Dell Latitude CP Reference And Troubleshooting Manual

Also see for Latitude CP: Service manual Service manual

Contents

Running the Dell Diagnostics 4-21• Read TestPositions the read/write heads at each block of thedevice for reading data and verifies that all tracks onthe device can be read correctly.• Write TestPositions the read/write heads at each block of thedevice and verifies that all tracks on the device canbe written to correctly.• Audio Output TestCauses the drive to begin playing the first audiotrack on an audio CD. (To determine if the testpassed, listen to the audio output of the drive.)NOTE: The Audio Output Test does not run automat-ically as part of the SCSI Devices test group; youmust select this subtest individually.• Eject Removable Media TestCauses a CD-ROM drive to eject its CD, or a SCSItape drive to eject its tape cartridge.• Display Information TestDisplays information about the SCSI controller in anexpansion device, the resources allocated to the con-troller, and a list of target devices attached to it.Network Interface Test GroupThe subtests in the Network Interface test group verifythe basic operation of the network interface controller inthe Dell Latitude C/Port APR or C/Dock Expansion Sta-tion. They test the controller’s internal functions,including read and write access to its registers and inter-nal transmit and receive (loopback) capability. Thesetests run only if the computer is docked.Why Run a Network Interface Test?Running a subtest in the Network Interface test grouphelps diagnose problems that may occur while using aDell Latitude CP computer in a network environment.Most network failures are caused by one of thefollowing:• Poor network connections• Failure in the network controller• Interrupt conflict (the controller trying to use thesame IRQ line as another device)• Software configuration errorIf a problem occurs while using the computer in a net-work environment, the network connection should beinspected. If the connection is good, run the NetworkInterface test group to determine if the networkinterface controller is functioning. If the test group is runin a loop, it can be used to detect intermittent failures.SubtestsThe four subtests in the Network Interface test groupconfirm the following functions:• Registers TestChecks the interrupt generation capability of thecontroller by writing patterns to the writable regis-ters in the controller and by reading the patterns backto verify whether they are accessible and able toretain data.• Loopback TestPlaces the controller into its various loopback modesand tests its ability to transmit and receive data.• Shared RAM TestPerforms a memory test on controllers with memory-mapped shared RAM. On controllers with first-infirst-out (FIFO) shared RAM, writes a data pattern toall locations and reads the pattern back to verify theoperation. Some controllers do not support sharedRAM tests.• Display Information TestDisplays address and configuration informationabout the network controller. This informationincludes the network address used for communica-tion on the local area network (LAN) and thecontroller’s IRQ level. You can make sure there isnot an interrupt conflict by verifying that the IRQlevel is not being used by another device connectedto the system.