Firmware Update Release Notes

This document includes instructions for reprogramming the firmware in the flash memory on the board.

It also provides information on how to identify which type of board you have and therefore which firmware image file to use.

Do I need to upgrade?

If you wish to use software release 2.24 or later, then you may need to upgrade your firmware to the latest version. This depends on the operating systems you are using, the revision of board you have, and the version of the firmware currently installed.

Note: all boards manufactured since February 2007 will have the firmware version 0x3f020000 installed and do not need to be upgraded at the present time.

If you are using Microsoft Windows then you must upgrade the firmware to the latest version.

If you are using Linux, the following table shows those firmware versions that will work with the 2.24 release.

Board type	Compatible firmware versions
Advance X620 (serial numbers CLSJ06xxxxxx or CLSJ07xxxxxx)	0x3f017000, 0x3f01d000, 0x3f020000
Advance Board (serial numbers CLSJ05xxxxxx)	0x1f00c000, 0x1f00f000, 0x1f010000

See below for more information on identifying the type of board and obtaining the firmware version number.

It is recommended that all users upgrade the firmware to the latest version.

You should do the firmware upgrade before installing the 2.24 software release. To do the upgrade you will need an earlier version of the runtime and board diagnostics from the Base Package installed on the system.

How to identify your board type

The correct firmware image must be used depending on the type and revision of the Advance board. The following notes describe how to identify the type and revision of board you have.

There are two main versions of the PCI-X Advance board: a half-length board which is 8" (20 cm) long and the full-length board, approximately 12" (31 cm) long. There have been a number of revisions of the full length board and only one version of the half-length board.

These various versions of the board can be distinguished by their serial numbers.

Finding the serial number

The serial numbers on Advance boards have the prefix CLSJ followed by a series of digits.

The serial number is on a label on the back of the board and can also be retrieved by software. To obtain the serial number of a board in a system, use the csreset command with the 'verbose' option. For example:

csreset -A -v

This will print out a large amount of information including a line of the form:

Board serial number: CLSJ06040973

There will also be two lines indicating the FPGA (firmware) version number and date stamp. If these do not match the versions in the table below, you should consider upgrading the firmware. Occasionally, firmware upgrades may be required to make use of the latest software release.

Advance X620

The Advance X620 boards have serial numbers starting CLSJ06xxxxxx or CLSJ07xxxxxx.

Advance Board

There are a number of revisions of the Advance Board. These can be identified as follows:

Revisions 5 and 6 have serial numbers in the range CLSJ0511xxxx to CLSJ05xxxxxx.
These boards are also distinguished by the light pipes directing the indicator LEDs through holes in the mounting bracket. Revisions prior to 5 do not have light pipes.
Revisions 3 and 4 have serial numbers starting CLSJ051001xx.
Revisions 1 and 2 have serial numbers starting CLSJ0508xxxx or CLSJ051000xx, or numbers prefixed with CAD.

Obtaining the firmware update

Download the appropriate firmware update file from the ClearSpeed customer support web site.

If you are using Linux, you can use the md5sum command to generate the MD5 checksum for the image file. This can be compared with the appropriate value in the table below to ensure the file is undamaged.

Firmware image files for each board type

The table below shows the firmware image file to be used for each board revision. This table also shows the firmware version number that will be reported after the upgrade using the csreset -Av command. If your board reports a version number other than this then it may need to be upgraded to work with the latest software releases.

Advance Board revision	File name	File checksum (from md5sum)	Firmware version	FPGA timestamp
Advance X620	ise_zeno_r1_epall_wp.xsvf	9d786b5a4c715d6298727434a820384d	0x3f020000	2006-12-21
Revision 5 or 6	ise_bryson_r5_epall.xsvf	8000844b9efb959a273d249e1db38ae6	0x1f010000	2007-02-21
Revision 3 or 4	Not yet available. Contact ClearSpeed support for more information.
Revision 1 or 2	ise_bryson_r2.xsvf	4f65e970a353f4734bf71cb0ff710ca4	0x1f010000	2007-02-21

Note that these version numbers are for the board working in PCI-X mode. If the board is detected as PCI then a different firmware version number will be reported. If csreset reports a different version number from that listed above after the upgrade please contact ClearSpeed for support.

Reprogram the firmware

Check the current firmware version number using the csreset -Av command. If this is not the version number listed above, then you will need to upgrade the firmware.

Important Note:

Do not interrupt the process before it has completed.
Do not switch the power off during the process. You may want to consider using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to prevent power cuts causing problems.
If the firmware upgrade fails, try repeating the procedure. This will usually fix the problem.
If the firmware upgrade fails, DO NOT TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER. Removing power after a failed upgrade attempt may leave the Advance board in an unusable state.

Use the xsvfplayer program, supplied as part of the board diagnostics package, to reprogram the firmware. For example:

xsvfplayer filename

When programming, be patient. The programming process may take up to 10 minutes on Linux, and up to 20 minutes for Microsoft Windows.

After the process has completed, you must shut down and remove power to the computer. A reboot is not sufficient. After this, you should run csreset again to check that the correct version number is reported.

Known issues

The ability to switch to a backup image, as described in the Advance Board User Guide, does not currently work.

PCI mode is provided for compatibility / diagnosis purposes only, not for performance. The board is intended for use in PCI-X mode only.