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Manual No. 775051 D-1
Appendix D
PCI Hot Plug
Introduction
PCI Hot Plug is a feature that allows a PCI card to be replaced while the host
system is still running. The term “Hot Plug” is somewhat misleading; the
PCI card cannot simply be pulled out of the host system while the card is
operating without risk to the card, the system, and the data on the system.
In order to replace a Hot Plug PCI card, a software command must be
invoked to power off the card slot before the card can be removed. After the
software indicates that the card is unloaded and the slot is powered off, a
physical card retainer/switch must be released to allow the card to be
removed from the PCI bus. At this point, the card can be replaced.
At this time, Mylex only supports Hot Replacement of PCI Hot Plug cards.
Future releases are planned to support Hot Upgrade or Hot Expansion
(adding a card).
Implementation
Aside from the general terms previously mentioned, PCI Hot Plug
implementation is specific to the host hardware platform and the operating
system running on it. Refer to your host system's documentation for specific
details on how to implement PCI Hot Plug.
NetWare
When NetWare is installed on a system capable of PCI Hot Plug, the
following four modules are installed:
• cpqsbd.nlm - This is the Compaq system bus driver (a different driver
will be needed for a platform other than Compaq).
• ncm.nlm - This is the Novell Configuration Manager, which manages
the PCI Hot Plug system.
• ncmcon.nlm - This is the Hot Plug user interface called the Novell
Configuration Manager Console.