cmd6686gx manual - RTD Embedded Technologies, Inc.

Booting to Boot Block Flash with Fail Safe Boot ROM
The Fail Safe Boot ROM is a special build of ROM-DOS located inside a surface mounted Boot
Block Flash chip that is memory mapped to the SSD window. Boot Block Flash is a write protected flash
device that contains the BIOS and extra room where the Fail Safe Boot ROM is stored in the ROM DISK.
The build is special because it can understand the ROM DISK format on the flash chip. Additionally, Fail
Safe Boot ROM is an emergency interface accessible by an external computer. The ROM DISK in the Fail
Safe Boot ROM contains REMDISK and REMSERVE for remote access to the system’s disk drives. Due to
the size of the flash chip, Fail Safe Boot ROM contains an abreviated selection of the ROM-DOS utilities,
however, the complete ROM-DOS is contained on a floppy shipped with the board.
The purpose of the Fail Safe Boot ROM is to make the board bootable when the customer receives
the cpuModule. Fail Safe Boot ROM can be used as an indicator of the board’s functionality when booting
problems arise with another operating system. This test can be accomplished by installing JP5. Installing
JP5 forces the cpuModule to boot to Fail Safe Boot ROM. The ROM DISK that contains the Fail Safe Boot
ROM acts as an example of what can be programmed into the flash chip. Last, Fail Safe Boot ROM allows
files to be transferred on or off the storage devices in the system by use of REMSERV and REMDISK, two
ROM-DOS utilities.
If the user would need remote access to the system run REMSERV on the target system and REM-
DISK on the host system. The end result would be that the storage devices on the target system would appear
as additional drives on the host system. Information could then be transferred between hard disks by using a
standard NULL Modem cable over a serial port. REMSERV makes the connection appear as an additional
drive to the user. For details concerning this type of access, please refer to the ROM-DOS user’s guide
shipped with your board
NOTE!
Boards are shipped with fail safe boot rom enable.
When Fail Safe Boot ROM is enabled the system will boot to it exclusively.
The first time, your system will boot to the DOS prompt at the first available drive letter. If you do
not intend to use REMSERV or REMDISK or you intend to boot from another device, you will need to disable
Fail Safe Boot ROM. See the steps below for the method to disable it.
• Reset the system by either shutting it off and turning it on or by using the reset button.
• while the system is booting repeatedly press the DEL key to enter the BIOS setup.
• Choose INTEGRATED PERIPHERALS using the arrow keys and enter.
• Once in INTEGRATED PERIPHERALS set Fail Safe Boot in SSD Win: Disabled
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