System requirements

To install and use CX 2000 boards, your system must have:

• An available PCI bus slot.

• The PCI version 2.2 compliant bus and BIOS.

• Natural Access installed.

• An uninterruptable power supply (UPS). Although a UPS is not strictly required, it is strongly recommended for increased system reliability. The UPS does not need to power the PC video monitor except in areas prone to severe lightning storms.

• An H.100 bus cable if you are connecting to any other H.100 boards.

• A grounded chassis with a three-prong power cord.

• Adequate cooling for the chassis. Refer to Selecting a PCI chassis for more information.

• A power supply. For more information, refer to Using the NMS rack mount power supply chassis or Using an alternative power supply.

Selecting a PCI chassis

Use the following guidelines when choosing a chassis for the CX 2000 board:

• CX 2000 boards must be oriented vertically on the backplane to aid convection cooling. Avoid using a PC tower if you have more than two CX 2000 boards.

• In a large system (five or more slots) use at least one fan for every four slots. Use fans with a minimum rating of 40 cubic feet per minute (CFM) for blowing or drawing air lengthwise along the boards.

• In a smaller system (four or fewer slots) use fans that total at least 100 CFM for blowing or drawing air lengthwise along the boards.

Each chassis is different, and cooling is affected by such factors as:

• The distance between the fans on the boards

• The total volume of the chassis

• The pressure differential between the inside and outside of the chassis

These guidelines are for a typical application. In some cases, more airflow may be necessary to ensure the board is operating at an acceptable temperature.

If you install an uninterrupted power supply, and use it to back up the NMS rack mount power supply (described in Using the NMS rack mount power supply chassis), it should be rated for a minimum of 1.8 kW.