A firmware upgrade for the T3

[togo]

Hi,

The T3 2TB indicates that a firmware upgrade is available, and says that it is large and should be done via USB.

The current installed firmware is Version 17.5, Build 20171204, so I assume that there is a later, production release in the 17.5 series.

The Beyonwiz web site's Downloads page has a Version 16.1 release, as does the latest New Firmware for all T-Series Models announcement here on the forum.

Can anyone please point me in the right direction? Perhaps an update over the air is in fact ok with this release.

Rgds,

Togo

[MrQuade]

The latest 17.5 firmware is in the beta forums here.

The "large update" warning will usually be displayed if an update has more than 100 packages in it. If the update only has 150ish, then it is generally ok to apply. It is only the updates that contain several hundred packages that things tend to get hairy.

I believe it will be fine to apply the online update, but as always, just in case, perform a settings backup prior to attempting the update.
If things go pearshaped, then just download and apply the latest USB firmware update that I linked to above.

[togo]

Thanks, MrQuade. Much appreciated.

Does this put me on a beta release, but not on the beta distribution track?

Rgds,

Togo

[MrQuade]

Does this put me on a beta release, but not on the beta distribution track?

Yep, pretty much.

All 17.5 releases are "beta releases" in that regard, but they are beta in name-only really.

If you install the linked USB image, but don't run the "beta feed script", then you will effectively be on the official release and only receive the official online updates.

If you instead enable the beta feed, then you will then be on what is properly considered beta, and will receive online updates that haven't yet been tested by a wider audience.

[togo]

Thanks, that makes sense.

I went with a USB upgrade, and it all is working ok.

There was a hitch with a USB 3.0 drive. At the power-on step the T3 did not respond at all, giving instead a good imitation of a brick, even after I removed the USB stick and tried again. Unplugging from 240v, pausing, then plugging in it brought a normal boot next time I used the power-on switch. It all then worked normally when I used a USB 2.0 drive instead.

Despite all this, once it was working ok, the T3 was quite ok for playing movies from the USB 3.0 drive.

Thanks for the help.

Rgds,

Togo

[MrQuade]

Despite all this, once it was working ok, the T3 was quite ok for playing movies from the USB 3.0 drive.

Yep, that's pretty common for USB3 drives and has been discussed (disgust? ) at great length on the forums.

The Beyonwiz T series bootloader requires a USB drive that is backwards compatible with the USB1.1 standard. Most USB3 drives are not, and many USB2 drives aren't either.

Once the T3 is up and running, the operating system is able to load the more sophisticated Linux USB drivers which are compatible with the newer USB2 standard.

[togo]

I saw some of that discussion: it is clearly a trap for the unwary. I was surprised that the impact went a bit beyond the USB key just not working at boot time. Is there any prospect of an update for the bootloader?

[MrQuade]

I saw some of that discussion: it is clearly a trap for the unwary. I was surprised that the impact went a bit beyond the USB key just not working at boot time. Is there any prospect of an update for the bootloader?

There is usually no impact beyond dinky but detecting the USB stick.

There is pretty much zero chance of any further bootloader updates. The drivers are up to the chip manufacturer and they no longer provide updates.

[togo]

Thanks, that's clear enough.

Thanks too for guiding me through the upgrade, MrQuade - much appreciated.

Rgds,

Togo

[gawaterman]

The Beyonwiz T series bootloader requires a USB drive that is backwards compatible with the USB1.1 standard.
How do i tell if my usb drive is USB1.1?

[prl]

Most older USB2.0 thumb drives also support USB1.1. Many USB3.0 thumb drives don't.

The only sure way to tell is to try it on the T3 and see if the update directory on it is detected by the boot loader..

Some keyboards have USB slots that only support USB1.1. If you have one of those, you can use that to test whether the drive is USB 1.1 compatible. That's how I test drives for USB 1.1 compatibility.

The 20180417 T3 update files total about 150MB. If you have an old USB2.0 drive with at least that capacity, there's a good chance it will work for update.

Remember that the drive also needs to be [re]formatted as FAT32.

[togo]

gawaterman, standard USB3 drives have a blue insert in the plug, while it is a black insert in USB2 sticks. It may be though that not all drives on the market follow the standard.

[IanB]

Black or blue does not matter.

The drive must support USB 1.1 mode of operation for boot loader style firmware update. I have both usb2 and usb3 drives that don't and other usb2 and usb3 drives that do.

As prl said to test, find an old usb 1.1 hub. They are in keyboards, monitor stands, novelty coffee cup warmers, personal cooling fans, etc, etc, .... Look amongst the junk in op shops, they are usually 50 cents to a dollar.

[prl]

Black or blue does not matter.
...

It does, indirectly. The blue plug insert is an indication that the drive is USB 3.0 (recommendation of the standard, though, not mandatory).

Experience of forum members is that USB 3.0 thumb drives are less likely to support USB 1.1, though some have been found that do.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

...Experience of forum members is that USB 3.0 thumb drives are less likely to support USB 1.1, though some have been found that do.

Yes, we know from forum member Laurie44 that a "Lexar JumpDrive S25 USB 3.0 16 GB" worked in his T4. Lexar don't appear to produce that model any more.

I use a USB 2.0 Lexar drive - a 32GB Jumpdrive S50 USB 2.0, and it works every time for f/w updates across our T2, T4 & U4 units. I know Big W sell the 16GB version.

[netmask]

I have a very ancient Kingston DataTraveler with a whopping 2GB capacity! Works every time until someone makes a firmware update of 2.001GB! Then I'm stuffed...

[prl]

I have a very ancient Kingston DataTraveler with a whopping 2GB capacity! Works every time until someone makes a firmware update of 2.001GB! Then I'm stuffed...

You're still a way off that (20180417):
T2: 156 MB
T3: 146 MB
T4: 165 MB
U4: 102 MB

576 MB if you want to have the firmware of all models on the same USB stick.

I use an ancient 2GB USB 2.0 conference giveaway. With all 4 firmware installers and the OverlayHD and Series2Folder packages on it, it still has 1.3GB free.

[IanB]

Black or blue does not matter.
...

It does, indirectly. The blue plug insert is an indication that the drive is USB 3.0 (recommendation of the standard, though, not mandatory).

Experience of forum members is that USB 3.0 thumb drives are less likely to support USB 1.1, though some have been found that do.

You seem to miss the point -- Black (old) is no guarantee of USB 1.1 support, likewise Blue (usb 3) is no certainty that USB 1.1 is not supported. I would have to say my experience is recent usb 2 drives are no more likely to support USB 1.1 than usb 3 drives.