Potential: Promise Ultra 133 to Sonnet Tempo

[TarableCode]

Hi.

I found a Promise Ultra 133 TX2 in one of my junk bins and it looks remarkably similar to the Sonnet Tempo 133...

In fact if we look at the option rom headers...

Promise PC ROM:

Image 1:
PCI Expansion ROM Header:
  Signature: 0x55aa (Ok)
  CPU unique data: 0x20 0xe9 0xb8 0x27 0x00 0x00 0x19 0x00
                   0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
  Pointer to PCI Data Structure: 0x20f8

PCI Data Structure:
  Signature: 0x50434952 'PCIR' (Ok)
  Vendor ID: 0x105a
  Device ID: 0x4d69
  Vital Product Data:  0x0000
  PCI Data Structure Length: 0x0018 (24 bytes)
  PCI Data Structure Revision: 0x00
  Class Code: 0x01808f (unknown)
  Image Length: 0x0020 blocks (16384 bytes)
  Revision Level of Code/Data: 0x0000
  Code Type: 0x00 (Intel x86)
  Last-Image Flag: 0x80 (last image in rom)
  Reserved: 0x0000

Platform specific data for x86 compliant option rom:
  Initialization Size: 0x20 (16384 bytes)
  Entry point for INIT function: 0x27be

Sonnet Mac ROM

Image 1:
PCI Expansion ROM Header:
  Signature: 0x55aa (Ok)
  CPU unique data: 0x4a 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
                   0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
  Pointer to PCI Data Structure: 0x002a

PCI Data Structure:
  Signature: 0x50434952 'PCIR' (Ok)
  Vendor ID: 0x105a
  Device ID: 0x4d69
  Vital Product Data:  0x0000
  PCI Data Structure Length: 0x0020 (32 bytes)
  PCI Data Structure Revision: 0x00
  Class Code: 0x018085 (unknown)
  Image Length: 0x007e blocks (64512 bytes)
  Revision Level of Code/Data: 0x0000
  Code Type: 0x01 (Open Firmware)
  Last-Image Flag: 0x80 (last image in rom)
  Reserved: 0x0000

Platform specific data for Open Firmware compliant rom:
  Pointer to FCode program: 0x004a

The Sonnet firmware updater does not recognize the PC flashed card which I would expect but maybe there's a way to brute force it to flash anyway?

The Mac firmware is much larger so I don't know if it's a good idea to try the PC flasher and hope it accepts a larger ROM or try to patch the Mac flasher into running anyway.

It must be checking something other than the PCI vendor/device IDs since they are exactly the same.

 

[NJRoadfan]

The Mac versions usually have a larger EEPROM on them to hold the OpenFirmware ROM, otherwise the rest of the hardware is the same. You can actually pop the Sonnet card into a PC and the Windows driver will recognize the card as a Promise Ultra 133 and use it. You just can't boot off of it or use it in DOS due to not having a PC ROM on it.

 

[TarableCode]

There's no EEPROM visible on the card which makes me think it's embedded in the controller itself.

Then we just have to wonder if they made different chips for Mac/PC versions or if they all have a large EEPROM.

 

[NJRoadfan]

If you don't mind sacrificing a Promise card and can get a dump of the Sonnet Mac ROM, you can try cross-flashing it with the PC tool.