AlphaStation 255


		Last Release: March 1999

AlphaStation 255 Model 4/xxx

Download Firmware Release Notes

Firmware release notes contain the instructions to update firmware on your system.

Firmware Release Notes	alpha200_v70_fw_relnote.pdf
User's Guide	AlphaStation Series 200 User's Information .pdf

Firmware V7.0 was the last release

Choose a Method to Update Firmware

Update Method	Requirements	Description
Floppy Disk	FAT-formatted	Create a non-bootable firmware update floppy disk to update firmware from ARC or AlpaBIOS console.
Floppy Disk	OpenVMS System	Create a bootable firmware update floppy disk
Floppy Disk	Tru64Unix System	Create a bootable firmware update floppy disk
BOOTP Network	Tru64Unix Server	Update firmware from a network using BOOTP protocol
MOP Network	OpenVMS Server	Update firmware from a network using MOP protocol
System Disk	OpenVMS System	Update firmware by copying firmware files to system disk then booting the firmware update utility on system disk

Floppy Disk Update - ARC or AlphaBIOS Console

Firmware Image

as255_v8_1.exe

Copy the file to a FAT formatted floppy as a:\fwupdate.exe. The file must be named fwupdate.exe, and must be placed in the top-most level (root) directory on the floppy, or the image file will not be found.

ARC Console: Place the floppy in the target system, and from the ARC Console menu, select "Install new firmware". AlphaBIOS Console: Place the floppy in the target system, and from the AlphaBIOS menu, select "Update AlphaBIOS".

Floppy Disk Update - OpenVMS

Firmware Image

as255_v8_1.exe

Down load file and rename file to fwupdate.exe
Enter the following commands in the directory containing fwupdate.exe
$ set file/attr=(rfm:fix,lrl:512,mrs:512,rat:none) fwupdate.exe
$ init/dens=HD/index=begin dva0: fwupdate
$ mount dva0: fwupdate
$ create/dir dva0:[alpha255]
$ copy/contiguous fwupdate.exe dva0:[alpha255]
$ mcr writeboot
No
Yes
[enter AXP bootfile:] dva0:[alpha255]fwupdate.exe
$ dismount dva0:
Insert bootable floppy in the floppy drive of the target system then
boot the floppy disk from the SRM console: boot dva0

Floppy Disk Update - Tru64UNIX

Firmware Image

as255_v8_1.exe

Download and rename firmware image to fwupdate.exe
Download the make boot utility mkbootfirm.tar.
Untar mkbootfirm on a Tru64UNIX system
# tar xvf mkbootfirm.tar
Low-level format a floppy disk:
# fddisk -fmt /dev/rfd0a
Create a bootable floppy from the downloaded firmware image:
# ./mkbootfirm fwupdate.exe | dd of=/dev/rfd0c bs=64k
Insert the bootable floppy in the target systems floppy drive, then
boot it from the SRM console: boot dva0

BOOTP Network Update - Tru64UNIX

Firmware Image

as255_v8_1.exe

Download the firmware image to a TRU64Unix Server.
Register the Ethernet MAC address of the client with the TRU64Unix administrator.
Then invoke BOOTP from the client (e.g. P00>>> boot eia0)

Consult your adminstrator for additional information on BOOTP booting.

MOP Network Update - OpenVMS

Firmware Image

as255_v8_1.sys

Download the firmware image to the MOP directory on an OpenVMS system. Apply this command to the downloaded file to ensure the file is in the proper fixed record format for MOP booting:

$ set file/attr=(rfm:fix,lrl:512,mrs:512,rat:none) file-name.sys

Consult your adminstrator for additional information on MOP booting.

System Disk Firmware Update - OpenVMS

Firmware Image

as255_v8_1.exe

Download the firmware image to an OpenVMS system then enter the following commands:

$ rename firmware image to fwupdate.exe
$ set file/attr=(rfm:fix,lrl:512,mrs:512,rat:none) fwupdate.exe
$ copy/contiguous fwupdate.exe dka0:[sys0.sysexe]
(replace dka0 with your system disk name)

Shut down the operating system, to get to the console prompt

Boot the update utility: boot dka100 -flags 0,a0
(replace dka100 with your system disk name.)

Enter the following after the Bootfile: prompt: to invoke the Loadable Firmware Utility
Bootfile: [sys0.sysexe]fwupdate.exe

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