This message is from the T13 list server.
Not So! TC > From: Gana Pat <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 11:24:23 -0800 > To: Hale Landis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED], Gary Laatsch > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [t13] ATA Drive firmware update. > > This message is from the T13 list server. > > > Especially when it comes to ATA external storage boxes and ATA drives on > RAID controllers, there is no way that the drive vendor's FW update feature > can be used without connecting the drives to legacy controller. If not > today, may be some day in the near future, when the drive FW becomes > complex and updates are mandated, we need a standard mechanism for FW > update. I am not aware of any secret tie ups between the drive vendors and > HBA vendors. So forgive my innocence. > > So far from the emails threads, I infer that "DOWNLOAD MICROCODE" command is > used for drive FW update with some special sequence specific to device > vendor. > > I agree Hale, that knowing the command code is just a tip of the iceberg in > the FW updation. But why not this be a part of the standard ? SCSI folks > seems to have a standard mechanism for FW updates and why not ATA have such > a thing ? > > And that 'someone' who asked the question is just me. :-) > > Regards, > Gana > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Hale Landis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 10:54 AM > Subject: Re: [t13] ATA Drive firmware update. > > >> This message is from the T13 list server. >> >> >> On Thu, 09 Jan 2003 10:42:09 -0800, Gary Laatsch wrote: >> >>> The firmware update stuff is mostly used during development and qual > cycles >>> at customer sites. Correct, most end users would never use the feature. >>> But it can be invaluable to someone like a TiVo or someone developing > RAID >>> systems to not have to pull the drive(s) out, find a PC and do an FW > update >>> than put the drives back if it ever is. >> >> And that is fine... I'm sure TiVo and those RAID designers have lots >> of NDAs with various drive manufacturers for the info that is needed >> to perform such firmware upgrades. You need those NDAs because you >> are not going to get the information any other way and you need to >> close contacts with the disk drive manufacturers because they change >> the firmware update methods all the time. Knowing the ATA commadn >> code(s) to use in order to update the firmware is probably only 10 >> percent of what you need to know. >> >>> Besides the reflector has been way to quiet.... >> >> Could that be because T13 really doesn't have a purpose anymore? I >> really wonder why, especially in this economy, companies continue to >> send people to the T13 meetings. Why do that when all the real work >> is done in various secret society meetings all under NDAs? Oh yea, I >> know why... Do you? >> >> >> >> *** Hale Landis *** www.ata-atapi.com *** >>
