MLNX_OFED should be installed before installing the following content from the bundle; see Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open Card Driver.
Mellanox provides a Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open bundle (Innova_Flex_Open) that includes the following directories:
FPGA_image/ – This folder contains two subfolders: Factory_image/ and Flex_image/, and additional auxiliary files.
See Using the Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open Bundle.Factory_image/ – This folder contains the Mellanox Innova-2 Factory Image binary files:
innova2_factory_open_fpga_primary_file.bin – for flash 0
innova2_factory_open_fpga_secondary_file.bin – for flash 1
Flex_image/
innova2_flex_open_fpga_primary_file.bin – for flash 0
innova2_flex_open_fpga_secondary_file.bin – for flash 1
FW/ - This folder contains two subfolders: Morse_FW/ for Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open 25G cards, and MorseQ_FW/ for Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open VPI cards.
Morse_FW/ – fw-ConnectX5-rel-(version number).bin – This folder contains Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open 25G firmware bin files for ConnectX-5.
MorseQ_FW/ – fw-ConnectX5-rel-(version number).bin – This folder contains Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open VPI firmware bin files for ConnectX-5.
Driver/ – Contains a direct PCI device driver for Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open
App/ – Contains an Innova-2 Flex user application
Update_script – Contains the "install.sh" script for automatic update of previously installed 18_7, 18_10 and 18_11 bundles
main.conf, 18_7.conf, 18_10.conf and 18_11.conf versions – Configuration files for the update script
In the current bundle (18.12) and future bundles, the FPGA will be shipped with two Mellanox images – a Factory Image located at offset 0x0, and a Flex Image located at offset 0x3000000. When burned by a customer using the application, the User Image will be located at offset 0x1000000 in the flash.
In an earlier Innova-Flex Open bundle 18_07, the FPGA was released with a single image on board – the Flex Image. This image was burned at offset 0x0, and contained the Diagnostics and Burn-over-PCI features. At the time this image was referred to as "Factory Image”. It had the ability, along with the Flex-Open application, to burn a User Image on the flash.
The Flex Image in the current release harbors the same functionality as in the earlier release. That is, it provides the diagnostics and Burn-over-PCI features. This image may be updated in future releases with new features. The Factory Image is there to provide a fail-safe method to update the Flex Image. In case of a Flex update failure, the system will fall back to the Factory Image to allow re-burning of the Flex Image. The Factory Image is only supplied for this scenario, and cannot be used for diagnostics nor for user image burning.
Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open cards are available in two models based on the type of network ports: 25G vs. VPI (see Ordering Part Numbers).
The FPGA images serve both models of cards.
However, each model card requires a different ConnectX-5 firmware due to the differing network ports on the cards (2x25Gb/s for Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open 25G vs. 2x40/100 Gb/s for Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open VPI).
For this reason, the bundle includes ConnectX-5 firmware for the Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open 25G cards and the Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open VPI cards in two separate folders: Morse_FW and MorseQ_FW, respectively.
The Mellanox Innova-2 Flex bundle 18.12 is designed to be forward compatible with specific releases of Mellanox ConnectX-5 firmware (FW), the Mellanox OFED driver, and the Firmware Burning Tool (MFT). Hence there are currently no plans to upgrade the current bundle. Refer to the Release Notes for a list of the SW versions compatible with each FW release.
The Mellanox Innova-2 Flex bundle 18.12, initially released in January 2019, includes ConnectX-5 FW 16.24.4020 under the FW/ folder, and this firmware is burnt onto the Innova-2 Flex cards that are factory shipped from Mellanox. Note that this is not the latest FW release.
Mellanox highly recommends that you update the ConnectX-5 firmware on the card received from factory with the latest FW available. The FW supplied on the factory card and in the bundle is not the latest FW release.
You should ensure that you are using compatible releases of FW, MLNX_OFED and MFT. See the Release Notes.
Updating of the ConnectX-5 FW on a Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open card is performed in the same manner as a FW update to other Mellanox ConnectX-5 based cards. For detailed instructions refer to:
Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open 25G card: Updating Adapter Firmware section in the ConnectX-5 Ethernet Adapter Cards User Manual.
Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open VPI card: Updating Adapter Card Firmware section in the ConnectX-5 InfiniBand/VPI Adapter Cards User Manual.
Download of the bundle is not required for every FW update, but only for the first-time installation of the Flex Tool.
ConnectX-5 firmware (FW) for Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open cards can be downloaded from https://www.mellanox.com/page/firmware_table_ConnectX5EN.
Mellanox OFED and Firmware Burning Tool (MFT) are not included in the bundle and can be downloaded from the locations provided.
MLNX_OFED Software:
Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open 25G card: http://www.mellanox.com → Software → Ethernet Drivers (www.mellanox.com/page/software_overview_eth).
Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open VPI card: http://www.mellanox.com → Software → InfiniBand/VPI Drivers (www.mellanox.com/page/software_overview_ib).
For MLNX_OFED downloading and installation instructions see Mellanox Innova-2 Flex Open Card Driver section.
MFT software is included with the MLX_OFED download, however it is also available separately at www.mellanox.com → Software → Firmware Tools → MFT (www.mellanox.com/page/management_tools).
For MFT documentation refer to https://docs.mellanox.com/category/mft.