Streamlined SPI recovery commands

Mitch Bradley wmb at firmworks.com
Fri Oct 20 05:12:15 EDT 2006


There is a new version of the SPI FLASH Recovery instructions on the 
wiki ( http://wiki.laptop.org/go/SPI_FLASH_Recovery ) and a 
corresponding new version of the software that goes with it.

If you have already downloaded the old version (1.0) of the serial 
recovery software, please discard it and get the new version.

The new version uses a single command:

   ok  flash  [ filename ]

instead of separate commands for various steps of the process.  (Unless 
you are not using /dev/ttyS0)

The default filename is "olpc.rom".

The same command is in the Open Firmware OLPC firmware.

Separate options for flashing different parts - EC and BIOS - no longer 
exist.  Since the new boards don't have a PLCC socket that can be used 
for non-serial recovery, putting in a bad BIOS section bricks the board 
just as effectively as putting in a bad EC section.  The simplified 
procedure is easier to remember, and prevents EC/BIOS mismatch errors.

Later, when we have automated reflashing , that procedure will have to 
behave differently, but during this phase of the development, the single 
"flash" command that does everything is the right thing.  Especially 
since we are currently doing coordinated updates of EC and BIOS.




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