The collected works of SAQ - Page 14

I'm still seeing notable differences between that chip and the RM7000. Some would be hardware, but some might also need IRIX or PROM tweaks (such as the BHT and a few register changes). I guess you won't know until you've tried it, but I wouldn't sink too much money into this.

SGI was the sole source as well, you don't know if they coded some variant of "IF RM7000 THEN L3cache exists"

And if it was only XMI you'll be limited in what perepherals you can use.

Graphics heads are pretty pointless on VMS. There's not much graphical out there (though the Hobbyist PAKs do include DECwrite), and it's pretty much simple stuff that can go over the network no problem.

That hasn't stopped me from putting graphics heads on many of my machines, but I don't sweat it if I have a DEC box that I don't have a graphics card, keyboard or mouse for.

Instead of doing the Rasberry approach you can just have several instances of simh running on a virtual network. Same effect, probably cheaper.

If I had enough money and I was looking for potential commercial applications I'd go I64. The manager/admin's interface with OpenVMS is very similar for any modernish variant, but the hardware is different and, as Winnili points out, there are some neat tweaks on the newer systems.

If you do run an older version, especially on a VAX, make sure you get TCPWare or MultiNet. The UCX on the hobbyist distro is (or was - has HP updated it?) very old and buggy, as well as taking a huge chunk of computing resources. I ran the one that came with Hobbyist V2 on a 4000/200 for a brief period, and the machine became essentially useless when the network was in use because of the system load.

Also make sure that the relevant parts are marked as "on" when you run "chkconfig"

'man chkconfig' will tell you how to use it.

VAX 6000 was XMI for the mainbus, right? Did Raytheon cram a XMI->BI adapter in that box, have the I/O in a separate chassis, or do somthing else, then?

Sweet program, though EE seems not to have suffered as much decay as CS in general. I'm still pretty convinced that assembler should be taught to advanced HS/beginning college students so they have a better feel for how the computer does things. Then move on to the HLLs.

6.5.19 -> 6.5.22 also requires the inst rollup patch so the system knows how to deal with the unified release streams.

Patch 5086. Available from your friendly local Supportfolio.

Yep, if you want to go VAX go with a VS4000 or related-era MicroVAX. Small, common-storage-bus, no 1.05GB limit for VMS, reasonably efficient - but still kind of slow.

Yep, this is what you've got to do. It seemed even more of an embarrassment to SGI when IRIX was still a sold product and the web browser provided with IRIX (Netscape 4.0) wouldn't work properly with the SGI site.

The modern Apple has change just to be cool as a cornerstone of their business model.

As do many carmakers and practically all clothing manufacturers. Style is cheap (to the company) and has high profit margins.

That's just lazy.

Whaddaya expect with these "Interactive Terminal" thingies? If they had to turn it in on a punchcard deck and get the printout back the next day they'd be more careful!



Somewhere someone must be thinking it.

[edit] rearranged for clarity.

Note that I'm not saying that the CPU is definitely the problem here, just that it's pointless to spend a lot of time troubleshooting an error on something that's known not to work anyway. He may still need to mess around with it even after upgrading.

What do you mean? Of course there is - it's called "more profit"

For all definitions of "the right way" == "successful in the market".

Note that "successful in the market" is not sufficient to define "the right way", as there are more criteria. As this is (predominantly) engineering and not math or logic you'll be hard pressed to define a "right way" - best to think of it more as a continuum of crappiness with many variables defining a products range (rather than absolute point) on the continuum.

If you'd post where you are then someone with a HP1 R3000 board might be nearby.

Hmm - you might be right there.

Do you know any electronics types who would have a EPROM programmer?

The pedestal ones are almost twice the size. The rackmount 2100 is about the size of a pedestal 1000, but that's because it doesn't have any drives.

I had a 2100RM for a bit, got rid of it because it was slow, big, and unreliable (water damage? drop? Don't know what happened to it, but I was glad I didn't pay anything).

PV544. The 122S/Amazon is even better - it's the one with tailfins (and, along with the 1800 series, the best looking Volvos ever made). 240/740/940 wagons are the best for hauling stuff, though.

Unfortunately if the original manufacturer won't generate a key and doesn't support the software then it is unlikely that anyone else will be able to legally. Generally when you bought or transfer nodelocked software you apply to the manufacturer for a new key.

You could offer them the full asking price and chances are they would still refuse. They just don't consider it "worth it" to bother with one person.

The "PC-ification" of the Fuel generally just extended to the case, power supply and having cabled drives. It's still very much a SGI design, and though it "only" has PCI expansion everything on Origin/Octane was PCI behind a BRIDGE anyway.

SGI can't really be blamed for the bad run of env chips either.

Noticeable oversimplification in the initial post. Graphics were the only non-BRIDGE XIO widgets in NUMAboxes (XBRIDGE counts as bridge here, and I'm not counting the HEART/HUB/BEDROCK which were also widgets but tying the computer to the I/O equipment). Given that graphics in IP35 machines are still XIO (though a different form factor), the only difference is the other I/O options - which aren't that different because they're still PCI behind BRIDGE on either architecture. IP35 merely puts the BRIDGE on the system board rather than the option board (or carrier).

Indy, Indigo2 and up provide a separate sync signal (as does LG1 Indigo), but I'm not sure if GR2 Indigo graphics do - earlier SGIs only provided sync-on-green.

The Everest system controller also has a very nice feel. The LEGO MMSC and PowerSeries Power Meter have better long distance flash, but the MSC just feels chintzy after using an Everest SC.

I'm unclear - have you pulled it down to minimums yet? (single processor board, single memory board, base I/O)

The good news is that TGXes are very available (I have many if needed).

Try putting a serial terminal on it and checking functionality and PROM settings. I can't recall now what the graphics show if the console is set to TTY, but it can and does happen that P.O.s used boxes such as this headless. Note also that if the NVRAM battery dies it goes into heavy diagnostics and can take many minutes for memory tests.

Other thing to check - it's easy to bend pins on Sun pin-type connectors (SBUS, horiz UPA, pin-type processor connectors). Pull it and double check the pins.

Inst keeps track of it for backwards compatibility. From a practical standpoint you have the exact same software installed from 6.5.22 on no matter what stream you select.

The "interesting" question (for degrees of interesting that are near infinitesimal) is whether or not inst is smart enough to let you switch from F to M without reloading the base disks on releases >=6.5.22

Probably you want deskside, but gotta check. Deskside, CM or GM? I have a CM midplane.

They'd work in a rack Onyx2 compute module. They have the XIO slots, but no graphics slots.

Ming vase. Not contemporary, but shows that "Chinese copy" doesn't always have to be the case if companies demand quality and stick to their guns.

A counterexample would be what those wonderful American craftsmen gave us in the 1970s Fords. Proof that no matter where you go you need to demand quality and stick to your guns or else.

Would be nice, but the 5DWM guy already has a license and has put it quite a bit of work on a Linux port.

Yep, the Origin2000 deskside and Onyx2 use the same basic case and power supply. The backplane is different, as are the slot numbering bits and supports (the Onyx2 uses 2 nodeboards + graphics, Origin2000 uses 4 nodeboards and extra XIO). You can get a rack compute module and put it on your deskside base + skins, and that would probably be the easiest route.

You could also trade - generally Onyx2s are more valuable than an equivalent Origin2000.

I haven't worked with it, but GCC 4.x won't use the IRIX toolchain, so you might not need IDF.

whazurspec?

You can get DEC adapters or make your own (use a 6-position modular jack, cut the tab off, epoxy on the side). You can also get a MMJ cable and wire a DE9 or DB25 on the other end. The connections are available online - you just need to connect the "-" sides together and to ground and then use the "+" on the 232 signal lines.

The "S3" position is documented in the VAXstation guides. Use Manx and you can download them.

OpenVMS. Linux is Linux on that hardware (but Linux without as much precompiled software).

You can always use serial console and network display if you want to have the HP-UX experience.

I can take another look, but I'm pretty sure that the official DEC adapters are just passive.