There are 3 ways to load a new firmware version into a Cobox. Firmware can be loaded through the serial port, it can be loaded over the network via tftp or it can be sent from one Cobox to another Cobox over the network. Serial Procedure ================ Cobox firmware comes in a file with the extension .ROM. An example filename is coboxnnn.rom where nnn represents the version number of the file. For instance the v3.5 firmware file is named cobox350.rom. The latest Cobox firmware and the R2H.EXE application mentioned below are available at ftp://ftp.lantronix.com/pub/cobox-uts for Coboxes and at ftp://ftp.lantronix.com/pub/cobox-nts for NTS servers. Before you can load firmware through the serial port you need to convert the ROM code to HEX format. There is a DOS application, R2H.EXE that can be used to convert the ROM file to HEX. Put R2H.EXE and the *.ROM file into the same directory on a PC then open a DOS Window to that directory and type C:\ R2H COBOXnnn to create a COBOXnnn.HEX file that you can load in via the serial port. Connect a PC running a terminal emulator (HyperTerminal for instance) to the serial port of the Cobox and enter Monitor Mode by typing xx1 in the terminal session while the Cobox is powering up. Downloading is done in Monitor mode. Once in Monitor mode, type "DL". This puts the Cobox into serial Download mode. If you're using HyperTerminal choose "Send Text File" from the Transfer menu and choose the *.HEX file that was created with R2H. It will take up to several minutes for the file to be sent to the Cobox. When the end record is received, the CoBox checks the integrity of the firmware image and then starts programming the new firmware in the Flash prom. While this is occurring it is absolutely necessary not to switch off the power to the Cobox! A loss of power while reprogramming the program code will result in a corrupt program image and a nonfunctional CoBox. After compete reprogramming, the CoBox restarts. Network tftp Procedure ====================== To load firmware over the network you'll need a tftp application that can "put" a file onto the Cobox in Binary mode. Use the Cobox's IP address for the Host Name, the filename 3Q for the Remote File Name and the name of the *.ROM file as the Local file name, then do a tftp "put" to the Cobox. DO NOT use the HEX version of the file when loading via tftp. Be very careful to set the tftp application to do a Binary transfer when upgrading over the network. Cobox-to-Cobox Procedure ======================== To distribute the firmware of the one CoBox to others, the "SF" command is used. After entering Monitor mode on the CoBox (see above), simply send the firmware with the "SF" command to the other devices. For instance, to send the firmware to another Cobox at IP address 192.168.11.200 you'd type SF 192.168.11.200 in Monitor Mode. A