Document fins/I0909-1
FIN #: I0909-1
SYNOPSIS: Minimum firmware and kernel patch revisions required for Sun Fire
3800/4800/4810/6800 support
DATE: Dec/10/02
KEYWORDS: Minimum firmware and kernel patch revisions required for Sun Fire
3800/4800/4810/6800 support
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- Sun Proprietary/Confidential: Internal Use Only -
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FIELD INFORMATION NOTICE
(For Authorized Distribution by SunService)
SYNOPSIS: Minimum firmware and kernel patch revisions required for
Sun Fire 3800/4800/4810/6800 support.
SunAlert: Yes
TOP FIN/FCO REPORT: Yes
PRODUCT_REFERENCE: Sun Fire 3800/4800/4810/6800
PRODUCT CATEGORY: Server / SW Admin
PRODUCTS AFFECTED:
Systems Affected:
-----------------
Mkt_ID Platform Model Description Serial Number
------ -------- ----- ----------- -------------
- S8 ALL Sun Fire 3800 -
- S12 ALL Sun Fire 4800 -
- S12i ALL Sun Fire 4810 -
- S24 ALL Sun Fire 6800 -
X-Options Affected:
-------------------
Mkt_ID Platform Model Description Serial
Number
------ -------- ----- -----------
-------------
XCPUBD-4049 - - 4x 900MHz 4 GB Memory 16 x 256MB DIMMs -
XCPUBD-F4089 - - 4x 900MHz 8 GB Memory 32 x 256MB DIMMs -
XCPUBD-F4169 - - 4x 900MHz 16 GB Memory 32 x 512MB DIMMs -
XCPUBD-F4329 - - 4x 900MHz 32 GB Memory 32 x 1GB DIMMs -
XCPUBD-2029 - - 2x 900MHz 2 GB Memory 8 x 256MB DIMMs -
XCPUBD-2049 - - 2x 900MHz 4 GB Memory 16 x 256MB DIMMs -
XCPUBD-2089 - - 2x 900MHz 8 GB Memory 8 x 1GB DIMMs -
PART NUMBERS AFFECTED:
Part Number Description Model
----------- ----------- -----
- - -
REFERENCES:
FIN: I0815-1
I0850-1
I0856-1
I0859-1
I0887-1
Patch: 
112127: Hardware/PROM: Sun Fire 6800/4810/4800/3800 Systems
flashprom update (5.12.7)
112494: Hardware/PROM: Sun Fire 6800/4810/4800/3800 Systems
Firmware Update (5.13.3)
112494: Hardware/PROM: Sun Fire 6800/4810/4800/3800 Systems
Firmware Update (5.13.4)
112883: Hardware/PROM: Sun Fire 6800/4810/4800/3800 Systems
Firmware Update
108528: SunOS 5.8: kernel update patch
112233: SunOS 5.9: Kernel Patch
113689: SunVTS 5.1 patch
URL:
http://pts-americas.west//esg/msg/techinfo/platform/sun_fire/firmware-matrix
http://sdpsweb.ebay/FIN_FCO/FIN/FINI0909-1_dir/customerlist.sxc
http://sdpsweb.central/FIN_FCO/FIN/FINI0909-1_dir/customerletter.sdw
Sun Alert: 45527
46105
PROBLEM DESCRIPTION:
Product Engineering strongly recommends that minimum levels of firmware
and kernel patches be applied to Sun Fire 3800/4800/4810/6800
platforms. This FIN will describe the minimum levels of support and
will request proactive system upgrades to attain those levels. These
upgrades will increase system performance through reduced downtime and
improve identification of hardware or software faults through improved
diagnostic capabilities.
Firmware Support
----------------
At the present time, the minimum recommended firmware versions for Sun
Fire 3800/4800/4810/6800 support is 5.13.4 or 5.14.0. For customers
using 5.12.5 or 5.12.6 who are unable to upgrade to the above firmware
versions due to customer concerns regarding significant version changes
while in a production environment, 5.12.7 is available.
The 5.12.7/5.13.4/5.14.0 firmware versions contain 2 key software solutions
required for proper field support.
1. Correction of the core CPU voltage settings.
Earlier firmware version (5.12.5 / 5.12.6 / 5.13.0 / 5.13.1) have
core CPU voltage settings that are below the recommended
specifications for the UltraSPARC III Cu on a Sun Fire
3800/4800/4810/6800 servers. The correct CPU voltage settings are
available in 5.12.7 and 5.13.2 and later firmware. CPU board
fallout for voltage related issues was eliminated in Operations
testing with 5.13.2 firmware implementation (bug ID: 4702637).
All server shipments from August 6, 2002 will have 5.13.2 (or
greater) firmware versions installed. 5.13.3 and 5.13.4 have
important bug fixes where 5.13.4 is the recommended upgrade path
over 5.13.2. The bugs addressed in 5.13.3 include temporary false
over-temperature error messages (bug ID: 4511960) and temporary
false over-voltage error messages (bug ID: 4729601) that result
from increased I2C bus activity with dynamic FRU-ID implementation.
As a result, only 5.13.4 will be recommended below if the customer
does not upgrade to 5.14.0.
2. JTAG Support for the latest release of the UltraSPARC® III Cu.
A new version of the UltraSPARC III Cu (900 MHz CPU Mask 2.3) has
released. All system boards that use this new CPU version require
System Controller firmware which recognizes the JTAG IDs of this new
CPU version. These boards include X-Options, FRUs, and CPU boards
shipped with the server.
Firmware versions 5.12.7 or 5.13.2 (and higher), which incorporate
support for this latest CPU version are required for recognition of
the JTAG ID of this latest CPU version.
Firmware Support Table:
------------------------------------------------
| 900 MHz Mask 2.2 | 900 MHz Mask 2.3 | 1050 MHz |
|==================+==================+==========|
Required | 5.12.5 or 5.12.6 | 5.12.7 or 5.13.2 | 5.13.2 |
------------------------------------------------
CPU Version Identification:
The UltraSPARC® III Cu CPU mask version is required to identify the
two versions of UltraSPARC® III Cu processor on X-Options, FRUs, or servers.
CPU Mask version 2.2 correlates to the previous release, UltraSPARC® III Cu
CPU Mask version 2.3 correlates to the current release, UltraSPARC® III Cu
Use the "showb -v" command to display CPU mask version. CPU speed
will also
be displayed.
-----------------------------------------------------------
| Component | CPU Mask | Description |
|===========+==========+====================================|
| SB0/P0 | 2.2 | UltraSPARC-III+, 900MHz, 8M ECache |
| SB0/P1 | 2.2 | UltraSPARC-III+, 900MHz, 8M ECache |
| SB0/P2 | 2.2 | UltraSPARC-III+, 900MHz, 8M ECache |
| SB0/P3 | 2.2 | UltraSPARC-III+, 900MHz, 8M ECache |
| SB2/P0 | 2.3 | UltraSPARC-III+, 900MHz, 8M ECache |
| SB2/P1 | 2.3 | UltraSPARC-III+, 900MHz, 8M ECache |
| SB2/P2 | 2.3 | UltraSPARC-III+, 900MHz, 8M ECache |
| SB2/P3 | 2.3 | UltraSPARC-III+, 900MHz, 8M ECache |
----------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: If a new 900 MHz CPU board is inserted into a Sun Fire
3800/4800/4810/6800 servers and the CPUs are not registered as
above, check the System Controller's firmware version. A
customer with 5.12.6 (or lower) firmware will not see the
above output for the latest version of the CPU. The 4 CPUs
(CPU Mask 2.3) will not be registered. An UltraSPARC III Cu
CPU with mask version 2.1 also exists.
3. Additional bug solutions for 5.13.4 and 5.14.1 Firmware:
Bug ID: 4728549, Starcat failure to boot: "Memory Address not
Aligned"
Bug ID: 4656908, System controller - The framemanager losses connection
intermittently
Bug ID: 4757134, New FDK power supplies and current generation of Tyco
power supplies with Microcode 0x25 fail to power on after hotplug.
The power supply hotplug failure rate is ~10%.
Kernel Patch and Sun VTS Support
--------------------------------
At the present time, 108528 (KU-17) with 5.1 VTS patches is the
minimum kernel update recommended for Sun Fire 3800/4800/4810/6800
servers support. As with the firmware described above, it is
recommended to upgrade to KU-17 or higher "at the earliest
opportunity."
Solutions found in KU-17 that are specific to the UltraSPARC® III and
UltraSPARC® III Cu include:
1. 4466085 (Fast ECC Error at TL>0) functions properly for all US-III /
US-III+ based platforms. KU-16 provides proper recovery for Fast ECC
and parity errors when TL>0.
2. 4686943 Data Corruption bug for Cheetah and Cheetah+ processors.
Serengeti escalation: 540510
3. Error message terminology is standardized across all platforms. By
default, all error messages are logged to /var/adm/messages. Only
uncorrectable error messages or other critical messages are logged
to the console.
4. Correctable memory errors are tracked in order to identify which memory
DIMMs may be failing. At the time of a DIMM failure, an error message
is logged to both the /var/adm/messages and the console.
5. SunVTS 5.1 is the recommended as the minimum SunVTS version for the
Serengeti platform for the following test areas:
. Support for both Solaris 9 and Solaris 8 update 7
. Memory diagnostics - enhanced pmem and vmem tests
. CPU diagnostics - CPU stress (Linpack), enhanced FPU & cache
testing
Special Considerations
----------------------
Customers who have standardized firmware versions 5.12.5 or 5.12.6 for
UltraSPARC® III Cu support will be required to upgrade to firmware 5.12.7
or 5.13.4 (or higher). Particular impact may be seen with the installation
of X-Options or FRUs with the latest 900 MHz CPU version, without 5.12.7 or
5.13.4, as these X-Options or FRUs will not be recognized by the System
Controller.
IMPLEMENTATION:
---
| X | MANDATORY (Fully Proactive)
---
---
| | CONTROLLED PROACTIVE (per Sun Geo Plan)
---
---
| | REACTIVE (As Required)
---
CORRECTIVE ACTION:
The following recommendation is provided as a guideline for authorized
Sun Services Field Representatives who may encounter the above
mentioned problem.
Upgrade Sun Fire 3800/4800/4810/6800 systems with the following patches
at the earliest opportunity.
1. Firmware:
112127 Hardware/PROM: Sun Fire 6800/4810/4800/3800 Systems
flashprom update (5.12.7)
OR
112494 Hardware/PROM: Sun Fire 6800/4810/4800/3800 Systems
Firmware Update (5.13.4)
OR
112883 Hardware/PROM: Sun Fire 6800/4810/4800/3800 Systems
Firmware Update (5.14.0)
2. Kernel Patch:
108528 SunOS 5.8: kernel update patch
OR
112233 SunOS 5.9: Kernel Patch
3. SunVTS Support:
113689 SunVTS 5.1 patch
NOTE: SunVTS 5.1 is supported on Solaris 9 and Solaris 8 2/02 and later.
Use the following customer list as help in identifying customer systems:
http://sdpsweb.central/FIN_FCO/FIN/FINI0909-1_dir/customerlist.sxc
NOTE: Save the StarOffice file to local disk using File -> Save As
-> Text
from the Netscape browser menu. Open the local spreadsheet file using
StarOffice.
Also, please use this Customer Letter, required with all Mandatory FIN
implementations, to communicate this issue to your customers.
http://sdpsweb.central/FIN_FCO/FIN/FINI0909-1_dir/customerletter.sdw
Please reference the Sun Fire 3800/4800/4810/6800 Firmware Update Matrix
for details on the latest firmware versions for this product line:
http://pts-americas.west//esg/msg/techinfo/platform/sun_fire/firmware-matrix/
COMMENTS:
None
============================================================================
Implementation Footnote:
i) In case of MANDATORY FINs, Sun Services will attempt to contact
all affected customers to recommend implementation of the FIN.
ii) For CONTROLLED PROACTIVE FINs, Sun Services mission critical
support teams will recommend implementation of the FIN (to their
respective accounts), at the convenience of the customer.
iii) For REACTIVE FINs, Sun Services will implement the FIN as the
need arises.
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-----------------------
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----------------
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General:
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