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-rw-r--r--Documentation/dell_rbu.txt50
1 files changed, 38 insertions, 12 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/dell_rbu.txt b/Documentation/dell_rbu.txt
index bcfa5c35036b..941343a7a265 100644
--- a/Documentation/dell_rbu.txt
+++ b/Documentation/dell_rbu.txt
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ the BIOS on Dell servers (starting from servers sold since 1999), desktops
13and notebooks (starting from those sold in 2005). 13and notebooks (starting from those sold in 2005).
14Please go to http://support.dell.com register and you can find info on 14Please go to http://support.dell.com register and you can find info on
15OpenManage and Dell Update packages (DUP). 15OpenManage and Dell Update packages (DUP).
16Libsmbios can also be used to update BIOS on Dell systems go to
17http://linux.dell.com/libsmbios/ for details.
16 18
17Dell_RBU driver supports BIOS update using the monilothic image and packetized 19Dell_RBU driver supports BIOS update using the monilothic image and packetized
18image methods. In case of moniolithic the driver allocates a contiguous chunk 20image methods. In case of moniolithic the driver allocates a contiguous chunk
@@ -22,8 +24,8 @@ would place each packet in contiguous physical memory. The driver also
22maintains a link list of packets for reading them back. 24maintains a link list of packets for reading them back.
23If the dell_rbu driver is unloaded all the allocated memory is freed. 25If the dell_rbu driver is unloaded all the allocated memory is freed.
24 26
25The rbu driver needs to have an application which will inform the BIOS to 27The rbu driver needs to have an application (as mentioned above)which will
26enable the update in the next system reboot. 28inform the BIOS to enable the update in the next system reboot.
27 29
28The user should not unload the rbu driver after downloading the BIOS image 30The user should not unload the rbu driver after downloading the BIOS image
29or updating. 31or updating.
@@ -33,6 +35,7 @@ The driver load creates the following directories under the /sys file system.
33/sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/data 35/sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/data
34/sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/image_type 36/sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/image_type
35/sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/data 37/sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/data
38/sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/packet_size
36 39
37The driver supports two types of update mechanism; monolithic and packetized. 40The driver supports two types of update mechanism; monolithic and packetized.
38These update mechanism depends upon the BIOS currently running on the system. 41These update mechanism depends upon the BIOS currently running on the system.
@@ -42,10 +45,30 @@ In case of packet mechanism the single memory can be broken in smaller chuks
42of contiguous memory and the BIOS image is scattered in these packets. 45of contiguous memory and the BIOS image is scattered in these packets.
43 46
44By default the driver uses monolithic memory for the update type. This can be 47By default the driver uses monolithic memory for the update type. This can be
45changed to contiguous during the driver load time by specifying the load 48changed to packets during the driver load time by specifying the load
46parameter image_type=packet. This can also be changed later as below 49parameter image_type=packet. This can also be changed later as below
47echo packet > /sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/image_type 50echo packet > /sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/image_type
48 51
52In packet update mode the packet size has to be given before any packets can
53be downloaded. It is done as below
54echo XXXX > /sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/packet_size
55In the packet update mechanism, the user neesd to create a new file having
56packets of data arranged back to back. It can be done as follows
57The user creates packets header, gets the chunk of the BIOS image and
58placs it next to the packetheader; now, the packetheader + BIOS image chunk
59added to geather should match the specified packet_size. This makes one
60packet, the user needs to create more such packets out of the entire BIOS
61image file and then arrange all these packets back to back in to one single
62file.
63This file is then copied to /sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/data.
64Once this file gets to the driver, the driver extracts packet_size data from
65the file and spreads it accross the physical memory in contiguous packet_sized
66space.
67This method makes sure that all the packets get to the driver in a single operation.
68
69In monolithic update the user simply get the BIOS image (.hdr file) and copies
70to the data file as is without any change to the BIOS image itself.
71
49Do the steps below to download the BIOS image. 72Do the steps below to download the BIOS image.
501) echo 1 > /sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/loading 731) echo 1 > /sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/loading
512) cp bios_image.hdr /sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/data 742) cp bios_image.hdr /sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/data
@@ -53,20 +76,23 @@ Do the steps below to download the BIOS image.
53 76
54The /sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/ entries will remain till the following is 77The /sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/ entries will remain till the following is
55done. 78done.
56echo -1 > /sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/loading 79echo -1 > /sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/loading.
80Until this step is completed the driver cannot be unloaded.
81Also echoing either mono ,packet or init in to image_type will free up the
82memory allocated by the driver.
57 83
58Until this step is completed the drivr cannot be unloaded. 84If an user by accident executes steps 1 and 3 above without executing step 2;
85it will make the /sys/class/firmware/dell_rbu/ entries to disappear.
86The entries can be recreated by doing the following
87echo init > /sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/image_type
88NOTE: echoing init in image_type does not change it original value.
59 89
60Also the driver provides /sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/data readonly file to 90Also the driver provides /sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/data readonly file to
61read back the image downloaded. This is useful in case of packet update 91read back the image downloaded.
62mechanism where the above steps 1,2,3 will repeated for every packet.
63By reading the /sys/devices/platform/dell_rbu/data file all packet data
64downloaded can be verified in a single file.
65The packets are arranged in this file one after the other in a FIFO order.
66 92
67NOTE: 93NOTE:
68This driver requires a patch for firmware_class.c which has the addition 94This driver requires a patch for firmware_class.c which has the modified
69of request_firmware_nowait_nohotplug function to wortk 95request_firmware_nowait function.
70Also after updating the BIOS image an user mdoe application neeeds to execute 96Also after updating the BIOS image an user mdoe application neeeds to execute
71code which message the BIOS update request to the BIOS. So on the next reboot 97code which message the BIOS update request to the BIOS. So on the next reboot
72the BIOS knows about the new image downloaded and it updates it self. 98the BIOS knows about the new image downloaded and it updates it self.