                      QLogic QLx24xx/QLx2x0 BIOS Readme 
                      =================================


1. Contents 
-----------

1. Contents
2. Introduction
3. BIOS Files
4. Updating the BIOS (FLASUTIL)
5. Setting the configuration parameters (Fast!UTIL)
5.1. Configuration Settings
5.1.1. Adapter Settings
5.1.2. Selectable Boot Settings
5.1.3. Restore Default Settings
5.1.4. Raw NVRAM Data 
5.1.5. Advanced Adapter Settings
5.2. Scan Fibre Channel Devices
5.3. Fibre Disk Utility
5.4. Loopback Data test
5.5. Select Host Adapter
5.6. Exit Fast!UTIL
6. Notes
7. Contacting QLogic


2. Introduction
---------------

   Supported Operating Systems
   ---------------------------

     This BIOS supports and can be used with the following operating system: 
	DOS, MS Windows, Novell NetWare, Solaris x86, and Linux.


   Supported computer systems
   --------------------------

     This BIOS supports the following systems: 
	IA32, AMD64, and IEM64T based systems.


   Supported Features
   ------------------

   * Up to 256 LUNs.
   * Point-to-point and loop configuration.
   * Boot capability in FC-AL and fabric topologies.


3. BIOS Files
-------------
  The following files are included for updating the HBA BIOS in an x86 system.

  update.bat		    - DOS batch file that calls the executable files
			      to update the adapter BIOS.
  FLASUTIL.EXE              - Utility to update BIOS, RISC and NVRAM files.
  VPD.exe		    - Utility to update the adapter's Vital Product                                    Data.
  Q24xxyyy.BIN              - Combined binary image that includes BIOS and RISC                                code.
  Read1st.txt		    - BIOS package Readme file (in the root directory).
  BIOS\Readme.txt   	    - This file.
  BIOS\ReleaseNotes.TXT     - BIOS release notes.

Note: 

  1) Required files to update the Host Adapter on an BIOS system.
  2) The Q24xxyyy.bin file is a substitute for the actual name
     contained in this kit. Reference the kit read1st.txt file for the
     actual bin file name.


4. Updating the BIOS (FLASUTIL)
------------------------------- 

   Flashing the BIOS
   -----------------
   For ease of use, this QLogic BIOS package has a DOS batch file for updating 
   the adapter BIOS. To use it, boot to a DOS hard drive, USB drive or to a         Floppy disk and run the update.bat batch file. For example:   

   c:\> update


   The QLogic BIOS package also includes the FlasUtil utility. This provides a      DOS Command Line Interface for updating the adapter BIOS. The details of the     command line options supported by FLASUTIL.EXE are provided below.


   FLASUTIL command line options
   ----------------------------- 

   BOOT CODE IMAGE ONLY 

   /F xxxx  = Write BIOS Flash, Adapter Address = xxxx. If no address specified 
              then write flash to all adapters. If the flash already contains a 
              valid BIOS, the existing NVRAM defaults are preserved. 
   /C xxxx  = Verify Flash of Adapter at Address xxxx.
              If no address specified then verify flash of all adapters.
   /W xxxx  = Copy BIOS Flash of adapter address xxxx to a file.


   FCODE IMAGE ONLY 

   /FF xxxx = Write FCode Flash, Adapter Address = xxxx. 
              If no address specified then write flash to all adapters.
   /CF xxxx = Verify Fcode of Adapter at Address xxxx.
              If no address specified then verify flash of all adapters.


   RISC CODE IMAGE ONLY 
     
   /FR xxxx = Write RISC code to FLash, Adapter Address = xxxx. If no address                  is specified then this will write Risc code to Flash on all                      adapters.
 
   /CR xxxx = Verify RISC code of Adapter at Address xxxx. If no address is                    specified then will verify the RISC code of all adapters.
    
   /WR xxxx = Copy Risc of adapter at address xxxx to a file.
 

   1MB Binary COMPLETE FLASH IMAGE ONLY 

   /FB xxxx = Write 1MB combined image to FLash, Adapter Address = xxxx. If no 
              address specified then write image to Flash on all adapters.
 
   /CB xxxx = Verify 1MB combined image of Adapter at Address xxxx. If no                      address is specified then this will verify the image of all                      adapters.
 
   /WB xxxx = Copy 1MB image of adapter at address xxxx to a file.
   
 
   Additional options
   ------------------

   /I       = Ignore Subsystem ID.

   /M       = Do not prompt for I/O address.

   /Q       = Quiet Mode, no messages will be displayed.

   /V xxxx  = Display current version of BIOS on adapters at address xxxx.
              If no address specified then display BIOS version of all adapters.

   /VR xxxx = Display current version of RISC on adapters at address xxxx
              If no address specified then display RISC version of all adapters.

   /S xxxx  = Display serial number of adapter at address xxxx.
              If no address specified then display S/N of all adapters.

   /Y xxxx  = Display Port Name of adapter at address xxxx.
              If no address specified then display Port Name of all adapters. 

   /O <filename.ext> = Use <filename.ext> instead of QLxxRXX.BIN.


   Examples using command line options
   -----------------------------------------------
   1. HBAs with previous valid Flash and NVRAM contents.

   a) To update the flash on a QLogic HBA:
       
      c:\>flasutil /fb
   
   b) To update the RISC code (only) on a QLogic HBAS.
     
      c:\>flasutil /fr
   


5. Setting the configuration parameters (Fast!UTIL)
---------------------------------------------------

   QLx24xx Configuration Parameters
   --------------------------------

   Introduction:

     This section provides detailed configuration information for 
     advanced users who want to customize the configuration of the 
     QLx24xx/QLx2x0 board and the connected devices. The board can be 
     configured using Fast!UTIL. Access Fast!UTIL by pressing <ALT>-<Q>
     or <CTRL>-<Q> during the adapter BIOS initialization (it 
     may take a few seconds for the Fast!UTIL menu to appear). If you
     have multiport adapter(s), Fast!UTIL asks you to select 
     the port you want to configure. After changing the settings,
     Fast!UTIL reboots your system to load the new parameters.

   NOTEs: 
      1) <CTRL>-<Q> lists only the same type of QLogic adapters installed
         in the system.  
      2) The Fast!Util BIOS utility does not run on Sun SPARC systems. 
         Refer to the FCode Guide for the QLx24xx Board Family for 
         information regarding adapter configuration settings.
      3) If the configuration settings are incorrect, your QLx24xx/QLx2x0  
         board may not function properly.
      
   The following selections are available from the Fast!UTIL Options menu:

      Configuration Settings
      Scan Fibre Channel Devices
      Fibre Disk Utility
      Loopback Data Test
      Select Host Adapter
      EXit Fast!UTIL



5.1. Configuration Settings
---------------------------


   5.1.1. Adapter Settings
   -----------------------	

   Host Adapter BIOS (Enabled/Disabled : Default - Disabled)
     When this setting is disabled, the ROM BIOS on the QLX24XX board 
     is disabled, freeing space in upper memory. This setting must be
     enabled if you are booting from an FC disk drive attached to the
     QLx24xx board. See Section 5.1.2. for details on specifying the 
     boot device.

   Frame Size (512/1024/2048 : Default - 2048)*
     This setting specifies the maximum frame length supported by the 
     QLx24xx board. 

   Loop Reset Delay (0 - 60 seconds : Default - 5 seconds)*
     After resetting the loop, the firmware refrains from initiating 
     any loop activity for the number of seconds specified in this 
     setting. 

   Adapter Hard Loop ID (Enabled/Disabled : Default - Disabled)*
     This setting forces the adapter to attempt to use the ID specified
     in the Hard Loop ID setting.  

   Hard Loop ID (0 - 125 : Default - 0)*
     If the Adapter Hard Loop ID setting is enabled, the adapter	
     attempts to use the ID specified in this setting. 

   Spin Up Delay (Enabled/Disabled : Default - Disabled)
     When this bit is set, the BIOS waits up to two minutes to find the
     first drive. 

   Connection Options (0/1/2 : Default - 2)*
     This setting defines the type of connection (loop -0, point-to-point -1, 
     or loop preferred then point-to-point -2). 

   Fibre Channel Tape Support (Enabled/Disabled : Default - Enabled)*
     This setting enables FCP-2 recovery. 

   Data Rate (0/1/2/3 : Default - 2)*
     This setting determines the data rate. When this setting is 0, the 
     QLx24xx board runs at 1 gigabit/sec. When this setting is 1, the
     QLx24xx board runs at 2 gigabits/sec. When this setting is 2, 
     the HBA auto-negotiates and determines the data rate.When this setting 
     is 3, the QLx24xx board runs at 4 gigabits/sec.


   5.1.2. Selectable Boot Settings
   -------------------------------

   The Selectable Boot Settings option is accessed from the Configuration
   Settings menu. If you enable the Host Adapter BIOS in the Adapter Settings,
   this option allows you to select the boot device as follows:

   Enable Selectable    Boot WWPN/LUN    Boot Device
        Boot  
   -----------------    -------------    -----------
         No   		     X  	 BIOS configures the first disk drive
      				         it finds as boot device.

         Yes   	       none specified    BIOS configures the first disk drive
                                         it finds that is also a LUN 0 as boot                                            device.

         Yes           specified         BIOS scans through the specified Boot 
                                         WWPN/LUN list until it finds a disk 					                 drive. 
                                         This is configured as boot device.

    This option allows you to specify up to four WWPN/LUN as boot devices. 
    Follow these steps to enable the Selectable Boot option and insert devices
    into the boot device locations:

   1. From the Configuration Settings menu, use the arrow keys to choose Host 
   Adapter Settings. Enable the HBA BIOS, then press ESC to return to the 
   Configuration Settings menu.

   2. From the Configuration Settings menu, use the arrow keys to choose            Selectable Boot Settings. 

   3. Press ENTER to enable or disable (toggle) the Selectable Boot option. 
   Use the down arrow key to move to the Primary location of the Selectable         Boot List.

   4. Press ENTER to see a list of accessible devices (these are the devices in     the Select Fibre Channel Device menu).

   5. Select a drive by using the arrow keys to scroll down to the device you       want to put into your Selectable Boot menu list. Press ENTER. This step          selects the requested device and loads it into the Selectable Boot menu list.

   6. Repeat this step to specify up to four alternate boot devices (up to two      boot devices supported for QLx2x0).

   NOTE: 
   1. QLogic recommends that when the HBA BIOS is enabled and the Selectable        Boot option is enabled, you always select a device and put it in the Primary     boot device location of the Selectable Boot menu list.
  
   2. In some systems with Phoenix or AMI Multiboot BIOS the Selectable boot
   setting for the HBA might not work, unless the System's BIOS "Boot Order" 
   option has the correct order of bootable devices specified.


   5.1.3 Restore Default Settings
   ------------------------------
    The Restore Defaults option from the Configuration Settings menu
    restores the adapter default settings.


   5.1.4 Raw NVRAM Data*
   ---------------------
    This option displays the adapters NVRAM contents in hexadecimal format. 
    This is a QLogic troubleshooting tool, you cannot modify the data.


   5.1.5 Advanced Adapter Settings*
   --------------------------------
    From the Configuration Settings menu in Fast!UTIL, select Advanced
    Adapter Settings. The default settings for the QLx24xx host 
    adapter board are described in the following paragraphs.

   Execution Throttle ( 1-256 : Default - 16)
    This setting specifies the maximum number of commands executing on
    any one target port. When a target ports execution throttle is reached,
    no new commands are issued until one of the current command finishes 
    executing. 

   LUNs per Target (0/8/16/32/64/128/256 : Default - 128)
    This setting specifies the number of LUNs supported per target if the
    target does not support "Report LUN" command. Multiple LUN support is 
    typically for redundant array of independent disks (RAID) boxes that 
    use LUNs to map drives. 

   Enable LIP Reset (Yes/No : Default - No)
    This setting determines the type of loop initialization process 
    (LIP) reset used when the operating system initiates a bus
    reset routine. When this setting is yes, the driver initiates a 
    global LIP reset to reset the target devices. When this setting is no,
    the driver initiates a global LIP reset with full login. 

   Enable LIP Full Login (Yes/No : Default - Yes)
    This setting instructs the ISP chip to re-login to all ports after
    any LIP.

   Enable Target Reset (Yes/No : Default - Yes)
    This setting enables the drivers to issue a Target Reset command 
    to all devices on the loop when a SCSI Bus Reset command is issued.

   Login Retry Count (0 - 255 : Default - 8)
    This setting specifies the number of times the software tries to 
    log in to a device.

   Port Down Retry Count (0 - 255 seconds : Default - 30 seconds)
    This setting specifies the number of seconds the software waits to
    retry a command to a port returning port down status. 

   Link Down Timeout (0 - 255 seconds : Default - 30 seconds)
    This setting specifies the number of seconds the software waits for
    a link down to come up. 

   Operation Mode (0/5/6 : Default - 0)
    This setting specifies the reduced interrupt operation (RIO) 
    modes, if supported by the software driver. The RIO modes allow 
    posting multiple command completions in a single interrupt. The 
    following modes are supported:

    0 - Interrupt for every I/O completion
    5 - Interrupt when Interrupt Delay Timer expires
    6 - Interrupt when Interrupt Delay Timer expires or no active I/Os.

   Interrupt Delay Timer (0 - 255 seconds: Default - 0)
    This setting contains the value (in 200-microsecond increments) 
    used by a timer to set the wait time between generating an interrupt.

   Enable Interrupt ( YES/NO : Default - NO)
    This setting when set to YES will enable the BIOS to use the IRQ
    assigned to the ISP24xx. When set to NO the BIOS will poll for
    ISP mailbox command completion status.    


   5.2. Scan Fibre Devices
   -----------------------
   This option scans the FC loop and lists all the connected devices by
   loop ID. Information about each device is listed, for example, vendor
   name, product name, and revision. This information is useful when
   configuring your QLx24xx board and attached devices.


   5.3. Fibre Disk Utility
   -----------------------
   This option scans the FC loop and lists all the connected devices by
   loop ID. You can select a FC hard disk and do one of the following:

    1) Perform a low-level format.
    2) Verify the disk media.
    3) Verify the disk data.
    4) Select a disk device

CAUTION!!! Performing a low-level format destroys all data on the disk.


   5.4. Loopback Data Test
   -----------------------
   This option allows you to perform Loopback tests. You can select one
   of the following Loopback tests:
    
    1) External Loopback Data Test**.
    2) Internal 1 bit Interface Loopback Data Test.
    3) Internal 10 bit Interface Loopback Data Test.



   5.5. Select Host Adapter
   ------------------------
   If you have multiport or multiple QLx24xx/QLx2x0 adapters in your system, 
   use this option to select and then configure or view the settings of a 
   specific adapter port or adapter.


   5.6. EXit Fast!UTIL
   -------------------
   This option allows you to exit the utility and reboot the system or to return 
   to Fast!UTIL. After making changes to the QLogic HBA in Fast!Util, make sure 
   you save the changes before you reboot the system.



6. Notes
-------- 
   a. If FC RAID target was used in a Cluster Environment, we recommend the
      setting for Enable Target Reset = Enabled (Advanced Adapter Settings). 

   b. Use /I option if Update Utility (FLASUTIL) does not detect your                  controller.


   *    - This option is not available for QLx2x0 adapter.
   **   - Make sure that the FC loop is up or a Loopback plug is attached 
          to the adapter before starting the test. If your HBA is attached 
          to a fabric switch port, the HBA and Switch port must be set to 
          run in Arbitrated Loop mode.


7. Contacting QLogic
--------------------
   Please visit QLogic's website (http://www.qlogic.com). On this site 
   you will find product information, our latest software and links for 
   technical assistance if needed.


   Copyright (c) 2006 QLogic Corporation. All rights reserved.
