sg_ses_microcode - send microcode to a SCSI enclosure
sg_ses_microcode [--bpw=CS] [--dry-run] [--ealsd] [--help] [--id=ID] [--in=FILE] [--length=LEN] [--mode=MO] [--non] [--offset=OFF] [--skip=SKIP] [--subenc=MS] [--tlength=TLEN] [--verbose] [--version] DEVICE
SG_SES_MICROCODE(8) SG3_UTILS SG_SES_MICROCODE(8)
NAME
sg_ses_microcode - send microcode to a SCSI enclosure
SYNOPSIS
sg_ses_microcode [--bpw=CS] [--dry-run] [--ealsd] [--help] [--id=ID]
[--in=FILE] [--length=LEN] [--mode=MO] [--non] [--offset=OFF]
[--skip=SKIP] [--subenc=MS] [--tlength=TLEN] [--verbose] [--version]
DEVICE
DESCRIPTION
This utility attempts to download microcode to an enclosure (or one of
its sub-enclosures) associated with the DEVICE. The process for doing
this is defined in the SCSI Enclosure Services (SES) standards and
drafts maintained by the T10 committee.
The process is to send one or more sequences containing a SCSI SEND
DIAGNOSTIC command followed optionally by a RECEIVE DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS
command. The former sends a Download microcode Control diagnostic page
(dpage) and the latter fetches a Download microcode status dpage which
can be viewed as a report on the former command.
The default action (i.e. when the --mode=MO option is not given) is to
fetch the Download microcode status dpage and decode it. This does not
require the microcode (firmware) itself so the --in=FILE option is not
required.
The most recent reference for this utility is the draft SCSI Enclosure
Services 3 (SES-3) document T10/2149-D Revision 7 at http://www.t10.org
. Existing standards for SES and SES-2 are ANSI INCITS 305-1998 and
ANSI INCITS 448-2008 respectively.
Most other support for SES in this package (apart from downloading
microcode) can be found in the sg_ses utility. Another way of download-
ing firmware to a SCSI device is with the WRITE BUFFER command defined
in SPC-4, see the sg_write_buffer utility.
OPTIONS
Arguments to long options are mandatory for short options as well.
-b, --bpw=CS
where CS is the chunk size in bytes and should be a multiple of
4. This will be the maximum number of bytes sent per SEND DIAG-
NOSTIC command. So if CS is less than the effective length of
the microcode then multiple SEND DIAGNOSTIC commands are sent,
each taking the next chunk from the read data and increasing the
buffer offset field in the Download microcode control dpage by
the appropriate amount. The default is a chunk size of 0 which
is interpreted as a very large number hence only one SEND DIAG-
NOSTIC command will be sent.
The number in CS can optionally be followed by ",act" or ",acti-
vate". In this case after the microcode has been successfully
sent to the DEVICE, an additional Download microcode control
dpage with its mode set to "Activate deferred microcode" [0xf]
is sent.
-d, --dry-run
the actual calls to perform SEND DIAGNOSTIC and RECEIVE DIAGNOS-
TIC RESULTS commands are skipped when this option is given. No
SCSI commands are sent to the DEVICE but it is still opened and
is required to be given. A dummy device such as /dev/null (in
Unix) can be used.
This utility expects a "sensible" response to the RECEIVE DIAG-
NOSTIC RESULTS command it sends (and will abort if it doesn't
receive one). So this option supplies dummy responses with one
primary enclosure and three sub-enclosures. The dummy responses
include good status values.
-e, --ealsd
exit after last SEND DIAGNOSTIC command. A SES device should not
start its firmware update immediately after the last received
"chunk" of its firmware. Rather it should wait till at least
one RECEIVE DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS command is sent to give the
device a chance to report any error. However some devices do
start the firmware update immediately which causes the trailing
RECEIVE DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS command to be held up and often be
aborted with a "target reset" error.
This option causes the trailing RECEIVE DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS com-
mand to be skipped. This option would be typically used with the
--bpw=CS option.
Prior to version 1.10 of this utility [20180112] this (i.e.
skipping the last RECEIVE DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS command) was the
default action.
-h, --help
output the usage message then exit. If used multiple times also
prints the mode names and their acronyms.
-i, --id=ID
this option sets the BUFFER ID field in the Download microcode
control dpage. ID is a value between 0 (default) and 255 inclu-
sive.
-I, --in=FILE
read data from file FILE that will be sent with the SEND DIAG-
NOSTIC command. If FILE is '-' then stdin is read until an EOF
is detected (this is the same action as --raw). Data is read
from the beginning of FILE except in the case when it is a regu-
lar file and the --skip=SKIP option is given.
-l, --length=LEN
where LEN is the length, in bytes, of data to be written to the
device. If not given (and the length cannot be deduced from
--in=FILE or --raw) then defaults to zero. If the option is
given and the length deduced from --in=FILE or --raw is less (or
no data is provided), then bytes of 0xff are used as fill bytes.
-m, --mode=MO
this option sets the MODE. MO is a value between 0 (which is
dmc_status and the default) and 255 inclusive. Alternatively an
abbreviation can be given. See the MODES section below. To list
the available mode abbreviations at run time give an invalid one
(e.g. '--mode=xxx') or use the '-h' option.
-N, --non
allow for non-standard implementations that reset their Download
microcode engine after a RECEIVE DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS command with
the Download microcode status dpage is sent. When this option is
given sending that command and dpage combination is avoided
unless an error has already occurred.
-o, --offset=OFF
this option sets the BUFFER OFFSET field in the Download
microcode control dpage. OFF is a value between 0 (default) and
2**32-1 . It is a byte offset. This option is ignored (and a
warning sent to stderr) if the --bpw=CS option is also given.
-s, --skip=SKIP
this option is only active when --in=FILE is given and FILE is a
regular file, rather than stdin. Data is read starting at byte
offset SKIP to the end of file (or the amount given by
--length=LEN). If not given the byte offset defaults to 0 (i.e.
the start of the file).
-S, --subenc=SEID
SEID is the sub-enclosure identify. It defaults to 0 which is
the primary enclosure identifier.
-t, --tlength=TLEN
TLEN is the total length in bytes of the microcode to be (or
being) downloaded. It defaults to 0 which is okay in most cases.
This option only comes into play when TLEN is greater than LEN.
In this case TLEN is sent to the SES DEVICE so that it knows
when it only receives LEN bytes from this invocation, that it
should expect more to be sent in the near future (e.g. by
another invocation). This option is only needed when sections of
microcode are being sent in separate invocations of this utility
(e.g. the microcode is spread across two files).
-v, --verbose
increase the level of verbosity, (i.e. debug output).
-V, --version
print the version string and then exit.
MODES
Following is a list accepted by the MO argument of this utility. First
shown is an acronym followed in square brackets by the corresponding
decimal and hex values that may also be given for MO.
dmc_status [0, 0x0]
Use RECEIVE DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS to fetch the Download microcode
status dpage and print it out.
dmc_offs [6, 0x6]
Download microcode with offsets and activate.
dmc_offs_save [7, 0x7]
Download microcode with offsets, save, and activate.
dmc_offs_defer [14, 0xe]
Download microcode with offsets, save, and defer activate.
activate_mc [15, 0xf]
Activate deferred microcode. There is no follow-up RECEIVE DIAG-
NOSTIC RESULTS to fetch the Download microcode status dpage
since the DEVICE might be resetting.
Apart from dmc_status, these are placed in the Download microcode mode
field in the Download microcode control dpage. In the case of dmc_sta-
tus the Download microcode status dpage is fetched with the RECEIVE
DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS command and decoded.
WHEN THE DOWNLOAD FAILS
Firstly, if it succeeds, this utility should stay silent and return.
Typically vendors will change the "revision" string (which is 4 charac-
ters long) whenever they release new firmware. That can be seen in the
response to a SCSI INQUIRY command, for example by using the sg_inq
utility. It is possible that the device needs to be power cycled
before the new microcode becomes active. Also if mode dmc_offs_defer
[0xe] is used to download the microcode, then another invocation with
activate_mc may be needed.
If something goes wrong, there will typically be messages printed out
by this utility. The first thing to check is the microcode (firmware)
file itself. Is it designed for the device model; has it been cor-
rupted, and if downgrading (i.e. trying to reinstate older firmware),
does the vendor allow that?
Getting new firmware on a device is a delicate operation that is not
always well defined by T10's standards and drafts. One might speculate
that they are deliberately vague. In testing this utility one vendor's
interpretation of the standard was somewhat surprising. The --non
option was added to cope with their interpretation. So if the above
suggestions don't help, try adding the --non option.
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(7) for descriptions of the following attributes:
+---------------+--------------------------+
|ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
+---------------+--------------------------+
|Availability | system/storage/sg3_utils |
+---------------+--------------------------+
|Stability | Pass-through uncommitted |
+---------------+--------------------------+
NOTES
This utility can handle a maximum size of 128 MB of microcode which
should be sufficient for most purposes. In a system that is memory con-
strained, such large allocations of memory may fail.
The user should be aware that most operating systems have limits on the
amount of data that can be sent with one SCSI command. In Linux this
depends on the pass through mechanism used (e.g. block SG_IO or the sg
driver) and various setting in sysfs in the Linux lk 2.6/3 series (e.g.
/sys/block/sda/queue/max_sectors_kb). Devices (i.e. logical units) also
typically have limits on the maximum amount of data they can handle in
one command. These two limitations suggest that modes containing the
word "offset" together with the --bpw=CS option are required as
firmware files get larger and larger. And CS can be quite small, for
example 4096 bytes, resulting in many SEND DIAGNOSTIC commands being
sent.
The exact error from the non-standard implementation was a sense key of
ILLEGAL REQUEST and an asc/ascq code of 0x26,0x0 which is "Invalid
field in parameter list". If that is seen try again with the --non
option.
Downloading incorrect microcode into a device has the ability to render
that device inoperable. One would hope that the device vendor verifies
the data before activating it.
A long (operating system) timeout of 7200 seconds is set on each SEND
DIAGNOSTIC command.
All numbers given with options are assumed to be decimal. Alterna-
tively numerical values can be given in hexadecimal preceded by either
"0x" or "0X" (or has a trailing "h" or "H").
Source code for open source software components in Oracle Solaris can
be found at https://www.oracle.com/downloads/opensource/solaris-source-
code-downloads.html.
This software was built from source available at
https://github.com/oracle/solaris-userland. The original community
source was downloaded from http://sg.danny.cz/sg/p/sg3_utils-1.46.tgz.
Further information about this software can be found on the open source
community website at http://sg.danny.cz/sg/sg3_utils.html.
EXAMPLES
If no microcode/firmware file is given then this utility fetches and
decodes the Download microcode status dpage which could possibly show
another initiator in the process of updating the microcode. Even if
that is happening, fetching the status page should not cause any prob-
lems:
sg_ses_microcode /dev/sg3
Download microcode status diagnostic page:
number of secondary sub-enclosures: 0
generation code: 0x0
sub-enclosure identifier: 0 [primary]
download microcode status: No download microcode operation in
progress [0x0]
download microcode additional status: 0x0
download microcode maximum size: 1048576 bytes
download microcode expected buffer id: 0x0
download microcode expected buffer id offset: 0
The following sends new microcode/firmware to an enclosure. Sending a
1.5 MB file in one command caused the enclosure to lock up temporarily
and did not update the firmware. Breaking the firmware file into 4 KB
chunks (an educated guess) was more successful:
sg_ses_microcode -b 4k -m dmc_offs_save -I firmware.bin /dev/sg4
The firmware update occurred in the following enclosure power cycle.
With a modern enclosure the Extended Inquiry VPD page gives indications
in which situations a firmware upgrade will take place.
EXIT STATUS
The exit status of sg_ses_microcode is 0 when it is successful. Other-
wise see the sg3_utils(8) man page.
AUTHORS
Written by Douglas Gilbert.
REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to <dgilbert at interlog dot com>.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (C) 2014-2018 Douglas Gilbert
This software is distributed under a FreeBSD license. There is NO war-
ranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PUR-
POSE.
SEE ALSO
sg_ses, sg_write_buffer, sg_inq(sg3_utils)
sg3_utils-1.43 January 2018 SG_SES_MICROCODE(8)