[Irinikus]

This post is to help someone who wants to upgrade their quad 700MHz Tezro to a Quad 1GHz machine.

When I upgraded my Tezro from a quad 700MHz machine to a Quad 1GHz machine there were initially problems because the L1 controller's firmware wasn't recent enough to recognise the IP59 (Quad 1GHz) node board.

The problem presented itself in the form of a VRM failure (low voltage limit reached) on startup, and the fact that the extra fans on the IP59 were not recognised and were running at full speed when the machine was powered up. The machine would not even get to the PROM booting phase of the startup and powered down automatically.

jan jaap alerted me to the fact that the problem might be due to the fact that the L1 firmware wasn't recent enough.

There is an intricacy in that you can't just update an early version of the L1 firmware to a much later version without having issues, so you have to go through a process of installing about three versions of IRIX 6.5 and flashing the L1 controller each time you have a newer version of IRIX installed.

I placed the quad 700MHz node board back in the machine to carry out this process.

The process of flashing the L1 controller is as follows:

Firstly you have to find the location of the l1.bin file:



It should be in the following location: /usr/cpu/firmware/sysco/

To flash the L1 controller, the command is the following: flashsc --sc usr/cpu/firmware/sysco/l1.bin 1.1





It takes a few minutes for the process to complete and it's rather nail biting stuff!

To confirm the contents of the L1 flash, type the following command line: l1cmd --scdev hw/module/001c01/L1/controller flash status





Repeat this process until your L1 controller's firmware revision is high enough. (version 1.38.4 is high enough to support the IP59)

I personally had to go form version 1.30.11 to 1.32.6 to 1.38.4

[uunix]

At the time of running the flash command, where are the files you updating from located 1.30.11 to 1.32.6 to 1.38.4 ? (That is where on your system, not where you downloaded them from).
Are these files each called the same, are they in the current directory, are they the part at the end of the command?
flashsc --sc usr/cpu/firmware/sysco/l1.bin <B>1.1</B> ?
Thanks?

[Edit] This was actually answered in that Irix was updated between each l1 flash.

[Irinikus]

<QUOTE author="uunix" post_id="502" time="1527365998" user_id="51">

At the time of running the flash command, where are the files you updating from located 1.30.11 to 1.32.6 to 1.38.4 ? (That is where on your system, not where you downloaded them from).



Are these files each called the same, are they in the current directory, are they the part at the end of the command?

flashsc --sc usr/cpu/firmware/sysco/l1.bin <B>1.1</B> ?

Thanks?

The .bin files are in the directory: "/usr/cpu/firmware/sysco/" Regardless of the version of IRIX 6.5 that's installed, they are all called l1.bin and the 1.1 is part of the command.

You confirm the upgrade status of the L1 controller's firmware with the following command:
l1cmd --scdev hw/module/001c01/L1/controller flash status

I the future, since Nekochan is down and the table depicting which IRIX version corresponds to which l1.bin version is on the Nekochan database, when I'm next in Cape Town, I will check the list of IRIX versions which I used and make up a table accordingly.

IRIX 6.5.26 gives you L1 firmware revision: 1.32.6
IRIX 6.5.28 gives you L1 firmware revision: 1.38.4
IRIX 6.5.30 gives you L1 firmware revision: 1.44.0
SGI Patch_SGI0007149 gives you L1 firmware revision: 1.48.1

[Irinikus]

I've just plucked up the courage and updated my L1 controller firmware to version 1.44.0



So I can tell you for sure that IRIX version 6.5.30 gives you L1 firmware version 1.44.0

Take note of the fact that there are two images: "A" and "B" which alternate as default every time you update.
(This is a built in backup feature.)

It's still nail biting to carry out this procedure, as people have almost bricked their system in the past, when an update went wrong, so <B>PROCEED WITH CAUTION</B> and don't do this unless you absolutely have to!

Take note: You have to shut the system down and unplug it for the new firmware to be loaded into L1.

A simple restart, or shutdown and restart won't do it, the L1 controller has to loose power completely for it to be reset and therefor load the newly installed firmware.





It worked!!!!! sheeew

[uunix]

<QUOTE author="Irinikus" post_id="500" time="1527364247" user_id="62">

I personally had to go form version 1.30.11 to 1.32.6 to 1.38.4

Let me just clarify my question:

You had to go from version 1.30.11 to 132.6 to finally 1.38.4

Did you carry out an update of Irix between each l1 flash? or obtain the l1.bin file from later Irix distributions? Or was it a case of running the command multiple times on the same l1.bin?

Thanks.

[uunix]

On topic of flashing the l1..

Would anyone know how and if possible (it must be) to flash the l1 on a machine that will not boot and has only CDROM.

I am pretty sure this can be done via network?

[Irinikus]

If indeed there's no way to flash the L1 without having the machine up and running, it's a long shot but you may need to actually remove the chip (It would of course help to find out exactly what micro controller or PIC they're using here) from the IO9 and flash it with a flashing device: (buying a new IO9 may be cheaper and easier though)

However, doing it this way could prove to be more fun, educational and useful in the long run though! (As time goes by, we will really need to start getting into the nuts and bolts of these machines, if we want to keep them going!)

You can obtain the necessary l1.bin file from it's folder in IRIX (/usr/cpu/firmware/sysco/l1.bin)

[Irinikus]

<B>This may be a bit daring, but....</B>

In Order to able to flash the flash memory on the L1, the IO9 card would have to have a built in flashing device.

This might sound crazy, but would it not maybe be possible to piggyback only the pins relevant for flashing the chip off of your working unit (only the pins required to power the chip and flash it)

You would have to make up a board with the correct socket to hold the chip that you want to flash.

You could make the necessary probes required to tap into the socket on the working system with needles soldered to wires (insulated properly with shrink wrap).

You would have to know the exact pinout of the chip in question are in order to do this, but it's a thought though.

[indy99]

If an L2 firmware update happens to bring anyone to this topic, the L2 firmware in IRIX 6.5.30, also revision 1.44, is defective and if installed will brick the recipient L2. SGI released a patch to correct the issue, the patched L2 firmware is 1.48.

[marshallh]

<QUOTE author="Irinikus" post_id="528" time="1527438411" user_id="62">

If indeed there's no way to flash the L1 without having the machine up and running, it's a long shot but you may need to actually remove the chip (It would of course help to find out exactly what micro controller or PIC they're using here) from the IO9 and flash it with a flashing device: (buying a new IO9 may be cheaper and easier though)

I'm not sure that's the L1 flash, that PLCC device is probalby a GAL or CPLD.

L1 flash is most likely the TSOP48 flash on the midplane next to the Coldfire CPU (this is actually the L1 cpu).

Your advice still applies though, you can desolder the chip and stick it in a TSOP48 adapter/programmer.