Please consider a donation to the Higher Intellect project. See https://preterhuman.net/donate.php or the Donate to Higher Intellect page for more info. |
L1 Controller Updates
Versions
You'll find the images located within the "Standalone System Controller Environment" on your overlay CD IRIX Release Version l1.bin version Overlay CD # 6.5.15 1.10.? 6.5.16 1.12.3 4 6.5.18 1.16.0 4 6.5.19 NOT PRESENT 6.5.21 1.22.2 4 6.5.22 1.24.8 3 6.5.23 1.26.5 3 6.5.25 1.30.6 3 6.5.26 1.32.6 3 6.5.28 1.38.4 3 6.5.30 1.44.0 3
Command
IRIS 5# flashsc --sc /usr/cpu/firmware/sysco/l1.bin.1.38.4 1.1 flashsc: (System Controller Flash Utility) - Version 1.0.7 ERROR: image file /usr/cpu/firmware/sysco/l1.bin.1.38.4 (image 4) does not appear to be a valid L1 or L2 System Controller firmware image (starting address 0x00000000)
Notes
If you try using the latest flashsc utility version 1.4.1 found in IRIX 6.5.30 to flash an older version of firmware (certainly prior to 1.26.5) it would just print the first 2 lines of output and then stop - I had to CTRL+C to get back to a prompt. So you need to downgrade the flashsc utility to an older version, perform updates to mid life versions, then upgrade the flashsc utility in order to flash the l1 to version 1.44.0.
So now I have a 6.5.21 disk on the shelf with copies of all the l1.bin images I've extraced apart from 1.38.4 and 1.44.0 which I use - initially flashing the l1 not in use to 1.22.2, then once restarted the system using the newly flashed 1.22.2 image, i bring the other flash image upto 1.32.6. I then shut the machine down, swap the 6.5.21 build with a 6.5.30 build and bring the machine up again, flashing the 1.22.2 image upto 1.44 I'll try .0.
I first tried to take it to 1.32.6 simply by booting it from a fresh IRIX 6.5.26 disk prepared on an O300. 'flashsc' (v1.3.x) refused still. So, I tried again, this time with a 6.5.21 disk + L1 firmware from 6.5.26 (rev 1.32.6) exactly like you said. That (flashsc 1.0.7) worked to upgrade both L1s to 1.32.6
I then put my IRIX 6.5.30 disk back. 'flashsc' worked exactly *once*, to upgrade the L1 of module 001c01 to 1.48.1 (IRIX 6.5.30 + patch 7149). No amount of IRIX reboots, reboot_l1's could convince it to work after that (hung again).
Not someone to give up easily, I returned with a fresh IRIX 6.5.28 disk which succeeded in flashing the secondary flash bank of 001c01 and the primary flash of 001c02 to rev 1.38.4.
Only *then* did the flashsc 1.4.1 of my normal (6.5.30) disk flash the second module to 1.48.1
Lesson learned: don't do this unless you have to.
It is possible to trash serial numbers in the L1.
Serial numbers are stored in a DS1742W-120 in router bricks as noted in this article: Use a rbrick in place of a NUMAlink module on Origin 300 but more investigation is needed about SGI Origin 300 L1 firmware.