Copyright: (C) Copyright 1998 Conexant Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Introduction: Upgrading Your Modem

FlashCom32 is a modem flash-memory loader. It sends special program files to your modem to upgrade it with new capabilities and/or make it compatible with popular industry standards.

FlashCom32 is easy to use. It examines your system and determines if a flash-loadable modem is attached. All you have to do is select the modem from the list and click the [Update Modem] button.

About Flash Memory and Upgradeable Modems

Historically, most modems have not been upgradeable via software; The manufacturer equipped the modem with a built-in ROM chip that told the modem how to respond to commands sent from the computer and how to process incoming and outgoing data. If you needed new capabilities, you might have been able to replace the ROM chip, but you most often had to buy a new modem.

Your modem, on the other hand, is fully programmable. It is equipped with Flash Memory which, unlike ROM, can be modified by software. Once the Flash Memory has been modified, it retains its program and thereafter works just like ROM to control the modem without needing to be reloaded.

A characteristic of Flash Memory is that it must be erased entirely before a new program can be loaded into it. That complicates things. In particular, the modem must retain in its memory the program that loads the program. Thus, you will notice that there are two phases to the flash-loading operation. First, FlashCom32 sends the flash-load loader to the modem’s memory (RAM). When the loader is in place, FlashCom32 begins sending the larger, main module -- the actual firmware that will control the modem.(see How FlashCom32 Works)

It is very important that these steps happen in sequence and are not interrupted. Should a power failure or other interruption occur at just the wrong moment, the modem may become unusable.

There are some built-in safeguards. If an error occurs, you can try reloading even if FlashCom32 cannot recognize the modem as being flash-loadable.


How FlashCom32 Works

On startup the application will begin by querying TAPI for information about modems installed on your system. In previous versions of FlashCom, the application determined if modems were installed by testing for a modem on each COM (serial port). Using TAPI to determine installed modems is more reliable and faster than scanning every COM port in the system, bearing in mind that some modems may be installed on COM ports greater than COM4, which are not scanned by previous versions of FlashCom.

Determining installed modems is only the first step in identifying modems. The second step involves actually communicating with the modem. Each installed modem is issued commands and the responses to those commands are checked against a list of validators, which are pre-programmed into the FlashCom32 application by the modem manufacturer that supplied it. These validators contain information about the modem manufacturer, model, modem upgrade state and some comments. If a validator is matched, the state, manufacturer, model and comments and displayed against the modem name in the ‘installed modems’ page on the main window.

Upgrading modem firmware

In order to start the upgrade process, FlashCom32 needs to send a modem loader program to the modem. This program controls how the modem receives and interprets data from the PC (the protocol) and how to change the contents of the Flash memory (which contains the modem’s main program). The loader program is stored in volatile memory (RAM) and is discarded once the upgrade process has been completed (or interrupted).

When upgrading / updating a modem using FlashCom32, two files must be specified, namely the loader program file and the modem firmware file. The modem loader program file is sent to the modem first, followed by the modem firmware file.

Backing up modem firmware

FlashCom32 provides you with the ability to backup the existing modem firmware on your modem before installing new firmware. This may be useful if you are not happy with the performance of the new firmware or if there is some problem with the new firmware. Usually it would not really be necessary to backup the existing firmware, as the modem manufacturer would have extensively tested the new firmware before making it available. The facility is provided for those who would like a bit more security.

The process is similar to the upgrading procedure. First a modem unloader program is sent to the modem. This program controls how the modem sends the data to the PC. Once the modem unloader program has been sent to the modem, it will begin sending the contents of the firmware in the modem’s flash memory to the PC where it is stored in a backup file. Once the unloading process is complete, the program is removed from RAM and the modem continues to function as before.

When backing up a modem using FlashCom32 only the unloader program file needs to be specified. FlashCom32 will create a backup file based on the current modem information. The backup file will be added to the file list (under the [File] tab on the main window). This file can be sent to the modem at a later stage to restore the modem flash memory if desired.


Main Window - Installed Modems
Main Window – Installed Modems

On startup, FlashCom32 will determine which (if any) modems are installed on your system. A list of modems will be displayed once the process is complete. The modem list is shown under the [Installed Modems] tab of the main window. The list contains the following columns describing each modem:

•	Name. TAPI provides the name of the modem. The names correspond to the installed modem names as shown in the system control panel (Start/Settings/Control Panel/Modems).

•	Port. The communications port name for the modem. This can be anything from COM1 – COMx. The port name may also show N/A, which means that the port could not be determined. Modems not using COM type ports for communication, such as USB or PC-Card modems might show N/A as the port name.

•	State. The modem state can be one of the following:

•	Updateable. The modem uses flash memory and may be upgraded.

•	Up-to-date. The modem firmware is up-to-date, no upgrading is necessary.

•	Not Updateable. The modem firmware cannot be updated.

•	Faulty. The modem may not have any firmware loaded.

•	Unknown.

•	Manufacturer. The modem’s manufacturer.

•	Model. The modem’s model.

•	Comment.

On the left side of each modem listed is an icon. There are three possible icons:

•	Modem Icon. The modem was found, opened and validated by the FlashCom32 application.

•	Modem Icon with Question Mark. The modem was opened but was not validated.

•	Modem Icon with Circled X The modem was found, but could not be opened due to some error. The modem may be in-use by another application, or its not correctly installed.

The list of installed modems may be refreshed at any time by clicking the [Refresh List] button or by selecting the [Refresh / Revalidate All] option from the popup menu (right clicking inside the installed modems list area will show the popup menu). Refreshing the list involves checking for installed modems and revalidating them as described in How FlashCom32 Works.

To upgrade (update) or backup modem firmware, double-click on a modem, or click the [Update Modem] button, or select [Update Selected Modem] from the popup menu.


Main Window - Files
Main Window – Files

Clicking on the [Files] tab on the main window will show a list of configured firmware files. The file list contains the following columns:

•	Name. The user-friendly name of the file (not the actual name of the file on your hard-disk)

•	File Type. The type of firmware file. The following file types are possible, each file type is represented by an icon on the left of the file’s name.

•	Loader. This firmware file allows loading new modem firmware into the modem. This type of file is used to upgrade a modem. An arrow pointing up icon represents a loader type file.

•	Unloader. This type of file is used to save the current modem firmware to a file on your PC. An arrow pointing down icon represents a unloader type file.

•	Firmware. A modem firmware file (original).

•	Backup. A backup of modem firmware. FlashCom32 creates backup files.

If the file does not actually exist on your disk, the file type icon will show a small red X next to the icon.

•	File Path.

•	Protocol. This file type is used for loader and unloader type files only. The protocol can be either ASCII or Xmodem. As explained in How FlashCom32 Works, loaders and unloaders control the transfer of data between the PC and the modem, which means they determine the protocol. The Xmodem protocol is more reliable than the ASCII protocol but is slower.

•	Description.

Use the [Add], [Edit], [Delete] buttons to add, edit or delete a file. Note that deleting a file in FlashCom32 doesn’t delete the physical file on your disk, just in the application’s database. This is a safety feature. If necessary you may need to delete files manually. The add, edit and delete options are also available from the popup menu which is obtained by right clicking on the file list area, or on a file itself.


Main Window - About
Main Window – About

Click on the main window’s [About] tab to see information about the FlashCom32 application as well as technical support and other information.


Upgrading Your Modem

Step 1: Select a modem

From the [Installed Modems] tab which displays the list of modems on your system, select a modem that you wish to update / upgrade and click [Update Modem], or select [Update Selected Modem] from the popup menu, or simply double click on the modem. The file selection dialog box will now appear.

Step 2: Select files

For modem upgrading, select a loader type file (arrow pointing upward icon) as well as a modem firmware file.

For modem backup, select an unloader type file (arrow pointing downward icon). There is no need to select a firmware file, FlashCom32 will create a backup file based on the modem’s model.

Click [OK] to continue. Click [Cancel] to return to the main window without performing any action.

The application will now attempt to upgrade or backup the modem firmware. Note that during the upgrade process the [Abort] button will be disabled. The modem upgrade process must not be interrupted while in progress.

Once the upgrade procedure has been completed, the selected modem will be re-validated to determine if the upgrade was successful or not.


Obtaining Technical Support
Technical Support

To obtain technical support via the web or by phone, refer to the [About] tab on the main window (Main Window – About).


Troubleshooting Guidelines

No modems displayed in installed modems list.

Check that you have installed your modem(s) correctly and that they are listed under Control Panel - Modems. FlashCom32 will display error messages during initialisation if they occur. If any errors did occur, the application may not have been able to determine installed modems.

Modem listed with Circled X icon

FlashCom32 will display an error message if it could not open a modem. If an error does occur trying to open a modem, the modem cannot be interrogated to determine the manufacturer and other information (i.e. validated).

Modems that cannot be opened are indicated with a circled X icon.

Typically TAPI will fail to open a modem due for the following reasons:

•	The modem is currently in use by some application in the system. Close all applications that are using modems, such as dial-up networking and hyper-terminal. It may also be necessary to close DOS boxes (under Win9x) which have recently used a COM port. Select the refresh option to attempt to re-open the modem and validate it. If you still do not have success, reboot your PC and try again.

•	The modem may not be installed correctly or completely. If no other applications on your system can successfully use the modem, try and re-install the modem using the system Control Panel.

Modem listed with Question-Mark icon

If the validation of a modem fails, the question-mark icon is displayed next to the modem name. This indicates that your modem is unknown to the application.

‘Port’ is ‘N/A’

USB, PC-Card and other non-RS232 serial port modems may show the port as N/A. The port display is for information only and does not affect the operation of FlashCom32. The application does not make direct use of the port to communicate with the modem.


Random Access Memory. This type of memory is volatile which means its contents are lost when power is removed. This memory can be re-written with new data any number of times and at any position.


Firmware is a type of software that is permanently stored inside a microprocessor-based system (such as a modem).


Microsoft® Telephony Application Programming Interface.


Universal Serial Bus. A high-speed serial bus used to connect peripherals.


Read Only Memory. This type of memory can be written only once. Once data has been stored in a ROM it cannot be erased or modified in any way.