I've just updated the BIOS on my home W2100z (downloaded from here).
The old BIOS on the machine was antique. I mean, it predates all the old versions on the download page. And I remember updating it at least once (to get PXE boot working), so it wasn't the factory version.
The update was pretty smooth. However, on booting back into Solaris I see a CPU pegged and very high interrupt rates. Not good.
Now, it turns out that I've stumbled across this before. And in response to that, Alan Hargreaves got the thermal zone driver backported to Solaris 10. So it's available in patch 125107.
Unfortunately getting hold of this patch is proving troublesome because sunsolve is broken again.
OK, so I go have a cup of coffee and this time, success. Patch applied and just save this blog before I reboot.
4 comments:
Hi Peter,
Kudos from down under... I've just got my own Sun w1100z (I had one in my 'wanted' list since Sun introduced them).
I updated the BIOS like you... yet I have some more general questions about this lovely machine (sorry to bother you but you seem to be the only active w2100z user out there...).
#1 Do you know of any mailing list for w1100z/2100z users?
#2 It uses a socket 939 cpu... are you aware of anyone changing the cpu for a dual-core Opteron 170 (which is also sokcet939 but dual-core!).
#3 If I buy one mezzanine board and install it into my w1100z, do I automagizally convert it into a w2100z?? or is there any other difference (bios) besides the mezzanine board for the second cpu? (the w1100z board has all the sockets to install the mezzanine board!!).
Thanks
FC
I'm not aware of any active communities of users of the Sun Java Workstations. They were never really aimed at home users (the Ultra 20 is quite a bit quieter).
I thought it was Socket 940? I've never even opened mine up. I'm slightly dubious as to whether other processors would work.
As for adding a second processor using the mezzanine card - that should work. The system is the same, really. (The only other difference is that the W2100z was shipped with SCSI drives.)
Hi Peter,
I know this is somewhat of a longshot, but I've just recently came in to ownership of one of these amazing machines (a 2100z), a hellish improvement on my last Sun workstation (a blade 100 *shudder*) and I can't seem to find this BIOS update that you are on about. I'd guess it was one of those many that Oracle tossed in the skip, you don't happen to still have this update or know anyone who might be able to send me a copy do you?
Thanks
Jessica
Jessica,
Email me (to my gmail account, which is shown on my website) and I'll see what I can do.
-Peter
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