Update ZL3073x Firmware Using Devlink¶

The devlink utility provides a standardized interface for device management in Linux, including firmware update operations. This document describes the procedure for identifying a ZL3073x device, verifying its firmware version, updating the firmware, and validating the update.

Prerequisites

Before performing a firmware update, ensure that:

Root or sudo privileges are available.
The target device is detected by the system and registered with devlink.
A valid firmware image (.hex) is available.
The ZL3073x driver supports the devlink flash_update operation.

Identify Devlink Device Name ¶

The device identifier used in the examples (i2c/i2c-PRP0001:01) is platform-specific and may vary depending on:

ACPI configuration
I2C bus enumeration
Platform-specific hardware design
Driver registration order

Determine the correct device name before performing a firmware update.

Locate ZL3073x Device ¶

Identify the ZL3073x device registered with devlink using the following command:

~(keystone_admin)]$ sudo devlink dev info | grep -B1 "driver zl3073x"

Example output:

i2c/i2c-PRP0001:01: driver zl3073x-i2c

Where,

i2c/i2c-PRP0001:01 is the device identifier and zl3073x-i2c is the driver.

Use the reported device identifier in all the subsequent commands.

Optionally, list all the registered devlink devices:

~(keystone_admin)]$ sudo devlink dev show

Note

The device identifier may differ between hardware platforms, firmware versions, ACPI configurations, and system implementations.

Verify Current Firmware Information ¶

Display the current firmware and hardware information:

~(keystone_admin)]$ sudo devlink dev info i2c/i2c-PRP0001:01

Example output:

i2c/i2c-PRP0001:01:
  driver zl3073x-i2c
  versions: fixed:
   asic.id 3FC4
   asic.rev 300
  running:
    fw 7200

Where,

driver: Device driver managing the hardware

asic.id: ASIC identifier

asic.rev: ASIC hardware revision

fw: Currently running firmware version

In this example, the device is running firmware version 7108.

Perform Firmware Update ¶

Install Firmware Bundle ¶

Copy the firmware image to the system firmware directory:
```
~(keystone_admin)]$ sudo cp myfwbundlecomb.hex /lib/firmware/
```
If you receive the following error when copying the file to /lib/firmware/, the file system must be unlocked before you can copy the firmware.
```
cp: cannot create regular file '/lib/firmware/myfwbundlecomb.hex': Read-only file system
```

Unlock the file system temporarily:

~(keystone_admin)]$ sudo ostree admin unlock

Flash Firmware ¶

Run the firmware update:

~(keystone_admin)]$ sudo devlink dev flash i2c/i2c-PRP0001:01 file myfwbundlecomb.hex

Where,

i2c/i2c-PRP0001:01: Target devlink device

file: Firmware image parameter

myfwbundlecomb.hex: Firmware bundle to be programmed

Example output:

[utility] Prepare flash mode
[utility] Downloading image 100%
[utility] Flash mode enabled
[config0] Downloading image 100%
[config0] Flashing image 100%
[config0] Flashing done
[config1] Downloading image 100%
[config1] Flashing image 100%
[config1] Flashing done
[config2] Downloading image 100%
[config2] Flashing image 100%
[config2] Flashing done
[config3] Downloading image 100%
[config3] Flashing image 100%
[config3] Flashing done
[config4] Downloading image 100%
[config4] Flashing image 100%
[config4] Flashing done
[config5] Downloading image 100%
[config5] Flashing image 100%
[config5] Flashing done
[config6] Downloading image 100%
[config6] Flashing image 100%
[config6] Flashing done
[utility] Leaving flash mode
Flashing done

Verify Firmware Update ¶

After the firmware update is completed, verify the firmware version:

~(keystone_admin)]$ sudo devlink dev info i2c/i2c-PRP0001:01

Example output:

i2c/i2c-PRP0001:01:
 driver zl3073x-i2c
 {{versions:}}
   {{fixed:}}
     {{asic.id 3FC4}}
     {{asic.rev 300}}
   {{running:}}
     {{ fw 7200}}

Confirm that the value reported in running.fw matches the expected firmware version contained in the firmware bundle.

Troubleshooting - ZL3073x Firmware Update ¶

Driver Not Loaded ¶

Verify that the required kernel modules are loaded:

~(keystone_admin)]$ lsmod | grep zl

Example output:

   zl3073x_spi 12288 0
   regmap_spi 12288 1 zl3073x_spi
   zl3073x_i2c 12288 0
   zl3073x 81920 2 zl3073x_spi,zl3073x_i2c

If the required modules are not loaded, the device may not be registered with
devlink and firmware update operations will not be available.

Verify device registration:

~(keystone_admin)]$ sudo devlink dev show

Example output:

i2c/i2c-PRP0001:01

If the device is not listed, review the driver logs:

~(keystone_admin)]$ dmesg | grep -i zl3073x

Possible causes include:

Missing kernel modules
I2C or SPI communication failures
Incorrect ACPI configuration
Firmware loading failures during driver initialization

Firmware File Not Found ¶

Verify that the firmware image exists and is accessible:

~(keystone_admin)]$ ls -l /lib/firmware/myfwbundlecomb.hex

Flash Operation Failed ¶

Review system logs for additional information:

~(keystone_admin)]$ dmesg | tail -100

Common causes include:

Invalid firmware image
Firmware image incompatible with the ASIC revision
Insufficient permissions
Communication failures with the target device