My question was whether it was O.K. to load an older version of
firmware than is currently loaded on the machine (an alphaserver 1000).
Tom Blinn <tpb_at_zk3.dec.com> summed up the issues involved nicely:
> You can do it. It's not recommended for a couple of reasons. First, you
> can hose yourself any time you do a firmware upgrade or downgrade. Second,
> if you've upgraded the firmware in any peripherals and then downgrade the
> firmware in the base system, you may get an incompatibility that has never
> shown up in testing (because the combination wasn't tested). Third, NVRAM
> or flash ROM parts usually have a finite life -- you can only reprogram them
> a limited number of times (but this is usually not a concern in normal use)
> so you don't want to cycle back and forth between different firmware on a
> regular basis.
>
> Go ahead and do the downgrade if it will get you running again.
[snip]
>
> Opinions expressed herein are my own, and do not necessarily represent
> those of my employer or anyone else, living or dead, real or imagined.
>
Thanks also to
Richard L Jackson Jr <rjackson_at_portal.gmu.edu>
Clifford Krieger <ckrieger_at_psi.prc.com>
Bonnie Debruler <debruler_at_eglin.af.mil>
who sent me stories of success, and pointed out the gotcha of downgrading
_all_ firmware at the same time.
and to
Tim W. Janes <janes_at_signal.dra.hmg.gb>
who mentioned that he is successfully running 3.2c an as1000 with firware
revision 3.1. Doesn't work for me, but our configurations are different.
bremner_at_cs.mcgill.ca
--KAA00226.838303224/oliver.cs.mcgill.ca--
bremner_at_cs.mcgill.ca
Received on Thu Jul 25 1996 - 16:43:06 NZST