SGI: Hardware

...putting two VPRO cards in an Octane2 will automatically result in fast fan mode (aka jet-plane taking off noise level) ? Any first hand experience ? I plan to add a V10 in addition to the already-in-there V12 to drive my two monitors (Sony/SGI 24'' and 1600SW) separately, each off its own card.

Yes. It's very noisy. I think though putting anything in the lower cage will cause the fans to replicate a Harrier Jump Jet.

Saying all that, it's a noise level that is acceptable (just) unlike a 1u rack server.

BTW, good luck running that combination of monitors..

uunix wrote: Yes. It's very noisy. I think though putting anything in the lower cage will cause the fans to replicate a Harrier Jump Jet.

Saying all that, it's a noise level that is acceptable (just) unlike a 1u rack server.

BTW, good luck running that combination of monitors..

At the moment, I have a FC-AL XIO card in the lower XIO section and the thing isn't that noisy overall. I wonder if a graphic card will cause more ruckus.

I already run the same combination of monitors but it's not very practical. The 1600SW is connected to one DVI from the DCD and the 24'' CRT to the 13W3. As they have incompatible resolutions, I'm forced to launch a shell that switch video mode each time I want to use one or the other. I hope with the two cards, things will be easier...

uunix wrote: Yes. It's very noisy. I think though putting anything in the lower cage will cause the fans to replicate a Harrier Jump Jet.

Jack Luminous wrote: At the moment, I have a FC-AL XIO card in the lower XIO section and the thing isn't that noisy overall.

I have an Octane Compression in the lower left slot (looking from the rear.) If I put it in the lower right slot, it gets noisy as heck. Otherwise, it runs at Normal Octane Level.

It seems to me this is backwards from what it says in the book, but their lettering system always gets me confused.

hamei wrote: I have an Octane Compression in the lower left slot (looking from the rear.) If I put it in the lower right slot, it gets noisy as heck. Otherwise, it runs at Normal Octane Level.

Correct.

Now, see where a VPro card has it's XIO compression connector (on the PCB side where the dual DVI option goes):

A single VPro uses the space of both upper XIO slots, but attaches only to the top-right (looking from the back side).

And see how on the dual carrier the bottom card is turned 180 degrees:

Looks like it attaches to the bottom-left XIO site (looking from the back).

So, technically you should be safe from the infernal fastfan mode, unless the firmware is clever enough to know that the dual VPro setup is utilizing the bottom right slot space and engages fastfan anyway. Maybe ask 'mopar5150', he had one for sale recently.

jan-jaap wrote: So, technically you should be safe from the infernal fastfan mode, unless the firmware is clever enough to know that the dual VPro setup is utilizing the bottom right slot space and engages fastfan anyway. Maybe ask 'mopar5150', he had one for sale recently.

That's good news. BTW, I bought the bare dual carrier from Mopar5150.