Expansion Chassis Requirements — Pro Tools|HD Systems

With Pro Tools 6.2 for Windows XP

Important: Expansion chassis are not supported with the Compaq Evo Workstation W8000
(HP Workstation xw8000 is supported with expansion chassis below)

Up to 7 HD cards can be used in a single ProTools|HD or Pro Tools|HD Accel system

• 1 HD Core card, any combination of HD Accel and/or HD Process cards
  • For proper operation, card order MUST be: HD Core card, all HD Accel cards, then remaining HD Process cards
  • DigiTest will NOT reflect the actual card order. System Usage window in Pro Tools will reflect the proper card order.
• Although 7 cards may be installed, only 4 HD cards are addressable when using 176 or 192 kHz sample rates, regardless of whether an expansion chassis is used or not

The following Expansion Chassis are officially qualified for use with Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel systems with Pro Tools 6.2 for Windows XP:

7 Slot, 64-Bit Chassis

• Digidesign 7 slot 64-bit/33 MHz Rackmount Chassis
• Magma 7 slot 64-bit/33 MHz Rackmount Chassis Model P7R464-D1

For further information about this expansion chassis, please contact Magma at www.magma.com

The above Digidesign and Magma chassis have been qualified by Digidesign with Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel systems with the following computer models:

• HP Workstation xw8000 (BIOS version JQW111US or higher is required when using a Digidesign or Magma 7 slot 64 bit 33mHz expansion chassis)

• Dell Precision Workstation 650

• IBM IntelliStation Z Pro - model 6221(limited to a maximum of 5 HD Accel cards in chassis)

Click on the CPU links above for specific requirements and CPU slot order.

Maximum Qualified Track Counts with HD Accel Card Systems & Chassis

With ATTO EPCI-UL3D SCSI card in CPU and 5 SCSI drives:

With qualified FireWire drives, 4 drives maximum:

The following Expansion Chassis are no longer qualified for use with Pro Tools|HD systems:

• SBS (Bit3) 13 Slot Expansion Chassis — model DD23
• SBS (Bit3) 13 Slot Expansion Chassis — model 24-700-2-2
• SBS (Bit3) 13 Slot Expansion Chassis — model 240-2-2
• SBS (Bit3) 13 Slot Expansion Chassis — model 240-2-201

Additional Expansion Chassis Requirements & Slot Order

• Chassis host card must be slotted in the lowest 64 bit slot (slot that is furthest from the AGP card) of the CPU motherboard
• All HD cards must be placed in the chassis
• All other cards (SCSI cards, etc.) should be placed inside the CPU
• Chassis slot ordering should start with the core card placed in slot closest to the chassis power supply (magma chassis) followed by HD Accel cards, followed by HD process cards
• Please note that you should have a minimal amount of cards in your CPU when using a chassis. Video compression and storage cards (SCSI, FibreChannel, etc) should be placed in the slots closest to the AGP card. For Unity, please refer to the slot ordering on this page for exact ordering of non-Digidesign cards. Pro Tools Unity Client Configuration for Windows

Slot Order in Digidesign or Magma 64-bit 7-Slot Expansion Chassis

Slot orders in the chassis run from left (closest to the power supply) to right.

After the HD Core card which is always first, all Accel cards should go before any Process cards.

*Note: IBM Intellistation Z Pro - model 6221 limited to a maximum of 5 HD Accel cards in chassis

Slot Order in Computer

Please see the following pages for correct slot order for cards in the CPU:

• HP Workstation xw8000

• Dell Precision Workstation 650

• IBM IntelliStation Z Pro - model 6221

For more information about expansion chassis setup and card order configurations, please see the Expanded Systems Guide.pdf in the Technical Document Library of the Support/Tech Support section of the website, or installed on your hard drive during Pro Tools Installation.