Reverting to old firmware?

[Ayman Altounji]

Hi,

I've just attempted to upgrade the firmware of a SMART 2/P array controller on one of our older ProLiant 1500 boxes from v1.36 to the latest v4.44. However, it failed and now the server doesn't boot. I can find no way of reverting to the original firmware and any attempt to reflash the controller using a boot disk states that the controller isn't found.

Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards,

Dean Ward
Info Systems
The Wine Society

[Ayman Altounji]

When updating the firmware on the controller, you would use a diskette, the first thing it does is make a backup of the current firmware on the controller, then prompts to update. Boot back up on the same diskette you used to update it, it should prompt you which update you want to perform. What are the errors your getting at post?

[Ayman Altounji]

I tried this, however, I get no prompt to revert back to the old firmware - I'm not entirely sure it made a backup. Now the controller is not even acknowledged by the BIOS, so no errors during POST. Any ideas?

[Ayman Altounji]

The standard recommendation I make when upgrading from older firmwares is to do it incrementally meaning in your case go from 1.36 to 2.08 sp8050 disk 1 then 3.08 sp8560 and then to the final 4.44 which is sp12985 this helps but does not guarantee a safe upgrade. I find normally if the process goes bad then the controller normally needs to be repalced. But if you want to try a down grade here is the info
To downgrade firmware you have to edit the Config.sys file (In the firmware upgrade, you downloaded). When you open the file it will look like this..
buffers=10
files=10
device=himem.exe
dos=high
shell=rompaq.exe /l:us /!

You want to add the switch ? /x ? to the last line so that it will look like this..

buffers=10
files=10
device=himem.exe
dos=high
shell=rompaq.exe /l:us /! /x

[Ayman Altounji]

yeah, I believe I found myself here for the same reason realizing that this flashing of this card was not successful thus ruining the card, making it non reckonizable on boot. I do believe that we are both "SOL" and out of a raid card. Mine was a Smart-2DH though. Question was your flash successful or did it fail. Mine failed with an error code of "4h" and then it was a silicon board!

[Ayman Altounji]

If you encounter an array controller flash failure, the best thing to try is not to reboot but to hit enter and say yes to "reprogram another ROM".

If you reboot the server after a firmware flash failure, you cannot flash the controller anymore because the server no longer sees the controller during POST. The old firmware is not saved to the flash diskette.

Therefore, the array controller must be replaced.

When flashing the BIOS of a Proliant server, the old BIOS image is saved to the flash diskette. This is not the same case for array controllers.

[Ayman Altounji]

I got the "4h" error of death. I'm not going to give up yet. anyone think any of these options will revive my 2/P?

1)Try to get new ROMs from Compaq(Fat chance I'm sure).

2)Peel the sticker off the flash get the part No. find somone will rewrith the flash.

3)get a working 2/P
a)start the server with the good one in.
b)start the flash process
c)hot swap the controllers and flash.
(I'd be really interested in trying that one)
jnittner@home.com

[Ayman Altounji]

Hi,

I've got the same problem. Proliant 3000 that we are upgrading to Windows 2000 so we wanted to upgrade to the latest ROM's on the system board and the SMART Array 2DH controller. Flash on system board went fine. Flashed the 2DH Array controller to latest ROM, it failed with the dreaded 4H error. Rebooted and controller is completely dead. Booting off the same disk and it doesn't see the controller. SmartStart doesn't see it either.

It seems this happens quite frequently based on the replies here. Seems a little ridiculous that a patch released by Compaq can totally destroy an array controller. Will Compaq replace this card since it was destroyed by their rompaq (I know, I was stupid enough to try it, but still....).

Bob

[Ayman Altounji]

Hi, I have a similar problem. I tried to upgrade the SMART-2/P controller on 2 Proliant 2500 servers from version 2.08 to the latest v. 4.48A. On the first one I first upgraded the server-bios - after that the SMART-2/P controller. All went fine..
On the other server I for some reason didn?t upgrade the server-bios first. Bad luck! When I tried to upgrade the SMART 2/P-controller and came to the point "Dont turn of the computer" nothing happened (for 6 hours!). Then I tried to turn of the computer (What else could I do?), and the controllers BIOS was of course damaged.. Bad luck.. If a server-bios upgrade is nessesary at first, Compaq should tell us - and maybe even test it in the ROMPAQ-program..

Brian