Recovering from a Failed System ROM Upgrade



Recovering from a Failed System ROM Upgrade

During the ROM upgrade process, the whole process must complete for the ROM upgrade to be successful.

|  |WARNING: If an error such as a power failure, operating system lockup, or some other catastrophic event occurs|

|[pic] |during the system ROM upgrade process, the ROM upgrade will not complete and the system ROM image on the |

| |target server will be corrupted. Should this occur, the server will not operate correctly and ROM disaster |

| |recovery procedures must be implemented to regain server functionality. |

|IMPORTANT:  Supported Servers |

|While ROMPaq disaster recovery is supported on all ProLiant server models, each server has unique and specfic directions |

|for exicuting the Disaster Recovery Procedure. Older models require powering down, opening the chassis, and locating the |

|system maintenance switch block on the server’s system board. Specfic switches have to be set and very from server model |

|to server model. Newer models do not require setting any system board switches. For the server specific information, |

|warnings and procedures, please refer to the server’s Setup and Installation user guide for details.  |

Follow these steps to perform ROMPaq disaster recovery on any Compaq server that has a corrupted ROM image:

1. Obtain the latest ROMPaq version for the target server.

The ROMPaq files can be obtained in several ways. See Question 5 below in the "Questions and Answers" section for sources where the ROMPaq files can be obtained.

2. Create the ROMPaq diskette that will be used to restore the server’s system ROM.

|IMPORTANT: If System ROM is Corrupted |

|If the system ROM is corrupted on the target server because the ROMPaq ROM restoration procedure was interrupted, the |

|initial ROMPaq attempt may have affected the contents of the ROMPaq diskette. It is recommended that a new ROMPaq diskette|

|be created.  |

3. NOTE: The Compaq SmartStart and Support Software CD 4.80 or later includes Diskette Builder software that facilitates the creation of ROMPaq diskettes.

4. Unlike the System ROMPaq Utility, the ROMpaq Disaster Recovery procedure does not allow for saving the original System ROM image by writing to diskette. Write operations to the diskette are not performed by ROMpaq Disaster Recovery procedure.

5. Older ProLiant System Models

6. Power down the server that contains the system ROM that needs to be restored.

7. Open the server chassis and record the default positions of the switches on the server's Configuration Maintenance Switch Pack. If possible, obtain the revision level of the System ROM firmware originally loaded. This information can be obtained from an INSPECT or Survey Report.

8. Set configuration switches 1, 4, 5, and 6 on systems with 6 switches, or switches 1,2,3 and 4 on systems with 4 switches on the system maintenance switch block to the ON position. Setting these switches to the ON position enables Disaster Recovery Mode on older ProLiant servers.

NOTE: Refer to the server’s documentation and hood labels for the location of the configuration switches.

9. Insert the ROMPaq diskette into the diskette drive.

10. Power up the target server. The keyboard, mouse, and monitor will all be inactive.

11. When the server has powered up, the server will make two long beeps to indicate that it is in Disaster Recovery Mode. For systems with the Integrated Management Display, check the IMD display for:  "Insert ROMPAQ diskette".

12. Insert the System ROMPaq diskette in the server's diskette drive. Check the IMD display for: "ROMPAQ flashing ROM". Then, the server will read the ROMPaq diskette for the latest ROM image and will proceed to flash the system ROM on the target server. Flashing the System ROM should take a few minutes to complete. The procedure will take longer to complete on servers with Redundant ROMs since it is flashing two images; the primary and redundant.

13. Listen for a sequence of ascending (increasing) tone beeps after flashing is complete. Check for a message in the IMD that will indicate a successful operation is completed. The diskette drive may appear to still be in use, but the procedure is complete per the IMD messages and ascending tone beeps.

If the flashing fails, check for a message in the IMD display indicating the failure, and listen for a series of descending beeps will be generated. A second attempt should be made just in case the procedure should complete on that iteration. A quick series of beeps indicates successful completion of the system ROM recovery process.

14. When the disaster recovery process has successfully completed:

a. Remove the ROMPaq diskette from the drive and power down the server.

b. Return configuration switches 1, 4, 5, and 6 to their original positions.

c. Reassemble the server chassis.

d. Power up the server as usual.

15. If the Disaster Recovery procedure can not be completed and before dispatching the System or Peripheral Board depending on the server, components like the first bank of memory, the processors and associated hardware such as PPMs, Processor Power Modules, and Terminator Boards, and the power supplies should be eliminated as much as possible to causing or masking the problem. Remember to remove unnecessary and redundant hardware from the server that is not required to complete POST. Some of these components include multiple banks of memory, multiple processors, any PCI device, and redundant power supplies and PPMs. These extra components become available as on-site spares.

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Switch Settings

The following table provides a summary of the locations of the Switch Packs on older models of ProLiant ML and DL servers and what switches need to be set to the ON position in order to invoke the System ROMpaq Disaster Recovery Procedure. The above ROM upgrade information about this procedure is found in the " Using Compaq ROM Flash Technologies to Upgrade System and Array Controller ROM Firmware User Guide - 216315-007” . The original System ROMpaq Disaster Recovery Procedure was written for the ProLiant 8000 and ProLiant 8500 model servers. The BL, ML and DL series servers that have been announced since then also support the ROMpaq Disaster Recover procedure. Some of these servers require only a single switch to be set to the ON position. Later models with redundant ROMs do not require any system board switch settings.

|Server Model |

|ProLiant ML110 |

|ProLiant DL320 |

After power up, the BootBlock determines whether the switches on the Configuration Switch Pack are correctly set. Once the BootBlock reads the correct switches are configured, it will generate two long beeps indicating the procedure has been invoked. The second step occurs when the system verifies that a valid System ROMPaq diskette has been inserted and if so will begin flashing the System ROM. Note that the BootBlock is never modified by the System ROMPaq or ROMpaq Disaster Recovery procedure. It should not need to be modified in the Field.

|IMPORTANT: Some Servers Don't Have Protected Boot Blocks Certain models of servers (for example, the ML 330 and ML 350) do|

|not have protected boot blocks. If the boot block becomes corrupted, then it is possible that the  procedure will not |

|recover the server from a catastrophic event. Therefore, the physical ROM part(s) would need to be replaced. |

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