list of systems not working with dellBiosUpdate

Hello,

In [1] and [2], Matt Domsch and Michael E Brown respectively
indicated 
that some Dell system might not be upgradable with current
tools 
(libsmbios/dellBiosUpdate).

I would suggest to put the list of those incompatible
systems on 
http://linux.dell.com/wik
i/ so us (the users) could get a clearer 
picture of what works or not.

Thanks,

	Fab

[1] 
http://lists.us.dell.com/piperma
il/firmware-tools-devel/2006-October/000038.html

[2] http://lists.us.dell.com/pipermail/libsm
bios-devel/2007-June/000308.html
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On Fri, Aug 17, 2007 at 07:57:16PM +0200, Fabrice LORRAIN
wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> In [1] and [2], Matt Domsch and Michael E Brown
respectively indicated 
> that some Dell system might not be upgradable with
current tools 
> (libsmbios/dellBiosUpdate).
> 
> I would suggest to put the list of those incompatible
systems on 
> http://linux.dell.com/wik
i/ so us (the users) could get a clearer 
> picture of what works or not.

I would dearly like to post such a list. As it happens,
though, I dont
have that list. :(   I work on the server team, and dont
really do a lot
of work with the myriad different desktops/laptops.

I can send a couple queries, though.

Note that there can be three reasons to cause a system to
not work:
  -- A system doesnt support RBU
  -- System supports RBU, but doesnt have BIOS in a format I
can
  extract (Opti 740 probably falls here right now).
  -- System supports RBU, but RBU is buggy and doesnt work.
Many old
  systems fall under this. :(
--
Michael
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Michael E Brown a écrit :
> On Fri, Aug 17, 2007 at 07:57:16PM +0200, Fabrice
LORRAIN wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> In [1] and [2], Matt Domsch and Michael E Brown
respectively indicated 
>> that some Dell system might not be upgradable with
current tools 
>> (libsmbios/dellBiosUpdate).
>>
>> I would suggest to put the list of those
incompatible systems on 
>> http://linux.dell.com/wik
i/ so us (the users) could get a clearer 
>> picture of what works or not.
> 
> I would dearly like to post such a list. As it happens,
though, I dont
> have that list. :(  

This is where a wiki is handy. Update the list on the fly,
following 
failure/success reports. Call for testing and reports.

> I work on the server team, and dont really do a lot
> of work with the myriad different desktops/laptops.

Yep, but your tool is as useful on the desktop side as on
the server 
one. And from my side of the ocean, the nb of people using 
desktops/laptops are on a much much larger scale.
Having people from BIOS/desktop team give a hand might be
useful.

> I can send a couple queries, though.
> 
> Note that there can be three reasons to cause a system
to not work:

reasons which are interresting to document in a better place
than 
list-archive, I think.

>   -- A system doesnt support RBU
Which means that those systems might work in the future, if
a poor soul 
at Dell get some specs and motivation.

>   -- System supports RBU, but doesnt have BIOS in a
format I can
>   extract (Opti 740 probably falls here right now).

means that those systems could be supported soon, it needs
the BIOS team 
to provide the spec to exctract the hbr file or to provide
the file 
directly.

>   -- System supports RBU, but RBU is buggy and doesnt
work. Many old
>   systems fall under this. :(
Dead end, unsupported systems. Nice to know.

So to start such a list :
- Dimension 8250 + BIOS A02 = unsupported (3rd case)
- optiplex 740 = unsupported (2nd case)
- Dimension E521 = unsupported (1st case)

+,
	Fab
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