Re: [flashrom] W836xx : HP Z820 : flashrom -V

[Roberto Denis]

iwer, stefacnt:

Thanks for your IRC help a couple days ago. I have been partially successful in using the ROM layout file  (-l) feature in flashrom to segment the writes to the flash in my HP Z820 workstation. It evident the HP Z820 flash has two ‘regions’: that below 0x510000 and that 0x510000 and above. The lower portion contains the coding for the Intel AMT/ME features and other data. The attached lower.txt file is log of the successful write flash addresses below 0x510000.

But writing to the space above 0x510000 is still a problem. In that space I tried writing just to the bootblock area (which is all I am seeking to update in this flash) and while flashrom tags it initially as read/write, the write fails. See the attached upper.txt logfile. I did attempt writing to the entire upper section (not just the bootblock) and got the same results.

The flash is hardware write enabled or I could not have written to the area below 0x510000. It seems something else seems needs enabling. Any thoughts would be helpful.

Thanks again ...

Roberto

W836xx : HP Z820 : flashrom -V

[Stefan Tauner]

On Thu, 17 Apr 2014 14:55:16 -0700
Roberto Denis  wrote:
> BIOS Lock Enable: enabled, BIOS Write Enable: disabled, BIOS_CNTL is 0x2a
> WARNING: BIOS region SMM protection is enabled!

That's the problem IMHO. See SMM_BWP in the chipset documentation
(section 13.1.33 in intel document 326200). Short version: if you want
to write there easily, use an external programmer.

W836xx : HP Z820 : flashrom -V

[Roberto]

Timely email, succesfully used buspirate just two days ago. Still
struggling though because you lose the Intel ME/ATM functions. The code for
the ME co-resides with the BIOS code in the flash. But the rest works fine.
Those functions must be signed with the certificate being stored elsewhere.
On May 3, 2014 1:51 PM, "Stefan Tauner" 
wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Apr 2014 14:55:16 -0700
> Roberto Denis  wrote:
> > BIOS Lock Enable: enabled, BIOS Write Enable: disabled, BIOS_CNTL is 0x2a
> > WARNING: BIOS region SMM protection is enabled!
>
> That's the problem IMHO. See SMM_BWP in the chipset documentation
> (section 13.1.33 in intel document 326200). Short version: if you want
> to write there easily, use an external programmer.