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    AST RESEARCH, INC.          TECHNICAL BULLETIN # 1468              3-20-96

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           Servers and Quantum 1080S Firmware v1240 Update Procedure Problem

    PROBLEM

    Quantum 1080s hard drives may intermittently fail to spin-up during a cold
    boot on AST servers.

    CAUSE

    Unspecified inconsistencies in the Startup Algorithm of the Quantum 1080s
    Drive.

    SOLUTION

    Upgrade the firmware of Quantum 1080s hard drives to v.1240 or higher.

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

    By implementing an alternative start up algorithm, the occasional incidents of
    the motor not spinning is corrected.   A speed check verification at 156, 700,
    and 2000 rpm is also added to ensure that the motor is spinning up
    appropriately.   In the case of a failure , up to a maximum of 4 retries are
    attempted with a wait period of 7 seconds between retries.

    SYSTEMS AFFECTED

    Any AST servers using the QUANTUM 1080s fixed disk drives with firmware below
    revision 1240.

    PARTS AFFECTED

    230135-132  Quantum 1080s hard drives with firmware revision 1240 or lower

    PARTS REQUIRED

    1.  SCSIFL2.EXE  Quantum 1080s Firmware Update Utility (available for download
        from AST's BBS (817) 230-6850 (USA)  and other On-Line! forums).

    2.  One of the following SCSI Adapters:

    	DPT PM3224
    	DPT PM2022
    	DPT PM2012
    	Adaptecs 154x
    	NCR 53C810 (as used in the Manhattan P, V, & G or Premmia GX.

    (If none of the above controllers are available, AST can provide a "loner"
    DPT PM2022.  The AST P/N is 501294-001.

    PREREQUISITES

    Download the self-extracting file SCSIFL2.EXE from AST's BBS
    (817) 230-6850 (USA).  AST's BBS supports modem speeds up to 28.8k bps.
    The above file will also be posted on:

    CompuServe
    Go ASTSUPPORT

    AST Worldwide Web Site
    http://www.ast.com

    For AST's world wide BBS numbers, see Technical Bulletin # 1500
    (1500TB.TXT) on AST's BBS and other On-Line! forums.

    AST HIGHLY RECOMMENDS THAT ALL DATA BE BACKED UP
    BEFORE PERFORMING THIS FIRMWARE UPDATE.

    If performed correctly, the firmware update should not disturb any data on the
    drives.

    CAUTION

    An ESD Ground Strap should be used whenever handling hard drives or
    circuit boards.

    PROCEDURE

    The following procedure is an example on how to perform the upgrade on a
    Manhattan SMP system using the DPT PM2022 controller.

    (NOTE: This procedure may vary slightly depending upon the SCSI
    Controller and type of system used.)

    Install the DPT PM2022 SCSI Controller.

    1.  Power down the system.  Open the front and side doors.
    2.  Locate an unpopulated EISA Bus Master Expansion Slot
         (Slots 1,2,3,4,6,8 on the Manhattan SMP are Bus Master Slots).
         Remove the Expansion Slot Bracket and install the DPT PM2022
         EISA SCSI Controller in the slot.  Close the front and side panels.

    Configure the DPT and Disable the Mylex Controller.

    3.  Insert the "EISA System Configuration" disk in drive A and turn the
         computer ON.
         a. When the "Welcome" screen appears, press  until
    	the "Main Menu" screen comes up.
         b. Select "Configure Computer" using the , and press
    	.
         c. The screen may prompt for a !DPTA410.CFG file.  If this is the case,
    	remove the "EISA System Configuration" disk and insert the "Quantum
    	1080s Firmware Update" disk and press .
         d. When asked to reinstall the "EISA System Configuration" disk, press
    	.
         e. When the next menu appears, select "Step 3:  View or Edit Details" and
    	press .
         f. Scroll through the items until you find the "Mylex DAC960's BIOS 16K
    	Base Address" field and press .

    (Note the current setting of this field.  You will need to restore this setting
    later).

         g. Select "DISABLE" and press .
         h. Press  to return to the "Configuration Menu".
         i. Select the "Save Configuration and Exit" option and press
    	three times.  Once the system reboots, turn the power OFF.

    Connect the Quantum 1080s drives to the DPT Controller.

    4.  With the Power OFF, open the front and side doors.  Connect one end of
        the provided SCSI ribbon cable to the  DPT Controller.  (NOTE: The red
        stripe on the ribbon cable must be orientated to pin 1 of the DPT
        controller).

    5.  Locate a Channel that contains Quantum 1080s Drives to be updated.
         a. Disconnect the ribbon cable to that Channel from the SCSI Backplane
    	attaching to the Mylex DAC960 Controller.
         b. Connect the DPT Controller to the SCSI Backplane.
    	(Note: The red stripe on the ribbon cable must be facing the Power
    	Connector on the SCSI Backplane).

    Perform the firmware update.

    6. Insert the "Quantum 1080s Firmware Update" disk in drive A and turn the
       computer ON.  After the Memory tests, the DPT Controller will display
       important BIOS information containing the BIOS revision and firmware
       revision.  For example,

    	    AST SCSI BIOS   Rel 2.B

    	    Controller:   PM2022A/9X  v05B.0

       where 2.B is the BIOS version and 05B.0 is the firmware version.

    7.  After booting from the "Quantum 1080s Firmware Update" disk, select the
        appropriate device driver for the DPT's BIOS and firmware versions.
        Select the one that matches the controller in your system.
        (WARNING: Do not attempt to update the drives with the improper device
        driver loaded.  This will permanently destroy the drive's BIOS.)
        If the system BIOS and firmware version are not supported on the menu,
        contact AST's Technical Support at (800) 727-1278 for assistance with this
        Technical Bulletin.

    8.  The Firmware Update Utility will search the SCSI Bus for Quantum 1080s
        drives.
        a. When prompted to download the firmware to the first 1080s with
           the lowest SCSI ID, choose "Yes" once.
        b. The next prompt will ask if you want to update the next 1080s (if one
           exists).  Choose "No".
           (NOTE: The system will hang when attempting to update more than one
           drive at a time.)
        c. Choose "No" to any other drives that are attached.

    The Update Utility will then download the firmware and verify that the
    download was successful.  This will take approximately 30 seconds.
    If successful, the utility will exit to DOS.

    9.  If there are more Quantum 1080s to update, type: "QF" at the prompt.
         This will restart the update utility.  This time choose "No" to the first
         drive, "Yes" to the second drive, and "No" to all others.  Repeat this
         process until all 1080s drives on this channel are updated.  Turn the
         power OFF.

    10. Disconnect the ribbon cable from the SCSI Backplane and reconnect the
        DAC960 cable.  If there are more Quantum 1080s drive to update on
        different Channels, return to Steps 5 through 10 until all Quantum 1080s
        are updated.

    Remove the DPT controller.

    11. With the power OFF, open the front and side doors.
        a. Remove the DPT Controller and re-install the Expansion Slot Bracket.
        b. Close the front and side doors.

    Enable the DAC960 BIOS.

    12. Insert the "EISA System Configuration" disk in drive A and turn the
        computer ON.
        a. At the "Welcome" screen, press  until the "Main Menu" screen
           comes up.
        b. Select "Configure Computer" and press .
        c. When the next Menu appears, select "Step 3: View or Edit Details" and
           press .
        d. Scroll through the items until the "Mylex DAC960's BIOS 16K Base
           Address" field comes up and press .
        e. Restore this field to the original base address before the modification
           and press .
        f. Press  to return to the "Configuration Menu".
        g. Select the "Save Configuration and Exit" option and press
           three times.
        h. Once the system Reboots, power down the system.

    Verify all drives are On-line and operating normally.

    13. Insert the "Mylex DAC960 Utilities" disk in drive A and turn the
        computer ON.
        a. Once the system "boots", the "Disk Array Configuration" menu
           appears.  If it does not, type MOUSE and press .
        b. Change to the A:\DACCFG directory, type DAC960CF and press
           .
        c. Select "View / Update Configuration" with the mouse.  All the drives
           should be On-line.
        d. If all the drives are On-line and operating normally, "Quit" this
           utility and restart the system.
        e. If any drives are not On-line, refer to the "AST Disk Array User's
           Manual" to restart the drives before continuing.

    14. Restart the computer and load the Operating System.

    This concludes the Quantum 1080s Firmware Upgrade Procedure.