4 - Firmware Upgrades & Updates
18
GPStation™ User Manual
where
$auth
is a special command which allows program model upgrades
auth-code
is the upgrade authorization code, expressed as hhhh,hhhh,hhhh,hhhh,hhhh,model# where the
h characters are an ASCII hexadecimal code, and the model# would be ASCII text
Example:
$auth 17cb,29af,3d74,01ec,fd34,gpstnm
Once the $AUTH command has been executed, the GPStation will reboot itself. Issuing the VERSION command will
confirm the new upgrade model type and version number.
UPDATING USING THE “LOADER” UTILITY
Loader is required (instead of the $AUTH command) when updating previously released firmware with a newer version
of program and model firmware (e.g., updating a GPSTN Rev. 3.42 to a higher revision level of the same model).
Loader is a DOS utility program designed to facilitate program and model updates. Once Loader is installed and running,
it will allow you to select a host PC serial port, bit rate, directory path, and file name of the new program firmware to be
downloaded to the GPStation.
DOWNLOADING FIRMWARE FILES
To proceed with your program update, you must first acquire the latest firmware revision. You will need a file with a
name such as OEMXYZ.EXE (where XYZ is the firmware revision level). This file is available from NovAtel’s GPS
Bulletin Board (403-295-4206) or FTP site (ftp.novatel.ca), or via e-mail (gps@novatel.ca). If downloading is not
possible, the file can be mailed to you on floppy disk.
You will need at least 1 MB of available space on your hard drive. For convenience, you may wish to copy this file to a
GPS sub-directory (e.g.,
C:\GPS\LOADER
).
The file is available in a compressed format with password protection; Customer Service will provide you with the
required password. After copying the file to your computer, it must be decompressed. The syntax for decompression is
as follows:
Syntax:
[filename] -s[password]
where
filename
is the name of the compressed file (but not including the .EXE extension)
-s
is the password command switch
password
is the password required to allow decompression
Example:
oem342
-s12345678
