IBM RS6000 Service Guide - Page 311

Service Processor Firmware Updates The Service Processor EPROM may need to be updated for two different reasons: 1. The UPDATE (composite) portion of the EPROM has become corrupted. 2. The Service Processor firmware upgrades, without any corruption present. The use of a Flash EPROM allows updates to occur without physically replacing the memory. The firmware in your server can be updated using one of four available initiation processes: 1. Service Processor initiation 2. SMS Utilities initiation 3. Service Aids initiation 4. AIX initiation. Each initiation method is described below. In each case, the process prompts you for your authority and shows the contents of the update media. Verify the file with which to perform the update, and follow any other instructions that may appear. After initiation, the processes are identical and automatic. There are two areas in each firmware module that may need updating: 1. The gold code or base code or EPROM area 2. The custom or main program or FLASH area Each update file contains matching gold and custom firmware, so it is not possible to update to a conflicting set. Before the update process begins, the versions of each of the two areas of the target firmware module are compared to the versions on the update diskette. Only the area(s) that need updating are updated. In most cases, only the custom area is updated. An update diskette can be acquired from the RS/6000 Support page on the Internet or from your service team. The Internet address is: http://www.rs6 .ibm.com/support/micro The update files must be downloaded to a DOS-formatted diskette. You should format the diskette just prior to receiving the download, to be sure it is clean. Reformatting is worth the time and effort. Appendix B. Service Processor Menus B-33