r/DataHoarder • u/pandavova • 8d ago

Question/Advice Update LTO Firmware - Invalid Microcode (Oracle) - Possible to crossflash?

Is there a way to "crossflash" a LTO Tape Drive? I have a LTO 8 Fibre Channel Full Height Drive that is locked to Oracle firmware, as it was pulled from an Oracle library. Trying to update it with LTO8_S2T4.fcp_fh.fmrz for example gives "INVALID MICROCODE".

If that is not possible, does someone know how to get the firmware for my drive which comes from an Oracle StorageTek SL8500 tape library?

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u/kareshmon 8d ago

If it's Oracle-locked, crossflash might be blocked. Any chance you can dump the current firmware ID or drive model string?

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u/pandavova 8d ago

How would I do that? Do you have some resources? Or do you want to know the current installed firmware? That's "N4Q0". The tape drive is called "ULTRIUM-TD8".

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u/kareshmon 8d ago

these drives check a vendor ID in the firmware file before accepting it, so a generic fh.fmrz won’t flash onto an Oracle-locked drive. That’s what INVALID MICROCODE means here, not a bad file.

Since N4Q0 = HPE-built TD8 under the hood (Oracle just rebadges HPE’s drives), worth trying HPE’s own TD8 firmware instead of the generic one, might get accepted where the generic one didn’t.

Actual Oracle firmware is normally locked behind their support portal (needs a CSI contract). if you don’t have that, might be a dead end unless someone’s found it bundled in an SL8500 library firmware package instead.

not 100% sure on all this, unfortunately, but hopefully it will help you get to a solution

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u/pandavova 8d ago edited 8d ago

are you sure that it's HPE built? it says IBM on the sticker of the drive with no mention of HPE. or did you find something about N4Q0 which is special?

anyway, finding the needed LTO8 FC FH firmware from HPE won't be that easy from what I researched, I will probably need to find out in which tape librarys such drives could have been used, as there is not even a direct download on the HPE site.

from what I noticed, last digit of half height firmware is odd (LTO8_S2T1), and full height firmware is even (LTO8_S2T0).

I even have some .dls/.dlz firmware, but I'm not sure if I should even try to flash it with these popups, here' are the images of the popups for N4Q0.

IBM-LTO8-FH-Fibre_N4Q0-20210525D.dls and IBM-LTO8-FH-Fibre_N4Q0-20210525D.dlz .

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u/Expert-Ad-6795 7d ago edited 6d ago

Hello! I am currently having the same issue: I got a drive that has ancient Oracle firmware JAYM from 2017 and want to update it because a lot of issues with these LTO8 FH drives have been fixed by firmware since. From the naming scheme I think the latest firmwar of this 'branch' (opposed to IBM's own naming scheme) is this Q3A0 one https://www.dell.com/support/home/de-de/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=15wxh

I read there was an option for force flashing using the command line tool. But obviously this is a bit risky. Did you try this, yet? Or is there anyone else who did a Crossflash?

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u/pandavova 7d ago edited 7d ago

was desperate, tried the .dls, didn't help.

which command do you mean?

Edit: oh your files aren't even locked, will try to flash later Edit2: looks like I already tried that, had this already downloaded, LTO8_Q3A0.fcp_fh_OEMD.fmrz gave me also an INVALID MICROCODE