Upgrading Firmware - KZPSA on Open vms 7.3.2

[Douglass Anderson]

I am trying toi upgrade firmware on my Storage Adapter I have replaced.

$ anal /system
OpenVMS (TM) system analyzer
SDA> fc show dev fga
FGA0: operational firmware revision SS3.20X7
port_name(adapter_id) = 1000-0000-C922-2E1F, node_name(host_id) = 2000-0000-C922-2E1F
SDA> fc show dev fgb
FGB0: operational firmware revision SS3.20X7
port_name(adapter_id) = 1000-0000-C921-5D87, node_name(host_id) = 2000-0000-C921-5D87
SDA> fc show dev fgc
FGC0: operational firmware revision SS2.20X2
port_name(adapter_id) = 1000-0000-C921-A98D, node_name(host_id) = 1000-0000-C921-A98D

Note the above, two are at SS3.20X7 and one is at SS2.20X2. I am using the CD Firmware update v6.4 on an Alpha 1200, but it does not give me an option to install the KZPSA devices.

I am sure I am hjust missing a step, please help.

[Karl Rohwedder · Accepted solution]

Firmware CD V6.0 seems to be the last version for an AS1200 (V6.0). It also contains firmware A12 for KZPSA.
Are you sure, you are not mixing something up?
FC is the Fibrachannel extension, while KZPSA is a SCSI controller.

regards Kalle

[Douglass Anderson]

Yes, Just the one Fiber Channel adapter needs to be updated. How do I do that ?

[John H. Reinhardt]

At the console prompt, run the LFU utility. it will ask you for a firmware load device - CD, Floppy or network download. The information on how to load the various formats is at the Alpha Firmware site http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/index.html is the main page and the AlphaServer 1200 page is at http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/readmes/as1200.html

The latter has detailed instruction on how to make your update available to LFU

[Douglass Anderson]

Ok, let me re-work my question then
AS1200 only has an option for Kpsa. I need KGPSA-BC. How do I load that on?
I see it in the ES40 options but it won't let me load es40 on as1200.

What can I do?

[Albert Öttl]

Hi Douglas,

One possibility would be to temporarilly install the KGPSA
in an ES40 and do the upgrade there.

Best Regards
Albert

[John H. Reinhardt]

The LFU utility will upgrade the firmware of any device which has a lower revision than the firmware you furnish. So if you provide SS3.20X7 then only the one at SS2.20X2 will be upgraded.

If your firmware source has an update for a KGPSA-BC then any KGPSA-BC in the system will be upgraded if it's firmware revision is lower than or equal to that of the update. Others will not be affected. It will not do a downgrade. If you have other models of fibre HBAs and there are no firmware updates for them then they will also not be affected. However, if there are updates for the other models then they will be upgraded also.

[R. Verkerk]

Hello,

There is the possiblity to update the firmware of the kgpsa-CB and kgpsa-CA using the ARC. For this you need the right floppy's. The info is on the firmware CD. Then go into ARC. And in here say: Run a program. Than run the firmware update for the right adapter. The A1200 is an equivalent of the A4100. So it works like a A4100.

Included is a small document how it should work.

greetings,

Robert Verkerk

[R. Verkerk]

Hello,

I could not read the attachment. But load the firmware CD on a Windows machine. Go to the "utility" directory. In the file: "DNLDRDME.TXT" the info is how the update the firmware of the kgpsa. The firmware is also on the CD in the same directory

greetings,

Robert Verkerk.

[Rick Dyson]

I think the root of the problem is that the AS1200 never had the FC cards qualified. So, officially they did not make the F/W update kits include the FGA devices. This was true for the AS8200 and GS60s I used to run. We always had to follow the manual process and generate a special CD-R disc with the right boot kit. That is what I believe the others are pointing to in the above messages.

It wasn't difficult, just annoying that you had to go to so much trouble and use Windows boxes so much to update your AlphaServer. :(

Though, if you do have access to a newer Alpha, the easiest solution might be to simply drop the card(s) into them, run the update on them, and then return the card(s) to where they are needed. But, I bet Murphy's Law will come into play and you either don't have access to a newer Alpha or you can't pull the cards from a production box long enough... :)

BTW: I believe the current rev for the older FC adapters is DS3.93A0.

I too have a doc for upgrading KGPSA F/W. It was a Word doc, but I have converted it to plain text and attached it here.

If you want, I could also e-mail the Word doc directly. It has details like the previous posting. Maybe you will be able to view it easier as text.

[Douglass Anderson]

I am reading the documentation and it says boot and at the >> prompt go into the ARC utility, when I start it is says cannot find OS disk. and press F2 to enter setup.
F2 is not responding. Just refreshes the screen.

Is there some set commands I am missing or what terminal type does it want ?

[Rick Dyson]

To be honest, I can't remember if ARC is different than AlphaBIOS. :) I read the docs as:

To start the program under AlphaBIOS: (AS4x00, AS1200, AS800)
>>> alphabios

Hit F2 during memory test/driver init. (if using a VT console control-B is F2 and may have to setup VT in 8 bit controls mode or "No 7 bit" mode depending on VT or emulator in use)

At the Alphabios menu select "Utility", then "Run a maintenance program"

Enter: lp8ldr for the program name
Select: floppy or CD-ROM as the device

Are these the commands you are using? I assume you have burned your own CD-R with lp8ldr? This program is unique with each version release of the F/W. It is the loader program with the F/W code embedded in the executable.

[Douglass Anderson]

well Crtl B worked for F2, but now it is not even trying to access the CD, it accesses the floppy drive if I say A:
but when I say CD: it does not access dka500: I havethe software ld7ldr.exe in utility on the firmware CD.

I selected run maintenence program and I have selected [utility]ld7ldr.exe and selected CD drive.

I even said cd drive and dka:[utility]ld7ldr.exe.

Any suggestions would be great.

[R. Verkerk]

Hello,

The ARC or Alphabios does not known [utility] .

What happens if you use: \utility\ld7ldr.exe ?

Assuming the file is in the "utility" directory.

Otherwise if possible try to get it on a floppy if it fits..

greetings,

Robert Verkerk.

[Rick Dyson]

I just browsed the F/W v7.2 CD and in the Utility directory, I see there are LP7LDR, LP8LDR, & AlphDnld executables. The file IDENTIFY.TXT is interesting, because it implies to me that you do not have a KGPSA-Bx or KGPSA-Cx that is "normal". It should report a prefix of either "DD" or "SF" and you have "SS", as seen in the output from SDA. According to these docs, you may not have the right F/W on the CD, even if we could figure out how to flash the HBA!

It looks like LP*LDR.EXE would fit on a floppy (1,114 kB), so maybe that could be used instead of the CD if you can't access the CD. (Assuming the SS or DD F/W are the right one!) Even ALPHDNLD.EXE and the AWC F/W data file appear small enough to fit on a typical floppy.

There is also the file DNLDRDME.TXT that is a variant of the doc I and others have sent.

[Douglass Anderson]

the Ctrl-B worked and the \utility\lp7ldr
also worked. I have the Firmware on, and now must check something else.