This section lists requirements and recommendations for system components such as memory and power management.
1 All operating system–recognized hardware complies with these guidelines and is included on the Windows NT HCL
All hardware included in the server system that is to be controlled by the operating system must meet the guidelines defined in this guide and must be included on the Windows NT HCL. The server system itself must pass the tests provided by Microsoft to qualify for the Windows NT HCL. Components that are not managed or controlled by the operating system must properly reserve resources using ACPI methods to avoid conflicts with other devices in the system that are visible to, managed, and configured by the operating system.
Components included with the system or embedded on the system board (network adapter, video, SCSI, and so on) must pass Windows NT HCT for the specific system being tested.
Components included with the system or embedded on the system board must have drivers available or use drivers included with Windows NT for the system being tested. Drivers tested in this way will optionally become part of the WDL.
Systems available in complete server configurations from the manufacturer must also be tested in those configurations, as follows:
If a system is available in an extremely basic configuration, it will be tested with industry-standard add-on options.
If a system is available completely configured as a server, it will be tested in that hardware configuration (and alternate configurations as shipped by the manufacturer).
The system must include all configuration utilities required for components in the system.
Systems provided for testing must be production level, which means that no prototypes or jumpered boards will be accepted for testing. Peripheral devices provided with a system must also meet any additional requirements specified in this guide. Notice, however, that a listing on the HCL does not necessarily qualify a device for inclusion in a system defined by these guidelines.
2 System and components support dates beyond 2000
The BIOS, real-time clock, CMOS, and the system as a whole must work correctly for dates from now to past the year 2000.
System Microprocessor Requirements
This section summarizes processor requirements for server systems.
Note: It is recognized that OEMs supply systems with specific feature requirements to corporations, which can include providing servers that do not include any processors pre-installed before shipping. However, for testing purposes, the system must include the minimum required components.
3 System processor capabilities meet minimum requirements
Required: Pentium Pro processor or compatible processor, or equivalent performance. Pentium II processors can be used. For systems based on RISC architecture, the requirement is a Windows NT–compatible RISC processor. The processor must be listed on the Windows NT HCL.
Recommended: Implement a larger L2 cache for better performance. For uni-processor servers, supply a socket for adding one or more additional processors.
The minimum L2 cache is required for performance on Intel Architecture servers. This requirement applies for systems using processors with integral L2 cache as well as for systems where the L2 cache is external to the processor. This requirement does not apply for Intel Architecture processors whose design provides equivalent performance without an L2 cache.
Each L2 cache must be implemented as a write-back cache. A write-back cache immediately signals write completion back to the system if there is sufficient room to cache the transaction. Later, the cache controller writes the transaction to main system memory. This write-back method is generally faster than a write-through cache, which immediately writes transactions to main system memory before notifying the system that the data has been written and then holds a copy in the cache if the system needs to read the data again.
If multiprocessor support is provided with Pentium Pro processors or compatible processors, each processor must have a separate L2 cache.
4 Multiprocessor-capable systems comply with symmetric multiprocessor support specifications and meet minimum expansion requirements
For systems using Intel Architecture processors, if multiprocessor support is provided, the system must employ those processors symmetrically and must comply with MultiProcessor Specification, Version 1.4 or higher, available from Intel. Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller (APIC) support must be in compliance with ACPI 1.0 by reporting the interrupt mechanism using the INT_MODEL field of the Fixed ACPI Description Table (Section 5.2.5) and including the Multiple APIC Description Table (Section 5.2.8).
An ARC-compliant or ACE-compliant RISC-based system meets the requirements for multiprocessor support.
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