Nekonomicon - zagnut

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 2, 2015, 8:50 a.m...

Hello everyone.

As a teenage computer geek back in the 90s, I remember seeing my first SGI machines. I dont recall exactly what models they were, but the way they looked made me want one! Until I found out the price.

Fast forward many years to yesterday, 2015. Im 38 now and had long forgotten about SGI...until yesterday. While surfing Craigslist I came across a person with 6 old computers he wanted to get rid of. And there was the picture....an SGI Octane! Ten minutes later, it was in my car

I have no way to connect a monitor to run hinv, so I immediately took it apart. It appears to be a single 300mhz r12000, with 1.5gb RAM, and Es video. Sadly, no drives.

I dont know much about SGI/Irix. I'm thinking about installing a MIPS Linux distro for one of two uses...either for use as a dedicated photo editing box, or simply as a NAS RAID array for my photography needs.

I look forward to bothering you all for help in the near future.

Oh, the other computers this person had.... 4 were simple, old, dirty Dell desktops. No drives or RAM. So I pulled the cpus. However....the 5th was a dual Xeon Dell Poweredge server with RAM. Just need drives. The best part...this was all free.

Good day for this nerd.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 2, 2015, 9:31 a.m...

uunix wrote: Nice haul, and welcome brother zagnut.

Thank you! I really only wanted the Octane and the Dell server. But the arrangement was to take all. This Octane is a heavy little box!

nyef wrote: No monitor on an Octane? Don't attach a keyboard or mouse, connect to serial port 1 at 9600 8N1, power up. You should get access to the PROM that way. When buying an adaptor, keep in mind that SUN and SGI 13W3 connector pinouts are not the same. If you want EDID and the like, you'll need the SGI version. Look on eBay. Also, the PROM runs at a fixed resolution, and may require sync-on-green. YMMV.

As far as Linux goes, you'll need a patched kernel in order to run on Octane. It may (or may not?) be a bit of a project to get everything running.

Thank you. Much of that is over my head, thankfully I'm a fast learner. The sad bit....I dont think I have a serial cable either. I'll have to make a trip to the parts shop. I knew I would need a 13w3 adapter, but did not know there was a Sun variant.

I've decided I just want to use this as an NAS RAID. Will I be able to access the array from a Windows machine? I've yet to look up the partitioning types for Irix. I know theres 1, maybe 2, Linux distros that will run on the Octane. For simple NAS and RAID, that should work fine hopefully.

Out of curiosity....should this have the bandwidth capable to stream 1080 HD video at around 25mbps? I understand the type of array will effect that as well, but that aside, will the Octanes components handle that ok?

Its small and unobtrusive, unlike a standard computer. So the gf wont complain about another "ugly computer" that I have to hide away.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 2, 2015, 12:07 p.m...

ClassicHasClass wrote: Well, like everything else, it depends on the data rate, the network ... but the controller at least should be able to manage 25Mbit/s without difficulty, I should think. You can get a rough idea by taking Ian's numbers here for the Fuel and dividing them by 3-ish. http://www.sgidepot.co.uk/fuel.html

Looks like even with 15k discs, bandwidth could be an issue for streaming HD. For photographic redundancy however, it will suffice just fine. I would prefer to stream HD video as well. But if not, oh well.

Would it be worth investing in the pci cage for a SCSI card usage? Also, would it be worth considering upgrading to a dual cpu unit...should I be able to find one? I suppose that last question is just personal preference.

I wish they sold Zagnut bars here in Detroit.

Krokodil wrote: Welcome from a fellow Octane owner.

I recommend IRIX if you want the full SGI experience . Ebay is selling a somewhat expensive 13w3 to VGA adapter, but I can confirm that it does work. The Octane is heavy but it's well constructed.

I recently sent most of my old PC's to the scrapyard to make room for the truly special machines.

It will depend on cost of a hdd with Irix loaded. If it costs considerably more than a blank hdd, I will opt for attempts at running Linux. I dont want to spend too much at this time.

I have 4 old p4 Dells by my garbage cans....you can pick them up if youd like

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 2, 2015, 3:50 p.m...

foetz wrote: welcome here zagnut

as it's been said already not running irix on an sgi makes it rather pointless. you got the octane for free so spending a few bucks on irix is the best investment you can make and that's also the only way to actually get what sgi was all about.
if you wanna run a linux file server use one of those dells

The Dell is big and ugly though. Besides, it's a Dell :roll:

I'll probably get a drive with Irix, just so I can check out an OS I have no experience with.

uunix wrote:

nyef wrote: keep in mind that SUN and SGI 13W3 connector pinouts are not the same.

I was unaware of this? Is there a way to identify without a multi-metre ?

I don't feel like such a n00b now.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 2, 2015, 4:54 p.m...

uunix wrote:

nyef wrote: keep in mind that SUN and SGI 13W3 connector pinouts are not the same.

I was unaware of this? Is there a way to identify without a multi-metre ?

Per the Octane Hardware Aggregator thread

Note: A properly wired 13w3 to HD15 adapter or cable is required. Most generic 13w3 to HD15 adapters are wired to the Sun version of 13w3 which may cause display issues if used with an Octane. If the advertisements says an adapter "works with Sun, IBM and SGI", it probably doesn't without modification. SGI made a 13w3 to HD15 cable for the Octane, the part number is 018-0881-002.

sgifanatic wrote: Welcome to the world of SGI and vintage computing... Very satisfying hobby!

Would definitely recommend Irix. Will simply be a better experience.

Second, using an octane as an nfs server is great, and yes, you can use free PC software to mount NFS volumes from windows clients. But, I would imagine you will enjoy the SGI desktop experience... There is a possibility you may not, but now that you have the box, might be worth a giving it a go.

Search eBay for 13w3 sgi vga and you should find an adaptor for ~$30-35.

Good luck and would love to see pics when you can take some.

I'll try and get some pics this weekend. I did a tear down last night, to try and identify parts, and was surprised how clean it was.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Split from the Octane Hadrware Aggregator: at July 2, 2015, 5:20 p.m...

I'll contribute...
Mainboard 030-1467-001 Rev:C

RAM:
Kingston double-board 512mb modules,
Part: KSG-OCT/512-CE, 52075-002.A00 K2

Kingston single-board 128mb modules,
Part: KSG-OCT/128-CE, 2028-004.A00-KIT2

SEC single-board 64mb modules,
Part: KMM379S803AT-G0, 9940084

IBM single-board 64mb modules,
IBM part number appears to be 1308734HCA-10T. However, I do not see much in regards to this when I google the part number. However, there is SGI part number 9010019 on the modules.

Moderator Edit : Split from the Octane Hardware Aggregator (after the appropriate content was aggregated). <recondas>

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 2, 2015, 7:39 p.m...

hamei wrote:

zagnut wrote: I've decided I just want to use this as an NAS RAID.

I know it's rude to tell people their ideas are ... errr ... not good, but :

Octane makes a terrible file server. They are big (which you don't care about cuz it's attractive - okay), loud (not good) hot (not good), noisy (really not good), have a crap selection of disks (sca scsi only, slow transfer rates, only three internal disks, even the sata adapters that work on O3x do not work on Octane) ... basically, that's a bad job for an Octane. There's a good reason you can buy those external scsi raid enclosures for nothing. That's what they are worth.

I will avoid the Loonix - vs - Unix subject entirely

Will I be able to access the array from a Windows machine? I've yet to look up the partitioning types for Irix. I know theres 1, maybe 2, Linux distros that will run on the Octane. For simple NAS and RAID, that should work fine hopefully.

To be realistic, for a server these days in a mixed network, you really want Solaris 11. If you want to go second-best there's the BSD's. Samba sucks the big ten-inch. And Swervices for Yewnix is awful. I've used it in Real Life (tm). Four years of bread and water, ten lashes daily. If you were sticking with all Unix and pseudo-Unix computers, NFS would be great and Irix and even Loonix does that good. But when you add Windows .....

If you just want a nas, no other services, then one of the BSD-based point-and-click appliances looked pretty nice. I tested about five, one of them seemed okay. ZFS. A couple of people here are using the HP microserver happily. Sata disks. Smallish. Quiet. Very quiet. Low electricity usage. Two each gigabit interfaces and a spare pci-express slot for whatever. A thousand times faster and more capable than an Octane for that job.

Anyway, the point is you won't be happy using an Octane for this. Octane makes a great desktop but a piss-poor file server.

I appreciate and respect your opinion very much. After seeing bandwidth rates, and knowing those rates will be slower once a redundant array is introduced, I've given up the idea of streaming for home entertainment. It would probably choke on 30mbps HD video. I cant justify the expensive cost of the shoebox for a SCSI card. For my photography needs, as a redundant storage device, it should serve well. I can add a fan to that empty space above the PSU where the shoebox for PCIs would normally go. That should keep the heat down. I haven't fired it up to see about noise yet. Is it mechanical noise, or vibrational? I can probably find a way to deal with vibrational/case noise in a certain way...might effect internal temps though.

And yes, Samba blows goats...to put it nicely. I had a WD MyBook World....I hated that POS. I eventually ripped it apart for its hdd and tossed the rest.

I have a dedicated media server actually. Its an AMD 5000+ Black Edition. But Id like some redundancy...and there just isnt any room in its custom case for another hdd. So I may just use the Octane for the above redundant photography server as I mentioned. It should serve 30mb RAW files just fine.....given the noise and heat arent too bad.

Id set up the PowerEdge for complete redundant media streaming....but its just so damn big and ugly.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 2, 2015, 9:41 p.m...

foetz wrote: there's a very simple formula to determine what the sgi (and pretty much any other proprietary unix system) is good for and what not:

everything hobby/home user related => bad
professional tasks => good

that should solve the video streaming question and can serve you well as some sort of template for any other idea you might have along the way

Well, photo editing would fall into the pro category...not sure about RAID serving for that purpose though.

Im curious, has anyone ever ported an old mac os (system 7 or 8 ) to a MIPS SGI? Im not educated in fruit OS. Many years back I had a PowerBook 1400c....a beautiful laptop for its generation. I regret disposing of it

But I digress....

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Split from the Octane Hadrware Aggregator: at July 2, 2015, 9:46 p.m...

GeneratriX wrote:

zagnut wrote: I'll contribute...

Thanks, zagnut, it is added at the bottom.
Greetz for you and all the forum folks!

Thank you. I can't truly confirm, however these modules were installed in the Octane I obtained yesterday. I will confirm for sure once I can get the system booted in a few days. Need a serial cable to access PROM I'm told since I do not have 13w3 cable as of yet.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 3, 2015, 9:11 a.m...

Thanks all.

As to OS7, Id never install it, even if it had been ported. It was my first real experience with a Mac OS and it made me want to pull my hair out. But yet somehow, Linux doesn't make me want to kick puppies....go figure. I was just curious if anyone had/if it was even possible.

I've always wanted to play around with Shake. I actually needed Shake a couple years back for some HD video editing, but, well, Shake isn't exactly for Win systems.

I use Lightroom for my photo stuff. I don't use PS, as I come from the Corel camp. I tried to transition once, but was already too familiar with Corel to bother trying to fully learn PS.

The reason I'm so adamant about using it as a redundant photography server, is because I really don't want to part it out in order to stuff an Intel board in it. Then again, I dont even know if it powers up yet, so it may already be destined for that purpose. Then again, maybe it's better to part it out so that it can keep another running for what it was truly intended. My inner nerd at least needs to play with Irix first though.

I really need to see if it at least powers up today.

I love the modular design of the Octane. I wish all computers were made this way. It would make upgrading/repairing them so much easier. This is one proprietary design I admire. Unlike COUGH *dell* COUGH.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Nice! SGI on Slashdot at July 3, 2015, 11 a.m...

guardian452 wrote: ...looks like it was added on later in photoshop gimp microsoft paint.

I agree....that logo doesnt look like its actually mounted. It does indeed look 'shopped. Even a horribly artistic person like myself could've done better. But I would have used Corel Graphics.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 3, 2015, 12:30 p.m...

ClassicHasClass wrote:

As to OS7, Id never install it, even if it had been ported. It was my first real experience with a Mac OS and it made me want to pull my hair out.

I'll be the token classic Mac OS defender: under the hood, it's crap. But when it works, the user experience is excellent, which is why we're still saying FTFF in OS X 13 years after Steve-o eulogized OS 9 at WWDC.

The ability to run Classic apps is why my daily driver Power Macs run 10.4.

I wont bash OS. OSx is great for video and photoediting. Part of the reason Im tempted to build a Hackintosh. But OS7, and even 8 when I upgraded, was just not a good experience for me on the Powerbook. That active tft display was beautiful for its time though.

Id be tempted to buy a current Mac for, photo and video, if it weren't for every damn "hipster" having one.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 3, 2015, 2:21 p.m...

I've always wanted a rack server. A 350 would be cool. Does this look like a good deal? http://www.ebay.com/itm/121679911986

Someone about 20 mins from me is selling a nice looking Origin 2000 rack. http://www.ebay.com/itm/271907648495 Too bad I don't have the $$$ and a pick up truck.

Looks a little pricey for a 2000 though.

I came across an Altix 4700 for under $1500 USD too! I posted it in the bazaar, go look if you're near California.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16729764&p=7380846#p7380846

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 3, 2015, 2:35 p.m...

vishnu wrote:

zagnut wrote: Does this look like a good deal? http://www.ebay.com/itm/121679911986

That would be an outstanding deal if they were working, still a good deal even if they're not. From the pictures they look mint, not a spec of dust, possibly they've never even been turned on...

I was thinking the same, look in great shape. I might see if I can talk my gf into letting me buy yet 2 more computers

.

Go check out that Altix I found for sale. Its got 36 processor modules for a total of 72 Itaniums and 8gb ram. Posted a link above in edited post.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 3, 2015, 3:27 p.m...

vishnu wrote: Altix-shmaltix! If it can't run Irix it's crap...

It run Linux....good enough for my HTPC and redundancy needs. Probably a little overkill though...but thats how I roll. 8-)

jan-jaap wrote: Never turned on? Are we looking at the same Origin350 or are you being sarcastic?

Code: Select all
Condition: For parts or not working Seller Notes: THE ITEMS HAVE COSMETIC WEAR THEY WERE POWER ON TESTED ONLY.

It's missing a drive bay door, most of the 19" rackmount rail kit, and the NUMA cable to connect the two units.

On the plus side, one unit is dual 800MHz, the other quad 800MHz. You'd need that NUMA cable, the rest is optional.

The door is cosmetic, I could care less personally. Says they were pulled from a working system. And they are remarkably clean looking, which I believe is what brought on the "looks like never turned on" comment. I don't think Vishnu believes they have never been on, they just appear that way. Very clean for being pulled from a working system. That system must not have been used very often. For the age, they should have some visible dust. Which does make me curious.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of relativity, in electronics at July 3, 2015, 3:45 p.m...

I suppose it is all relative! If the guy from CERN thinks that a 2.5kA/1.2kV transistor is a low power device, Id hate to see his idea of a high powered IGBT

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Machinery's Trivia :) at July 3, 2015, 4 p.m...

First glance looks like a coupler...but I dont believe so.

If you look again, you will see wear marks running perpendicular on the teeth, around the OD/circumference. So the outside has rubbed against another surface. Having CNC experience, this is indicative of being a tool of some kind to me. Quite possibly part of a collet system to hold a tool is what I believe it is.

I can't tell in the pictures, but is it tapered? With the opening getting smaller towards the end of the "teeth"? If so, I'd be 99.9% certain it is a collet. The wear marks would be caused by the collar that goes over it, used to tighten/"close" the teeth around the tooling it was meant to hold.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of "Woody Box", the CRT-boxed computer at July 3, 2015, 4:29 p.m...

Very cool!

This is my Woody Box. Made it about 5-6 uears ago to act as a media server.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 3, 2015, 4:43 p.m...

nyef wrote:

zagnut wrote: I've always wanted a rack server. A 350 would be cool. Does this look like a good deal? http://www.ebay.com/itm/121679911986

Yes. I'd go for that myself if I were in the market for more IP35 nodes at the moment. Note that "item 1" does not have an IO9, thus is not very useful without being attached to another unit via a numalink cable (around $40-60, possibly plus shipping). These will run Linux in single-CPU mode if you'd rather run that than IRIX, although the drives may well already have IRIX installed.

Someone about 20 mins from me is selling a nice looking Origin 2000 rack. http://www.ebay.com/itm/271907648495 Too bad I don't have the $$$ and a pick up truck. Looks a little pricey for a 2000 though.

That looks like it's an Onyx 2000, doesn't it? The top chassis doesn't have any XIO slots (and some of the boards are rather suspiciously tagged "RM"), and the bottom chassis has an IO6-G rather than an IO-6. If you're careful, and you work with a friend, you should be able to take it apart to the point where you can lift the peices separately.

If I had space and power for it, and a suitable vehicle, I'd jump on that. Two days there, parts it until I can lift the bits into the car, two days back...

I didnt see the RM tags....hmmmm. Onyx or Origin, sadly I cant afford it atm no matter which it is. We have a baby on the way and I haven't started my new job yet. It saddens my inner geek when I see things like this locally and cant get them. I showed my gf, and after hearing its over 6ft tall and seeing the price, she laughed hysterically. I knew the answer answer immediately upon hearing her maniacal laugh. lmao.

I'd much rather drive to Cali for the Altix I posted a link to if I were going to spend $1.3-1.5k anyways.

Oh well....maybe once I start my new job, we move, and the baby is born....then I can get the rack system I've always wanted. I have no problem paying low for a nicely maintained unit, for home use, thats considered obsolete by enterprise standards.

BTW....all of you are evil......you've awoken my inner nerd to a new type of computer that can be had inexpensively. My gf will forever hate you all for the hell I will be putting her through in the coming future. :lol:

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Machinery's Trivia :) at July 3, 2015, 6:09 p.m...

Here's similar to what I'm referring to -

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Halt & Catch Fire at July 4, 2015, 12:58 a.m...

Any other US members watch this show? Or am I the only one?

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of "Woody Box", the CRT-boxed computer at July 5, 2015, 2:40 p.m...

jan-jaap wrote: That looks good, I like it!

ivelegacy wrote: wow, it's very very cool
I have to complete my box. I am dealing with VGA timing because I already know its details. I have to analyze the CGA timing, unfortunately I haven't received yet a working ISA board. Two damaged boards from ebay. I have bought the third one, and I am waiting for it, crossing my fingers =)

Thanks!
I wanted something unobtrusive that mathed the look of my old antique desk at first. But most women dont like an ugly metal box in the living room, by the tv. So thats how it ended up my medua server. Its outdated, as its just a dual core AMD 5000+ Black Edition, 2gb RAM. But it works well as a media server.

I saw that a company actually made a case like an antique radio. But it was almost $300! Knowing other companies made these as actual radios to look old, I set out to the local department store with my measurements. There they had it, on the shelf. It had a cd player and turntable. I paid $100, took it home to my basement workshop, and ripped all the new, working, parts out. From there it was just a matter of getting everything lined up right. It was a fun, 1 night project.

Legacy, your woody box is very cool! It's beyond my abilities and I look forward to pics of it working! Truly a very neat project!

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of relativity, in electronics at July 5, 2015, 3:01 p.m...

vishnu wrote: We used, or rather tried to use, IGBTs to trigger a power source that was 5 parallel banks of 70 optima redtop batteries in series (350 batteries total), into an equivalent load of 1 ohm. Didn't work too good. There were a lot of flames and smoke...

Thats awesome! But I need to ask...what in the world was this power bank for! How were they wired exactly? 70 in series x 5, then each bank in parallel? Or 70 in parallel x5, then each bank in series?
Roughly about 840Vdc @ 3750A? Or roughly 48Vdc @ 52.5kA? Is my math correct, I've had a few beers today.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Machinery's Trivia :) at July 5, 2015, 3:28 p.m...

Happy late birthday Diego!!!

Perpendicular wear marks in the ID could be indicative of a tool holder as well.

Nautical capstan or ratcheting device....hmmmm, possibly. I'm not familiar with anything nautical however.

How about possibly some type of centrifugal clutch, the inner race?

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Halt & Catch Fire at July 5, 2015, 3:43 p.m...

ClassicHasClass wrote: I like the 2nd season so far. That's mostly because I'm a Commodore fan, but I'm impressed to note that the screen displays are not unreasonable. The font is a little off, the user interface sometimes looks like the bloated spawn of an Apple II that crept upon a C64 in the dark of night, and in one eye-roller they tried programming it in ANSI C, but the technical aspects are really not bad. They've also backed off on the melodrama a bit and that helps.

My sentiments exactly!

The first season was a bit over-dramatic it seems. But so far in this season, it's backed down as Classic mentioned. We shall see. TBH, I'm not even sure I really like it as a whole. But having grown up with a C64 and c128 (ugh those cassette drives!), my inner nerd can appreciate the early days of personal computing. Dial-up at 300baud (0.3 kbps) on a 1660 modem...those were the days! Did eventually get the faster Westridge Communications C6420 Direct-connect modem.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Help me out with triple boot please. at July 5, 2015, 3:53 p.m...

I've triple booted WinXP, Win7 and linux before. But Im struggling here....

I have a new box with a single hdd. I want to install OSX, Win7 and Linux fir a triple boot. So far, it seems I install 7 first, then OSX, then Linux. Is this correct? I cant seem to get OSX to boot off the USB though.

This is on an Intel PC, not a Mac.

Thanks
Aaron

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Machinery's Trivia :) at July 5, 2015, 4:43 p.m...

How about a picture with a ruler to see actual size?

thinking about it, I almost think it's a centrifugal clutch for a snowmobile.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of MobaXterm at July 5, 2015, 4:47 p.m...

This looks pretty cool and makes me want to get my Octane running now!

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Help me out with triple boot please. at July 5, 2015, 8:09 p.m...

For the life of me, I cant get Lion to mount in Virtualbox. Even after extracting the dmg from within the Lion dmg, I cant get it to mount as a bootable drive. I'm going to try my copy of Snow Leopard. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Help me out with triple boot please. at July 7, 2015, 9:27 p.m...

Thanks guys

I got Lion to run under VirtualBox successfully. Im currently attempting to get a bootable USB of Lion running.

I guess my real question is, what should be installed after Win7...OSX or Linux? I've triple booted before, but that was Win2k, XP, and Ubuntu.

UEFI is not available if thats of relevance.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Linux distro opinions at July 7, 2015, 9:45 p.m...

Abouy 6 months ago, I took a real liking to Manjaro (Arch based). In the past, I've also used Ubuntu, Debian and Puppy (old 486 laptop). I've never tried Mint however. Give me some opinions, recommendations, etc as to what I should maybe give a try on my new cheap box.

Specs on this free box:
Core 2 Duo e8600 (hopefully to be converted to a socket 771quad Xeon X5460 or x5470)
6gb ram (hopefully upgraded to 8gb)
Video is onboard GMA x4500 currently, but looking to probably upgrade to an old gtx260?

the whole point is a cheap, fairly decent box. So far, I've only spent $13 on current specs. I think I actually have an ati 5450 or 5470 in my parts bin I could use, which I paid $0 for.

Primary system use..... web surfing, possibly serving 20-30mbps hd video, as well as possible RAW photo editing with Darktable.

Any and all opinions are respectfully appreciated!

Thanks!
Aaron

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Help me out with triple boot please. at July 8, 2015, 4:22 p.m...

nyef and aj, that was my conclusion as well, Linux last.

Status report!

I have OSX 10.7 (Lion) up and running on its own! Off an IDE drive too. Wireless is working as well. Not sure about sound, not worried about sound. Video is onboard Intel fir now.

But....the install nerfed Win7's boot....which I suspected it would. I should be able to remedy that with the Linux install though.

This would've been easier with each OS on it's own hdd, but I only had a a single, spare, IDE hdd. Besides, I wanted to see if it was possible to triple boot all 3, off a single drive. I haven't heard of anyone being successful in doing it this way.

Now on to Linux....wish me luck.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Linux distro opinions at July 8, 2015, 6:10 p.m...

Alver wrote: I use debian on virtually everything. Mint is pretty decent too - it's debian based after all - but so far I've stuck with debian plus the cinnamon desktop (it's in the official repos).

I wouldn't go for Ubuntu because of its obvious unfitness out-of-the-box for slightly older hardware, but it all comes down to taste.

ivelegacy wrote: Talking about me, and about modern hw, x86 based:
Arch is the best trade off. It may require care.
Ubuntu is a good choice if you do not have time to care. It's ready of of the box.

I havent touched Debian in a few years. Ubuntu is a bit of a concern with slightly older hardware, and it can be a resource hog.

Although I haven't used Manjaro a lot, I haven't really had any issues with it being based off Arch. Since I haven't tried Mint yet, I may give it a go.

If you've never checked out Manjaro, I recommend it. It runs well on older hardware. Puppy is very light and specifically geared towards much older hardware. Or at least it used to be. It would probably fly on my Octane if there was a port for it.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Linux distro opinions at July 9, 2015, 3:29 p.m...

Thanks Legacy...I'll make a note of that for when I get ready to work in the Octane. That version is confirmed working on the IP30?

ivelegacy wrote:

zagnut wrote: The Gentoo port appears to be dead in support

About the kernel side: from my point of view (SMP, PCI, all of these things working) the last stable was 2.6.17-rc4, but there are good news for kernels v4.*

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of relativity, in electronics at July 9, 2015, 3:39 p.m...

Ahahaha! Thats just sick!

Bear with me, Im not an electrical engineer, but know enough to get me by and in trouble.

With that kind of voltage and amperage, why not just use a large capacitor bank? Wouldn't that be easier and more efficient? Think in terms of something like a rail gun.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Help me out with triple boot please. at July 11, 2015, 9:35 p.m...

I got it! Triple boot success on a PC! Windows 7, Mac OSX 10.7 Lion, Linux Manjaro LXQT.

Here's the best part, any tutorials I've found on this, always say install OSX first, says OSX Lion shouldn't work on IDE HDD's, and require something like rEFInd boot manager, as well as repairing the Windows MBR.

Here's the break down
Installed Win7 first. Simple, nothing fancy.
Installed OSX next. This required running OSX in a virtual machine (VirtualBox in Win7) to create the bootable USB drive using MyHack and InstallESD.DMG extracted from OSX 10.7 image file. After bootable USB creation, installed OSX 10.7
Then, installed Linux Manjaro LXQT on extended partition. Setup extended partition as 2 logical partitions, one for /root, the other for swap. Installed GRUB to /root partition.

I did all partitioning and formatting in the OS I was installing. Ex: In Win7, 2 partitions...main OS, and small System partition Win7 sets up. In OSX, Setup partition, formatted. In Manjaro, partitioned as explained above.

I boot into OSX Darwin, and choose OS from that.

I still have to install updates for all OS's yet. And I have a confliction within OSX. I must boot using -f flag for the time, or system hangs on loading. But even booting -f/bypassing system cache/kexts, the system runs to my likings. All I need is video in OSX, but will try to narrow down conflicting issues and get everything running top notch. Vid resolution if fine, I have wireless networ, not sure if sound works though. I would like better video resolution though. I believe its 1280x1024, but I can't change it.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 11, 2015, 10:38 p.m...

Krokodil wrote:

ClassicHasClass wrote:

Would it be worth investing in the pci cage for a SCSI card usage? Also, would it be worth considering upgrading to a dual cpu unit...should I be able to find one? I suppose that last question is just personal preference.

The PCI cage? I think so, if SCSI throughput's going to be what you'd use it for. The extra CPU would mostly benefit using it as, you know, a computer.

Once you go Irix you don't go, uh, bye-bye-rix.

Definitely upgrade to a dual CPU, you'll need the extra power to run mplayer well, especially if OpenGL acceleration doesn't want to work.

If I could afford that, I would. But truth be told, I have a baby to be born in October, and I have been unemployed (start new job tomorrow). So I need to be careful of budget. Myabe I will keep all parts and in 3 years they will be less money

lol

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of shit :( at July 12, 2015, 12:12 a.m...

hamei wrote: The Snake slithered his last comeback but true to character, he didn't tell anybody

"Great plan, John ! ...

... but that's not what I'm gonna do"

The last time a group of live human beings was seen in professional sports (in the US, at least) ..

Well....hockey season is over, so i have nooo idea what you're talkin bout.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 14, 2015, 12:10 a.m...

uunix wrote:

zagnut wrote: If I could afford that, I would. But truth be told, I have a baby to be born in October, and I have been unemployed (start new job tomorrow). So I need to be careful of budget. Myabe I will keep all parts and in 3 years they will be less money lol

Congrats on the sgi baby.

Hey thanks man!
Once I get steady incoming flowing back in, I'll try and get the Octane running and post some pics if it.

zagnut
Who joined July 2, 2015, 8:35 a.m.

Wrote on the subject of Hello Nekochan...new SGI owner here at July 15, 2015, 11:06 p.m...

ClassicHasClass wrote: Steady income flowing back in? Not with a baby.

Pretty much. But a little pocket change here and there wont hurt. I need to get a lens adapter for a camera lens first though.

Krokodil wrote:

foetz wrote:

Krokodil wrote: you'll need the extra power to run mplayer well

why mplayer?

I presume he would want to play videos.

Nope. More than likely, it will be a redundant RAID array for serving photographs.

The collected works of zagnut - Page 1