DIGITAL Alpha VME 4/224 and 4/288_Single_Board_Computer_________________________ Firmware Update Procedures Digital Equipment Corporation Maynard, Massachusetts ________________________________________________________________ First Printing, September 1996 Revised, December 1996 Revised, March 1997 Revised, August 1997 Revised, October 1997 Revised, February 1998 Revised, June 1998 Revised, Sept 1998 Revised, March 1999 . Digital Equipment Corporation makes no representations that the use of its products in the manner described in this publication will not infringe on existing or future patent rights, nor do the descriptions contained in this publication imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or sell equipment or software in accordance with the description. Possession, use, or copying of the software described in this publication is authorized only pursuant to a valid written license from DIGITAL or an authorized sublicensor. FCC NOTICE: The equipment described in this manual generates, uses, and may emit radio frequency energy. The equipment has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A computing device pursuant to Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such radio frequency interference when operated in a commercial environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area may cause interference, in which case the user at his own expense may be required to take measures to correct the interference. Copyright © Digital Equipment Corporation, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999. All Rights Reserved. COMPAQ, the Compaq logo and the Digital logo Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Alpha, DECchip, DECnet, DIGITAL, OpenVMS, ULTRIX, and VAX are trademarks of Compaq Computer Corporation. QLogic is a trademark of QLogic Corporation. VxWorks is a registered trademark of Wind River Systems, Inc. ThisodocumentdwasrpreparedeusingrVAXtDOCUMENTsVersione2.1. property of their respective holders. _________________________________________________________________ Contents Preface................................................... v 1 Overview of the Update Process 1.1 Supported CPU Modules and New Features........ 1-2 1.2 Firmware Update Files......................... 1-3 1.3 Updating the Firmware......................... 1-4 2 Preparing the System for a Firmware Update 2.1 Shutting Down the Operating System............ 2-1 2.2 Enable Updates................................ 2-1 2.3 Halting the System............................ 2-2 2.4 Disabling Automatic Boot Option............... 2-2 2.4.1 Disable Power-On Diagnostics.............. 2-2 2.5 Resetting the System.......................... 2-2 2.6 Identifying the Current Firmware and PALcode Versions...................................... 2-3 3 Updating the Firmware 3.1 Updating the Firmware from CD-ROM............. 3-1 3.1.1 Booting the Firmware Update Utility....... 3-2 3.1.2 Updating the Firmware..................... 3-3 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server... 3-4 3.2.1 Copying MOP and BOOTP Loadable Files from the CD-ROM................................ 3-4 3.2.2 Updating MOP.............................. 3-5 3.2.3 Updating BOOTP............................ 3-6 iii 4 Post-Update Instructions Tables 1-1 Operating System Firmware Revision Requirements.............................. 1-3 1-2 Firmware Update Utility Files............. 1-3 iv _________________________________________________________________ Preface Purpose of This Guide This document discusses changes that have been made to the DIGITAL Alpha VME 4 firmware since DIGITAL Alpha VME 4 modules started shipping. This document also explains how to use the DIGITAL Alpha VME Firmware Update Utility to update DIGITAL Alpha VME 4 firmware electronically. Intended Audience This document is for: o Manufacturing personnel responsible for updating DIGITAL Alpha VME 4 firmware. o Repair personnel responsible for upgrading DIGITAL Alpha VME modules. o Individuals responsible for maintaining DIGITAL Alpha VME systems, typically field service representatives and system managers. Release Notes Major functional changes that have been made to the DIGITAL Alpha VME firmware since DIGITAL Alpha VME 4 modules started shipping include support for: o The QLogic ISP1020 SCSI Controller o An enhanced PCI configuration routine o DEFPZ PMC FDDI support v Conventions The following conventions are used in this guide: ___________________________________________________________ Convention_______Description_______________________________ RZ2x RZ2x refers to an RZ-series fixed disk drive, such as the RZ24L, RZ25, or RZ26. A key name in a box indicates that you press the corresponding key on the keyboard. A sequence such as indicates that you must hold down the key labeled Ctrl while pressing key . show config Command names appear in bold type. Commands are note case-sensitive except where specifically indicated. >>> show auto_ This typeface denotes example input and action output. >>> set Variables for which you must supply a variable_________value_are_shown_in_italic_type.___________ Associated Documentation For information on how to use the console firmware commands or for a listing of command error codes, see the following documentation: ___________________________________________________________ Title_________________________________________Order_Number_ DIGITAL Alpha VME 4/224 and 4/288 Single EK-DAVME-TD Board Computer User Guide and Technical Description DIGITAL Alpha VME 4/224 and 4/288 Single See Note Board Computer User Guide and Technical Description_(EK-DAVME-TD._A01)_Errata______________________ ________________________ Note ________________________ The errata is located on the firmware CD-ROM at [ALPHAVME]DAVME-TD_ERRATA.PS (located on the ISO side of the CD). ______________________________________________________ vi Reader Comments DIGITAL welcomes comments on this or any other manual. Send your comments to DIGITAL at the following address: Digital Equipment Corporation Shared Engineering Services 129 Parker Street PKO3-2/21J Maynard, MA 01754-2199 vii 1 _________________________________________________________________ Overview of the Update Process The DIGITAL Alpha VME firmware resides in Flash Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (FEPROM) on the VME system module. FEPROMs provide non-volatile storage of the DIGITAL Alpha VME PALcode, diagnostics, console interface, and bootstrap. An advantage of this technology is that you can erase, reprogram, and verify the entire image in the FEPROMs in circuit without replacing parts. The FEPROM technology for DIGITAL Alpha VME modules requires you to erase an entire part before reprogramming it. Hence, there is a small "window of vulnerability", when the DIGITAL Alpha VME has inoperable firmware. Normally, this window is less than thirty seconds. Nonetheless, you should allow an update to run to completion without interruption. The only DIGITAL Alpha VME Firmware image that you can update is the Alpha SRM firmware image (512KB) used for booting the DIGITAL UNIX operating system or VxWorks for Alpha AXP kernel. The update utility first performs consistency checks to verify that the image is appropriate for the system and that the new version supersedes the current version. It then erases, reprograms, and verifies the entire FEPROM. Once the update completes successfully, you must cycle power the sytsem to allow it to unload the firmware from the FEPROMs. You can then resume normal system operation. Overview of the Update Process 1-1 Overview of the Update Process 1.1 Supported CPU Modules and New Features 1.1 Supported CPU Modules and New Features This firmware update, V1.3, supports the following CPU modules: o DIGITAL Alpha VME 4/224 o DIGITAL Alpha VME 4/288 New features include support for: o The DEFPZ PMC FDDI network card 1-2 Overview of the Update Process Overview of the Update Process 1.1 Supported CPU Modules and New Features Table 1-1 lists the operating system firmware revision requirements. Table_1-1_Operating_System_Firmware_Revision_Requirements__ SRM_Firmware__DIGITAL_UNIX__VxWorks________________________ 1.1 3.2F 5.2 1.2 4.0a or 5.2 or higher higher 1.3 4.0a or 5.2 or higher ______________higher_______________________________________ 1.2 Firmware Update Files Table 1-2 lists the files that are relevant to the update process. Table_1-2_Firmware_Update_Utility_Files____________________ File__________________Blocks____Usage______________________ alphavme_v1_3.exe 1656 Used for CD-ROM and BOOTP Bootable Updates. alphavme_v1_3.sys 1655 Used as bootable mop version alphavme_v1_3.sys 1025 Used for Maintenance Operation Protocol (MOP) Network Updates. alphavme_v13_fw_ ~250 Firmware update utility relnote.ps release notes in PostScript format. alphavme_v13_fw_ ~100 Firmware update utility relnote.txt release notes in ASCII text ________________________________format.____________________ Overview of the Update Process 1-3 Overview of the Update Process 1.3 Updating the Firmware 1.3 Updating the Firmware The procedure for updating the firmware takes about five minutes. Chapters 2 through 4 explain the steps associated with: o Preparing the system for the firmware update o Updating the firmware o Completing post-update instructions If you have problems with the update procedure, contact your local Customer Support Center. 1-4 Overview of the Update Process 2 _________________________________________________________________ Preparing the System for a Firmware Update To prepare a DIGITAL Alpha VME system for a firmware update, you must: 1. Shut down the operating system 2. Enable updates 3. Halt the system 4. Disable the automatic boot option 5. Disable power-on diagnostics 6. Reset the system 7. Identify the current version of the firmware and PALcode This chapter explains how to complete these steps. 2.1 Shutting Down the Operating System The first step to updating the DIGITAL Alpha VME firmware is to place the DIGITAL Alpha VME system in a quiescent state by shutting down the operating system. ________________________ Note ________________________ Before shutting down the operating system, be sure to consult the system manager. ______________________________________________________ 2.2 Enable Updates After shutting down the operating system, enable firmware updates by closing module DIP switch #2. Preparing the System for a Firmware Update 2-1 Preparing the System for a Firmware Update 2.3 Halting the System 2.3 Halting the System After you enable updates, halt the system by pressing the HALT button on the system's front panel. The SRM console prompt (>>>) should appear on the operator console. 2.4 Disabling Automatic Boot Option Once the console prompt appears, disable the automatic boot option (if the option is enabled) by setting the environment variable AUTO_ACTION to HALT. The following example uses the console command show to check the variable's current setting and uses the command set to set the value to HALT. >>> show auto_action auto_action BOOT >>> set auto_action halt >>> show auto_action auto_action HALT >>> 2.4.1 Disable Power-On Diagnostics You must also make sure that power-on diagnostics are disabled. To disable the diagnostics, use the set command to set the environment variable MODE to FASTBOOT. For example: >>> set mode fastboot >>> ________________________ Note ________________________ You should keep a record of the environment variables that you set so you can set them back to their original values after completing the update. ______________________________________________________ 2.5 Resetting the System Once the environment is configured correctly, you must place the system in an initialized state by resetting the system. To reset the system, press the RESET button on the front panel. The DIGITAL Alpha VME should reset itself and return the console prompt (>>>). 2-2 Preparing the System for a Firmware Update Preparing the System for a Firmware Update 2.6 Identifying the Current Firmware and PALcode Versions 2.6 Identifying the Current Firmware and PALcode Versions After resetting the system, identify the current version of the firmware and PALcode. To determine the versions, enter the show command with the environment variables VERSION and PAL, respectively. For example: >>> show version version V1.1-0 Jul 1 1996, 10:!6:59 >>> show pal pal VMS PALcode X5.56-4, OSF PALcode X1.45-8 >>> Preparing the System for a Firmware Update 2-3 3 _________________________________________________________________ Updating the Firmware You can update the firmware from either of the following: o CD-ROM o A network server ________________________ Note ________________________ Be sure to wait for updates to run to completion without interruption. ______________________________________________________ 3.1 Updating the Firmware from CD-ROM To update the firmware from CD-ROM: 1. Power down the DIGITAL Alpha VME system. 2. Connect the proper CD-ROM drive to the SCSI bus. 3. Use the show device command to verify the CD-ROM drive is configured and installed correctly. 4. Insert the firmware upgrade CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. 5. Boot the Firmware Update Utility. 6. Update the firmware. Sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.2 explain how to boot the Firmware Update Utility and update the firmware. Updating the Firmware 3-1 Updating the Firmware 3.1 Updating the Firmware from CD-ROM 3.1.1 Booting the Firmware Update Utility To boot the Firmware Update Utility, enter the boot command at the console prompt with the name of the CD-ROM drive in which the firmware upgrade CD-ROM has been inserted. If you do not know the name of the CD-ROM drive, you can get the name by using the show device console command. The system responds to the boot command by displaying: o System-specific "README-FIRST" information o The name of the latest Firmware Update Utility boot file o The prompt Bootfile: The following example shows how to boot the Firmware Update Utility from CD-ROM drive dka400: >>> boot dka400 (boot dka400.4.0.2.0) block 0 of dka400.4.0.2.0 is a valid boot block reading 1002 blocks from dka400.4.0.2.0 bootstrap code read in base = 102000, image_start = 0, image_bytes = 7d400 initializing HWRPB at 2000 initializing page table at f4000 initializing machine state setting affinity to the primary CPU jumping to bootstrap code Bootfile: At this point, press or to load the current version of the utility or type the name of a specific boot file (for example, [alphavme]alphavme_v1_ 1.exe) to load a previous version of the utility. ________________________ Note ________________________ The name of the boot file changes with each new release. ______________________________________________________ 3-2 Updating the Firmware Updating the Firmware 3.1 Updating the Firmware from CD-ROM For example: Bootfile: VMS PALcode V5.56-4, OSF PALcode X1.45-8 starting console on CPU 0 initialized idle PCB initializing semaphores initializing heap initial heap 1c0c0 memory low limit = 120000 heap = 1c0c0, 17fc0 initializing driver structures initializing idle process PID XDELTA not enabled. initializing file system initializing DECchip 21071-DA CSRs initializing timer data structures lowering IPL CPU 0 speed is 3.47 ns (288MHz) 16 Meg of system memory 2MB Bcache probing hose 0, PCI entering idle loop probing PCI-to-PCI bridge, bus 1 bus 0, slot 1 -- ewa -- DECchip 21040-AA bus 0, slot 2 -- pka -- NCR 53C810 Skipping powerup tests... AlphaVME 4/288 Common Console V1.1-0, built on Jul 1 1996 at 10:16:59 >>> 3.1.2 Updating the Firmware After booting the image of the Firmware Update Utility, update the firmware on the DIGITAL Alpha VME module by issuing the update command. For example: >>> update new: 1.3 Note: Module DIP Switch #2 must be CLOSED to enable Updates! FEPROM UPDATE UTILITY -----> CAUTION <----- EXECUTING THIS PROGRAM WILL CHANGE YOUR CURRENT ROM! Updating the Firmware 3-3 Updating the Firmware 3.1 Updating the Firmware from CD-ROM Do you really want to continue [Y/N] ? : y DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INTERRUPT PROGRAM EXECUTION! DOING SO MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF OPERABLE STATE. The program will take at most several minutes. Erasing the target flash device... ........ Erasure completed. Programming... ........ Programming completed Verifying... Update successful Note: Module DIP Switch #2 should be OPENED to disable Updates! >>> ________________________ Note ________________________ When updating the flash ROMs on DIGITAL Alpha VME modules, the output text that is displayed is dependent on the CPU being used and may differ from the preceding example. ______________________________________________________ 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server To update the firmware from a network server: 1. Copy the MOP and BOOTP loadable files from the CD-ROM onto your server system. 2. Update MOP. 3. Update BOOTP. 3.2.1 Copying MOP and BOOTP Loadable Files from the CD-ROM The first step to updating the firmware from a network server is to copy the MOP and BOOTP loadable files from the CD-ROM to your DIGITAL UNIX or openVMS server system. 3-4 Updating the Firmware Updating the Firmware 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server The .sys and .exe files are located on the CD in the ISO 9660 file structure. To access this file structure on a VMS system, the CD must be mounted using the following command: $ mount/media=cd [diskdrivename] UPDATE_V53 On a VMS system, the files are located in the directory [ALPHAVME]. On a DIGITAL UNIX system, the files are located in directory /ALPHAVME/. If you are using an Information Server, the console image resides in the directory [sys0.sysexe] directory on the CD-ROM. ________________________ Note ________________________ The file names change with each new release. ______________________________________________________ Copy the MOP loadable file (.sys) to the MOM$LOAD directory of the server and enable MOP services. Copy the BOOTP loadable file (.exe) to the appropriate area on the server and enable BOOTP services. 3.2.2 Updating MOP Issue the following update command, to update MOP: >>> boot -file alphavme_v1_3 -protocol mop ewa0 (boot -path mopdl: alphavme_v1_3/ewa0 ) ..... Network load complete. Host name: host responding to MOP request Host address: address of above host new: 1.3-0 >>> at the prompt >>> ,type update Note: Module DIP Switch #2 must be CLOSED to enable Updates! FEPROM UPDATE UTILITY -----> CAUTION <----- EXECUTING THIS PROGRAM WILL CHANGE YOUR CURRENT ROM! Do you really want to continue [Y/N] ? : y Updating the Firmware 3-5 Updating the Firmware 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INTERRUPT PROGRAM EXECUTION! DOING SO MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF OPERABLE STATE. The program will take at most several minutes. Erasing the target flash device... ........ Erasure completed. Programming... ........ Programming completed Verifying... Update successful Note: Module DIP Switch #2 should be OPENED to disable Updates! >>> ________________________ Note ________________________ When updating the flash ROMs on DIGITAL Alpha VME modules, the output text that is displayed is dependent on the CPU being used and may differ from the preceding example. ______________________________________________________ 3.2.3 Updating BOOTP To update BOOTP, issue the update command as follows: >>> boot -file alphavme_v1_3.exe -protocol tftp ewa0 (update -path bootp:>> at the prompt >>> ,type update Note: Module DIP Switch #2 must be CLOSED to enable Updates! FEPROM UPDATE UTILITY -----> CAUTION <----- EXECUTING THIS PROGRAM WILL CHANGE YOUR CURRENT ROM! Do you really want to continue [Y/N] ? : y 3-6 Updating the Firmware Updating the Firmware 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INTERRUPT PROGRAM EXECUTION! DOING SO MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF OPERABLE STATE. The program will take at most several minutes. Erasing the target flash device... ........ Erasure completed. Programming... ........ Programming completed Verifying... Update successful Note: Module DIP Switch #2 should be OPENED to disable Updates! >>> ________________________ Note ________________________ When updating the flash ROMs on DIGITAL Alpha VME modules, the output text that is displayed is dependent on the CPU being used and may differ from the preceding example. ______________________________________________________ Updating the Firmware 3-7 4 _________________________________________________________________ Post-Update Instructions When you finish updating the firmware, you must: 1. Restore environment variables, such as AUTO_ACTION and MODE, to their original state. 2. Open module DIP switch #2 to disable further updates of the console image. 3. Cycle power or reset the system to unload the FEPROMs and start running the new firmware. 4. Reboot the operating system. If the update fails, contact your local Customer Support Center. Post-Update Instructions 4-1