topic Re: Help finding Alpha Firmware V6.8 in Alpha Servers

Help finding Alpha Firmware V6.8

Stephen C. Jackson — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 17:58:09 GMT

I need the last version of Alpha Firmware that is supported by an XP1000. I found V6.9, but that no longer has support. Higher versions of OpenVMS need the firmware.

Why did they remove the firmware for older Alphas from newer versions of firmware?

Re: Help finding Alpha Firmware V6.8

Steven Schweda — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 20:24:41 GMT

> Why did they remove the firmware for older Alphas from newer versions of
> firmware?

Wouldn't fit onto a CD?

A recent VMS discussion (http://community.hpe.com/t5/x/x/m-p/5098461)
offered this:

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/alphaserver/firmware/v73.zip

which led (semi-directly) to:

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/alphaserver/firmware/
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/alphaserver/firmware/retired_platforms/
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/alphaserver/firmware/retired_platforms/workstations/
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/alphaserver/firmware/retired_platforms/workstations/xp1000/

That seems to offer the latest stuff for an XP1000. To me, it wasn't
immediately obvious how actually to use this stuff, but I assume that
it's possible.

I may have an actual CD-ROM somewhere, but it may be a week or so
before I could lay hands on it.

Re: Help finding Alpha Firmware V6.8

Stephen C. Jackson — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 20:34:06 GMT

Yes it does.

I currently have V6.5, 6.9, 7.0 & 7.3. None of then have the needed current firmware, which only seems to be on 6.8.

Thanks for all the links, one oif which I used to find 6.9, but 6.8 is not there.

Thank you for any more effort you can make.

Re: Help finding Alpha Firmware V6.8

Steven Schweda — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 21:17:13 GMT

> [...] but 6.8 is not there.

Yes, that CD-ROM image is not there, but the individual XP1000 files
are in that "xp1000" directory. The "xp1000_v59_fw_relnote.pdf" file
there includes a how-to-make-a-floppy section. It looks less convenient
than the CD-ROM method, but may be better than nothing.

"V5.9-1" ("Dec 14 2000 16:19:05" on my system, according to my notes)
is, so far as I know, the latest/last version for the XP1000,
irregardful of which CD-ROM it came on.

Re: Help finding Alpha Firmware V6.8

Stephen C. Jackson — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 22:17:39 GMT

That is the version I am currently running, which I updated from the V6.5 firmware. When I boot the V8.3 install disk, it gives me the warning about needing V6.8 firmware. This message has been reported before a number of times on this forum.

I have seen warnings about updating firmware from the floppy.

Re: Help finding Alpha Firmware V6.8

Steven Schweda — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 05:35:58 GMT

> [...] When I boot the V8.3 install disk, it gives me the warning about
> needing V6.8 firmware.

That may be, but if the XP1000 firmware hasn't been changed since
V5.9-1, then I don't see what you can expect to find on any recent
firmware CD-ROM which would offer any benefit.

> This message has been reported before a number of times on this
> forum.

If you're to busy to supply a URL, then I'm too lazy to look for the
stuff. In that number of reports, did anyone explain how to get XP1000
firmware which is newer than the last released version (V5.9-1)?

> I have seen warnings about updating firmware from the floppy.

Where? More advice from the same source as the "needing V6.8
firmware" advice? So far as I can recall, I've always used a CD-ROM, so
I know nothing, but if you already have V5.9-1, then it may not matter
which medium you prefer, because I doubt that you'll find anything newer
than V5.9-1 on either.

Re: Help finding Alpha Firmware V6.8

Stephen C. Jackson — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 20:43:41 GMT

I mispoke. The internet supplied the question about needing to find V6.8:

http://www.itsm24.com/news/re-help-finding-alpha-firmware-v68

A link to the OpenVMS manual sheds a little more light:

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/82final/6674/6674pro_install.html

Next time don't volunteer that you might have V6.8 around. Since the XP1000 has some hardware issues, the whole issue is completely mute.

Thank you for your interest.

Re: Help finding Alpha Firmware V6.8

Steven Schweda — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 21:07:10 GMT

> A link to the OpenVMS manual sheds a little more light:
>
> http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/82final/6674/6674pro_install.html

What I see there is:

      OpenVMS Alpha Version 8.2 was tested with the platform-specific
      firmware included on Alpha Systems Firmware CD-ROM Version 6.8.
      For older platforms no longer included on the Firmware CD-ROM,
      OpenVMS Alpha Version 8.2 was tested with the latest released
      firmware version. HP recommends upgrading to the latest firmware
      before upgrading OpenVMS.

The XP1000 seems to be one of the "older platforms no longer included
on the Firmware CD-ROM", so I'd infer that it was tested (if it was
tested at all) "with the latest released firmware version", which I
claim is V5.9-1, but I'm open to education if anyone can exhibit
anything newer.

> Next time don't volunteer that you might have V6.8 around.

Why? I might, but, as I said, I can't tell at the moment.

> [...] Since the XP1000 has some hardware issues, the whole issue is
> completely mute.

Well, it may be quiet.

http://grammarist.com/usage/moot-mute/