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Flashing the Firmware

Dell™ PowerEdge™ Expandable RAID Controller 3/Di INSTALLATION GUIDE

When upgrading to a new version of the BIOS (for example, as part of an upgrade installation), you need to use the AFU utility to flash the firmware on your controller.

To flash the firmware using the AFU utility:

1. Shut down your system.
   
   
2. Insert the bootable diskette that contains the AFU utility.
   
   
3. Power on the system.
   
   

If the system has not been set up to boot from the diskette, please read your manufacturer's instructions on how to set this up.

Note: The following steps explain how to use the AFU utility from the command line. The AFU utility also supports a graphical interface, which you can access by typing afu with no arguments at the initial DOS command prompt. The graphical interface allows you to Select Controllers and then Update, Save, and Verify the flash image, as well as Display flash information. If you elect to use the AFU graphical interface to flash your firmware, select the controller(s) to be flashed from the Select Controller(s) menu, and then from the Select an Operation menu, Update, Save, and Verify the flash image, following the on-screen instructions.

4. At the DOS prompt, type the following command and press Enter:
   
   

afu list

This command displays a list of the controllers in your system. Take note of the controller(s) you would like to update and its number (or numbers if there are more than one). Verify that the controller you wish to update is identified.

Caution: Each controller has a unique flash image. If you have more than one PERC 2 and PERC 3 family of controllers in your system, make sure that you select the correct controller to flash and that you use the appropriate flash image for that controller. Writing the wrong flash to a controller renders that controller inoperable.

5. If you want to flash the firmware on one controller, go to step a. If you want to flash the firmware on more than one controller, go to step b. If you want to flash the firmware on all controllers, go to step c.
   
   
   1. Flashing the Firmware on a Single Controller
      
      

To flash the firmware on a single controller, type the following at the DOS prompt, replacing CONTROLLER_NUMBER with the number of the controller whose firmware you are flashing.

afu update /c CONTROLLER_NUMBER

To upgrade controller 0, for example, you would type the following:

afu update /c 0

2. Flashing the Firmware on Multiple Controllers
   
   

To flash the firmware on multiple controllers, type the following at the DOS prompt, replacing the comma-separated list of CONTROLLER_NUMBER_n with the numbers of the controllers whose firmware you are updating:

afu update /c CONTROLLER_NUMBER_1,CONTROLLER_NUMBER_2

To upgrade controllers 0, 2, and 3 for example, you would type the following:

afu update /c 0, 2, 3

3. Flashing the Firmware on All Controllers
   
   

To flash the firmware on all controllers, type the following at the DOS prompt:

afu update /c all

6. The firmware image is contained on two diskettes.
   
   

The AFU prompts you to put in the first firmware diskette. When it detects that the diskette is in the drive, the AFU will read the part of the firmware image contained on the first diskette.

7. The AFU then tells you to remove the first firmware diskette and insert the second firmware diskette.
   
   

The AFU will read the second part of the flash image, and then perform a checksum operation to verify that all the data was read correctly.

8. After the AFU reads the new BIOS from both installation disks, it shuts down the controller and updates the firmware. A verification of the operation follows. The results of each operation are displayed on the screen as it happens.
   
   
9. After the firmware installation completes, the AFU exits. After the AFU exits, remove the firmware diskette and insert the bootable diskette that contains the AFU utility.
   
   
10. Type the following command, replacing CONTROLLER_NUMBER(S) with either the controller number or a comma-separated list of controller numbers:
    
    

afu version /c CONTROLLER_NUMBER(S)

If you updated the firmware on controllers 0, 2, and 3, for example, you would type the following:

afu version /c 0, 2, 3

11. The AFU displays the version information for the selected controllers. Verify that the version displayed is correct.
    
    
12. Remove the diskette from the diskette drive and reboot the system.
    
    

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