SGI: Hardware

One of the two IP31 nodeboards that I received to upgrade my IP27's does not blink a lot after power up, and swapping them did not help. The four upper LEDs are on in each column and nothing blinks.

the search is a good thing
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16720907&p=7299835&hilit=clearalllogs#p7299835

Thanks for the search links, I could fix the nodeboard which is now enabled, after replacing the compression connector and doing the usual clearallogs... commands in pod then resetenv enableall... in PROM menu.
But the shoebox is still down despite those commands repeated several times and reset cycles. I know its XIO connector is good because
-I cleaned the midplane pads
-a shoehorn in the same slot is detected
-I replaced the compression connector
-there are no warning messages in console like those from IO6 before reseating it
Only its PROM is detected in hinv (from IRIX, not PROM)

The flash was successful: before, tail of hinv was

No one else knows of io2 slot

What to check next ? I did not find detailed help for POD command dgpci and its options, it is not in man prom.

silly question but is something in the shoehorn? a card?

foetz wrote: silly question but is something in the shoehorn? a card?

Yes, two SGI GbE cards in slots 0 and 1, copper tg and fiber eg. They were OK in a short XTalk PCI adapter (one at a time) but not in this full-length 3-slot PCI cage. Then I left only one in slot 0 and retried the prom commands without success.

Your description of confirming the midplane with another XIO card and replacing the compression connector on the shoebox would make me suspect the shoebox has a defect <not related to the compression connector or midplane connection>.

However, your original post included a link error that could be related to the issue:

If you attempts to flush the POD log didn't clear the link error message, there are a series of LEDs on the midplane that can be used to diagnose XIO link failures.

There's a neko-wiki on the subject with photo illustrations < Origin2000/Onyx2 Diagnostics: Midplane LEDs >. If your system is an Onyx2 Deskside, I didn't have access to an Onyx2 Deskside when I prepared the wiki, so there aren't any details or photos for the Onyx2 Deskside.

Having warned you of that, there's probably a good chance that the LEDs on the Onyx2 Deskside are identified with similar markings <and function in the same fashion>, so the info might still prove to be useful.
http://www.nekochan.net/wiki/ ... plane_LEDs

If your Onyx2 is a Deskside, feel free to post a description and close up photos of the LEDs and I'll add them to the wiki.

recondas wrote: suspect the shoebox has a defect <not related to the compression connector or midplane connection>.

Thanks for this hint ! It was a mechanical defect preventing good compression despite the XIO latch: after noticing it was harder to push than other XIO cards, I found the bracket of the bottom lid (stamped with 040-1358-001) was not parallel to the bottom of the chassis because there is a rivet near its corner. This bracket holds the knurled screw that tightens the cage to the chassis but the sheet metal is too thick to bend if the chassis is not flush.

After a few cuts with a hand shear, the cage could be perfectly inserted, the XIO PCI adapter appeared in hinv, and tg2 appeared in ifconfig -a .

There are no LEDs on the midplane around io2 slot

Sorry for digging up an old topic but this is a great example of why this forum is so useful. I just obtained a shoebox for my deskside Onyx2, and it wasn't recognized by the system. It turned out to be for this very same reason, the rivet was preventing it from seating fully. I took the same route as silicium and cut the corner off the ear of the shoebox and now it shows up in the hinv.

Thanks for figuring this out!

Edit: I thought this was Wiki-worthy so I've added this mod to the Wiki PCI page.