Nekonomicon - Henry Dorsett Case

Henry Dorsett Case
From Ruhr Area, Germany
Who joined March 23, 2009, 9:59 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of What IBM hardware do we have..? at April 30, 2010, 2:12 p.m...

9114-275 Power4+ Single CPU, 3 GB RAM, AIX 6.1.3.0

7249-860 RS/6000 860 Risc Laptop, 166MHz PowerPC 603e, AIX 4.1.5
[found it in a hidden corner at work, machine runs but I don't have the root pw. If any fellow nekochan member has an idea where to get an AIX 4.1.5 CD to boot from and get rid of the old pw, let me know

]

Henry Dorsett Case
From Ruhr Area, Germany
Who joined March 23, 2009, 9:59 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of What IBM hardware do we have..? at May 1, 2010, 9:51 a.m...

Thank you for the hint. I think you're right, booting the machine will also work with 4.1.4, so getting rid of the root pw will most probably be possible.

In case that one needs to reinstall the OS, 4.1.5 will be the only AIX Version which was fully supported for these boxes. There are posts from other forums indicating that using other versions keeps you stuck to the command line, no X.

Anyway, my problem is that my AIX archive at home goes back only down to AIX 5.1 - I tried to boot the machine with 5.1 but, of course, with no success. So any help in getting my hands on a 4.1.4 CD 1 or, better, 4.1.5 CD 1 is highly welcome.
I hope that I'm not breaking any forum rules with this request. AFAIK an AIX 4 CD was bundeled with the systems, so I think that the use of a medium from another source won't break any EULA's.

BTW, I found an interesting information about using backup copies here: http://www-aix.gsi.de/~kraemer/COLLECTION/IBM/rs6k860.html . It seems that these machines are picky regarding CD copies which for sure will make the recovery more difficult.
Next week I'll start a safari through our AIX archives at work but with little hope to find some original 4.1.5 CD's.
Again, I would be really thankful if someone helps me with getting this fine little piece of IBM gear back to a fully operational status.

Henry Dorsett Case
From Ruhr Area, Germany
Who joined March 23, 2009, 9:59 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of What IBM hardware do we have..? at Dec. 4, 2010, 10:49 a.m...

A book I recently read nicely outlined this

Sounds interesting - would be great if you could cite the title...

Thank's a lot!

Cheers

HDC

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Help needed with a Power Challenge L at July 13, 2012, 1:30 p.m...

Folks,

today I got my hands on a Power Challenge L Deskside in near mint condition. The previous owner made a clean shutdown but left the machine connected to the mains in order to avoid problems with faulty capacitors. When I entered the machine room in order to grab this gem, the Challenge showed a POKB-Error in the System display. Not too good I think. We switched the circuit breaker on the back of the system to "Off" and I hauled the machine over to its new location. After reassemby of the FLDs (three HDDs and a CDROM), plugging in the power connector, switching the circuit breaker to "On" and turning the key to the "I" position nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. No fan noise, no LED's, no System Display. The PSU seems to have some Indicator LEDs for DC and AC - both dead. I checked the cable, it's OK. I'm new to the Eveready machines so please apologize for some noob questions: Did I forget anything in order to power this machine on? I checked the Challenge Owner's Guide but I didn't find any additional steps. Is there a chance that the PSU died after showing this POKB-error and disconnecting it from the mains? I think dis- and remounting the PSU could be worth a try but I can't find any hint how to remove the back cover of the system. Again, apologies but I checked the Challenge related posts on Nekochan for some advice or a link to a SGI document but to no avail. It would help me a lot if anyone here would be able to provide me a link to an appropriate maintenance guide or if anybody would be so kind to point me in the right direction.

Thanks!

Cheers
HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Help needed with a Power Challenge L at July 13, 2012, 11 p.m...

Cracking! mopar5150 an guardian452, you guys made my day. Thank you. I'll post an answer to your suggestions asap after breakfast with my familiy.

Cheers!

HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Help needed with a Power Challenge L at July 14, 2012, 2:15 a.m...

Ok, here's an update regarding my attempts to resurrect the Power Challenge:

The machine is still dead. Sigh.

Thanks to the kind support I received it was no problem to remove the back panel and to check if the OLS was correctly seated. I think there's no problem with the physical connection of the OLS to the backplane.
After that I poked the cables at the power receptacle unit with a multimeter. The circuit breaker works, no beep if switched to "off" , beep if switched to "on". If the switch is in the "on" position I can measure 230V at the electrical contacts wired to the cables which go into the backplane.
I have no idea how the connectors from the backplane to the OLS are wired. Anyway, 230 V is routed from the receptacle through the circuit breaker into the system and nothing seems to reach the OLS because there is no sign of activity from the OLS. No Fan, no amber or green LED. mopar5150, is there a chance that you have some infomation about the wiring of the backplane? My next step would be to check if I can detect any voltage on the input connectors for the OLS. If there is any suitable voltage on these pins I think most presumably the OLS is dead, am I right here?
Does anyone know what I can check in addition?

BTW, I removed all the boards (IO4, MC3 and the IP25) and reseated them.

I've seen many failing SGI power supplies, but most of them died with at least some olfactoric effect

- I suspect that there is something wrong with another component that I haven't taken into consideration, maybe associated with the transport. The machine was alive just prior to the transport and is totally dead after the haul. And I hauled it with all loving care I could give, believe me. So, if anyone has an idea what can be done to bring this wonderful machine back into production, please let me know.

Again, thanks for all the support.

HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Help needed with a Power Challenge L at July 16, 2012, 9 a.m...

Quote:

but you should still be getting system controller power and the +48V lights, so look at your OLS module(s).

Yes, that's what should happen. I was able to track the electricity upriver to the wires ending in the internal connectors of the backplane. I checked the diag document but was not able to find the wiring of the connectors - I'm not very good with such things as circuit diagrams :oops:

, so if anybody is able to tell me what should arrive at the pins I can track this down. Without this information I think the risk of frying the wiring, the backplane and maybe myself is a little bit too high.
If anybody did a total disassembling of a Power Challenge: Is there another connector between the cables running from the receptacle to the connectors of the OLS? I can't observe the complete pathway of the cables and I didn't find enough time yet to disassemble all the brass inside the chassis and I have the (admittedly weak) theory that the problem is not the OLS but a loose connection due to vibrations during the transport. BTW, if anybody is interested in some photos of the cabling (for documentation purposes) let me know, I can upload them.

Quote:

I have never had my OLSes open, so I"m not sure where the ACOK tap is.

I tried to inspect the internals of the OLS (the Power Challenge has only one OLS) but I'm still missing an idea how to open the OLS. The brass nuts are leveled with the housing and not accessible with my set of tools. Maybe I shouldn't try because the only thing I could do is an optical inspection and tinkering with such monstrous PSU devices can be painful if one does not fully understand the technology.
Anyway, I found a spare OLS for a fair price at a German reseller and ordered it. Most hopefully it works and I can start to find out which of the boards throws the POKB-error. How to get a spare part for the defective board will be the next challenge

I'll post an update if anything interesting happens.

HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Help needed with a Power Challenge L at July 18, 2012, 10:12 p.m...

Folks,

thanks a lot for the vivid discussion and sorry for the delay of my answers. My jobs keeps my so busy that I hardly find time to visit Nekochan at the moment. I'm in my office right now and stealing some time to contribute.

@guardian452:

Quote:

Use a continuity tester to figure out where the mains go into the OLS.

Yep, thx. Should have come to that myself. :oops:

because I used my multimeter to beep the wiring from the receptacle to the circuit breaker and from the circuit breaker to the cables going inside the machine.

Quote:

If you still need help figuring this out, I can post pictures or even a video on youtube, maybe by the end of the week.

Wow, thats really nice. But let's wait for the spare OLS to arrive, maybe it's not longer necessary to do such a deep-dive.
Anyway, just for learning, the only thing that I have to measure is IF there is a connection from the mains coming from the circuit breaker to at least 2, presumably 3 (phase, neutral, gnd) of the pins of the connector, right?
Would be nice to know where the current arrives at which pin anyway, so if you want to check this and publish your findings I would really appreciate that just for documentation purposes. I'll do this as soon as I have a working OLS in my machine.

@jan-jaap
Thanks a lot for your efforts. Last sunday, during one of my attempts to get the fat lady running, I dismanteled the side panel and found the metal panel

. Was interesting to see how SGI divided the power to the FDA and for the boards. As afrore-mentioned, I suspected that there could have been another connector between the mains coming from the circuit breaker and the tiny backplane the OLS slots into which perhaps was loosened because of the transport . I didn't catch that this could have been easily checked through beeping the connections. Again, shame on me.
BTW, no 400V 32A circuits in your house?

- whats with the big iron coming your way?

I can't wait to get the spare OLS, most hopefully I arrvive at home early enough to do a test-run. Unfortunately the beast is residing in our living room (I have a wonderful family which accepts that I have a room- and electricity consuming hobby. Well, to be honest, my wife tries to accept...) so any attempt after 10 p.m. can be dangerous because it could wake the brood :roll:

.

The former owner just told me that the machine only runs for about 5 minutes and then shuts down because of the 3.3V POKB problem. I got the machine for free, so no need to get upset about that. Am I right that it is not feasible to repair a board with a faulty 3.3 V regulator? I have only one IP25 board, one MC3 and one IO4, so I think one of my next postings will be in the "Hardware wanted" forum. Does any of you have some spare boards for a Power Challenge and is willing to sell/trade?

Oops, 8 a.m already. Have to get cracking! Thanks again to all contributors. Nekochan is a really cool place!

Cheers
HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Help needed with a Power Challenge L at July 20, 2012, 11:36 p.m...

Here is the news: Got the spare OLS yesterday. Swapped OLS's. Good news: Old OLS was dead. With the spare part the system turns on again. Bad news: Immediate POKB error. Worse: As predicted by jan-jaap and guardian452 it's the IP25. Man, this sucks!

Attachment:

File comment: POKB on IP25

pokb2_small.jpg [ 107.32 KiB | Viewed 326 times ]

Anyway, just to add my contribution, here are some pictures showing how the setup is for a Power Challenge L:

This is how the inside of the receptacle unit wiring looks like:

Attachment:

File comment: receptacle with circuit breaker and wiring

receptacle1_ins_small.jpg [ 127.47 KiB | Viewed 326 times ]

A view inside the case showing the OLS connectors:

Attachment:

File comment: ols slot view w/ connectors

chllng_ols_inside_view_small.jpg [ 101.29 KiB | Viewed 326 times ]

An overview of the backplane:

Attachment:

File comment: backplane overview

chllng_bplane_ovrvw_small.jpg [ 74.34 KiB | Viewed 326 times ]

The backplane with the connectors the OLS slots into and the connectors for FDA and fan PWR:

Attachment:

File comment: backplane w/ connectors

chllng_bplane_connectors_small.jpg [ 97.54 KiB | Viewed 326 times ]

I can't provide any pictures about the back end of the board chassis because I'm not allowed to

:

Attachment:

File comment: sealed case

chllnge_seal_small.jpg [ 122.45 KiB | Viewed 326 times ]

Next thing will be another attempt to reseat the IP25 board but to be honest, I fear it's FUBAR.

I'll post an update if anything interesting happens...

<edit>
Tested IP25 in another slot: Red lights on
Reseated IP25: Red lights on
Crap.
</edit>

<edit>
Without the IP25 board the machine resumes the boot process. But, well, without a CPU board the Challenge is not much fun. It's definitely the FW300F1 DC-to-DC converter (bottom LED red on the IP25). I've digged through Google but nowadays these parts are hard to find. So, if any of you has a FW300F1 (or a board with other failed parts but with a known good FW300F1) or a 030-1072-001 Rev A-G board and is willing to sell/trade, let me know. I know that Ian Mapleson has some of these in stock, but with prices beginning at ca. 740 EUR or 900 USD this is far beyond my possibilities.
</edit>

_________________
:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Help needed with a Power Challenge L at Aug. 3, 2012, 4:09 a.m...

Quote:

FYI: I've tried to de-solder a component from an IO4 once and even with a professional desoldering station is was absolutely not happening. Those PCBs are simply too thick, you will destroy the traces on the top layer before the inside gets warm enough.

That's what I'm afraid of, too. What I was thinking about was to remove the CPU from the IP25 (although I didn't find the time to check if this task has it own risks) try to de-solder the FW300F1 (I have acces to a professional SMD desoldering station and the owner of the station offered his assistance) and to solder the new one in, reinsert the CPU and give it a try. The board is defective anyway, the only problem could be that I fry the CPU or anything else because of internal havoc caused by the soldering.

Quote:

I will look at the other boards and see if this converter is used on any of them. If not I could sell you one out of my onyx as I only use 10% of it anyway.

mopar150, did you mean that you are thinking of selling me a surplus non-IP25 board with a FW300F1 so that I can try to de-solder it? That would be pretty cool, thanks a lot. But AFAIR the FW300F1 is only used on IP25 boards. Is there any chance that you're willing to sell an IP25? If swapping the CPUs would be possible I would be very happy with a naked board w/o the R10k. I think that you wrote "the other boards" on purpose because you don't want to part with an IP25, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Shipping the whole thing to Germany will be another question, I think.

Cheers
HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Help needed with a Power Challenge L at Aug. 3, 2012, 8:14 a.m...

By all appearances, a 030-0841-003 rev. A could be a source, too.
It's used in an Onyx so 48V DC in is possible, I presume. Can anybody approve that, please?
(Note to myself: Try to find the specs.)

_________________
:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Help needed with a Power Challenge L at Aug. 3, 2012, 10:12 a.m...

Thank you for the clarification. And also for your encouraging words about de-soldering the power brick

. I'll take the IP25 to the guy with the soldering station, maybe he is able to predict if a de-soldering process with his station is feasible. If not I'll try it with a butane powered soldering iron - and be sure, I'll put these actions on video for amusement's sake.

_________________
:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 25 notes

Wrote on the subject of Found an Indigo at Dec. 8, 2012, 11:20 a.m...

Quote:

Maybe it needs to get a spin-up command explicitly?

Don't think so. There are drives with a jumper for controlling auto spin, but normally these are configured to spin up automatically. To make sure, just post the type of your harddrive and if possible a photo of the jumpers in their positions (or a sketch e.g.) - I'll have a look at it if this is of any assistance for you. Btw, some of these old SCSI 50pin disks just need a slight tip on the shoulder after powering up - but please use this cludge at your own risk.
<edit>
What does "hinv" from the Command Prom say about the diskd drive?
What does happen if you try ls dksc(0,x,y) in the Prom Monitor?
</edit>

Quote:

and a CPU board error (no keyboard and/or mouse present)

I have a spare PS/2 Adapter I bought from Nekochan member "The Keeper" some time ago. It's nicely engineered and works flawless with an Indigo. Let me know if you're interested.

Quote:

Funny thing is, the machine doesn't play the introduction chime anymore after I replaced the battery.

Well, this sounds kinda weird. I changed the battery on some Indigos (I prefer to neatly solder in a CR2032 battery holder, makes replacement easier and cheaper, but that's only my view) but the bootup chime never disappeared. I'll will have closer look at the mainboard of a R3000 Indigo tomorrow in order to see if there is anything speaker related e.g. in the vicinity of the battery connector which coud possibly be affected. Have you checked the environment variables in the Command Prom? Although it's still weird because it worked before the battery replacement...

HtH

Regards
HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

(dead IP25, sigh) :O2000:

( while (!asleep()) sheep++; )

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 25 notes

Wrote on the subject of O2 harddisk not working? at Dec. 14, 2012, 3:46 a.m...

Not sure if I remember this right, but have you checked the ARCS PROM variables, afair all the OSLoadxx stuff and SystemPartition? I think I was able to repartition and relabel an otherwise reluctant disk after clearing these variables. These settings are automatically set at boottime, but maybe it's worth a try - although I must admit that this comes from distant memory

HtH

Cheers
HDC

P.S.
Your Indigo is finally on the way! Sent you a PM also!

_________________
:ChallengeL:

(dead IP25, sigh) :O2000:

( while (!asleep()) sheep++; )

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 25 notes

Wrote on the subject of Octane boot problems at Dec. 17, 2012, 5:02 a.m...

According to his signature, crrn also owns an Indigo2 with R10k. So I think he can follow Ian's guide which can be found here http://www.futuretech.blinkenlights.nl/netboot.html in order to configure another SGI as an alternative to DINA. Worked perfect for me...

Just my 2cts

HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

(dead IP25, sigh) :O2000:

( while (!asleep()) sheep++; )

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 25 notes

Wrote on the subject of Octane boot problems at Dec. 17, 2012, 5:38 a.m...

You're right, the 10Base-T NIC in an Indigo2 is a disadvantage. Unless crrn is a lucky owner of a Phobos GIO or EISA or a 3c597 EISA

If not, using DINA is better from a performance point of view.

Regards
HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

(dead IP25, sigh) :O2000:

( while (!asleep()) sheep++; )

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 25 notes

Wrote on the subject of Octane 2xR10k 400MHz, 2048MB, V12+DM2+VOB at Jan. 4, 2013, 11:09 a.m...

hinv -vm

Code:

  Location: /hw/module/1/slot/n1/node
  
  MODULEID Board: barcode K0023529   part              rev
  
  8P12_MPLN Board: barcode JGZ976     part 030-0762-006 rev  M
  
  IP31 Board: barcode JHL271     part 030-1255-004 rev  A
  
  IP31PIMM8MB Board: barcode JDZ054     part 030-1401-002 rev  B
  
  Location: /hw/module/1/slot/n2/node
  
  IP31PIMM8MB Board: barcode JRL286     part 030-1401-002 rev  B
  
  IP31 Board: barcode JRS441     part 030-1255-003 rev  D
  
  Location: /hw/module/1/slot/n3/node
  
  IP31PIMM8MB Board: barcode JSB033     part 030-1401-002 rev  B
  
  IP31 Board: barcode DRA764     part 030-1255-003 rev  D
  
  Location: /hw/module/1/slot/r1/router
  
  ROUTER_IR1 Board: barcode HLY466     part 030-0841-003 rev  B
  
  Location: /hw/module/1/slot/r2/router
  
  ROUTER_IR1 Board: barcode HKM161     part 030-0841-003 rev  B
  
  Location: /hw/module/1/slot/io1/baseio
  
  BASEIO Board: barcode JKZ031     part 030-1124-002 rev  M
  
  6 300 MHZ IP27 Processors
  
  CPU: MIPS R12000 Processor Chip Revision: 2.3
  
  FPU: MIPS R12010 Floating Point Chip Revision: 2.3
  
  CPU 0 at Module 1/Slot 1/Slice A: 300 Mhz MIPS R12000 Processor Chip (enabled)
  
  Processor revision: 2.3. Scache: Size 8 MB Speed 200 Mhz  Tap 0xa
  
  CPU 1 at Module 1/Slot 1/Slice B: 300 Mhz MIPS R12000 Processor Chip (enabled)
  
  Processor revision: 2.3. Scache: Size 8 MB Speed 200 Mhz  Tap 0xa
  
  CPU 2 at Module 1/Slot 2/Slice A: 300 Mhz MIPS R12000 Processor Chip (enabled)
  
  Processor revision: 2.3. Scache: Size 8 MB Speed 200 Mhz  Tap 0xa
  
  CPU 3 at Module 1/Slot 2/Slice B: 300 Mhz MIPS R12000 Processor Chip (enabled)
  
  Processor revision: 2.3. Scache: Size 8 MB Speed 200 Mhz  Tap 0xa
  
  CPU 4 at Module 1/Slot 3/Slice A: 300 Mhz MIPS R12000 Processor Chip (enabled)
  
  Processor revision: 2.3. Scache: Size 8 MB Speed 200 Mhz  Tap 0xa
  
  CPU 5 at Module 1/Slot 3/Slice B: 300 Mhz MIPS R12000 Processor Chip (enabled)
  
  Processor revision: 2.3. Scache: Size 8 MB Speed 200 Mhz  Tap 0xa
  
  Main memory size: 3072 Mbytes
  
  Instruction cache size: 32 Kbytes
  
  Data cache size: 32 Kbytes
  
  Secondary unified instruction/data cache size: 8 Mbytes
  
  Memory at Module 1/Slot 1: 1024 MB (enabled)
  
  Bank 0 contains 512 MB (Standard) DIMMS (enabled)
  
  Bank 1 contains 512 MB (Standard) DIMMS (enabled)
  
  Memory at Module 1/Slot 2: 1024 MB (enabled)
  
  Bank 0 contains 512 MB (Standard) DIMMS (enabled)
  
  Bank 1 contains 512 MB (Standard) DIMMS (enabled)
  
  Memory at Module 1/Slot 3: 1024 MB (enabled)
  
  Bank 0 contains 512 MB (Standard) DIMMS (enabled)
  
  Bank 1 contains 512 MB (Standard) DIMMS (enabled)
  
  ROUTER in Module 1/Slot 2: Revision 2: Active Ports [3,4,5,6] (enabled)
  
  ROUTER in Module 1/Slot 3: Revision 2: Active Ports [3,5,6] (enabled)
  
  Integral SCSI controller 0: Version QL1040B (rev. 2), single ended
  
  Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI controller 0 (unit 1)
  
  Disk drive: unit 2 on SCSI controller 0 (unit 2)
  
  Disk drive: unit 3 on SCSI controller 0 (unit 3)
  
  Disk drive: unit 4 on SCSI controller 0 (unit 4)
  
  CDROM: unit 6 on SCSI controller 0
  
  Integral SCSI controller 1: Version QL1040B (rev. 2), single ended
  
  IOC3/IOC4 serial port: tty1
  
  IOC3/IOC4 serial port: tty2
  
  Integral Fast Ethernet: ef0, version 1, module 1, slot io1, pci 2
  
  Origin BASEIO board, module 1 slot 1: Revision 4
  
  PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x10a9, device 0x0003) PCI slot 2
  
  PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x1077, device 0x1020) PCI slot 0
  
  PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x1077, device 0x1020) PCI slot 1
  
  IOC3/IOC4 external interrupts: 1
  
  HUB in Module 1/Slot 1: Revision 5 Speed 100.00 Mhz (enabled)
  
  HUB in Module 1/Slot 2: Revision 5 Speed 100.00 Mhz (enabled)
  
  HUB in Module 1/Slot 3: Revision 5 Speed 100.00 Mhz (enabled)
  
  IP27prom in Module 1/Slot n1: Revision 6.156
  
  IP27prom in Module 1/Slot n2: Revision 6.156
  
  IP27prom in Module 1/Slot n3: Revision 6.156
  
  IO6prom on Global Master Baseio in Module 1/Slot io1: Revision 6.156

_________________
:ChallengeL:

(dead IP25, sigh) :O2000:

( while (!asleep()) sheep++; )

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 25 notes

Wrote on the subject of Solved! Problem installing Irix on a Indigo 3K (SNI) at Jan. 6, 2013, 8:07 a.m...

Tom,

I may be wrong here, but I doubt that you have to specify another software location. Just type

Code:

install default

and then

Code:

go

. IRIX 5.3 consists of only one CD afair, so there is no need to

Code:

open

another distribution and I prsume that you shouldn't have probs with unresolved conflicts. It's been a while that I installed my Indigo, but I think that I did it in the way described above.
Maybe someone with more grip on installing 5.3 on IP12 is able to correct me if I'm wrong here.

HtH

HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

(dead IP25, sigh) :O2000:

( while (!asleep()) sheep++; )

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 25 notes

Wrote on the subject of gentlemen, start your microscopes ! at Jan. 6, 2013, 8:25 a.m...

200 kV Schottky Field Emission gun , just the right stuff to tinker with on rainy sunday afternoons. :mrgreen:

Let us know when your upcoming acquisition is operational. Nekochan goes Nanochan...

Sorry, seems that I inhaled enough soldering smoke for today

Cheers
HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

(dead IP25, sigh) :O2000:

( while (!asleep()) sheep++; )

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 25 notes

Wrote on the subject of Solved! Problem installing Irix on a Indigo 3K (SNI) at Jan. 6, 2013, 11:17 a.m...

I'm a bit puzzled about the

Quote:

[email protected]

thing. Maybe the problem is that the contents of the mounted CD are not accessible for other users than root. Have you tried copying the contents of the CD to the Netboot machine and using the respective dist directory (with sufficient permissions) instead of directly using the mounted CD?

Regards

HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

(dead IP25, sigh) :O2000:

( while (!asleep()) sheep++; )

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 28 notes

Wrote on the subject of what is "QMAGIC"? (in System V Unix system) at Jan. 18, 2013, 5:43 a.m...

A google search for <<"qmagic" acorn>> leads to several hits regarding the format of the executables - maybe this is of any help for you?

Regards

HDC

_________________
:ChallengeL:

(dead IP25, sigh) :O2000:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Firmware for BATM/Telco Systems Titan 5 G (T5G) Switch? at June 13, 2013, 5:18 a.m...

I know this is most possibly a long shot, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
I scavenged a BATM/Telco Systems BTI-0530G-GC-B Switch (aka BATM T5G or Titan 5G). It's a nice older 10+2 Port Gigabit Switch. Telco Systems neither does provide a manual nor firmware images for this model - obviously because it's too old. I did an intensive search in the interwebs, but to no avail. I am able to access and configure the switch so a manual would be nice just for the sake of having a documentation, but the firmware on this model is so old that it for instance is not capable of LACP although the switch is technically able to do it. So, if anyone here on Nekochan has access (or a link) to a manual and/or firmware ( I think we won't run into copyright issues here) and is willing to share this with me, please let me know.

Thanks!

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:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
Who joined March 23, 2009, 8:59 a.m.
and authored 29 notes

Wrote on the subject of Help needed with a Power Challenge L at July 21, 2013, 1:30 a.m...

Gents,

hope that it is acceptable to revive this old thread. Apologies that I didn't manage to update my own thread, had a rough time back then. I followed the advice given in your contributions and cancelled the attempt of de-soldering the defective power brick. After more than a year I finally managed to buy a new IP25 4x195 MHz 2 MB Cache board from a nekochan user for a decent price. Swapped boards, turned keys with sweaty palms: System came up without errors. After some DIY to build a nullmodem cable (thank you SGI for another permutation of a serial pinout) I'm now connected to the system. Mission accomplished. Many thanks to all of you for your kind support!

Cheers!

HDC

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:ChallengeL:

Henry Dorsett Case
From Ruhr Area, Germany
Who joined March 23, 2009, 9:59 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Litecoin Mining on IRIX at Jan. 29, 2014, 8 a.m...

Octane with 2x R14k 600MHz does 2x 0.28 khash/s.

At least that's faster than the Raspberry... :roll:

Henry Dorsett Case
From Ruhr Area, Germany
Who joined March 23, 2009, 9:59 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Show Off Your Home Office Setup & SGI Collection... at March 16, 2014, 10:04 a.m...

After managing to fit a square peg into a round hole, the bulky middle part of my desk didn't seem to fit through the rather tiny opening in the floor of my man-cave, but with some ingenuity aka brute force we finally managed to haul it up there. After two days of heavy lifting in order to shove around all my machines (A good part of them is not visible in the picture - I have to tidy up the other half of the room before daring to take pictures) my little hideout finally reaches functional status...

Sorry for the poor quality of the picture, was an experiment with the panorama function of my cellphone.

The collected works of Henry Dorsett Case