Sun’s original firmware download site disappeared years ago when Oracle took over, and tracking down the right OBP update for a specific machine has become increasingly difficult. Over the years I’ve collected ROM images from various sources—archived FTP sites, the vintage Sun community, and other collectors. This page makes them available for download.
The collection spans Sun-3 boot ROMs through UltraSPARC system firmware, covering roughly 15 years of Sun hardware. The Sun-3 and early Sun-4/Sun4c images are raw PROM images that need to be burned to an EPROM chip using a programmer like the MiniPRO TL866II Plus. The Sun4u and later images are flash update packages designed to be applied from a running Solaris system.
For a table of the last available OBP version for each machine, see Last OBP Firmware Versions.
Sun-3 Architecture
The Sun-3 series used Motorola 68020 and 68030 processors. These are among the earliest Sun workstations, predating the SPARC architecture entirely. Boot ROMs for these machines are relatively small and are burned to standard EPROMs.
| File | Machine | Version | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.50_v2.8.zip | Sun 3/50 | 2.8 | The Sun 3/50 was a compact diskless workstation popular in university labs. 68020 processor at 15 MHz. |
| 3.60_v3.0.1.zip | Sun 3/60 | 3.0.1 | The Sun 3/60 was a desktop 68020 workstation with color graphics support and room for an internal disk. |
| sun3_80_v3.0.zip | Sun 3/80 | 3.0 | The Sun 3/80 was the last Sun-3 desktop, using a 68030 at 20 MHz. First Sun desktop with a “pizza box” form factor. |
| 3.110_v3.0.zip | Sun 3/110 | 3.0 | The Sun 3/110 was a desktop 68020 workstation with VME expansion. |
| 3.1xx_v3.0.zip | Sun 3/1xx series | 3.0 | Covers the Sun 3/100-series VME desktop workstations including the 3/140, 3/150, 3/160, and 3/180. |
| 3.2xx_v3.0.zip | Sun 3/2xx series | 3.0 | The Sun 3/200 series were VME-based rackmount servers using the 68020. Includes the 3/260 and 3/280. |
| 3.4xx_v3.0.zip | Sun 3/4xx series | 3.0 | The Sun 3/400 series were the last and most powerful Sun-3 machines. 68030-based VME servers including the 3/460, 3/470, and 3/480. |
Sun-4 and Sun4c Architecture
The Sun-4 introduced the SPARC processor, and the Sun4c variant brought the compact “pizza box” form factor that defined Sun workstations through the early 1990s. These are raw PROM images for burning to EPROM chips.
| File | Machine | Version | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.3xx_v4.1.1.zip | Sun 4/3xx series | 4.1.1 | The Sun 4/300 series were the first SPARC-based machines. VME-based deskside and rackmount systems predating the pizza box form factor. |
| ss1_v2.9.zip | SPARCstation 1 (4/60) | OBP 2.9 | The last OBP for the original pizza box workstation. Adds support for later SBus cards including the CG6 TGX+ framebuffer. |
| 4.40_v2.9.zip | SPARCstation IPC (4/40) | OBP 2.9 | OBP update for the first lunchbox SPARCstation. |
| ssipx_v2.9.zip | SPARCstation IPX (4/50) | OBP 2.9 | OBP update for the IPX, the most popular lunchbox workstation. |
| ss2_v2.9.zip | SPARCstation 2 (4/75) | OBP 2.9 | OBP update for the SPARCstation 2. Addresses disk size recognition and SCSI compatibility improvements. |
Sun4m Architecture
The Sun4m generation introduced MBus processor modules and supported multiprocessor configurations. These are raw PROM images.
| File | Machine | Version | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| ss10-20_v2.25.zip | SPARCstation 10 / 20 | OBP 2.25 | The last OBP for the SS10 and SS20. Fixes multiprocessor stability issues and improves SCSI handling. Critical for dual-processor SS10 configurations. |
| ss10-20_v2.25r.zip | SPARCstation 10 / 20 | OBP 2.25r | A revised build of the 2.25 OBP for the SS10/SS20. The “r” suffix indicates a minor revision with additional fixes beyond the initial 2.25 release. |
Sun4u Architecture — Flash Updates
Starting with the UltraSPARC generation, Sun moved
to flash-programmable firmware. These are not raw
PROM images—they are Solaris patch packages applied
using the standard patchadd command or a flash
update utility included in the patch. You apply
them from a running Solaris system and reboot to
activate the new firmware.
Ultra Desktop Workstations
| File | Patch | Machine | OBP Version | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 104881-09.zip | 104881-09 | Ultra 1 | 3.25.0 | Flash PROM update for the Ultra 1 (non-Creator, model A11). |
| 104288-09.zip | 104288-09 | Ultra 1 Creator/Creator3D | 3.25.0 | Flash PROM update for the Ultra 1E (Creator graphics, model A12). |
| 106121-18.zip | 106121-18 | Ultra 5 / Ultra 10 | 3.31.0 | Flash PROM update for the Ultra 5 and Ultra 10 desktop workstations. Fixes IDE disk detection and Y2K handling. |
| 119235-01.zip | 119235-01 | Sun Blade 100 / 150 | 4.17.1 | Flash PROM update for the UltraSPARC IIe-based Blade 100 and Blade 150. |
| 118323-01.zip | 118323-01 | Sun Blade 1000 / 2000 | 4.16.4 | Flash PROM update for the UltraSPARC III-based Blade workstations. Resolves “Bad magic number in disk label” errors when booting Solaris 10. |
| 119232-02.zip | 119232-02 | Sun Blade 2500 | 4.17.1 | Flash PROM update for the UltraSPARC IIIi-based Blade 2500. |
| 142704-01.zip | 142704-01 | Sun Ultra 25 | 4.30.4 | Flash PROM update for the Ultra 25, one of the last UltraSPARC IIIi desktop workstations Sun produced. |
Ultra Servers
| File | Patch | Machine | OBP Version | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 104169-08.zip | 104169-08 | Ultra 2 | 3.25.0 | Flash PROM update for the dual-processor Ultra 2 server/workstation. |
| 105930-06.zip | 105930-06 | Ultra 30 | 3.27.0 | Flash PROM update for the Ultra 30, a uniprocessor UltraSPARC II tower workstation. |
| 106455-11.zip | 106455-11 | Ultra 60 / E220R | 3.31.0 | Flash PROM update for the Ultra 60 tower workstation and its rackmount variant, the Enterprise 220R. |
| 106503-07.zip | 106503-07 | Enterprise 250 | 3.26.0 | Flash PROM update for the Enterprise 250 server. |
| 106122-09.zip | 106122-09 | Ultra 450 / E450 | 3.26.0 | Flash PROM update for the Ultra 450 tower server and its Enterprise 450 variant. |
| 109082-05.zip | 109082-05 | Ultra 80 / E420R | 3.31.0 | Flash PROM update for the Ultra 80 tower workstation and Enterprise 420R rackmount server. |
| 142700-02.zip | 142700-02 | Sun Fire V210 / V240 | 4.30.4 | Flash PROM update for the Sun Fire V210 and V240 1U/2U servers, including Netra 210 and 240 variants. |
SPARC Enterprise
| File | Patch | Machine | Version | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 147307-11.zip | 147307-11 | SPARC Enterprise T5120 / T5220 | System FW 7.4.x | Full system firmware bundle for the UltraSPARC T2-based CoolThreads servers. Unlike earlier patches that update only the OBP, this is a complete firmware package including ILOM, OBP, POST, Hypervisor, and VBSC firmware. Applied via ILOM rather than Solaris. |
Applying Flash Updates (Sun4u)
For UltraSPARC machines, the general procedure is:
- Download and unzip the patch on a running Solaris system
- Read the README included in the patch for machine-specific instructions
- Run the flash update utility (usually a script in the patch directory)
- Reboot to activate the new firmware
Some patches require a specific minimum Solaris version. Always check the README before applying.
For the SPARC Enterprise T5120/T5220, firmware updates are applied through the ILOM (Integrated Lights Out Manager) service processor rather than from the host OS.
Burning Sun-3 and Sun4c/Sun4m PROMs
The earlier ROM images in this collection are raw binary files that must be burned to EPROM or OTP PROM chips using a hardware programmer. See Burning a New SPARCstation 1 PROM for a walkthrough of the process using a MiniPRO TL866II Plus.