Installing firmware version 6.4.4 on new SunFire/Enterprise T1000 and T2000, Netra T2000 and Netra CP3060 servers prior to booting to the OS will cause the service processor to become corrupted. Once the service processor is corrupted, it goes into a continuous boot loop that cannot be broken without replacing the service processor.

This issue can occur on the following platforms:

SPARC Platform

• Sun Fire/Enterprise T1000 with firmware 6.4.4 (as delivered in patch 126400-01)
• Sun Fire/Enterprise T2000 with firmware 6.4.4 (as delivered in patch 126399-01)
• Netra T2000 with firmware 6.4.4 (as delivered in patch 126401-01)
• Netra CP3060 with firmware 6.4.4 (as delivered in patch 126402-01)

if the upgrade to firmware 6.4.4 has been performed prior to booting to the OS.

Notes:

1. This issue can only occur if the system has not been booted to the OS prior to upgrading the firmware. (As in brand new systems that have not yet been booted).
2. This issue is not known to occur on previous versions of firmware for the above mentioned systems.

The series of events leading to this issue are as follows:

1. A new system with firmware 6.3 or earlier is scheduled for firmware upgrade to 6.4.4
2. Service processor is powered on
3. Flashupdate to firmware 6.4.4 is performed
4. 'resetsc' is run

After upgrading/flashupdate to firmware 6.4.4, then running 'resetsc' on the service processor, the system will go into a continuous boot loop. The sequence is as follows:

1. The firwmare is upgraded to 6.4.4 without first booting to the OS
2. 'resetsc' is run
3. The service processor resets
4. ALOM POST runs
5. VxWorks starts
6. VxDiag runs, with error message of "ERROR: Serializer:short read"
7. Service processor resets and repeats above in a continuous loop

On a new system, upgrading the firmware directly to 6.4.6 (from 6.3 or earlier) will prevent this issue altogether.

To avoid this issue when upgrading the firmware to 6.4.4 on a new system, make sure the system has first been booted completely to the OS prior to the firmware upgrade. (It is not required to run POST). Then the flashupdate to firmware 6.4.4 may be performed.

This issue is addressed on the following platforms:

SPARC Platform

• Sun Fire/Enterprise T1000 with firmware 6.4.6 (as delivered in patch 126400-02 or later)
• Sun Fire/Enterprise T2000 with firmware 6.4.6 (as delivered in patch 126399-02 or later)
• Netra T2000 with firmware 6.4.6 (as delivered in patch 126401-02 or later)
• Netra CP3060 with firmware 6.4.8 (as delivered in patch 126402-02 or later)

• Updated Contributing Factors and Resolution sections
• State: Resolved

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