IBM xSeries 330 POST/BIOS Flash Disk Version 1.06 Installation README File CONTENTS ________ 1.0 Overview 2.0 Change History 3.0 Installation and Setup Instructions 4.0 Configuration Information 5.0 Unattended Mode 6.0 Web Sites and Support Phone Number 7.0 Trademarks and Notices 8.0 Disclaimer 1.0 Overview 1.1 This README file contains the latest information about installing the IBM xSeries 330 POST/BIOS. 1.2 Limitations - NA 1.3 Enhancements V1.06 - April 30, 2002 ---------------------- - Added in POST/BIOS serial console redirection. This feature can be enabled in system setup and will provide remote console redirection via the serial ports without the service processor. V1.04 - July 27, 2001 ---------------------- - Added the ability to store a 32 digit system asset tag number. The asset tag number can be set when updating the system BIOS. The asset tag number is displayed in Setup on the Product Information menu. The asset tag number is also viewable in the type 3 SMBIOS structure. See sections 3 and 5 for details of setting the tag number. 1.4 Level of Recommendations and Prerequisites for the Update: - Upgrading to 1.06 is required to properly enable PXE on the second planar Ethernet (Ethernet #2). - Upgrading to 1.05 is required if C2T is being used. When upgrading to this level, the C2T Firmware must also be updated. Download and install "C2T Firmware Update Diskette v1.0" for the required update. - Upgrading to 1.04 is required for systems using IDE hardfiles. - Upgrading to 1.03 is required for systems running D0 step processors. - Upgrading to 1.02 is recommended for systems running USB aware operating systems. - Upgrading to 1.01 is required for all systems. 1.5 Dependencies 2.0 Change History V1.06 - May 10, 2002 ---------------------- - Added in serial remote console redirection - Fixed PXE ROM execution failure when using PXE on planar Ethernet #2. - Removed the "Auto Configure" IRQ option for the System Service Processor IRQ setting in POST/BIOS Setup to prevent erroneous configuration change and diskette drive failure messages V1.05 - September 11, 2001 ---------------------- - Change to enable new C2T Firmware to function properly. V1.04 - July 27, 2001 ---------------------- - Added ability to store a system asset tag number. - Updated and corrected Section 5 of this README file. - Hold onboard video in reset if video adapter is plugged in slot - 75GB IDE hardfile support - support for different models V1.03 - March 23, 2001 ---------------------- - This BIOS update addresses Intel Errata G85 and E76. This Errata effects 933 MHZ / 1GHZ 'B' Stepping Level Pentium III processors, only. (i.e. A and C Stepping Levels are okay, as well as B levels at speeds lower than 933MHZ.) This BIOS includes a patch from Intel which Intel believes prevents a potential data error problem. Although Intel states that the problem can only occur under worst case certain limited temperature and voltage conditions, IBM strongly recommends updating your BIOS immediately. - Change threshold values for D0 step processor. - Fix to ACPI BIOS, for disabling the floppy controller inside Windows 2000. - Change to allow miscellaneous USB devices to function. - Fix for hang under Windows 2000 when using both Secondary and Primary IDE channels. V1.02 - February 12, 2001 ---------------------- - Flash utility changes for manufacturing. - Support for additional models. - Support for D0 step processors. - Fix to correctly display the chipset version in setup. - Fix for using hubs in USB legacy mode. - Disable USB ports not present in the system. Windows 2000 would sometimes hang during install. V1.01 - October 23, 2000 ---------------------- - Fix to keep the system from generating a NMI after exceeding the single bit error threshold. - Fix to allow use of the "?" key in remote mode. - Changes to improve system performance. - Add support for some multiport video cards. - Fix for booting some custom cdroms. - Minor Setup changes. V1.00 - October 03, 2000 ---------------------- - Initial release 3.0 Installation and Setup Instructions *Note: If installing from an update package, see additional instructions, in Appendix A. The procedure to update the POST/BIOS is as follows: 3.1 Insert the "IBM xSeries 330 POST/BIOS Flash Disk" into drive A. 3.2 Start up or restart your IBM xSeries 330 server. 3.3 The system will boot off of the disk and present a window which allows you the option to flash various options. Choose "1 - Update POST/BIOS". 3.4 You will be asked if you would like to move the current POST/BIOS image to the backup ROM location. If you select 'Y', the current code will be flashed in to the backup bank immediately. 3.5 If the current system POST/BIOS supports the Asset Tag feature, you will be asked if you would like to change it. If you select 'Y', you will be able to enter a new number. 3.6 You will then be asked if you would like to save the current code to a disk. If you select 'Y', you need to have a formatted disk already available, or specify a fully qualified path and file name. 3.7 At this point, the image will be loaded from the disk, and you will be asked to choose which language you wish to use during POST and in Setup. If you select a choice other than English, the selected language will be merged into the image. There is also an option to Quit the flash update on this menu. 3.8 After this completes the system will update the flash ROM with the new code. When this is complete you will be prompted to remove the disk and hit return to reboot the system. 4.0 Configuration Information 5.0 Unattended Mode 5.1 Steps for unattended mode. 5.1.1 Modify CONFIG.SYS on the Flash Diskette to read: "SHELL=FLASH2.EXE /u /r xx* **" 5.1.2 Reboot the system with the Flash Diskette in Drive A: * Note: "xx" refers to the language support. By default the system will flash the English versions of BIOS and Setup if no language is specified. ** Note: An optional parameter of "/a:" can be added to allow for storing a system asset tag number where "" is replaced with up to a 32 digit string. 6.0 Web Sites and Support Phone Number 6.1 IBM Support Web Site: http://www.pc.ibm.com/support 6.2 IBM Marketing Web Site: http://www.pc.ibm.com/ww/eserver/xseries/ 6.3 If you have any questions about this update, or problems applying the update go to the following Help Center World Telephone Numbers URL: http://www.pc.ibm.com/qtechinfo/YAST-3P2QLY.html. 7.0 Trademarks and Notices THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. IBM DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND MERCHANTABILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. BY FURNISHING THIS DOCUMENT, IBM GRANTS NO LICENSES TO ANY PATENTS OR COPYRIGHTS. 8.0 Disclaimer Appendix A: Package Specific Installation Instruction This update is packaged as a self-extracting PackageForTheWeb (PFTW) executable file. To unpack, this update requires that your TEMP environment variable be set to a path with read/write access. You must be logged in as an administrator. The package update log, ux.log, is created on the system drive. To locate the log file go to: %SystemDrive%\uxlog\ux.log The command-line syntax for PackageForTheWeb firmware update package is: Package.exe [-s] [-a [-s] | [-r] | [-c] | [-x directory] | [-xd] | [-w] | [-?] ] [-s] This command installs the Package-For-The-Web software silently and does not prompt if files are to be over-written in the %temp% directory. [-a] This command passes all subsequent commands to the PFTW software to install the update package. [-s] This command runs a silent and unattended update. For firmware updates, the update is scheduled to run on the next reboot. An immediate reboot can be forced with the -r option. [-r] This command schedules the update and reboot immediately. It can be used with or without the -s command. [-c] This command cancels any scheduled firmware update and records results of this operation in the log file. Only one firmware package can be scheduled at a time, if a firmware update needs to be applied instead of the currently scheduled firmware update package, cancel the current (run with the -c option on any firmware package) package. Then, run the applicable firmware package. [-x directory] This command is used with firmware updates to extract the update to the directory named directory. The PackageForTheWeb executable extracts itself to a subdirectory in the %TEMP% directory, a relative directory will be relative to that location. You must specify an absolute directory if you do not want to use the default directory. [-xd] This command is used with firmware updates to extract to a floppy diskette. The floppy diskette can then be used to boot from and apply the update. This option is not available for all firmware updates, such as tape drive and hard-disk drive updates. [-w] PowerQuest Virtual Boot Environment requires that there are 2 free sectors on the first track before it can schedule a firmware update. Use this option only if scheduling an update failed because 2 free sectors were not available on the first track. This option clears the non-boot and the non-partition information sectors on the first track. Typically, these sectors are not used. Before clearing the sectors a copy of the complete first track is saved in the %temp% directory from which the update runs. [-?] This command displays information about the command line switches. The command line switches -s, -r -c and -e are unnattended. Other command line options such as display help (-?) might require that you hit any key to continue. If Windows packages are run without any command line options, a GUI is displayed. This GUI offers all of the options that are available using the command line.