IRIXNetwork


  1. IRIX Network Forums
  2. SGI/MIPS
  3. Hardware/Triage/Repair

Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
#1
Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
Yo,
Does anyone know if you can boot (from bare metal PROM) from a FC HBA controller on SGI platforms?  I know the older QLA2200 and QLA2300 platforms are supposed to be Irix supported, but does the PROM support booting from these HBAs?

I'm guessing...no.  But I thought I'd get a definitive answer before I waste too much time on this line of thinking.

Thanks!
Tezro Tezro Fuel Octane2 Octane Octane Octane O2 O2 Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT  Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT Indigo2 Indigo2 Indy Indy Indy Indy Indy Indigo  NEED ->  O2plus

WANTED PARTS
PARTS FOR SALE:
REPAIR SERIVCES:
weblacky
I play an SGI Doctor, on daytime TV.

Trade Count: (10)
Posts: 1,716
Threads: 88
Joined: Jan 2019
Location: Seattle, WA
Find Reply
02-26-2023, 05:43 AM
#2
RE: Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
A Fibre Channel adapter needs a lot more setup before it is operable. So no.
Similar reasons why you cannot netboot over FDDI in fact
Personaliris O2 Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT Indigo2 Indy   (past: 4D70GT)
robespierre
refector peritus

Trade Count: (0)
Posts: 640
Threads: 3
Joined: Nov 2020
Location: Massholium
Find Reply
02-26-2023, 06:02 AM
#3
RE: Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
Booting from the FC disks of an I-Brick with a QLA2200 adapter works from the PROM.
Challenge L Indy Indigo2 Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT O2 Octane Origin2000 Deskside Fuel Challenge S Origin 200 Origin 2000 Rack Origin 2000 Rack Origin 3200 Origin 350
fleedwood
O2

Trade Count: (0)
Posts: 24
Threads: 1
Joined: Dec 2020
Location: Germany
Find Reply
02-27-2023, 02:54 PM
#4
RE: Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
(02-27-2023, 02:54 PM)fleedwood Wrote:  Booting from the FC disks of an I-Brick with a QLA2200 adapter works from the PROM.

Can you dump your nvram settings to see what your boot file settings are?  How do you point to the bare drive in the PROM?

Thanks
Tezro Tezro Fuel Octane2 Octane Octane Octane O2 O2 Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT  Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT Indigo2 Indigo2 Indy Indy Indy Indy Indy Indigo  NEED ->  O2plus

WANTED PARTS
PARTS FOR SALE:
REPAIR SERIVCES:
weblacky
I play an SGI Doctor, on daytime TV.

Trade Count: (10)
Posts: 1,716
Threads: 88
Joined: Jan 2019
Location: Seattle, WA
Find Reply
02-28-2023, 02:27 AM
#5
RE: Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
(02-28-2023, 02:27 AM)weblacky Wrote:  Can you dump your nvram settings to see what your boot file settings are?  How do you point to the bare drive in the PROM?

Thanks

they show up like normal SCSI drives:

SystemPartition=dksc(0,1,8)
OSLoadPartition=dksc(0,1,0)

hinv from PROM:

System  SGI-IP35
4 400 MHz IP35 Processors
Main memory size: 4096 Mbytes
Integral Fast Ethernet
IOC3 serial port
USB (OHCI interface)
Integral SCSI controller 0: Version Fibre Channel QL2200
    Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI Controller 0, (dksc(0,1,0))
    Disk drive: unit 2 on SCSI Controller 0, (dksc(0,2,0))
Integral SCSI controller 5: Version IEEE-1394/Firewire
    CDROM: unit 1 on SCSI Controller 5, (cdrom(5,1,7))
Challenge L Indy Indigo2 Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT O2 Octane Origin2000 Deskside Fuel Challenge S Origin 200 Origin 2000 Rack Origin 2000 Rack Origin 3200 Origin 350
(This post was last modified: 03-01-2023, 01:17 AM by Raion.)
 fleedwood
O2

Trade Count: (0)
Posts: 24
Threads: 1
Joined: Dec 2020
Location: Germany
Find Reply
02-28-2023, 08:50 AM
#6
RE: Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
(02-28-2023, 08:50 AM)fleedwood Wrote:  they show up like normal SCSI drives:

SystemPartition=dksc(0,1,8)
OSLoadPartition=dksc(0,1,0)

hinv from PROM:

System  SGI-IP35
4 400 MHz IP35 Processors
Main memory size: 4096 Mbytes
Integral Fast Ethernet
IOC3 serial port
USB (OHCI interface)
Integral SCSI controller 0: Version Fibre Channel QL2200
    Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI Controller 0, (dksc(0,1,0))
    Disk drive: unit 2 on SCSI Controller 0, (dksc(0,2,0))
Integral SCSI controller 5: Version IEEE-1394/Firewire
    CDROM: unit 1 on SCSI Controller 5, (cdrom(5,1,7))

Nice, I was afraid I'd have to use the QLA2200 ROM (which of course own't run on MIPS) to setup things as simple as "seeing" a target.  Great, Something to look forward to doing!  I have an idea...we'll see if it holds water...
Tezro Tezro Fuel Octane2 Octane Octane Octane O2 O2 Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT  Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT Indigo2 Indigo2 Indy Indy Indy Indy Indy Indigo  NEED ->  O2plus

WANTED PARTS
PARTS FOR SALE:
REPAIR SERIVCES:
(This post was last modified: 03-01-2023, 01:18 AM by Raion.)
 weblacky
I play an SGI Doctor, on daytime TV.

Trade Count: (10)
Posts: 1,716
Threads: 88
Joined: Jan 2019
Location: Seattle, WA
Find Reply
02-28-2023, 09:15 AM
#7
RE: Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
(02-28-2023, 08:50 AM)fleedwood Wrote:  they show up like normal SCSI drives:

SystemPartition=dksc(0,1,8)
OSLoadPartition=dksc(0,1,0)

hinv from PROM:

System  SGI-IP35
4 400 MHz IP35 Processors
Main memory size: 4096 Mbytes
Integral Fast Ethernet
IOC3 serial port
USB (OHCI interface)
Integral SCSI controller 0: Version Fibre Channel QL2200
    Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI Controller 0, (dksc(0,1,0))
    Disk drive: unit 2 on SCSI Controller 0, (dksc(0,2,0))
Integral SCSI controller 5: Version IEEE-1394/Firewire
    CDROM: unit 1 on SCSI Controller 5, (cdrom(5,1,7))

What cards do you have installed?  Can you post photos & part numbers?

Thanks!

Indigo2 IMPACT  : R10K-195MHz, 1GB RAM, 146GB 15K, CD-ROM, AudioDAT, MaxImpact w/ TRAM.  IRIX 6.5.22

O2 : R12K-400MHz, 1GB RAM, 300GB 15K, DVD-ROM, CRM Graphics, AV1/2 Media Boards & O2 Cam, DV-Link, FPA & SW1600.  IRIX 6.5.30

 : 2 x R14K-600MHz, 6GB RAM, V12 Graphics, PCI Shoebox.  IRIX 6.5.30

IBM  : 7012-39H, 7043-140

(This post was last modified: 03-01-2023, 01:17 AM by Raion.)
 chulofiasco
Hardware Junkie

Trade Count: (0)
Posts: 328
Threads: 51
Joined: May 2019
Location: New York, NY
Website Find Reply
02-28-2023, 05:40 PM
#8
RE: Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
(02-28-2023, 05:40 PM)chulofiasco Wrote:  
(02-28-2023, 08:50 AM)fleedwood Wrote:  
(02-28-2023, 02:27 AM)weblacky Wrote:  
(02-27-2023, 02:54 PM)fleedwood Wrote:  Booting from the FC disks of an I-Brick with a QLA2200 adapter works from the PROM.

Can you dump your nvram settings to see what your boot file settings are?  How do you point to the bare drive in the PROM?

Thanks

they show up like normal SCSI drives:

SystemPartition=dksc(0,1,8)
OSLoadPartition=dksc(0,1,0)

hinv from PROM:

System  SGI-IP35
4 400 MHz IP35 Processors
Main memory size: 4096 Mbytes
Integral Fast Ethernet
IOC3 serial port
USB (OHCI interface)
Integral SCSI controller 0: Version Fibre Channel QL2200
    Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI Controller 0, (dksc(0,1,0))
    Disk drive: unit 2 on SCSI Controller 0, (dksc(0,2,0))
Integral SCSI controller 5: Version IEEE-1394/Firewire
    CDROM: unit 1 on SCSI Controller 5, (cdrom(5,1,7))

What cards do you have installed?  Can you post photos & part numbers?

Thanks!
Qlogic QLA2200/66, it doesn't have a SGI part number, but I got two of them with my I-Brick


Attached Files Image(s)
   
Challenge L Indy Indigo2 Indigo2 R10000/IMPACT O2 Octane Origin2000 Deskside Fuel Challenge S Origin 200 Origin 2000 Rack Origin 2000 Rack Origin 3200 Origin 350
fleedwood
O2

Trade Count: (0)
Posts: 24
Threads: 1
Joined: Dec 2020
Location: Germany
Find Reply
02-28-2023, 10:00 PM
#9
RE: Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
(02-28-2023, 10:00 PM)fleedwood Wrote:  What cards do you have installed?  Can you post photos & part numbers?

Thanks!
Qlogic QLA2200/66, it doesn't have a SGI part number, but I got two of them with my I-Brick
[/quote]

I have one of these QLA2200/66’s in an O350 and the beast can’t see her.. 🥺
and now that makes sense…

https://techpubs.jurassic.nl/manuals/065.../ch05.html

this device is intended to boot from FC storage.

now it makes sense… since the O350 requires a SCSI boot device with the IO9.. 🥵

Indigo2 IMPACT  : R10K-195MHz, 1GB RAM, 146GB 15K, CD-ROM, AudioDAT, MaxImpact w/ TRAM.  IRIX 6.5.22

O2 : R12K-400MHz, 1GB RAM, 300GB 15K, DVD-ROM, CRM Graphics, AV1/2 Media Boards & O2 Cam, DV-Link, FPA & SW1600.  IRIX 6.5.30

 : 2 x R14K-600MHz, 6GB RAM, V12 Graphics, PCI Shoebox.  IRIX 6.5.30

IBM  : 7012-39H, 7043-140

(This post was last modified: 03-01-2023, 01:18 AM by Raion.)
 chulofiasco
Hardware Junkie

Trade Count: (0)
Posts: 328
Threads: 51
Joined: May 2019
Location: New York, NY
Website Find Reply
02-28-2023, 11:26 PM
#10
RE: Can you BOOT from a Fiber Channel HBA on SGI machines?
Holy quote pyramids Batman. Guys make sure that you don't embed entire pyramids worth of posts. I fixed it but that was kind of ridiculous.

Of course I'm not blaming anyone in particular here.
I'm the system admin of this site. Private security technician, licensed locksmith, hack of a c developer and vintage computer enthusiast. 

https://contrib.irixnet.org/raion/ -- contributions and pieces that I'm working on currently. 

https://codeberg.org/SolusRaion -- Code repos I control

Technical problems should be sent my way.
Raion
Chief IRIX Officer

Trade Count: (9)
Posts: 4,240
Threads: 533
Joined: Nov 2017
Location: Eastern Virginia
Website Find Reply
03-01-2023, 01:19 AM
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)