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Applies to:

Symptoms

Systems running System Management Services(SMS) 1.3 or older software, are unable to flashupdate new system boards that have 5.19.X or newer firmware pre-installed.

Changes

The version of flashupdate that comes with SMS 1.3 or older, can only handle images less than 1M in size. If a system is running SMS 1.3 then it should be using lpost 5.14.X.

Cause

New boards, or replacement boards from the RSLs, will be unuseable if they have the latest firmware(5.20.X) installed.

Update: 23-June-2008:

Sustaining support for SMS 1.3 was discontinued October 5, 2005. So SMS 1.3 should not be used anymore. Customers still using SMS versions less then 1.6 are kindly urged to upgrade asap. The workaround in this document should not been seen as support for SMS 1.3 and should only be used to avoid critical customer situations.

Solution

The workaround and solution, is to upgrade to 1.6.

A special flashupdate binary is available from Sun only to relieve critical customer situations and the action plan need to include a planning for SMS upgrade to a supported version.

This flashupdate binary ignores the read errors and will flash successfully if you answer yes to the question.

Here is an example:

sms-svc:36> ./flashupdate -f /opt/SUNWSMS/hostobjs/sgcpu.flash SB7

  Current System Board FPROM Information
========================================
CPU at SB7, FPROM 0:
POST   02/24/05 02:16:00 PM   5.19.0
OBP    02/24/05 02:15:00 PM   5.19.0
ERROR: Unable to read FPROM.

CPU at SB7, FPROM 1:
POST   02/24/05 02:16:00 PM   5.19.0
OBP    02/24/05 02:15:00 PM   5.19.0
ERROR: Unable to read FPROM.

  Flash Image Information
==========================
POST   12/09/02 04:30:00 PM  Release 5.14.2 Build 2.0 I/F 12
OBP    12/09/02 04:30:00 PM  Release 5.14.2 Build 2.0
Ver    12/09/02 04:30:00 PM  Release 5.14.2 Build 2.0 

Do you wish to update the FPROM (yes/no)? yes
unsupported binary: ignoring read errors
Update CPU at SB7, FPROM 0:
Erasing...
Done.
Writing and verifying ...
Done.
unsupported binary: ignoring read errors
Update CPU at SB7, FPROM 1:
Erasing...
Done.
Writing and verifying ...
Done.

Notes:

Prior to downloading the new flashupdate program make a backup copy of the existing flashupdate program. This is for your protection only.

 ***DO NOT OVERWRITE THE FLASHUPDATE program***

# cp  /opt/SUNWSMS/bin/flashupdate  /opt/SUNWSMS/bin/flashupdate.orig

Relief/Workaround

1) Upgrade SMS to version SMS 1.5 or SMS 1.6

This is the preferred method.

2) Use a different starcat platform running SMS 1.4.1, SMS 1.5 or SMS 1.6 to flash the boards prior to inserting them into the SMS 1.3 platform.

SMS 1.3 can downgrade from 5.18.x and 5.17.x . So these can be use as interim versions.

3) Use a Sun Fire[TM] E6900/E4900/6800/4810/4800/3800 server to flash the boards prior to inserting them into the SMS 1.3 platform.

SMS 1.3 can downgrade from 5.18.x and 5.17.x . So these can be use as interim versions.

Additional Information
System Management Services (SMS) 1.3 or older: flashupdate unable to flash boards with 5.19.X or newer

The problem is fixed in SMS 1.4, so will exist in all versions of SMS prior to 1.4.

At the time of writing of this document, SMS 1.5 and SMS 1.6 are the supported SMS versions.

For more information on SMS releases and firmware versions, see:

Document: 1003372.1

Internal Comments
System Management Services (SMS) 1.3 or older

The flashupdate binary can be found at: http://panacea.uk.oracle.com/twiki/bin/view/Products/StarcatFlashupdate

See Bug: CR 15146386 Need to support images > 1MB

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