gs1280 v71a fw relnote

This document, "hp AlphaServer ES47, ES80, and GS1280 V7.1A Firmware Release Notes and Update Procedures" (March 2006), provides essential information for users maintaining these AlphaServer systems.

Key Points:

• V7.1A Release: This is a critical web-only release that replaces the previous V7.1 firmware. It specifically addresses a bug in V7.1 that could cause AlphaServer GS1280 systems to crash due to machine checks, particularly in asymmetrical partitions or with CPU filler modules, by providing updated MBM firmware (V2.7-2).
• Firmware Components and Revisions: The document details the V7.1A revisions for various firmware components including SRM Console (V7.1-5), MBM/PBM (V2.7-2), CMM (V2.7-3), CPLD (V0.5), and PCI I/O Adapters. It also includes an Operating System compatibility matrix.

• Firmware Update Procedures:

  • Primary Method (CD/LFU): Users boot from the firmware CD into the Loadable Firmware Utility (LFU) and use update * to apply all available firmware updates. Selective updates are also possible.
  • Alternate Method (MBM "update" via TFTP): If the primary method isn't feasible, individual firmware components can be updated from the MBM CLI using TFTP from a PC, supplying specific filenames for each component.
  • Crucial CPLD Update Steps: Special power cycling and micro-reset steps are required for CPLD programming, particularly when updating from older firmware versions (V6.9 or earlier) to CPLD V0.5. These steps vary based on the existing firmware version and whether the system is partitioned.
  • Partitioned Systems: Firmware updates on partitioned systems require specific power-off/reset commands for each hard partition.

• Firmware Enhancements: V7.1A includes SRM changes (e.g., increased SCSI targets from 16 to 32, fixes for console crashes with long environment variables), MBM/PBM changes (e.g., improved MBM base time synchronization, refined air mover failure handling, PMU alerts for POST errors), and a CMM fix for duplicate thermal machine checks.

• Workarounds and Restrictions: The document outlines several known issues and workarounds, such as limitations with KVM console switches (e.g., "run bios" in graphics mode not supported), implications of certain SRM environment variable settings (init_type, boot_reset), and the necessity to avoid mismatched XSROM versions between CPU modules. It also provides a detailed procedure for servicing an I/O Riser in a Galaxy partition.