SUMMARY: creating firmware CD

From: Markus Waldorf (waldorfm_at_rferl.org)
Date: 01/27/04

  • Next message: Rich Glazier: "SUMMARY: netstat -p ip output"
    Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2004 16:36:42 +0100
    To: Unix Managers <tru64-unix-managers@ornl.gov>
    
    

    Thanks to everyone who responded. I received some usefull tips and
    findings, but I'm still not able to create a bootable CD that I can use
    to update the firmware. Below some replies I received:

    Iain Barker, pointing me to:
    http://h30097.www3.hp.com/docs/best_practices/BP_CONSFWCD/TITLE.HTM

    This "Best Practice" document explains how to build a consolidated
    firmware CD under Tru64 5.1. Apparently such a question was already
    answered in the archives, but my search did not return the summary.

    Problems with the instructions:

    "mkisofs -a" under Tru64, at least under 5.1A and up is invalid. I
    copied the CD image to my desktop computer in order to burn the CD but
    it was not bootable. The problem was that I renamed the consFWos.cdfs
    CD image to .iso in order for it to be recognized by my burning
    software.

    John Lanier found out:
    "Run the "mkisofs" syntax per the "Best Practice" procedure and name
    the resulting file "consFWos.iso", versus "consFWos.cdfs"; it must mean
    something, since the sums were different afterwards."

    Conclusion:

    I was finally able to create a bootable CD by using mkisofs without the
    -a parameter, and naming the image .iso. However, booting the CD drops
    into the Tru64 installation menu. I can open a shell window, but I
    could not figure out how to actually update the firmware. None of the
    .exe files in the machine directories were executable. The problem
    could be that I did not change any permissions prior to creating the CD
    image, and beside it was not mentioned anywhere in the instructions,
    I'm afraid the scope of the CD is not to update the firmware without
    installing the system. Maybe I'm wrong, but this was not what I was
    looking for.

    Some informations on the web show instructions for OpenVMS, e.g.
    "writeboot" utility, or "mkbootfirm" for Tru64. I played around with
    mkbootfirm, trying to apply it to a disk device rather than floppy, but
    no success.

    Well, I guess I have to deal with floppy disks to update the firmware.
    I can order the CD from the US, but when it arrives it would be too
    late and I probably won't need it anymore. Or I can get the previous
    6.5 version of the firmware CD from local HP here. I wish it would be
    possible to download an .iso image of the most recent firmware CD from
    somewhere.

    ----------------------

    Hi,

    I need to upgrade the firmware of several servers with version 6.6.
    Unfortunately ftp.digital.com does not provide ISO images for all types
    of servers. Our local HP here does not have the latest firmware CD
    available, and I don't have enough time left to order the CD from HP in
    the US. I have version 6.4 of the firmware CD and was wondering if I
    could use it to create 6.6. If I burn a CD from a 6.4 iso image it
    works fine, but if I replace its files with version 6.6 the CD won't
    boot, boostrap error. Has somebody done this before and could please
    share the knowledge?

    Thanks and best regards,
    Markus


  • Next message: Rich Glazier: "SUMMARY: netstat -p ip output"

    Relevant Pages

    • trouble with rx4640 disk firmware update (PF_DIPF1106)
      ... I have a tradition of non-working rx4640 disk firmware upgrades: The ISO CDs I ... system outputs something like a device map, ... Last time I had tried (with an older release of the ISO image), ...
      (comp.sys.hp.hpux)
    • AlphaServer 800 Firmware
      ... Anybody have an iso image of the V5.8 firmware CD? ... latest to have the firmware for an AlphaServer 800 on it. ... and bits and pieces for the A/S 800. ...
      (comp.os.vms)
    • AlphaServer 800 Firmware
      ... Anybody have an iso image of the V5.8 firmware CD? ... latest to have the firmware for an AlphaServer 800 on it. ... and bits and pieces for the A/S 800. ...
      (comp.sys.dec)
    • Re: AlphaServer 800 Firmware
      ... John Reinhardt wrote: ... > Anybody have an iso image of the V5.8 firmware CD? ... > latest to have the firmware for an AlphaServer 800 on it. ...
      (comp.os.vms)
    • Re: AlphaServer 800 Firmware
      ... John Reinhardt wrote: ... > Anybody have an iso image of the V5.8 firmware CD? ... > latest to have the firmware for an AlphaServer 800 on it. ...
      (comp.sys.dec)