Getting Started, Documentation, Tips & Tricks

Hello All,

I am trying to get root access to an SGI Fuel but it is asking for a password at the maintenance screen. Is there a way to reset this password. I know that in O2 one can use a jumper to reset the maintenance password but I cannot find any method to do the same for the Fuel.
I could only find the SGI Fuel Hardware User manual online and that did not mention anything about resetting the maintenance password.

Thank you very much.

g: sgi fuel change password

http://doogielabs.com/2013/04/sgi-fuel/

just pull both the yellow snap hat off the one time keeper on the upper left hand corner of the board, and then pull the RTC with integrated battery package that’s just above the card slots on the left side of the board. Make sure the machine is unplugged, hit the power button a couple of times to make sure, and let the system sit for 5 minutes and then re-assemble. Poof password is gone.

Hi Geoman,

Thank you very much. I am new at this and so I was not able to locate the yellow snap hat. The description says upper left hand corner of the board. Is that right below the power supply? And, I also do not know what the RTC with integrated battery pack looks like. There is a lithium batter up there in the upper left hand corner. Is that the RTC

"just pull both the yellow snap hat off the one time keeper on the upper left hand corner of the board, and then pull the RTC with integrated battery package that’s just above the card slots on the left side of the board. Make sure the machine is "unplugged, hit the power button a couple of times to make sure, and let the system sit for 5 minutes and then re-assemble. Poof password is gone.

Thanks again.

There is a little yellow piece that's actually a snap-off battery. That's the "snap hat" -- it's the Fuel's PROM battery, and it's to the left of the memory slots. It snaps off with a little bit of effort. Search around here for replacing the Fuel battery and it's the same process.

The RTC is another Dallas part. It's the Dallas-labeled chip above the PCI slots.

You can see both of them on miod's picture here: http://gentiane.org/~miod/machineroom/m ... ttered.jpg

OK, now someone please tell me where to buy the Dallas (Timekeeping RAM) part. While placing it back, I managed to fold one of the pins and break it. The battery I think is still safe.
For next time, when I replace the new Dallas part, do I have to remove the fan duct before I replace the Dallas part or is it that I just have to be more careful.

Thanks bigred, I found the battery replacement thread also so that helped confirm the placement of the snap off.

Thank you all.

Edit: Just to be on the safe side, f it does not cost an arm and a leg, I might have to buy two pieces.

You can get them at digikey: http://www.digikey.com

Thanks bigred,

The Fuel says you're welcome.

do I have to remove the fan duct before I replace the Dallas part or is it that I just have to be more careful.

Take out the duct while you're working on it. It's not that hard to remove and replace, and it's much less of a headache when it's out of the way.

ClassicHasClass wrote:

Thanks bigred,

The Fuel says you're welcome.

do I have to remove the fan duct before I replace the Dallas part or is it that I just have to be more careful.

Take out the duct while you're working on it. It's not that hard to remove and replace, and it's much less of a headache when it's out of the way.

ClassicHasClass and bigred, Thank you to you both

And Vishnu, thank you. I went to the Digikey website and they do not have the timekeeping RAM in stock. The tech. rep said that they would receive some by the end of the month. I guess this will give me time to figure out how to get the duct off without breaking anything else in the process

If digikey doesn't have something in stock my immediate fallbacks are newark and allied and mouser, one of those might have one...

vishnu wrote: If digikey doesn't have something in stock my immediate fallbacks are newark and allied and mouser, one of those might have one...

Vishnu,
Thank you for suggesting the alternatives. Newark and allied did not have the ram on their catalog but mouser did and had it in stock. I have ordered it and will get next week.

Thank you again.

retread wrote: Vishnu,
Thank you for suggesting the alternatives. Newark and allied did not have the ram on their catalog but mouser did and had it in stock. I have ordered it and will get next week.

Thank you again.

Good luck with the repair! Be advised that these vendors have been known to ship "Brand New Never Used" Dallas chips that have been on the shelf so long that their batteries are dead. It's happened to me a couple of times, the only thing you can do is keep buying more until you get one that's good...

Yeah, that's always a danger with NOS batteries.

The Dallas Timekeepers have a feature called "freshness seal" that keeps the battery disconnected while it is sitting on the shelf. The computer it's plugged into has to read a certain address in the nvram, which opens the seal and begins using up the battery charge.

This is pretty important because for a part like this "mint, low use" is not at all the same as new.

robespierre wrote: The Dallas Timekeepers have a feature called "freshness seal" that keeps the battery disconnected while it is sitting on the shelf. The computer it's plugged into has to read a certain address in the nvram, which opens the seal and begins using up the battery charge.

This is pretty important because for a part like this "mint, low use" is not at all the same as new.

Since I did not buy it off ebay, I am assuming it is new. They did not state used.
Hopefully, I won't have to buy too many before finding one that works. If this one does not, I might go back to digikey and order one. They were out of stock.

Thank you all.

Is Dallas even still making new ones of these? Since dead ones started showing up at my door I assumed they're not, and we're just running through what's left of them on the gray market. Once that's depleted we're going to have to reverse engineer them and start making our own...

Guys, don't throw out the old Dallas chips! A good solution - eventually the only solution - will be to cut the traces to the internal cell and fit an external battery.

We've been here a few times before...

• You can this thread (through both pages please).
• Or go to this wiki page .
• Or read this page , which is a good overview.
• Or check out this handy guide for the Indy's timekeeper by Jeroen.

Be sure to adjust for the specifics of the device in question, but this should apply to most models with some slight (but important) variations.

The reverse engineering has been done already! Dang I was so looking forward to doing that...

vishnu wrote: The reverse engineering has been done already! Dang I was so looking forward to doing that...

Well funny you should mention that, I didn't see any guides that specifically addressed the DS1742. And the datasheet describes a 24 pin package with all pins in use, so clearly it isn't the same as reworking the older DS1287/1387 devices.

There's still room for you to blaze a trail, I think!

on the subject of Dallas timekeepers, anyone ever seen a DS1187? From what little I've found about it online, it should be compatible with a DS1287 but with "different battery life". Longer or shorter?

Got the part, installed it and the fuel is up.

Thank you all very much for your help