Mellanox Technologies
						   
===============================================================================
                       Mellanox FlexBoot Release Notes
                           Rev 3.4.460, January 2015
===============================================================================
NOTE:

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--------------------------------------------------------------
© Copyright 2015. Mellanox Technologies. All rights reserved. 

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===============================================================================
Table of Contents
===============================================================================
1. General
2. Supported Adapters
3. Supported Firmware and Firmware Tools
4. Supported Operating Systems
5. Tested Platforms
6. Package Contents
7. Changes From Previous versions
8. Known Issues

===============================================================================
1. General
===============================================================================
These are the release notes for "Mellanox FlexBoot", the software
for Boot over Mellanox Technologies adapter devices supporting VPI. FlexBoot
enables booting kernels or operating systems (OS) from remote servers in
compliance with the PXE specification.
This package is based on the open source project iPXE available at
http://www.ipxe.org.

===============================================================================
2. Supported Adapters
===============================================================================
The package supports the ConnectX®-2, ConnectX®-3, ConnectX®-3 Pro
and Connect-IB® family Network Adapter devices and cards.

===============================================================================
3. Supported Firmware and Firmware Tools
===============================================================================

Firmware:
- Connect-IB fw-ConnectIB version 10.10.5000 and above
- ConnectX-3 Pro fw-ConnectX3pro version 2.33.5000 and above
- ConnectX-3 fw-ConnectX3 version 2.33.5000 and above
- ConnectX-2 fw-ConnectX2 version 2.9.1000 and above

Tools:
- MFT (Mellanox Firmware Tools) version 3.8.0 and later

===============================================================================
4. Supported Operating Systems
===============================================================================
- RHEL 6.3
- CentOS 6.3
- SLES 11 SP2
- SLES 11 SP3
- Windows 2012

===============================================================================
5. Tested Platforms
===============================================================================
Server Vendor & Model		BIOS Manuf. & Version
DELL C6220					DELL 1.1.25
DELL M620					DELL 2.0.12
HP ProLiant SE2140s Gen8	HP P87
HP ProLiant SL230s Gen8		HP P75
HP ProLiant DL380p Gen8		HP P70
HP ProLiant SL4540 Gen8		HP P74
HP ProLiant BL460c Gen8		HP I31
IBM x220					IBM B2E120QUS-1.20
IBM X3550M4					IBM D7E116AUS-1.10
IBM SystemX 3850 X5			IBM Corp. G0E177AUS-1.77
DELL R720					DELL 2.0.11
HP DL 380 gen 8				HP P70
HP DL 360 gen 8				HP P71
Supermicro X9DRW			American Megatrends Inc. 1.0b
Supermicro X7DWT			Phoenix Technologies LTD 1.2b
Supermicro X7DWT			Phoenix Technologies LTD 1.1c
Intel Sandy Bridge Platform	Intel Corp. SE5C600.86B.99.99.x035.090220111136

===============================================================================
6. Package Contents
===============================================================================
The FlexBoot package is provided as a tarball (.tgz extension)
containing the files specified in section 2. Supported Adapters.
A PXE ROM image file for each of the supported Mellanox network
adapter devices. 

===============================================================================	 
7. Changes From Previous versions
===============================================================================
 Changes From Version 3.4.306
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Boot Menu support: Added new FlexBoot GUI. The device can now be configured 
  in the POST stage.
- Non volatile memory read/write support
- Configurable URI boot retry and delay between retries
- Configurable iSCSI settings using DHCP/NVM
- Added new interface in order to update the registered devices on the PXE stage
- Enabled ConnectX Ethernet adapter cards family to work with interrupts
- Enabled PXE to work in promiscuous VLAN mode (configurable through the INI)
- Synced version with ipxe.org: Now the latest code in iPXE is used
- Added boot priority capability: iSCSI vs PXE and fallback incase one fails
- Updated the Proxy DHCP request method for non-existing option 54. 
  ProxyDHCP request is sent to port 67 with broadcast IP address if the server 
  identifier in option 54 is zero.
  Packets with source port different than BOOTPS_PORT and PXE_PORT are 
  filtered by the PROXY 
- SHELL CLI is currently supported on ConnectX-3 and ConnectX-3 Pro adapter cards only
- Both the GUID and the MAC are printed on the screen when the port link layer 
  is set as InfiniBand 
- PROXYDHCP and PXEBS settings are saved under netdevice settings
- rootpath/filename/nextserver are now fetched from the netdevice settings
- The cached DHCP packet are received only if working with the same net device.
  When pxelinux.0 receives the cached DHCP packet from the UNDI API, it constructs
  a new (fake) packet for the current net device. If the process is stopped and 
  then restarted and booted from the next boot device which serves as the second 
  port in the HCA, a new (fake) DHCP packet is not constructed. 
  The previous packet which includes all the information of the first port 
  (IP, MAC, Netmask, etc...) is used.
  If an old (fake) DHCP packet is discovered, its chaddr is compared to the chaddr 
  in the pxe_netdev, if not similar, a new (fake) DHCP packet is created.
- PXE shutdown is called if int22 with function 0x000C is called.
- The server's IP address in DHCP server replies is now checked before checking the 
  reply type. This will ignore NACK replies from servers which already were ignored 
  by the client. In case of 2 DHCP servers in the same subnet, the client will 
  eventually choose one of them, by sending the DHCP REQUEST with 
  'DHCP Server Identifier' (option 54) filled with the requested server's IP address.
- Changed DHCP discover timeouts to comply with PXE spec
  
 Changes From Version 3.4.225
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Added validation script for the released ROMs
- Added the option to always keep SAN hook to enable WIN install on iSCSI target
- Added compilation flag around the flash readout.
- Added URI Boot retry. Default retries = 0.
- Added Unmap MPT command in teardown.
- Added support for HII ISCSI configuration.
- Added 64-bit PCI BAR support (Large bar).
- Added the option added for running PXE with promiscuous VLAN.
- Re-added COMBOOT image support by default.
- Enabled pages-function handling in Connect-IB initialization stage to 
  work according to the PRM.
- Applied additional patches from ipxe.org
- Updated the window even if ACK does not acknowledge new data.
- Modified the error print to debug print.
- Modified the printed string when initializing devices.
- Modified the error print. Added additional information to make the 
  output more user-friendly.
- Changed the size of the domain name array to 0xfd.
- Disabled the waiting period for link up on trunk-net-device when 
  VLAN is enabled on port.
- Removed unsupported EQ event in Connect-IB
- Fixed an issue for TLV with length 0.
- Fixed an issue related to sync VLAN IRQ operation with trunk IRQ operation.
- Fixed an issue which enabled a netdevice (VLAN) to open/close twice.
- Fixed an issue which prevented the iSCSI initiator's name from 
  being received from HII.
- Fixed an issue related to dual port adapters; occasionally, booting 
  from the second port resulted in TFTP download failure when the first 
  port was already linked up with DHCP, and has received a TFTP address.
- Fixed an issue which caused PXE boot failure when using a filename 
  if iSCSI rootpath is set.
- Fixed an issue which prevented the device to PXE boot from the 2nd 
  port if first port was already downloaded.
- Fixed compilation issue.
- Fixed a broken VLAN issue.
- Fixed a retry issue when the value is infinite.

 Changes From Version 3.4.142
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 - Added additional information to the error print output.
 - Added compilation flag around the flash readout.
 - Added URI Boot retry. Default retries = 0.
 - Added Unmap MPT command in teardown.
 - Added 64-bit PCI BAR support.
 - Added an option for running PXE with promiscuous VLAN.
 - Added support for HII iSCSI configuration.
 - Enlarged the mailbox size to 4kb.
 - Enlarged the number of WQE to 64 (from 4).
 - Enabled multiple DHCP offers to be received before proceeding to request state. 
 - Changed the size of the domain name array to 0xfd.
 - Changed error print to debug print.
 - Changed printed string when initializing devices.
 - Kept the SAN connection permanently open to enable Windows install on iSCSI target 
   even when the iSCSI target is empty.
 - Readded COMBOOT image support by default.
 - Prevented a netdevice (VLAN) from opening/closing twice.
 - Removed unsupported EQ event in Connect-IB.
 - Disabled the waiting time for link up on trunk net device when VLAN is 
   enabled on a port.
 - Fixed sync VLAN IRQ operation with trunk IRQ operaaion.
 - Fixed iSCSI initiator's name retrieval from HII issue.
 - Fixed an issue caused in dual port adapters, when the first port was already linked
   up with DHCP, and had received a TFTP address. Booting from the second port 
   resulted in TFTP download failure.
 - Fixed retry issue when the value is infinite.
 - Fixed a TLV with length 0 issue.
 - Fixed a PXE boot failure issue occurred when using a filename 
   when iSCSI rootpath is set.
 - Fixed "Impossible to PXE boot from 2nd port if first port already downloaded."
   issue.
 - Fixed compilation issue.
 - Fixed broken VLAN support issues. 

 Changes From Version 3.4.000
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 - Enabled firmware to handle the link state with the Subnet Manager
 - Updated the DHCP class code to NONE
 - Added flash access capability for reading software-to-software configurations
 - Enabled DHCP validation of MAC address and XID for a unique tuple
 - Improved randomness algorithm for DHCP XID

 Changes From Version 3.3.420
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 - Increased the number of the supported systems
 - Added the ability to merge the PXE image with the UFI image
 - Fixed "no more network devices" issues

 Changes From Version 3.3.400
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 - Increased DHCP timeout

 Changes From Version 3.0.000
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 - Added ConnectX-3 support
 - Increased the number of the supported systems
 - All iPXE features are now part of the ROM image
 - Support multiple functions (Flex10)
 - Added support for Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)
 - Added ifenable/ifdisable network interface command
 - Improved reliability

===============================================================================
8. Known Issues
===============================================================================
- Firmware 2.30.3000 and below does not support booting over Ethernet with 
  VPI adapter cards when using QSFP cables (40GE, hybrid cables)
 
- Booting from WDS running on Windows 2008 R2 in InfiniBand mode, 
  is currently not supported due to compatibility issues between 
  FlexBoot 3.4.142 and Mellanox WinOF v4.40 and below

- Several BIOS vendors have limited boot-vector space and may not 
  display FlexBoot in their boot menu
  Workaround: Disable the embedded NIC boot agent in BIOS

- In several BIOS, the server might hang during FlexBoot booting
  due to wrong configuration of the PMM 
   
- Large Receive Offload (LRO) and iSCSI may not interoperate due to a bug in
  current Linux kernel distributions. To avoid this problem when using iSCSI,
  disable LRO in the IPoIB module. See the Mellanox FlexBoot user's manual for
  details under the Diskless Machines chapter (InfiniBand Ports).
  
- iSCSI over IB is not tested

- iSCSI over DCB is not supported

- Flexboot supports only 2K MTU 

- .mrom images larger than 128kB are currently not supported

- Only EBX,ESI,DS,ES registers can be saved in Boot Entry

- SLAM,FTP,HTTPS and SRP are currently not supported

- FCoE, BCV are not supported