<html><head></head><body data-blackberry-caret-color="#00a8df" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: initial;"><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Testing tonight. I will let the list know tomorrow. Thanks for this.</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kg</div> <div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="display:initial"></div> <div style="font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sent from my currently functioning gadget </div> <table width="100%" style="background-color:white;border-spacing:0px;"> <tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <div id="_persistentHeader" style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223); border-top-width: 1pt; padding: 3pt 0in 0in; font-family: Tahoma, 'BB Alpha Sans', 'Slate Pro'; font-size: 10pt;"> <div><b>From: </b>Adam Holt</div><div><b>Sent: </b>Friday, February 7, 2014 20:12</div><div><b>To: </b>Devel's in the Details</div><div><b>Subject: </b>Fwd: [support-gang] is rolling back firmware dangerous? (on XO-1s especially)</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(186, 188, 209); border-top-width: 1pt; font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><br><div id="_originalContent" style=""><div dir="ltr">From: <b class="gmail_sendername">James Cameron</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:quozl@laptop.org">quozl@laptop.org</a>></span><br><div class="gmail_quote">Date: Fri, Feb 7, 2014 at 7:17 PM<br>Subject: Re: [support-gang] is rolling back firmware dangerous? (on XO-1s especially)<br>
To: "Community Support Volunteers -- who help respond to \"help AT <a href="http://laptop.org">laptop.org</a>\"" <<a href="mailto:support-gang@lists.laptop.org">support-gang@lists.laptop.org</a>><br>
Cc: Adam Holt <<a href="mailto:holt@laptop.org">holt@laptop.org</a>>, <a href="mailto:support-gang@laptop.org">support-gang@laptop.org</a><br><br><div class="im">On Fri, Feb 07, 2014 at 06:41:48PM -0500, Paul Fox wrote:<br>
> adam wrote:<br>
> > I used to do this all the time while testing XO-1s with different<br>
> > firmwares, but want to check if the _process_ of rolling back firmware on<br>
> > XO-1s is dangerous to the machine in general:<br>
> ><br>
> > 1) Are there risks to the _process_ of rolling back XO-1 firmware, EG from<br>
> > q2f19 to q2e48 (Release 11.3.0) as used by many in Kenya?<br>
><br>
> no, there are no inherent risks in the process.<br>
><br>
<br>
</div>sometimes a full power removal is necessary; main battery and adapter.<br>
<br>
but i agree, within that range of versions there's no problem that i<br>
recall, and i do it still, much more often than you.<br>
<div class="im"><br>
> but why do you think it's necessary?<br>
<br>
</div>i second the question. if you think it is necessary then there must<br>
be some legitimate concern rather than some vague fear, and so i want<br>
to hear about it and fix it.<br>
<div class="im"><br>
> > <a href="http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Firmware#XO-1" target="_blank">http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Firmware#XO-1</a><br>
> ><br>
> > 2) Separate question: what risks might arise running Release 11.3.0<br>
> > (required by many in Kenya) with more modern firmware like q2f19?<br>
><br>
> we tried very hard to make sure that that scenario works correctly,<br>
> but of course not all combinations were (or could be) tested. [1]<br>
><br>
> in addition, downgrading the firmware won't downgrade the EC code, so<br>
> the firmware will be running against a newer EC version that it wasn't<br>
> tested with. we tried very hard to make sure that all EC f/w versions<br>
> were compatible with old firmware and OS, but again, testing all<br>
> combinations would have been impossible. (note that i don't recommend<br>
> downgrading the EC to address this risk. the bug fixes added to later<br>
> EC releases are probably worth having.)<br>
<br>
</div>actually, on the XO-1, the EC firmware is in the same place as the<br>
host firmware, so it will downgrade the EC firmware if you downgrade<br>
the host firmware.<br>
<br>
what paul says in this paragraph above applies to XO-1.75 and XO-4<br>
only.<br>
<div class="im"><br>
> summary: stick with the newest firmware unless you have good reason<br>
> not to.<br>
<br>
</div>agree, and reinforce.<br>
<br>
if there's any reason why 11.3.0 does not work with q2f19, then i want<br>
to know, and i will try to fix it.<br>
<div class="im"><br>
> paul<br>
><br>
> [1] the converse, e.g. running 13.2.0 on q2e48 is not guaranteed to<br>
> work, and, in fact, may well break things. that's why new compatible<br>
> firmware comes with each new OS.<br>
<br>
</div>agreed.<br>
<span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br>
--<br>
James Cameron<br>
<a href="http://quozl.linux.org.au/" target="_blank">http://quozl.linux.org.au/<br clear="all"><br>-- <br></a><div dir="ltr"><a href="http://quozl.linux.org.au/" target="_blank">Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ </a><a href="http://unleashkids.org" target="_blank">http://unleashkids.org</a> !</div>
</font></span></div><font color="#888888">
</font></div>
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