Need help with Supermicro bios flash w/Ubuntu 10.10

[BUCK NASTY]

Ok, who can help me figure out how to flash a special bios onto my brand new SuperMicro H8QGL-IF+? I am a total Linux noob, but I'm picking up on it quickly. I'm running Ubuntu 10.10 due to it's ability to fold faster than current OS's. I have the special bios downloaded, but i am confused on where to go from here. I have a flash drive if I have to make it bootable. Help out a brother Please!!!!

[xfire]

http://tuxtweaks.com/2009/09/create-...th-unetbootin/

do that, then copy the exe file to the pendrive. Then boot from it.

edit: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1634874 more detailed one.

[Drone]

Flashing bios doesn't necessarily depend on OS. However if you want to do with on Linux then do it with flashrom.

Here you can see how to do it.

edit: Example

Install it:
$ apt-get install flashrom

Detect whether flashrom knows about your chipset/mainboard/BIOS chip:
$ flashrom

Read the BIOS image into a file:
$ flashrom -r backup.bin

Write a BIOS image (proprietary or LinuxBIOS) on the ROM chip:
$ flashrom -wv newbios.bin


WARNING: This will overwrite your current BIOS! Make sure you know what you're doing!




p.s. I did that before and it works. It was long time ago tho. I don't flash bios much.

[Chevalr1c]

Generally it is better to avoid doing a flash from a running OS. The described method using Unetbootin to make a FreeDOS USB drive that will act like "DOS floppy" is the safest way.

[Drone]

Originally Posted by Chevalr1c

Generally it is better to avoid doing a flash from a running OS.

Where this myth came from? The software does exactly the same thing. Replaces old bin with the new one.

[newtekie1]

Originally Posted by Drone

Where this myth came from? The software does exactly the same thing. Replaces old bin with the new one.

Exactly, if anything it is better these days to do it in the OS, because if something goes wrong, the OS running gives more options to figure out how to fix the issue. The machine will continue to run perfectly fine until you reboot. This gives you the chance to download recovery tools, attempt to reflash, try flashing a different BIOS, etc.

I think this myth used to be true back in the Win 95/98 days, when the OS would mess with the memory addressing and shit and flashing the BIOS from the OS could easily corrupt the BIOS if the OS wasn't addressing the BIOS ROM properly. As well as people trying to use DOS utilities inside the Windows virtual DOS window, which would cause all types of havok.

But in modern times the utilities are built to be run inside the OS, and they are perfectly safe to do so.

But anyway, this isn't answering the main question, so lets not get the thread sidetracked.

Sorry Buck.

[Drone]

Originally Posted by newtekie1

Exactly, if anything it is better these days to do it in the OS, because if something goes wrong, the OS running gives more options to figure out how to fix the issue. The machine will continue to run perfectly fine until you reboot. This gives you the chance to download recovery tools, attempt to reflash, try flashing a different BIOS, etc.

Sure. If that wasn't so manufacturers wouldn't create all that software in the first place.

I think this myth used to be true back in the Win 95/98 days, when the OS would mess with the memory addressing.

No idea, I was way too young in 95/98. And my first pc was a Linux machine anyway, it didn't mess with memory addressing lol.

But anyway, this isn't answering the main question, so lets not get the thread sidetracked.

There's nothing unhealthy in this kind of discussion. Because if there is a question "how" there can be a question "why". It's on topic.

[Chevalr1c]

Thanks Newtekie1 for the info. Sorry for the false alarm.

[BUCK NASTY]

Thanks Drone & Newtekie1! I will use Flashrom. What is the chance that the chip is not supported?

[Drone]

Originally Posted by BUCK NASTY

Thanks Drone & Newtekie1! I will use Flashrom. What is the chance that the chip is not supported?

It's their official site

http://flashrom.org/Flashrom

Supports more than 300 flash chips, 220 chipsets, 400 mainboards, 50 PCI devices, 12 USB devices and various parallel/serial port-based programmers.

And here's the list of supported hardware

http://flashrom.org/Supported_hardware