[website_subgeniuskitty.com] / data / development / sun_solaris / sun_blade_1000_cpu_upgrade.md

# Overview #

Sun has a long history of introducing artificial compatibility restrictions between similar systems in order to drive increased sales. The Sun Blade 1000 officially supports 600, 750 & 900 MHz CPUs while the Sun Blade 2000 supports CPUs up to 1.2 GHz. It would be a nice speed boost for my Blade 1000 if I could use the faster CPUs.

An internet search turned up conflicting information. Some people claimed the CPU upgrade should work, while others claimed it would be incompatible or cause problems with overheating. No one reported actually trying the upgrade, so all posts were mere speculation. An examination of the Sun System Handbook reveals identical part numbers (501-6230, 501-5938 & 501-4143) for the system boards of the Blade 1000 and 2000. The internal layout and cooling of the two systems is also identical. Furthermore, the two systems share one officially compatible CPU, the 900 MHz UltraSPARC III Cu (501-6002), indicating that the Blade 1000 does support the later Cu modules. In theory, the faster CPU should be a drop-in replacement, requiring at most a firmware upgrade.

I attempted the upgrade and it went smoothly. The information below documents my attempt. Although YMMV, I suspect this upgrade will work for all combinations of CPUs and system boards used in the Sun Blade 1000, Blade 2000, SunFire 280R and Netra 20. 

# Hardware #

The exact hardware used for this test is shown below. If you attempt this procedure, let me know what part numbers you used and the result; I will update this page.

    System Board: 501-6230
             CPU: 501-6750
            PROM: 4.16.4 (patch 118323-01)

My computer originally had OBP v4.10.1. The upgrade to 4.16.4 is in patch 118323-01 which I have included as a link at the bottom of this page. It can be applied either from within Solaris or directly from your existing OBP environment via a UFS volume. Instructions for both methods are included in the tarball. Remember to set the write-enable jumper on the system board.

If you transition from dual to single CPU the empty slot must be filled in order to maintain proper airflow, but original filler panels are difficult to find. A plug could be made out of cardboard but, if you have dead CPUs available, removing the connector allows use of an old CPU, thus ensuring proper airflow. A table saw cuts through PCB like a hot knife through butter. Clean the edge thoroughly; you don't want to introduce metal flakes inside your Blade 1000. Also, use spacers on the anchor bolts of the CPU to prevent contact and damage to the connector on the system board.

%%BEGIN_GALLERY%%
sun_blade_1000_cpu_upgrade.files/IMG_20160225_164802.jpg|Before cutting
sun_blade_1000_cpu_upgrade.files/IMG_20160225_164930.jpg|After cutting
sun_blade_1000_cpu_upgrade.files/IMG_20160226_080438.jpg|Installed with spacer
%%END_GALLERY%%

# Result #

Before PROM upgrade:

    # prtdiag -v
    System Configuration: Oracle Corporation  sun4u Sun Blade 1000 (2 X UltraSPARC-III) 
    System clock frequency: 150 MHZ
    Memory size: 3GB        
    
    ==================================== CPUs ====================================
                   E$          CPU                    CPU
    CPU  Freq      Size        Implementation         Mask    Status      Location
    ---  --------  ----------  ---------------------  -----   ------      --------
    0     750 MHz  8MB         SUNW,UltraSPARC-III     5.4    on-line     +-board/cpu0
    1     750 MHz  8MB         SUNW,UltraSPARC-III     5.4    on-line     +-board/cpu1
    
    ...
    
    System PROM revisions:
    ----------------------
    OBP 4.10.1 2003/04/09 10:56
    POST 4.10.1 2003/04/09 14:29

After PROM upgrade:

    # prtdiag -v
    System Configuration: Oracle Corporation  sun4u Sun Blade 1000 (2 X UltraSPARC-III) 
    System clock frequency: 150 MHZ
    Memory size: 3GB        
    
    ==================================== CPUs ====================================
                   E$          CPU                    CPU
    CPU  Freq      Size        Implementation         Mask    Status      Location
    ---  --------  ----------  ---------------------  -----   ------      --------
    0     750 MHz  8MB         SUNW,UltraSPARC-III     5.4    on-line     +-board/cpu0
    1     750 MHz  8MB         SUNW,UltraSPARC-III     5.4    on-line     +-board/cpu1
    
    ...
    
    System PROM revisions:
    ----------------------
    OBP 4.16.4 2004/12/18 05:18
    POST 4.16.3 2004/11/05 20:02

After CPU upgrade:

    # prtdiag -v
    System Configuration: Oracle Corporation  sun4u Sun Blade 1000 (UltraSPARC-III+) 
    System clock frequency: 150 MHZ
    Memory size: 3GB        
    
    ==================================== CPUs ====================================
                   E$          CPU                    CPU
    CPU  Freq      Size        Implementation         Mask    Status      Location
    ---  --------  ----------  ---------------------  -----   ------      --------
    0    1200 MHz  8MB         SUNW,UltraSPARC-III+   11.0    on-line     +-board/cpu0
    1    1200 MHz  8MB         SUNW,UltraSPARC-III+   11.0    on-line     +-board/cpu1
    
    ...
    
    System PROM revisions:
    ----------------------
    OBP 4.16.4 2004/12/18 05:18
    POST 4.16.3 2004/11/05 20:02

The upgrade appears to be a complete success. I have not encountered any problems under either Solaris 10 1/13 or NetBSD 7.0. Temperatures are stable and safe under extended compiles.

# Files #

* [Patch 118323-01 (OBP 4.16.4 for Sun Blade 1000)](sun_blade_1000_cpu_upgrade.files/118323-01.tar.gz)
Commit	Line	Data
f6e94cb2 AT	1	# Overview #
	2
	3	Sun has a long history of introducing artificial compatibility restrictions between similar systems in order to drive increased sales. The Sun Blade 1000 officially supports 600, 750 & 900 MHz CPUs while the Sun Blade 2000 supports CPUs up to 1.2 GHz. It would be a nice speed boost for my Blade 1000 if I could use the faster CPUs.
	4
	5	An internet search turned up conflicting information. Some people claimed the CPU upgrade should work, while others claimed it would be incompatible or cause problems with overheating. No one reported actually trying the upgrade, so all posts were mere speculation. An examination of the Sun System Handbook reveals identical part numbers (501-6230, 501-5938 & 501-4143) for the system boards of the Blade 1000 and 2000. The internal layout and cooling of the two systems is also identical. Furthermore, the two systems share one officially compatible CPU, the 900 MHz UltraSPARC III Cu (501-6002), indicating that the Blade 1000 does support the later Cu modules. In theory, the faster CPU should be a drop-in replacement, requiring at most a firmware upgrade.
	6
	7	I attempted the upgrade and it went smoothly. The information below documents my attempt. Although YMMV, I suspect this upgrade will work for all combinations of CPUs and system boards used in the Sun Blade 1000, Blade 2000, SunFire 280R and Netra 20.
	8
	9	# Hardware #
	10
	11	The exact hardware used for this test is shown below. If you attempt this procedure, let me know what part numbers you used and the result; I will update this page.
	12
	13	System Board: 501-6230
	14	CPU: 501-6750
	15	PROM: 4.16.4 (patch 118323-01)
	16
	17	My computer originally had OBP v4.10.1. The upgrade to 4.16.4 is in patch 118323-01 which I have included as a link at the bottom of this page. It can be applied either from within Solaris or directly from your existing OBP environment via a UFS volume. Instructions for both methods are included in the tarball. Remember to set the write-enable jumper on the system board.
	18
	19	If you transition from dual to single CPU the empty slot must be filled in order to maintain proper airflow, but original filler panels are difficult to find. A plug could be made out of cardboard but, if you have dead CPUs available, removing the connector allows use of an old CPU, thus ensuring proper airflow. A table saw cuts through PCB like a hot knife through butter. Clean the edge thoroughly; you don't want to introduce metal flakes inside your Blade 1000. Also, use spacers on the anchor bolts of the CPU to prevent contact and damage to the connector on the system board.
	20
	21	%%BEGIN_GALLERY%%
	22	sun_blade_1000_cpu_upgrade.files/IMG_20160225_164802.jpg\|Before cutting
	23	sun_blade_1000_cpu_upgrade.files/IMG_20160225_164930.jpg\|After cutting
	24	sun_blade_1000_cpu_upgrade.files/IMG_20160226_080438.jpg\|Installed with spacer
	25	%%END_GALLERY%%
	26
	27	# Result #
	28
	29	Before PROM upgrade:
	30
	31	# prtdiag -v
	32	System Configuration: Oracle Corporation sun4u Sun Blade 1000 (2 X UltraSPARC-III)
	33	System clock frequency: 150 MHZ
	34	Memory size: 3GB
	35
	36	==================================== CPUs ====================================
	37	E$ CPU CPU
	38	CPU Freq Size Implementation Mask Status Location
	39	--- -------- ---------- --------------------- ----- ------ --------
	40	0 750 MHz 8MB SUNW,UltraSPARC-III 5.4 on-line +-board/cpu0
	41	1 750 MHz 8MB SUNW,UltraSPARC-III 5.4 on-line +-board/cpu1
	42
	43	...
	44
	45	System PROM revisions:
	46	----------------------
	47	OBP 4.10.1 2003/04/09 10:56
	48	POST 4.10.1 2003/04/09 14:29
	49
	50	After PROM upgrade:
	51
	52	# prtdiag -v
	53	System Configuration: Oracle Corporation sun4u Sun Blade 1000 (2 X UltraSPARC-III)
	54	System clock frequency: 150 MHZ
	55	Memory size: 3GB
	56
	57	==================================== CPUs ====================================
	58	E$ CPU CPU
	59	CPU Freq Size Implementation Mask Status Location
	60	--- -------- ---------- --------------------- ----- ------ --------
	61	0 750 MHz 8MB SUNW,UltraSPARC-III 5.4 on-line +-board/cpu0
	62	1 750 MHz 8MB SUNW,UltraSPARC-III 5.4 on-line +-board/cpu1
	63
	64	...
65
66	System PROM revisions:
67	----------------------
68	OBP 4.16.4 2004/12/18 05:18
69	POST 4.16.3 2004/11/05 20:02
70
71	After CPU upgrade:
72
73	# prtdiag -v
74	System Configuration: Oracle Corporation sun4u Sun Blade 1000 (UltraSPARC-III+)
75	System clock frequency: 150 MHZ
76	Memory size: 3GB
77
78	==================================== CPUs ====================================
79	E$ CPU CPU
80	CPU Freq Size Implementation Mask Status Location
81	--- -------- ---------- --------------------- ----- ------ --------
82	0 1200 MHz 8MB SUNW,UltraSPARC-III+ 11.0 on-line +-board/cpu0
83	1 1200 MHz 8MB SUNW,UltraSPARC-III+ 11.0 on-line +-board/cpu1
84
85	...
86
87	System PROM revisions:
88	----------------------
89	OBP 4.16.4 2004/12/18 05:18
90	POST 4.16.3 2004/11/05 20:02
91
92	The upgrade appears to be a complete success. I have not encountered any problems under either Solaris 10 1/13 or NetBSD 7.0. Temperatures are stable and safe under extended compiles.
93
94	# Files #
95
96	* [Patch 118323-01 (OBP 4.16.4 for Sun Blade 1000)](sun_blade_1000_cpu_upgrade.files/118323-01.tar.gz)