IBM eserver xSeries 200/Intellistation E Pro Flash Update Diskette Version EXE135A 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 eserver xSeries 200/ Intellistation E Pro (6836/6846) POST/BIOS code. 1.2 Limitations - NA 1.3 Enhancements - NA 1.4 Level of Recomendations and Prerequisites for the Upate: 1.5 Dependencies 2.0 Change History BIOS 35 - Changes added to resolve reported USB errors when no USB devices installed BIOS 33 - Added support for booting to LAN via F12 option in POST Added Startup option in Setup for an Alternate Boot Device for use on automatic startups. Added BIOS patch to support new Celeron D0 step-level processors BIOS 31 - 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. BIOS 30 - Added support for IBM NEO RAID controller. - Resolved issue with manufacturing IDE testing. BIOS 29 - Added BIOS patches to support new D0 step-level processors BIOS 28 - Changes added to address intermittent LAN failures on system reboot. - Added code to support manufacturing preload with no keyboard installed. BIOS 27 - Support for MXIC Flash ROMs. - Fix issue with system hang during BIOS flash if USB enabled. BIOS 26 - BIOS change for supporting GHz Ethernet adapter in slots 4/5 - Changes made to support FireGL video adapter. - Changes to support 512MB DIMMs. BIOS 22 - Initial BIOS 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 eserver xSeries 200/ Intellistation E Pro POST/BIOS Flash Diskette" into drive A. 3.2 Start up or restart your IBM system. 3.3 The system will boot off of the diskette. 3.4 You will then be asked if you would like to save the current code to a diskette. If you select 'Y', you need to name the file to be saved. The file will be saved on the diskette. If you select 'N', the utility will continue to the next step. 3.5 At this point, you will be asked if you would like to continue the POST/BIOS flash update. If you select 'Y', the system will update the flash ROM with the new code. When this is complete the system will automatically restart. 3.6 On the first system boot, after updating the BIOS, select the Setup Utility with the F1 key; then, select the "Load Optimized Defaults" option. Select the "Save & Exit Setup" option, and, finally, accept the displayed "Y" option under "Save to CMOS and Exit (Y/N) ? Select Y. 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 (filename) /py /sn" 5.1.2 Reboot the system with the Flash Diskette in Drive A: 6.0 Web Sites and Support Phone Number 6.1 IBM Support Web Site: http://www.pc.ibm.com/support 6.2 IBM Marketing Netfinity Web Site: http://www.pc.ibm.com/netfinity 6.3 IBM Marketing Intellistation Web Site: http://www.pc.ibm.com/intellistation 6.4 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.