Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 15:37:50 -0400 (EDT) From: Don <don@calis.BlackSun.org> To: Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au> Cc: mark thompson <thompson@gateway.tgsoft.com>, tcrimi+@andrew.cmu.edu, freebsd-alpha@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: alphastation 200 Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.96.981021145920.15307A-100000@calis.BlackSun.org> In-Reply-To: <199810211740.KAA00830@dingo.cdrom.com>
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> > version they have there is 6.8. It looks like to make a bootable update > > floppy, you have to be able to run 'mkbootfirm', which is a DEC Unix > > executeable... If only somebody would mail me the disk image of the > > update diskette... First go to: ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/Digital/Alpha/firmware/readmes/alpha200.html and read up on the update procedure. Get the driver at: ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/Digital/Alpha/firmware/readmes/v5.2/alpha200/as200_v6_8.exe Now get the mkboot utility at: ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/Digital/Alpha/firmware/utilities/mkboot.exe I am assuming you have acees to an ordinary PC here. Put a blank FAT formatted floppy in the floppy drive. Run mkboot.exe and when it asks for a disk image use the one you typed in earlier (aka as200_v6_8.exe) and wait for the program to finish. Now you have your boot disk for the alpha to update the SRM console. To run the program boot your alpha and put the floppy in the drive. At the console type: boot dva0 The utility is pretty self explanatory and you should simply be able to select or type update and the machine will do the update. When it is done you will power down and let it sit for 20 seconds and then when you reboot you will be using the new SRM firmware. > I had some interesting adventures with an AS200 and firmware upgrades. > The first thing to bear in mind is that the AS200 typically only has > *one* flash prom onboard. If you install the ARC firmware, you'll be > left with an ARC-only system (and getting back from there is not > supported, although it is possible). This is not at all true. I have switched between ARC and SRM several times already. Updating SRM from SRM is just the way i described. Updating to ARC from ARC is also pretty simple and there are plenty of docs on it out there. Updating to ARC from SRM is simply a matter of choosing update arc from the boot menu when the floppy boots or typing "update arc" (depends on revision of the software. Older ones required the typing of "update arc" the newer ones are menu driven.) The only slightly tricky update is from ARC back to SRM but even that isnt hard. You put the file as200_v6_8.exe on a floppy and rename it fwupdate.exe Now put this floppy into your alpha and boot it. When ARC loads there is a choice for updating firmware or booting a disk (to be honest i forget which and I dont want to find out again :) Boot the floppy with fwupdate.exe and you can then reinstall the SRM firmware onto your system. It is fully supported on the alphastation 200's and not just possible. There are a lot of docs out there on this but they mostly come from the linux ppl who want to make sure ppl know how to put their systems back to their orignial states if they ever want to. -don To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-alpha" in the body of the message
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