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dougm
n00b
Joined: 30 Sep 2003
Posts: 64
Location: France
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 Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2003 9:06 am Post subject: Flashing your boot PROM... |
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| Has anyone successfully flashed their boot PROM on a system without solaris? The instructions require booting to a file on the fisk from the ok prompt, and I was wondering if I'm going to have to disable my swap partition and temporarily turn it into a solaris partition to update. Specifically, I have an Ultra5, and the flash update fixes the onboard video so you get 4MB instead of 2MB... |
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labrador
Guru
Joined: 04 Oct 2003
Posts: 316
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| Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2003 2:49 pm Post subject: Not certain |
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I'm not certain on this, but I'd think it was something you'd do
from the prom interface itself, not while an OS is running.
Perhaps Sun has fancy ways to do that from within their OS,
but I'd think outside of Solaris you'd reboot, hit Stop - A
to get the prom prompt and then do the proceedure from there. |
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erik.crouch
n00b
Joined: 24 Aug 2003
Posts: 44
Location: Wichita, KS USA -- United Kingdom
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| Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:16 pm Post subject: Re: Not certain |
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| labrador wrote: | I'm not certain on this, but I'd think it was something you'd do
from the prom interface itself, not while an OS is running.
Perhaps Sun has fancy ways to do that from within their OS,
but I'd think outside of Solaris you'd reboot, hit Stop - A
to get the prom prompt and then do the proceedure from there. |
Yes indeed, the instructions to do so are on sun.com 
If memory serves, it involves placing the file where the openprom can get to it.
Erik
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erik.crouch
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Joined: 24 Aug 2003
Posts: 44
Location: Wichita, KS USA -- United Kingdom
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| Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:17 pm Post subject: Re: Flashing your boot PROM... |
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| dougm wrote: | | Has anyone successfully flashed their boot PROM on a system without solaris? The instructions require booting to a file on the fisk from the ok prompt, and I was wondering if I'm going to have to disable my swap partition and temporarily turn it into a solaris partition to update. Specifically, I have an Ultra5, and the flash update fixes the onboard video so you get 4MB instead of 2MB... |
Just out of curiosity, where did you hear it gives you 4MB instead of 2MB? I'm not sure but I think thats not determined by the openprom.
The onboard cards have their own chip ram, correct?
Because if this does work, heck i'd love to have some more vid ram 
Erik
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dougm
n00b
Joined: 30 Sep 2003
Posts: 64
Location: France
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| Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 9:16 am Post subject: |
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Actually, it's in the errata for the firmware patch. All of the Ultra 5's have 4MB on board, but depending on what version of OBP you have, some see it as only 2MB. Check you /var/log/XFree86.0.log for a line that looks something like:
| Code: | (--) ATI(0): 4096 kB of SGRAM (1:1) detected (using 4095 kB).
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This is what I see after the patch. |
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Kumba
Developer
Joined: 16 Jul 2002
Posts: 393
Location: Sigma 957
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| Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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I used to keep a 10yr old drive around w/ Sol9 on it for flashing the OBP, but I recently discovered you can netboot the suckers for an OBP Update as well. In the patch file, just stick the file tagged as "latest" into your netboot setup and boot it, and it should update fine (keep the Write Jumper on).
--Kumba
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"The past tempts us, the present confuses us, the future frightens us. And our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast, terrible in-between."
--Emperor Turhan, Centauri Republic |
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