.

The contents of the support CD are subject to change at any time

without notice. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) for updates.

6.4.1 Running the support CD

Place the support CD to the optical drive. The CD automatically displays the
D r i v e r s menu if Autorun is enabled in your computer.

Click an icon to
display support
CD/motherboard
information

Click an item to install

If A u t o r u n is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of

the support CD to locate the file ASSETUP.EXE from the BIN folder.
Double-click the A S S E T U P . E X E to run the CD.

6-4 Chapter 6: Driver installation

6.4.2 Drivers menu
The D r i v e r s menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects
installed devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices.

The screen display and driver options vary under different operating
system versions.

NVIDIA CK8-04 Professional

Installs the driver for the NVIDIA CK8-04 chip.
Broadcom 5751 NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet
Installs the Broadcom 5751 NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet driver.
See page 6-13 for details.

ATI Rage XL Display Driver

Installs the driver for the ATI Rage XL display controller.

Broadcom NetXtreme Software

Installs the Broadcom NetXtreme software application. Refer to the
application help file for details.

NVIDIA nForce(TM) PATARAID Driver

Creates a driver disk for the NVIDIA nForce(TM) Parallel ATA RAID
controller.

NVIDIA nForce(TM) SATARAID Driver

Creates a driver disk for the NVIDIA nForce(TM) Serial ATA RAID controller.

ASUS K8N-DRE 6-5

 6.4.3 Management Software
The M a n a g e m e n t S o f t w a r e menu shows the available server
management software applications.

Install ASWM for Windows 2000

Installs the ASUS System Web-base Management utility. Refer to the
application help file for details.

Install ASUS Network Utility

Installs the ASUS Network Utility. Refer to the application help file for details.

6-6 Chapter 6: Driver installation

6.4.4 Utilities
The U t i l i t i e s menu shows the available software applications for your
barebone server.

ASUS Update
The ASUS Update utility that allows you to update the motherboard BIOS in
Windows® environment. This utility requires an Internet connection either
through a network or an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

ADOBE Acrobat Reader

The Adobe Acrobat® Reader V5.0 is for opening, viewing, and printing
documents in Portable Document Format (PDF).

ASUS Screen Saver

Bring life to your idle screen by installing the ASUS screen saver.

ASUS K8N-DRE 6-7

6-8 Chapter 6: Driver installation
This appendix includes additional

A
information that you may refer to
when configuring the motherboard.

Reference information
Appendix summary

A.1
A
K8N-DRE block diagram ........................................................ A-1

ASUS K8N-DRE
A.1 K8N-DRE block diagram

2 channel DDR SDRAM

4 x DIMMs
AMD Opteron™ 266/333/400 MHz
CPU2
128 bit
2 channel DDR SDRAM

x16 x16
2.0GT/s 2.0GT/s
4 x DIMMs

266/333/400 MHz
AMD Opteron™
CPU1

x16 x16
2.0GT/s 2.0GT/s

IDE 2 x IDE Ports

PCI-Express x16 (Ultra ATA
IDE 66/100/133)

BCM5721 PCI-Express x1 SATA

Gigabit LAN NVIDIA SATA 4 x Serial ATA
nForce Ports
PCI-Express x1 Professional SATA Raid 0,1,0+1
BCM5721
Gigabit LAN 2200
SATA

1 x PCI Slots
PCI BUS
33 MHz
USB2.0 Port x4
USB USB USB USB
ATI
RAGE-XL
LPC BUS

PS/2 KB&Mouse
Winbond
LSI W83627THF-A
1xParallel, Floppy
1020A Super I/O 2xSerial,
(SCSI
model only)
8Mbit BIOS
LPC

ASUS K8N-DRE A-1

A-2 Appendix A: Reference information