February 17, 2004

Overview

Release 3.5.3 of the Empack software includes Version 3.5.3 of the host libraries and programs and Version 3.5.3 of the Embedded Firmware and FPGA configurations.

The following changes are introduced in this release:

• Update for Foundation Board FPGA configuration.

• Changes to the Empack API.

• Changes to some utility programs.

• Changes to some diagnostic programs.

• Improved support for multiple SCSI adapters in the Solaris device driver.

• Component versions for this release.

Note:

This release includes a new FPGA configuration. Customers should run the emflash utility after installation.

Update for Foundation Board FPGA Configuration

The "back-end" FPGA configuration is modified to fix a timing problem that is manifest in foundation boards produced during January 2004 and later (those with serial numbers 13535950 and higher).

The new FPGA configuration is included in the flash file, fdl353.bin and is installed by updating the flash on the Empack using the emflash program. Empack units shipped with the new foundation boards alredy include the update but the new flash file is required if Empacks need to be re-flashed.

For users still using version 3.4.8 of the Empack host and embedded software, a patch is available that provides the new FPGA configuration with the 3.4.x vintage embedded code. The patch is available on new CDROM distributions in the directory named patches/349patch and on the internet using the following link:

http://www.cacdsp.com/software/empack_downloads/patches/349patch

Changes to the Empack API

The Empack API is fixed to read the module revision number from the EEprom on each Mezzanine and include the true revision number in the Module and Resource information structures.

A new API function, EmGetModuleRev, is included for applications to retrieve the module revision number without having to read the EEprom.

The EmReadTdmMap function is fixed to properly read the TDM-related modes on the base-board for big-endian systems (primarily Sparc Solaris systems).

Changes to Some Utility Programs

The emflash program has two new options:

-O		used to force "OEM" mode when the OEM-key code is not available. This may be required, for example, when the boot code must be upgraded.
-V		disables flash read-back verification. This is required for many laptop systems that are not able to read the flash due to incompatible SCSI interfaces.

The emserial and emwinserial programs are modified to force the clock synthesizer code to generate at least the minimum frequency required for DSP mezzanines. The emserial program also has a new -O option to force "OEM" mode when the OEM-key code is not available.

The emfind program is modified to use the new EmGetModuleRev function for displaying the module revisions.

Changes to Some Diagnostic Programs

Pre-generated emdiag configuration files for specific system configurations assembled by CAC are now included in the software distribution and installation. They are installed in the directory, $CAC/empack/diag_cfg. the emdiag is modified to look in this directory for a specified configuration file, if it is not found in the current directory.

The emdiag program is also modified to allow for a specific set of Empacks to be included in the tests by naming the Empacks on the command line.

The emburn program is modified to include the type of telco interface (E1 or T1) as part of the Empack information recorded in the log file. It is also modified to allow up to 16 (as opposed to 15) Empacks.

The eme1t1loop program is fixed to not treat an EMC12 mezzanine without a DSP as an error when looking for a DSP to use.

The emfft program is modified to halt DSP resources before downloading code between test iterations. This is required for EM6XC33 mezzanines when running multiple test iterations.

The emled program is modified to allow a single Empack unit to be specified on the command line and has new options for temperature testing.

Improved Support for Multiple SCSI Adapters in the Solaris Device Driver

The Solaris device driver and API provides for a fixed mapping of Empack SCSI IDs to Empack device names (emp00, emp01, etc) through the use of the emnames.map file in $CAC/lib. This means that, when an Empack is removed from the system, the names of the remaining units remain the same. However, if the Empacks are connected to different SCSI host adapters, the mapping of device names to Empack units may not be consistent.

The new version of the Solaris device driver provides a mechanism to maintain consistent Empack device names across multiple SCSI host adapters. In situations where consistent Empack unit device names are required, recompiling and installation of the device driver is necessary. See the file, $CAC/empack/soldev/empack_hba.h, for details on the procedure for determining the system's SCSI host adapter names and editing the file.

Component Versions for This Release

The Empack API software release includes several components of software and hardware FPGA configurations. All the components have the same major and minor version numbers. However the update version number of each component may vary depending on the number of changes and iterations each component has gone through between general distribution releases.

The components and their versions for Empack Software Release 3.5.3 are:

Component:	Version:
API Library and Programs	3.5.3
Solaris Device Driver	3.5.3
Windows Device Driver	3.5.0
Embedded Code / Baseboard FPGA Configurations	3.5.3
Mezzanine FPGA Configurations	3.5.3