Yo,
Sometimes for fun I watch 80's computer rebuilds on youtube. About 1/3rd of the time it turns into a IC swap-fest. These old chips "go bad". Most of them are (E)EPROM or ROM related. While that's not directly what we have in most of the SGIs, I started to wonder about the modern-ish flash used in our new PROMs and L1s (and of course PROMs in our older models as well). I think the error in logic here from SGI was they would keep making upgrades, so you'd get a new version of the firmware every year or so, which would upgrade your existing firmware, which would refresh your flash and reset the lifespan clock. Figure 15 years after the last flash and you're in trouble land.
So now what? Do you think it's worth finding the commands to forcibly RE-FLASH last versions of our PROMS and L1s (in systems that support it) so we can do it manually (every 8-10 years or so) to force "freshness" via reprogramming the systems? It seems that most of the older PROMs are in ICs that could be removed, desoldered, and programmed (I need more info on this personally). But we don't know about the newer systems (at least I don't) like the Octane, Fuel, Tezro. I thought the O2s were somewhat understood and the PROM was on the processor cards, right? But I don't know if it's field upgradable or not.
Anyway, thoughts? I cringe that I didn't really think of this before. But just as we are finding out for Tezro RTC recovery, SGI didn't put any real recovery options or affordance for outright loss (bad firmware on L1, YES via A & B slots) but otherwise...no.
Can anyone get the ball rolling with system info and command line examples to flash the PROM and/or L1 and anything else you can think of for different systems and even if there is a force mode where the flash will rewrite the same version (instead of maybe saying it's not needed)?
I know we are lucky in that most firmware is in the Irix media or OS install, so files are everywhere. But I don't know how to safely do much of this. Can anyone please start providing working info on this topic?
I fear with the failing equipment going how it is, PSUs may not be our biggest issue. In another 10 years, will the Indigo/Indy/Indigo2 PROMS start to fail? Thoughts?
Please post any info you have about PROM images, Burning, flashing, whatever! I'd like to see a central source this info so we can prepare sooner than later. I don't want us scrambling when users start flooding in for PROM or firmware related issues. I'd like to not only have the answers but a refresh regimen in place with maybe even backup chips ready to go in the short term. In the long term, I'd like an archive we can reference to salvange already-dead systems due to loss of firmware code.
***LIST****
IRIS INDIGO
2. The Indigo R4000 PROM is a 40 pin M27C4002 4Mbit EPROM located in the center of the board under the GIO32 expansion bracket.
INDY
-> PROM -> The Indy/Challenge S PROM is like the Indigo R4K a 40 pin M27C4002 4Mbit EPROM and is located under the graphics board or in case of the Challenge S, the IO4Plus.
INDIGO2
-> PROM -> The Indigo2/Challenge M PROM is a 40 pin M27C4002 4Mbit EPROM just like the Indy and Indigo R4K and is located in the GIO64/EISA Interface compartment close to the fan. For the Power Indigo2 (IP26) and the Indigo2 R10000 (IP28) The PROM's are different, but the location of the PROM is the same
O2
->PROM location -> Remove Socketed Dallas RTC and underneath found an Atmel 29C040A 4MB flash chip. Anyone have dumps already? Datasheet claims very easy to program.
Code:
sbin/flashinst -T -y /usr/cpu/firmware/ip32prom.image
Octane(2)
Code:
su
/usr/sbin/flash -P /usr/cpu/firmware
You can compare the before and after results using the command.
Reboot afterward.
Fuel
Tezro
Code:
--Final PROM revision for the Tezro 6.211 is found in the following IRIX patch: Patch_SGI0007149
flash -v -a usr/cpu/firmware/ip35prom.img
-- L1 show current version -
l1cmd --scdev hw/module/001c01/L1/controller flash status
-- (Read version hopping from 1.32.6, to 1.38.4, to last 1.48.1 -> Via SGI Patch_SGI0007149)
flashsc --sc usr/cpu/firmware/sysco/l1.bin 1.1
Origin
Can we got more on other systems please? Also in regards to this, can anyone discuss retention lifespans when left on a shelf?
NEED -> 