Hi,


OK, this was an easy one for all you experts!  The answers came in
quickly which I really appreciated as I wanted to make a decision
quickly on this one. 


Here's my original question:


<paraindent><param>right,left</param>We need to upgrade the firmware
for a DS20 running V4.0F.  It looks like

firmware V5.9 is for Tru64 V5.0A, so I guess we should use firmware
V5.8.

But as the firmware upgrade procedure is getting started (from CD), it
says

that firmware version 5.8 is for Tru64 V5.0A.  Does this make sense?

According to the "list" command at the upgrade prompt, only the SRM

firmware needs to be upgraded (from 5.6-3 to 5.8-10) -- all other
things

are up-to-date on our machine.

</paraindent>

My thanks to those who replied:

<paraindent><param>right,left,out</param>Arrigo Triulzi
<<arrigo@albourne.com>

"Robert M. Lang" <<lang@isis.mit.edu>

Stephen L LaBelle <<labelles@mscd.edu>

"Fortier, Mario" <<Mario.Fortier@domtar.com>

"Dr. Thomas.Blinn@Compaq.com" <<tpb@doctor.zk3.dec.com>

Olle Eriksson <<olle@cb.uu.se>

"joop schipper" <<joop.schipper@dicgroep.nl>


</paraindent>The verdict was unanimous: Go ahead with applying firmware
V5.8 to my Tru64 V4.0F system.  A couple of respondents said that you
should be able to run the newest firmware with any O/S version, but
don't try a firmware level lower than the recommended for the
particular O/S.  Joop said that he received FW V5.8 with both V4.0G &
V5.1 of Tru64, although I know that FW V5.9 is available from the
Compaq ftp site.  (I also talked to Compaq support and they agreed with
using FW V5.8 on my 4.0F system.)


Dr. Tom included some interesting additional info as a part of his
reply, so here it is in full...

"V5.0A came out AFTER V4.0F, so it may be that the firmware is really
what

was released with V5.0A.  However, it SHOULD work OK with V4.0F; there
is

a general rule that the firmware update team is SUPPOSED to test with
all

of the relatively recent OS releases and not break any of them.  If
you

have the little folder that comes with the firmware CD, check what's
in

there for compatibility.  By the way, since V4.0F was the first release
of Tru64

UNIX that had the support for the DS20, the firmware that CAME on the
DS20

should work OK."


Thanks again to everyone in this most helpful of all groups!


Peyton Bland

University of Michigan