Hi All,
The download (a.k.a. SCSI Write Buffer) command got alot of
attention at DEC/Compaq on Tru64 Unix, as it gets used alot.
It supports segmented or full firmware downloads, you can also
specify the buffer id, offset, and segment size. I've personally used
Scu on disks, tapes, medium changers, and optical.
If you follow suggested precautions, downloading new firmware
is safe. I usually make sure I have a quiescent bus when downloading.
You can also upgrade your system disk, but I usually run
standalone when doing this. A "set bypass on" command will bypass
the mounted file system checks. Please use with caution though.
One of the nice features of Scu, is it's multi-platform.
There's a Windows/NT/2000 version on my web page too :-)
http://www.bit-net.com/~rmiller/scu.html
I've attached a snippet of Scu help file for your perusing.
Enjoy,
Robin
=============================================================================
linux% scu help download
Type a topic or subtopic keyword to get help text
Type "?" for a list of subtopics
Type RETURN to back up to the previous topic level
download
This command may be used with any device that supports the downloading
of firmware software using the Write Buffer SCSI command.
Format:
scu> download filename [ save ] [ parameters ]
Notes:
o If the "save" parameter is omitted, a Download microcode (mode 4)
command is issued. Specifying "save" performs a Download microcode
and save operation (mode 5). Not all devices accept both modes.
NOTE: Digital disks will only accept mode 5, you must specify the
"mode value" keyword to override this on direct-access devices.
o If you specified a device via "sbtl" or "set nexus", then attempt to
download drive firmware, the mounted file system check will fail.
This is done purposely to prevent accidental downloading to disks
with mounted file systems.
o Some devices such as many disks, require additional time after the
download operation to program the flash memory (save the firmware)
to recalibrate, or perform other necessary setup before the device
can be accessed. In most cases, waiting 1 to 3 minutes is advised
before accessing the device. Most devices will *not* respond to a
selection immediately after a download operation.
o If a disk device determines that a recalibration is necessary, the
drive may be unavailable for up to 10 minutes. During this sequence,
you can normally issue a Test Unit Ready "tur" command to determine
if the calibration has completed. If the calibration sequence is
interrupted, e.g. by a bus reset, device reset, or by power cycling,
the recalibration will be restarted when the drive is powered up.
o Do NOT power cycle devices during the download operation, or you may
interrupt the flashy-flash step while saving the firmware which will
render your drive useless.
Errors:
If file systems are mounted on a disk to be downloaded, the following
error message is displayed and downloading is aborted:
scu> download NEW_CODE save
scu: File system '/dev/rz14a' is mounted on '/mnt2',
EBUSY (16) - Mount device busy
Examples:
scu> download TZ85_V3_DEC.TZ_IMAGE save
Downloading & Saving Firmware File 'TZ85_V3_DEC.TZ_IMAGE' of 262144 bytes...
scu>
Subtopics available:
parameters save
download subtopic: param
download parameters
Various parameters can be specified to control the download operation.
Most devices do not require these optional parameters, but since each
vendor may implement the download command differently, these parameters
provide the capability to override program defaults.
Format:
{ id buffer-id }
{ mode value }
scu> download filename [ save ] [ { offset offset-value } ]
{ segment [ size ] }
Notes:
o The default buffer id is 0.
o The default offset value is 0.
o The default segment size is 8k bytes. If this parameter is not
specified, the default is to download the entire image at once.
o Refer to the vendor's SCSI programming manual for information on
buffer ID's and buffer modes supported.
Examples:
scu> download ???.fup save
Downloading & Saving Firmware File '???.fup' of 131076 bytes...
scu>
scu> download ???.fup save segment
Downloading File '???.fup' of 131076 bytes in 8192 byte segments...
Download completed successfully, now saving the microcode...
Delaying for 120 seconds while firmware is saved, please be patient...
scu>
scu> download ???.fup save segment 32k
Downloading File '???.fup' of 131076 bytes in 32768 byte segments...
Download completed successfully, now saving the microcode...
Delaying for 120 seconds while firmware is saved, please be patient...
scu>
download subtopic:
Topic:
linux%
Dan Jones wrote:
>
> Bryan Henderson wrote:
> >
> > >> Is it possible to download a drive firmware to a fibre channel
> > >> drive (or even a scsi drive) through linux ?
> > >Yes. It is one of the advertised features of the Scsi Command
> > >Utility (scu). There is a Linux port. See:
> > >http://www.bit-net.com/~rmiller/scu.html
> >
> > Isn't firmware usually distributed as a Windows program?
> > Scu would be useless in that case, right?
> > -
>
> Drive vendor firmware utilities are all over the map. Some are DOS-
> based, Windows-based, and some are proprietary i.e. Hitachi uses PTI.
> The firmware itself is normally a file that is written to the device
> via SCSI Write Buffer commands.
>
> --
> Dan Jones, Manager, Storage Products VA Linux Systems
> V:(510)687-6737 F:(510)683-8602 47071 Bayside Parkway
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fremont, CA 94538
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