SGI: hinv

Onyx350 InfinitePerformance Dual-Head:
...and the PROM Power-On Diagnostics info:

Very nice !
Do you have any plans to convert the Origin, to get a dual channel setup ?

bplaa.yai wrote: Very nice !

Thanks!

bplaa.yai wrote: Do you have any plans to convert the Origin, to get a dual channel setup ?

I'm watching for a reasonably priced V12, but in the meantime I have a V10 standing by for installation.

that's the big plus compared to a tezro. you can expand the o350s just like that

Added a Graphics Compositor to the system.

TechPubs wrote: Product Description -The compositor is a hardware graphics compositor that can receive two, three, or four digital video inputs, and then combine them into a single video output to increase graphics performance. Each input is from one pipe residing in an SGI graphics device such as a Silicon Graphics Prism XG2N module, Silicon Graphics Prism Deskside system (with Image Sync installed), Silicon Graphics UltimateVision Onyx4 G2/G2N, SGI Onyx 350 compute/graphics module, or an SGI 3000 series V-brick. The video output can display on digital and analog monitors at the same time.

General Capabilities - The compositor can perform spatial compositions, pixel averaging, and stereo rendering. The compositor receives two to four input signals and outputs a single signal either in analog or digital format. The following items are noteworthy regarding the compositor's capabilities:

A selectable pixel-averaging feature (antialiasing) combines the inputs from two or four graphics pipes into the compositor and averages these inputs to smooth jagged edges on displayed images.

For every output pixel, the compositor averages all values from all the pipes. Among other things, this provides applications with the means to do full-scene antialiasing (FSAA) in hardware.

A spatial composition/tiling feature enables each pipe connected to the compositor to render a predefined portion of the display.

DB-9 stereo sync port connector connects to an emitter to provide stereo effect for LCD shutter glasses. This stereo function has one pipe providing images for the left and right eyes in alternating framebuffers. You can also select a Stereo mode through the Initial Tiling Mode field so that one graphics pipe provides 24-bit images for the left eye and another pipe provides images for the right eye in alternating frames to enhance viewing performance.

One advanced csync connector and a GENLOCK 1 connector connect with the genlock connectors on the graphics pipes to synchronize the video refresh of the compositor output with the graphics pipes. These connections enable the compositor to receive an external sync signal, which locks the timing of the output video picture.

One swap ready port connector synchronizes the compositor buffer swaps to the graphics pipe buffer swaps.

With InfinitePerformance graphics, there are four swap ready port connectors labeled IP SWAP READY 0, 1, 2, and 3 connect to the corresponding swap ready connector on the InfinitePerformance pipes 0, 1, 2, and 3. These connections synchronize the compositor buffer swaps to the InfinitePerformance graphics pipe buffer swaps.

Stereo is supported only for analog output.
When Xinerama is used to overlap screen regions on an edge-blended display or compositor-based system, the cursor will seem to disappear when it enters the overlapped or uncomposited regions of the display.

By upgrading to IRIX 6.5.20 or later, you can use an X server feature that prevents the cursor from disappearing in these cases. It causes additional cursor images (not real cursors) to appear on all pipes contributing to the overlapped regions. To enable this feature, add the –phantomcursors flag to the X server command line in the /var/X11/xdm/Xservers file. For more information about the –phantomcursors option, see the Xsgi(1) man page.

Now the hunt for another Fuel V12 begins.....

Any pics of the SGC? I've never run across one of those.

nekonoko wrote: Any pics of the SGC? I've never run across one of those.

I just added a few - one to the original hinv post, and one to the newer post. The Graphics Compositor looks kind of nice when powered up. The SGI logo is illuminated by blue LEDs.

Ah, thanks! Looks a lot like the DMediaPro VBOB from the front.

The do appear very similar. I noticed that it identifies itself as a "cbob" <compositor break out box?> in gfxinfo. Here's a photo of the rear panel and the interior:

You have inconcistent amounts of cache on your CPU-boards. I demand that you immediately send the 8MB boards to me for exchange to standard 4MB variety.

Seriously, that's a very cool piece of hardware.
The possibilites... another two O350 bricks (and NUMAlink brick) with V12 boards and you have 4-to-1 pipe config and a buttload of graphics performance. Yum.

Very interesting!

Unfortunately it seems the output is not a dual link DVI:

Techpubs wrote: Four DVI single-link digital video inputs with up to 165–MHz pixel clock per input can combine into one digital video output that allows up to 165 MHz of output

So hamei's fantasy of using this to connect to some 3840x2400 display isn't going to happen. It will be interesting to seel how well this device works, and how transparent it is from a software perspective. SGI has a long history of graphics pipe multiplexers (all the way back to the Skywriter cyclops mode), but it always required explicit support from the applications.

ramq wrote: You have inconcistent amounts of cache on your CPU-boards. I demand that you immediately send the 8MB boards to me for exchange to standard 4MB variety.

I'll let you know when I get around to packing those up.

ramq wrote: Seriously, that's a very cool piece of hardware.
The possibilites... another two O350 bricks (and NUMAlink brick) with V12 boards and you have 4-to-1 pipe config and a buttload of graphics performance. Yum.

Thanks! Just like most of us here I suffer from the need for speed, so that thought has crossed my mind more than once. Limiting the set up to two modules does offer one <less powerful> fringe benefit. I can run the two-module set up 24 hours a day year round without having to make any special provision for cooling. That size makes for a everyday IRIX desktop with a more than reasonable amount of power. A single two or four processor O350 with a V10 or V12 would probably be an even better balance of those same factors - until I ran across the compositor I was even considering the idea of moving one O350 to run the Onyx 300 G-Brick, and splitting off <or selling> the 16 processor O300 compute set up.

jan-jaap wrote: So hamei's fantasy of using this to connect to some 3840x2400 display isn't going to happen.

That would actually be the reverse of how the Compositor works. The compositor takes the output of <up to four> displays and squeezes them into a single display no larger then any one of the four. So instead of creating more resolution, you assign each V12 to smaller section of a standard display and combine their power. BTW, hamei is definitely a fan of the IBM T221, but he was well aware that the Compositor wouldn't be the device to drive his dream display: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16723528&

jan-jaap wrote: It will be interesting to seel how well this device works, and how transparent it is from a software perspective. SGI has a long history of graphics pipe multiplexers (all the way back to the Skywriter cyclops mode), but it always required explicit support from the applications.

It will be interesting, and that's a big part of why I collect and use SGI hardware - I like to figure out what makes things tick. There's a mention in the programmer's guide that the Compositor:

transparently distributes rendering across multiple hardware pipes and combines their outputs by either feeding them to a hardware compositor device or through software composition

Whether than means complete transparency for any application or only through custom programming I don't know <and since this a hobby rather than a livelihood, am not really bothered one way or the other>. But I intend to have fun finding out.

nice expansion

Benchmarks please!

Blender, C-Ray, etc...

Ian.

Update: Finally found a second V12. The original post has been revised to reflect the changes: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=16722294

As soon as I get enough 75ohm BNC plumbing on hand I'll try out the Compositor.