============================================================================= FirePort Series Flash BIOS README ============================================================================= 06/24/98 - Version 4.09.05.00m-BETA Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. ***************************************************************************** BETA FIRMWARE DISCLAIMER Use of this product is at your own risk. This firmware is provided "AS IS," and Diamond cautions users to determine for themselves the suitability of the pre-release version of this firmware. Diamond makes no warranty or representation whatsoever of merchantability or fitness of the product for any particular purpose or use. In no event shall Diamond be liable for any consequential, incidental or special damages arising out of the use of or inability to use this firmware, even if the user has advised Diamond of the possibility of such damages. If you do not feel comfortable using beta firmware, do not use this product. If you have problems with this firmware, please email: fireport@diamondmm.com. Diamond technical support does NOT provide telephone support for Beta versions of product. DO NOT CALL DIAMOND telephone support regarding this release. You should use the email address provided above or the information provided on Diamond's web site. ***************************************************************************** ------------------------------------------------- A. Upgrading the FLASH BIOS on the FirePort card: Instructions for using FLASHDMD.EXE to upgrade the FLASH BIOS for the Diamond Multimedia FirePort PCI SCSI Host Bus Adapter Cards. ********************* IMPORTANT ************************* This Flash utility is meant to be used ONLY with the Diamond FirePort product. ************************************************************ Directions: 1 After acquiring the FIREPORT.ROM and FLASHDMD.EXE files (from the Diamond web site or from the FirePort installation diskette), create a bootable DOS diskette. You must use DOS 5.0 or higher. Copy FIREPORT.ROM and FLASHDMD.EXE to the bootable DOS diskette. **see below 2 Insert the diskette into drive A:. Boot the system to the DOS prompt A:\>. 3 Type FLASHDMD and press Enter. 4 The first screen displayed indicates what files are necessary to upgrade and general instructions to upgrade. Press Enter to continue. 5 The Main window has 6 command lines. First do View Board Summary(3). Make certain that the utility identifies your SCSI controller. 6 Backup(2) the old version of the BIOS to the diskette. Give the file a unique name with a .CSB, .ROM, or .BIN extension. 7 Update(1) current SCSI BIOS. Press the SPACEBAR to select the adapter that you would like to upgrade. Press Enter to continue. Enter the file name of the BIOS to upgrade or press F2 to view the available files. There should be 2 files available: the BIOS file that was just backed up, and FIREPORT.ROM. If the BIOS image is on a different diskette, insert the diskette containing that version. 8 Highlight the file FIREPORT.ROM for the Diamond FirePort Host Adapter and press Enter. It will then display the file name and notify you that the file has been successfully read. Press Enter again. The system will prompt you whether or not to overwrite the BIOS that is currently flashed. Select "Y" to upgrade. The system will then display the card information and verify that the new BIOS is installed. Press any key. Reboot(5). 9 Verify the new BIOS has been installed by viewing the 3rd line of the SDMS banner (which should read PCI-4.xx.xx.xxx) when displayed. ** A bootable DOS diskette can be created by formatting it with the /s option (e.g., format a: /s). Do not install any memory managers or SCSI drivers on the diskette. A minimum of 200K of conventional memory is needed to execute the flash utility. Add the DOS mouse driver to AUTOEXEC.BAT for mouse control of the flash utility. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Features Added and Problems Addressed ----------------- 1. BIOS (FIREPORT.ROM) 4.09.05.00m-BETA: - Added support for Removable Media drives as boot devices. - Added Low level format option for INT13 drives. - Bootable CD-ROM support can now be enabled or disabled. - Added Bootable CD-ROM support for WORM drives. - Now supports up to 32 adapters. - Enhanced HELP support - Fixed system lockup problems when booting from CD-ROM - Fixed a problem with Intel 440LX motherboard when installing Windows NT 4.0 from CD-ROM where an blue screen error message regarding your video not being displayed properly was given. - Fixed a memory placement problem due to BIOS conflicts between the FirePort and the recent Compaq Systems BIOS (11/19/97). 2. Updated FLASHDMD.EXE: - Updated support for new flash roms. - Fixed a problem where the size of the current ROM file was displayed incorrectly when backing up the current flash ROM. C. Known Limitations -------------------- 1. Many removable drive vendors recommend against the use of Low-level Format or the FDISK command on a removable or optical drive. Please consult the documentation for such devices prior to doing this. 2. If your system BIOS supports BBS (BIOS Boot Specification), and there are 8 or more INT13 devices attached (including IDE and SCSI), then the system may lock after the device scan. This was found with Phoenix BIOS. In most cases, this is corrected with the latest version of your system BIOS. 3. Iomega ZIP Plus: Unexplained behavior when this device is attached to the FirePort (lockups going into Windows, blank screen, etc.) This problem has been determined to be a termination issue with the on-device termination of the Iomega ZIP Plus drive. This has been discovered with different models/brands of SCSI Host Adapters and Iomega is aware of the issue. The solution is to lower the bus speed of the SCSI Controller or add an additional device (with termination) to the ZIP Plus so the on-device termination will be disabled. See: "http://www.iomega.com/company/news/zplusbul.html" 4. Systems with an AMI BIOS: Lock up at "setup is now inspecting your hardware..." with a bootable CDROM (El Torito) in the drive. We recommend upgrading to the latest system BIOS for your motherboard. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Contacting DIAMOND ------------------ Diamond can be reached through a number of ways: Diamond - USA Postal Service: Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. Headquarters 2880 Junction Avenue San Jose, CA 95134 USA Technical Support 7101 Supra Drive SW Albany, OR 97321 USA Telephone: (541) 967-2450 Fax: (541) 967-2401 BBS: (541) 967-2444 Email: techsupt@diamondmm.com Web site: www.diamondmm.com Germany Moosstrasse 18B D-82319 Starnberg, Germany Tech Support Telephone: +49 8151 266 330 Tech Support Fax: +49 8151 266 331 Fax On Demand: +49 8151 266 332 Mailbox: +49 8151 266 333 (Modem, up to 33,6 kbps) Mailbox: +49 8151 266 356 (Modem, k56flex / 56 Kbps) Mailbox: +49 8151 266 334 (ISDN, x.75) Office, Main Number: +49 8151 266 0 web site: www.diamondmm.de United Kingdom Diamond Multimedia Systems, Ltd. 610 Wharfedale Rd. Winnersh Triangle Wokingham, Berkshire, RG41 5TY England Tech Support Telephone: +44-1189-44 4444 Tech Support Fax: +44-1189-44 4445 Mailbox: +44-1189-44 4415 (Modem, up to 33.6 Kbps) Mailbox: +44-1189-44 1312 (Modem, k56flex / 56 Kbps) Office, Main Number: +44-1189-44 4400 web site: www.diamondmm.de Japan Diamond Multimedia Systems Maruchu-Nihonbashi Bldg 4F 10-14 Nihonbashi-Tomizawacho Chuo-Ku, Tokyo 103 Japan Tech Support Telephone: +81-466-28-5092 Main Fax: +81-3-5695-8403 Office, Main Number: +81-3-5695-8401 web site: www.diamondmm.co.jp France Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. 6 Boulevard General LeClerc - 15th Floor 92110 Clichy France Tech Support Telephone: +44-1189-44 44 33 Tech Support Fax: +44-1189-44 44 45 Mailbox: +44-1189-44 4415 (Modem, up to 33.6 Kbps) Mailbox: +44-1189-44 1312 (Modem, k56flex / 56 Kbps) Office, Main Number: +33-1-47 56 11 57 Office, Main Fax: +33-1-47 56 11 39 web site: www.diamondmm.de Singapore 51 Goldhill Plaza #16-06 Podium Block, Singapore 308900 Tel: +65-3539511 Fax: +65-3539510 Korea 27th Floor, Korea World Trade Center 159 Samsung-Dong Kangnam-Ku Seoul, Korea 135-729 Telephone: +82-2-551-2743/2747 Fax: +82-2-551-2744/2720 Hong Kong Suite 1111 , Tower II , Silvercord 30 Canton Road , T.S.T. Kowloon, Hong Kong Telephone: +852-23759023 Fax: +852-23759021 All product names listed are trademarks or copyrights of their respective owners. ======================================================================= Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. (c) 1993-98, All Rights Reserved =======================================================================