American Megatrends AMIDebug Rx User manual

AMIDebug™Rx –User Manual
Document Revision 1.43
April 27th, 2017
Public Document
Copyright 2017
American Megatrends, Inc.
5555 Oakbrook Parkway
Suite 200
Norcross, GA 30093 (USA)
All Rights Reserved
Property of American Megatrends, Inc.

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Legal
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publisher, American Megatrends, Inc. American Megatrends, Inc. retains the right to update, change,
modify this publication at any time, without notice.
For Additional Information
Call American Megatrends, Inc. at 1-800-828-9264 for additional information.
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whatsoever, whether direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential, arising from the design or use of this
product or the support materials provided with the product.
Limited Warranty
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merchantability, or fitness for a particular use. American Megatrends assumes no responsibility for
errors and omissions or for the uses made of the material contained herein or reader decisions based
on such use.
Trademark and Copyright Acknowledgments
Copyright ©2017 American Megatrends, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
American Megatrends, Inc.
5555 Oakbrook Parkway
Suite 200
Norcross, GA 30093 (USA)
All product names used in this publication are for identification purposes only and are trademarks of
their respective companies.

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TableofContents
OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................................................................................5
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................................................5
KEY FEATURES...............................................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................................................6
DOCUMENT CHANGE HISTORY.......................................................................................................................................6
GETTING STARTED WITH AMIDEBUG RX...........................................................................................................7
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?.....................................................................................................................................................7
AMIDEBUG RX LAYOUT................................................................................................................................................7
USING AMIDEBUG RX...................................................................................................................................................8
USING AMIDEBUG RX FOR BIOS CHECKPOINTS...............................................................................................9
IDENTIFYING SYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT AMIDEBUG RX.................................................................................................9
LOCATING THE USB DEBUG PORT .................................................................................................................................9
CHECKPOINT FUNCTIONALITY........................................................................................................................................9
CHANGING THE CHECKPOINT DISPLAY FORMAT ............................................................................................................9
VIEWING CHECKPOINT HISTORY ..................................................................................................................................10
AMIDEBUG RX MENU REFERENCE......................................................................................................................11
USING THE DEVICE MENU ............................................................................................................................................11
MENU STRUCTURE .......................................................................................................................................................11
EXIT MENU...................................................................................................................................................................11
START NEW SESSION ....................................................................................................................................................12
SAVE SESSION ..............................................................................................................................................................12
LOAD SESSION..............................................................................................................................................................12
ERASE SESSION.............................................................................................................................................................13
INFO..............................................................................................................................................................................14
SETTINGS......................................................................................................................................................................14
USING AMIDEBUG RX VCOM FUNCTIONALITY ..............................................................................................16
USB VIRTUAL COM (VCOM) TERMINAL ...................................................................................................................16
CONFIGURING THE DEVICE (MICROSOFT WINDOWS) ...................................................................................................16
CONFIGURING THE TERMINAL ......................................................................................................................................17
TERMINAL COMMANDS ................................................................................................................................................17
Upload .....................................................................................................................................................................17
Download.................................................................................................................................................................18
Display.....................................................................................................................................................................20
Erase........................................................................................................................................................................20
Info...........................................................................................................................................................................21
DEVICE FIRMWARE UPDATE.................................................................................................................................22
TROUBLESHOOTING ................................................................................................................................................23
DEBUG MODE FUNCTIONALITY...........................................................................................................................26
AMIDEBUG PRODUCTS FOR SOURCE-CODE DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................26

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USB DEBUG MODE ......................................................................................................................................................26
AMI DEBUG UNLOCK CODE.........................................................................................................................................26
WINDOWS KERNEL DEBUGGING...................................................................................................................................27
TERMINAL OUTPUT EXAMPLES...........................................................................................................................29
EXAMPLE STRING TABLE (USING DOWNLOAD/DISPLAY COMMAND)...........................................................................29
EXAMPLE SESSION OUTPUT (USING DOWNLOAD/DISPLAY COMMAND) .......................................................................32
LIMITED HARDWARE WARRANTY......................................................................................................................36

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Overview
Introduction
AMIDebug™Rx is a low-cost debug tool built around
the debug port feature common to today’s USB 2.0
EHCI controllers. Based on patent-pending technology,
AMIDebug Rx is designed as replacement for the PCI
POST Checkpoint Card, which is becoming less useful
in the PC market as newer systems omit PCI
expansion slots.
This product is targeted to power users, quality
assurance labs & service technicians. Diagnosing
platforms with AMIDebug Rx is non-intrusive, allowing
technicians to access checkpoints without opening the
case. AMIDebug Rx produces more descriptive
debugging messages than the checkpoint card, along
with extended features such as boot performance
timing and UEFI debug message redirection.
Key Features
USB-based replacement for the PCI
port 80h “POST Checkpoint” card
Checkpoints can be captured and
stored to one of four “sessions” for later
review
Measures elapsed time between
checkpoints to analyze boot
performance timing
Display descriptive text for each
checkpoint, based on built-in string
table or custom table
USB Virtual COM (VCOM) port for data
transfer and configuration
Additional features for Aptio 4.x and AMIBIOS8 BIOS developers
oUEFI debug messages
1
redirected over USB VCOM or saved in local memory
oEnable source level debugging
2
via AMIDebug for Aptio and AMIDebug for AMIBIOS8
1
Requires Aptio 4.x BIOS project to be compiled in debug mode
2
Additional features available after-market using unlock code, available from AMI

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References
AMI BIOS checkpoint references, available at www.ami.com
AMIBIOS Checkpoint and Beep Codes
Aptio 4.x Status Codes –Checkpoints and Beep Codes
Document Change History
Date
Rev
Description
2009-05-29
0.90
Release candidate draft, ready for customer review.
2009-06-10
0.91
Updated for firmware release v2.2.0. Added description of ‘info’ command. Updated help
strings for terminal commands. Updated sample output of download strings & download
session commands. Added new pictures.
2009-06-12
0.92
New troubleshooting tips added: Problems Installing USB Host-to-Host Debug Driver &
Ayera TeraTerm Does Not Recognize Ports above COM4.
2009-06-18
0.93
Updated firmware version in info command example (v2.2.1)
2009-08-12
1.00
Updated firmware version in info command example (v2.3.0). Added info command
example to unlock procedure. Added footnote for UEFI Debug Strings (pg. 8).
2009-11-05
1.10
Updated for v2.3.1 firmware. Added ‘Erase Session’ and ‘Info’ menu commands. Added
marker for stored sessions in ‘Save Session’ and ‘Load Session’ dialogs.
2010-02-01
1.20
Updated for v2.3.2 firmware. Added notes on new confirmation messages. Updated
copyright information for 2010.
2010-03-25
1.30
Updated for v2.3.4 firmware. Described usage with Microsoft Windows Kernel Debugging
functionality via USB debug port (page 26). Corrected product name references for
consistency with trademarks.
2010-07-13
1.40
Updated for v2.3.6 firmware. Updated VCOM terminal help text to match new entries.
2014-08-04
1.41
Updated link for downloading of VCP driver
2015-02-11
1.42
Update link for downloading of VCP Driver
2017-04-27
1.43
Updated for v3.4.1 firmware.

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Getting Started with AMIDebug Rx
What’s in the Box?
One (1) AMIDebug Rx Device
Two (2) USB 2.0 A/Mini-B 4-pin device cables
AMIDebug Rx Quick Start Guide
CD-ROM, including electronic documentation and VCOM drivers
AMIDebug Rx Layout
USB0 LED –indicates connection (ON) & activity (BLINK) for USB CONNECTOR 0
USB1 LED –indicates connection (ON) & activity (BLINK) for USB CONNECTOR 1
SHIFT –Used in checkpoint mode to change checkpoint display format
SELECT –Used in menu navigation, also used in checkpoint mode to checkpoint display format
MENU –Used to enter & exit menu
–Used in menus to select next entry, also used in checkpoint mode to navigate buffer
–Used in menus to select previous entry, also used in checkpoint mode to navigate buffer
OPTION SWITCH –Used to select debug mode (LEFT) or checkpoint mode (RIGHT). Center position is
reserved for future use.
FEATURE CONNECTOR –Reserved for future use

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Using AMIDebug Rx
AMIDebug Rx has three basic usage models …
1. Connect AMIDebug Rx to a system under test (SUT) at boot up to view BIOS checkpoints,
capture UEFI debug strings
3
and store checkpoint sessions to local memory.
2. Connect AMIDebug Rx to a computer after boot and use the Virtual COM (VCOM) terminal to
retrieve checkpoint sessions, upload new checkpoint string tables and view UEFI debug strings
in real-time during the boot process.
3. Use AMIDebug Rx to connect a debug host & target for use with AMI Debug source-level
debugging tools (AMIDebug for UEFI or AMIDebug for AMIBIOS8).
3
UEFI debug strings are only available on UEFI BIOS compiled in “debug mode” and may not be visible on
commercially shipping BIOS products.

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Using AMIDebug Rx for BIOS Checkpoints
Identifying Systems That Support AMIDebug Rx
Systems supporting AMIDebug Rx functionality will have a support string present in the BIOS Setup,
under the Advanced menu (“AMI Debug Rx Enabled!”). The manufacturer’s documentation may also
indicate that AMIDebug Rx is supported.
Locating the USB Debug Port
AMIDebug Rx will only communicate with the system under test on the “USB debug port.” Please refer
to the manufacturer’s documentation to locate this port.
Checkpoint Functionality
Turn off the system under test (SUT). Set the OPTION SWITCH to checkpoint mode (RIGHT) and
connect the AMIDebug Rx to the USB debug port on the SUT. Turn on the SUT. AMIDebug Rx will
power on and start displaying data sent to the USB debug port. By default POST checkpoints are
displayed in a right justified format.
Changing the Checkpoint Display Format
The SELECT button is used switch the display mode, showing the same checkpoint data with string
descriptions and timing information. Descriptions are based on the lower checkpoint byte only.


While in CHECKPOINT mode, the SHIFT key also affects the display mode. Checkpoint lower-byte
values are displayed on the bottom line, while the checkpoint upper-byte value and progress bar are
shown on the top.

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


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When using string displays, SHIFT switches the word based checkpoint value between “big endian" and
“little endian" byte order.





Viewing Checkpoint History
Checkpoints in a current session are viewed using the UP/DOWN buttons (/).










