Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!letni!utacfd!merch!cpe!adaptex!adaptx1!neese
From: neese@adaptx1.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi
Subject: Re: Adaptec ROMs (esp. 1540A)
Message-ID: <283400017@adaptx1>
Date: 8 Dec 90 01:38:06 GMT
References: <17957@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Lines: 24
Nf-ID: #R:hydra.gatech.EDU:17957:adaptx1:283400017:000:1043
Nf-From: adaptx1.UUCP!neese    Dec  7 11:25:00 1990


>/* ---------- "Adaptec ROMs (esp. 1540A)" ---------- */
>
>I have a pretty old Adaptec 1540 with ROM rev 2F.  Recently, i've
>noticed that out 1542B's have ROM rev. 3.08.  Should I be interested
>in a ROM upgrade for this board?

The BIOS and firmware for all versions of the 154x family are not
interchangeable between different levels of the adapter.  The A BIOS
and firmware cannot be used on the B abd vice versa.  The original
1540 firmware cannot be upgraded by using the A or B adapter firmware.
This is due to changes in the SCSI protocol chip from version to
version of the adapter.  Also other changes have occured.  As we
release a new version of the adapter we incorporate various aspects
of the firmware into the ASIC hardware.  This is done to improve speed
and reliability, but the donwside is; the firmarwe/BIOS is not backward
compatible.

			Roy Neese
			Adaptec Senior SCSI Applications Engineer
			UUCP @  neese@adaptex
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