Intel PCH-LP, Programming Manual

Page: 70 / 90

70 523462
Intel Confidential
FAQ and Troubleshooting
Fparts.txt Entry
Q: Is my flash part supported by Intel
®
ME Firmware? How can I add support
for a new flash to Intel
®
ME Firmware?
A: As long as the SPI flash devices meets the requirements defined in the Broadwell
PCH-LP Family External Design Specification (EDS), support may be added for the
device. BIOS will have to set up the Host VSCC registers. The Intel Management Engine
VSCC table in the descriptor will also have to be set up in order to get Intel
®
ME
firmware to work. See
4
4.4 Intel
®
ME Vendor-Specific Component Capabilities (Intel
®
ME VSCC) Table and 7.4 Management Engine VSCC Table for more information.
Adding support does not imply validation or guarantee a flash part will work. Platform
designers/integrators will have to validate all flash parts with their platforms to ensure
full functionality and reliability.
Q: Why does FPT/verify fail for my system even when I wrote nothing to
flash?
A: Intel
®
ME Firmware performs periodic writes to SPI flash when it is active. Due to
this the ME region may not match the source file. Please see
45
11 Recommendations for
SPI Flash Programming in Manufacturing Environments for more information. There are
also other system activities beside the Intel
®
ME that can change the data on the flash
vs the original image. For example, the GbE check sum is updated on flash part
whenever the value is incorrect.
Q: How can I overwrite the descriptor when FPT does not have write access?
How can I overwrite a region that is locked down by descriptor protections?
How do I write to flash space that is not defined by the descriptor?
A: By asserting HDA_SDO (flash descriptor override strap) low on the rising edge of
PWROK, you can read, write and erase all of SPI flash space regardless of descriptor
protections. Any protections imposed by BIOS or directly to the SPI flash part still
apply. This should only be used in debug or manufacturing environments. End
customers should NOT receive systems with this strap engaged.
Q: I have two flash parts installed on the board. Why does fpt /i only show
one flash part?
A: Broadwell PCH-LP will not recognize the second SPI flash part unless it is in
descriptor mode and the Component section of the descriptor properly describes the
flash. Another possibility is that you have two different flash parts and the second flash
part is not defined in fparts.txt.