C1537A Firmware

[Dirk Peters]

We have a SUN Ultra 30 with an internal DDS-3 drive which is a HP C1537-00625. According to SUN the Dip-switch S2 on the bottom of the drive is disabled by the Sun firmware.
Two Questions:
Is is possible or neccessary to upgrade to the newest Firmware L005 when using this drive in a Windows-PC?
If so, what functions have the Dip-switches with the new firmware?
Best regards,
Dirk Peters

P.S. This thread has been moved from General to Tape Libraries and Drives. - Hp Forum Moderator

[paul courry]

It is probably not necessary to upgrade the firmware. Firmware is only upgraded when failure to do so renders the tape drive into an expensive paperweight.

The function of the dip switches will NOT change. In 25 years of working with HP equipment I've never seen this happen. Hardware is hardware, firmware is firmware.

[Tim Malnati]

I'm not having good luck finding anything specific to a C1537A. This suggests that it may be a special OEM number or a subassembly number. In any event the following link is the installation manual for HP internal DAT drives: http://www.hp.com/cposupport/information_storage/manuals/lpg28539.pdf I noticed the the switch postition for the third switch position on SUN machines is different than other environments. Unfortunately, the manual does not explain what the switches are for. I would suggest you at least try the drive in your pc before upgrading the firmware. Most scsi controllers are smart enough these days to deal with bus negotiation issues automatically. But I would not be startled if you end up having some issues if you have other devices connected to the same scsi bus; then a firmware upgrade may be a ticket to freedom.

[Tim Malnati]

One more thing... If you do chhose to upgrade the firmware on that drive, I would strongly suggest that it be the only attached device at the time. You sure don't need a negotiation issue or a bus reset from another device hammering your firmware load.

[James Klauzner]

Hi, could you please let me know where I can download the firmware for HP C1537A drive from.

Also, any other sites or links dealing with this model tape drive would be greatly appreciated...

Thank you in advance...