A P P E N D I X  B

Updating the Flash PROM Using Utility Versions Earlier Than 2.0


B.1 Updating the Flash PROM



Note - Before you can update your system's flash PROM, you must set the appropriate jumper (or front panel keyswitch) to disable write-protection. Refer to Changing Flash PROM Jumpers.



1. Power on the system.

The banner screen is displayed, and the system might attempt to
autoboot, depending on how the system's non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) configuration variables are set.

The banner screen identifies the system type, the amount of memory installed, the Host ID, and the Ethernet address. Note that the information displayed is different for every system.





2. Press Stop-A (or press the Break key if running from a terminal connected to a serial port) to abort the autoboot sequence.



Note - The Stop-A command function operates on USB keyboards and non-USB keyboards. The reaction time for the command functions on USB keyboards might appear slower.



3. Insert the flash PROM CD into the CD-ROM drive.

4. At the ok prompt, type boot cdrom to start the Flash PROM Update utility.

 


Type help for more information
ok boot cdrom
 
 
Now rebooting to load correct binary.
Resetting...
 
Rebooting with command:boot /sbus@1f,0/espdma@e,8400000/esp@e,8800000/sd@6,0:fflash/SUNW,XXX-XXXX-latest



Note - The boot path shown in the example above will vary depending on your system and its hardware configuration.



A hard drive or network are also possible sources of booting, depending on your system configuration. See Booting the Utility From the Server for more information.

The initial utility banner screen is then displayed.

 


Standalone Flash PROM Update Utility, Rev. 1.y
Ultra(tm) 1Ultra(tm) 2Ultra(tm) 5/10Ultra(tm) 30Ultra(tm) 60 / E220RUltra(tm) 80 / E420RUltra(tm) Enterprise(tm) 250Ultra(tm) Enterprise(tm) 450
This utility allows you to interactively update the firmwarerevisions in specific system Flash PROM components.
 
Type h for help, q to quit, Return or Enter to continue:
 

5. Type h to view the help screen or press Return to continue.

If you view the help screen, the following information is displayed.

 


This program is used to update the firmware in this system's CPU PROM.
 
Updating the CPU Flash PROM may cause the contents of the NVRAM configuration variables to be reset to their default values (except variable `diag-switch?', which may be set to `true'). If you have customized NVRAM contents which must be retained, then you will need to save (or note) the contents of the NVRAM before the Flash PROM gets updated and restore the NVRAM contents after the update.
NOTE: Failure to note and restore the NVRAM values may cause the      system to behave in an unexpected manner after the update.
 
WARNING: If the contents of the system's CPU Flash PROM(s) have been modified by methods other than this utility, then running this utility may render the system useless!
 
Type h for help, q to quit, Return or Enter to continue:

6. If you viewed this help screen, press Return to continue.

 


Every precaution should be taken to prevent the loss of system power during the Flash PROM programming process!
 
Type h for help, q to quit, Return or Enter to continue:

7. Type h for further information or press Return to continue.

If you view the help screen, the following information is displayed.

 


WARNING: If power is interrupted when the Flash PROM is being reprogrammed, you MAY have to change a hardware jumper on the system board if the system does not boot. If this program is interrupted before it completes, you MUST reboot this program to allow it to complete its reprogramming of the Flash PROM - even if the system appears to boot normally.
 
Type h for help, q to quit, Return or Enter to continue:

8. If you viewed the help screen, press Return to continue.

The firmware selection menu is displayed, as shown in the example below. The menu lists the OpenBoot firmware and POST revisions currently existing in your system and the revisions available on the CD.

 


      Firmware Release(s)                Firmware Release(s)
Currently Existing in the System      Available for Installation  /  Install?
-------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
OBP 3.3.9 1996/07/07 11:21       OBP 3.5.0 1996/12/18 09:10            no
POST 1.0.4 1996/07/10 13:16      POST 1.0.7 1996/12/17 18:10           no
 
Type sa if you wish to select all available firmware releases forinstallation. Type h for help, quit to exit, or cont to continue:

9. Type h for further information before making a selection.

If you view the help screen, the following information is displayed.

 


Usage: < ActionCode DeviceCode(s) | ServiceCode >ActionCodes:  s = select; d = deselectDeviceCodes:  o = OpenBoot (OBP); p = POST; a = allServiceCodes: quit = Exit the program.               cont = Continue the program.Type the letter h for help.Command: 

10. Read dates and version numbers in the firmware selection menu, then take one of the actions described below:

11. Type the appropriate code for your update.

The firmware selection menu is displayed with YES in the Install? column for each item that you selected for updating. The example below shows the selection screen after both OpenBoot firmware and POST have been selected for update.

 


      Firmware Release(s)               Firmware Release(s)
Currently Existing in the System     Available for Installation  /  Install?
-------------------------------- --------------------------------------------
OBP 3.3.9 1996/07/07 11:21       OBP 3.5.0 1996/12/18 09:10           YES
POST 1.0.4 1996/07/10 13:16      POST 1.0.7 1996/12/17 18:10          YES
 
Type sa if you wish to select all available firmware releases forinstallation.  Type h for help, quit to exit, or cont to continue:

12. At the command prompt, type cont to continue the utility.

An information screen is displayed.

 


The Flash programming process is about to begin.
 
Type h for help, q to quit, Return or Enter to continue:

13. Type h for more information or press Return to continue.

If you view the help screen, the following information is displayed.

 


This program will issue a reset command after the Flash PROM has been successfully reprogrammed. If an error occurs during programming then an error message will be printed and the program will exit without attempting to reboot.WARNING: If power is interrupted when the Flash PROM is being reprogrammed, you MAY have to change a hardware jumper on the system board if the system does not boot. If this program is interrupted before it completes, you MUST reboot this program to allow it to complete its reprogramming of the Flash PROM - even if the system appears to boot normally.Refer to the "Ultra(tm) Systems Flash PROM Programming Guide" for a complete set of instructions.The Flash programming process is about to begin.
 
Type h for help, q to quit, Return or Enter to continue:



Note - The Ultra Systems Flash PROM Programming Guide referenced in the above screen text is the former title of this document, the Sun Flash PROM Guide for Workstations and Workgroup Servers--Standalone Version.



14. If you viewed this help screen, press Return to continue.

As the utility updates the flash PROM, the percentage completed is displayed on the screen.

 


100% complete.Programming was successful: Rebooting...
 
Resetting...

If there were no errors during the update, and if there are no customized NVRAM configuration variables, the system resets. If there were errors (for example, if any of the PROM's security features were enabled), the system does not reset and an error message is displayed. Refer to Error Messages for error message examples.

The following information might be displayed on the screen.

 


**IMPORTANT** As a consequence of the firmware upgrade that just took place, it is very possible (but not certain) that the customized values in the configuration variables will revert to their *default values* upon the next system power-cycle or soft-reset. (The exception is that "diag-switch?" may be automatically set to "true".) If this happens then it could have a significant effect on the behavior of the system after the power-cycle/soft-reset.
 
Following is a list of the system's NVRAM configuration variables which have been customized (i.e. they are different than the default values). You may wish to write down the values of the indicated configuration variables so that they may be restored (if necessary) after the next power-cycle or soft-reset. (Type "help system" at the PROM monitor's ok prompt to get information about setting the configuration variables.

The system does not reset if any assigned default values of the PROM's NVRAM configuration variables have been modified. Instead, the system's customized NVRAM configuration variables are listed on the screen. An example listing is given below (the actual display will vary, depending on the system's setup).

 


Variable Name  Customized Value
fcode-debug?   true
auto-boot?     false
use-nvramrc?   true
nvramrc        <type 'printenv nvramrc' to see full buffer contents>
 
*NOTE*  The "use-nvramrc?" variable is active (true) and the "nvramrc" buffer is not empty, so you will want to evaluate whether or not to reinstall the code in nvramrc if the configuration variables are indeed reset to their default values - and if they are *not* reset to default values then you may also want to evaluate if the contents of nvramrc are still valid and necessary. For help on restoring/modifying the contents of nvramrc, type "help nvram" at the PROM's ok prompt.

The NVRAM configuration variables might be modified during the reboot process. Such change might cause the system to boot differently than it would have prior to the firmware update. For example, the flash PROM updating procedure might result in automatically setting the diag-switch? NVRAM parameters to true. If this occurs, the system might attempt to boot from the network (net), which is the default setting.

If the system attempts to boot from the network:
1. Press Stop-A.
2. At the ok prompt, type setenv diag-switch? false

Also, assignment of console input/output devices might be modified such that output is no longer visible on a previously assigned output device.



Note - If power to your site is interrupted during updating, see "Invalid Cross-Reference Format" for system recovery instructions.




15. After successful updating, return the flash PROM write-protect/write-enable jumper to the write-protect position to ensure system security.
If your system is a Sun Enterprise 250 or Ultra Enterprise 450, do not change the jumper. Instead, return the front panel keyswitch to the Locked position ().


B.2 Error Messages

If the flash PROM is write-protected or if the NVRAM configuration variable security-mode is enabled and an attempt is made to update the flash PROM, one of the following error messages is displayed.

B.2.1 Example 1--Write-Protect/Write-Enable Jumper

The following is an example of an error message received when the utility is loaded but the write-protect/write-enable jumper is not set to write-enable.

 


Could not communicate with the Flash PROM on the system board.It is possible that the part is defective, or that the Flash PROM is write protected via the hardware `Write Protect/Enable' jumper.UNABLE TO PROCEED WITH THE REQUESTED FIRMWARE MODIFICATIONSProgram terminatedok

B.2.2 Example 2--NVRAM Configuration Variable

The following is an example of an error message received when the utility is loaded but system security is set via the security-mode NVRAM configuration variable.


**ERROR: System security is set:System firmware was not modified.