RaQ 550 ROM Flashing

Document Version: 001.00-November-2008 Howie Dines

Strongbolt back to standard RaQ 550 OS

I have an issue with a RaQ 550 that had been loaded with the Strongbold v1 (sb01.06-03.iso) but had a potential hardware fault. To verify if it was a hardware fault I needed to revert back to the 2.9.36-2M-flat.rom rom and then install the standard Sun 550 software.

I'm not expecting many people to need to do this procedure but I just wanted to document my findings in case you do need to.

The following procedure assumes you have a working install of the Strongbolt OS on your RaQ 550 appliance.

Because of the hazards and risk of failure, please don't come back if it all goes wrong. This being said if you take the following precautions you shouldn't have a problem.

• Power the RaQ 550 through a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply)
• Run a 'Console Connection' through the serial port using a null modem cable
  (This also gives you the added visualisation of what's happening during BOOT)
• FTP / wget, the required rom and flashtool files to the RaQ.
• Backup the original rom file (If the new causes errors, you can reflash the old one)
• Execute the commands from command line.
• Using the correct version of the flashtool.

In this document I wont take you through the complete line-by-line, step-by-step process, as this has already been documented here.

Step 1 - Get the correct rom file

The first place to look was on the Sun restore CD (SUN 259-3894-13-RaQ550.iso)
The rom files are located in the following directory.

/nfsroot-x86/bto-sync/tools/FlashROM/roms/UNIFIED/

We will be needing the 2.9.38-2M-flat.rom item.

			Unlike the other RaQ's, the 550 alone takes the 2mb 'Flat' rom.

Step 2 - Get a working flashtool

If you have already read my article on flashing a RaQ3-4, you will see that I always advocate the use of Tim Hockin's 1.5mb file. However on the 550 this seems not to work.

A Failed Flash (Using Tim Hockin's 1.5mb [1584568b] flashtool)

[root@localhost tmp]# ./flashtool.tim -v -w 2.9.34-2M-flat.rom
./flashtool.2: searching for PCI 10b9:7101 : didn't find it
./flashtool.2: searching for PCI 1166:0200 : didn't find it
./flashtool.2: searching for PCI 1166:0201 : found it at /proc/bus/pci/00/0f.0
./flashtool.2: systype = COBT_5K1
./flashtool.2: bank 0: AMD AM29F016B 2MB - untested
./flashtool.2: writing page 0
./flashtool.2: buffer page 0 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 1
./flashtool.2: buffer page 1 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 2
./flashtool.2: buffer page 2 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 3
./flashtool.2: buffer page 3 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 4
./flashtool.2: buffer page 4 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 5
./flashtool.2: buffer page 5 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 6
./flashtool.2: buffer page 6 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 7
./flashtool.2: buffer page 7 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 8
./flashtool.2: buffer page 8 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 9
./flashtool.2: buffer page 9 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 10
./flashtool.2: buffer page 10 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 11
./flashtool.2: buffer page 11 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 12
./flashtool.2: buffer page 12 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 13
./flashtool.2: buffer page 13 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 14
./flashtool.2: buffer page 14 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 15
./flashtool.2: buffer page 15 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 16
./flashtool.2: buffer page 16 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 17
./flashtool.2: buffer page 17 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 18
./flashtool.2: buffer page 18 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 19
./flashtool.2: buffer page 19 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 20
./flashtool.2: buffer page 20 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 21
./flashtool.2: buffer page 21 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 22
./flashtool.2: buffer page 22 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 23
./flashtool.2: buffer page 23 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 24
./flashtool.2: buffer page 24 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 25
./flashtool.2: buffer page 25 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 26
./flashtool.2: buffer page 26 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 27
./flashtool.2: buffer page 27 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 28
./flashtool.2: buffer page 28 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 29
./flashtool.2: buffer page 29 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 30
./flashtool.2: buffer page 30 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 31
./flashtool.2: buffer page 31 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool.2: writing page 32
./flashtool.2: write_rom(): Unable to read entire flash image.

(end of snippet from file)
		

The 2 versions of the flashtool that I have had success with are:-

1) From the Sun CD.

This time located in the following directory.

/nfsroot-x86/bto-sync/tools/FlashROM/bin/

			(384552 b) (Local Mirror flashtool)

2) From the sourceforge.net repositories site

			flashtool.1 (405220 b) (Local Mirror flashtool.1)

A Successful Flash: (Using the 384552 b flashtool)

[root@localhost tmp]# ./flashtool -v -w 2.9.34-2M-flat.rom
./flashtool: searching for PCI 10b9:7101 : didn't find it
./flashtool: searching for PCI 1166:0200 : didn't find it
./flashtool: searching for PCI 1166:0201 : found it at /proc/bus/pci/00/0f.0
./flashtool: systype = COBT_5K1
./flashtool: bank 0: AMD AM29F016B 2MB
./flashtool: Using pthread POSIX real time scheduling.
./flashtool: writing page 0
./flashtool: buffer page 0 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 1
./flashtool: buffer page 1 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 2
./flashtool: buffer page 2 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 3
./flashtool: buffer page 3 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 4
./flashtool: buffer page 4 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 5
./flashtool: buffer page 5 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 6
./flashtool: buffer page 6 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 7
./flashtool: buffer page 7 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 8
./flashtool: buffer page 8 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 9
./flashtool: buffer page 9 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 10
./flashtool: buffer page 10 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 11
./flashtool: buffer page 11 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 12
./flashtool: buffer page 12 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 13
./flashtool: buffer page 13 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 14
./flashtool: buffer page 14 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 15
./flashtool: buffer page 15 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 16
./flashtool: buffer page 16 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 17
./flashtool: buffer page 17 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 18
./flashtool: buffer page 18 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 19
./flashtool: buffer page 19 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 20
./flashtool: buffer page 20 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 21
./flashtool: buffer page 21 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 22
./flashtool: buffer page 22 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 23
./flashtool: buffer page 23 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 24
./flashtool: buffer page 24 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 25
./flashtool: buffer page 25 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 26
./flashtool: buffer page 26 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 27
./flashtool: buffer page 27 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 28
./flashtool: buffer page 28 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 29
./flashtool: buffer page 29 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 30
./flashtool: buffer page 30 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: writing page 31
./flashtool: buffer page 31 does not exist - creating it
./flashtool: flushing buffers
./flashtool:   flushing block 0 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 1 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 2 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 3 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 4 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 5 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 6 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 7 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 8 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 9 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 10 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 11 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 12 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 13 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 14 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 15 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 16 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 17 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 18 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 19 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 20 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 21 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 22 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 23 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 24 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 25 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 26 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 27 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 28 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 29 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 30 to ROM... verifying...  done
./flashtool:   flushing block 31 to ROM... verifying...  done

(end of snippet from file)