ipmctl can not updata Firmware say The file is too large

[autumn-2-net]

Do any one know what the problem is?

[sscargal]

@autumn-2-net

The message The file is too large is defined here

#define DETAILS_FILE_TOO_LARGE                 DETAILS_STR L"The file is too large"

And is referenced in three places in the ipmctl code

  if (SubsystemDeviceId == SPD_DEVICE_ID_10) {
    if ((!FlashSPI && BuffSize > FWImageMaxSize) ||
      (FlashSPI && BuffSize > FIRMWARE_SPI_IMAGE_GEN1_SIZE_B)) {
      NVDIMM_ERR("File size is too large. It equals: %d.\n", BuffSize);
      CatSPrintNCopy(pCommandStatus->StatusDetails, MAX_STATUS_DETAILS_STR_LEN,
          DETAILS_FILE_TOO_LARGE);
      ReturnValue = FALSE;
      goto FinishClose;
    }
  } else if (SubsystemDeviceId == SPD_DEVICE_ID_15) {
    if ((!FlashSPI && BuffSize > FWImageMaxSize) ||
      (FlashSPI && BuffSize > FIRMWARE_SPI_IMAGE_GEN2_SIZE_B)) {
      NVDIMM_ERR("File size is too large. It equals: %d.\n", BuffSize);
      CatSPrintNCopy(pCommandStatus->StatusDetails, MAX_STATUS_DETAILS_STR_LEN,
          DETAILS_FILE_TOO_LARGE);
      ReturnValue = FALSE;
      goto FinishClose;
    }
  } else if (SubsystemDeviceId == SPD_DEVICE_ID_20) {
    if ((!FlashSPI && BuffSize > FWImageMaxSize)) {
      NVDIMM_ERR("File size is too large. It equals: %d.\n", BuffSize);
      CatSPrintNCopy(pCommandStatus->StatusDetails, MAX_STATUS_DETAILS_STR_LEN,
          DETAILS_FILE_TOO_LARGE);
      ReturnValue = FALSE;
      goto FinishClose;
    }
  }

The IF..THEN..ELSE checks the buffer size for each of the three Intel Optane PMem Generations. If the file you're trying to load is larger than the buffer size within the individual PMem modules, then we get the "File is too large" message. Note the message in the code snippet is from ipmctl version 3.x. Your message is slightly different, so you're likely using ipmctl version 1 or 2.

We can summarize the error to the following:

• Firmware file is too large: The firmware image (.bin) you're using exceeds the allowable file size limit for your PMem module or the ipmctl utility.
• Invalid firmware image: If the file format or structure is not correct (corrupt, wrong model, or generation), ipmctl will not accept it and will throw this validation error.
• Version mismatch: You might be using a firmware image that is not compatible with your specific module revision or platform.
• IPMCTL version mismatch: You might be using the wrong version of ipmctl that supports your PMem modules. Ipmctl is backward compatible, so you don't have to use version 1 on Apache Pass, version 2 on Barlow Pass, etc.

Most server vendors provide update scripts that accompany the PMem firmware download that can be executed in the OS or UEFI shell. I recommend you use their utilities.

Should you need more help, can you provide more details about the server make/model and the Intel Optane PMem generation, please?

To gather diagnostic information about your Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory DIMMs and help triage firmware update issues, run the following ipmctl commands:

1. Show DIMM Information
   This provides key hardware and configuration details for all modules.

ipmctl show -dimm

To view all possible attributes for all DIMMs:

ipmctl show -a -dimm

2. Check DIMM Firmware Versions

This displays the current firmware version loaded on each module.

ipmctl show -firmware

3. Examine Specific DIMM Health and Status

Display health, lock state, and other specific properties:

ipmctl show -d HealthState,LockState,FirmwareVersion,ModelNumber,SerialNumber -dimm

4. Examine the Target Firmware Image
   (Optional, but useful to confirm image details before a load attempt)

ipmctl load -examine -source <firmware_image> -dimm

5. The version of ipmctl

ipmctl --version

6. The size of the bin file

ls <file>