Getting Started, Documentation, Tips & Tricks

Wow! I think I may be in over my head. I picked up an old SGI Indy and finally managed to get my Mac Quadra 700 to connect as a serial console. Now I'm having a devilish time trying to get anything to boot properly on the Indy.

I've taken the opportunity to capture the boot messages from the console and include them below. I can't make heads or tails of this stuff so I was hoping somebody here could help me out. I've spent the better part of the day in front of Google looking for help but have been unlucky thusfar. Personally, I think I'm in need of a fresh IRIX install. Any suggestions?

Does anyone know if there's a server anywhere on the Internet that I could use to install IRIX 6.2 on my Indy? I read that IRIX 6.2 is free.

Thanks for any help/comments/suggestions/insults/laughter.

System Maintenance Menu

1) Start System
2) Install System Software
3) Run Diagnostics
4) Recover System
5) Enter Command Monitor

Option? 1


Starting up the system...

IRIX Release 6.2 IP22 Version 03131015 System V
Copyright 1987-1996 Silicon Graphics, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

The root file system, /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0, is being checked automatically.

fsck: checking /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0

** Phase 1 - Check Blocks and Sizes
** Phase 2 - Check Pathnames
** Phase 3 - Check Connectivity
** Phase 4 - Check Reference Counts
** Phase 5 - Check Free List
23948 files 1428216 blocks 383016 free

REMOUNT ROOT? yes

***** REMOUNTING ROOT . . . *****
Jul 5 21:47:49 xlv_labd[36]: There are no XLV labels on any disks.
The system is coming up.

mount: disk.srv:/exports/dist-linux server not responding: Port mapper failure -
Timed out
mount: backgrounding
/nfs/cquest/disk/dist-linux
mount: disk.srv:/exports/local-src server not responding: Port mapper failure -
Timed out
mount: backgrounding
/local/src
mount: disk.srv:/exports/staff0 server not responding: Port mapper failure - Tim
ed out
mount: backgrounding
/homes/staff/u0
mount: disk.srv:/exports/students0 server not responding: Port mapper failure -
Timed out
mount: backgrounding
/homes/students/u0
mount: mail.srv:/var/spool/postoffice server not responding: Port mapper failure
- Timed out
mount: backgrounding
/var/spool/postoffice
mount: mail.srv:/var/spool/mnt server not responding: Port mapper failure - Time
d out
mount: backgrounding
/var/spool/mnt
mount: server.esc:/misc server not responding: Port mapper failure - Timed out
mount: backgrounding
/nfs/cquest/esc/misc
mount: server.pgb:/geog server not responding: Port mapper failure - Timed out
mount: backgrounding
/nfs/cquest/pgb/geog
mount: server.pgb:/usr/people server not responding: Port mapper failure - Timed
out
mount: backgrounding
/usr/people
mount: server.pgb:/local/mnt server not responding: Port mapper failure - Timed
out
NFS version 3 mount failed, trying NFS version 2
mount: retrying
/local/mnt
NFS version 3 mount failed, trying NFS version 2
NFS version 3 mount failed, trying NFS version 2
NFS version 3 mount failed, trying NFS version 2
NFS version 3 mount failed, trying NFS version 2
^[NFS version 3 mount failed, trying NFS version 2
NFS version 3 mount failed, trying NFS version 2
NFS version 3 mount failed, trying NFS version 2

this box is overkilled with nfs shares, boot in safe mode and disable nfs

For the record.
You rock for running a Quadra.
One of my alltime favorite macs.

You have earned my personal respect in one post.

Interesting... in my 8+years of admin'ing SGI's (and having my share of them lose power unexpectedly), I've never seen a system boot up and see something like this:

The root file system, /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0, is being checked automatically.

fsck: checking /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0

** Phase 1 - Check Blocks and Sizes
** Phase 2 - Check Pathnames
** Phase 3 - Check Connectivity
** Phase 4 - Check Reference Counts
** Phase 5 - Check Free List
23948 files 1428216 blocks 383016 free

Just out of curiosity, is that something that would happen automatically if the filesystem was *really* hosed, or could it be because the filesystem is EFS instead of XFS? I've never worked with anything other than XFS, and I always assumed because it's a journaled filesystem that was why I never saw it (unlike the SUN's that I admin who have that happen all the time... )

-chris

managed resistance wrote: Does anyone know if there's a server anywhere on the Internet that I could use to install IRIX 6.2 on my Indy? I read that IRIX 6.2 is free.

Well, you've read wrong. IRIX 6.2 is only obtainable from SGI for free if it is the original media that came with the Indy, which is the same procedure for all SGI machines/IRIX software. But i haven't heard from anyone succesfully using that option... Best bet is to buy either IRIX 6.2 media via resellers or Ebay, or go directly for IRIX 6.5 base and upgrade to 6.5.22 from supportfolio. The latter is much more modern, albeit slower, and if your Indy CPU is an R5000 you can even run nekoware.

Well, you've read wrong. IRIX 6.2 is only obtainable from SGI for free if it is the original media that came with the Indy, which is the same procedure for all SGI machines/IRIX software.

That's actually what I read: You can get it free from SGI. I'm going to send a letter to SGI and inquire. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

What is safe mode? Is that single user mode? i.e. type "single" at the command monitor prompt?

managed resistance wrote:

Well, you've read wrong. IRIX 6.2 is only obtainable from SGI for free if it is the original media that came with the Indy, which is the same procedure for all SGI machines/IRIX software.

That's actually what I read: You can get it free from SGI. I'm going to send a letter to SGI and inquire. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

What is safe mode? Is that single user mode? i.e. type "single" at the command monitor prompt?

I think that you can get to single user mode by using one of the init commands, I think....

http://software.majix.org/irix/admin-shutdown.shtml

This should tell you how to change the runlevel to single user...

and FWIW, My Octane was flooded with NFS mounts... they give up eventually and the machine continues to boot.

In my dealings with my Indy and now my Octane, I've learned that the number one ultra-virtue is patience. You simply can't use an SGI box if you aren't patient with it, they seem to take longer to boot up on a standard install than most other machines, and once it's there you'll have to configure it "just so" but it'll rock once you get it going.

And good luck in your letterwriting to SiliconGraphics, It's not too often that you find somebody who will actually decide that it's worth taking the time to do something like that, which is cool.

And good luck in your letterwriting to SiliconGraphics, It's not too often that you find somebody who will actually decide that it's worth taking the time to do something like that, which is cool.

It doesn't hurt to ask, right? The worst case scenario: they say no.

managed resistance wrote:

And good luck in your letterwriting to SiliconGraphics, It's not too often that you find somebody who will actually decide that it's worth taking the time to do something like that, which is cool.

It doesn't hurt to ask, right? The worst case scenario: they say no.

Go it Go it!

That is an excellent attitude to take, IMHO... because who knows, they might just say yes.

You could also work in there a desire for some sort of hobbyist IRIX licensing program, $100/year for a "subscription" to the latest version of IRIX in tarballs or on CDs? (there was another thread about this somewhere, I'll have to search for it.

Cory5412 wrote: You could also work in there a desire for some sort of hobbyist IRIX licensing program, $100/year for a "subscription" to the latest version of IRIX in tarballs or on CDs? (there was another thread about this somewhere, I'll have to search for it.

Yeah, what happened to that? Any progress??

That is an excellent attitude to take, IMHO... because who knows, they might just say yes.

Actually, it's pretty much my life's philosophy. I find that the biggest mistake most people make is that they discount the obvious.

From personal experience, I can tell you that many people will often go to great extremes to avoid the simple solutions. Fortunately, for opportunists like myself, the simple solutions are almost always the best and most effective.

nuff said.

managed resistance wrote: From personal experience, I can tell you that many people will often go to great extremes to avoid the simple solutions.

You've been to China too, hunh ?

kshuff wrote:

Cory5412 wrote: You could also work in there a desire for some sort of hobbyist IRIX licensing program, $100/year for a "subscription" to the latest version of IRIX in tarballs or on CDs? (there was another thread about this somewhere, I'll have to search for it.

Yeah, what happened to that? Any progress??

I don't think it got anywhere, there were about 100 people who were willing to pay at least $50 for a hobbyist license. Several *(myself included) suggested upping the price, and doing it sortof on a "yearly" basis. (pay for that year, get the upgrades for that year)

I remember that it seemed close, because the person who started the thread (or who posted something and caused somebody else, like Diego, to start the thread) had actually been in contact with SGI people (lawyers, irix engineers, I'm not sure who it was), who had said that they were giving the idea of hobbyist licensing some consideration.

Though, I think that in order for SGI to really want to consider hobbyist licencing... some hobbyists need to buy boxes from them. For that to happen, the boxes need to be cheaper... and that's probably not really going to happen.

Cory5412 wrote:

kshuff wrote:

Cory5412 wrote: You could also work in there a desire for some sort of hobbyist IRIX licensing program, $100/year for a "subscription" to the latest version of IRIX in tarballs or on CDs? (there was another thread about this somewhere, I'll have to search for it.

Yeah, what happened to that? Any progress??

I don't think it got anywhere, there were about 100 people who were willing to pay at least $50 for a hobbyist license. Several *(myself included) suggested upping the price, and doing it sortof on a "yearly" basis. (pay for that year, get the upgrades for that year)

I remember that it seemed close, because the person who started the thread (or who posted something and caused somebody else, like Diego, to start the thread) had actually been in contact with SGI people (lawyers, irix engineers, I'm not sure who it was), who had said that they were giving the idea of hobbyist licensing some consideration.

Though, I think that in order for SGI to really want to consider hobbyist licencing... some hobbyists need to buy boxes from them. For that to happen, the boxes need to be cheaper... and that's probably not really going to happen.

You know, I could talk all day to my sgi sales rep or marketing folks about a hobbyist IRIX and they will listen to me, they'll even pretend they're interested... The fact that they don't punch me in the face for talking about hobbyist IRIX doesn't mean it is happening. Sales is about being slippery and avoiding confrontation...

On the other hand, when I talk to folks from sgi I've worked with and known for years (i.e. no business on the table), the H word always makes them laugh... Support contracts are not that expensive, even though far from $10/month...

I'm not saying I would be against a looser licensing of IRIX for hobbyist. Heck, I am pretty impressed by how easy it was to obtain Solaris 10 (less than $17 for the DVD from Sun!), but I would not set my expectations too high. It's not because 100 people who can each invest $100 in sgi stuff want it that sgi sees anything in it for them and is willing to spend 10-20 times the return to make it happen.

Just to compare, try this: just walk to your closest BMW dealership and tell them you want to lease an 850i for $45/month with no downpayment, call it the hobbyist BMW contract... If they laugh at you (oh they will), just make a fuss: "but I waaaaaaant it". I bet you'll be kicked out of the lot very quickly.

sgi is about making money because they have investors. They are blowing their IP, shooting MIPS & IRIX by following the Linux trend, but that's just because that's what the investors want to hear. I can tell you that nobody at sgi thinks Linux is superior to IRIX, believe me...

And no, skippy running mozilla on a 3MHz machine drawing 1700W/h in his basement is not the salvation for sgi...

Sometimes people seem to hear and believe only what they want to hear or believe... Sometimes people also want to make believe they're more important or "connected" than they are... A sales rep (or sales manager for that matter) talking to you is not you being connected, it's you being sold to...

Just don't hold your breath on the hopes of a service contract at $150/y because the sgi sales rep (or local all things sgi emperor, add whatever pompous title you want to make both parties look important) didn't spit in Joe Blow's face for mentionning hobbyist IRIX and his still calling him by the end of every quarter...

Companies like sgi or IBM make most of their margin selling services contracts, not selling hardware. The hardware is what get them in the door...

Columbia wasn't a great hardware sales victory, it was a great PR and services contract victory.

So, if you get a half-assed sgi machine on ebay for $50 and are willing to invest a whole $10/month to get IRIX, where is sgi going to get his money back in services from you?

...but if their killing off IRIX, what's the problem? It obviously works for SUN and Solaris, DEC did it with VMS and I think Ultrix, not to mention SCO granting licenses for ancient unices for hobbyists.