Installation

The NCS/e is supplied as a set of separate components which are assembled into a single linked object in Second Life.

Installation consists of rezzing the hardware, arranging it as desired, and linking the peripherals to the NCS/e main unit.

No manual peripheral configuration is required. The NCS/e kernel automatically detects supported hardware in the linkset.

New to Second Life building?

Installing an NCS/e requires some basic familiarity with Second Life's object editing tools, including rezzing, positioning, selecting, and linking objects.

If these are unfamiliar, consider spending a little time getting comfortable with Second Life's building tools before assembling your NCS/e. You do not need advanced building experience.

What's included

A standard NCS/e system includes:

  • NCS/e main unit
  • Display
  • EN-US keyboard
  • 5¼-inch drive
  • 3½-inch drive
  • Blank 5¼-inch disk
  • Blank 3½-inch disk
  • Joystick
  • Manuals, catalogues, and other documentation

The disks, manuals, and catalogues are not part of the computer's linkset and do not need to be rezzed during installation.

Setting up the system

1. Rez the hardware

Rez the NCS/e main unit and the peripherals you want to install.

For a standard system, this normally includes:

  • NCS/e main unit
  • Display
  • EN-US keyboard
  • 5¼-inch drive
  • 3½-inch drive
  • Joystick

Additional supported peripherals may be installed in the same way.

2. Arrange the components

Position the main unit and peripherals as desired.

The components do not need to follow a particular physical arrangement. The display, keyboard, drives, and other peripherals can be positioned to suit your desk or installation.

Most NCS/e peripherals consist of a single mesh. The display is supplied as a linkset containing its CRT enclosure and several render meshes, and can be positioned as a single object before installation.

Positioning the display

The display contains several meshes, but is supplied already linked together.

Before linking it to the NCS/e main unit, you can move and rotate the complete display normally. This is the easiest time to position it where you want it.

Moving the display becomes more involved after it has been linked into the complete NCS/e system.

Once the components are positioned, link them together into a single linkset.

The NCS/e main unit must be the root prim.

When creating the linkset, select the NCS/e main unit last so that it becomes the root.

The main unit must be the root

Do not link the system with a peripheral as the root prim.

The NCS/e kernel and CPU reside in the main unit, and some peripheral communication is directed specifically to the root of the linkset. The system may not operate correctly if the main unit is not the root.

Once the system is linked correctly, the kernel automatically scans the linkset and detects the installed peripherals.

No additional pairing or hardware configuration is required.

Hardware detection

The NCS/e kernel automatically discovers supported peripherals in the linkset.

A hardware rescan occurs whenever the linkset changes. This means that peripherals can be added or removed without manually updating the system configuration.

Sitting on or standing from the NCS/e linkset also changes the linkset and may cause a hardware rescan. This is normal.

The detected hardware can be checked when the system starts. See Booting the NCS/e.

Adding a peripheral

Supported peripherals may be added to an existing NCS/e system.

To add a peripheral:

  1. Rez the peripheral.
  2. Position it as desired.
  3. Select the existing NCS/e system and the new peripheral.
  4. Link them together, keeping the NCS/e main unit as the root prim.

The kernel automatically rescans the linkset and detects the newly installed hardware.

No restart or manual peripheral registration is required.

Note

When adding a peripheral, take care not to accidentally make it the root of the linkset. The NCS/e main unit must remain the root prim.

Removing a peripheral

A peripheral may be removed by unlinking it from the NCS/e system.

Changing the linkset causes the kernel to rescan the installed hardware automatically. No restart or manual update is required.

Take care not to change the root prim when unlinking or relinking components.

Changing hardware while a program is running

Peripherals may be added or removed while an NCL program is running.

Adding hardware is safe. The kernel rescans the linkset immediately, and a newly added peripheral is available if the program later attempts to use it.

A running program's hardware discovery information is not updated, however. The program has no way to determine that hardware has been added or removed since it was launched.

Removing hardware

Removing a peripheral is harmless unless the running program later attempts to use it.

Attempting to use a peripheral that is no longer available is fatal, and execution returns to the shell.

Before removing hardware

You do not need to stop a running program simply because you are removing a peripheral it does not use.

If you are unsure whether the current program may use the peripheral, return to the shell or turn off the NCS/e before removing it.

Moving installed peripherals

You do not need to unlink a peripheral simply to reposition it.

Edit the NCS/e system and enable Select Link to select an individual linked component.

Most peripherals consist of a single mesh, so selecting that mesh is sufficient to move or rotate the complete device.

Moving an installed peripheral does not require any additional configuration.

Moving an installed display

The display is an exception.

Before installation, the display's enclosure and render meshes formed their own linkset. Once the display is linked into the NCS/e system, they become individual links within the larger system linkset.

To reposition the display, use Select Link and multi-select the CRT enclosure and all of its render meshes before moving or rotating them.

Moving only some of these links will pull the display apart.

If possible, position the display before linking the system so that later adjustment is unnecessary.

Ready to start

Once the hardware has been positioned and linked with the NCS/e main unit as the root prim, installation is complete.

The system is ready to be powered on.

Continue to Booting the NCS/e.