Appendix D: Using the AFU for DOS ● 71
Introduction
The AFU is a DOS utility used to update, save, or verify the HostRAID controller’s firmware
BIOS.
The AFU is easy to use and contains safeguards to prevent you from accidentally damaging the
HostRAID controller’s flash contents. Still, you must be careful to use the AFU correctly,
otherwise, you could render the HostRAID controller inoperable.
The AFU is used to:
● Update—Updates all the flash components on a HostRAID controller with the flash image
data from a User Flash Image (UFI) file.
The AFU updates the HostRAID controller’s flash by reading UFI files and writing them to
the controller’s flash components.
Note:
The UFI includes the HostRAID controller’s type, thereby ensuring that the AFU
uses the correct file.
● Save—Updates and verifies the BIOS image of the controller.
● Ve r i f y —Reads the contents of a HostRAID controller’s flash components and compares it
to the contents of the specified UFI file.
● Ve r s i o n —Displays version information about a HostRAID controller’s flash components.
● List—Lists all supported HostRAID controllers detected in your system.
System Requirements
The requirements for AFU are as follows:
● MS–DOS version 5.0 or later. It cannot run from a DOS command prompt window under
any version of Windows.
Note:
You cannot create a bootable floppy using Windows 2000.
● At least 8 MB of extended memory.
Compatibility
The AFU has the following compatibility issues:
● Supports HIMEM.SYS and is compatible with other DOS drivers running under
HIMEM.SYS (for example, SMARTDRV.SYS and SETVER.SYS).
● Does not support DOS extenders installed in memory, such as EMM386.SYS and
DOS4GW.
Running the AFU from the GUI
The easy way to run the AFU is to use its GUI. If you prefer to run the AFU from the command
line, see Running the AFU from the Command Line on page 72.