IBM Server 8664 POST/BIOS Flash Diskette Version 1.16 Installation README File This README file contains the latest information about installing the IBM Server 8664 POST/BIOS. CONTENTS ________ 1.0 Updating IBM Server 8664 POST/BIOS 2.0 Version Changes 3.0 Trademarks and Notices 1.0 Updating IBM Server 8664 POST/BIOS *Note: If installing from an update package, see additional instructions, in Appendix A. ______________________________________________ The procedure to update the POST/BIOS is as follows: 1. Insert the "IBM Server 8664 POST/BIOS Flash Diskette" into drive A. 2. Start up or restart your IBM Server. 3. The system will boot off of the diskette and present a window which allows you the option to flash various options. Choose "1 - Update POST/BIOS". 4. You will then be asked if you would like to save the current code to a diskette. If you select 'Y', you need to have a formatted diskette already available. 5. At this point, the image will be loaded from the diskette, 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. 6. 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 diskette and hit return to reboot the system. 2.0 Version Changes ____________________ 1.16 New release - BIOS level 17. - Remote POST of Windows 2000 hangs. This has been fixed. - Under some circumstances, German, Italian, and Spanish Setup hangs. This has been fixed. 1.15 New release - BIOS level 16. - 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 certain limited temperature and voltage conditions, IBM strongly recommends updating your BIOS immediately. - Some PCI adapters cause the system to hang intermittently during power-up. This has been corrected. 1.14 New release - BIOS level 15. - With some RIPL network adapters, if a remote boot failed, the system might hang. This has been corrected. - If the user presses to boot the system partition, but the system partition was incorrectly created and is invalid, the system might hang. POST now issues an error message and continues. - Under Novell Netware, using a memory-mapped I/O RAID adapter, when accessing the DOS partition, keyboard activity may cause the system to hang or reboot. This has been corrected. - Excessive memory errors may occur when using a single DIMM, especially when using Hitachi DIMMs. This has been corrected. - The warning "Current memory configuration is not optimized." may be issued for valid memory configurations involving 1GB DIMMS. This has been corrected 1.13 New release - BIOS level 14. - Update video bios to correct video memory reporting. 1.12 New release - BIOS level 13. - Correct speed calculation on C0 stepping level processors. - Fix error with BOOTIX adapters and OS/2. - Add Setup option to disable delayed PCI to ISA read cycles (to work around Linux Adaptec driver hang). 1.11 New release - BIOS level 12. - Support for processor speeds up to 1GHz. - Support for Pentium III C0 stepping level processors. - Fix remote POST interrupt disable error. - Fix System Partition Hang condition. 1.10 New release - BIOS level 11. - Support for processor speeds up to 933MHz. - Change CMOS save/restore utility from NCU.EXE to CMOSUTIL.EXE - Change flash update utility to prevent accidental flash of other systems. - Fix DMI processor family information. - Fix flash update utility unattended save operation. - Fix serial port operation under Windows 2000 in non-ACPI mode. - Fix hibernation problem under Windows 2000. - Add SMBIOS entry for maximum memory size - Update Video BIOS to fix Windows NT install hang. 1.09 New release - BIOS level 10. - Support for processor speeds up to 800MHz. - Support for Pentium III B0 stepping level processors. - System performance improved. - Detect non-optimal and invalid memory configurations. - Fix SMBIOS speed and memory size reporting errors. - Fix problem booting SCO 5.05 install CD. - Fix occasional hang while booting due to SMBus collision. - Fix NLS setup corruption. - Report single/multi bit memory errors and identify DIMM to Diags. - Fix system hang when booting without a keyboard. - Light diagnostic panel LEDs when a processor fails. - Fix help message for "Change VPD" in setup. - Correct flash image filename in system VPD. - Fix misc minor ASL problems. 1.08 New release - BIOS level 9. - Support for Active PCI. - Fix for IDE disk identification - Fix to Type 17 SMBIOS structures - Update to processor microcode files 3.0 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. Note to U.S. Government Users -- Documentation related to restricted rights -- Use, duplication or disclosure is subject to restrictions set forth in GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp. Appendix A: Package Specific Installation Instruction This update is packaged as a self-extracting Package for the web (PFW). 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 command-line syntax for Package-For-The-Web Firmware update package is: Package.exe [-s] [-a [-s] | [-r] | [-c] | [-x directory] | [-xd] | [-w] | [-?] ] [-s] This initial -s tells the Package-For-The-Web software to install silently and will not prompt if files need to be over-written in the %temp% directory. [-a] Tells the Package-For-The-Web software to pass all subsequent commands to the install package (i.e. the update). [-s] The second -s option indicates to run the update silently and unattended. For firmware updates the update is scheduled to run on the next reboot. An immediate reboot can be forced with the -r option. [-r] Schedule the update (can be used with or without the -s option, either way it has the same meaning) and reboot immediately. [-c] Cancel any scheduled firmware update and record results of this operation in the log file. Only one firmware packages can be scheduled at one time, if a firmware update needs to be applied instead of the currently scheduled firmware update package, the user needs to cancel the current (run with the -c option on any firmware package) package and subsequently run the applicable firmware package. [-x directory] Use with firmware updates to extract the update to directory named directory. Since the Package-For-The-Web extracts itself to subdirectory in the %TEMP% directory, a relative directory will be relative to that location. Normally the user will want to specify an absolute directory. [-xd] Use with firmware updates to extract floppy diskette(s). The floppy diskette(s) can subsequently be used to boot and apply the update in the customary "apply update from floppy diskette" fashion. This option is not available for all firmware updates, such as Tape Drive and Hard Disk updates. [-w] The PowerQuest Virtual Boot Environment requires 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 found in the first track. This option will wipe or clear the non boot and the non partition information sectors on the first track. These sectors are normally not used. Before clearing the sectors a copy of the complete first track is saved in the %temp% directory from which the update runs. [-?] Display information about the command line switches. Only the apply-update-silently (-s) option is necessarily unattended, that is the other command line options such as display help (-?) may require the user to "hit any key" to continue. If Windows packages are run without any command line options, a GUI is displayed. This GUI offers all the options available at the command line, except that the -w option is not available.