OLPC Firmware q3c08

  This page is monitored by the OLPC team.

OLPC Firmware Release q3c08

Works on XO-1.5 C1-C8 systems.

• a new antenna test utility, see antenna testing,
• a USB fix for drives that contain embedded hubs, and for devices that are attached to hubs that would otherwise prevent the laptop from booting.

Download	q3c08.rom
Build date time	2012-07-10 04:28:56
Source revision	3044
EC version	2.2.10
Wireless firmware version	Libertas thinfirm 9.0.7.p2

Changes

• 3042 OLPC - libertas antenna test, remove transmit antenna selection, #11976
• 3040 OLPC - revert the SD node rearrangement portion of revision 3023, to fix Linux booting on older kernels (OLPC trac #11998).
• 3038 PCI bus driver - fixed a problem introduced by svn 3021 (the code change to make phandles relative wasn't complete).
• 3031 Checked in intel hex file support.
• 3026 Checked in "slot.fth" file needed by previous checkin.
• 3025 Kernel - Increased the depth of the search order from 16 to 32 vocs, just in case.
• 3024 Moved the definition of "du*" into the kernel.
• 3021 Changed OFW core code to allow phandle values to be origin-relative addresses instead of absolute (possibly run-time-relocated) addresses, thus making it much easier to encode phandle values in properties built at compile time.
• 3018 OLPC - further work on libertas antenna test, #11976
• 3017 OLPC - libertas antenna switching test
• 3016 OLPC - checked in oatstime.fth - a script that can be signed and used to set the Real Time Clock on secure machines.
• 3015 Reinstate the USB probing change, but fixed so it works with USB 1.1 devices.
• 3013 OLPC - dev/usb2, revert svn 3011 as it broke production use of USB scanners, reproduced also by me.
• 3011 OLPC - dev/usb2, read the device descriptor after reset and before set-address, instead of after set-address. Erase the device descriptor buffer before reading. #11931

Which Firmware Do You Have?

The best method for finding out what firmware version you have on a laptop depends on whether the laptop is secured or not, and what operating state it is in.

Unsecured Laptop

Obtain the Ok prompt, the firmware version is displayed in the startup banner, thus:

 OLPC ..., ... memory installed, ..., S/N SHF7250024D
 OpenFirmware  q3c08 ...   EC Firmware Ver:...
               ^^^^^

You can also obtain the built date:

 ok .built

This is the date and time that this image of the firmware was built by the release engineer.

Secured Laptop

Power up the laptop with the ✓ (check mark) game button held down. You will be asked to Release the game keys to continue. Release the ✓ (check mark) game button and watch carefully. For a short time the startup banner will be displayed, like this:

 OLPC ..., ... memory installed, ..., S/N SHF7250024D
 OpenFirmware  q3c08 ...   EC Firmware Ver:...
               ^^^^^

Alternatively, if the laptop is already booted, go to the Sugar home view, click on the icon at the centre of the screen and select "My Settings" then "About my Computer." The firmware version is displayed there.

Alternatively, in the Terminal activity or a text console, type:

 cat /proc/device-tree/openprom/model

or

 cat /ofw/openprom/model

With certain older firmware versions, if the operating system will not start, and the laptop is secured, you will not be able to obtain the firmware version using the above methods, so our recommendation is to go ahead and upgrade anyway. The procedure is safe and will not do anything if you already have up-to-date firmware.

Installation

When installing new firmware, you must have a well-charged battery and the AC adapter plugged in. The firmware update code will not proceed otherwise. Possible error messages are:

error message	how to fix
AC not present	plug in the power cord, check the battery LED is on, then try again.
No external power	plug in the power cord, check the battery LED is on, then try again,
No battery	plug in the battery, check the latches, then try again, or try another battery,
Battery low	allow more time for the battery to charge, then try again, or try another battery.

Unsecured Laptop

This section is for unsecured laptops. Most XO-1.5 and XO-1.75 laptops are unsecured. Most developer XO laptops are unsecured. To unsecure your laptop, follow the instructions at Activation and Developer Keys.

You may install using either:

• a USB drive or SD card,
• the laptop's internal drive,
• a network.

Choose one.

Using a USB drive or SD card

• download the firmware from http://dev.laptop.org/pub/firmware/q3c08/q3c08.rom and save it to a USB drive or SD card,

• shutdown the laptop,

• check the battery is inserted and locked,

• check that the power cord is in place and the battery indicator is green,

• insert the USB drive or SD card,

• turn on the laptop, and get to the 'ok' prompt. See Ok for more detail. You should see:

ok

• if the downloaded file is on a USB drive, type:

 flash u:\q3c08.rom

• if the downloaded file is on an external SD card:

 flash sd:\boot\q3c08.rom

• wait for the laptop to reboot itself,

• remove the USB drive or SD card.

(Expert users may remove the USB drive after the message "Got firmware" ... at this stage the file has been read and closed.)

Using the laptop internal drive

An alternate method is to download the firmware file to the laptop internal drive and then install from the internal drive.

• start the laptop,

• connect to a wireless or wired network,

• start the Terminal Activity and type:

su
cd /versions/boot/current/boot/
wget http://dev.laptop.org/pub/firmware/q3c08/q3c08.rom

• shutdown the laptop,

• check the battery is inserted and locked,

• check that the power cord is in place and the battery indicator is green,

• turn on the laptop, and get to the 'ok' prompt. See Ok for more detail. You should see:

ok

• if the downloaded file is on an XO-1, type:

flash n:\boot\q3c08.rom

• if the file is on the internal SD card of an XO-1.5 or XO-1.75:

flash int:\boot\q3c08.rom

Using a network

You will need a compatible USB to ethernet adapter, or an open or WEP wireless access point, connected to the internet.

• shutdown the laptop,

• check the battery is inserted and locked,

• check that the power cord is in place and the battery indicator is green,

• turn on the laptop, and get to the 'ok' prompt. See Ok for more detail. You should see:

ok

• if using wireless, type the essid of the wireless network:

essid mynetwork

• if using a WPA wireless access point, type the WPA key for the network:

wpa passphrase

• type the flash command using the download link above, but change all slash characters so they are backwards, for example:

flash http:\\dev.laptop.org\pub\firmware\q3c08\q3c08.rom

Secured Laptop

Secured laptops can only use flash firmware that has been signed. All mass-production machines had the latest firmware at the time of manufacture.

Upgrading firmware describes how to upgrade to a newer signed firmware release.

See also

• Cheat codes for information about how game buttons control startup options.