change alpha firmware from ARC to SRM
SBMailbox
me again
i have an alpha machine
i think it is a cabriolet flavour (as debian states it) because the generic
kernel doesn't work while the cabriolet one works
i would like to change the firmware from ARC to SRM
ARC firmware version is as follow
ARC multiboot alpha AXP version 3-5.10
this fw doesn't let me boot from the cdrom
neither can i bot the debian netinstall image (normally on the cd)
i would like to know if it is possible to change the firmware (not sure)
this machine was sold w/ windoz NT in it...
note : i already attach a console to the machine and saw 4 flavour available w/
bootopt
1 diag 2 nt 3 openvms 4 dec_somethg_else
but choosing 3 or 4 brings the same diag console, not SRM
Tom Crabtree
Statements like *I think I have a (enter obscure name here)* will get
you nowhere, and more than likely get you ignored.
Assuming (gosh I hate that word) you *DO* have a PC64 of some flavor,
what kind of HD is in it? What graphics card? SRM can be quite fussy,
it generally does not like IDE, and is very specific about which SCSI
cards it does like. Same goes for graphics cards. Open your case and
find out exactly what is inside your computron.
Utilizing a quick Google search, it's obvious that some if not all
PC64's had the capability of having both ARC (a.k.a. AlphaBios) and SRM
installed at the same time.
http://www.alphalinux.org/archives/axp-list/March2001/0181.shtml
In theory, you could already have SRM loaded, but if the system was sold
originally with the intention of only booting to NT, then it most likely
does not.
Obtain a firmware update disk (either a CDRom or Floppy image), and
flash the SRM code to the PAL rom.
Once you have SRM loaded, select the boot option OpenVMS selection from
ARC via the menu system, then hard boot the system (turn the power off
and on). It should boot to the infamous "Triple Chevrons" which are the
hallmark of SRM:
>>>
Good luck!
TomC
dooley
> hi all,
>
> me again
>
> i have an alpha machine
> i think it is a cabriolet flavour (as debian states it) because the generic
> kernel doesn't work while the cabriolet one works
>
> i would like to change the firmware from ARC to SRM
http://public.www.planetmirror.com/pub/vms/data.htm
Phil
stephane
(i am S B Mail box)
your links and tips are precious
now it's time for read and experiment <rire
fnaku cu
btw : i am sure at 99% i have an AlphaPC64 because the console prompt
display :
AlphaPC64>
i will investigate my exact harware and try to figure out if it is compliant
(my actual problem is Milo - an old version - have problem to initialize
SCSI disks, and I would like to compile a new milo kernel to correctly
initialize all my material
my alpha can't boot from cd.. so i would use a floppy and boot milo from
the cd later)
SEE YOU
stephane
Tom Crabtree wrote:
> cards it does like. Same goes for graphics cards. Open your case and
> find out exactly what is inside your computron.
Computron, i luve it !
> Obtain a firmware update disk (either a CDRom or Floppy image), and
> flash the SRM code to the PAL rom.
I tried this here
ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/Digital/Alpha/firmware/index.html
before calling for help in this news
I tried two different flash /out full success (one didn't boot, the
other did boot but didn't seemed to give me the srm or had done any
change on the fw).
I am almost convinced (I try hard not to assume) that my flash is not
half-flash
as I have 4 options (diag nt vms and sthg else i wrote on a paper at home)
All would be easier if i was able to know the exact name/model/type of
my hardware.
My buisness was about to thrau away this alpha machine... I wonder how I
could get the documentation or even the bill (which could state the
precise model detail)
as I would tell later in another message, my alpha has 95% to be
AlphaPC64 Cabriolet flavour. I continue to dig in this direction until
it breaks or it works.
Thankyou much , see you.
Tom Crabtree
Here's a link to what you will need:
http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/archive/pc64/
Good luck!
Tom
stephane
I already tried this fw : 2.07
I must admit it worked in a way
i had a message memory size error at the beguining, then it was able to
detect the hardware
then it let me choice between :
upgrad nt firmware
upgrade srm firmware
and restart the machine (wich it can't restart, i have to manually power
off then on)
when i choose to upgrade any fw, it seems to look for data on the floppy
then end in saying "can't find the firmware"...
i don't know enought alpha fw upgrade procedure to be sure that i miss
something or not. Any idea ?
should i use the console to copy the fw to another floppy ?
anything more trickier ?
the memory size error means something ?
<smile>
fanku all by advance for your help
David J Dachtera
>
> fanku,
>
> I already tried this fw : 2.07
>
> I must admit it worked in a way
>
> i had a message memory size error at the beguining, then it was able to
> detect the hardware
>
> then it let me choice between :
> upgrad nt firmware
> upgrade srm firmware
> and restart the machine (wich it can't restart, i have to manually power
> off then on)
>
> when i choose to upgrade any fw, it seems to look for data on the floppy
> then end in saying "can't find the firmware"...
>
> i don't know enought alpha fw upgrade procedure to be sure that i miss
> something or not. Any idea ?
It may be looking on the floppy for a file called FWUPDATE.EXE from
which it will load the new firmware. I think... Been a while...
D.J.D.
Måns Rullgård
Almost right. It needs fwupdate.exe and the new firmware image. When
I flashed my SX164 from alphabios to SRM I had some trouble finding an
fwupdate.exe that would fit on the same floppy as the SRM image.
Fortunately, an old alphabios update had a smaller fwupdate.exe than
the most recent ones.
--
Måns Rullgård
m...@kth.se
Steven N. Hirsch
> i have an alpha machine
> i think it is a cabriolet flavour (as debian states it) because the generic
> kernel doesn't work while the cabriolet one works
>
> i would like to change the firmware from ARC to SRM
> ARC firmware version is as follow
> ARC multiboot alpha AXP version 3-5.10
You can do this, but unless there were multiple versions of the PC64
floating around, you cannot have both ARC and SRM in the EEPROM at the
same time. However, that's not a problem. If you need SRM active (for
instance, running the RA200 RAID configuration utility), just format a
1.44M diskette for MS-DOS and copy eb64pnt.rom to it.
While in SRM, you simply put that diskette in the A: drive and type:
>>> arc
It will find the console file and load ARC from there.
Steve
p.s. - If you fatally hose the EEPROM, there is a recovery procedure
using serial communications from a PC (under MS-DOS). I don't recommend
it for the faint-of-heart.
stephane
Steven N. Hirsch wrote:
> While in SRM, you simply put that diskette in the A: drive and type:
>
> >>> arc
cool, and how can I move to SRM from ARC ?
w/ a fwupdate.exe i think
but i also got some other problems . see previous thread if curious
stephane
um,
in fact, i do this :
put a floppy w/ fwupdate.exe file on it
choose an advanced menu in ARC menu
then choose update flash
then Alpha do read the file fwupdate.exe and reboots in fw 2.07
then the floppy is still in the drive
and then I choose to flash a fw, then the floppy is accessed and then it
reply to me : "can't find the firmware"...
um,
i will try to find a deep technical paper about alpha flash (SRM/ARC)
and try to discover why it doesn't find the file...
stephane
Måns Rullgård wrote:
> Almost right. It needs fwupdate.exe and the new firmware image. When
> I flashed my SX164 from alphabios to SRM I had some trouble finding an
> fwupdate.exe that would fit on the same floppy as the SRM image.
> Fortunately, an old alphabios update had a smaller fwupdate.exe than
> the most recent ones.
sorry
u just tell something right :
in the same floppy , i must have both
- fwupdate.exe file and
- the srm image
I thaught only fwupdate.exe was necessary....
okay,
i got fwupdate.exe from ftp pointed out by a collegue of here :
<<
Here's a link to what you will need:
http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/archive/pc64/
Good luck!
Tom
>>
Now, from where should i get an srm image ?
when I ftp ftp.digital.com; cd /pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/archive/pc64/
i got :
<<
ftp> dir
500 'EPSV': command not understood.
227 Entering Passive Mode (161,114,67,250,52,217)
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
total 1424
-r--r--r-- 1 16 75 290270 Feb 18 2000 fwupdate.exe
-r--r--r-- 1 16 75 195168 Feb 18 2000 pc64dbm.cmp
-r--r--r-- 1 16 75 195224 Feb 18 2000 pc64dbm.rom
-r--r--r-- 1 16 75 382008 Feb 18 2000 pc64srm.rom
-r--r--r-- 1 16 75 381952 Feb 18 2000 pc64srm.sys
226 Transfer complete.
>>
could you help me recognize thoses differents files ? (srm.rom vs
srm.sys, dbm = ?)
thanx a lot
Måns Rullgård
You're lucky, all those files will fit on a single floppy. Put them
all on the same floppy and give it a try. I have no idea what the dbm
files are.
--
Måns Rullgård
m...@kth.se
Tom Crabtree
You also need on the same diskette the firmware file, in your case:
PC64SRM.ROM
Otherwise it won't work (as you have already learned)
TomC
stephane
after beliving i crashed my flash (ISA corrupt message)
i finally find that my Sony CDU76S was misconnected on the scsi chain !
that's why i got so much problems
my alpha now is able to run srm
and i was able to boot directly from the cdrom :
-----------------
Digital AlphaPC 64 274 MHz Console V4.8-1, Feb 20 1997 14:29:41
>>>show dev
dka0.0.0.9.0 DKA0 QUANTUM FIREBALL1080S 1Q09
dka100.1.0.9.0 DKA100 SEAGATE ST15230N 0252
dka500.5.0.9.0 DKA500 SONY CD-ROM CDU-76S 1.1c
dva0.0.0.0.1 DVA0
ewa0.0.0.1004.0 EWA0 00-C0-95-E0-05-3C
ewb0.0.0.1005.0 EWB0 00-C0-95-E0-05-3D
ewc0.0.0.1006.0 EWC0 00-C0-95-E0-05-3E
ewd0.0.0.1007.0 EWD0 00-C0-95-E0-05-3F
pka0.7.0.9.0 PKA0 SCSI Bus ID 7
-----------------
then I direclty boot from the debian cd for alpha
(http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/)
(i have some strange problem with disk space thought)
-----------------
>>>boot dka500.5.0.9.0
(boot dka500.5.0.9.0 -flags 0)
block 0 of dka500.5.0.9.0 is a valid boot block
reading 171 blocks from dka500.5.0.9.0
bootstrap code read in
base = 114000, image_start = 0, image_bytes = 15600
initializing HWRPB at 2000
initializing page table at 106000
initializing machine state
setting affinity to the primary CPU
jumping to bootstrap code
aboot: Linux/Alpha SRM bootloader version 0.9b
aboot: switching to OSF/1 PALcode version 1.45
aboot: booting from device 'SCSI 0 9 0 5 500 0 0'
aboot: no disklabel found.
iso: Max size:89840 Log zone size:2048
iso: First datazone:32 Root inode number 65536
aboot: loading uncompressed boot/vmlinuz...
aboot: loading compressed boot/vmlinuz...
aboot: zero-filling 393156 bytes at 0xfffffc0000562ccc
aboot: loading initrd (2979022 bytes/2909 blocks) at 0xfffffc0003b44000
aboot: starting kernel boot/vmlinuz with arguments ramdisk_size=16384
root=/dev/ram devfs=mount,dall
-----------------
I deeply thank you everyone for the help u gave to the newbie i was
does any one played once at doom
(http://www.openvmshobbyist.com/GAMES/DOOM.ZIP) on a VAX-7000/820
machine ? <smile>
Tom Crabtree
Congrats! Glad to hear all went well. I knew you could get it to work!
TomC