=============================================== Release Notes for Phoenix BIOS on EKF CC3-CAJUN =============================================== This file describes changes, extensions and bug fixes made in the Phoenix BIOS for EKF's CC3-CAJUN. For any questions about this contact EKF at: Email : support@ekf.de Internet : www.ekf.de Last modification of this file: 2007-03-27 Modification summary (in chronological order, latest at bottom of this file): ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2005-12-01: First BIOS release, Build #300 production ===================================================================================== - Added code to ignore invalid ESCD 2006-01-02: BIOS release, Build #302 production ===================================================================================== - Removed ESCD overflow error. This error occurred if too much PCI devices were detected during POST and leads to invalid or destroyed flash data (ESCD, ECMS and other). - Added PCI device related menu in Advanced BIOS setup. All PCI related options moved to this menu. - Added support for more than 48 PCI devices. To support this, PCI device records are removed from ESCD. The following new BIOS setup option controls this: Setup (F2): Advanced -> PCI Device Configuration -> Save PCI Device List Previously PCI device records were always saved in ESCD. Cause ESCD has only place for 48 PCI devices, the new default mode is 'PCI Records' for an unlimited number of PCI devices. Mode 'ESCD' is for compatibility to older versions, i.e. for systems who need it. - Added option to reset ESCD without entering BIOS setup (F2) To do this press SHIFT-ALT-F9 during POST (timeframe: keyboard LED 'NUM' goes on until boot starts). The system restarts immediately after SHIFT-ALT-F9 and ESCD will be reset. - After power to CardBus cards (-> EKF CP3-HOUSE) is switched on, a delay is increased before the BIOS makes a first access to any register of the CardBus card. This is necessary for some CardBus cards to get properly detected by the BIOS. - Added option which allows to select allocation size for CardBus bridges (-> EKF CP3-HOUSE): Setup (F2): Advanced -> PCMCIA/CardBus Configuration -> Select CardBus Allocation Size In previous versions of this BIOS the allocation size was fixed to 4MB. For Windows XP and more than one EKF CP3-HOUSE this item must be set to 16 MByte (default). 2006-01-09: BIOS release, Build #310 production ===================================================================================== - Added an additional Etherboot ROM (V5.4.1b) with BACKOFF_LIMIT set to '1'. This halves Etherboot timeout in case of 'no IP address'. Also this BIOS uses a rotating bar instead of sequential dots to indicate a packet transmitted. - If Etherboot is set to top position in boot menu as the setup default AND if in a previous BIOS version the Etherboot Expansion BIOS was disabled, Etherboot is now automatically moved to top position - at the latest after a second reboot. In older BIOS versions an additional 'F9' is necessary to move the Etherboot Expansion BIOS to top position. The reason for this is that Etherboot is not yet known as an IPL device when CMOS is set to default values, because in that moment the Etherboot Expansion BIOS is just enabled. Consequently the BIOS boot manager places Etherboot (as a new detected boot device) at the end of the IPL table. - Added code to load Etherboot Expansion ROM only once, even if more than one appropriate Ethernet controller is found during scan (e.g on CompactPCI). This avoids error message "Resource Conflict - Allocation error static node # xx". - Added feature to disable all external Expansion ROMs, which are found during ROM scan and which are not selective controllable by other options (-> IDE/ATA, SCSI, SATA). External Expansion ROMs are those ROMs which are detected on a non-CPU-internal PCI bus, e.g. on CompactPCI. Control this with: Setup (F2): Advanced -> Expansion ROM Configuration -> Other External Expansion ROMs - Removed check of Expansion ROM version for SATA controller SiI-3114 (e.g. used on EKF CE5-CADENZA or EKF DE2-TIGER). Now all Exansion ROM versions for this controller can be disabled via BIOS setup. - Added feature to load any Ethernet Expansion ROM (Etherboot or PXE) AFTER any other (external) Expansion ROM has been loaded. This is sometimes necessary, if a OS installation to a SCSI harddisk or to SATA harddisk should be made from a remote (Ethernet) device. This feature can be controlled with new option: Setup (F2): Advanced -> Ethernet Configuration -> Load Ethernet ROM late: If set to Enabled, Ethernet Expansion ROMs are loaded after a SCSI BIOS (for EKF CS3 or CS5) or after a SATA BIOS (EKF CE5-CADENZA) has been loaded. Some Expansion BIOS' decreases their size after they have initialized itself. This additional size gives Etherboot a chance to load additionally. If this option is set to Disabled (default), Etherboot/PXE is loaded first and then there is not enough space to load an Expansion ROM for mass storages. - New option allows the selection of 4 different modes during memory test Setup (F2): Advanced -> Memory Configuration -> POST Extended Memory Test Mode 1: Makes always a full memory address and data test (quite slow). Clears memory. Mode 2: Same as hitherto (default mode). Makes a quick memory test and clears memory. Mode 3: Same as mode 2, but this mode doesn't clear extended memory. Mode 4: Skip all memory tests and don't clear extended memory. Please note the following two comments before using this mode: - Be sure memory is correctly working by running one of modes 1-3 previously - If memory size is changed in this mode, the new size is not recognized until running one of modes 1-3 again. - Added support for fixed processor speed throttle. This is controlled with setup option: Setup (F2): Advanced -> CPU Configuration -> CPU fixed Speed-Limiting Higher throttle values decreases CPU temperature and performance significantly. If this option is changed in BIOS setup, its consequence can be immediately observed there, cause the temperatures (Board and CPU) are shown in the same setup screen. 2006-01-20: BIOS release, Build #320 production ===================================================================================== - Added IRQs 14 and 15 for use by PCI devices. Previously only IRQ numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 were selected by the BIOS algorithm. Note that IRQ14 and IRQ15 can only be selected for PCI devices, if they are not already used by the local IDE controller. I.e. to use these IRQs, the local IDE controller (Primary and/or Secondary) must be disabled per BIOS setup. - Removed BIOS option 'Only one IRQ for all PCI devices'. This functionality can now be more flexibly adjusted in submenu -> PCI IRQ Configuration - Added feature to select an IRQ number for all eight PCI interrupts PIRQ[A-H]. Setup (F2): Advanced -> PCI Configuration -> PCI IRQ Configuration This ability allows to select a dedicated IRQ number for a special PCI device, to select one IRQ for all PCI devices or whatever ... any combination is allowed. - Added PCI PnP Configuration Setup Screen for IRQ exclusion Setup (F2): Advanced -> PCI Configuration -> PCI/PNP ISA IRQ Resource Exclusion This Setup menu allows to exclude certain IRQs used by PCI. These IRQs are: 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15. Note that IRQ14 and IRQ15 can only be selected if not used by local IDE controller. - Added PCI PnP Configuration Setup Screen for UMB memory exclusion Setup (F2): Advanced -> PCI Configuration -> PCI/PNP ISA UMB Region Exclusion This screen allows to reserve four 16KB blocks in upper memory (D-Segment) for ISA devices. Reserved blocks cannot be used as Shadow-Memory, i.e. the available space for Expansion ROMs is significantly decreased. - Now all error codes are additionally displayed on green LED 'GP' in front panel of EKF CC3-CAJUN. This is useful in systems where no beeper is available. The list of possible error codes is documented in file 'biosinfo.txt' (included in ZIP file). - Added BIOS setup option to allow CompactPCI signal INTS (pin P1-E4) used as IRQ15. Setup (F2): Advanced -> CompactPCI Configuration -> CompactPCI INTS Routing - Now it is not possible to save current BIOS settings as Custom Defaults if previously during POST an error occurred or a warning message was displayed. 2006-03-15: BIOS release, Build #340 production ===================================================================================== - Added a two second delay before boot sequence is retried. This delay is only valid if Setup item Setup (F2): Advanced -> Miscellaneous Configuration -> Select Mode after Boot failed' is set to mode 'Retry BS'. Without this delay CMOS checksum is updated incompletely when Reset is executed (or CTL-ALT-DEL is pressed) during BS retry loop and CMOS will then be reset to default values at next restart. - Removed a bug which prevents saving of Custom Defaults if Custom Defaults have just been loaded - Removed a bug which prevents using an external graphics board (e.g. EKF CV1) as the primary VGA device. Changed Setup option which allows to enable or disable a VGA Video-BIOS. This option now only controls a VGA BIOS of an external graphics board: Setup (F2): Advanced -> Expansion ROM Configuration -> External VGA Video BIOS: - Added Setup option to let user decide what to do if a keyboard error occurs: 'Advanced -> BIOS/POST Options -> Ignore Keyboard Error' Default mode is 'Disabled' to be compatible to earlier BIOS versions. - Message 'Custom Defaults loaded' isn't shown if option 'Always Load Custom Defaults' is enabled AND Custom Defaults have been loaded at beginning of POST 2007-03-27: BIOS release, Build #350 production =====================================================================================