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ATCA-7350 Control via IPMI Programmer’s Reference (6806800H29E)
Introduction HPM.1 Specific Firmware Upgrades
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1.2.1.1 IPMC Firmware Upgrade
The IPMC firmware basically consists of five major parts:
z Boot loader
z Active and Backup IPMI firmware
z Active and Backup SDR data
The boot loader maintains redundant copies of the firmware in the flash memory of the ATCA-
7350. Each time the IPMC firmware is upgraded, the most recent firmware version is kept in
flash memory and the older firmware version is overwritten by the new one. Once the new IPMI
firmware is programmed, the IPMC resets itself to boot from the new image. The boot loader
validates the new IPMC firmware. Provided the IPMC can power up successfully the current
image is made active and the previously active image is made backup. In case of power-up
failures, the boot loader automatically recovers from crisis and boots from the previous image.
The IPMC can be upgraded via KCS and IPMB interface. To ensure that the payload is not
interrupted during IPMC firmware upgrade, the IPMC is storing all operational information (E-
keying, SOL parameters, hot-swap state, last events to be queued, graceful shutdown timeout,
latest pin settings…) in non-volatile storage.
The IPMC firmware is fully HPM.1 compliant. Thus in general also open source tools like
ipmitool can be used for IPMC firmware upgrade. However, we recommend to use the firmware
upgrade tools provided by Emerson (fcu, fuf, or ipmi_upd.sh). To obtain these tools contact your
local sales representative.
The SDR data is hold as a separate component which can be upgraded separately. The IPMC
holds an active and a backup component.
1.2.1.2 BIOS Upgrade
BIOS can either be upgraded via flash based tools provided from Emerson, or via IPMI with the
use of HPM.1 specific protocols. The BIOS firmware is fully implemented as HPM.1 specific
components with an active and an backup image. BIOS upgrade via IPMI is intended to be used
for crisis recovery only. This is because it is much more time consuming than using flash based
routines. Be aware that even when no BIOS boot bank is programmed at all (no boot loader)
crisis recovery via IPMI is always possible.
1.2.1.3 FPGA Upgrade
The FPGA can be upgraded via IPMI also. The IPMC controls an active component and a
backup component for crisis recovery.