TheRacerMaster
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« Reply #15 on: March 10, 2015, 01:02:12 AM » |
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Ah, OK. Thanks.
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jamall007
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« Reply #16 on: March 11, 2015, 03:41:46 PM » |
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Nice work RM! Have a look at https://trmm.net/Thunderstrike_31c3, "...we can conclusively say that Apple has added their own CRC32 boot-time check on the contents of the firmware volume and that is why changing a single byte in the ROM makes the system shutdown." He goes into detail about how to get around the boot check, it's pretty involved but definitely doable. |
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TheRacerMaster
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« Reply #17 on: March 11, 2015, 10:15:18 PM » |
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Looking at that link, it should be possible. The problem is acquiring a copy of the SMC firmware for the Xserve. AFAIK there weren't any SMC firmware updates released for it, which makes things more difficult.
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TheRacerMaster
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« Reply #18 on: March 22, 2015, 05:52:32 PM » |
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Does anyone have any idea how we can get the SMC firmware for the Xserve?
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Sebinouse
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« Reply #19 on: March 25, 2015, 11:51:37 AM » |
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Once again from EFI shell you may be able to read / dump / write SMC : more info HERE |
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Spanky Deluxe
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« Reply #20 on: November 08, 2015, 09:29:33 PM » |
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Did anyone ever make any progress with this?
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jamall007
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« Reply #21 on: December 01, 2015, 04:53:19 PM » |
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Yes, one of my motherboards is off having its EEPROM chip replaced with a socket so I can start testing the various EFI builds I've come up with at a reasonable clip. Using my Raspberry Pi as a Bus Pirate was far too slow for trial and error. I'll report back with any progress...
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Rominator
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« Reply #22 on: December 02, 2015, 11:37:45 PM » |
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You should say "Hi" to the guy at MR trying to add EFI support for NVME, he is working with similar issues, could help each other greatly.
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Before asking a question, check your "Personal Settings" and be sure that you have "Brain Services" set to "On".
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hyram
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« Reply #23 on: April 29, 2016, 07:27:57 PM » |
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A while back I was looking into the MP1,1 and MP2,1 EFI's, but sidelined it due to life. Anyway, here's what I can tell you about the xs31_81_06b firmware and processor support:
With absolute certainty, the only processors supported will have a CPUID of 0x106A2, 0x106A4, and 0x106a5 as the FW (vol 4 & 6) includes microcode for these CPUIDs. I'm sure that there are others supported without microcode, but I'd have to disassemble the PEIcore code to be sure which ones, and I don't really have the time to do that.
I've attached a listing of everything I was able to ascertain about the xs31_81_06b firmware. I hope it helps.
hyram
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edgerider
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« Reply #24 on: December 04, 2018, 09:27:24 AM » |
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just to let you guys know that we have opened a post on MR to try to make the Xserve go to 2019 and build a new firmware with all the bells and wistle of the mac pro 5.1 while still remain true Xserve function... all help is needed , like the Macpro, i think if we do the base work, apple will release an official firmware update. here is the link! no intention to hijack this post! @netkas, rominator, we absolutely need your help on this one! Dosdude1 and Tsialex are already over there, so please I beg you guys to come and join the force! https://forums.macrumors.com/conversations/xserve.989909/page-2#message-1143016 |
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Rominator
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« Reply #25 on: December 16, 2018, 10:46:36 AM » |
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yeah, i'd love to but they tossed me out for correctly arguing that the nMP 6,1 was a turd with no upgrade path
i was right, the moron who drives around with Five Flats was 100% wrong, but i won't ever post there again
anyhow, did someone try my quick and dirty "flash it as 5,1" method?
i got the cable to connect boards together but not found time
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edgerider
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« Reply #26 on: December 18, 2018, 12:39:08 PM » |
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sorry for late reply i dont come here very often.
so basically someone over there did boot a xs3.1 just fine with macpro 5.1 140.0 firmware but he lost hardware xserve fonctionality such as led planel on front here is what he say :
Here it is ... Hope that can help, I already flashed it with a MacPro 5.1 even with boot room 140.0 booted fine showed as a MacPro 5.1 and I could put 6 core and 12 core same thing as the Mac Pro. Now you lose the Hard Drive led's activity, and the front panel led too, so I did revert back to Xserve original rom 2009, Installed Sierra, and High Sierra on the other, Got back the LED HD's activity nice I love it, and I managed also to bring back the LED front Panel ... Where It used to be a time where the front panel was working OOB under the Snow and Lion 10.7.5 era with Server install, but I found a way to run the LED's even under ML, Mavericks and UP to High Sierra...
so i don’t understand if he had remove the 6 core and put back the 4 core to boot into xs3.1 firmaware, or if reverting to x3.1 actually kept the processor compatibility....
pending on his reply...
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edgerider
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« Reply #27 on: December 23, 2018, 02:14:35 PM » |
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@rominator,
so yes i can confirm someone at MR got a xserve 3.1 booting just fine with 5.1 firmware 140.0 and two x5690, and successfully revert back to xs3.1 firmware and x55xx processor.
the only thing that was not working was the LOM and hhd led .
We were about to get tve very precious help of someone there, but one other member used one of his idea as « his » so he got pissed and decline helping, which i gess is understandable...
sorry for my noob question but what do you think is the best strategie :
inject X3.1 lom function in cMp5.1 v140.0 firmware?
inject cMp5.1 cpu microcode/nvme boot and so on in xs3.1 firmware...
or
compare the two firmware side by side and look for differences ?
the guy on MR that was able to modify firmware also told me that « only apple had a special way to access the firmware update via ethernet boot... »
he also said that the only way to modify the firmware without bricking the xserve was to build a breakout board to connect the LCP+sip connector to capture what was going on during the boot to debug...
other than that they have found the soic8 chip in the mobo but no one can explain me why you need to have access to the LCP+Sip to unbrick a mobo with a bugged firmware...
dont a soic clip dont do exactly the same?
merry xmas and hollydays to all of you!
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edgerider
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« Reply #28 on: December 23, 2018, 04:24:30 PM » |
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I think I found an interesting link to the x-serve technician manual : http://tim.id.au/laptops/apple/xserve/xserve_early2009.pdfin this manuals a block diagram clearly show that the serial port on the back is indeed connected to the smc and the eeprom containing the firmware... look page 16.... |
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donluca
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« Reply #29 on: July 14, 2019, 06:11:48 PM » |
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Has there been any development? I know there’s a guy who managed doing this and posted on a xserve facebook group but he didn’t tell how he did it.
I’m still trying to understand the procedure, do we have to desolder the chip and program it?
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