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Preface: Dell™ PowerEdge™ 6400 Systems User's Guide

	About This Guide		Notational Conventions
	Warranty and Return Policy Information		Typographical Conventions
	Other Documents You May Need

About This Guide

This guide is intended for anyone who uses the Dell PowerEdge 6400 computer systems. The guide can be used by both first-time and experienced computer users who want to learn about the features and operation of the systems or who want to upgrade their systems.

Warranty and Return Policy Information

Dell Computer Corporation ("Dell") manufactures its hardware products from parts and components that are new or equivalent to new in accordance with industry-standard practices. For information about the Dell warranty for your system, see "Warranty, Return Policy, and Year 2000 Statement of Compliance."

Other Documents You May Need

In addition to this User's Guide, the following documentation is included with your system:

• The Installation and Troubleshooting Guide, which provides instructions for installing system hardware and includes troubleshooting and diagnostic procedures for testing your computer system
  
  
• The HP OpenView Network Node Manager Special Edition 1.5.x With Dell OpenManage HIP 3.5.x User's Guide, which describes the alert messages issued by this optional server management software
  

You may also have one or more of the following documents:

• Operating system documentation if you ordered the operating system software from Dell. This documentation describes how to install (if necessary), configure, and use the operating system software.
  
  
• Dell PowerEdge 6400 rack installation documentation, which provides detailed instructions for installing the system in a rack.
  
  
• Documentation for any options you purchase separately from the system. This documentation includes information that you need to configure and install these options in your Dell computer.
  
  
• Technical information files—sometimes called "readme" files—installed on the hard-disk drive, which provide last-minute updates about technical changes to the system or advanced technical reference material intended for experienced users or technicians.
  
  
• Documentation updates that describe changes to the system or software. Always read these updates before consulting any other documentation because the updates often contain information that supersedes the information in the other documents.

Notational Conventions

The following notational conventions are used in this document.

Notes, Notices, Cautions, and Warnings

Throughout this guide, there may be blocks of text printed in bold type or in italic type. These blocks are notes, notices, cautions, and  warnings, and they are used as follows:

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer system.

NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury.

WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious bodily injury.

Typographical Conventions

The following list defines (where appropriate) and illustrates typographical conventions used as visual cues for specific elements of text throughout this document:

• Keycaps, the labeling that appears on the keys on a keyboard, are enclosed in angle brackets.

Example: <Enter>

• Key combinations are series of keys to be pressed simultaneously (unless otherwise indicated) to perform a single function.

Example: <Ctrl><Alt><Del>

• Commands presented in lowercase bold are for reference purposes only and are not intended to be typed at that particular point in the discussion.

Example: "Use the format command to. . . ."

In contrast, commands presented in the Courier New font are intended to be typed as part of an instruction.

Example: "Type format a: to format the diskette in drive A."

• Filenames and directory names are presented in lowercase bold.

Example: autoexec.bat and c:\ windows

• Syntax lines consist of a command and all its possible parameters. Commands are displayed in lowercase bold; variable parameters (those for which you substitute a value) are displayed in lowercase italics; constant parameters are displayed in lowercase bold. The brackets indicate items that are optional.

Example: del [drive:] [path]filename [/p]

• Command lines consist of a command and may include one or more of the command's possible parameters. Command lines are presented in the Courier New font.

Example: del c:\myfile.doc

• Screen text is text that appears on the screen of your monitor or display. It can be a system message, for example, or it can be text that you are instructed to type as part of a command (referred to as a command line). Screen text is presented in the Courier New font.

Example: The following message appears on your screen:

No boot device available

Example: "Type md c:\dos and then press <Enter>."

• Variables are symbols for which you substitute a value. They are presented in italics.

Example: DIMMn (where n represents the DIMM number)

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