Nekonomicon - Challenge S, 200MHZ R5000, 256MB RAM

diegel
From Hamburg, Germany
Who joined Nov. 17, 2009, 2:08 a.m.

Wrote the following at Jan. 29, 2014, 1:34 p.m...

This is my Challenge S server:


   # hinv
   

   CPU: MIPS R5000 Processor Chip Revision: 2.1
   

   FPU: MIPS R5000 Floating Point Coprocessor Revision: 1.0
   

   1 200 MHZ IP22 Processor
   

   Main memory size: 256 Mbytes
   

   Secondary unified instruction/data cache size: 512 Kbytes on Processor 0
   

   Instruction cache size: 32 Kbytes
   

   Data cache size: 32 Kbytes
   

   Integral SCSI controller 4: Version WD33C95A, differential, revision 0
   

   Integral SCSI controller 5: Version WD33C95A, differential, revision 0
   

   Integral SCSI controller 0: Version WD33C93B, revision D
   

   Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI controller 0
   

   On-board serial ports: 2
   

   On-board bi-directional parallel port
   

   Integral Ethernet: ec0, version 1
   

   Integral Ethernet: ec3, version 1
   

   GIO 100BaseTX Fast Ethernet: gfe0
   

   Integral ISDN: Basic Rate Interface unit 0, revision 1.0
   

   # diskpatch -v
   

   sc0d1l0:  Disk         ATA     SAMSUNG HM320II 111P  Serial: S1X4J90S

This is of course a modified processor board. I was lucky to find a 200mhz R5000 CPU to replace the original 180mhz version. Since the CPU don't become hot, I run it without heat sink. The maximum temperature I was able to measure at the CPU cap was 42 degree Celsius.

The total power consumption of this Challenge S is 46W when it is idle and goes up to 55W under load. It's most probably the cheapest way to run a SGI server 24h per day.

The system was used in my company more than 10 years ago as a web server. Today it still runs at my home absolutely stable.

ClassicHasClass
From Sunny So Cal
Who joined July 25, 2012, 7:12 p.m.

Wrote the following at Jan. 29, 2014, 5:26 p.m...

What's in the (I assume) SCSI enclosure below? CD-ROM and another hard disk?

smit happens.

:Fuel:

bigred , 900MHz R16K, 4GB RAM, V12 DCD, 6.5.30
:Indy:

indy , 150MHz R4400SC, 256MB RAM, XL24, 6.5.10
:Indigo2IMP:

purplehaze , R10000, Solid IMPACT
probably posted from

bruce , Quad 2.5GHz PowerPC 970MP, 16GB RAM, Mac OS X 10.4.11
plus IBM POWER6 p520 * Apple Network Server 500 * HP C8000 * BeBox * Solbourne S3000 * Commodore 128 * many more...

josehill
Moderator
From New England, USA
Who joined June 6, 2005, 9:53 p.m.

Wrote the following at Jan. 29, 2014, 7:05 p.m...

Very nice! We used nearly identical hardware (180 MHz) to host the corporate R&D intranet portal for a German pharmaceuticals firm around 1996-1998. When retired from industrial service, the machine served for several years as a failover router between my home network and my redundant DSL and cable internet connections. When I needed a faster router, the Challenge S found a new life as a very capable print server.

diegel
From Hamburg, Germany
Who joined Nov. 17, 2009, 2:08 a.m.

Wrote the following at Jan. 29, 2014, 10:39 p.m...

ClassicHasClass wrote: What's in the (I assume) SCSI enclosure below? CD-ROM and another hard disk?

Yes, a CD-ROM and two more hard disks. It's not connected to the Challenge permanently, I use it for backup and for installation.

Dans34
From UK (North East)
Who joined July 10, 2012, 5:25 a.m.

Wrote the following at Jan. 30, 2014, 4:36 a.m...

diegel wrote:

ClassicHasClass wrote: What's in the (I assume) SCSI enclosure below? CD-ROM and another hard disk?

Yes, a CD-ROM and two more hard disks. It's not connected to the Challenge permanently, I use it for backup and for installation.

was that something you could get from sgi or is it custom built ?

R12K/400 Octane, 1024MB, 36GB 15K MAX3036NC , MXI

jan-jaap
From Wijchen, The Netherlands
Who joined June 17, 2004, 11:35 a.m.

Wrote the following at Jan. 30, 2014, 4:56 a.m...

Nice Challenge, with the SATA mode and the 100Mbit networking. I used FDDI for fast(er) networking in mine.

diegel wrote: This is of course a modified processor board. I was lucky to find a 200mhz R5000 CPU to replace the original 180mhz version. Since the CPU don't become hot, I run it without heat sink. The maximum temperature I was able to measure at the CPU cap was 42 degree Celsius.

I wouldn't worry about the CPU, after all it was designed to run at that speed (although probably design to work with a heatsink...). But I guess you replaced the oscillator and now you're overclocking the L2 cache? Or did you change a divider somewhere?

Did the CPU come from an O2 or something?

Now this is a deep dark secret, so everybody keep it quiet

It turns out that when reset, the WD33C93 defaults to a SCSI ID of 0, and it was simpler to leave it that way... -- Dave Olson, in comp.sys.sgi
Currently in commercial service:

(2x)

In the museum : almost every MIPS/IRIX system.
Wanted : GM1 board for Professional Series GT graphics (030-0076-003, 030-0076-004)

guardian452
From Kentucky, United States
Who joined Aug. 21, 2007, 10:12 p.m.

Wrote the following at Jan. 30, 2014, 4:57 a.m...

Dans34 wrote:

diegel wrote:

ClassicHasClass wrote: What's in the (I assume) SCSI enclosure below? CD-ROM and another hard disk?

Yes, a CD-ROM and two more hard disks. It's not connected to the Challenge permanently, I use it for backup and for installation.

was that something you could get from sgi or is it custom built ?

It's a challenge vault. From SGI. Tho I admit I've never seen a vault S in person before..

You eat Cadillacs; Lincolns too... Mercurys and Subarus.

diegel
From Hamburg, Germany
Who joined Nov. 17, 2009, 2:08 a.m.

Wrote the following at Jan. 30, 2014, 5:15 a.m...

jan-jaap wrote: Did the CPU come from an O2 or something?

Yes I replaced the oscillator from a dead 150mhz CPU board. The CPU is not from SGI. I don't know if an O2 with a 200mhz PGA CPU exists, I have only seen 200mhz R5000 in BGA package in O2s.

indyman007
From North of England
Who joined Aug. 20, 2008, 5:38 a.m.

Wrote the following at Jan. 30, 2014, 12:28 p.m...

That is a very nice system indeed!

R4600PC 133 MHz

Mac Mini 2.5GHz 8GB RAM
Raspberry Pi

mwd
From Sydney, Australia
Who joined Jan. 17, 2014, 3:51 p.m.

Wrote the following at Feb. 1, 2014, 2:59 a.m...

I really like this system! Good job with the CPU, I'd never be game to run it without a heat-sink (although I'm sure it would be fine).

R12K 300 MHz, 1 GB RAM, SE+T
:Indigo2IMP:

R10K 195MHz, 320MB RAM, Solid Impact
:O2:

R10K 175MHz, 256MB RAM, CRM
:Indy:

R4400 200MHz, 256MB RAM, XZ

mgtremaine
From San Diego, Ca
Who joined Feb. 22, 2006, 1:58 p.m.

Wrote the following at Feb. 8, 2014, 2:51 p.m...

I'm jealous! I'd love to do both the SATA and 200mhz cpu to my Indy. I'll have to boot it this summer and see how the poor thing is doing. I'd love to know more about a source for the CPU.

-Mike

diegel
From Hamburg, Germany
Who joined Nov. 17, 2009, 2:08 a.m.

Wrote the following at Feb. 12, 2014, 3:22 a.m...

Thanks, for all the replies.

mgtremaine wrote: I'd love to know more about a source for the CPU.

I simply find it on ebay.

SGI: hinv

Challenge S, 200MHZ R5000, 256MB RAM