Bundle Content and Considerations

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.

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.

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.